Category: Mindset

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How To Generate Leads with Relationship Selling with Michael Ross

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how to generate leads with relationship sellingHow To Generate Leads with Relationship Selling with Michael Ross

Today we meet a seller in the trenches. Michael Ross is a business owner, sales manager and sales guy who believes that relationships are the bridges where value is transferred. In this episode Michael shares practical advice on who, what, where and how to connect with others in the marketplace. Michael has just published his second book “A Clear View” and today he’s going to share concrete advice on how to generate leads with relationship selling .

Bringing value to the marketplace

You want to make money. That’s the goal of business. But you want to help people along the way.  How can we do this?Answer the following:

1. What is your target market?
2. Who should you reach out in that market who has influence?
3. Who can you partner in the market to mutually help one another?

Michael share the Zig Ziglar quote:

“If you help enough other people get what they want about of life, they will help you get what you want out of life.”

This is so true. Move from a getting standpoint to a giving standpoint.

How To Generate Leads

Start with local meetups. Pick a vertical market and find out where they hangout. e.g. credit union summits for IT services  as a sponsor or vendor.  Ask good quality questions. You will find two types of people: the qualified and the not qualified. Ask questions about the business, staffing, what’s working, what’s not.  If you meet someone in person try  to get them on the calendar ASAP.

J Abrams  the king marketer says that most businesses undersell their clients by 65%. Ask for recommendations and introductions. Don’t hesitate to ask your circle of influence to help you. They too can show you how to generate leads with relationship selling.

Social Selling for Lead Generation

Marketing campaigns should be tied around social media. Cold calling gives you self-efficacy, confidence, and gives you progress  forward.  If I can do this now, you can do it later. Address your fears and prove you can do more in the future. Note that Social selling conversion rate is very very low. Meeting people creates conversions, visibility and trust.

He quotes Tom Hopkins…

“you’re job is to alleviate pressure.”

Michael’s not meeting with people just to sell a product, but to build relationships that can create greater opportunities.  Be intentional how you connect with people. Virtual relationships have their limits

Take Action Advice

Focus on activity over “sales”. Take an analytic perspective e.g. 10 appointments for 2 closed sales. Focus on the 10, not the 2. Do the best job you can and you’ll like the results. Process not Results.

How To Find Michael Ross

You can find Michael on the web:

If you send an email, with “Pat Helmers” in the subject line

Two books “Overcoming the Character Deficit” (synopsis on lack of character in society) or “A Clear View” (on self image) for guidance on how to generate leads with relationship selling.

Other Sales Babble Episode

Michael mentioned the sales giant Tom Hopkins in a quote. Tom was on Sales Babble!   Tom Hopkins “When Buyers Say No” episode is well worth a listen. Check it out today!

 

 

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How Curiosity is the Engine of Sales Achievement with Tony Jalan

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How Curiosity is the Engine of Sales Achievement with Tony Jalan

Our guest is my good friend Tony Jalan, an experienced technology sales manager and avid LinkedIn pulse writer. Tony believes that curiosity and resistance cannot coexist. We all know that listening is a necessity for sales success. But far too often sellers think they’re great listeners, but in reality  they’re not.

In this episode Tony share the five types of listeners in the selling profession and he makes the case how curiosity is the engine of sales achievement.

5 Types of Listener

Review the following and decide WHICH kind of listener do you think you are? Have you curiosity in sales listening and discovery?

  1. The Token Listener – They ask a question but only pickup 20% of the answer. Sadly they are pretending to listen. They’re more focused on their agenda vs the prospect’s needs and desires.
  2. Frosting Listener – They take the first thing you say and jump on the topic they THINK the prospect cares about. They don’t dig deeper and this leads to them becoming the dumpster sales person! Not a medical doctor who diagnosis the patient. If you listen and be curious, your customer will tell you exactly what they want.
  3. Hard Headed Listener – They hear the prospects message but will not accept the message. There is no curiosity in sales qualification and discovery. Zip, Nada and Zilch.
  4. Doubter Listener – They disagree with everything and anything the prospect says. They are always looking for reasons to be right and where the customer is wrong.
  5. Sincere Listener – They ask How, What, When, Where and Why questioners. This is the kind of listening of master sellers!

Curiosity in sales provides you a motive to deeply understand your prospect. It is the foundation of qualifying a prospect.

Take Action Advice

Be Curious. Curiosity in sales is the engine of achievement. Be curious in regards to your relationships, clients and themselves.

How To Find Tony Jalan

Are you curious regarding sales expert Tony Jalan? You needn’t look any further!

Join the Sales Babble Facebook Group

Join the other Sales Babblers here and NOW! https://www.facebook.com/groups/salesbabble/

Article on Hiring Millennials for Sales

Focus on purpose when hiring AND selling:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/robertamatuson/2015/02/06/why-you-cant-fill-sales-positions-with-millennials-and-what-you-can-do-to-change-this/#2c764f094d6f

How To Ask Sincere Questions and Listen!

Here are some previous episodes that preach the gospel of listening. Here’s your chance to LISTEN to some more Sales Babble!

 

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Why Can’t I Get a Degree in Sales with Professor Shawn Green #80

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Shawn Green Aurora UniversityWhy Can’t I Get a Degree in Sales, an interview with Professor Shawn Green

In this episode we meet with Shawn Green, professor of marketing and sales at Aurora University. We consider the question why colleges and universities don’t  teach sales in their business programs. Given that sales is the foundation of all business, you’d think a degree in sales would be a choice.  It’s not.  

Shawn is one of a select few professors who DO teach sales. He is a strong proponent of providing selling skills that will make students marketable in the job place.

Business Schools in the United States

Business schools in the United States have the following characteristics:

  • Over 4K schools in the USA
  • All have business degrees and all have marketing degrees
  • Only 100 or so  have some sales curriculum
  • 10 institutions have degrees in Sales

Business School Graduates

Although sales is not integral in many schools business programs, many students enter the sales profession after graduation.

  • 80% marketing graduates will go into sales:
    • direct sales (usually start inside sales)
    • sales support
  • 50% of  all business  administration  graduates will go into sales

Companies can easily recoup their investment in new employees by moving them into sales.

Links To Shawn Green

Shawn can be found in the following:

Lunch and Learn LIVE Workshop October 7th

I will be providing free sales training lunch and learn workshop October 7th, 2015.    

Sign up!   It’s in Naperville, IL

Sales Training, Sales Coaching, Sales Consulting

Selling With Confidence  is  the online self-paced sales course that teaches you  how to ….

  • Be Yourself
  • Add Value
  • Make Sales