Category: Mindset

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The Key to Authentic Selling with Jeff Davis #207

Jeff Davis Sales Babble

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Jeff Davis Sales BabbleThe Key to Authentic Selling with Jeff Davis #207

In this episode we meet long time Sales Babble listener Jeff Davis and author of the new book The Power of Authentic Leadership.  Jeff and I discuss the importance of sellers embracing a leadership role, and apply their personal value system  to build trust in prospective clients. Jeff gives the key to authentic selling with a 3 step process for authentic leadership.

Sales Credibility

Every day sales professionals  put themselves and their products and services into the world. Success is dependent on effectively connecting with prospects. To do that you must have absolute buy-in to what you’re selling. People sabotage themselves by not fulling committing to the product/service.  Customers can read that and not trust.

Three Step Authentic Selling Process

The key to authentic selling is knowing yourself, your product and aligning the two when selling:

  1. Know your personal VALUES – it’s not what you know, it’s what you apply
  2. Make sure your VALUES are applied to what your SELLING (solving a need, providing a genuine solution).
  3. Make sure the two values align. This builds trust.

Example: Let’s say you have a personal value of “integrity”. When you’re  qualifying clients and identifying needs, leverage that value. With integrity, you will naturally focus on benefits (that add value to the prospect) vs features that tend to cater to the sellers ego. Place the customer first and tip the odds to your favor.

Common Values of Leaders

Leaders commonly exhibit the following characteristics:

  • Integrity
  • No hidden agenda (higher than making money)
    • Serving Others
    • Having the best interest of others
  • Have a personal vision for them in the world, apply their values within that vision
  • Take Initiative ( fully take responsible)
  • Serve and protect their employees ( fire bad clients who abuse their company/staff)

The key to authentic selling is to take the leadership role and serve your customers.

Take Action Plan

Get out and meet prospects and clients face to face. Don’t over rely on marketing, email, social media and phone calls.

How to Find Jeff Davis

Website: http://jeffdspeaks.com/

Jeff has kindly offered Sales Babble listeners a free PDF copy of my bestselling book, The Power of Authentic Leadership. Send an email to his  Executive Assistant Meg meg@jeffdspeaks.com

Selling Mindset

Here are past mindset episodes with terrific advice you can apply today!

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The Purpose of Sales with May McCarthy #203

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The Purpose of Sales with May McCarthy

The purpose of this episode is to talk about purpose! Our guest May McCarthy discusses the value of aligning our day-to-day decisions towards some greater purpose. May walks us through a discovery process used by sales people and business owners alike. The purpose of sales is unique for each of us. In this episode let’s reveal what you want, how to achieve it and lastly how does your company help or hinder your success.

Lack of Purpose

Companies know what they do, but not why. Even if they do, large organizations fail to share it up and down the organization. A purposeless organization will experience:

  • lack of innovation
  • disengaged employees
  • listless shareholders
  • fickle customers
  • lower profits

A clear shared purpose can address these concerns and provide you your unique purpose of sales.

Personal Purpose, Company Purpose

Ask three questions to reveal the purpose of sales in your life:

  1. What did you do when young that you truly loved?
  2. Ask people who you know and respect, “What do you think I’m really good at?”
  3. Ask yourself, “What do you think you’re really good at?”

Companies can ask the same three questions. Now factor out the commonalities between the companies purpose and your personal purpose.  When there is alignment, true productivity abounds!

How To Find May McCarthy

You can find May at www.maymccarthy.com

She has a new book! It’s being published this March 2018 titled The Path to Wealth: Seven Spiritual Steps for Financial Abundance https://bizzultz.com/book

https://www.facebook.com/pages/May-Mccarthy/601413533280571

https://twitter.com/maymcc

https://www.linkedin.com/company/2960330

http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCix8fz8aVtelYnp5AKFmLuw

Selling Mindset

Check out the back catalog and listen to terrific episodes on the right selling mindset today!

