Entries Tagged 'Selling Tips' ↓

Being persistent in selling, as you may know, is vital to success.

You have to keep going until things work out.

For example; if you try to close your prospect and you get a “no” you don’t just walk away, you keep going and overcome their objections. Then you try to close again. Rinse and repeat.

Persistence, also known as determination, is equally important when you encounter road blocks to your success.

The last 100 people didn’t buy from you? Well keep on going until someone does. Keep on tweaking your approach until you discover what works.

I’ve noticed that the mindset of persistence is common to all successful people.

But I’ve also noticed another common trait; they know when to cash in their chips.

They know when to be persistent and they know when it’s time to find another way.

Most people will only tell you to be persistent but what they often don’t mention is that you have to be persistent with things that are likely to pay off.

For example; if I’m trying to sell my new widget and have been turned down thousands of times with no one showing the least bit of interest…I might want to find something else to sell. All I have to do is cut my losses and move on before I waste even more time and money trying to sell something nobody wants. This leads me to my next point.

I believe you can be successful in just about any selling environment; however some are much easier than others. And I know this all too well. For instance in a cold calling environment you CAN be “successful” if you’re persistent enough…but you have to work your butt off and the rewards aren’t so great.

The nice thing is you can CHANGE your environment. I have been in cold calling environments and have struggled to put food on the table, then I make one small change, stop cold calling, and then I have more sales than I know what to do with.

So when people come to me and say cold calling works I just have to laugh. It may indeed “work” (as in you see some results) but you’ll never get the great results you want. It’s like trying to ride a scooter across the United States. You may complete your journey on the scooter but wouldn’t it be a lot better to take your private jet?

You have to think about selling like you think of technology. And some technology is so outdated that you need to upgrade. An analogy to technology would be to stop being persistently stupid using your typewriter and move on to a computer already. The typewriter may work but the computer has so many advantages that it’s not even up for discussion, and you should upgrade immediately!

So take a look at your selling. Are you using a typewriter and a scooter, or a jet and a computer?

Remember to always be persistent, but not persistently stupid.

Until next time…
Tyler
http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html

I find that in order to get better at sales, you must allow yourself to experience the sales processes of others.

What I’m trying to say is in order to get good in sales you have to constantly let salespeople try to sell to you.

Yeah it’s not always pleasant, but by constantly gauging your reactions to what other salespeople do while they are selling to you, you will improve faster than most people.

For example: Yesterday my wife and I went on an adventure to find a new car for her. Her car is on its last days and we decided to look at what was out there.

Keep in mind that although we have been thinking about getting a new car for sometime, we decided, on a whim, that we would drop by a couple car lots to see what was out there.

We had no idea what we wanted, we had no idea what we wanted to pay, and we were really “just looking.”

It was also late at night (9pm which is late for car lots) and most places were closed (which was nice).

However we happened upon a used car lot that was open and decided to take a look.

Now this car lot is a chain and sells more used cars in our state than anybody else. They have more advertising than just about anybody else on the radio/TV and they are not a small company by any means. So I would’ve expected that their salespeople were well trained and knew what they were doing. I was wrong though.

So we pull in and get out of our car.

Less than 1 minute on the lot and we already had a salesman on our heels. Note: That by the time we got to this car lot we had been to a couple others and decided that we might be interested in a certain model.

The salesman greeted us and asked what we were looking for. We asked him if he had any of the particular models we were thinking of on the lot. He said they had one but they just sold it, but he quickly got us inside to see if he had anymore of that model on any other lots.

Up to this point the salesman was very kind and I felt pretty good about him. Even the manager who was brought over to help find us the model we wanted on another lot was very nice and helpful.

We learned that the salesman we were dealing with was one of the top performers there. He had plaques all over the wall and even had a ring that indicated that he sold 20 cars a month for more than three months in a row. Now I don’t know a lot about the car business but that sounds like a good number of cars to sell in a month. I mean, if they have a special ring for that accomplishment it must be somewhat significant.

So I would’ve expected this guy to know how to sell a car.

So eventually after some checking the salesman and manager realized they had a car similar to what we were looking for in the back that was currently being washed. The car was just in and they were cleaning it before putting it out on the lot.

So we took a quick walk to the back to take a look at the car while it was being cleaned. And although we didn’t get a great look at it we thought it looked like a possibility. So we asked to test drive it.

They happily agreed.

After it was cleaned they brought it around front and they gave us the keys to take it on a quick spin (alone, which I liked).

My wife took the wheel.

She liked how it handled and was pleased with the interior. After a couple minutes I made her pull over at a parking lot that had big bright lights so we could get a better look at the exterior.

After getting out we noticed a couple things we didn’t like. First off there was no sun roof which we didn’t notice the first time we looked at it. And we wanted a sun roof.

Second, there were some major cosmetic damages to the front of the car which we couldn’t see when the car was wet. In particular there was a horizontal dent on the hood that was starting to show the paint chipping. This was not good considering it was an ’06 and was not priced to reflect these damages.

This was an easy decision since we keep our cars looking nice. It just wasn’t the car for us, plain and simple. That’s ok because we weren’t in any hurry anyway and didn’t expect to buy anything that night (which they knew).

So we took the car back and told the salesman what we didn’t like about it and that it was a “no go.”

So at this point you would expect him to try and convince us otherwise or to say something like “OK, well lets figure out if we have anything else, and if not I’ll get your information and let you know when we get something in that you may like.”

Really all he had to do was find the same car with a sun roof with no major dents and he would have sold a car.

But no, nothing of the sort occurred.

When we got back he acted shocked that we didn’t like the car and immediately changed into another person.

Now of course this was all an act and he was (incorrectly) trying to exert his non-existent power and try to do a takeaway. He turned to his manager and rudely said, “They didn’t like the car.” like we were crazy or something. The manager replied, “They didn’t like the car!?” again, like we were nutcases.

So what was wrong with that? Well first, they are placing blame on us and actually trying to make us feel bad for not liking their car. It’s a pretty stupid thing to do when you have a whole lot of other cars to sell us. Do they think we’ll just feel bad and say, “Well ok, since you sales guys think this car is so great…we’ll take it, where do we sign?!” No.

And to top it off that was the end of our conversation. The salesman said, “OK, thanks for coming in.” That’s it. Didn’t want to give us his card, didn’t want us to give him our info if he got another car in (keep in mind this is the biggest used car dealer in the state and they get many cars in every day), he didn’t want anything.

And of course my wife and I are savvy customers and don’t play games so we just shrugged our shoulders and left. In fact we laughed all the way back to our car and discussed how weird the whole situation was. We even told our friends how ridiculous the whole situation was and to steer clear of that business.

Now you may not think that’s such a big deal but for a salesperson like this it should be. Why? Well first because we are looking to buy a car, and soon. Also, we were great customers. We didn’t dodge any questions, we told them what we wanted, we told them what we wanted to pay, we told them our time frame, etc. All they had to do was find us the right car. Done deal!

But I guess not. Apparently if you don’t like the first option they show you it’s over at that dealership. And what’s funny is that it really is over for them. We will buy a car within a week or two and it won’t be from them. It’s sad because they started out the relationship so well and could have made a huge commission on us. Oh well, we’ll take our money elsewhere.

So, lessons I took away from this experience: Don’t be offended if somebody doesn’t immediately fall in love with what you recommend or try to sell to them. Ask them why they have their objections and then try to overcome them. Don’t just throw a fit like a child and quit.

Also, if something doesn’t work out the first time it’s nice to leave the relationship you just built with your prospect on a good note. If this salesman had done this we would have been back and he probably would have made a sale without any extra work. Or we might have referred someone to him. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice to close people the first time but sometimes you just can’t. Prospects tend to go back to salespeople they’ve already built a relationship with. So if the buying time isn’t right right now, it may be in the future for your prospect and he may be back.

So anyway, that’s the story how I didn’t get sold a car.

Do you have any stories about salespeople who did or didn’t do something right? Send them in and I’ll publish them on this blog.

Until next time…
Tyler
http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html

P.S. If you want a system to automatically build relationships with prospects and follow up with them until they buy, you need to get here now: http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html

I’ve got a little tip for you that I absolutely love and that makes me a lot of money. But it is kinda hard to communicate sometimes, so I’ll do my best.

To start off let me ask you a question: Do you ever tell people they CAN’T buy from you??

And I don’t mean that you turn them down because you are all out of your product or your boss told you that you can’t sell to a particular area or something. I’m talking about a person who is ready to hand you money and you could easily take it in exchange for what you’re selling…but for one reason or another, YOU REFUSE to sell to them.

Do you ever do that?

I do it all the time. And no I’m not talking about “take-away selling” (which is very powerful but that’s another topic). I’m talking about refusing their money…forever.

Now this may seem a little strange because as salespeople and businesses that’s how we make a living; giving people what they want in exchange for money.

And don’t get me wrong I love to make sales but I also know the signs of a troubled prospect. I know that taking money from a troubled prospect that will turn into a troubled client is costing me more money than it’s worth. Their endless problems and extra favors they ask for is NOT worth it.

For every troubled client I have to deal with I lose out on getting to serve three great clients.

