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What Happens When There Is No Bright Light?

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[Editors Note: I’m guilty of this next topic. So, before it starts to sound like a sermon, I want you to know that I struggle with this very issue.]Last week, a neighbor came over and was lamenting that his daughter was having trouble getting in to the college of her choice. He said, “All her friends got in, but her letter hasn’t come yet.” Next, I asked him the question that showed me the real problem. “What does she want to study?”
“Well,” he said, “she really doesn’t know yet. She just wants to go to XX University.” What? Doesn’t know yet? No inclination of what juices her?

So she’s upset that she can’t spend $160,000 of your money going somewhere where all her friends are going.

Makes no sense. Yet it happens everyday. In fact it happens in another phase of adolescence – when there is temptation to take the wrong path (drugs/alcohol/deviant behavior).

I’m going to give it a name – and an explanation why it happens to all of us – adults, too. There is NO BRIGHT LIGHT.

The concept of NO BRIGHT LIGHT means there is no long term vision for what one wants their life to look like/feel like. When you have no long range goal – or vision – you get quite distracted by life’s choices. And when you make a wrong choice, it can screw you up (especially in the case of a young person in a tempting world).

A BRIGHT LIGHT is a vision for the future – a way you’d like your life to be – a place you’d like to live – a cause/profession that brings meaning to your days.

In business (sales), a BRIGHT LIGHT is what you’d like your customer base to look like. What you’d like your income to look like. What you’d like to accomplish in your business.

Brian Tracy talks about this when he says 80% of companies he sees have no long range vision. How can you get the troops behind a goal if it’s not clearly defined? You can’t. And when you’re tempted to sell to someone that doesn’t quite match what you expect your client vision to look like, then ask yourself why you’re doing it.

Is the China Import Problem Really a Sales Problem?

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[This subject is covered in depth on our podcast at http://billcaskey.podshowcreator.com/podcasts.aspx?feedid=106 It’s about 15 minutes but it applies to you who compete against ANY low price competitor – not just offshore.]

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My friends tell me I take selling way too seriously. And that I break every problem down to a sales or communication issue. Well Bill, in Reagan’s words, “There you go again…”

I used to call on WalMart and other major retailers in a previous job, so I know how powerful their order-writing pens are. When they say to their suppliers, “JUMP” the response is usually, “YES SIR, HOW HIGH WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO JUMP?”

I can see it now…
…I can imagine a US toy company going in to sell WalMart their Christmas 2006 line of toys. After the presentation, the buyer says, “John, I like your offer. But I can get these from China for 30% less. You have to drop your price.” To which John concludes that it’s all about price (it never is, even at WalMart) and gets pulled down into the commodity conversation. He eventually can’t sell his products at a premium – so he loses the business.

But as we see now, all toys are not created equally. They are not a commodity.

The problem occurred when the US toy guy couldn’t differentiate between his toys and the cheaper, lead-painted Chinese toys. My question is: Was it a selling problem?

You see, the consumer (even WalMart) does NOT just look at price. The sales organizations who don’t know how to sell any other way (except for low price) will NEVER admit that. Consequently, the admonition of “everyone buys on price” is a convenient way to prevent them from having to work on their message – or themselves. It’s a lot less effort to ‘sell cheap.’

Cheap Labor – Same Issue
I admit that cheap labor is quite enticing to businesses and customers. If I’m in the market for landscaping and I get three bids, chances are the one that uses the lowest-cost labor will probably be low bid. But is that what I’m buying? Just price?

Hell, if the American consumer bought on price and price alone, they wouldn’t buy anything. Because doing nothing is ALWAYS CHEAPER than doing anything.

When will American companies understand that they offer value – that their value is tied up in things broader than price – that how they sell/market/communicate to the customer is as important – if not more so – than their price?

I’ll tell you exactly when – when they get out of their own way and start focusing on the customers – and how they can bring value to the customers – instead of how can we sell a bunch of toys? (In the world of retail there are many more important things than price – like retail profit margins, marketing campaigns for the item, store sell-through, in-store displays, etc.)

If you’re in a head-to-head combat with a low priced provider – and you get chewed up often on price – then look much deeper into your value. Get a third party assessment of the value of your solution.

Here’s What To Do
Spend time away from the office with your people – and some customers. Record every word of what they say. Have it transcribed. Study it more. And soon, you will come up with the 3-5 things that separate you from everyone else. And it won’t be price. Ask them this question: “What do you believe you give up when you decide not to do business with us?”

