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What To Do When Your Deal Goes Sideway #428

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What To Do When Your Deal Goes Sideway #428

Ever been in a situation where just as you thought the deal was won, it all fell apart like a house of cards? It’s painful, I know. Especially given the fact that you may have invested a mass of time and energy and now it appears it’s all to no avail. Frustrating right? What are you to do when your deals go sideways? That’s the chapter for today.

Today’s Chapter: Sideway Deal

When a deal is in harmony
It advances with ease and grace.
When a deal goes sideways
There is confusion and doubt.

The changing of the guard,
A block on funding
Or stakeholder grudge can create the Great Illusion called fear.

Like a filled cup,
You must empty your thoughts before refilling it.
Allowing for possibility not yet revealed.

People often fail at the verge of success,
Give as much care to the end,
as to the beginning.

Today’s Story

Chris was excited when the prospects agreed to sign the service agreement. It took a lot of effort to get this deal over the goal line. But then there was a twist. 

One of the stakeholders loudly expressed doubts about the purchase and soon the entire buying team was getting cold feet. The deal had gone sideways. 

“I’m not sure what to do next”, said Chris. “I thought we had this signed sealed and delivered.”

Pat commiserated but added  “I had a sense you rushed the deal and pushed the boss to    close. When it comes to some organizations, it only takes one no vote to veto the purchase. Sometimes at the last minute the budget gets yanked and once I had a Champion on my side and they quit to take a better job. Just like that, poof, my deal went sideways. 

These things happen, be patient, restart the conversation and assume your back to square one. Good luck!”

Take Action Quote

In a letter to his son in 1930, Albert Einstein wrote “Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.” As a lifelong bicyclist this resonates with me. 

Gravity is unrelenting. When peddling we need to make constant corrections to stay upright and not fall sideways. The same is true when selling. Just when you think the deal is made, it starts to fall over. Never forget, the deal isn’t done until your paid, you get the PO or the contract is signed. 

Just because they say they’re willing to buy, doesn’t mean they will buy. Expect trouble at every turn, do due diligence and let the deal take as long as it needs to take.  Expect the worst, but hope for the best. That’s the way to approach a sideway deal.

Sales Babble Research Study

I just commissioned a research study to better understand the interests of listeners and the challenges they face. It will only take two minutes. Thank you for your help!

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com

You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast.  Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/

This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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When Selling Drop Something Everyday #427

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When Selling Drop Something Everyday #427

If you’ve ever used the WeatherBug app you know exactly what I’m talking about when it comes to bloatware. The app has so much in it that it’s become so slow it doesn’t do anything well. The same thing can happen with sellers. You learn one thing, then another and then another and soon you’re trying to do too many things at once when working a deal. This is a vexing situation and we address head on by when selling drop something everyday. 

Today’s Chapter: Dropping Something Everyday

When first learning sales
every day something is added.
In the practice of Master Selling
every day something is dropped.
Less and less do you need to force things,
until finally you arrive at the no close, close.

True mastery can be gained by listening,
and letting things go their own way.

Today’s Story

Chris had assembled quite a collection of selling books for the library. Some focused on closing, others cold calling, and one book was nothing but a collection of objection handling techniques. Studying the books was like drinking from a fire hose. There was more content than the average person could consume. Pat could see Chris’s frustration.

Pat said, “I see that you keep trying out all the things you’re learning in your library. I commend your work ethic but it seems like you’re getting stuck. What’s going on? 

Chris nodded with agreement “It’s gotten to the point that I can’t keep straight all the techniques and scripts. It’s all a jumble. 

Pat nodded too “I’ve been where you’re at too at one time earlier in my career. When you’re new each day you add more to your skill set. But in time you realize it’s all simpler than the authors make it out. For example, what’s the first thing you say to an unqualified lead?”. 

Chris quickly responded, “you ask them about their most urgent challenges then listen to how they answer”.  “Eureka” said Pat, “that’s exactly right. Now is the time for you to let go of the techniques of sales and into the zone of sales, where effortless selling happens under it’s own power. Drop the jumble and focus on the rest”.

