Month: May 2023

The problem is in the prospecting.

When someone says they don’t have enough deals to close, or they can’t close the deals they have, the common belief is the person needs help closing.  

I’d argue that’s not the case in 95% of the situations. The problem is in the prospecting.  That’s right, the problem at the end of the sale is a result of a failure at the beginning of the process. 

For some, that begins with utter dread before getting out of the car, pulling the door handle or picking up the phone. 

It’s not a cold call if you don’t believe it’s a cold call.

Cold calls are certainly one of the most difficult activities for salespeople. A cold call is when someone randomly walks in or calls someone else they don’t know. Seriously, do you think that approach is going to work?  

If you know you can help someone, does that make your phone call a “cold call?”  

I don’t think so. Yes, the two people may not personally know each other, but there’s a reason for the visit or call.   

Here’s a way to look at it: 

if your car parked outside your home was broken into, and a “stranger” was able to get a description of the culprits and they called to share it with you—would you consider that a cold call?  NO!  You’d be thankful they called you and cared enough to reach out.   

But wait, you didn’t know the person and they didn’t know you, so isn’t that a cold call?  I Know your minds are blown…

The sales you close all start with who you prospect.  

The sooner you master prospecting, the sooner you’ll be closing more sales.  Emotionally this is a tough concept to swallow, I get it.  Early on in my sales career I struggled with this same issue big time. (In another blog I’ll share my comic book story) This is why you have to keep coming back to the mindset you have to embrace to succeed. 

Your calls are focused on one thing: helping the other person deal with an issue. 

Focus on the outcomes.

We’ve talked about selling outcomes in past posts. If you have any hesitancy at all in making calls before you start, take a moment to write down all of the outcomes you’ve helped your customers achieve. It’s critical to focus on the outcome, not on the process or what you sell.  Focusing on the outcome will help your mind view the calls you’re going to make in a different light.  When you’re focused on the outcome you can help customers achieve, it’s amazing how much better you’ll listen. You’ll find yourself having a conversation rather than reading from a script.

Sales is about a conversation and it starts with how you prospect.   

Cold calling isn’t an unforgivable sin. 

Prospecting does not have to be the nightmare people make it out to be, and cold calling doesn’t have to feel like you’re committing an unpardonable sin.  With the right mindset and by focusing on the types of people or businesses you know you can help, you’ll even weather the icy response from the person who blows up at you for calling them.  

Prospecting is not going away. Don’t think for a moment with social media, sales apps and AI you’ll be able to soon forget about prospecting. Sales is still going to be built around a relationship, and it all starts with a conversation. 

Happy Selling,

David

Being in direct sales for many years now I’ve seen many people come into this field with the wrong philosophy. 

They tend to think that because they have “the gift of gab“, they can sell anything to anyone.   This happens all too often because the focus is on themselves rather than the needs of their prospect.

Unfortunately, they fail because they talk too much and they end up talking the prospect right out of the sale. 

Here is what I have found- The best sales people are the best listeners. 

It’s important to find out what your prospect’s pain points are and then come up with a solution. What you’re selling isn’t a product. It is a solution.  You must learn to develop a rapport with your prospect rather than just pitching them. People don’t want to be sold. They want to be helped. In order to develop a rapport, you must get people to LIKE you. The way you do that is to be sincere, genuine and positive. Most importantly, don’t make it about you, always make it about them.  Learn to get your prospects to talk about themselves. Ask questions and then just simply listen. Show a genuine interest in what they are talking about. Always approach them on their level. Learn to connect with them.

The keyword when it comes to successful selling is HELP. 

If you change your philosophy from selling to helping, you will start having consistent success. Let’s break this word down…

     H onest     E mpathetic     L isten     P roblem solver

There are far too many shady sales people that have given the sales profession a bad name. If you want to be successful long-term, you have to sell with integrity. Rise up and dare to be different. Always be honest. Your reputation and your character are important.  

Having empathy is very important. Learn to care about your prospects. Listen to their pain points and show concern. Most importantly, offer them a solution that is going to help them. Quit over selling and start listening to your prospects. The only way you are going to be able to come up with a solution for them is to find out exactly what their needs are. Listen and then help. Become a problem solver rather than a typical sales person. The typical sales person doesn’t listen and they just keep pitching. 

A problem solver is looking to find the best solution for the prospect’s problems.

The amazing thing is that you will find that these philosophies will help you in your own personal relationships. It’s all about communication.
Make a commitment this week to stop selling and start helping. You will find that your responses will be much more positive and you will have much more success.

