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Popular Myths About Sales Success

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 20:19:01 GMT

Popular Myths About Sales Success

As a salesperson or someone who works with salespeople, you probably have mixed feelings about them.

Let's figure out what's real and what's false about sales reps and how they work.

In this article, I'll go over the mistaken stereotypes about salespeople and popular sales tactics that only work in sales books.

1) A salesperson has to be an extrovert

Selling is about showing the right things at the right time and acting congruently. Does it have anything to do with an ability to be friendly and outgoing? Probably not. I know so many top-performing introverted salespeople, they never say too much, they listen and analyze customers carefully and respond respectively.

Moreover, introverted salespeople tend to be more accurate with the accounting part (CRM, contracts, formal communication).

2) Reciprocation - If I give something to you, you'll give something to me.

Building sales is more relevant to building trust and relationships. Buyers already know your interest and will perceive you as a manipulator if you're trying to give something with an expectation of return. That's why reciprocation doesn't work anymore.

However, you can give value with the intention to build trust and prolong communication. That's a genuinely subtle difference, let me illustrate with an example:

Doesn't work:

You give a demo expecting that because the client took the free item, he'll come back for more. = Manipulator

Does work:

You give a demo and explain how exactly it brings the result you promise.

You do this while learning about customer's needs and building communication = putting everything on the table and displaying transparency to build trust.

3) Art of sales is a bag of psychological tricks

Nowadays, when everyone is trying to sell something, customers are susceptible to old-school psychological manipulation tricks. There are no magic words or scripts (don't believe if a book on Amazon promises this) to get people into hypnotic condition to buy from you.

Don't get me wrong, there's definitely a lot of psychology going on in the sales process. But if you're not into your product and company, if you're not into helping the client - no psychology shit will help you.

Start with your beliefs and values. Truly integrate them in your mindset, and you'll be surprised how many psychological tricks you're subconsciously using naturally.

All in all, psychological techniques are a tool, not a goal. Start with your purpose and intention to help.

4) Selling ice to an Eskimo = Selling Anything to Anyone

Honestly, that's the craziest and most popular bullshit I ever hear about salespeople.

First, a good sales rep will quickly disqualify a prospect that doesn't need his product.

Second, a good sales rep will start with learning the product features and benefits before starting to sell it.

People, I'm so happy you're reading this, please remember that this shit ain't working at all!

If you're a CEO or Head of Sales, to avoid wasting time selling what your buyers don't need:

- hire people who are interested in your industry;

- make sure all your sales reps know why your company and product are different;

- make sure all your sales reps know exactly why what they're selling is worth 10 times more than what you're asking for;

- make sure your sales and marketing work together and are complementary instead of being contradictory.

5) The more, the better

Here's a simple question for you, which salesperson you'd scale your company with:

a) the one who would sell to 3 out of 10 customers?

b) the one who would sell to 4 out of 20 customers?

The right answer is A. Not only A type will bring better skills and consistency, and thus reputation to your company. They'll also bring more clients while needing less marketing investment. This is called sales efficiency.

Always prefer quality over quantity, because the quantity is more comfortable to increase.

And in general, working hard won't really make you happy. working smart - will. Achieving goals based on strategy - will. Building your personal brand - will.

By the way, if you're up for making your personal brand shine on social media, my linkedin profile building services might be an option at some point.

3 Awesome Ways To Connect with Prospects

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 21:32:30 GMT

3 Awesome Ways To Connect with Prospects

Top salespeople know that trust is always more important than competency or price in sales. Trust is the reason why so many people are buying from their friends or someone they know even if the deal is way less beneficial.

It doesn't matter if it's B2B or B2C, there's always a human behind the title. Which is why you need to literally seduce them into getting to know you better.

Here's how you build that powerful lead generation message:

1) Find what you sincerely like about the person you're contacting and state it directly.

2) Use `because` frame to justify the compliment. Without it, the person you're reaching out to will only think: `What are you trying to achieve with it?`

The simple `I'm saying this because...` would do.

3) Tie it down with a logical question like asking for a piece of relevant advice or asking to share the success story.

Please note, it's not a time to ask `What's your main struggle?` yet, because this brings up an instant sales resistance.

Asking something like `How did you manage to achieve this?` or `How did you get this far?` is a way better opener after a compliment.

Moreover, we're talking about building a relationship, not a list of accounts that responded.

That's it, you now have a smart and sincere `magic of 3` style`* connection message to send to your newly generated contact list.

Still afraid of being rejected after sending a compliment?

Try these steps to avoid awkward situations while giving compliments:

1) Report a compliment.

Do the research and see what other people are saying about your new lead, especially if you have shared connections.

Tell a compliment using a third-person: `I'm writing because Mr. Smith said you were able to achieve high employee retention in your sales department.`

2) Tell compliments about other people.