Take Action Quote

In a recent interview basketball great Michael Jordan discussed how he got into the zone, a state of mind where everything flows freely and in accordance with what you desire. Jordan said “I feel it when the game starts. You just start getting on a roll. Everything that you do is working. You get steals, your offensive game is working. You just take control of it. You’re in tune with everything that’s going on. You control the tempo, you control everything. It’s like you can do anything. But to explain it you’d have to be a psychologist.” 

Being in a state of flow, otherwise known as “being in the zone”, is the zenith of master selling. There is no mechanical or canned process. It just happens. You learn all the inner details, then you let it go and do what feels right. That’s true success.

Sales Babble Research Study

I just commissioned a research study to better understand the interests of listeners and the challenges they face. It will only take two minutes. Thank you for your help!

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, assessing if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business. See https://salesbabble.com

You can be your authentic self when selling. It’s all about helping others with their pains and desires. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast.  Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/

This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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How To Look Good Selling by Not Looking Good #426

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How To Look Good Selling by Not Looking Good  #426

In this episode we investigate the struggle of being successful at sales and how we let our ego get in the way of success. Why do we that? Too often we have concerns of being embarrassed, saying something stupid and being called out as a pushy seller. When we’re more concerned about how to look good selling, we stop focusing on helping customers. Today we share advice on how to address the challenges of fear and success and instead focus on how the best thing we can do to look after ourselves, is to look after others.

Today’s Chapter: Fear and Success

Success is a dangerous as fear
Both generating shame and laughter,
The worry of looking stupid.
Success and fear are phantoms that arise from the self.
More concerned about how you look,
The seller stops looking.

Today’s Story

It had been a month since Chris started cold calling to set up appointments for Pat. Chris’s numbers were weak and quite frankly borderline unacceptable. Pat became concerned and at the end of the week asked “I can see that you’re not making a lot of dials and when you do connect your calls are very short. What’s going on here?”. “Well” said Chris “I’m just not comfortable calling people out of the blue. I’m trying, and I hope you can see that. But I hate to bother people. Personally I dread getting robocalls. I just don’t feel good about it” 

Pat nodded “I get  what you’re saying. But this is the thing. What we’re doing and what those robocalls are doing are two completely different things. We are only calling people we think we can help. We don’t pitch without first listening  nor do we call at odd hours.  There is nothing to be ashamed of here.

“Instead of focusing on your fear, remember the anxiety they struggle with everyday. Maybe we can help them overcome their business challenges, and help them get a good night’s rest. The only way we can help, is to reach out and ask.

“Keep dialing, in time the fear will fade”.

Take Action Quote

Salman Rushdie is quoted as saying that “Shame is like everything else; live with it for long enough and it becomes part of the furniture.” Shame and guilt are founded on the belief that you’re doing something wrong and should be punished for it. But you’re not doing anything wrong here. It’s just misplaced fear. Fear is common is all of us and fear is the seed of growth. Once we overcome our fears, they are forever behind us.

Let me share an insight that has forever changed my view on sales. It’s this: prospective customers secretly hope that you have the solution to their problems. Sure they’re skeptical, that’s understandable. They may appear gruff and guarded. But deep down they would love love love more than anything to have your remove, their pain and anxiety.

It’s tough running a business in a competitive market. Let’s see what we can do to assuage some of that pain. Let’s put this fear in the rearview mirror.

Sales Babble Research Study

I just commissioned a research study to better understand the interests of listeners and the challenges they face. It will only take two minutes. Thank you for your help!

 

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, assessing if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business. See https://salesbabble.com

You can be your authentic self when selling. It’s all about helping others with their pains and desires. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast.  Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/

This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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When Selling with a Wingman Your Never Alone with Shruti Kapoor #425

Shruti Kapoor Sales Babble

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When Selling with a Wingman Your Never Alone with CEO Shruti Kapoor #425

Shruti Kapoor Sales BabbleShruti Kapoor is the CEO & Co-Founder of Wingman, an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. As the co-founder of Wingman, Shruti was also their first salesperson who sold their first million dollars in revenue, single handedly. Despite being an outsider to the SaaS ecosystem and to the US, Shruti has successfully scaled the business, and was selected to the prestigious Y Combinator program, raised funding and staffing a team.  In this episode Shruti and Pat discuss the challenges sellers face and what technology can do to raise their productivity and success when selling.

