The High Cost of Low Curiosity

/1 Comment/in /by

Are you, by nature, a curious person?

Having worked with thousands of sales people–and hundreds of managers–I honestly believe it is a pre-requisite to income success to be curious.

Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.”

  • When someone says to you that they have mastered something–or they are experiencing success in a field that you, too, would like to have success–do you sit them down and pepper them (nicely) with questions?
  • When you’ve learned that someone has figured out a way to get to the CEO, do you stop them in their tracks and invite them to dinner?
  • When you’re at a sales meeting, and you learn one of your associates has figured out how to find the pain of the customer better, do you handcuff them until they tell you EXACTLY how they did it?

You probably don’t. And I’m not sure why that is. Is it because we’ll feel stupid? Is it because we wouldn’t want to puff up the other person? Is it because we’d rather do it the hard way, learning it on our own, rather than the easy way–learning from someone who’s done it?

Is there some kind of guilt that kicks in when we get the shortcut?

So the next time you hear of someone who has been successful at something, call them up, congratulate them, and invite them to tell you EXACTLY how they did it.

It will make you rich.

 

 

The Ultimate Selling Strategy: Change Your Thinking.

/1 Comment/in , /by

I got a call from a client last week. She had just begun our program with her company and had heard us talk about “changing how you think” in order to get better results. We hadn’t yet gotten into the details of that, but since she called, I shared with her the five areas of change needed to radically change results.

I hope you can use this information to achiever better sales/business results for yourself. We’ll probably do a podcast (The Advanced Selling Podcast) on it soon.

=1 Change how you think about yourself. Most of us see ourselves as victims in a big economy–held hostage by market forces and company forces. We are quick to blame others for our malaise. That’s what’s so cool about sales–it’s up to you. It’s your accountability that is THE factor in whether you’re a success or not. See yourself as an abundant being on a mission to bring value to your customers. Whether they buy or not–or whether they buy on your time line–is irrelevant. All that matters is that you’re in the present moment with them while in conversation about their pains/issues/matters of the heart. The greatest sales strategies in the world won’t work if you aren’t thinking correctly about your self in the sales process.

=2 Change how you think about your market potential. Most markets are abundant. Yet, when I hear salespeople talk about their sales funnel, it appalls me at how scarcely they see things. Your market is in a lot of pain that they need you to fix for them. Never forget that. And because there is an abundance of pain–and an abundance of money available to fix that pain–then you are in an abundant market. Period. Never let the scarcity of another (even a prospect) effect you.

=3  Change how you think about your roles as a sales professional. This is cool and very simple. Your role in the sales process is to create an environment for the truth to occur. You have to create a safe atmosphere where your prospect is so comfortable telling you the truth, that it’s easier to do that than to lie to you. You’ve heard the expression “buyers are liars.” Well, it’s only because amateur sales people drop into “convince and persuade” mode and make them lie. If you’re creating the right environment, buyers won’t lie.

=4  Change how you think about your value. The value you bring to customers hovers around the intersection of THEIR PAIN and YOUR SOLUTION. Stop thinking your value is all about your benefits and features. Your benefits are only relevant if they have a pain and they believe you have a solution for it. NEVER LEAD WITH YOUR VALUE. Lead with them telling you their problems–and you determining if you can help them. Most corporate selling strategies lead with how great they are for the client. If your a prospect, do you want to hear that?

=5  Change how you think about the sales process. “OK class, who should control the sales process? The one with the money?” NO. THe one wtih the solution. Most sales people get this wrong. But you can only control the sales process to the extent you change your thinking on #1-4. If you merely try to exert control of the sales process without work on #1-4, then you’ll appear crass and amateurish.

So that was my answer to my client. Obviously, in training, I go into much more detail, but thought you’d maybe get a little something from that.

Any comments? I know someone will take me to task for something I said (or didnt’ say), so have at it. And recognize that a change in sales results starts in the mind–not in the market.

Before You Discount Your Price

/in /by

By Brooke Green

So close…How many times have you been in this situation:

*You meet a prospect
*You take them through your process
*You ask them the right questions, tough questions
*They reveal that they have a problem
*They know it is costing them money
*They think you can help them fix it
*They say “NO” because they can’t afford your solution

WHAT? WAIT A MINUTE! EVERYTHING WAS GOING SO WELL.

What’s really happening…

I think our first instinct is to believe what they’ve told us – our price is too high. We obviously didn’t hear something right, or our pricing process is flawed. So, maybe I should discount. STOP! If your arm is falling off and you’re bleeding to death, do you negotiate with your doctor for a lower price?? Do you decide to let it bleed a little bit longer before you do something about it?

No, you realize you have a problem, you know you have to invest something to fix it, and you believe the doctor can fix it for you. If you have a prospect with a problem as big as a “dangling arm” should they behave differently? My experience is that it’s not about price at all. It’s a belief issue.

What to do about it……..

If you have helped a prospect identify a problem, denominate the cost of the problem, and you and the prospect have decided together that you can fix it, what does price have to do with it? NOTHING! It’s about belief; belief that the problem they have exists, belief that it’s worth investing time and money in to fix, and the belief that you are the person to fix it. So, if the prospect wants to keep making it about price, what can you do? Go back to your process……….