Why won't you do the reverse of the first step and have someone report your compliment?

Moreover, chances are these people will also respond by giving someone a compliment which you can use in step 1.

You'll be surprised at how often people report your compliments and what opportunities your reputation can create.

3) Send a quick`Thank you` letter after a meeting or a call.

What a perfect place to state a compliment that people will remember!

Here's my challenge: for a week, make at least 5 compliments like that in your day-to-day situations!

I guarantee you'll enjoy the process and the result if you remember to keep it simple, sincere, and specific.

*`Magic of 3` is a classic rhetorical construction that incorporates 3 elements that escalate the message. We hear it so often that our brain is literally fine-tuned for a 3 element construction.

Made famous by Julius Caesar's `I came. I saw. I conquered.`

3 Simple Ways to Quickly Hire IT Salesperson [For non-recruiters]

Sat, 18 Jul 2020 21:24:23 GMT

3 Simple Ways to Quickly Hire IT Salesperson [For non-recruiters]

This also means that you're probably pretty damn busy and don't have an intention to learn a new profession of a recruiter at the moment.

So `how do you hire the right sales reps then?`, - you might ask.

The idea of `hire fast, fire slow` doesn't really work at an early stage when your company is growing fast. Instead, it makes sense to make decisions quickly. And if the salespeople you've hired are not putting enough effort - fire them. Let the business decide who stays.

In this post, we'll bring you some fundamental ways to source, screen, and finally interview the right salespeople without making it a 300 pages long study.

1) Sourcing stage

- Know Who You Need

Before getting all gung-ho about hiring IT sales People, know what the requirements really are. The more accurately you see the process, the better filters you can set. A defined set of skills helps to start looking in the right places and save time interviewing the wrong candidates.

- Know Where To Look

Once the need has been defined, gathered inputs from all stakeholders (if there are any except you) on candidate specification, the next step will be to set your search strategy.

Sourcing refers to proactively identifying people who will (aka headhunting):

Promote your company brand (it's not that hard locally)

Gather metrics to fine-tune hiring strategy

Meetups and Developer Events: Make connections and build mutually beneficial relationships with them. Build rapport and become their friend.

2) Screening Stage

- Move On Screening The Candidates

Applicant tracking systems and other recruiting tools have made recruiters' lives much easier by cutting down on the cost, time, and effort they invest in attracting, managing, and retaining salespeople.

In traditional tech hiring processes, you invite applicants, screen manually, interview shortlisted candidates, and finally hire. But this way is not cost-effective, scalable, or very accurate. Some companies offer talent assessment tools for screening applicants effortlessly. Detailed reports give you a near-perfect picture people can really do. So you save a lot of time again. And you won't be accused of any bias either. Sometimes, researching their presence on social media gives you a snapshot of hires' personal and sales potential.

3) Interview Stage

- It's a two-way street. Both the candidate and you are going to be making some decisions here.

Once you have "ideal candidates" in your clutches, lead your conversation so you can decide if they:

- Are passionate about what they are doing or excited about what hope;

- Can communicate clearly, and maintain reasonable control of the conversation with you;

- Have a good grasp of their area of expertise and can provide examples of successful cases;

- Would be someone your team is going to enjoy working with;

- Can adapt their previous sales experience to your plans and funnels (because selling anything to anyone is bullshit not working these days);

Hire for their knowledge of technology, work ethic, and flexibility in communication rather than experience.

Don't ask for a candidate with no IT experience. Instead, of putting a `shopping list` of all competencies you know about sales, find ways to explore the area of candidates' expertise and online presence.

Ask them general questions, give cases, and ask them to critique a platform or system.

Engage in dialogue with them, and that can tell you a much more about their mental agility and problem-solving ability.

Like auditioning for a role in a play or a movie, you can make a potential hire work with your team on a live project. Nothing reveals people's real characteristics until you go to war with them. And don't forget, every day at an early stage, a startup is going to be very war-like.

Make sure you're faster than most of your competitors are.

Conventional ways of reaching out to salespeople for IT startups looking for jobs and convincing them to join your startup aren't going to work. You need to get the salespeople excited to work on your product.

One Sentence Persuasion

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Wed, 10 Apr 2019 12:28:16 GMT

One Sentence Persuasion Course by Blair Warren Summary with Examples

Business development isn't (just) about searching contacts, sending emails and doing sales calls.

It's about building relationships.

Being good at persuasion is a must to grow productive relationships wherever you are. Let this one sentence persuasion quote be a reminder for your business mindset:

People will do anything for those who encourage their dreams, justify their failures, allay their fear, confirm their suspicions and help them throw rocks at their enemies.

- BLAIR WARREN

Let's now translate it into business language.