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Time To Sell Mindset with Chris Spurvey #202

Chris Spurvey Sales Babble

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Chris Spurvey Sales Babble Time To Sell Mindset with Chris Spurvey #202

In this episode Chris Spurvey shares his uncomfortable sales journey. When he started in sales, he didn’t find instant success. It took time, but he discovered the right mindset that would allow him to connect with prospects, and convert them into loyal clients. He calls it Chris Spurvey 5.0.  In his new book It’s Time to Sell he explains his process for reinvention, self discovery and the right time to sell mindset.

Achievement Demands a Vision

Without a direction, you can’t reach a destination. Chris believes a compelling vision motivates you to go out and act. It’s all about mindset. By celebrating smalls win, successes will compile.

  • Create a vision with a time to sell mindset
  • Set aside time each day executing this vision

What is your sales vision? Consider framing sales as a problem solver, not a pusher. If you can give your clients a good night sleep you’re doing it right. Create relationships with your clients and gain their trust with “Questions of Understanding.”  

Bad Sales Management

We need to shed this idea that great salespeople are fast talkers. While working in sales, Chris got a new sales director.  He moved his comp plan from closed sales to an activity focus vs percent of revenue. It was demotivating for the team. Given the manager didn’t provide training or coaching, sales tanked. Eventually he was fired and surprisingly Chris was promoted in his place.  Why? Chris started researching world class sales organizations on his own. He was mentally prepared for the next step.

Take Action Advice

Chris invites three people for a Skype call per day on Linkedin.  One of out three agrees. He talks to someone new regarding:

  • Vision
  • Gratitude
  • Serving
  • Learning
  • Hub for Networking

At any point in time we are a moment away from a breakthrough. Get ready for it!   Leverage LinkedIn and reach out to three people every day.   Create opportunity.

How To Find Chris Spurvey

Chris can be found across the internet with his time to sell mindset.

To find his book go to It’s Time to Sell and he has a podcast it’s Time To Sell

Consultative Selling

Let’s continue the conversation. Here are past episodes you will find on topic. Listen now!

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Three Step Process to Narrow Your Sales Focus #201

Phil Boissiere Sales Babble

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Phil Boissiere Sales BabbleThree Step Process to Narrow Your Sales Focus with Phil Boissiere #201

Phil Boissiere is a Silicon Valley tech startup and executive coach. He works with founders, entrepreneurs and sales people who struggle with attention fatigue. In this episode Phil gives us practical advice on how to boost your selling productivity.  His 3×3 method is a quick way to tune up your sales brain, vanquish stress and narrow your sales focus. Your brain is the most important tool you have in your bag. Use it!

Sales = Stress

The sales profession attracts people who are willing to put themselves on the line. Sales people are  evaluated on:

  • performance factors – e.g. closed sales, advanced deals, prospecting, etc..
  • social factors – e.g. likeability, relationship building, etc…

When stress goes up, performance goes down. When people are stressed, they make the wrong decision. Quick fixes have limits. Discover the root cause within you and what’s going on in your brain. for example, with dehydration your cognition drops!

Tedious complex tasks hurt concentration, create distraction and a bad attitude. Stress and worry turns on the emotional part of you brain. You don’t want this. Since your overloading your brains with apps, photos, and videos, it’s hard to narrow your sales focus.

3×3 Method

Phil has a way to relieve stress with a simple exercise. Combine the naming of an object with a deep breath. Since your brain can’t do two things at once, it will allow you destress and focus.

Pick three objects in the room and say the following:

  • That’s a Lamp (take a breath)
  • That’s a Painting (take a breath)
  • That’s my Desk (take a breath)

Sellers are paid to perform.  Since this work is  future focused, it creates stress. Be preventive in mindfulness and reap rewards on your productivity.

Sleep Trumps Stress

Coffee is a stimulant. It can help mental focus but it’s only a stop gap.  When your brain is depleted of sleep it creates:

  • irritability
  • frustration
  • distractibility
  • low energy
  • cranky mood

Get to sleep now!