  • Historical Review – How did you get to this point?
  • Up–Front agreement – “I want to find out what is really holding you back”
  • Compelling Reason – What was the pain that was revealed to you? Remind them of it – over and over and over.
  • Economics – What is the cost of not fixing the problem? How much is the problem costing them currently? Is the value your solution higher than the dollars they will invest to fix it? If yes, than logically, they should move forward with the solution.

If you take them back through your process and they are still hung up on price, you have to lay it out for them:

“My experience is that the problem here is really not the price. Maybe your gut tells you that the problem is not worth fixing, or that I really can’t help you. That’s okay, but if that is the case, I will have to walk away.”

If they allow you to walk away, they weren’t serious about fixing the problem. The thought of you leaving them with their problem will force them to “get real” and get you back on track for the real, true conversation.

 

Getting to the Decision Maker–Your Attitude Matters

/in /by

Recently in our SELECT (advanced sales training) program, we got into a conversation about getting to the right person in the sales process.

As we went down the path, it became apparent that it was less a technique issue and more of an attitude issue on our part.

I went back in to the studio and recorded a short eight-minute recap for all of our client base and anybody who has subscribed to our email newsletters.

Hopefully, it can provide you with a little guidance when you are faced with this idea of “How do I get to the decision maker inside my prospect company?”

What is Your Customer’s Mentality?

/in /by

Just like you have an outlook and a mentality of how you see the world, so does your customer. And many times that mentality they have does not fit in with your plans or your solutions.

Recently, I was asked to come in and do a half day training program for a group of 20 sales people. A manager “just needed someone to fill a slot” and thought I might be the right person to do it. However, in our business I don’t consider myself a slot filler. I consider myself a problem solver and until the customer’s mentality changed from how do I fill a slot in my sales meeting to how do I solve sales problems, he was not a prospect for me.

So the question becomes, can one change another’s mentality? I think you can. But it’s unlikely you will until you realize “the current state of the customer mentality.” 

In many instances the customer’s mentality is save money or get it for cheap, protect and defend my current status or laziness (doing as little work as I can on this). You might consider changing your customer’s mentality by writing down what you would like it to be. What would a client’s mentality have to be for him/her to be open to telling you about his/her problems and your solution? Once you write down the ideal mentality then you are on your way to being able to assess whether or not you see that in a customer.

Another example
I have a client that sells therapy equipment to clinics. When I asked him to do this exercise, he wrote down that the “ideal client mentality” would be to “find a way to leverage my patients and the relationships I have with them to grow the average per patient revenue per visit.”
Even though that wasn’t always the mentality of the prospect, when he was able to articulate that and say this is the kind of person we can help is one who has this “mentality” he immediately started to see change on how the doctors saw his value.

So, do the same thing. Write down that ideal client mentality and see if it enables you to change someone’s perception of what you do.

Fear Installment #2 “Fear & Self-Sabatoge”

/in /by

By Brooke GreenI posted a blog a few weeks ago about the Fear of Learning billcaskey.com. In that blog, I talked about how the fear of learning can stop us in our tracks.   It’s hard to believe that we would want to stay stagnant.  Why wouldn’t we want to get better?

Sounds crazy, right?  Not really. Think about all of the ways that you self-sabotage.  You complain about how your jeans are too tight as you stuff another Girl Scout cookie in your mouth. You talk about getting out of debt, but then come up with a reason to put those great shoes on your credit card.  Not that I have any personal experience…

Anyway, I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. 

Diagnosing The Problem
When we go into companies and do a diagnostic on the current situation, it is usually clear why we’ve been invited in.  As we talk about how we can fix problems, the discomfort in “what might be” starts to show itself.  Sometimes the pain of doing nothing is so much less than the pain of change.

What are we afraid of?  Will people’s expectations of us increase?  Will we have more to lose?  Will we just be TOO fabulous?

Can You Handle Change?
Maybe you’ve imagined what life looks like when you’ve accomplished the learning.  Are you afraid it will turn out differently than your plan?  My experience is that I can handle learning (change) much easier in small bites.  Instead of looking at the end of the learning, take it as it comes.   It’s kind of like not looking at the total amount of your mortgage, but just the monthly payment – much easier to stomach, isn’t it?

What is one thing you would like to learn / change? (Hint:  What is not working in your sales process?  Can’t get to the decision maker?  Not enough activity?  Deals fizzle out?) What is the smallest step you can take?  Once you’ve accomplished that, what’s the next step, and the next and the next…. You’re on your way.

You say that You Want Your Sales Results to be Different – Are You Sure You’re Ready?

/in /by

By Brooke Green”Fear” Installment #1

I read an article recently in Fast Co. (www.fastcompany.com) magazine about the Fear of Learning.  Marcia Conner states that while some people say that they need fear to excel, too much fear about what there is to learn can actually shut you down.   It started me thinking about how fear manifests itself in training.