Challenges and Consequences Sellers Face

I started by asking Shruti how when working with her clients, what are the fundamental challenges they face and the consequences of not overcoming those challenges.  Sellers are lonely, they are unsure if they’re approaching selling properly and they’re unsure where to go for help. Secondly, they feel their organizations and sales processes are disorganized. They yearn for order and the comfort of following a proven formula for success.

Actionable revenue intelligence. It’s one thing to collect sales data, but not a lot of help on how to use it. Most CRMS focus on the boss. Instead of focusing the data for the sales managers, how about focusing on data that helps the sales professional. How about focusing on coaching reps.

Y Combinator provided a structure for growth, partners for advice and hearing personal stories from highly successful entrepreneurs. She has been able to integrate those experiences into Wingman.  Voice to Text services are the foundation of Wingman.

how to get early customers to trust you when you don’t have a brand the product has limited functionality. How to find beta customers. Nor did they have a rolodex in the sales industry.

Sales Success at Wingman

Shruti believes there are two reasons Wingman has been a successful startup:

    1. When things are not working, they go back to customers and listen how they bought and what they like about the product.
    2. They focus on building a brand that highlights the companies strengths and illuminates the differentiators from other competitors.

How To Connect with Shruti Kapoor

– Website- trywingman.com
– Twitter- https://twitter.com/me_nder
– LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/shrutikapoor

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com

You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast.  Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/

This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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How Prospects are Friends You’ve Not Met Yet #424

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How Prospects are Friends You’ve Not Met Yet #424

Are you reluctant to pick up the phone? This is not uncommon. We’re taught to fear strangers as kids and as adults we’re afraid to call and bug people. But that’s not the case when you think of family. You don’t think twice of calling your parents, or siblings. But how can you mentally treat strangers like family? That’s the topic for today. How prospects are friends you’ve not met yet.

Today’s Chapter: See Strangers As Yourself

See strangers as yourself.
Trust they will treat you as you would be treated.
Knock on the door
Pick up the phone
Seek rejection,
and leads that come as consequence.
You don’t reap what you don’t sow.

The Master Seller revels in meeting strangers,
The opportunities it may bring.

Today’s Story

Pat and Chris sat in the conference room working on a project. Deep in discussion the phone rang and Pat answered the call. It wasn’t the prospects but instead a random cold call. Pat was nice to the caller and patiently explained they were not qualified to buy, and in fact Pat gave the caller some coaching on how to improve their odds.  

Chris was surprised. First by Pat’s patience and secondly generosity. “Why did you spend so much time with that caller?” Chris asked.

“Oh that’s easy to answer” said Pat. “I see all strangers as friends and family. I expect my prospects and clients to treat me the same way I like to be treated. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt. In this persons case I know it’s hard cold calling. Why not be nice to them? When I’m cold calling, I start the conversations like we’re old friends asking about their weekend and what’ on the docket this week. People like that when you do it in a non-creepy authentic manner. Sure some people are rude, but why focus on the negative, when a relationship can lead to a great opportunity? When I meet strangers I just see myself“

Take Action Quote

Will Rogers, the famous Cowboy humorist  from Oologah Oklahoma once said that strangers are just friends he had not yet met. I love this sentiment. One of the problems with treating sales as a numbers game is you start treating prospects like their numbers, vs living feeling people with genuine problems and  desires. I urge you to never lose your humanity and see the whole world as a community.  Treat each stranger like family, give them the benefit of the doubt. Be generous in your listening and do what you can to help them. If you do, you will be pleasantly surprised by the opportunity it brings.

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

See https://salesbabble.com

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. There is no need to be pushy, aggressive or uncomfortable reaching out to prospective buyers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours.

You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset.

Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast.

Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/

This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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How to Get Buyers to Sell Themselves #423

Self Checkout

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 How to Get Buyers to Sell Themselves #423

Self Checkout Sell YourselfOne great struggle sellers often face is knowing when and how to close a deal. They have no problem demonstrating the product or describing the service. But when it comes to asking for the sale, it’s a challenge to do so elegantly and not sound pushy. That’s the topic for today and here’s a hint:  it’s to get  buyers to sell themselves!