How To Find Phil Boissiere

http://www.philboissiere.com – Executive Leadership Coaching

Focus Playbook    philboissiere.com/salesbabble

Selling Mindset

Here are many terrific past episodes on the selling mindset. Listen today!

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Why Commissioned-Based Sales Plans Fail to Work with Justin Clark

Justin Clark Sales Babble

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Justin Clark Sales Babble Why Commissioned-Based Sales Plans Fail to Work with Justin Clark

Justin Clark is the Director of Sales for a janitorial and packaging products distributor. Over time, Justin’s company found sales reps spending more time auditing their paychecks than selling.  They also found the commission-based sales plans failed to motivate reps to do the best for their customers. To overcome this challenge they moved their sales staff to a pure performance review based salary plan.  In this interview, Justin shares the story of how they were able to make this extraordinary change in their compensation plan.

Challenges Faced

  • Money is emotional. 100% commissioned sales people would spend as much time making sure they’re paid what they earned vs selling.
  • Reps pushed products that brought the most money. There were SPIFs (Sales Performance Incentive Fund) for products that were not good for the customer.
  • Wanted to promote consultative sales and stop sellers pushing products and instead finding solutions.
  • Commission-based sales plans were holding the company back.

Transition Plan

Because of these challenges, Justin slowly created a transition plan to move the organization.

  • Did not move immediately to salary compensation.
  • Slowly moved from commission-based sales plans to salary and bonus plans
  • Still too much focus by reps understanding the bonus
  • Commission-based sales plan was slowly phased out

Final Plan

Once the final plan was finalized it was found to contain:

  • Paid full salaries on most recent best year.
  • Reps paid same as last best year.
  • Money is a manager. Without commission-based sales plans you need to manage. more hands-on and ensure accountability. The final plan requires more coaching and more investigating into reasons reps are not successful.
  • People do good work for many reasons, not just money.

Results

Since the plan has been in place, the results contain:

  • People felt like they needed to hit their goal because the company was ALREADY paying them.
  • Everyone is now on the same team with the exact same goals.
  • Raises are  based on performance review.
  • Some employees didn’t like the plan and found they are not a good fit for the company. Some reps have left the company, others asked to leave.
  • It’s been a 10 year process.

Transition Advice

Now that they’ve reached success, Justin has some clear advice for others interested in changing their compensation plan:

  • Management team needs to look at staff, consider how they will manage them and if they are OK if people leave.
  • Answer this: is it worth getting everyone surrounded around the same purpose. It probably is!

How To Connect With Justin Clark

Commission-based sales plans no longer exist in Justin Clark’s sales department.

Connect with Justin on LinkedIn and learn further details.

 

How to Manage Sales Teams

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How To Learn The Secret Lingo of Your Customer with Jeffrey Shaw #192

Sales Babble Secret Lingo

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Sales Babble Secret LingoHow To Learn The Secret Lingo of Your Customer with Jeffrey Shaw #192

Author Jeffrey Shaw visits Sales Babble to talk about his book Lingo – Discover Your ideal Customers’s Secret Language and Make Your Business Irresistible.   Jeffrey believes that far too often people sell the wrong thing to the wrong people. Unfortunately too few people understand for whom they are for. Your ideal client has a secret lingo that mirrors your traits and values.  Once you learn their lingo, you can quickly discern and serve this market.

Five Step Process

In his book Jeffery outlines a five step process for discovering your prospects secret lingo.

  1. Understand your ideal clients perspective
  2. Create familiarity and comfort
  3. Style – build one that matches your target
  4. Pricing – Use whole numbers for high-end customers
  5. Words – use language they speak

How To Connect with Jeffrey Shaw

To find Jeffrey Shaw, his book,  and the free secret lingo giveaways go here:

  • Lingo mediate kit Inforgraphic
  • Free Chapter of his book
  • Audio version of the first chapter of the book
  • The full book on Amazon
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter @jeffreyshaw1

Go to Jeffreyshaw.com/sales 

How to Learn About Your Ideal Client

Here are past episodes that speak to the importance of knowing your ideal client.