Of course, when we start working with a new client there is a lot of fear:

*Fear of the unknown – What if I find out something about myself that I don’t like?
*Fear of what you aren’t very good at being revealed – What if I appear stupid in front of my peers or my boss?
*Fear of not being able to “get it” – What if everyone else catches on and I can’t?  What will they think?
*Fear of losing the familiar – What if everything I thought I knew was wrong?  What if I learn something new and people expect more from me?

Ms. Conner goes onto ask the question, “Are you afraid of revealing the terrible secret that you aren’t as brilliant as you’ve led people to believe?” 

Are you afraid of looking dumb to get smarter?  We are in a constant state of learning.  Sometimes that means being open to not knowing everything.   I had a mentor once tell me “If it doesn’t hurt, you aren’t learning.”  It’s so true.

Think about one part of your sales process that isn’t working.  Maybe it’s your income overall.  Do you find yourself looking to the outside – bad prospects, bad territory, bad product?  Try looking inside – is it really something that you’re afraid of fixing that’s holding you back?

Stay tuned for “Fear” Installment #2…

Don Imus Went Too Far

/in /by

I’m a huge Don Imus fan–or should I say, “I WAS a fan.” I thought he was brilliant in how he reinvented his career (after his drug filled 70’s and 80’s) and made his NY radio show a leading morning TV show. A lesson in repurposing content.

But his latest vulgar episode with the Rutgers basketball slur happened for one reason–he started to believe is own sh_ _. He thought he was invincible because he was Don Imus. He cut himself off from anyone who could challenge him on his methods–surrounded only by ‘yes men’ whose future depended upon kissing up.

Let this be a lesson to us all.
The moment we think we’re invincible is exactly the time the walls start to cave in on us. It happens to great sales people who start to make enormous amounts of money–and then get sloppy with customer service or stop prospecting.

It happens to great sales managers who think they don’t have to learn any more–and continue to manage using old fear-based tactics.

It happens to business owners who refuse to take the internet seriously and who refuse to learn new marketing methods and business models.

So, if you think the Imus story has nothing to do with you, think again. It just might. Check out your connection with real people–your customers, your coaches, your family. Make sure you continue to learn and grow–keep your intent high. The ego has a subversive way of sneaking up on you and telling you you’re invincible.

Is “The Secret” Really THE Secret?

/1 Comment/in /by

Just finished The Secret DVD. Although the book left me a little cool, the DVD was quite good.

Here are my LIKES and DISLIKES and a recommendation. By the way, if you’ve been living in Bahrain the last month, The Secret is the Law of Attraction, which says you attract to things/situations that mirror your feelings and thoughts.

The Secret LIKES
*The production quality of the DVD was outstanding. Other than a few annoying things (like the announcer reading quotes from famous people that you could barely hear–he was whispering–you see, it was a secret), it was worth watching.

* The interviews the producer (Rhonda Byrne) had with other supporting authors (Bob Proctor and Henry Beckwith and others) were well done. Joe Vitale (Dr.) was good as well. (Is that Dick Vitale’s brother? Sure looks like him.)

* The last hour of the program was very good because it addressed the reasons the secret works, which I didn’t think the book addressed well.

The Secret DISLIKES
* I despise this idea that they started this program with the attraction of material things (necklaces, bikes, parking spaces). It seems they’re taking a big idea and dumbing it down for the consumer society.

* They should have told the truth that, sometimes, even though you might think about things, you can’t attract them to you. Because you aren’t mentally/physically or emotionally ready for them. Sometimes God actually stops things from coming into your life–they just aren’t right for you. In other words, what we might hope for might not be right for us.

* They never talked about the Reverse Organizing Mechanism of the mind. (Although they did talk about the vast power of the mind. ) This “organizing phenomena” kicks in when you put an idea (goal) out there. The Universe has a way of helping you recognize situations that will help you accomplish those goals. In a way, the mind “reverse organizes” all the things you need to see to accomplish that goal.

In the video, Jack Canfield had a perfect example when he said he wanted to sell 400,000 books at .25/ea. He was in a store one day and saw National Enquirer and thought that would be a good way to do it. In the next 30 days, he met a writer for the Enquirer which ultimately led him to the goal. Do you think he would have noticed the Enquirer in the store if he had not written the goal down? Probably not.

But they skipped that part of the phenomena.

Recommendation
Ok, so here’s where I think The Secret is good for sales professionals. A good selling strategy has to do with qualifying people who can buy what you have.  In order to execute a sales strategy, you have to have a good idea of what an Ideal Client looks like.

Your Assignment
In the next week, write down your definition of your Ideal Client. We did a podcast on that called The Ideal Client. Be very clear about what that client looks like–how much they buy per year, how they are to work with, how they treat you, what kinds of pains/problems they have which would make them perfect for your solution etc., Look at that list each morning.

And as you come across people you’re tempted to add to your sales funnel, stop and ask if they meet the attributes of the Ideal Client. What you’ll find is that your awareness will become much keener in how you see the market place and you’ll become more discerning about who you pursue.

Now, that’s the REAL Secret!