I got my first sales job at 16. It was an uphill struggle at first, but the moment I made my first sale, I was hooked. The excitement of the hunt, the nerve-wracking adrenaline rush of the close and the elation when the client says yes. It's a high that never gets old, and other than university and a brief stint in banking and real estate (kill me), I've worked in sales my entire adult life. Perhaps the most important lesson I've learned is that...
You know the problem. You've done everything right along the way. The client is easy to talk to. They're friendly. They like you're product. They're interested, and they like you. In other words, all the lights are green, when it comes to making the sale. Yet - when you move in for the close, the client squirms. Either they think what you're offering is too expensive, they need to talk to their manager, or the situation has changed and your...
All too often we forget what is actually our role when it comes to selling. This is especially true when we're in the business of selling services, because in essence we're selling our expertise, which by design is hard to communicate to a non-expert. Regardless of what we're selling however, it is not about our expertise. In fact, our expertise is what gets us a seat at the table. Once we've been let through the door, our role as advisors is...
First things first: The Wolf of Wall Street is an incredible movie. How Leonardo DiCaprio did not win an Oscar for his performance is completely beyond me. Second: I can't believe the movie is based on an actual person. No wonder the general public views Wall Street in an unfavorable light. But there is one thing from the movie that stuck with me more than anything else. Namely, that selling to other people the way it's portrayed in the movie;...
Introduction Influence and persuasion are among the most complex endeavors another person can undertake, and I've seen otherwise highly intelligent people fail miserably in this discipline, leading to detrimental results for themselves and their projects. Conversely - I've seen people of mediocre intelligence achieve outsized results based almost entirely on their ability to influence and persuade others. When it comes to understanding this...
People usually don't last long in telemarketing. And it's no wonder either. You're thrown on the phone with only a bare minimum of sales training and product knowledge. In other words, when you're new, you can't tell your ass from your elbow. This means that you either swim or you sink. And most people sink. In my best guess, most people last an average of 2-3 months before they call it quits - not because they're quitters, but because it's a...
In this community we talk a lot about trust. And trust is essential when it comes to being customer centric. But building trust comes easier to some people. So in this post, we're going to break down some of the commonalities among the advisors who are best at building trust with clients. Which characteristics do they share? And perhaps more importantly - which pitfalls do they avoid? ...
Influence is a wonder drug With it you can do wonders. Help people achieve miraculous outcomes. Without it, you can do next to nothing. If you've ever tried persuading someone (and chances are you have) you know it's easier said than done. If you've tried to convince others to make a change (in your company for instance), buy what you're selling or simply do as you tell them you've probably been met with resistance. And most likely a lot of it....
"No matter what I do, they don't seem to listen!" The person sighed with frustration in his voice. He'd been trying all kinds of different things to get his organization to change but to no avail. The thing they wanted to change seemed pretty straightforward on the surface. They wanted to sell on value and stop giving discounts. But their salespeople simply didn't get it. They'd done everything they were supposed to. They'd changed the...
Are you a value-thief? Most people are. They just don't know it. A value thief is a (sales)person who inadvertently robs their clients of value. They do this failing to understand the client. Failing to understand what drives them - what they need to get there. "But our client needs delivery on time and on budget - they said so themselves" That's not what your client needs. That's what they want. And all clients want it is as cheaply as...