Category: overcoming sales fears

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How To Be An Awesome Sales Professional with Thomas Ellis #102

Thomas Ellis Portrait

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Thomas Ellis PortraitHow To Be An Awesome Sales Professional with Thomas Ellis

Thomas Ellis, the pleasantly persistent sales coach, returns to Sales Babble to chat about his new book, “How To Be An Awesome Sales Professional in the 21st Century”.  Thomas is a sales management veteran with over 25 years’ experience in coaching, consulting, developing sales personnel and sales managers.  He has worked in  telecom, office products, hospitality, non-profits and a sales adviser for the Bowie Business Incubator in Bowie,  Maryland.

You can find Thomas’s previous episode on www.salesbabble.com/15

How To Be An Awesome Sales Professional

Effective sales people need to master the basics and close more sales.  Prospect by looking for people that match the profile of your ideal client:

  • Use LinkedIn to create content and become known. This will attract prospects.
  • Find the “triggers” to engage a prospect. e.g. see what they say and do that matches your ideal client
  • When you see the trigger, reach out and see how you can help
  • “How can I help you to achieve you goals…..” is the attitude to have when communicating with your prospects.

How To Overcome the Fear of Sales

Many people fear sales. Here are three tips to overcome sales reluctance.

  • Sales Professionals must passionate and curious
  • Ask prospects probing questions about goals and challenges
  • Always remember, it’s never about you, it’s about your prospect.  How can I help you?

What is the Sales Process?

There are only four steps to the sales process:

  1. Getting to know the customers, build rapport
  2. Qualifying the prospect, understand their needs, how they buy
  3. Gathering information and bringing back a solution/recommendation
  4. Closing the sale

Know where the customer is in the sales process. Then you can advance the sale to the next stage.

  • Have a top of mind strategy, keep them aware of you.
  • Follow up is the secret sauce of success
  • Pleasantly persistent 3 day rule – send an email to remind you.

To find Thomas Ellis

Thomas is a prolific writer on LinkedIn. Don’ miss his articles:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomaseellis

On the web you can find Thomas here:

Free Resource Guide

As mentioned in the podcast, Thomas is offering a free sales resource guide.  You can Download the Ultimate Sales Resource Guide here.

Overcoming Sales Fears

Let’s continue the conversation. You can learn more about overcoming sales reluctance in previous Sales Babble episodes.  Here is just a few that you will find of value. Enjoy!

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Success Hacks for Sales with Scott Hansen #101

Scott Hansen Success Hacker

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Scott Hansen Success HackerSuccess Hacks for Sales with Scott Hansen #101

Scott Hansen is the Chicago podcast host of Success Hackers. Scott interviews entrepreneurs, thought leaders, successful business owners who play bigger in life in business. Scott’s goal is to help people build bridges to that future. In this episode Scott will share his success hacks for sales and how to take your game to the next level.

Success Hacks for Sales

Scott is a proponent of the following three success hacks:

Success Hack #1

Issue: People shudder when they hear the term “close”.
Solution: Don’t shy away from the close. Ask! “Are you ready to get started right now?”

Every meeting must have an “intention”.

Learn your prospects biggest “pain point”. Listen to what they say vs thinking about the money.

Would you like me to continue or have you seen enough”

Success Hack #2

Issue: Price is thought to be the primary objection. It’s rarely the case.
Solution: Don’t drop your price. Focus on the value you bring to market.

People aren’t buying themselves into something, but out of something (a problem).
Sales reps who are dollar focused are easily seen  (and disliked) by buyers.

Success Hack #3

Issue: People give up to easy, usually after 2-3 times.
Solution: Need to contact 4-5 times before quitting.
sales is a career. It’s a vertical. Highest paid professions on the planet.

Free Book On Growing Your Business

Get’s a copy of Scott’s free book “5 ways to dramatically grow your business in a massive way” by going to
Website: www.massivebusinessgrowth.com

Links To Find Scott Hansen

You can also connect with Scott:

Closing Sales Tips

Here are some other past episodes that you may find of value. Listen today!