If they say, “Nothing” then start worrying because you are nothing but a commodity. 

Because if you don’t believe your value is worth 10% – 20% – 30% – 100% more than your competition (and you should) then you won’t be able to sell that value to the customer.

And they’ll buy offshore. And babies might be poisoned.

“Sorry I Lied to You — But You Made Me Do It”

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Probably not something you’ll ever hear a prospect say, “Sorry I lied, but you made me.” But just because they don’t say it, doesn’t mean it’s not the truth.

At our training company, we take very seriously the idea of ‘creating space’ with a customer. What we mean by that is the sales professional has a profound responsibility in the sales transaction to get the truth. And that won’t happen if there is no trust/environment created for that.

To that end, I’ve made a list of “5 SureFire Ways to Get Your Prospect To Lie To You” (a bit tongue-in-cheek, but remarkably, we see these in action all the time. You can laugh at these, but make sure the joke isn’t on you.)

1. Start Pitching and Convincing Early. This is a favorite of the amateur sales person who fancies himself as a studly seller. They paste on the charm (which we all can see through) and go to work. “Pitching” is great because it quickly forces the prospect into a defensive mode, right where you want him, so you can close quickly. Advertising agencies and the media are great at ‘the pitch.’ In fact, they’re so good at it, they actually call it that. It really forces some great lies. Good luck with this one.

2. Ask A Lot of (Meaningless) Bonding and Rapport Questions. This is wonderful because you can ask questions about their vacation, their business–anything that you really don’t care about. And the true amateur never realizes that the prospect knows exactly what they’re doing to them. This is a surefire way to get the prospect to mislead you.

3. When Talking Money, Discount It’s Importance. You’ll be great at making people hide the truth when you brush over their concerns about money. In fact, even better, make them feel a little shame that they don’t understand how valuable your service is. It’s not up to you to explain the value–it’s up to them to take your word for it.

4. Close Hard and Often. This is one of the greatest pieces of training I got in my first sales job. This really makes prospects run away quickly. Or, if they stay in the process, you can blame them for continuing to lie to you. Buy all the books around on closing skills and watch the lies flow!

5. Don’t Make Your Sales Message About Them-Make it About You. This is one of my favorites. A salesperson comes in and explains to me how great he and his company are–and makes no effort to relate his value to my problem. There are a lot of sales training companies who teach this method. It works wonders to create atmospheres of lies and hidden agendas. This is a great time waster for sales people–for some prospects won’t tell you they have no interest, they’ll lead you on for months, living rent-free inside your head.

Sometimes the absurd works better than logic and reason, thus my crazy list. I was in a training this week where a supposedly-well-trained sales person laid the “if-I-could-show-you-a-way” move on me in a role play. Made everyone in the room almost vomit. That’s when I knew I’d made progress. Those old sales moves really should make you sick to your stomach.

Is “The Secret” Really THE Secret?

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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!

You’ve Been Given a Gift. Are You Using It?

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I heard a commerical the other night that posed a profound question: “Are you using all of the gifts (talents) that you’ve been given?”

Thoreau said many of us, “live lives of quiet desperation.” To me that means we sort of meander through life–taking what’s given us, but not really exploiting our gifts and talents.

As sales professionals, we have many gifts–the gift of creativity–the gift of being able to touch people with our work–the gift of solving problems–etc. But how many of us really “exploit” those gifts?

One Gift That Stands Above All Others
In sales, one gift we’ve been given, that most of us fail miserably to exploit, is the gift of intuition. That gift is a sixth sense…a  feeling…a notion of what’s not right in the relationships we have with prospects and clients. Yet, how often do we follow that intuition–and act on it? Not often.

I was working with a group of accountants last week and we talked about that very thing–“acting on your intution.” If you feel something isn’t right, you must call it out to the prospect–not in an angry, accusatory way–but in an honest, all-truth-on-the-table way.

I was taught early in my career that when you disregard your feelings and hold them to yourself, you bottle up  your creativity–and your ability to be in the present moment with people. Plus, you “own less of your self.”

I hope you’ll think about your intuition–listen to it–and follow it.

It’s a gift you’ve been given.

“She Left The Store–He Got Nothing!”

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I’m a bit crazy these days. I think this business is doing it to me. Why, you ask?

I have this philosophy–call it spiritual or call it practical–but the foundation of the philosophy is that the Universe guarantees the potential for our profound success—just for showing up.

Here’s the story.
I was at my pool retailer this weekend (having problems getting chemicals right–in the 100 degree weather). This retailer also built my pool so I know he has a high ticket sale on the front end ($50-100,000) with low ticket sales on the back end (chemicals).

I’m standing there waiting for my results to be analyzed and a lady walks in asking about pools. The owner (actually the owner’s son) is talking with her. Do you know what buying signals are? Those casual references to problems the prospect wants solved–the deep desire the prospect has to solve her problem? Well, this lady was pitching buying signals right and left at the owner.

He walked her through some of the features (seldom asking any questions about why she was interested or what she was hoping to accomplish with a pool). And the lady says, “This is VERY interesting. We’re going to do something this year. Let me think about it and come back in. OK?”

Being a sales trainer, I’m interested in the interaction–listening to this conversation. I can’t keep quiet. I say, “You know if you want a great pool contractor, this is the guy. He just put our pool in and it’s wonderful.”

She says, “Oh, great. That’s good to know.” And walked out.

I was aghast! A $70,000 sale that walked in the door and walked out and HE HAS NOTHING! Not a name. Not an address. Not a hint at where she is in the cycle. HE HAS NOTHING!

I came to my senses and kept my mouth shut…
As I walked out I thought how often that happens to each of us. Maybe not where a person wants to buy and we won’t let them. But think how often you come across someone–maybe you meet at a friend’s house–or at a civic lunch–and we get nothing from them. No business card. No phone number. Nothing.

And that person is quickly forgotten. Yet that person could be a suspect for what we do–or at the very least, they know others who are. Yet, we let opportunity slip away.

The Lesson
Be “list conscious.” Think like a direct mail company thinks. The list is the thing. That’s all the direct mailer has–a list. If it’s a good list, they get wealthy. If it’s not, they work on building the best list.

You have a list–and your list has the potential to grow everyday–with everyone you meet. So get a “list process” to make sure that everyone you meet gets on your email list, or your Friends & Associates list.

Capture data. It’s the thing that will make you an elite acheiver. While everyone else is sending blind direct mail and making cold calls, you’re harvesting those relationships that began with a brief introduction and ended with a happy client.

“How Do I Start The Sales Process?”

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Question From Blog Reader:

I’m assuming that you mean: “how do I start the process so that I can control it all the way through?” That’s a better question. In this post, I give you several components of how to handle the very first call.

Read more

THE DEATH OF THE DECISION MAKER

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I had a revelation this week that has led me to think about an old “sales 101” rule in a completely different light. If you’ve been a salesperson for longer than 10 minutes, you certainly know rule #1 is to always talk to the decision maker. “Get past the gatekeeper….find the decision maker….”

You’ve heard this in sales training class for decades. But I’ve decided to re-write the rule. Here’s the deal: There is NO SUCH THING AS “A” DECISION MAKER anymore.

Gone are the days of “my way” or “the highway” management and people making decisions at their desk or over a two martini lunch. Without question, virtually every decision made by a purchaser includes input from more than one person. Granted one person may have veto power over the decision, but rest assured that that person is collecting input, opinion and data from others.

Here’s how I’d suggest you change your process given this new vane of thought:

1 -Talk to EVERYONE who will be impacted by the purchase. If you sell dump trucks, don’t just talk to the owner of the construction company, talk to the driver’s who will be using your equipment, talk to the dispatchers, talk to the maintenance people, and talk to the CFO. All of these people will be both involved in the decision to buy your dump trucks AND in the longevity of your relationship.

2 -Stop worrying about hurting people’s feelings. I hear this in our sales training classes a lot. “I don’t want to offend my buyer by going over their head.” That’s like saying, “I don’t want to tell that guy with cancer that I have a cure, because I only deal with his spouse.” INSANE. You’re there to HELP-not to keep everyone’s feelings from being hurt.

3 -Make it part of your process from Day 1: Be sure to tell new prospects the first time you meet them, that you’ll be talking to several people in their organization as you attempt to offer them a viable solution. You won’t get nearly as much resistance if you tell them upfront you’re going to talk to their boss than if you wait until it’s too late.

The death of “the decision maker” is upon us.

Your Prospect is Not Your Enemy!

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We really waste a lot of energy sometimes, don’t we? In a profession that relies on our mind to do the heavy lifting, we certainly fail to think about things in the right way. One example of that is “who we see as the enemy. Read more