Happy Selling,

David

I was speaking to a salesperson the other day and was asked if there are any specific power words to use in selling. After some though I came up with this.

I have found that there are three words that — when used properly — carry tremendous influence, no matter what the situation, regardless of the type of person you are meeting with. They are:

1. Because

​This is probably the most powerful word you can use. From an early age, we have been programmed to accept this triggering word “because”. Remember when you asked your parents why you couldn’t do a certain thing and they responded “because I said so.” Not the best answer, but we learn to accept it. The same is true as adults.

There has been direct research demonstrating this word alone is powerful enough to cause people to allow you an appointment, maintain your price and successfully negotiate. One study showed that people were willing to allow others to cut in line in front of them to make copies with the statement “I need to cut in line because I need to make some copies.”

2. Recommend

This word is great for presenting your solution, but it can be used in many different areas depending on the situation.

In my own sales consultations I often say, “based on what you told me, I recommend…” or “I recommend we set up a time next week to review our solution.”

Whatever the situation, the word recommend positions you properly and allows you to be viewed as an expert endorsing valuable solutions, as opposed to just a product-pushing salesperson.

3. Instantly

When applied conservatively and accurately, the word instantly is excellent to use in your sales letters, marketing collateral, during a presentation or any other area that is appropriate.

The reason it works is because we live in a society which, to some extent, has conditioned many people to expect immediate results. We have microwaves, fast food, video-on-demand, drive thru oil change facilities, and up until recently, easy credit.

We all expect instant gratification instead of waiting for long-term results or gain. Prospects and customers want to solve their problems instantly.

I think we must always pay attention to the words we use and seek to understand why certain words work or do not work in the context of our day-to-day selling. I sincerely believe these words will help any salesperson sell more.

What words are important in your sales pitch?

Happy Selling,

David

But you must start off the right way.

A year from now you will wish you had started today.” — Karen Lamb

What have you been dreaming of starting?

What have you been putting off?

What idea have you been eager to make a reality?

What action have you known in your gut you want to take?

Now let me ask:what are you waiting for?

Sometimes it’s good to wait, such as when you’re waiting for the extra money from your tax returns to invest in something promising instead of digging into your emergency fund or worse, debt.

But most things are put off to their detriment. Too often we wait for a time, a circumstance, a moment that may never come, when we really should be making life happen every single day.

“I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we’re all cowards.” ―Alberto Salazar

Starting today, starting now, is one of the best things we can do for our dreams, for it makes us get over that fear of starting in the first place!

Start writing. Start reading. Start studying that subject. Start making those calls. Start reaching out. Start asking. Start those exercises. Start that blog. Just start — because nothing else matters if you don’t!

But there’s also the matter of starting properly — another pitfall many trip themselves up in.

In a world that’s obsessed with instant fame, instant success, instant money, instant everything, it’s become harder to start something new without either feeling like a failure right off the bat or never getting into the flow because of unrealistic expectations.

Unrealistic is not a word I like to use often, since what most people think is realistic is the same old boring, mediocre life, but at the same time, starting something new — investing in your dream, yourself, a skill — and then expecting to be a quick guru like so and so or to expect things to be effortless because that’s what X or Y person on YouTube did, is an excellent way to start something you’ll never follow through and never finish.

That sort of perfectionism is a sure-shot way to fail.

Have you ever gone to the gym and felt disheartened when you saw how fit and robust some other people were?

Have you ever tried something new and felt embarrassed when you messed up?

Have you ever faced rejection while pursuing your dreams?

I have. Yes, yes, and yes. I bet you have too to some of these, at some point.

We have to think beyond this! We have to press beyond this! Call it a barrier to entry. Call it a challenge. Starting is one part, and then starting in a way that doesn’t burn us out, but rather plants the seeds of consistency, is the other.

How do we do the latter?

• Part of this is getting over comparison. Yes, that means starting that blog no matter how it compares to Mashable.
• Part of this is getting over the pervasive “get rich quick” and “young money” fetish society has. That means not losing hope when you’re not showing off Lambos on Instagram at X age or Y stage in your life.
• Part of it is getting over your own expectations. Yes, it’s good to have those, but don’t be so rigid that if you don’t meet them you eviscerate yourself. No! Expectations, as John Gorman wrote, can be a sort of hell. Instead, when you fall short, know you’re growing. That’s all that matters. That you’re getting better.

“My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you’re moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.”

— Richard Branson

This is a simple article, it’s a simple idea, but frankly success is simple — it’s just not easy to follow through on.

