Are You Bringing ‘Presence’ to Your Prospects?
Not donuts…or lunch…or coffee mugs. But are you bringing your ‘full self’ when you meet with people?
In this video, Bill tells you a story of how he and his team are brought in to interview sales people upfront before an offer is made. What they see is not good. And it all gets back to the little word with big implications: Presence.
He tells you what he looks for in those interviews and how you can think about what you bring to prospect meetings.
Why Saying “It’s Really All About Price” Is Career Suicide For Any Salesperson
Logic is your enemy here. Think how many times you say or think, “This deal is all about price.”
Every time you say that, think that and believe that you endorse the idea that having a sales person involved in a deal adds absolutely NO value.
The more you convince yourself of this idea (and tell your sales manager or CEO), the more they should be thinking of firing the sales staff and hiring customer service reps at $15/hour to take orders from their online catalog.
When it’s all about price, it ain’t about you. Low price = no need for sales people.
Proceed with caution.
How To Talk ‘Money’ In The Sales Process
In this episode, Bill and Bryan address the ever-emotional topic of money. Many facets to money like:
1. Cost of problem
2. Money in customer budget
3. Money they’re willing to spend to change
4. Your belief in your own value
They have addressed this recently in the area of “positioning.” How you are positioned will determine the fees you command.
Also mentioned in this podcast:
- Seth Godin’s Blog
- Join our Linkedin group
- Follow Bill Caskey on Twitter
- Follow Bryan Neale on Twitter
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Embrace The Ultimate “Money” Question
I’ve seen salespeople avoid having the money conversation entirely, or jump right into lowering their price at the first sign of discomfort from the prospect.
Please remember: It’s never about money! It’s about their belief they have a problem, they want to invest money to fix it and that you are the lucky dog that gets to help them do that. When you brush past their money questions, or discount your value because it’s easier than educating the prospect, you’re screwed—trust lost, your value depleted, conversation over.
Aristotle Taught Us But We Weren’t Listening – 3 Ways To Improve Your Sales Strategy
OK, sales folks. You got some advice from your friend Aristotle in 350 BC and I don’t think you were listening. It was while he was being taught by Plato and just before he hooked up with Alex the Great.
His advice was very simple. In order to be a great sales person, you have to have 3 parts to your strategy.
In this video, Bill calls up some Aristotle wisdom and shares what those are.
The Four Most Annoying Habits of Salespeople
Below is a list of habits millions of sales people do that annoy the hell out of most other human beings. If you partake in any of these, please stop. If you don’t, let’s keep it that way.
1. YOU TALK TOO MUCH AND DON’T THINK YOU DO.
In the movie When Harry Met Sally, Harry Burns said to Sally Albright, “You’re the worst kind; you’re high maintenance but you think you’re low maintenance.” I can’t tell you how many new clients have talked for 20 straight minutes on the importance of being a good listener.
My advice: Be quiet. Be quiet. Be quiet.
2. OVERLY ENTHUSIASTIC.
Here’s a conversation at national sales meeting between two territory managers who haven’t seen each other in a while:
- “Bobby Z whasssup dog? Still killin’ it in Hotlanta?”
- “Dude we killed it this year, up 28%! How are things on the left coast?”
- “Same bro numbers this morning had us up 32″
- “…Great! Fantastic! I’m finer than a frogs hair split three ways!”
My advice: You annoy the hell out of people if your energy is too high. Relax bro. Watch the two bulls on a hill story in the movie Colors with Sean Penn…just walk down.
