I think that to grow and improve your skills, you must have the courage to face your fears. This leads to fostering co-responsibility and creating spaces to bridge differences, for example, Japan has an ageing population and a fascination with technology, and this has led to the development of companion robots. Sales professionals must allow their clients intellectual oxygen to express what’s going on in their heads. Today, it is not enough to say in words that your organisation makes a difference. We want a visible proof of the responsibility an organisation says it takes. Contact me via e-mail for a workshop regarding your organisation’s approach and execution strategies.
You must live with your results
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Taking an honest look at ourselves is, of course, easier said than done and learning to view yourself critically, but not cruelly, is the most important first step for any leader. Without knowing who we truly are, how we truly work, and where our strengths and weaknesses truly lie - we cannot possibly begin to lead others effectively. You can achieve so much when you are truly focussed. What focus means in saying “no” to something that you think is a phenomenal idea and say “no” to it because you are focussed on something else. I think one has to stand guard at the door of our minds and decide what goes inside of it, don’t allow just anyone to dump into your mental factory.
“Less excuses, more results.
Less distractions, more focus.
Less me, more we.”
I have a dream
Dr Martin Luther King Jr. on this day 59 years ago delivered one of the greatest speeches of all time, the “March on Washington” at the Lincoln Memorial. It was one the largest single protest demonstration in American history and was organised for sweeping civil rights changes, unfortunately, this speech still has not aged well.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal.”
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“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends. ”
Don’t skip the steps
I think skipping a step is placing more value on the destination than the journey and this will compromise growth and learning you experience while you are on your path. I’ve worked with both transactional (fast moving consumer goods) and long-term major sales where the stakes are high (£€$) and what I’ve learned is you can’t be lazy with your process. I think it’s important remember to ask simple questions to figure out what the customer needs and not move too fast, as this will allow you the right to demonstrate the value of your product or service.
There is not a steroid for sales, there’s no magic pitch. Sales is a skill that you learn and develop, it’s a performance skill and it doesn’t matter that you know it, it only matter how well you do it.
What's important to you?
I think salespersons should be looking for a verbal commitment to ask questions and they should only sell to what your customers tell you. No one cares about the salesperson, you can be whoever you want, all that matter is your presentation as it all about the performance. Short presentations are best in my opinion because if you go on a monologue then your clients are not really listening. Good salespersons look for a way to make a connection with their customer, and build a conversation based on trust. If you want to achieve your goals of persuasion, start working on your verbal and non-verbal communication skills today. Contact me via e-mail when you are ready to build on your conversational skills.
Avoiding the commodity trap
What is the Commodity Trap?
When customers perceive your product or service as being identical regardless of the source, in other words, a commodity; the only differentiating factor then becomes price. Therefore, a commodity trap is a situation where products and services have slipped into purely price-based competition. And this is a bad thing because it means customers will go for the cheapest option, and this will force brands to compete on price.
Contact me via e-mail for a segmentation review of your marketing or branding strategy, and stop your customers asking the following questions when they see your product offering:
- What is it?
- How does it work?
- How is it different?
- And how much does it cost?
There are a lot of factors
What separates an average salesman and a good salesman?
I think what separates them is the understanding that in sales it’s all about the customer and not about yourself. Most salesmen are trained to learn a bullet point pitch and closing related to the pitch, and they are not trained to understand why customers are not buying. Good salesmen know how to ask deeper questions which are not scripted. I think sales in general is about finding the customers pain points and guiding your customer through a sales process where your product or service metaphorically fixes their pain. I have been a salesman and nowadays I’m a consultant, and if you go through sales training or workshop with me, your sales team will learn the tools to communicate value. Contact me via e-mail for sales training and workshops.
Reason and rationality
Fear is natural and I think it’s central to the human experience and these fears often come in disguise, for example, a fear that you’re not enough. The fear of not being good enough can surface as anxiety that you can’t explain or rationalise. Over the years of coaching and mentoring conversations, I’ve found that tapping into the imagination is the most powerful complement to traditional memory. The imagination gives us the ability to tell stories and form images about what is going on for us.
“The best use of imagination is creativity. The worst use of imagination is anxiety.”
We listen to reply
I think, well the vast majority of the global population thinks the biggest communication problem is we don't listen to understand. We listen to reply. We all have to develop our interpersonal skills, connecting with people we are just meeting for most people is pretty difficult. Human beings are hard wired not do it; our subconscious mind sees anybody that we don’t know as a possible threat. The idea of what we normalise in a culture is so important. For example: there was a time when being overtly racist was normal. We have moved forward from those days when such behaviour was normal. What do you think about that?