Embrace imperfection. Embrace falling short. Embrace the inherent ups and downs of the journey. Stop being a victim of your high expectations. What you start now, however small, however imperfect, however much is doesn’t measure up someone else, just might become something massive in the years to come — but only if you start, and only if you start in a way that keeps you going.

In the end, your future self will thank you for what you start today, instead of leaving it for him or her to start a month, a year, or a decade from now.

Invest in yourself.

Invest in your future.

Invest in your capacity to have an impact.

Invest in your own potential to create something beautiful.

Part of the key to success is just starting — action trumps everything.

Another part is in starting properly — so that you keep going.

Your life is yours to mold, an opportunity that encompasses all other potentialities. It can be ridiculously awesome, and you can make that happen, starting right now.

Happy Selling,

David

Feliz Cinco de Mayo todas! Today is  (translated- Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone)

With today being Cinco de Mayo I thought we’d have today’s Top 10 shed some light on this festive holiday.

While it’s been widely celebrated throughout the United States as a way to honor the heritage and ancestry of Latino communities and culture, it’s also one of the most misunderstood holidays on the calendar.

In fact, the style and substance of the celebration has been sharply criticized for using the culture and history to commercialize and almost cloud the holiday’s true origins. Get the real story with today’s Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Cinco De Mayo.

in true David Letterman fashion, From the home office in Puebla Mexico,

here are the Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Cinco De Mayo

10. It’s not a big holiday in Mexico

Cinco de Mayo might have deep roots in Mexico’s history, but it’s actually not as big of a celebration as it is in the United States. The holiday is still recognized in parts of the country, but it’s really just another day for its residents and not an excuse to eat, drink and be merry. In fact, the biggest celebrations in Mexico are relatively limited to the country’s capital Mexico City and the town of Puebla that stands as the foundation for the holiday.

9. Cinco de Mayo isn’t Mexico’s Independence Day
It’s also been mistakenly said that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Fourth of July. Even though it recognizes an important victory in the country’s strive for freedom, it is not the traditional day of independence for Mexico. That honor is called ‘El Grito de la Independencia’ and it’s normally celebrated on Sept. 16th. The holiday remembers the beginning of Mexico’s War of Independence in 1810 against the Spanish colonial government.

8. Cinco de Mayo commemorates the Battle of Puebla
The May 5th that the holidays name come from refers back to 1862 as Mexico tried to defend itself from an invasion by the French at the order of Napoleon who hoped to take over the region to expand European free trade and mine the nation’s silver deposits. The Battle of Puebla marked a decisive victory against the occupying army. French forces attempted to take Puebla but they underestimated the local army led by General Ignacio Seguin Zaragoza who were able to soundly defeat them, striking an embarrassing blow to the French invasion.

7. The French retook Puebla the following Spring

Unfortunately, Mexico’s victory in Puebla did not deter the French army from ending their invasion. The following spring, they returned to Puebla and decimated the town, forcing their general to issue a surrender leading to the capture of 17,000 troops and officers.

6. Mexico’s win in Puebla could have changed the American Civil War
One of the reasons that Americans in general celebrate Cinco de Mayo whether they realize it or not is because the Battle of Puebla actually served as a key choke point that, if lost, could have offered a great deal of aid to the Confederate armies fighting the Union in the American Civil War. Another part of Napoleon’s reasons for taking over Mexico was so he could provide aid to the Confederate Army and expand his empire across Mexico and into the US. Puebla victory delayed those plans.

5.Mexico wouldn’t gain their independence for five more years
The Battle of Puebla may have been a decisive victory for Mexico, but the French only lost the battle. The French eventually won the region after a bloody insurrection. French troops finally marched on Mexico City shortly after capturing Puebla and Austrian archduke Ferdinand Maximilian Joseph and his wife Belgian Princess Charlotte were installed as Mexico’s emperors. President Benito Juarez, who refused to surrender when the French overtook Mexico City, led the overthrow of Maximilian and had him executed by firing squad in 1867.

4. The holiday’s original intention was to reach out to communities and culture

Even though historians have been able to trace some of the holiday’s earliest celebrations of Cinco de Mayo to just before the turn of the century, it began to gain steam around the 1950s and 60s. President Franklin D.Roosevelt’s “Good Neighbor Policy” was enacted to improve relations and communication with Latin American countries and communities. Under this policy, Cinco de Mayo was eventually recognized as a national holiday.