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The Brutal Truth About Sales with Brian Burns #95

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Brian BurnsThe Brutal Truth About Sales with Brian Burns

In this episode we meet Brian Burns, host of the Brutal Truth About Sales Podcast.   Brian  is a sales leader, advisor, investor and today we chat about the reality of sales, what’s a myth and what sales professionals should focus on.  We laugh lot so be prepared.

What Sales is About?

It’s not about working hard, or doubling down on tasks that no longer work. It’s about connecting with prospects

Brian’s Biography

According to his bio Brian  has spent his twenty year career creating, capturing and dominating early stage innovative markets. During this time, he has played key leadership, management and sales roles for nine venture capital backed companies, resulting in three IPOs and six acquisitions. Through this experience he has developed a unique and powerful sales method for bringing innovative products to market while marginalizing competitors. In his private practice, Brian has founded The Maverick Organization, a consulting firm specializing in assisting companies with their sales strategy, sales practices and

Links to Brian Burns

Website   Maverick Method

LinkedIn Brian Burns 

Twitter @briangburns

Free eBook

Join Brian’s Linkedin group “Maverick Sellers” for access to his eBooks

Find More Sales Resources and Advice

Go  here to find  Sales Babble resources:

  • How to prospect for new clients
  • How to qualify clients
  • How to ask great questions
  • How to give a presentation the persuades
  • How to close a deal
  • How to stay organized
  • How to overcome your fear of sales

Go here for free advice from our Sales Babble guests!

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8 morning Rituals for Sales Success with Rayven Perkins #93

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Rayven Perkins Direct Sales 8 morning Rituals for Sales Success with Rayven Perkins

In this episode Rayven Perkins shares 8 morning Rituals for Sales Success as well as her 2016 Word of the Year.  Rayven is a Direct Sales Expert and host of the  Promoting Direct Sales podcast and the episode was just published yesterday.

  • Started with Tupperware
  • Designed materials for fun activities
  • motivate you to pick your own word for 2016

Morning Rituals for Sales 

Rayven was influenced by the book by Ron Elrod, Miracle Morning.  This is her morning sales ritual:

  1. Each night, write down 3 accomplishments to complete the next day
  2. Rise at 5 AM
  3. Set aside 15 minutes quiet meditation
  4. Imagine a point in time in 3 years (holding cup of coffee) for 5 minutes
  5. Practice yoga for 8 minutes
  6. Read a self development book for 20 minutes
  7. Journal
  8. Focus on an affirmation for 2 minutes

Word of The Year

  • 2016 KINDNESS   – Rayven is committed to providing random Acts of Kindness this year

Zig Ziglar quote 

“You can have everything in life you want, if you will just help enough other people get what they want.”

How to Findy Rayven Perkins

Promoting Direct Sales https://www.facebook.com/PromotingDirectSales/

Facebook – Personal https://www.facebook.com/rayvenperkins

Go here to download the Vision Board Word 

http://promotingdirectsales.com/019/

20 Secrets For Sales Success

Get the 20 Secrets For Sales Success here  and find other terrific sales episodes here

 

 

 

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How to Make a NO Feel as Good as a Yes with Michele Moreno

Michelle Moreno Sales Expert

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Michelle Moreno Sales ExpertHow to Make a NO Feel as Good as a Yes  an Interview with Sales Expert Michele Moreno

Michele Moreno is a business expert, entertainer and joy hustler. She helps entrepreneurs use their superpowers at will, to get whatever their business hearts’ desire. She has sung around the world for thousands and has landed VIP clients ranging from Ray Charles and HBO to Tom Peters and Guy Kawasaki.

 Michele says that she has done all this with integrity, grit, a willingness to fail and her greatest superpower, confidence.  Furthermore she believes she has done this by having the attitude of making a no feel as good as a yes. 
In this episode we focus on how to handle rejection when selling.   We talk about how to  leverage a loss,  learn from it and in the end Michele provides actionable advice on how to get a “Growth Mindset”.

Growth Mindset

It’s a law of nature that you can’t  win ever deal.  But that doesn’t make you a failure.   You learn from the failure, in fact,

failure is a necessity for growth.