Today’s Chapter:  Ask and You Shall Receive

Like a flashlight in the dark
The Master Seller sheds light on solutions
When muddled and confused
They ask the buyer
What would you do
If you had more time?
What would you do
If it was easier to do your job?
What would you do
With the money this solution would save?

By asking, the buyer reflects,
With reflection, comes understanding
With understanding, a decision
And the decision to purchase.

By asking, you receive.
By questioning, you are answered.

Today’s Story

During the sales call Chris methodically explained all the features, going through them patiently, one by one.  After a while the questions started to slow down and it was unclear where the prospect Lee stood. Chris was stymied on the next steps and looked over and caught Pat’s eye.

Pat spoke up.  “Like we shared Lee, this solution will raise the quality of your product 8% while cutting the time down 50%. What would you do with those savings?” 

Lee paused, looked up into the air and said “I guess we would use the savings to expand the new product line…” Then Lee went on and talked at length about the possibilities with the increased savings and it was soon clear Lee was ready to buy. 

Pat closed by saying “Wow I see what you mean, this really is a good fit. Do you want to get this started next week?”

And with that, the deal was closed.

Take Action Quote

The post impressionist painter  Paul Cezanne said “Time and reflection change the sight little by little ’til we come to understand.” The same is true of prospects. If you can get them to reflect on the possibility of your solution, you can get them to sell themselves.

The Gospel of Matthew chapter 7  says: “Ask and you shall receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and it will be opened to you.” You couldn’t get sounder sales advice. 

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

See https://salesbabble.com

Sales Babble is the podcast that shares selling secrets for non-sellers. There is no need to be pushy, aggressive or uncomfortable reaching out to prospective buyers. Modern selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and then helping them to make a decision that is both good for their business and yours.

We discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset.

Let’s stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast  https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/

This is a production of Habanero Media  at https://habaneromedia.net

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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Why the Best Way To Sell Is To Be You #422

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Why the Best Way To Sell Is To Be You #422

When I started selling, I read a pile of books on closing techniques and objection handling. I took notes like crazy and tried to memorize them like an actor cast in a performance each time I was with a prospect. It was a dumb approach. But to cut myself slack, I didn’t know any better. In this weeks Tao Te Ching chapter, we cast off the scripts and take a chance and dive into the deep of selling by being our authentic selves and lastly discuss why the best way to sell is to be you.

Today’s Chapter: Dive Into the Deep

Give up memorizing closing techniques and sales scripts
And your skills will multiply a hundred fold.
Give up professional handshakes and business etiquette
And you will rediscover connecting with buyers.
Give up number crunching and counting commission pennies
And your fears and concerns will disappear.

These tactics are outward forms only
Common and conventional in practice
They are not sufficient in and of themselves.

Instead seek simplicity in selling
Realize who you really are as a person
To cast off self
And temper Your desires.

The master seller wades from the shallows,
And dives into the deep.

Today’s Story

This was Chris’s first attempt being an SDR and was struggling with remembering the product features, benefits, pain points buyers face and the voicemail scripts. Chris was trying to sound professional saying Mr. and Ms. Yet it all felt forced and wooden. No matter how hard Chris tried, it wasn’t getting easier. 

Pat sensed Chris’s frustration. Sitting in on a few calls it was clear the issue wasn’t a memorization problem, but a complexity problem.  “Try this”, Pat said. “What would you say if by dumb luck the prospect was an old friend?” 

Chris thought for a moment. “Well I would just ask them if they had the quality issues our customers often face and if they say yes, I’d probably share some of the benefits of the product. If they were still interested, I’d move on and talk about the features” 

“Wow,” said Pat, “that sounds like a good plan. Why don’t you do that all time. Just go all in”

Take Action Quote

Years ago I read Norman Vincent Peale’s book the Power of Positive Thinking. Peale said “Believe in yourself! Have faith in your abilities! Without a humble but reasonable confidence in your own powers you cannot be successful or happy.” 

Cast away the silly myths about sales being aggressive and assertive and it’s all about swagger and being rich. Buyers can sniff out that attitude a mile away. Just be yourself. Keep it simple. Go all in trying to help your customer.

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

See https://salesbabble.com

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. There is no need to be pushy, aggressive or uncomfortable reaching out to prospective buyers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours.

