All tagged Sales
A common mistake of someone new to the sales process (whether you're selling a product to a prospect or an idea to your boss) is that the more detail you provide, the higher the chances of success.
Reality works quite differently, as I explain in today's episode. The fact is that the onus is on us to get our message across, which means we need to do the work, not the customer.
When we're trying to sell an idea or a product, we want to say all the right things to the prospect, so that we can close the deal quickly.
In doing so, we can at times, sugar coat the message, or gloss over key issues that need to be grappled with upfront. All the more reason, as I discuss in today's episode, that we always be upfront - even if that means talking about difficult things.
We love being the hero in our stories. But Donald Miller talks about there being only 4 key roles you can take on in your business story.
And being the hero isn't one of them. You need to be the guide, as I discuss in today's episode.
In today's episode, I talk about the idea of partnerships.
The word "partnership" is easy to throw around when the stakes are low. But when the going gets tough, we really find out who is (and isn't) a true partner.
In my last post, I wrote that, instead of focusing on having more choice, we should focus on having more confidence in our choice.
This is harder than it sounds, of course, as it demands that we do the work to understand our values, our decision criteria and what it is we’re looking for, as we make decisions about the work we do. If we know what we want, then we’ll make better, more confident decisions.
Whether we're selling a product or an idea, we're often faced with situations where our messages simply aren't getting through - that is, we're just not able to communicate effectively.
There are a number of tried and true approaches to improve our chances and today's episode dives into these practical tips and techniques.
When we're communicating an idea or selling a product, we often think that if we just explain the benefits, people will buy.
When they don't, we lament that they just didn't get it. But maybe we're the ones who didn't get it - because it's not anyone's job to listen, it's our job to make them want to hear us, as I discuss in today's podcast.
Lack of patience isn’t a helpful trait at the best of times. But in sales, it pretty much kills your ability to be effective.
It tends to manifest itself in the desire to close the deal yesterday i.e. a not-so-subconscious need to convert discussions into Dollars by the end of the call or meeting, no matter how little conversation has actually taken place.
Is comfort the enemy of innovation and growth?
It’s a constant pursuit, this pursuit of comfort, at so many levels. We long to be free of our problems and our issues, to achieve some sense of calmness in our lives.
You are not the hero.
That’s right, you’re not. And the sooner you get used to that idea, the better.
You’re not the one who’s going to move the customer’s business across the line. You’re not the one who’s going to help them gain extra market share. And you’re certainly not the one who’s going to achieve their vision for them.
Episode 19 of the podcast is now available and this episode kicks off this month's focus on Sales and Marketing - subjects that are both loved and hated.
In any pitch - whether it’s to make a sale, get a job, get a promotion, or fund an initiative - the story you tell is all-important. It has to inform, educate and (many times) entertain and inspire the audience, so that they ultimately say yes, and agree to whatever your “ask” is.
So how you craft that story is absolutely critical. From the key themes, to the overall flow/structure, to the specific messages/story points, to the facts and anecdotes that illustrate those messages, it’s essential to flesh out all of those elements.
In my last post, I said that the great thing about technology today is that everyone has a platform.
At the same time, the terrible thing about technology today is that everyone has a platform. The thing is just because we have access to a platform doesn’t mean we can use it. That access has got to come with some level of responsibility.
Listen more than you talk.
I heard this last week at a conference about retailers and consumer brands. The point was that, in a world of push-over-pull, persistent over-communication and rampant messaging, we need to spend more time with our mouths closed and our ears open.
There's a great scene in the TV show, Mad Men, where Don Draper stands his ground with a client who is stuck in his old ways, clinging to a set of ideas that may have once made his company successful but now leaves them trailing the competition.
In college, when it came time to decide which business major to pursue, the administration organized a town hall session where the heads of each department came together to explain what their discipline was about, the type of real world value it delivered and why we as students should consider a major in their field.