Genius Zone

By having a growth mindset you as a seller can over come rejection and fear.   That’s what Michele called the “Genius Zone”.

How to Find Michele Moreno

Here are the links to Michele on the web

Website  http://www.michelemoreno.co

Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/coachmichelemoreno/

LinkedIn   https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmichele

Videos mentioned in the Interview

https://www.salesbabble.com/social-media-replace-cold-calling/

How To Use Free Social Media to Replace Cold Calling

Free Sales Babble Webinar Wednesday December 9th

  • Why you need to build a relationship BEFORE calling a prospect

  • How to use LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to find Prospects for FREE

  • What you need to say to generate interest and find the PERFECT client

    Learn how to manage Social Media and focus on the #1 goal when Prospecting

  • Reserve your spot here
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How to get your ASK in gear, an interview with Connie Kadansky #87

Connie Kadansky

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Connie Kadansky How to get your ASK in gear, an interview with Connie Kadansky #87

Today we meet Connie Kadansky who challenges sellers on how to  get their Ask in Gear.

Connie believes that   far too often sellers dance up to Ask but never ask for the:

  • appointment,
  • order,
  • referral
  • resources

Connie’s goal is for sellers to become confident, consistent, and ethical about asking for the sale. 

Be Valuable Visible and Vocal

  • Valuable  –  Your value as a seller and the value of your product and service
    • Look for the end user of your product, your client’s customers
    • Experience the value the end user
  • Visible – Be seen
    • Visibility trumps Competence.  Research based
    • Great crystal clear on your market
    • Focus is the new competitive advantage
  • Vocal –  find your voice
    • Ask for referrals on LinkedIn
    • Ask for an appointment
    • Leverage your natural curiosity to ask for an interview

Selling Advice

Make a list of people you want to ask for advice.  Recognize what you could do for them. Figure out how to connect them and then pick up the phone, or connect on LinkedIn.

  • Make 20 contacts every day
  • 10 contacts if you’re busy and established 
  • Make the list the night  before
  • If super successful do 5 a day
  • Do this on a daily basis.  be consistent!

Remember that Energy follows Thought when i comes to new business development.

How to Find Connie Kadansky

Connie Kadansky is a recognized expert in identifying and eliminating Sales Call Reluctance.

Connie earned a solo article in the Wall Street Journal.  Thanks to a cold call, she was paid to do a radio commercial for American Express.  She has been interviewed by Investor’s Business Daily, Bloomberg Business and Inc. Magazine.

These are the links to find Connie online:

www.exceptionalsales.com   This is where you learn how to get your ASK in gear

Sales Call Reluctance Coach Video

https://www.facebook.com/connie.kadansky

https://www.linkedin.com/in/salescallreluctance

www.salesassessmenttesting.com

@ckadansky (Twitter)

https://www.facebook.com/ExceptionalSalesPerformance/

Call Reluctance BEHAVIORAL CHECKLIST 2015

Gift:  Call Reluctance Needs Indicator for Salesperson

Gift:  Call Reluctance Needs Indicator for Sales Managers

This is the FREE assessment Connie mentioned regarding sales call reluctance.

How to Close a Deal

Here are some other episodes you may find of interest regarding the sales CLOSE

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Selling For Introverts with Alen Mayer #61

Sales Consultant Alen Majer

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alenmajer-198x300Selling For Introverts

In this episode we meet Alen Mayer, aka Chief Sales Introvert,  an author, sales coach, sales consultant and mentor who disagrees with the idea that some people are just born to sales. Alen believes that anyone can be an amazing sales professional, even introverts, but only if they stay true to themselves.

In this episode  Alen and I have a lively discussion  about the unique skills that introverts bring to sales. If you are an introverts and think there are limits to what you can do, or if you are an extrovert and think that all prospective clients like cheerful chatty handshaking, both sets of people will learn a thing or two today.

It was interesting that at least a 1/3 or more of the population is introverts, and a large portion of the CEOs are too!

Sales People Aren’t Born, They are Made

  • Anyone can be an amazing sales man, if they stay true to themselves
  • Sales is not just for people “Born To Sales”
  • Doesn’t like chit chat
  • Plans for every meeting, does homework on prospects
  • When working a conference or networking he prepares to meet a few people
  • Needs time to recharge
  • Questionnaire on his website …. which kinds of sales person are you?
  • 33-50% of US introverts.  Sales teams need introverts.
  • Need to adjust to your client
  • NLP can use used for influence, manipulating people to trick answers out of people. But …. great sales is win-win.
  • If you have passion about your business… you must show it!
  • Introverts will not sell stuff if they don’t believe in it.

Name  on Social Media

Twitter – mayeralen

Alen Mayer Biography

Alen Mayer, aka Chief Sales Introvert, is a trusted coach and mentor to introverted business people. He helps leaders enlarge their circles by involving introverts more and tap into their team members’ individual strengths to increase their results.
Alen is an introvert too. He is a newly appointed President of the Sales Association Ontario Chapter and President of the International Association of NLP Sales Professionals; he was voted #2 on the list of Top 50 Most Influential People in Sales Lead Management in 2013; one of the Top 25 Sales Influencers for 2012, published author of 6 sales titles, including “Selling for Introverts” and“Cold Calling for Introverts” (both books available on Amazon and on Alen’s award-winning website: www.alenmayer.com)

Free Gift

Download Cold-Calling-for-Introverts     It gives clues how intorverts can use the strengths you have, even over the phone.

Sales Training, Sales Coaching, Sales Consulting

Become confident in sales and grow your business. Check out the Selling With Confidence Sales System for both new and experienced sellers. This is an opportunity for  you to

  • Be Yourself
  • Add Value
  • Make Sales 

Don’t  be shy. You too can start Selling With Confidence  today!

 

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Travel Advice for Sales Professionals with The Traveling Saleswoman Jacyln Goldman #46

Jaclyn Goldman on Travel Advice

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Travel Advice for Traveling Sales Professionals

Jaclyn Goldman is the author of The Travelling Saleswoman blog. She is a savvy pharmaceutical sales and business development professional who visits Sales Babble  to share her expertise on finding the best parking, best rewards programs and how to close sales.

Click here to download the sales podcast

Travel Advice for Road Warriors

Jaclyn manages veterinary accounts across Canada and over the past 10 years, she has acquired a significant amount of experience not only selling, but also making travel plans. In her blog she shares her tricks and tools of the trade. In this episode we discuss travel advice:

Rewards cards

  • When flying, pick a carrier  and stick with it.
  • For hotels, get a reward card for all of them. A few nights here and there really add up over time. But if you stick with one card you will quickly accrue points.

Parking

  • Park Stay and Ride – for the price of a single night hotel stay you can park for a week free. Much cheaper than the airport parking.
  • If you’re gone for weeks, it’s cheaper to take a limo.
  • Calculate it out!
  • Expedia is a quick way to compare car rental pricing. But don’t book  here, go right to the rental company.

NOTE TRAVEL ADVICE FROM PAT: Never book anything through third carrier travel sites. Use them to compare prices, but always book via the company website. If you ever need to modify a reservation it’s FAR simpler working with one company.

Sales Stories

Jaclyn share a story about one of her first sales calls. And the moral of the story is ….

  • When Your Prospect Has Agreed to Buy, STOP SELLING!
  • When a prospect is reading something, SHUT UP!
  • Silence can be a good thing from your customer, give them space.
  • Body language matters, look for buying signs.

She confirms the importance of being yourself, don’t pretend, and never lie.

If you’re genuine, people will see that and trust you.

Free Give Away

Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Pass

It was exceedingly kind for Jaclyn to get offer the Air Canada Maple Leap Lounge Pass, but this is only good
up to February 28th, 2015.

Travel Advice Website:  www.thetravellingsaleswoman.com

You can find her social media at

Sales Training

Become confident in sales and grow your business. Check out the Selling With Confidence Sales System for both new and experienced sellers. This is an opportunity for  you to

  • Hone your sales skills,
  • Beef up your persuasion,
  • Grow your influence
  • Build lasting relationships and loyal clients

This is not a time to be shy. You too start Selling With Confidence!

Download the 20 Secrets for Sales Success and make sales!

 

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Don’t Be Afraid to Sell an Interview with Andy Rudin

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andy rudinOur  guest in this episode is Andy Rudin, a  Managing Principal of Contrary Domino Inc.  Andy is a long time sales professional who helps B2B companies identify, assess, and manage a broad spectrum of revenue risks.

Today he explains why it’s important to embrace sales and don’t be afraid to sell!

Click here to down load episode

Selling is Not a Bad Thing!

Andy states a number of times in the episode  to stop selling the wrong way. But don’t stop selling. No commercial enterprise has been successful long term without being really good at persuading prospects to buy.

He feels sellers hear to often to  not be pushy, to listen and be helpful. But he believes at some time you need to sell. No sales professional gets an award for being the most helpful. The ones that win, have the most sales.

Drawing upon his background as a  technology sales strategist, marketer, account executive, and product manager we discuss:

  • The need to  embrace selling  but selling perfected.
  • Selling is not a bad thing, Don’t sell in a bad way.
  • Selling is used with the same taint as stealing. It’s not!
  • What you want and what you get during a sale is two different things: Shoulds don’t count, perception is the reality

When it comes to new sales we chuckled  how “experience is something you get after you need it”.   Unfortunately this is so true.

BANT Qualification Process

We defined the BANT qualification process:

  • B  Budget
  • A Authority
  • N Need
  • T Timing

These are items sellers need to quickly find answers. This data let’s you  know if the lead is indeed a prospect of interest. Before entering a sales call, qualify prospects to see if indeed they are worth the trouble. If not, you should move along to the next opportunity.

 

Resources for Revenue Risk Management

In this episode Andy offered a free revenue risk management  self audit. This can be used to see if  you’ll make your revenue targets:

Learn More

Have you had a chance to review the 20 Selling Secrets For Success?   Click the link and find advice that will help your sales, today!

 

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How to Win Complex Sales in Technology – an Interview With Brad Walker

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Brad Walker LIBrad Walker is a Strategic Account Manager at SalesForce.com, a company that specializes in CRM solutions. Brad is a former colleague,  old friend and Enterprise Sales expert.

In this episode Brad shares  stories, both wins and losses in sales. He explains how it’s  critical to listen to all parties when selling solutions and the importance of connecting  with the business sponsor.  If the decision maker is not on board, the deal may never close.

Brad believes that “Sales is an honorable profession, if done right.”

Click Here To Download This Episode

Complex Sales, How to Approach It

Brad comes from a world of enterprise sales:

  • selling complex solutions
  • to large organizations

In these cases,  many people involved in the sale. They have have input into the process, they may not. In most cases, each person is responsible for a small portion of the decision. No one person makes the ultimate solution. But there is one person managing the sale. You must keep  them in the loop.

Selling Technology

When selling technology solutions, Brad believes that you must

  1. take the time to listen to all participants
  2. let everyone speak their mind
  3. learn all about the organization
  4. do your best to  please everyone

But if you don’t have the true decision maker/ business sponsor enrolled, the deal will go sideways and may never close.

Always remember “Business trumps IT”

Sales Resources and Links

Brad can be found  on his LinkedIn account.

Brad  is a strong supporter of his  son’s  marketing company Walker Internet Marketing   Look it up!

The New Strategic Selling by Miller/Heiman  is the book  that turned around Brad’s thinking about sales. It’s a great book and I recommend it for anyone selling complex solutions to large organizations.

Find Pat Helmers on LinkedIn

If you enjoyed this episode  please take a moment to find me on LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is my favorite  Social Media  venue these days.

Stop on by and we’ll share  cup of coffee, if only virtually.

The Minimalist’s Guide to Sales Prospecting

The following Infographic comes from a SalesForce.com  Canada  article features ten useful activities that take less than 20 minutes a day. You may find it of value!

Click To Enlarge

How to Increase Productivity

Via Salesforce