“You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.”
Confidence is important
I think confidence builds competence and it helps us to continue to improve and move from “I know how” to “I’ll try” to “I am doing it.” A lack of confidence can hold people back from reaching their full potential. Without confidence we won’t overcome discouragement, disappointment and challenges, and we likely won’t practice. And if things don't work out at first, confidence helps us try again and directly contributes to a more positive attitude and expectancy which are contagious and can help those around us grow too.
“An artist is not paid for his labour but for his vision.”
We reap what we sow
Intelligence is the ability to change your mind when presented with accurate information that contradicts your belief.
Closed mindset
Talking
Argumentative
Taking
Arrogant
Defensive
Blaming
Rigid
Open mindset
Listening
Empathetic
Giving
Humble
Collaborative
Educating
Adaptive
Learn the difference
Some talk to you in their free time, and some free their time to talk to you. Focus on what you can control and find good mentors to help you make it easier to get out of the door in the mornings and remain motivated throughout the day. It’s a good idea to set yourself up to perform and work in intervals, set out to be consistent instead of making heroic efforts. Success does not come to you because you want it, success comes to you because you do the right things.
Redefining your goals
A campaign without a clear goal is essentially a waste of money, as you won’t know how to measure the impact or value of the work you’ve put in. Goals are there to provide clarity, purpose, direction and vision. Whether personal or commercial, they are what lead to success for you, your department, and the business as a whole. Hitting your goal proves you're making an impact. Contact me via e-mail for an evaluation of your goal setting procedures.
Identifying your brand metrics
What goals should brands be focused on?
It’s a combination of enhancing your brand, building up your credibility and cache and lead generation. There are several other goals that may be important as well, such as the sense of accomplishment. I’d strongly suggest that you don’t let the more intangible goals get in the way of the tangible ones as you can do both – it just takes planning, discipline, and focus.
Here are some action goals:
⁃ Add value
⁃ Make it work for them
⁃ Know your business goals
⁃ Make it actionable
⁃ Stay flexible
Contact me via e-mail for an overview of your brand goals.
The diffusion of innovations
The diffusion of innovations is a theory that describes the pattern and speed at which new ideas, practices, or products spread through a population. The American communication theorist and sociologist, Everett Rogers’ in his book, “Diffusion of Innovations” introduced the term, early adapter. The main players in the theory are innovators, early adopters, early majority, late majority, and laggards and the book was first published in 1962.
Where do I apply my skills?
I think selling is both an art and a science. It’s all about leveraging quality content that’s visually engaging which is deep and consultative. It’s also important to pay homage to the science of selling and the need for buyers to be able to justify their decisions with logic. I’ve been analysed and various people have tried to pick my brain about my process. By me telling you what attributes you are going to need, doesn’t mean that you are going to have them. I don’t want to be dogmatic or stubborn about what selling is, as my process is a set of attributes that have worked well for me both personally and professionally.
Lead from the heart
For things to be better you first get yourself better, don’t wish it was easier, wish you were better and ask to be wiser and stronger. Have a great week and work on the small gains.
“Men will work hard for money. They will work harder for other men. But men will work hardest of all when they are dedicated to a cause. Until willingness overflows obligation, men fight as conscripts rather than following the flag as patriots. Duty is never worthily performed until it is performed by one who would gladly do more if only he could.”
Selling needs to be fun
We survive and thrive on the backs of people who do good. Unfortunately, we have too many sales managers who expect salespersons to do what they want and do it their way, and the only metric that is important to them is more activity. I think everyone is successful in their own way, and the salespersons who are consistently successful do it their own way. The highs are not as high, and the lows aren’t as low. If you find the way that works for you, you are going to be an excellent salesperson.
That's the reality
“Heuristics” are the mental shortcuts human beings take when processing information and making decisions. Marketing teams are fully aware of how to use heuristics to simplify complex and difficult questions as they are fast and accurate ways to understand and influence behaviours.
Brands use the anchoring and adjustment heuristic to strategically set a product's price point. For example, an electronic retailer in Denmark lists a television at a higher price than its fair value, and the potential buyer will use that price as an indicator that they have received a bargain when purchasing the TV at the “sale” price.
Three wise men
I think there are certain people who are meant to serve and others that are not and it is your job to work as hard as possible to find people who you are meant to serve. And I believe you will find them when you show up fully self-expressed. Most marketing books are tactical, so they focus on quick solution, for example, just do this or do that. This is OK if you are looking for a quick fix, but this does not teach you how to build trust and credibility, or how to price your products or how to have simple sales conversations which is required if you are doing pay per click advertising.