Category: sales qualifying questions

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How To Sell When Nobody Knows You #517

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How To Sell When Nobody Knows You #517


What do you do when your business is the best-kept secret in town? How do you get people to know about you? How do you create awareness and most importantly, how can you get buyers to trust in you, your company, and its products?  This is a situation for all startups. It’s also the case for established businesses creating new products or entering new markets. If this is your case, you’re in for a treat. In today’s episode, we discuss how to sell by sharing the idea that water, though soft and gentle, can overcome resistance and erode even the hardest of substances through its persistent and patient action. The same is true when it comes to a skeptical marketplace. In time, a persistent yet patient Master Seller can bring a new product or service to market. 

Today’s Chapter: Making the Unknown Known

At the start, all new products are a secret
filled with opportunity and possibility.
a mystery to be unveiled
from the dark to the light,
and the unknown to the known.

Like glacial streams that wear away rock,
persistent marketing campaigns bring awareness
using tenacity, patience, and grit.

Therefore time is your ally,
nurturing trust from nothing to something,
converting prospects to clients,
one by one
until the secret is no more
and the mystery revealed.

TTC #64

Today’s Story

Chris’s company recently launched a new product. It was a new market for the company and no one had heard of them.  While working on a cold calling campaign, Chris was unsure how to get the attention of buyers. 

“I keep calling but nobody answers.”  shared Chris. “The few people I’ve talked to have never heard of us and don’t trust we know what we’re doing”. 

“I guess I don’t blame them,” said Pat. “Trust has to be earned, and that’s only going to come with time”.

“Exactly,” responded Chris.”So what am I going to do since we’re the new kid on the block?”  

“When it comes to new ventures, you have to play the long game,” said Pat.
We need to follow up on leads multiple times: first an email, then a call, then a voicemail then a social media message. Then it’s a case of rinse and repeat with each time sharing a little bit more about us, It’s going to take awhile but remember, water is soft but given enough time it carved the Grand Canyon.” 

Take Action Quote

Lao Tzu said, “Under heaven, nothing is more soft and yielding than water. Yet for dissolving the hard and inflexible, nothing can surpass it. The soft overcomes the hard; the gentle overcomes the rigid. Everyone knows this is true, but few can put it into practice.”

Too often competitors rush the launch with dire results. This is a recipe for disaster Master sellers know that it takes time and patience to overcome a skeptical prospect. With gentle persistence, even the hardest of prospects can be persuaded if the product or service provides value. It’s no trivial matter bringing nothing into something. But with tenacity, patience, and grit, success can be achieved.

Watch here on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gCfuhXTTyU

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 discussed all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most importantly 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 to 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 Lose a Sale Before You Start #478

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How to Lose a Sale Before You Start #478

The other day I was assembling some furniture, you know the kind that comes boxed from Ikea labeled with lots of Swedish vowels and umlauts like Ektorp, Docksta Klippen, and Frakta. Wouldn’t you know it I started connecting one side with a bottom and the top to the side and just as I was finishing up I realized I had the left on the right side and the right side on the left. Ugh, I had to start all over. My mistake was a bad case of hubris and thinking reading the instructions was beneath me. Oh, what a fool. Looking back when I connected the first two parts, I was doomed to never complete it.   This kind of thing happens in sales too? You take a path that makes no sense and fight to finish it without any sense of wu-wei, non-action action. You’re going to put that square peg in a round hole no matter how long it takes. Right? Wrong. That doesn’t work. How to lose a sale from the start. That’s the topic for today.

Today’s Chapter: Speak to the End

For the want of a beginning
A deal can be lost

Without a destination in mind
The journey is hard to fathom.

The master seller has a goal in mind
Yet mindful that nothing is fixed, static or nonmoving

With map and compass
A path can be plotted,
But only if you know where you’re going.

Speak to the end
The beginning is an assumption.

Today’s Story

Pat and Chris spent the morning walking through Chris’s sales funnel. One deal was particularly troublesome. Pat asked Chris, “Why isn’t this deal progressing?”