3.Its commercialization goes back farther than you think

Of course, by the time the holiday reached into the ’70s and ’80s, corporations co-opted the holiday as a hook to sell lots of alcohol for Cinco de Mayo parties. But that wasn’t the first time a Cinco de Mayo celebration was used to sell stuff. Some of the earliest celebrants in the late 1940s in Corona, CA, found themselves short on funds for the annual fiesta. So the Chamber of Commerce picked up a sponsor that wanted to steer the celebration away from the traditional Cinco de Mayo festival and towards a “Lemon Fiesta” theme to help people recognize “the importance of the lemon industry.” Mexican American leaders expressed vocal opposition to the new sponsored celebration but eventually gave in.

2. It is celebrated outside the US and Mexico with one notable exception
Thanks to the pop culture spread of the not-so-traditional Cinco de Mayo holiday, other countries have picked it up mostly as a way to get people to the bars for a few bottles of Dos Equis and celebrate with the most interesting man in the world. Countries such as Canada, Malta, Australia and the Cayman Islands have their own small Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Vancouver offers one of the more unique celebrations with an annual Cinco de May “skydiving boogie” that offers aerial acrobatics and an air show. Interestingly, Spain does not celebrate Cinco de Mayo. Instead, they celebrate Dos de Mayo (on May 2nd, for you non-Spanish majors out there) to commemorate another key defeat against French forces in 1808.

and the # 1  Things You Didn’t Know About Cinco De Mayo. 

1. The margarita wasn’t invented until well after the first Cinco de Mayo

 OK, I don’t want to be a buzzkill. So don’t let any of this stop you from responsibly enjoying a margarita or two on May 5th at a neighbor’s backyard party. However,

Even this alcoholic staple isn’t technically a Cinco de Mayo tradition. The origin story of the margarita depends on who is telling it, but all of the stories date far after the Battle of Puebla. The earliest version dates back to 1938 in Tijuana where local restauranteur Carlos “Danny” Herrera dreamed up the drink for an aspiring actress who was allergic to every spirit in the bar except tequila but didn’t want to drink it straight.

Others claim that socialite Margarita Sames of Dallas, TX, made the first margarita during a vacation with friends in Acapulco. One of her friends, Tommy Hilton, liked it so much that he put the drink on the bar menu in his hotels. Some dispute this story as an urban legend since three years earlier, Jose Cuervo importer Anthony Dias Blue marketed the drink with the tagline “Margarita: it’s more than a girl’s name.” So you likely have multiple people to thank for your hangover on May 6th.

So there you have it, the Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About Cinco De Mayo.

Now go close some deals eat some tasty tacos and drink some Margarita’s!

Have a festive weekend,

David

Since it perfectly combines mystery, science fiction, action, adventure and drama, Star Wars is still an unquestionable phenomenon of pop culture.

That’s why today being May 4th fans from all around the globe take over the internet to express their love for the galaxy far, far away. And it comes as no surprise that the popular pun ‘May the 4th be with you’ which plays with the franchise’s famous phrase ‘May the force be with you’ is no doubt one of the most tweeted hashtags right now.

Amid the fascinating creatures and lightsaber duels taking place throughout the Galaxy, the story has always relied on philosophical quotes, lessons and sayings to cement its popularity over the years.

So today I picked out the best tips we can learn from the movies that sales force can apply to better their day-to-day working lives.

These are 5 sales lessons that we can learn from Star Wars:

Believe in yourself

“You fail because you don’t believe.” – Yoda

The Grand Master of the Jedi, Yoda, teaches that in order to achieve an objective you must first believe in yourself. As a field sales rep, this is certainly something to keep in mind especially when faced with purchase objections from both clients and leads. Have faith in the product or service you’re selling and your ability to deliver a water-tight pitch and you’ll overcome the majority of these obstacles with ease; if not, you could always try this:

Size does not matter

“Size matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size, do you?” – Yoda

Throughout his training with Yoda, Luke learns a very valuable lesson about the Force: that size, does not matter (Yoda is what, 5ft tall at most?) However, too often field sales people obsess about the size of the competition, the size of the business and how inferior their product or service must therefore be in comparison.

As Qui-Gon Jinn rightly said, unless you are Salesforce: ‘There’s always a bigger fish’. So, don’t waste your time comparing the size of your business with the size of competing enterprises. Focus on what your company can add and contribute, in what area does it differentiate from the rest and put matters to work to make it happen. We understand that Salesforce is the largest CRM company in the world, but despite that their mobile CRM capabilities and user uptake falls well short of what we have to offer. Size does not matter!

Be patient 

“Patience you must have, my young padawan” – Yoda

One of the most applicable lessons from our wise old Jedi Master brought to us in Revenge Of The Sith. Just as Skywalker had to be patient with the Force, so must field sales reps when it comes to closing those difficult deals. If at first the tactics your initial approach isn’t working, remember that 80% of sales close after the fifth follow-up call. Don’t give up so fast.

It’s also something sales managers could learn from. Most outside sales reps will have gone through a slump, where no matter what lead passed through their pipeline, nothing they seemed to do would lead to a close. Patience, my young sales pro. A little coaching and a closer look at their selling approach might reveal the cause for their drop in form. Take the time to look after your team, and their numbers will in turn take care of you.

Share your knowledge

 “Always pass on what you have learned” – Yoda

This is definitely something seasoned sales professionals can be a little guilty of. Hands up because I certainly know I have. Thinking back to my first time on the road, with our first serious client – bet your bottom dollar I’d have liked a bit of advice before entering the lion’s den.

Sharing the skills and experiences that have helped us grow is invaluable to building a successful field sales team. It’s a good idea to communicate the challenges that you had to face and the methods or tools you used to overcome them because you never know, one day it could be you leading this sales team to success.

Be modest

“Great kid, don’t get cocky.” – Han Solo

From one of the Empire Strikes Back’s most famous scenes, where Luke and Han Solo fight off swarms of TIE fighters in the Millennium Falcon this is a good piece of advice to take with you.

When you close a deal, or reach your sales target, be modest. I know I know, it is important to celebrate and take a moment to enjoy it but nobody likes a show off. Most of us have had to deal with that one person and although you might not be out to win any popularity awards, there’s certainly more respect to be had by helping, not goading the rest of the team. Again, one day you could find yourself up on the that pedestal.

May the 4th be with YOU!

Happy Selling,

David

For many salespeople, prospecting is hard! Some struggle every day to make prospecting happen and unfortunately get hit by far too much friendly fire. 

It’s time to be blunt, I’m on a mission to stop the damaging friendly fire too many salespeople fall victim to.

For those of you who do not understand the term “friendly fire” let me explain. This is where you’re in battle and for one reason or another you’re dealing with an incoming attack that is not from the enemy, but is misguided from your own side. Friendly fire in most cases is preventable, but it takes planning and communication to keep it from occurring. 

Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail.

Similarly in sales, too much prospecting activity serves only to do more harm to the salesperson doing it than good to the prospect it’s directed towards.

When we fail to plan, we shouldn’t complain when our plans fail.  This applies especially to prospecting.  Successful prospecting requires a series of steps to occur in proper sequence and for each step to support the next one. One bad step won’t sabotage your potential success, but it certainly isn’t going to help.  Multiple bad steps and you can call it a day—you’ve inflicted friendly fire upon yourself.

Mistake #1: Word Vomit

It starts with the email, and the desire to include everything ever known to mankind in the email. Stop! Your prospecting email must follow the “one-swipe” rule.  This means the entire email you’re sending a prospect should be readable on a smartphone with only one additional swipe. 

It’s short; this is not the time to include the wonderful accolades and awards you and your company have received.  The focus is on the prospect and what’s of importance to them today!   Including anything else is setting yourself up for friendly fire.

Mistake #2: TL; DR

This is not the time to leave lengthy messages. If you can’t say what you want, including a call to action in less than sixteen seconds, then don’t leave a message!  I’m not advocating for not leaving a message, but rather for having your act together so you can leave a short message.  

There are two big reasons why your message needs to be short.  First, keeping it short is showing respect for the other person’s time. Do you think anyone wants to converse with someone who is long-winded?  No! Your voicemail is not only communicating a message, but it’s also communicating you and your style. 

Keeping it short also works to your advantage if the prospect’s voicemail system is set up to convert the audio to a text message. 

Go ahead and visualize how long of a text message you’d be leaving if your voicemail was 30-seconds long?  Are you smelling friendly fire?  I sure am!

Mistake #3: A Broken Record

Repeating the same message multiple times, or worse yet, reaching out and not having anything of value to communicate, are fatal. In fact, I would say both of these are so bad that if you’re doing this—save your time and don’t do anything at all.  

Each message MUST be different. 

Now this doesn’t preclude you from rewording something you’ve already sent. Go for it, reword it, but don’t think you can take one message and reword it five times. Do it once or twice at the most, but then you must change your topic. 

If you can’t come up with at least five to ten different topics to lead with, then you haven’t taken enough time to understand the outcomes you create and how prospects would benefit from them.

Mistake #4: I’m Not a Hotel

The “just checking in” line, whether it be in an email, phone call, voicemail or text—it’s just stupid!  The only time the line “just checking in” works is if you’re at the front desk of a hotel or an airline counter. Use it and you’ll face friendly fire. This all comes back to the need to have different messages you can communicate.  You create value by delivering value.

Happy Selling,

David