You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset.

Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast.

Look here https://www.salesbabble.com/sales-podcast-free-advice/

This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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How To Find the Right Time to Pitch #421

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How To Find the Right Time to Pitch #421

If you’re new to the show, this episode and the vast majority of the episodes are based on the Tao Te Ching, an ancient Chinese philosophy, founded on the notion of non-doing or “effortless action”. By non-doing I mean letting life happen of its own accord. Not pushing, no pulling, allowing events to take their own course and accepting the pace whatever it may be. Which is the topic of this episode, on how to find the right time to pitch. Here’s the secret: it’s not your schedule, but the schedule of the buyer.

Today’s Chapter: The Craft of Sales

Like a watchmaker building precision timepieces
The Master Seller hones their craft to exact perfection.

When hunting, embrace cold calling
When meeting, listen deep for understanding
When negotiating, be patient and kind.

In speech be honest
In judging be fair
In business be competent
In action, watch the timing.

The Craft of sales is for few
Rejected by many.

Today’s Story

The company was rolling out a new business solution and had aggressive goals to promote the product. Pat and Chris met twice monthly for one-on-one coaching and a sales funnel review for the new product. During the meeting they reviewed a few recordings of Chris’s prospecting calls. 

Pat was pleased Chris always started strong in the calls by asking open ended questions to qualify the prospects. But there was a recurring issue. Each time a prospect mentioned they had a problem the new business solution could solve, Chris leapt into action and started pitching! The same thing happened during three of the calls they reviewed.

“Whoa whoa whoa” said Pat. “You’re jumping too quickly to a solution. We’ve yet to hear if this is the only problem they have, the most important problem they have and if there are any other problems they have that might be struggling with. Your timing is way off. There is a time to listen and a time to act.”  

“Let’s take it down a notch and slow the sale. Next time, keep qualifying until you  understand all their problems, then make your pitch in the context of helping to solve their challenges. Remember timing is everything.”

Take Action Quote

I’ve attended a fair number of networking events and invariably I’ll meet somebody who asks me a few questions and once they hear something that’s relevant to them, they jump on it and start hard selling me on their stuff. Ugh. They probably think they’re good at asking questions and qualifying. But in reality, I’m just annoyed. It’s not ask listen pitch, but ask listen, ask listen, ask listen and then once you’re certain you’ve heard it all, ask listen once more, then pitch. 

To quote Yogi Berra, “You don’t have to swing hard to hit a home run. If you got the timing, it’ll go.”

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. There is no need to be pushy, aggressive or uncomfortable reaching out to prospective buyers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours.

You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset.

Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast. 

This is a production of Habanero Media 

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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How To Not Oversell #420

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How To Not Oversell #420

Today’s episode is an act of faith. By faith I mean trusting in what you know is true and sharing it as honestly as possible. Too often sellers persuade by adorning their pitch when they would be better off, sharing a straight forward value proposition. Great products and services sell themselves. Learn how to not oversell. That’s the topic for today.

Today’s Chapter: Proper Preparation

Fill your presentation to the brim and it will spill.
Keep sharpening your pitch and it will blunt
Chase after money and the deal will spoil
Care about people’s approval and you will be their prisoner.

Do your work, then step back and it will all work out.

Today’s Story

Chris said good morning to the prospects at the presentation and kicked it off with a slide deck that shared a personal biography, the companies biography, their history in the industry, testimonials of their products and three deep dives into the benefits buyers could expect. Chris was trying to build trust, but all that was built was boredom. The audience started to get restless. 

In the back of the room, Pat could sense the crowd’s impatience and spoke up. “Chris, why don’t we jump ahead a bit to the solution design?”  Immediately Chris pivoted and by the end of the meeting, Chris had a verbal commitment. 

Afterwards Pat said to Chris in private “I’m sorry I made that awkward for you. But I could sense the people didn’t believe the benefits without any context. It was a case of the cart before the horse, or the benefits before the features!” Chris laughed and responded, “I have to admit, it did seem the decision maker paid more attention, and asked all those questions after the pivot. Since we got the order you can’t argue against success”. “Nope,” said Pat.  “we just need to do our work and let the chips fall where they lay.”