For each point, I've added examples of how it's used to run massive marketing campaigns, so that you can see the persuasion lessons in use.

Clients will work with those who encourage their dreams…

Do you know what your clients' ambitions are? What's going to happen when they overcome their challenges?

When you know the answers to these questions, your task is to find your role in their pursuit of happiness. The more important your part in it is, the better you ease their hardship, the more clients pay for it.

Supporting client's dreams work in more down-to-earth situations as well. Students who learn Italian because they're willing to migrate there will pay more to a teacher who has lived in Italy and can get them to this goal faster.

...justify clients' failures

You need to know where your audience would typically fail and why.

Experienced persuader or salesperson would stand on their client's side and justify why their lead is facing this problem. Showing clients it's not their fault is key to opening them up.

...allay clients' fears

To eliminate fears you need to gain trust. In the business world, it typically means you need legit research, data, and trustworthy testimonials. How can you prove your promise? Do your clients trust you enough to allow sharing their contacts with your potential leads for reference?

...confirm their suspicions

We're getting more and more immune to fraud. Thus, we get skeptical about marketing messages. We don't believe in miracles that easy. Sometimes claiming 'there's no warranty, but here's what we've accomplished for other people' would gain more trust than a typical '100% satisfaction guarantee'.

Instead, turn that skepticism around. Have people in your niche been tricked somehow?

If yes, use it as a problem-statement in your materials.

Like 'Have you ever experienced ….(give a specific example from your niche)'

...throw rocks at their enemies

Turn your contacts and leads into friends by finding common enemies.

It's like getting on the same side of a battlefield. And who wouldn't want to trust their brothers-in-arms?

See how Donald Trump manages to use this approach to connect with his audience and show his protective power:

Why is that racist?

Donald Trump

Mexican Wall

Donald Trump

This approach is widely used in the world's biggest business - politics. Once you see the pattern, you'll be able to use it in more ethically.

After all, our business, sales and marketing efforts sooner or later come down to who we are.

At the end of the day, all businesses are their owners' ugly copies.

Don't Wanna Go to Work After Vacation?

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:16:32 GMT

Don't Wanna Go to Work After Vacation?

You've chilled really nice, you've had a good sleep and zero stress for the last two weeks, right?

But you still feel the 'I don't wanna go to work?'

When you return after vacation, you realize that probably a huge contrast is waiting for you. Usually, the first week is the most troublesome

Here are a few things that will ease your life when you don't wanna go to work after vacation:

1) Preparation and planning before going on vacation

A week before you go on a vacation, carefully delegate your responsibilities. Review your documents and even write a backup plan for your mates who will be taking care of your duties while you drink a cocktail on that sunny beach. Invest some time in your total relaxation during your vacation and confidence that everything's gonna be alright when you come back.

2) Timing your return

I know it's tempting to spend every single day possible resting at a resort. What you should really consider is coming home a few days earlier. This way, you'd be able to have a good sleep if you were on the road for quite some time and will help you adapt back to your ordinary reality. Ideally, you'll get bored of lying on a couch at home and will be happy to come back to your routine.One more useful piece of advice that's often neglected is to schedule your return from vacation on a mid-week day like Wednesday. This will give a more smooth adaptation.

3) Scheduling your activities for your first week

As we're talking about a smooth adaptation for your 1st post-vacation week, think twice about your activities. Don't get too much on your plate. Make sure you're taking it piece-by-piece. You definitely don't want to stay overtime right away and start feeling a slave to your job.

4) Networking

Make sure you have enough time to talk to your friends at work and regain that social power. What's even more important here is that it's vital that you learn about all the updates at work that happened in your absence.

5) After the working hours

Schedule some fun for your after-work hours. Go to the cinema, play bowling or hang out with your family and friends. Your purpose is to have some bright moments. This way, your brain won't perceive your job as an enemy. And won't feel like your doing that dreading work. As a result, that 'I don't wanna go to work today' feeling should fade away and you'll get back to normal life. Remember, we start feeling depressed when our brain says, `Hey man, what you're doing is wrong. What you're doing won't make you happier`. That's why the only way to avoid feeling depressed is to convince your organism and brain that your job is your friend, not an enemy.

Are You Considering Starting a Job as IT Sales Manager?

Brad@automationlinks.com (Brad Smith) — Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:14:59 GMT

Are You Considering Starting a Job as IT Sales Manager?

1) Personality Requirements

First, I must say that the sales job is harder than most people think. It's not just sitting around with a cup of coffee and chatting with clients. In fact, it's a job full of stress that requires you to work under results pressure, be a team player, be super-attentive to details, and be a smart communicator. These character traits don't often come in one person. That's why you'll need to keep a super-strict discipline to be able to stay in the sales game for the long run. You'll also have to learn the product (in IT case, that's where you'll have to know what your company is capable of technically). Do you need a background in technology? - No. Do you need to know the best solution practices and cases in your niche? - Yes, absolutely.