There are several other benefits to turning down these types of clients.

For starters you will feel much more abundant because you can easily turn down money. And when you come from a place of abundance and not scarcity you seem to attract much more abundance.

Another good reason for turning down clients is exclusivity. You and your company are coming off as a business that is exclusive, and it’s a privilege (not a right), to do business with you. People flock to organizations and salespeople who are exclusive and who won’t do business with everybody.

The last very important reason why it’s important to turn some people down is that it trains you to hold the power in your selling relationships. You won’t come off as a whiny, wimpy salesperson or business that is begging for the sale. Rather, you come off as if you don’t really need the sale and the client must in some way prove themselves as worthy buyers.

If your clients feel like they have to prove themselves to you in order to buy, do you think they’ll have much resistance when you try to close the sale? NO WAY!

A favorite quote from the movie Boiler Room sums it up best, “I don’t need your business, I value it.”

A couple things to watch out for:

1. Don’t come off as cocky! People detest cocky salespeople and won’t do business with you no matter how much they want what you have. Remember, you are coming from a place of POWER not arrogance or cockiness.

2. This technique is not to be used to make people mad. If you have to refuse a potential customer, do it in a nice way. Telling them that it’s not a good fit for both of you is a good start. But don’t insult them.

3. Don’t make exceptions or rationalize when you know you shouldn’t do business with a particular prospect. “Just this once” will leave you in a whole lotta pain and leave you worse off than when you started.

So there you go. Don’t be afraid to lose sales and don’t be afraid to refuse problematic customers and you will see your results increase to a level you never thought possible.

Till next time…
Tyler
http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html

P.S. If you still haven’t figured out to use power and leverage to generate tons of leads and sales than you need to grab the Cold Call Crusher training course right now. You only pay shipping for the first 30 days and it’s guaranteed for over 120 days from the day you buy. You also get hundreds of dollars in bonuses but hurry before they are gone!
Go to http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html

Stories are a proven way to help increase sales.

What do I mean by stories? Here’s an example:

On a beautiful late spring afternoon, twenty-five years ago, two young men graduated from the same college. They were very much alike, these two young men. Both had been better than average students, both were personable and both–as young college graduates are–were filled with ambitious dreams for the future.

Recently, these men returned to their college for their 25th reunion.

They were still very much alike. Both were happily married. Both had three children. And both, it turned out, had gone to work for the same company as salespeople, and were still there.

But there was a difference. One of the men was only an average salesperson and lived almost paycheck to paycheck. The other drove expensive cars, enjoyed being the company’s highest producer, and was set to retire whenever he desired.

What made the difference?

Have you ever wondered, as I have, what makes this kind of difference in people’s lives? It isn’t always a native intelligence or talent or dedication. It isn’t that one person wants success and the other doesn’t.

The difference lies in what each person knows and how he or she makes use of that knowledge.

And that is why I’m telling you this story and revealing to you the Cold Call Crusher training course. Because the sole purpose of the Cold Call Crusher training course is to give you the right knowledge to eliminate cold calling and to give you a step-by-step system to put into place so you can start to bring in massive amounts of hot, qualified leads with virtually zero effort.

Each and every day salespeople who have implemented the Cold Call Crusher system wake up to a flood of new leads and prospects chasing them.

And what’s great about this system is that you can immediately learn the secrets of successful salespeople by only paying the shipping to bring this highly acclaimed course to your door. The small course investment of just 97 dollars will be charged after the 30 days. But don’t worry, you still have a full 120 days from your date of purchase to return the course for a full refund of the course price.
Simply visit us here: http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html and get a head start on success in selling.

If you feel as I do that this is a fair and reasonable proposition, then you will want to find out without delay what the Cold Call Crusher training course can do for you what it is doing for hundreds of other salespeople. So please visit the link above and we’ll rush your course to your door.

About those two college classmates I mention at the beginning of this post: They were graduated from college together and together got started in the selling profession. So what made their RESULTS in selling different?

Knowledge. A system. And putting them to use.

END STORY

I used a story about my system but I did it only to show you an example. Can you see how stories may help you sell? If not maybe you should look around at how stories influence the world around you.

The story above is a classic and was not written by me, although I used the basic outline and used it to make a point of my own.

Stories are often like a parable in nature and don’t have to be an actual account. Stories just help you make lasting impressions by putting your ideas into the real world.

Start collecting stories and then tell them during your presentations. I guarantee you’ll see huge results.

Until next time…
Tyler

P.S. I truly believe the moral of the story I just told you. If you want to be one of the successful people you need to take the right action and have the right tools. So visit my website: http://www.coldcallcrusher.com/thesystem.html to get on the right track today.