Chris answered, “They don’t seem that interested anymore. They already have a solution and they seem to be happy with it. I’ve shown them what makes us better but it doesn’t seem to make a difference.”

“They already have a solution?” asked Pat. “Why are we talking to them?”

“Well,” said Chris, “I met them at the tradeshow, I asked them to meet with me and they did. I gave them the standard presentation. I keep following up, but there’s no real progress.”

“For how long?”

“Three months.”

“Three months.” Pat muttered, “It sounds like we don’t have what they really want and we never really took the time to dig in and find out what they need at the beginning. It seems to me we never had a chance and could have avoided all this follow-up energy if we just asked some key qualifying questions at the start.”

“Oh,” said Chris. 

“Yes,” Pat responded. “This deal was lost the first day we met with them. If we had talked to them about the end goal this all could have been avoided. Let’s move on. It’s time.”

Take Action Quote

There is an old proverb that goes like this,

For want of a nail the shoe was lost.

For want of a shoe the horse was lost.

For want of a horse the rider was lost.

For want of a rider the message was lost.

For want of a message the battle was lost.

For want of a battle the kingdom was lost.

And all for the want of a horseshoe nail.

Benjamin Franklin included this version in his publication Poor Richard’s Almanak, preceded by the words,

“A little neglect may breed great mischief.”

Salespeople participate in this kind of mischief all the time, wasting time and adding  fuel to the reputation of the pushy sales professional

The Chinese word for the Tao translates to Path. The way of that path is one of harmony. Pushing a prospect who has no interest is like pushing a rope. It can’t be done. It’s wiser to work with prospects who need your services. This starts by discussing the end goal at the beginning. Any effort to talk them into something else is a waste of time. 

“Take care with the end as you do with the beginning.”
― Lao-Tzu

Habanero Media Network

You too can start a B2B podcast today. Listen to our other podcasts at Habanero Media and discover podcasting how can ignite your selling success.

This is the Cannabis Advocate Podcast 

How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble

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

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 Take the Good with the Bad When Selling #461

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How to Take the Good with the Bad When Selling #461

Have you ever tried to bend a deal to your will only to have it break? This is something humans do all the time, thinking that we can will nature to do our bidding. This is not the case. Savvy sellers know that winter follows fall, fall follows summer and summer follows spring. Like farmers, they understand their sale cycles like phases of the moon. How do we adopt this point of view as sellers? 9That’s the topic for today.

Today’s Chapter: Making Hay

Some say you need to take
the good with the bad.
But the Master Seller sees no difference.

Some days it rains
Some days the sun shines.
Both necessary for
For a rich harvest.

Knowing that the easy day
is balanced with the hard,
The Master Seller makes hay when the sun shines
For tomorrow it may rain

Today’s Story

Chris was having a good month closing deal after deal. Like they say, this is a good problem to have. But it was a problem since it made for long days and long weeks.

“I’d like to take some time off” Chris mused.

“You can” said Pat “but you might want to rethink that”.

“Why?” said Chris.

Pat went on
“Remember what happened last year? Most of our business happened in these two months. Then it was all we could do to squeeze out more for the rest of the year. It might make sense to suck it up and keep at it for another 4 weeks.”

Chris nodded
“Oh yeah I do remember. This business is so seasonal. Nevermind, I’m going to stick to it”.

Take Action Quote

According to Canadian poet Brian Brett

“Farming is a profession of hope”

Isn’t this true of sales too? Monthly goals and quotas can be silly if they don’t take into account the cyclic nature of purchasing. The awake seller does their work and accepts the seasonal pattern of the world. They make hay while the sun shines.

Habanero Media Network

You too can start a B2B podcast today. Listen to our other podcasts at Habanero Media and discover podcasting how can ignite your selling success.

This is the Cannabis Advocate Podcast 

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

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.

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 Learn the Buyers Secret Language #443

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How To Learn the Buyers Secret Language  #443

 

Each industry has a secret language. There is a vernacular, nomenclature and acronyms everyone in the industry uses. To be a successful seller, you need to know that language too. How to learn the language of the buyer, that’s the topic for today.  How to learn the buyers secret language. That’s the topic for today. 

Today’s Chapter:  Speak the Buyers Secret Language

First listen
to learn their language.
Then question
to understand their lives.
Next seek
to know, what they know.
Then frame how best to express solutions.

The Master Seller
Walks in their shoes,
Listening without judging
Building credibility and trust
Marketing the buyer with relevance
Spoken in the Words of the buyer.

Today’s Story

Chris pivoted to selling a new product line in an industry new to Chris. Excited to get started Chris jumped in and started calling and emailing but each outreach hit a thud. Time and again, prospects showed no interest and Chris was getting frustrated. It seems that what used to work in one industry, didn’t in this new industry.  Pat could sense a rising level of discouragement and stepped in to help. 

“Chris”  said Pat, “This is a very different industry than what you’re used to. I know it’s a big challenge.  If you don’t know what the 280E or the 8300 form, people don’t trust that you fully understand their challenges. It’s a hurdle. 

Every industry has a secret language. And in an industry as new and changing as this one, there is no book you can read to learn it all in one place. But once you learn that language you become a member of the tribe.” 

“So what should I do?” asked Chris.

Pat answered “None of us know exactly how this is going to work. I wish I could tell you more about this industry but I’m new to it too. But I’m certain you’re the right person for this challenge. 

Find a buyer who is patient and willing to teach you a term here or a definition there.

Be patient, it’s going to take time. I believe in you. “

Take Action Quote

Mary Torrans Lathrap authored a poem titled “Judge Softly” in 1895, and has later come to be known by its most famous and quoted line — “Walk a Mile in His Moccasins.”

“Judge Softly”

“Pray, don’t find fault with the man that limps,

Or stumbles along the road.

Unless you have worn the moccasins he wears,

Or stumbled beneath the same load.

it goes quite long but ends…

We will be known forever by the tracks we leave

In other people’s lives, our kindnesses and generosity.

Take the time to walk a mile in his moccasins.

This is true too for us sellers. We must wade into their world, understand the lingua franca of their business and speak to their concerns, challenges and aspirations. It’s your responsibility to learn their language, not vice versa. The best way to learn is to ask their advice, accept there are no dumb questions, and most likely you will lose the first few deals when you get started. But this is what you must do.

First crawl, then walk and then run. You can’t skip steps when learning the buyers secret language. . 

Habanero Media Network

Listen to our other podcasts at Habanero Media

This is the Cannabis Advocate Podcast 

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 To Make an Elevator Pitch #432

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How To Make an Elevator Pitch #432


In a building with 2-9 floors, an elevator should take between 10 & 20 seconds to clear the entire distance at full speed. In a building with 10-29 floors, it should take between 12 & 20 seconds to clear the entire distance at full speed unless, you live in New York City where the average elevator ride is 118 seconds. This creates a challenge for the seller who is tasked with delivering a pitch to a prospective buyer, held hostage, ever so briefly, in that elevator!.  What can you do to get the prospects to pause and agree to learn more in 118 seconds? That’s our topic for today, how to make an elevator pitch.

Today’s Chapter: Elevator Pitch

Brief in words
Yet long in substance
Tuned for the ear of the listener
The Master Seller makes their pitch.

Both concise and precise
Asking questions that elicit response
in search of a gap
to be filled
a Story that touches the heart

Sharing, asking, listening
All in the wink of a brief ride

Today’s Story

On the tradeshow floor Pat stepped into the aisle and handed attendees cards that caused them to pause and listen. Throughout the day, the pitch was tuned with some words drawing blank stairs and others glints of interest. By early afternoon, the pitch was polished and Pat and Chris used it successfully for the rest of the event to collect qualified leads. 

At the end of the first day Chris asked “How did you know this pitch was going to work? I was surprised how it changed hour by hour” “Well” said Pat “We know our solution, but it’s in understanding the problem where most sellers falter. I just kept asking people, do you have this problem, and kept switching up problems until we found the one that resonates with most. Then we started to tune if it was an urgent problem and if so, we told a quick tale on the benefits of our solution.”

“The pitch is so fast” responded Chris. “It doesn’t even talk about our features”. “Yes” said Pat “that’s the secret sauce, to speak to problems and benefits. If there is no interest, it’s no use sharing details”.

Take Action Quote

Albert Einstein once said “if you can’t explain it simply, you don’t know it well enough”. We all  know this to be true. Reflect back on your own life, where somebody came up to you and started pitching a product or an idea that had nothing to do with you AND they wouldn’t stop talking. It’s painful. 

When somebody graces you with their time, honor their gift and speak quickly getting to the point. Succinctly share your value proposition that says “I help these types of people, with this set of problems, by providing a solution that has this  set of benefits. Is that you?” Bam bebam bebam.

When you can repeat this pitch with no effort, a pitch that flows like water from the mountains, then you are prepared to enter the elevator and make your case.

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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How To Sell When Nobody Knows You #431

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How To Sell When Nobody Knows You #431


What do you do when your business is the best kept secret in town? How do you get people to know about you? How do you create awareness and most importantly, how can you get buyers to trust in you, your company and it’s products? How to sell when nobody knows your brand?  In this episode we discuss lessons we can learn from the Grand Canyon and how building a brand is not a quick fix.

Today’s Chapter: Making the Unknown Known

At first a secret
a new product’s value is questioned
The market unaware
Remains wary and skeptical.

Like rushing water
Wearing away granite
Persistent campaigns bring awareness
Messaging that speaks to the buyer

That this can help
This can make a difference.

Knowing the audience
The Master Seller makes the unknown known

Today’s Story

The company was launching a new product to a new market. Nobody had heard of them and the offering had no credibility. While working on a cold calling campaign, Chris  was unsure how to get the attention of buyers saying “I keep calling but no one is answering. The few people I’ve talked to have never heard of us and don’t trust we know what we’re doing”. 

Pat nodded and said  “I guess that’s .  understandable” said Pat. “Trust has to be earned and that only comes after the passage of time”. “Exactly” said Chris nodding. ”So what can we do since we’re the new kid on the block?”  

Pat responded “Slow but steady wins the race.  We need to follow up our outreach multiple times: first an email, then a call, then a voicemail then a social media message and then rinse and repeat and each time sharing a little bit more about us, This will take awhile but remember, water is soft but given enough time it carved the Grand Canyon.” 

Take Action Quote

Trust is the foundation of all sales. It’s what Stephen Covey calls the glue of life and the most essential ingredient in effective communication. In my experience trust takes time to build and it takes persistence and tenacity and believing in the process. 

It’s a case of what the Taoist call Wu-Wei or Non action-action or non-doing doing  If you just keep at it, never expecting that it will be this call or this email that arouses interest. Nope you just keep at it. And it, will happen.  When? Where? How? Nobody knows. But it will happen, in time.

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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How to Find Qualified Leads #415

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 How to Find Qualified Leads #415

 

Do you ever find yourself calling the same leads over and over and not making any headway. This is a case of being lead poor and it’s time to up your prospecting and discover some bonified and  highly qualified leads. In this weeks episodes we investigate those situations, what you can do to fix it and how to find qualified leads

Today’s Chapter: How to Find Qualified Leads

The great Marketplace flows everywhere.
All business is born from it.
Though it doesn’t consciously create new markets
It pours itself into its work.

It makes no claim this business is good or bad
Yet it nourishes emerging markets
And doesn’t hold onto them.

Some grow and some vanish,
Yet all are contained within it.

The Master Seller is aware of its greatness.
Never “lead poor” they find leads like shells on a shore.
Daily they walk the beach to uncover new business
And Delight in new opportunities

Today’s Story

Towards the end of the week Chris was frustrated with the lack of progress being made on the new product. Good at follow up, all the prospects in the sales funnel were being attended to, but none of the leads were interested in setting up a sales call. 

“Are you following up?” asked Pat. “Absolutely” said Chris, “Some of the leads had been emailed or called 20 times!” Hmm thought Pat. 

“You know what the problem is? You’re lead poor! I love how you’re grinding, but the leads you have stink, they’re not interested. On top of that, you have too few of them, we need to up our prospecting.” 

Pat went on … “Identifying good high quality leads comes back to understanding our ideal client and making sure that your emails and voicemails are targeting their needs and desires. Today let’s take a pause on follow up  and relook at your marketing campaigns. Given all the market changes this year I bet if we review your emails, and voicemails in the context of the persona of our ideal client we can uncover a bunch of high quality leads. We’re going to turn around!

Take Action Quote

Seth Godin once said, that in a crowded marketplace, fitting in is a failure. In a busy marketplace, not standing out is the same as being invisible. Too often sellers don’t understand the benefits of what they sell and who exactly should they sell too. On top of that they get shy and fear reaching out. But this is the thing,  Businesses are constantly in a state of flux and constantly looking to fix their problems and attain their aspirations. If you know exactly who you help and why, you will have as many high quality leads as there

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.

 

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The Selling Staircase Sales Conversation with Nikki Rausch #374

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The Selling Staircase Sales Conversation with Nikki Rausch #374

In this episode guest Nikki Rausch helps listeners tackle sales more confidently.  Nikki shares her framework, the Selling Staircase, a five step approach to a selling conversation. This systemized and super simple process has been refined so listeners know step by step how to build rapport, create curiosity, qualify a prospect, propose a solution and close the deal.  Nikki’s advice is practical advice sellers interested in entering every sales conversation with confidence.
Sales Babble is sponsored by OutReach, the sales engagement platform for sales automation

Five Step Staircase for Selling

Nikki  believes great conversations create rapport, generate trust and facilitate closed deals. She walked us through the Selling Staircase steps one by one:

    1. Make a powerful first impression at the introduction. Realize you’re on the first time you meet them, first email, first handshake, first walk in the parking lot, etc.    Have all your ducks lined up. Show up “put together”.
    2. Create curiosity. She shares the analogy of how you call dogs vs how you call cats. The advises on the cat method.  Answer and respond to questions in a way they will ask solicit MORE questions about what you.  Don’t vomit too much about you.  Great rapport building conversations happen through questions.
    3. Discovery and understand the problems, needs and wants. Ask questions that will lead them to buying from you. Don’t solve their problem in the meeting and decide they can do it themselves.
    4. Provide a Proposal. Share what they think they need while not being limited to what you THINK they can afford.  For the written proposal make it simple clear what your providing and the price.  Have a quick start guide to make is very easy to read. Schedule a “Circle Back Call”.
    5. Close the Deal – say would you be interested in moving forward? Then stay quiet and wait for their answer.

How To Find Nikki Rausch

Nikki Rausch of Sales Maven trains and coaches small business owners how to sell without being slimy.

Thank Our Sponsor Outreach.io

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Outreach.io   Outreach helps Sales Reps to not only close deals but to close more deals, faster.  Their platform offers a suite of automation, workflows, efficiency tools, and insights that help teams engage with leads more effectively.   Outreach is the #1 Sales Engagement Platform on the market today for a reason. It’s a must-have software solution for any Revenue Team looking to optimize and scale their business. Visit the link to  schedule an exclusive demo with Outreach today!

https://click.outreach.io/salesbabble-demo

Thank Our Sponsor Habanero Media

We help busy B2B companies  attract new customers and clients through the magic of podcasting! Start your B2B podcast today and grow your brand, authority, influence and trust.

Download “Why Your Business Needs a B2B Podcast” here.