2) Your Path in Sales Zero to Hero

There are 3 most common ways employees usually get into IT Sales:

a) They did inbound/outbound telemarketing and want an upgrade

b) They start as junior/interns because they speak the customer's language

c) They were developers and somehow ended up in sales (rare case)

Whatever your entry point is, you need to choose one of these 3 common paths:

- Lead Generation (Researching, stacking, and outreaching to new potential clients). This role requires more marketing orientation, knowledge of tools, and funnels for lead generation;

- Sales Management (Discovering client's business background/needs, doing introductory calls, communicating requirements between the tech team and the client); This role requires basic tech knowledge so that you can be the bridge between your tech department and the client's business. Most companies either set up a tech training, dedicate part of this communication to tech and project management team. Or they simply hire someone with technical knowledge for this position so that he can speak both Business and Technology languages (for a higher salary, of course);

- Account Management (Maintaining communication with existing clients, ensuring their success and upselling products or services). This one requires a lot of follow-up discipline and the ability to build relationships. You'll need to collect feedback from the client, make sure the delivery exceeds the expectations and that the client wants to do more business with your company. While beginners start at the lead generation stage as it's the fastest way to get started, it's not obligatory that you go through each step chronologically.

Probably the best advice I can give to beginners is to look for companies with these characteristics:

- They have a robust educational/mentorship program set;

- They know what exactly they expect from a salesman;

- They give you a plan for growth;

3) Choosing the right company

Getting into the right environment, in the beginning, is crucial to your overall career success, so be picky even if you're just starting out. And once, you're finally in the right company - appreciate it, commit to working harder, love it!

6 Awesome Ways to Bring Life to Your Linkedin Lead Generation

Mon, 08 Apr 2019 13:14:59 GMT

6 Awesome Ways to Bring Life to Your Linkedin Lead Generation

Digital marketing is incomplete without a LinkedIn profile building, especially when it comes to promoting IT startups. While most business gurus see this as a necessity, only a few use it as a marketing tool.

Often, these individuals will let you understand that creating a LinkedIn account will connect you with other professionals and give you a wide exposure but they rarely speak about lead generation or prospecting.

You may have a wonderfully written and managed LinkedIn account as a professional but as long as that account isn't dedicated into lead generation or attracting prospective customers, you have only succeeded in joining the Band Wagon of business owners who have a portfolio but no real purpose of it.

Unlike the other social media accounts, building and utilizing your LinkedIn account for lead generation and prospecting exposes your services not to just any category of clients but professionals in the field.

To effectively generate leads using your LinkedIn account, we suggest you take note of the following;

1) Attach a digital version of your commercial to your profile:

One of the very first questions you will be asked while registering your LinkedIn account should be this; "What do you do?"

In providing the answer to this question we suggest you create a 30 seconds digital commercial on your product and services and attach it to your profile. This won't just tell your visitors what you are capable of doing but also how they can engage with your services.

2) Add Connections to your network:

The more connections you have in your network, the greater your visibility on the platform. The connections enable you to establish a professional relationship with other professionals while increasing your visibility. On LinkedIn, everybody is a potential customer. But don't just add people you without a connection message. Think of who is the recepeint, what might get him/her interested to get talking, not buying right away.

3) Study the behavior of your network and connections:

Take a good time of your day studying the behavior of your connections on the network. Try to learn what really appeals to them in terms of content and leverage on that fact to present your services to them. A careful but in-depth study of your connection will surely reveal their preferences to you.

4) Keep your account active:

On a daily basis, spend at least 5 to 10 minutes of your time creating or sharing wonderful post your clients can relate with. An inactive LinkedIn account is as good as having a cool art masterpiece in kept somewhere in your basement.

Always keep updating your account with fresh information and posts to retain your audience.

5) Actively participate in group discussions

People get to know you better when you are an active member of a team. The more active you are in a group discussion, the better your chances of attracting the right kind of clients and customers. Being active in groups does not mean posting irrelevant comments in the discussion section; these comments should sound as professional as possible.

6) Write a recommendation

Find a non-creepy opportunity to recommend your prospective clients on the network, by doing this, there's every possibility of these individuals recommending you too (or at least be grateful, which also matters in building your personal brand)

Recommending others increases your exposure on the network.

What's next?

Create a consistent habit or lifestyle of investing some time into your LinkedIn account. Create wonderful posts and have as many connections as possible since these individuals can serve as your prospects. There are hundreds of other details involved, but LinkedIn's is still worth figuring them out.

Need help with LinkedIn profile? Check out my LinkedIn Profile Building Services and you'll move forward faster.