The Happy Secret To Better Work by Shawn Archor

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“If we study what is merely average, we will remain merely average.” (Shawn Achor)

Lately, I’ve been “refueling” my brain at work with TED.com videos. I just watched an intriguing video on positive thinking and simple ways to train your brain to think happy thoughts. 🙂

Our Caskey philosophy is that if you want to change your results, you MUST change your thinking (your Inner Game).  I’m 100% positive this video will inspire you to take a step back and focus on the power of your Inner Game.

Video Summary:

We believe that we should work to be happy, but could that be backwards? In this fast-moving and entertaining talk, psychologist Shawn Achor argues that actually happiness inspires productivity.

Is It Mindset Or Skillset That’s The ‘Difference Maker’ Today?

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I had a long, tedious discussion with a family member this week end about the difference between COMPETENCIES and SKILLS. As someone who is ‘in the business,’ I suppose I should have been able to rip off a definition of each, but I couldn’t.

What  did occur to me as we were having the conversation is how little either of them really matter in sales success.

For over 12 years, we at Caskey have been preaching that it’s your “inner game” that makes all the difference in your success. And that if you want to significantly change your outcomes, change your thinking.

Afterall, situations change rapidly and scenarios change from one customer to the next. So, how can you possible have a skillset for each and every nuance of customer situation?

You can’t.

It’s why we’ve been trumpeting the message of “it’s about mindset, not skillset” for years.

Mindset Has Four Components

As we see it, if you can master the mindset of selling (and of yourself), you are unstoppable. Here the four that we teach.

1. Abundance.

This is the perspective that suggests there is more than enough to go around. There is an abundance of sales opportunities, prospects and pain to solve. Any shortcoming you feel right now is a function of how you think. Period. Look at your sales funnel to gauge how you were thinking ‘yesterday.’ Because that’s all a sales funnel is – an indication of old thinking. Read more

What Happens When Neediness Permeates Everything You Do?

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Are you desperate for results?  Do you really need a sale to feel good about yourself?

When we ask those questions in our sales programs, we get a resounding “NO!!!”  But the fact is, that when you listen to most people’s sales pitch and sales process, it is threaded with an element of neediness and desperation throughout.

It’s not the sort of neediness that’s exhibited by begging.  It’s much more subtle than that.

It’s that time during a presentation when you say, “So what do you think?”  Or that time at the very beginning of the process when you fail to plant your feet on solid ground and instead, follow the customer’s process and do so gladly because you think the odds will increase of you making the sale.

Here are three things you can do immediately to end the pitiful approach of neediness:

1. Want nothing.

The more “want” you have in the process, the more likely you are to slip and sound needy.  (Actually, you don’t just “sound” needy, you are needy.)  We say in our work, the only selling that should be happening in the sales cycle is the prospect selling you on why they have a problem that they need solved.

The idea of you selling them is antiquated.

2. Stay detached.

In my book, Same Game New Rules, I devote a chapter to it called “Detachment Increases Power”. I mention:

“Unfortunately, detachment and the ability to let go are not natural characteristics in any of us.  From the time we were kids, we were taught to hang on to what we had….”

Amateur salespeople always tend to have their eye on the prize – the order – the close – the commission.  But as long as you’re focused on that end result (your prize), the less apt you are to be detached during the cycle and therefore, the less power you have.

Why are we always the ones squirming?  You would think if we really believed in our solution the way we say we do, it would be the prospect squirming because they may not get access to it.  But that’s not the way it usually is.

3. A REAL Belief in Your Value.

There are two faces to this thing that we talk a lot about called “value”.  One is the product or service representation of value.  That might be the results that a customer can expect to see as a result of using your service or the distinguishing characteristics that make your product truly unique.

But there’s also another phase of value and that is your value.  Yes, as a sales professional or as a technical resource or as a subject matter expert.  This is the one that we take for granted and rarely work on and yet, this is the exact one that will make it easy for you to distinguish yourself from the pack. 

What are you doing to bring value to the relationship, not through your product or service, but through you?

Neediness is deadly.  When exhibited at the wrong time, it can turn a perfect sales process into a loss.

The instant you become needy, the prospect gets uncomfortable because deep down, their lizard brain is asking themselves, “Why should I buy from him if he seems so needy?  There seems to be danger here.” And there might be.

So lose the neediness and desperation.  Really lose it and watch your control of the sales process increase.

3 Tips On Selling A Premium Product in a Commodity Market

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A few years ago, I did a Webinar called “How to Sell A Premium Product in a Commodity Market.” It was one of our best attended webinars we’ve ever done.

Lots of interest in the topic – and I believe I know why.

In this article, I want to update some of the content and give you a couple more ideas.  I picked this topic because it is an ongoing area of concern for sales people – how to sell a premium product into a market that sees price as THE main driver.

Why it’s so tough.

Think about it. We live in a “price leads” society. Advertisers have led us on a race to the bottom by the constant drumbeat of, “Lowest Prices In The Industry!” Or, “We’ll Beat ANY Price!” I know you’ll say, “But I’m not in the retail game.” No, you aren’t. But do you see the attitude that they’ve placed in the minds of buyers?

So the context is that even though your buyer might not jump to “What’s your price?” they certainly have it on their radar.

Here are four notions that I suggest you consider as you extract yourself form the “commodity dungeon” where the only important issue is price:

1. Position Your Self Properly.

Interesting thing about positioning is that it’s not just about what you say – it’s about how you say it. Sales people spend so much time concerned with the “what” and ignore the “how.”

And that’s wrong.

Regardless of your word choice (you’ll have to decide that), the essence of your message should be centered around ‘the types of problems that you solve.’ That’s right – no enthusiastic sales pitches about how great you are – or how smart your team is. None of that.

Frame your ‘premium value’ around the pains and problems that prospects face. Some of those problems they know they have. Some they’re oblivious to. But either way, begin the conversation there.

Be a problem solver not a product seller. There is a trap waiting for you. The prospect sets it and you fall right into it. It happens when the prospect shows interest and you default to “the pitch.”

Instead, when your prospect shows interest in the types of problems you solve, refrain from pitching the product and spend more time diagnosing what that problem means to him. This one thing can do more to change your position (in the prospect’s mind) and help them see that your premium fee is worth it.

Read more

How To Write Business Emails That Get Results – Email Tips for Salespeople

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Sales people, business leaders and marketing types are always looking for the magic dust when it comes to writing emails.

Well, in this video, you’ll see why most ‘persuasion techniques’ fail when it comes to email. It’s not because your writing is weak.

It’s not because you use the wrong font. It’s much deeper than that. It has to do with the state of mind you’re in when you write them.

And once you’re done with the video, head over to http://emailitsellersguide.com/ to check out the 20 most common scenarios that create ’email opportunities.’ I think you’ll find some you recognize.

How To Demonstrate Your Value BEFORE You Sell

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This week’s episode is loaded with new ideas on social media, the myths of selling, and how to “be” the value instead of “talking about being” the value.

Brooke Green starts us off with a transaction she had with a client who was focused on ‘getting the prospect to be interested.’ Always, a losing proposition.

Then, Bryan Neale talks about sales behavior–and the myth that if I do more activity, I will see more results. And, he addresses some things to do instead.

And Bill Caskey takes a question from a client who writes, “How do I use social media to grow my business? I’m LinkedIn to thousands but it’s doing me no good.”

Your Inner Game

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Do you pay attention? Thought so. We all pay attention–(unless we don’t.) But if we do, we learn things. And our income proves it.

And do you pay attention to your inner game….how you’re thinking?

In this episode, Bill Caskey illustrates a real-life example on the concept of Buyer vs. Seller. Brooke Green reflects on a deal she lost, what went wrong, and what she should have done. Bryan Neale and Bill Caskey answer a question from a viewer.

How to Sell a Premium Product in a Commodity World

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You just got the phone call from a prospect who saw your presentation, who shared their pain with you, who you felt was a really good fit, but the answer came back, “No, we’ve gone another direction.” How are you feeling about yourself? Not so good, huh?

The problem may have more to do with your mindset than it does with your product or sales approach. What I find is that most salespeople who struggle to sell premium priced products in a commodity/price sensitive world are those who struggle mentally with the value of their own product and, specifically, of their role in the sales process.

As long as you look at your role as being there to “sell something to someone,” you won’t have the right mindset to sell a premium product.

So what should be your sales mindset?

1.   The price difference is miniscule compared to the value delivered. I know we all believe that about our product, but have you ever written down the 10-50 value components of your product and assigned a value to each one that the customer would either save on or profit from? No? Then how do you expect to explain it to them in a way that’s factual and opinion-less?
2.    Never be attached to the sale. When you are attached to the sale/needy/hungry/desperate, you give off a vibe that says, “I don’t believe very much in my product, but I really need the business.” If you’re giving off that vibe, they are reading that vibe loud and clear. Their reaction is, “Thanks, but no thanks.”

Now, I realize that we talk on this blog and on our podcast (www.TheAdvancedSellingPodcast.com) about detachment. It’s not as easy to detach as it is to talk about detaching. But you’ve got to figure out a way. Go to a coach, hire a therapist, talk to people who are your mentors, who have made it big in a business, to teach you how to do it. Status quo won’t work. Desperation is not a good strategy.

Does Your Customer See Your Value As a 3? Or a 10?

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Just completed training for a company where most of their customers see them as 3’s rather than 10’s. Allow me to explain.

In the graphic, you’ll see two boxes…a 3 box and a 10 box on the outside. This is an illustration I drew today in a training for a company who often gets defaulted into a commodity. In other words, when it comes to “proprietary value” their customers see them as a 3 on the proverbial 1-10 scale.

In other words, what you really are is a 10–but your prospects and customers fail to see you there. You do “big box” work but they see you as a “small box” supplier. So what will you do about it?

One method is to educate your customer so they know “how to see you.” If they’ve become accustomed to you showing up when there’s a bid–or begging for business–or just answering calls, then it’s no wonder they see you as a 3.

As I told me client today, if you get the call when your customer is thinking about expansion or strategic planning or the highest level of value, then you are close to a 10.

But if you’re one of five bidders, then you have no relationship…and you’re likely a 3–or lower.

Recommendation

Make a list of the things that you do that most customers fail to see. Don’t overlook the little things…like one of the account execs today schedules quarterly meetings with their clients to make sure the client is getting the most out of the equipment they buy. That’s huge. Do they know that? Do you send a report of your findings up to the C-suite?

What are the other things that you do for your 10 clients? Now, go to the 3’s and educate them a little. Tell them how others use you–how they get the most value out of you.

And remember, if you’re thought of as a 3, it’s your fault, not theirs.