Take Action Quote

The Stoic Epictetus said “If you are tempted to look outside yourself for approval, you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.” 

I am wary of the overuse of PowerPoint and the repeated failure to treat people like people and connect one on one with buyers. Instead do this: have faith that if you just share your product unvarnished, it’s all going to turn out right in the end. Deals close easy when we focus on helping our clients versus winning their approval.

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. There is no need to be pushy, aggressive or uncomfortable reaching out to prospective buyers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours.

You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset.

Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast. 

This is a production of Habanero Media 

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

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When Selling Treat Buyers Like Family #419

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When Selling Treat Buyers Like Family #419

Today we talk about having a point of view that we are all one family, buyers and sellers alike. In this episode we investigate the right way to build rapport, familiarity and how that’s  the foundation for soliciting trust. When we give strangers the feeling that they already know us, they will be curious in turn and want to learn more about you and who you represent.

Today’s Chapter: Being a Cousin 

When selling
be a stranger to no one,
cousin to all,
just like family you see rarely
at the wedding or funeral.

Respectful yet genuine
catching up on their lives.
Gregarious yet authentic
Accepting them for who they are.

The Master Seller is easy to know
Trusted at the start.

Today’s Story

Pat and Chris registered for a trade association conference. It was to be attended by many prospective clients. At the first panel of the opening day the attendees were seated at round tables. Throughout the morning Pat chatted with everyone asking where they were from, did their flights go smooth, where they ate last night,  what they hoped to learn and if they wanted another cup of coffee. Pat treated them like old friends.

During the break, Chris asked Pat “Why aren’t you telling them more about our company and the new product announcement?  These people seem like a perfect fit for us!”   

“They are a good fit”, Pat agreed, “but now is not the right time. Our goal here is to build relationships, connect with them and follow up at a later time. They are here for a reason, not an infomercial!”   

“So what’s the plan?” asked Chris.  “It’s this” responded Pat.  “When we get back to the office I’ll follow up and say how great it was to meet them, or mention the flight troubles, the weather, or how that one lady who is worried about her dog; those kinds of details.  This will make us memorable, old friends. When I ask to schedule a sales call, they’ll be happy to agree”.

Take Action Quote

There’s an old saying that people buy from people they know, like and trust. People are people, more alike than not when it comes to hopes, fears, wants and needs. Yes, new prospects are complete strangers, but strangers are people too and if you treat strangers like people, with a sense of familiarity, just like a cousin you see every couple years, people will feel like they know you, and like and from that will come trust.

Don’t hesitate to be a human first and treat people as such. Once you do that, then you can start the process of qualifying them as a prospect.

Thank Our Sponsor Wingman

I’m excited to share that Sales Babble has a new sponsor, Wingman. Wingman is an actionable conversation intelligence platform that unlocks insights from every sales interaction. You can use Wingman to record your calls, review deals, scale coaching and build a repeatable sales machine. Wingman uses best-in-class Automatic Speech. Recognition (ASR) and Natural Language Processing (NLP) algorithms specifically for sales.

Go to trywingman.com/salesbabble and get a free trial today. Wingman, your source for actionable sales intelligence. 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers. There is no need to be pushy, aggressive or uncomfortable reaching out to prospective buyers. Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours.

You can listen to our podcast on any podcast app and if you signup for our newsletter you will be able to download a free copy of the Tao Te Ching of Sales eBook. This book has been the inspiration for these Sales Babble episodes and you can see what topics we’ll be covering in the future. Use this book for daily inspiration with short one page chapters on a balanced non-pushy approach when selling.

You can be yourself when selling. It’s all about helping others with their challenges and aspirations. I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset.

Stop fearing sales and embrace it. Learn the selling secrets for non-sellers and start making a difference today. Here is the entire back catalog of episodes in the sales podcast. 

This is a production of Habanero Media 

Got a Question?

Something about today’s episode got you thinking? Do you have a question or a comment you’d like share?

If so “babble me” an email here, or if you can’t wait chat Pat now.

Maybe you’d like to share your musings on the podcast? Leave a voice message here. We’d love to hear your thoughts. Don’t worry about babbling, we prefer it.

 

Image result for linkedinImage result for emailImage result for telephone icon

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You can find us on: