Mar 28, 2017
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/raquel-richardson/
Takeaways
- Remember It’s Not About You: Hearing “no” in sales is a given, but that doesn’t make it any less trying. Regardless of the circumstances surrounding how exactly you are shot down, there is no more important personality strength than the ability to bounce back. Sales is so much easier when you can remove yourself from the process and remember one simple truth: it’s not about you. It’s not a personal attack. You are doing your job, and it might be challenging right at this moment, but “no” is not the end of the line for you unless you let it be.
- Document and Share What Works: Raquel brought up her concept of a “WinWire,” but what could you do for the closed won or even the closed lost deals at your company. Before a “case study” is even relevant, how could you capture the details of why a customer bought from you? What was the business situation? What were they struggling with? Were they replacing anything? Did they pick you over another solution? What was the size of the deal? Capturing these details, win or lose, and sharing them with your team may spark some unforeseen opportunities.
- Don’t Make Assumptions: I believe the single biggest challenge most salespeople have is their inability or unwillingness to listen. More often than not, I find that when they’re quiet, all they’re really doing is waiting for their next turn to talk. Doing this forces you to start making assumptions and disregarding the chance to gain real clarity. Both can be detrimental to your sales cycle.
Book Recommendation
- The War of Art Break: Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield
Sponsor
- Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.
Mar 21, 2017
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/morgan-j-ingram/
Takeaways
- Think Big Even If You Start Small: Anyone who’s either lived it before or is living it now knows the truth about being a sales development representative: it’s tough. SDRs are pushed hard, work long hours and go into work every single day knowing they’re going to get rejected over and over again. But, if you can master the art of opening up new opportunities, your career will open up in ways you may never have imagined. The mental toughness of those who persevere, those who thrive, those who live to tell the tale are prepared for anything.
- Understand Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy: Prospecting is simple, but it’s not easy. The tasks of calling, emailing, and connecting on social media are simple enough on their own. But the actual work and grind of it all is tough. It requires endurance. It means not taking no for an answer. Pushing back when you meet resistance is hard, but you should never be afraid to challenge a person. Dig a little deeper, ask a follow-up question they can’t not answer and stay the course.
- Break the Pattern: Stop and think for a minute. When is the last time you answered that “how are you” question honestly? The thought is there, but the question is stale. Instead, break the pattern by asking “what did I catch you in the middle of?” Whether you’re making calls, you can’t sound like every other salesperson on the planet. Disarm them by coming out of the gate with a strong question, mirroring their tone and taking the time to have a real conversation.
Book Recommendation
- The Law of Success by Napoleon Hill
Sponsor
- Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.
Mar 14, 2017
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/jonathan-parrott/
Takeaways
- Focus on Discovery: It’s not in the end zone that sales are lost, but rather at the start of the game. Your goal as a salesperson at the simplest level is to connect what you have with what a person is trying to accomplish. A lot of that starts early in the relationship as you seek to discover what it is that is driving that person. What is it they want to do? How can you help them do it? Learning as much as possible about a potential client on the front end pays dividends as you work toward closing the sale.
- Engage Where Your Prospect Is: E-mail has its place, but anyone who has ever accidentally hit “reply all” or inaccurately interpreted someone’s written tone can testify. E-mail is not the most conducive setting for building a strong, lasting relationship with someone. Since sales is rooted in working with humans, finding ways to engage with prospects is often more successful using other methods than e-mail. Whether that means picking up the phone, scheduling an in-person meeting or even striking up a conversation online about a relevant blog post, finding ways to personalize and humanize yourself will set you apart from the crowd. The best thing to keep in mind is to engage in real conversations with real people despite the platform you use to do it.
- Stay the Course: Everyone loses a sale from time to time. What matters is that you get back on the horse. What matters is what you learn from that experience. Instead of feeling stuck in a rut, try to focus on how it feels to be successful. Try to keep your eyes on the prize by staying level-headed amid the stressful times and you will persevere. Because there will be mountains and hurdles. There will be tough quarters or months. Staying the course amid those trying times will make you a stronger, wiser salesperson in the long run.
Book Recommendations
- The Maverick Selling Method by Brian Burns
- The Challenger Sale by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
- The Challenger Customer by Brent Adamson, Matthew Dixon, Pat Spenner and Nick Toman
Sponsor
- Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.
Mar 7, 2017
Full Notes
https://www.salestuners.com/jeb-blount/
Takeaways
- Protect the Golden Hours: Setting a structure in place for making sales calls has the potential to make or break your business. Make time for what matters, by including blocks of time to make sales calls on your calendar, preferably during the golden hours. Use voicemail blocks to call late in the day when you know you’re not going to reach most people. Plant a seed by leaving a voicemail, but then follow up in an outbound call block the following day. That way, the number is recognized or the call is returned. The same method can be utilized with e-mail as well. It may only take 15 minutes to accomplish something amazingly powerful.
- Remember the 30-Day Rule: The 30-day rule is a simple formula that comes into play regularly for most B2B salespeople. Generally speaking, any prospecting you do in a 30-day period of time has the tendency to pay off over the next 90 days. Yet this is where the anatomy of a sales slump lays its foundation. This is where a lack of prospecting can lead to no pipeline, which leads to no closed sales. This is where confidence gets shaken. It’s ultimately the decision to stay focused and remember the end game that gets you through.
- Put the Sales Person Hack to Use: The bane of existence for most salespeople is the gatekeeper. So think about ways to get around them. Instead, leverage your likeness to others like you. Be persistent and talk to someone who understands. Have you ever called on a salesperson in another company? That call is always going to get answered! And guess what? They know your pain. Engage with them. Tell them what happened when their gatekeeper told you no. Why? Because they’ll get it. And they’ll get you where you need to be.
Book Recommendations
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Sponsor
- Octiv – Transform the way your sales assets are created, distributed and tracked around the world. Because a better sales process is a better buying experience.
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