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Phiology: Secret Code of Leadership David Eisley #189

David Eisley Sales Babble

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David Eisley Sales Babble

Phiology: The Secret Code of Leadership David Eisley #189

In this episode we meet Dave Eisley, author of the book  Phiology: The Secret Code of Leadership. Phiology is the  intersection of physiology, psychology, and philosophy in the context of leadership, but written from a sales management perspective.

Phiology Focus for Sellers

Dave and I discuss how Phiology addresses leadership especially in the case of  sales:

  • Control your physiology to achieve optimal performance.
  • Navigate obstacles by shifting your perception of events.
  • Decode the origins and fallacies of decision making, in yourself and by others.
  • Uncover vital parts of any system, revealing key leverage points that drive success.
  • Expand your influence in an ethical and meaningful way.

Sales and Leadership

Sales is responsible for the rise of humanity.  Our ability to trade separates us from the other species on our planet. Without the idea of a trade, and a fair trade, humanity has been able to team and create civilization. It’s all based on trust.

  1. Talk and share a vision you want to obtain
  2. Get everyone in the room
  3. Empower people
  4. Commission each to take action

Take Action Advice

Control what you can control and leave the rest. 

Influence the few things you can, it will get noticed and you will be rewarded for it. Be bold, be courageous, take action. 

How To Find Dave Eisley

Here are links to Dave online and his book.

Book Raffle

Here’s a chance for you to win a free copy of Phiology. Email Pathelmers @SalesBabble.com

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Selling Mindset

Here are other terrific episodes on mindset. Click a link and listen now!

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Sales Success Triangle of Attitude Behavior Technique with Glenn Mattson #187

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Sales Success Triangle with Glenn Mattson #187

In this episode we describe the sales success triangle. It’s based on Attitude, Behavior and Technique. Our guest Glenn Mattson is a business consultant and sales coach. Glenn speaks from experience on the issues sellers commonly face and things they can do to find selling success.

Selling Personalities

Gabby people aren’t necessarily the best sellers. Yes they are good at connecting and initiating conversation. But sometimes they are too bound to seek for approval. They struggle with the follow up and closing aspects of sales.

Introverts and techy people, can be extremely successful in sales because they are process oriented,  they follow a system nor do they wing it.  More introverted sellers  don’t care if people like them, they handle rejection better.

Issues top sellers face

We discussed at length the problems, concerns and barriers to success. Glenn mentioned:

  • Attitude
  • Lack of Patience
  • Guilt
  • Worry
  • Anxiety
  • Risk Adverse
  • Poor Discipline
  • Poor Planning
  • Non-Tactical
  • Poor Listening
  • Weak Questioning
  • Reduce cost of sale

The question is this, how to maximize your time and energy for more business?

Sales Success Triangle

According to Glenn it’s Attitude ,Behavior, and  Technique.  Attitude is most important:  For example you earn exactly what you think your worth.  You call the people you think you’re equal to. He recommends that you increase your average deal by 10% every 60 days. Next deal with your limiting commitment. Some people say all the right stuff but don’t do it.   They have an ocean of excuses.

Take Action Advice

Two pieces of advice:

  1. Live in a world of execution
  2. Don’t fear failure.  The more you fail, the more you learn and the more you earn

How to Connect

You can find  him here www.mattson.sandler.com

or call 631 726-3537

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Sales Skills Training

Below are other past episodes that discuss ways to hone your craft of sales. Listen today!

 

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How to Pitch Shark Tank with Michelle Weinstein #184

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How to Pitch on the Shark Tank with Michelle Weinstein #184

Michelle Weinstein is a sales strategist who specializes in helping entrepreneurs learn how to sell without selling and without being sleazy. She pitched on Shark Tank and raised over $1M for her last Company placing products into Costco & The Vitamin Shoppe. In this episode she shares the story and the fundamental elements of a strong pitch.

Elements of a Pitch

On the TV show Shark Tank. Michelle was pitching a protein bar business and after a multi-step vetting process she was able to pitch before the “Sharks” only to be shot down. Due to significant coaching for the show, she learned you must your authentic self. If you’re a fake, people won’t trust.

  • One minute to make an impression.
  • 10-20 seconds you will be judged
  • Practice your elevator pitch over and over and over
  • Make it memorable
  • Make it catchy
  • Make it niche enough then be  more niche
  • Know your audience

Take Action Advice

Go take action, too often people don’t take action. Fear is in their way e.g. afraid they don’t know what’s going to happen, afraid of rejection, afraid of failure. She believes you do the market a disservice if you don’t’ reach out and offer your products and services.

Pat’s Pitch Template

Here is an example format that may help….
I help __________________ people
in  _______________ kinds of industries 
who have ___________PAIN or DESIRE___________
by providing __________SOLUTIONS_________
that provided BENEFIT BENEFIT BENEFIT 
Then ask… is that you?
Write this up and read it outloud 20 times until it rolls off your tongue easy peasey.

How to Find Michelle Weinstein

As she shared on the podcast, she is the Pitch Queen.

Go to http://www.thepitchqueen.com/

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Entrepreneurial Mindset

Here are past episodes for the startup and entrepreneurial minded. Listen today!

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How to be a Sales Sherpa with the Hyperconnected David Fisher

David Fisher Sales Babble

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David Fisher Sales Babble How to be a Sales Sherpa with the Hyperconnected David Fisher

Returning guest Dave Fisher and I meet at Sketchbook Brewing to discuss the publishing of his new book:  Hyperconnected Selling, Winning More Business by Leveraging Digital Influence and Creating Human Connection   Dave is a podcast host and consultant  trying to bring back the art of conversation to business.  In this episode we discuss the evolution of selling and what you can do  to better leverage the network you already have.  Dave explains how to be a Sales Sherpa and how to guide your prospects through the glut of information that overwhelms their buying experience.

Selling Conversation and Points We Discuss

Yes we talk about the beer and the value of balancing malt and hops.

But we also discussed:

  • Seller asymmetry, buyers have more information than the seller
  • Appointment setting will get automated
  • Enterprise sale will always need real people (at least in the next 10 years)
  • It’s best to keep working in the same industry and grow industry knowledge
  • Build industry relationships that lead to referrals
  • Sharing insights to prospects will generate business
  • If you hate your job and the industry, get out now

 

Enter here to WIN a FREE copy

HYPERCONNECTED SELLING

 

Enter Here to Win

Enter by October 10th!   Five names will be drawn!

 

How to Find David Fisher

You find Dave all over the internet ….

Past Sales Babble episode with David

In this episode, David tells us all about hyperconnected selling
https://www.salesbabble.com/3-steps-start-hyper-connected-selling-david-fisher-129/

Me on the Beer, Beats and Business Podcast
http://beerbeatsandbusiness.com/tag/pat-helmers/

Sketchbook Brewery

Dave and I met at Sketchbook Brewing Co. a nanobrewery in Evanston, IL focused on sustainable, local, community supported brewing.

Visit at 821 Chicago Ave, Evanston, IL 60202

Support our Sponsor Bluehost

Sales babble is brought to you by Bluehost. Take your idea and start your business online. Sales Babblers can start for only $3.95/month

  • FREE Domain
  • Free Site Builders
  • 1-Click WordPress Install
  • 24×7 support

Special intro offer and 30-day money-back guarantee
Powering over 2 million websites worldwide

Selling Mindset

Here are past episodes that will upset your false beliefs and myths on selling.  Listen today!

 Networking Tips