Episodes
Saturday Feb 27, 2021
HTSS120 - How to master momentum in sales presentations - Scott Sylvan Bell
Saturday Feb 27, 2021
Saturday Feb 27, 2021
Salespeople get stuck in the moment of problems in presentations. This hangs up the sales process another way to say this is people get stuck in the mud. They don't know what to do or say... so they lose momentum.
The deal goes sideways and salespeople cant figure out where to go.
Losing momentum kills deals and you need to know why. The buyer feels the presentation and has a rhythm. The conversation slows down and then feels lost. The momentum is lost in the presentation. The buyer goes into “I need to look for other options”. The deal could have been made.
There are a few elements to keep a sales presentation moving forward:
- Look at what the current problem is at a micro and macro level.
- What are the solutions that are possible for what you can deliver?
- List them out in your head but more preferably on paper
- Word tracks – why don’t we do this, how about we do this
- The right answer is not always the first answer, sometimes you have to come up with a few ideas for this to work. Your conversation isn't all about speed.
- Closing can take 10% of the time of the total presentation time. This means you must have content to work with.
Look for ways to keep the deal going forward. New salespeople struggle with the momentum in the call. How you can do this with a little work:
- It takes time, energy and effort. to close deals and make them happen. This isnt a race.
- Know what offers you have that you could use at the table for the first pencil or as a backup offer.
- Know what the rates are, the dealer fee, and the payments for the future client and yourself.
Be willing to make an offer if you think you are going to lose the deal. You will want to try to build some momentum here and you cant get caught up in the "no". As you work your sales process you will want to pay attention to yourself and stay grounded. Too much energy is not good and not enough energy is horrible as well.
- You will be under pressure and you will need to slow down. Speeding up becomes awkward pressure.
- Ask a few questions to clarify your position
- Find out why there is a no by trying to get one (Jim Camp)
- It's not always about price discounts – it could be the terms
- Sometimes you need to sell higher
- An objection isn't a “no” it could be a clarification
Friday Feb 26, 2021
HTSS119 - Your network is your net worth - Scott Sylvan Bell
Friday Feb 26, 2021
Friday Feb 26, 2021
There is a statement you may have heard before. It goes something like this... "Your network is your net worth". I always heard this statement but didn’t quite understand it. I really thought of it as a silly mantra.
The power of masterminds is more than you imagine. It's important to disect what a group of dissimilar and similar people can do. The insights and shared knowledge is powerful for so many reasons.
Your interactions are based upon:
- Questions from others for introspection
- Ideas or concepts you would not have thought of
- Work flow or deal flow from introductions to others
- In a room / zoom / mastermind – you get to hear other perspectives from in and out of your industry, you get to travel and see other places
- You get put on the hot seat and asked questions – if you use the mastermind the right way your boundaries are pushed
You only know so much and then you get in your own way. This is natural for everyone. The best in service and industries know they are limited in knowledge.
When you have trouble or when you need to sell something there is a brain trust of others you can rely upon for unique twists and strategies that have worked.
There is power in social influence, you will rise up / you will stay where you are. This happens because you have:
- Introductions to others you may not have considered to meet beofre
- Introductions to opportunities where you would not have looked
- Other people can introduce you to their group, list, or even their business
How you can use this concept wrong
- Guru worshiping
- Going for the picture opportunity
- Asking without giving / only searching for WIIFM
- Not taking the network seriously
There is power in meeting others to combine knowledge and experience. Your network is your network has so many facets and applications.
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
HTSS118 - Close more deals with overcommunication - Scott Sylvan Bell
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
Thursday Feb 25, 2021
If you watch enough sales presentations you will see patterns and trends. Most people are lazy in communication and hope their listener finds the answer. If you want to be the best in sales you must communicate better.
You can't unring the bell on this conversation. Once you hear there are better ways to communicate you will want to take action.
“It's not your fault but now that you know it's your responsibility” – Jon Benson
There are multiple reasons why salespeople struggle with communication. This can happen because:
- You were not taught or shown how to be better when sharing ideas, concepts, strategies or outcomes.
- You are tired because of too many sales calls, not enough sleep you are overwhelmed by life.
- You are hungry and went into a sales call without being prepared.
- You are frustrated from not closing deals, not understanding your product or service, and because you are losing money from lost deals.
- You are excited about getting to the end of the deal, thinking about the commissions you will get paid, or thinking the buyer is a "lay down".
You will find that it takes discipline to communicate effectively. One of the greatest role models I have is Jay Abraham. When he gives an idea he expands upon the content 4-5 words deep. I was able to interview him and he said the reason why he does this is to make sure that people hear what he says.
There are multiple ways for you to get better with your communication skills. There isn't just one answer there becomes a combination of a few of these ideas listed next:
- You can use a thesaurus
- You can record your content and re watch it
- You can record your content and drop it into something like rev.com, otter.ai or firefly.ai
- You can sit down and think through how you interact and do better
- You can watch others and see how you could do it better
Questions and stories are 2 of the most powerful ways to communicate. Questions don't have to be answered but they do need to be thought about. Stories can be used as a narrative to capture people and get them drawn in.
You can ask questions to confirm where you are:
- If I hear what you are saying
- What I hear is _________ can you confirm?
You could ask for a reframe:
- Ask me that another way
- When you say that could you share with me what you mean?
- Can you give me the gist of what I just shared
You can gamify the conversation
- Under the right circumstances, you could give a quick quiz with prizes, upgrades, or discounts
- You can let them know there will be a quiz and here are the answers.
When you take the time to learn how to communicate better and more effectively interact the deals you need to close become easier.
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
HTSS117 - You can't be a victim and closer at the same time - Scott Sylvan Bell
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
Tuesday Feb 23, 2021
If you watch enough sales presentations you will see common threads. You will find closers look for ways to get momentum and close deals. Those who struggle will look for others to blame as well as their business circumstances.
There are quite a few things that go wrong in sales daily. It doesn't matter what industry you pick, everyone has problems. You have to choose what you want to look at and focus on.
All salespeople will fall for this trap at some point. From the outside, you can plot where salespeople are by who and what they blame for not closing deals. For some salespeople, they can find the link of where they do the best and why they close deals. It may be a focus on personal improvement, goals or, training.
Salespeople who struggle find constant problems in their way
- People in the office
- People outside of the office
- Family members
- Clients
- The weather
- The product, service or, manufacturing company
- Other salespeople and companies
- The Government
Closers and performers find ways to focus on other things… sure they matter but not in the context of finding a way through the problems and issues.
Past-based, current-based, future-based content and conversations can reveal where you are locked in. Salespeople who are focused on the past tend to struggle the most. Salespeople who look to the future too far out can get trapped in overwhelm. You will find the top closers focus on today or the present while briefly traveling back in time or forward in time.
Sure the best salespeople have an emotional moment and then they move on. This really comes down to what you can and cant control.
The best salespeople see sales as a game and they have to figure out the rules so they can push the limits or use them to their advantage.
Victims get caught up in the daily grind and “get stuck in the mud” then they run to an “octopus objection” you know what this is, you hear people throw out reason after reason even in the face of sane answers. This is because they want to be stuck – this is part of their excuse.
Problems are always opportunities, it depends upon how you look at them.
Jay Abraham – My problem is the solution to someone elses bigger problem