Past Episodes

Sales Consulting To Grow Your Business

Pat helps technology startups and businesses discover the true value they bring to market, find customers who deeply appreciate that value then scale that process to extraordinary profits. We do this with modern 2020 sales and marketing techniques. 

Image result for linkedinImage result for emailImage result for telephone icon

Pushy sales doesn’t work! The key is to build trust over time. What  tools do we use?  LinkedIn, Email and the power of the Voice Mail.

We believe and teach the value of a helping mindset. Your prospective customers have challenges, hopes and aspirations. They need your help. All you need to do is build their trust, and faith, in your organization. Learn  how we help here. Once it’s clear you can help, you will have loyal clients for life. When you bring value you make sales. Or if you’re a startup, learn sales for engineers and skills to promote your new venture.

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.

Listening Options

You can find us on:

 

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How To Hit Your Sales Targets and Not Get Fired with Jeff Goldstein #373

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How To Hit Your Sales Targets and Not Get Fired with Jeff Goldstein #373

Competition for new business has never been more intense. Despite lots of traditional sales training, most sales reps have no plan or process to inspect,  assess, and get coached by their teams through their “Must Win” sales campaigns. These campaigns are what guest Jeff Goldstein calls  Big Deals.  When reps fail to qualify prospects, often the big deals fail to close on time and they fail to hit their sales targets.  Everyone loses in this situation. With targeted Big Rock reviews, reps can take action before losing those deals.

Big Sales From Small Numbers

Most of a rep’s deals come from a small portion of the overall deals.  For example, Jeff has found that usually 10-15 deals in your pipe represents 50% of your sales.  Despite lots of deals in a forecast,  reps run out of time when the quarter comes to close.   This makes forecasting a case of art,  science,  and fiction. Most sales teams don’t have a sales system to guide forecasting,   especially important during downturns in the economy.

Win-Loss Ratios can be good. But when they don’t close when you forecast that creates issues with corporate reporting. Often times the deals get pushed out or it goes to a “No Decision”.   No Decisions are really a loss.  The buyers money went to something else.  If you don’t win on the forecast date, it’s a loss.

So how do we fix this issue? It’s  a qualification problem. You may not be able to control when a deal is going to close, but you can control when you say it’s going to close.

Big Rock Sales Targets Review

Consider a structured approach to inspect funnels, assess quality of the sales campaign and then have the team coach one another on how to improve the sales campaign. Jeff recommends two steps:

    1. Rapid Assessment Review – quick review of deals and look for deals that need deeper inspection
    2. Sales Strategy Review  – have the sales team review  big deals that may end up in jeopardy and  have the team coaches the rep

BANT– (Budget Authority Need and Time ) questions are use to facilitate the questions. Each aspect of the deal is questioned and reviewed.

Look Back Question

If you got a call that you lost a deal today, where are the weak spots that you think might be the reason for the loss?”

Asking this question  gives the rep a chance to work on the weakness before the loss. Also to look at the competitor and what they maybe doing to win on their side. Strategize now while you’re still in the game to hit your sales targets.

How To Find Jeff Goldstein

    • LinkedIn:    https://linkedin.com/in/jeffgoldstein2
    • Websites – SalesLeadersOnly.com
    • Handouts, worksheets and questions: SalesLeadersOnly.com /babble
    •  Email  jeff  at SalesLeadersOnly.com

Thank Our Sponsor Outreach.io

Today’s podcast is brought to you by Outreach.io There’s nothing worse than seeing solid email engagement, but not booking meetings to continue the conversation with your customers.

Traditionally, sales teams have relied on metrics like email reply and open rates to guide their sales process, but that can be  super misleading. Instead, try this. Measure sentiment, not just vanity metrics.  Using a solution like Outreach can help you understand exactly what your ‘replies’ mean and how you should follow up. By understanding the sentiment behind the email replies, you’ll be better suited to improve your messaging, book 14% more meetings and ultimately close more deals.

