The Magic of Selling

I recently concluded a series of sales seminars I gave with a wonderful group of people. The last session was dedicated to what I feel is one of the most important things when it comes to sales success: Getting Referrals. There is no better way to fill up your pipe line than to get referrals. Of course, referrals have to be EARNED by gaining credibility. To that end, here are a few referral TRUTHS I would like to share. WHY sales people don’t ask for referrals: They think they will be perceived as begging for business They believe that the other person will be offended by their asking They assume that their contact won’t be able to refer them to anyone They are afraid of appearing desperate for business and are just too nervous to ask According to Dale Carnegie: 91% of customers say they’d give referrals.  Only 11% of salespeople ask for referrals. (Yikes!!!!!) WHY you SHOULD ask for referrals: Referrals are built on truth, integrity and trust. They are earned. Meeting with a prospect from a referral means that the relationship starts at a much higher level of trust. The closing ratio on referral business compared to other prospecting methods is 50 to 500 percent more. Clients that came to you through referrals remain your clients longer. People that like you and what you do for them – will LOVE to help! Did you Know that the best time to ask for a referral is right after someone has complemented you! When asking, be humble and honest. Make it easy for them by describing your ideal client. Build a reputation around the one thing you do better than anyone else. It is very important to give referrals as well. Track referrals given out and received. Follow up with people to find out what referrals panned out for them and for you! Anddddd….don’t forget the power and sincerity of the ‘hand written thank you note’! One thing I can promise is that if you make getting and giving referrals habitual, like brushing your teeth, your sales career with most assuredly improve!

How many times have you had a scenario where you had a prospect who was very interested in working with you and then fell completely off the map? Maybe you met a few times, they were close to moving forward and then the next time you reached out you heard nothing. Days go by, then weeks. No response to your voice mails, your emails, texts. You’re now scratching your head and telling yourself “now I KNOW they were interested!”…….Well I have a saying “You can’t lose something you never had.”  At this point you have nothing to lose, you just want to hear back from them. Even if it’s a no, at least no is an answer vs. being in silent purgatory. So here is a little gem I have been using for years. I swear it has worked for me so many times I have lost count. Probably an incredible 90% success ratio when I use this to get the person who has been “radio silent” to get back in touch with me: (I am going to share this in an email template) Hi _________. How are you? It’s Dan Hollis with ____________. I know that we have had some very positive conversations. We uncovered some real needs that you have for the services I offer. We both agreed it looked like a great fit.  We even explored what that scenario would look like.  What puzzles me now is that I have not heard back from you since _________. Please know this; I would love to work with you and do a great job representing your ___________.  There is a saying I like to use: “There is a fine line between persistency and annoyance and I don’t want to cross that line!”  Seriously, am I to believe that I have earned the right to your business? Would you like to work with me on _________? I would be happy to meet with you again so there is even more of a level of comfortability.  Please let me know either way _________. It would be much appreciated.   This has been like magic pixie dust for me. 3 weeks of nothing and then I break out my “there is a fine line between persistency and annoyance…”  line and Walla, they mysteriously get right back to me. See for yourself. If you have someone that was interested and now won’t email you back – try this. See if it works. It has done wonders for me. Hopefully it will do wonders for you too!

Isn’t it wonderful when you can go on a sales call and get along well with the prospect. Perhaps the bonding and rapport you have with them is off the charts. Maybe there are a ton of levels of commonality that you both have. The bottom line is: you are getting along fabulously with them in that first meeting…almost like “Excuse me everyone, I would like you all to meet ______. We a…re life-long friends andddddd…….we just met 2 hours ago!” The meeting ends well and you both agree to follow up with one another in a timely fashion (note: this was not a one-time close opportunity.) Your sales manager asks you how the meeting went and you wax poetic about your new best friend, how amazing the meeting went and then all of a sudden…… the prospect falls off the face of the earth! They don’t return your emails, your voice mails. It’s as though they don’t even exist anymore. It’s especially annoying because you know there was a legitimate interest from them in what you do and how you can help. Plus, they had specific needs you uncovered, they had the resources to invest in a solution for those needs and a willingness to put those resources to good use with your help. So what happened? The answer to this question is really too long to type out in this month’s tip. The reality is I could spend a whole day teaching you techniques on how to counter this. What I will share is this: you need to get into a serious conversation when you are with them. Ask them well thought out, serious questions and get them to be forthright with you. There are specific ways to earn that right for them to be forthright. The moral to this tale is you don’t want to just gather up friends on sales calls, but rather you are seeking business opportunities. Your goal is to develop business. Here is the take away: go into your meeting with a mindset that it is all about moving the football forward, doing business with the client AND NOT just about getting along and making friends. Would you like a sneak peek behind the curtain on how to do this effectively? Let me know and I will be happy to share. GOLD NUGGET FOR YOU: Here’s a great line to open with in the early stages of a meeting with your prospect: “What would make this a GREAT meeting for you?

Testimonials are written or recorded statements that highlight your likability, your credibility, your capabilities, and your level of expertise. They strengthen the trust people have in working with you and express that to others. They are great to use in your collateral material (media kit, brochure, etc.) and/or on your website and social media platforms. Let’s say your existing client has agreed to give you a testimonial that you may now share with others. Something positive that they have to say about their doing business with you. These testimonials will be little gold nuggets for you and are great word of mouth! It’s one thing for us to share with people what we do, how passionate we are and how good we are at what we do, but it is much more powerful when said by another person. (Funny, when I was a youngster and I would tell my folks something nice my teacher may have said about me – they would be like “oh that’s very nice”, but when they would go to the parent teacher conference and the teacher said the same pleasantry about me to their face, then it was like “Oh WOWWW!” in my parents’ mind. It now meant even more to them. Written testimonials are great. The best way is not just to ask your client for one, but rather write a powerful testimonial yourself highlighting the positive relationship you have with them and then get your client to sign off on it! Then it will be full of real sustenance and not just the typical testimonial cliques like “they are really great to work with” or “he is such a great guy.” Video testimonials are also great; ask your RAVING FAN clients to participate – they will be happy to do it! If you are reading this right now and don’t have any testimonials, but have now been convinced to get some or have been inspired to get more or even improve the ones you have…then I am a very happy camper for you! Testimonials are a door opener and game changer!

Are you a good story teller? Can you make a valuable point and back it up with a really good story? The fact is people can often relate to us through the stories we share. They are a great way for someone to remember what we say. Think of the many great talks you have heard over the years. The best ones involved people telling stories that you were able to relate to, that you pictured yourself in. Stories can accomplish many things. They can be energizing and inspiring. They can be a breath of fresh air and entertaining. Perhaps they persuade and are moving. Hopefully they are memorable and come from the heart. Stories truly help us make sense of our life’s experiences. When telling stories, make sure they are engaging and capture the listener’s attention and imagination. You want them to feel your enthusiasm as you tell the story and that they are actively listening. Have your story come to life with great vivid details. Take them on a journey and finish with a powerful conclusion. The fact is stories help connect us as human beings. Create your signature stories. Practice and perfect them. Become a master storyteller. Go out and inspire people with your stories!

How would you like to really improve as a sales person, almost overnight! Then make sure you become a Jedi Master when it comes to preparation. Prepare for everything you do in your sales career whether making a phone call, dropping by randomly on a cold call, or showing up to a scheduled meeting. Have everything mapped out in advance. Let’s say you are going on a first-time meeting with a prospect. Learn as much as you can about the prospect and their business in advance of the meeting:  their goals, their successes, their strengths, their weaknesses. Learn about their service or their products. A great deal of this information can be obtained from their website, through social media (LinkedIn), and by using library research. Think about ways to have strong bonding with them, finding those levels of commonality. Reflect on what objections you may get. Have powerful questions you hope to earn the right to ask. Plot out how you want the entire meeting to go and what your intentions are. Role play with a colleague. Have them be the prospect that you will be seeing. I always like to say that you don’t win the football game the day of the game. You win it the week prior while you are on the practice field, studying the playbook, in the weight room, breaking down tape, preparing your body. When the coach says “we had a great week of practice”, that is his way of saying “we are prepared to win!”  You will know whether you are going to win the game before it is played. Sales is the same way. As a matter of fact, sales are often closed before the meeting even starts because you know that you are prepared for almost any situation (and have that positive mindset.) Be prepared for every possible scenario, like a chess match. Prepare to come across as a true sales consultant, a sustaining resource and that you are always trust worthy. Indeed…preparation IS the key to success.

Successful sales people understand the importance of roleplaying and know it is one of the most effective sale training tools to use so as to sharpen their sales skills and be prepared for every moment in the sales cycle. Simply find someone to role play with. This can be a fellow sales person, your sales manager, your employer, your spouse. First, you are the seller and they are the potential buyer whom you are trying to get to see. Then reverse the roles. A few areas to practice include: appointment setting, different phone techniques, in person calls, what can happen during a meeting, objections that come up, listening skills, closing techniques. When role playing, be creative. Record your conversations and listen to them frequently. Critique yourself, how you handled the situations you were practicing. You will begin to retain things through multiple listenings. I like to say that you don’t win the football game the day of the game. You win it by practicing prior to the game, breaking down tape, getting your body and mind prepared, and studying the playbook all so you can win on any given Sunday. Its the same thing with role playing and being better prepared in sales. When everything is well thought out and there has been much practice and preparation involved, great things will happen. No question, comment or concern from a prospect or existing customer will throw you for a loop because you have trained for them through role playing. Role play throughout your career and watch those sales numbers go up!!!

SETTING GOALS is very important and top sales people understand this. In all actuality you should have both professional and personal goals. Please remember It is crucial that you put your goals in writing. Then make sure to prioritize them. It would be wise to have daily, weekly, monthly, annual and life time goals. Focus, discipline, will power and determination will help you achieve your goals. By the way, once you get the hang of goal setting, it will get easier! I invite you to write your goals down on a 3×5 card and put that card where you can see it EVERY day. Read that card when you see it. Don’t ignore it! Have the faith that you will accomplish everything you set out to do. BELIEF in yourself and your abilities is crucial here. Â Have a positive mindset and be pro-active about it. Achieving one’s goals is really quite the high! It is a wonderful feeling when you accomplish the goals that you set out to do. It is the path to happiness. Sooooo go get em tiger and best of luck with achieving your goals!

This may be strange, but I love objections. When a prospect, possible buyer or client asks questions it really means they are paying attention, want to learn something and/or get more information. Some of those questions or statements may be in the form of objections. They are waiting to see what your response will be to said objection. If you can answer them effectively, you are winning them over. Showing them you are knowledgeable, confident, trustworthy and passionate about your product or service. Sometimes I’ll even bring up a potential objection I think they might ask in the hopes of diffusing it before it ever comes up in our conversation. I may say, for example,  you like all of the ideas I share with you today in my proposal outlining everything we previously explored including solutions to the areas you need help on, would you feel comfortable moving forward? I love objections because I view them as batting practice. Practicing in the batting cage on your swing, your technique, etc. prepares you for the real game. Handling objections effectively helps build my credibility with them and hopefully makes them more comfortable with what I’m selling in the hopes that I will eventually close the deal. I plan on hitting those objections out of the ball park! have a proper response for each and every objection that may come up in conversation. Often, an objection is really a smokescreen. Once you win them over to your way of thinking, after all you are in the persuasion business, that objection goes away. By knowing all about your product or service, you will figure out ahead of time what all of those future objections may be and how to respond to them properly and automatically. People are very impressed when you can answer an objection properly. You need to master all of the objections that come up in your respective industry because you won’t want to walk away from a sale with your tail between your legs having crashed and burned from an objection that ate you up. Take the time to write down as many objections as you can that you come. Write down what would be a great response to those objections. Then memorize them like your ABCs! BONUS: Remember, when someone asks you something that you honestly don’t know the answer to, don’t fudge your way through it with an ad-libbed answer. Tell them that that is a great question, but you are not positive about the answer and you want to find out for them. Ask them if it is alright to call a little later in the day after you have researched and found out the proper answer. That’s credibility!

Top sales people know the importance of setting goals, both personal and business. They set daily, weekly, monthly, annual and even lifetime goals. They intend to achieve or exceed their objectives by focusing on said goals and never letting anything slip through the cracks. They formulate a game plan, write things down, track and position themselves for success. On the surface this sounds so simple to do, but it really takes a lot of focus, commitment, self-motivation, discipline, drive and belief. It is truly remarkable what can be achieved when one’s heart & mind are into it! Saying “I WILL” is so much more powerful then saying “I CAN’T” or “I HOPE to.” FOCUS on your goals all of the time. Have a positive mindset. Let those positive thoughts sink into your subconscious and become part of your belief system. To quote our resident guru, Yoda: “Do. Or do not. There is no try.” Create a vision board and write down affirmations which you can reference every day and train your mind to believe. Everything in your life will improve when you know what your goals are and work on achieving them. You will be blanketed by an overwhelming sense of confidence.