If this resonates with you, our sponsors at Outreach put together an awesome eBook about best practices for how to use buyer sentiment to streamline your sales process. Click here for the eBook! 

Thank Our Sponsor Habanero Media

We help busy B2B companies  attract new customers and clients through the magic of podcasting! Start your B2B podcast today and grow your brand, authority, influence and trust.

Download “Why Your Business Needs a B2B Podcast” here.

Past Episodes

Sales Consulting To Grow Your Business

Pat helps technology startups and businesses discover the true value they bring to market, find customers who deeply appreciate that value then scale that process to extraordinary profits. We do this with modern 2020 sales and marketing techniques. 

Image result for linkedinImage result for emailImage result for telephone icon

Pushy sales doesn’t work! The key is to build trust over time. What  tools do we use?  LinkedIn, Email and the power of the Voice Mail.

We believe and teach the value of a helping mindset. Your prospective customers have challenges, hopes and aspirations. They need your help. All you need to do is build their trust, and faith, in your organization. Learn  how we help here. Once it’s clear you can help, you will have loyal clients for life. When you bring value you make sales. Or if you’re a startup, learn sales for engineers and skills to promote your new venture.

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.

Listening Options

You can find us on:

 

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Frictionless Selling with Anthony Coundouris

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Frictionless Selling with Anthony Coundouris

In this episode we meet Anthony Coundouris, author of run frictionless, a  book that helps founders scale  an organization that back fills their sales role.  Anthony does this by using a decision-making framework called the 4Qs.  Anthony and I walk through the 4Q’s and he shares advice on how to remove an organization’s  friction from a prospects buying experience.  If you’re frustrated with the barriers that make it hard for your customers to buy, this episode gives  direction on frictionless selling  and how to make buying as seamless as possible at your company.

What is Frictionless Selling?

Anthony wrote the book as a tool. He builds sales processes for asia pacific tech companies. The book was the education process to speed up his consulting. He has found that most clients don’t have a sales process in place. They think is the sales staff that has an issue. Instead of looking at individuals, he focuses on the organization.  Friction, or barriers that slow the buying process,  is not a sales problem, but a company issue.

Instead of replacing the founder with a seller who will never do it exactly the same way, better to build a resilient organization that seamlessly takes prospects through the buying journey. 

From Friction to  Frictionless with the 4Q’s

4Q’s is a quadrant that shows value provided by the organization and who would value that product/service.  to the customers

    1. Who we serve
    2. What we serve
    3. Who we are
    4. How we serve

Since Internal friction becomes external over time, anything you can do to eliminate friction the better.  Anthony mentions several pre-designed customer flows from the book that  improve sales you can use right away. We chat about how  business is being  turned away because the buying process is not being taken into account. 

How To Find Anthony Coundouris

To connect with Anthony and learn more about frictionless selling:

 

Thank Our Sponsor Habanero Media

We help busy B2B companies  attract new customers and clients through the magic of podcasting! Start your B2B podcast today and grow your brand, authority, influence and trust.

Download “Why Your Business Needs a B2B Podcast” here.

Past Episodes Frictionless Selling

Check out these past episodes.

Sales Consulting To Grow Your Business

Pat helps technology startups and businesses discover the true value they bring to market, find customers who deeply appreciate that value then scale that process to extraordinary profits. We do this with modern 2020 sales and marketing techniques. 

Image result for linkedinImage result for emailImage result for telephone icon

Pushy sales doesn’t work! The key is to build trust over time. What  tools do we use?  LinkedIn, Email and the power of the Voice Mail.

We believe and teach the value of a helping mindset. Your prospective customers have challenges, hopes and aspirations. They need your help. All you need to do is build their trust, and faith, in your organization. Learn  how we help here. Once it’s clear you can help, you will have loyal clients for life. When you bring value you make sales. Or if you’re a startup, learn sales for engineers and skills to promote your new venture.

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.

Listening Options

You can find us on: