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Sales show interviewing top salespeople, influencers, social media experts, body language experts, marketing experts and a whole bunch of fun
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Sunday Feb 16, 2020
Sunday Feb 16, 2020
Sales 911 How to beat a sales slump
At some point you will enter a sales slump. First and foremost you have to recognize you are in a slump. You don’t just have to recognize it you have to admit that you are in a sales slump. You don’t get extra points for trying to say you are not closing deals.
Start here if you are in a sales slump
Once you admit you are in a sales slump you will want to pause what you are doing. Look at your numbers and try to reverse engineer what happened in your life to start the problems. There are a few items that lead to sales slumps that are the most common.
- A big check and bragging rights can lead to a sales slump
- A major change in your life
- A relationship where big fights have happened
- A death in the family
- The know time of a vacation
- The statistical average – this does not happen often
How to pinpoint the cause of the beginning of a sales slump
When you take the time to pinpoint where the problem came from you can get past the problems it has created. Most salespeople bump through a sales slump but do not know why they started so they happen again. This is a learning experience that you must go through as a salesperson.
There is no shame in asking for help when you are struggling. Asking for help does not make you weak it makes you smart.
If there is a problem mentally pay for the help because either way you are going to pay. You will either pay for the help or lose the deals and lose the money.
Even closers hit sales slumps but they normally know why they went through the loss of deals. Closers know that they should get help and they ask for it. They have been in the game long enough and know most of the ways to deal with their problems. This does not mean why they why the problems started.
If you are a new or newer salesperson you may not see all of the angles of where thr problems began. It’s how you decide to deal with the sales slump that matters.
The path the help reduce a sales slump
Its been said before but you do need to be willing to ask for help. You will find that help comes in many ways. This could be a coach, mentor or even some sort of therapist. In lieu of the previously mentioned people you can call your friends and or support staff.
If you are after professional help you need to recognize your emergency isn’t their emergency. You will get put off or pay extra in order to get the immediate help you need. This is why you need to start a relationship with a professional early on.
One of the best things you can do is implement what you learn from coaching, training and even therapy.
You will want to create a checklist of your presentation. You can reverse engineer the checklist from recording your sales presentation. This is something you need to do right now. This will help you set a baseline.
Slowing down your sales process is important. When salespeople struggle they speed up what they are doing to get to the close. This is about the basics of sales interactions. There is a good chance that somewhere you are pulling parts out of a sales presentation.
Here is generic version of a sales presentation that you can use to think through what you are doing.
- The intro to the sales process and setting the agenda
- Your rapport phase no matter what it means
- A discovery phase where you ask questions to find the pain, problem and or the risk
- Your sales presentation and the danger here is not getting to the close and asking for the sale
- Ask for the sale in a way that makes sense for you and your industry
- Deal with concerns or objections from the buyer and taking your time to deal with them and be patient
What you can do outside of sales to close sales
If you take a look a things you can do outside of the sales process there are ways fo you to get back to closing sales. It isn’t always about your sales strategies and tactics to develop. Sometimes you have to develop yourself personally at the same time. You may have hit a sales slump from being too wrapped up in the world of sales. Here are a few things you can do to get out of a sales slump.
- Get outside of sales and interact with people that are not in sales.
- Go to the gym and workout
- Get some sleep even if it is tough
- Eat as clean as possible
- Work on your hobby or hobbies
- Donate time somewhere where people are struggling more than you are
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
@sales #closer #success #podcast #howtosellshow #Sacramento
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California
Here are the episodes you need to check out:
HTSS47 – Why you feel stuck as a salesperson
HTSS59 – Money is emotional and leads to objections
Saturday Feb 15, 2020
Saturday Feb 15, 2020
Why I hate my sales manager and the problem it creates
There could be multiple reasons why you hate your sales managers. When you look at it some of these reasons could hold you back and some of them may be dead on. If you want to learn how to sell more and how to close more sales you will need to figure out if it is you or them. All too often salespeople want to only blame the sales manager for the problems they have. The challenge is to look inside first and then see if it is the sales managers fault.
10 reasons why you hate your sales manager
- The job of sales managers is to hold you accountable, that’s their job. Some salespeople don’t like the accountability or they don’t like authority. There are multiple items in the management arena that a manager can be or do that may drvie you nuts:
- They have the uncomfortable conversation with you – they tell you how it is
- Being in sales is about winning and they want the team to win, this means coaching conversations.
- They push you to be better, they push your buttons to do this and you may not like it
- They don’t take your sales process and they see through you when you make excuses about not closing sales.
- You may have an immature idea of what management is and are too friendly with the sales manager and don’t see them as your leader.
- You haven’t worked with them enough to see their style or how the develop people.
- You may dislike people who have the same weaknesses – it may be you are too similar
Take some time to get to know them and see if it is you first or them first. Sometimes one bad conversation leads to problems and you may have needed the conversation.
- If they know how to hire and they bring closers in it may put you in the lower position on the team. In your mind these closers make you look bad and that hurts your feelings. This internal ranking can cause you problems. You do have to get over your your own insecurities and realize there are closers out there with better skills than your own.
- The manager can close deals easily in front of you and you are jealous. You don’t like the skills they have and their ability to be a top salesperson and a manager. It may even be you don’t like the way they sell or how they talk to people. A passive salesperson will see things differently than and aggressive salesperson. Their skills may make you uncomfortable with how they sell and how they close deals. You can always learn something about the people who sell when you watch them.
- When you look at the actions of the sales manager they are an evil person.
This sales managers can have a trash talking issue and say some horrible things about you behind your back. This type of sales managers can say one thing to the team and act a different way with the owner or other manager. If they don’t hold confidence this makes the problems even worse. Overall they are not a good person and it hurts the sales team.
- For some companies they were put in their position for a bad reason. Management wanted a mouse and not a leader. In some ways this person could be a horrible person because they are a bad manipulative person. Most salespeople can see through this type of management. Sometimes this manager has no idea the games that are being played on them.
- There are times were they never a good salesperson and they were a people pleaser. They were put in place because they couldn’t make it on the sales team but the owner or manager felt they were a good person. They don’t have anything relevant to talk to you about because they don’t have sales skills and they never will.
- They cant help develop you as a salesperson. This isn’t their only responsibility and you
cant count on this anyway. You will need to work on your own sales skills and talents.
Get your own coach or mentor, read books, listen to podcasts, watch videos and implement what you have learned so you can go close more deals.
- One of the worst things is when they manager des not stand up for you when they should. You may have commissions owed to you or their may be a problem wrong with a client. You know this manager does not care and it sucks.
- Its all about the money for them, it’s the only thing they talk about and they are not relatable when you do talk to them.
- If they are a weak salesperson they duplicate themselves and you end up with more weak salespeople on the team. Weak sales managers tend to hire weak salespeople. The problem with that is the team will be stocked with roughly 70% horrible salespeople and 30% closers.
Some of the reasons you may hate your sales manager may be real and some of them may be not so real. What you need to know is it is you against you first in sales. You have to develop your skills and talents so you can move if you need to. Look to blame yourself first and work through your problems. If you do work for a horrible sales manager move and go somewhere else to work.
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #Podcast #Howtosellshow #Sacramento
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California
Friday Feb 14, 2020
Friday Feb 14, 2020
The worst day of your sales life
Rejection comes in all forms when it comes to being in sales. At some point everything in your sales world will fall apart. The worst day of your sales life is one you do need to prepare for. You will find that sometimes the problems or issues are your fault and sometimes they have nothing to do with you.
How you prepare right now does matter and can help you out when you get some bad news. Most salespeople try to pretend these issues exist.
Anytime you invest a combination of time, energy, effort and or money your emotions can become entangled in your work. If you have any of these 4 items work against you there is probably be feelings of despair or rejection.
The 5 scenarios where you can struggle
When you take a look at what could lead to the worst day of your sales life there are really 5 main items. These concerns may be caused by you or others. Whatever the case may be your internal thoughts now can help you when these events happen:
Scenario 1 – You lose a big client
You can lose a huge client if you were not paying attention. If you are not taking care of clients someone will exploit your lack of attention. There are times where someone will take you out of the equation from lying. Not everyone in sales and business tells the truth. Face it there is a punch to the gut when you lose a big client.
It may be you lost the deal or the client because of quality and service issues. These issues may not have even been your fault, it could be the fault of someone who was not paying attention to the needs of your client.
Scenario 2 - The project folds or is closed
It may not be you that stops a client. Mother nature or weather could event an event or a project. The plug gets pulled and it still hurts even if you had nothing to do with the problem.
Scenario 3 - Squeezed out
A Business owner or manager can decide they don’t like you anymore and they do what they can to get you to leave. It may even be a group of people or employees that you are a threat to because you don’t fit in. If you know about nefarious activity this person or people may try to ruin you.
If you are being squeezed out you have 2 options:
- Fight for what you have and work through the problems
- Leave on your own terms and deal with the rumors, the lost sales and the lost commissions.
The third item is legal action but you will need to find someone with legal skills and capabilities (Scott Sylvan Bell and the How To Sell Show are not giving legal advice – find an attorney)
Scenario 4 – You got fired
If you get fired from your sales job it can be real or caused by someone else. Sometimes people can modify reports pulled against you causing your down fall. It may be 100% your fault and you may have been horrible at sales and deserve it. If you lost your job because you were not good at sales you have to own up to it. You have to get back into the game and work your skills.
Scenario 5 – Your company gets sold or shut down
When nobody knows about a company closing down or being sold it can hurt. There is no way to prepare for every contingency when it comes to sales. You may work for a company that gets sold.
When a company buys new one your job may be redundant and they don’t know you so you gotta go.
Salespeople should always have a Plan B
You should always have a Plan B when it comes to sales and your sales job. You need to always have good contacts and a well written resume. If you lose a big client all the way to getting fired there are things that you can do to help get back on with your life.
How to fix your worst day in sales
Emotional torture happens when you have loss. Nobody prepares you about this because most people don’t want to talk about what happens in sales. Anytime you put time, effort, energy and money into anything there can be a feeling of loss.
When a consistent life goes away there is panic and anxiety that can happen. There is a whole list of emotional issues you can live through:
- Frustration
- Anger
- Loneliness
- Rejection
- Regret
You may have real questions about staying as long as you did, working on other projects and other things you would have never considered. You may ask, Was it me? What you will find is that there are times where it was you.
You go back and try to relive the moments in your head and look for where you were wrong and where it was your fault. You may even try to mend the fences if you didn’t do your job and it may be too late.
The normal problems created of loss created by a bad day
When you have loss or rejection there are normal feelings and emotions for you to live through. Some of these emotions you face may be tough to live through. There is a shame or a possibility of loss when it comes to:
- Losing a client even if it wasn’t your fault
- Project gets shut down – you didn’t work hard enough – accountant
- Squeezed out of a company or position
- Fired from a sales job
- Company was sold and you didn’t see it coming
So what to do when you are faced with the worst day:
- Cry
- Scream – yell
- Sleep
You may even ask what will people think?
How can I deal with this?
What will I do?
What you do see is that it is normal for people to turn to their vices and problems. Some of these activities can cause you problems not just in the short term but also the long term.
- Drinking
- Drugs
- Dangerous activities
- Buying something
- Treat others poorly
It will help you to have a checklist ready for your worst day in sales:
- Have a plan b with contacts and an up to date resume
- The feeling of loss is normal because you have put in time, energy, effort and money
- Give yourself time to grieve and it doesn’t matter if you are a man or a woman
Steps to take after your worst day in sales
You can always find another job, salespeople are needed everywhere. If you are a closer you are the prize.
You can get some therapy or professional help
Treat the others around you well because they are the base of contacts you need
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #Podcast #Howtosellshow #Sacramento
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California
Thursday Feb 13, 2020
Thursday Feb 13, 2020
Setting boundaries in sales before during and after the deal
There are ways that you can alleviate problems after you close the deal. One of the things you will see is most salespeople do not do this because they just want to get to the close. Salespeople end up struggling with difficult people because they are left chasing buyers after the deal.
Salespeople create problems when they over sell to close a deal. Too much selling and too much hype will lead to problems. Sometimes the marketing can be overly hyphy as well and lead to problems. Most of the time these issues can be limited in the event of problems. After the initial sales presentation was given the buyer may have talked to other people and not have remembered it. Over communicating after the deal is done to confirm issues don’t happen.
Most salespeople get to the close and celebrate too quickly and forget to walk buyers though what to expect or even set the boundaries.
How to set expectations with buyers
As easy as it sound let your buyer know what to expect from the product or service. If there is a limitation or exception let them know. You can leave content behind that is either created by you or by your office. If there is an exceptional feature show them how to use it.
What to do if there is a problem
You will want to let you buyer know what to do if there is a problem. How long will they have to wait in order to get help or what help will look like. Once again this is content to be left behind and you may have to create it. If you don’t explain this process your buyer or client will make up what should happen in their head.
Explain abuse for your services
You do need to explain what abuse is to the team and it will not be accepted. If you have this conversation up front it does help. You may still have problems but you will be able to have an easier conversation if there are issues.
Give them directions on how to reach you
Let your buyer or client know how to reach you and your normal time frame for return calls. If there are times where you don’t answer your phone or emails let them know. If there is a timeframe for getting back to a person let them know. There may even be a help desk that can reach out if you are not around and if this is common you can make sure to explain it.
Demonstrate excellence when you do perform
When there is an issue and you do perform better than standards this should be explained. You can let your buyer or client know when you are under those times and by how much you were faster. You can also explain when you give them preferential treatment.
Run towards problems
If there is a problem run towards it instead of running away form it. You will want to reinforce what you do and explain why you are a good fit. This does help with alleviating some complaints from the buyer about problems. Once the problem is fixed be willing to explain what to expect next or what will happen next.
Talk about abuse of employees and services
If there is a problem with abuse let them know, you will have to be willing to have the tough conversation. Most companies and or salespeople will just take the abuse and not say anything. The longer you wait to deal with a problem buyer the worse it will get.
Fire a client if all else fails
You may have to let a client go because they are not a good fit. If all else fails and you cant work with the person or the company it is better to end something earlier rather than later. You will find that most people will get angry with you if the rejection starts with you first.
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #expectations #Podcast #Howtosellshow
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Wednesday Feb 12, 2020
Using big data to sell more and close easier
As a salesperson you can use big data to your advantage. You can learn how to sell more faster and easier by understanding your data points. Your sales data will be different than any other salesperson.
How to use your data to sell more
When you take time to keep your own journal with your own content you will win over time. You will want to keep your own journal in case you leave the company so you have access to the data.
One of the data sets you want to look for your best times and worst times to close sales. You will need this data to get better at what you do. You will want to take the time to reverse engineer why you struggle and why you don’t. These data sets may be obvious or they may be clues. You can go over the top so to begin with you will want to use 5 – 6 entries. You are not a rocket scientist but you can hire one for less than what you think.
Whether you are new to sales or have just started it is ok to look at these data points.
Most salespeople are lazy and you can beat them
Nobody really looks at their own data unless it is pointed out to them or done for them. You will want to look for your personal issues first. There are typical issues that salespeople face that contribute to sales sabotage or success in sales:
- Look for strong emotional issues and why you have them. You can start with holidays and tough life events
- One data points to look at is fights with significant others
- Problems in the family, with parents or kids
- The types of people you meet with and data on them
- How much exercise you have gotten
- How much water you have drank
- The type of food you have eaten and the time eaten
How to look at data for buyers issues
Some companies and salespeople have data right under their noses and they don’t bother to look at it. When you take time to think through data points and data sets you find the gold that can land you more deals.
TOC – time on call is one of the items most industries will never even considering taking a look at. Your own time on call will vary but you can look to find what the industry standard is and work around it. This is one of the first places for you to look when you don’t close a deal or when you lose a deal.
Here are some questions to ask:
- What happens when you are under time (TOC)
- What happens when you are over time (TOC)
- What is your discount rate within the times (TOC)
- What objections are you getting within these time ranges (TOC)
You can use more data points to sell more
These data set points are just the beginning. There are far more points to chart out to help with you making decisions using big data to sell more. You will want to take the time to set the expectations with your buyer. This is one of the elements of sales basics mastery that you do have control over.
- Best times of the day to sell / worst time of the day to sell
- Average sale based upon day of the week
- Best times of the day to follow up
- The type of product you have sold
- How much time before you sell you eat
- How you sell before payday / after payday
- Your average sale of all calls sold
- How much your average discount is to close the deal as a %
- Where you are in the quarter
- The upsells that you make based upon product
- The upsells you make based upon time or day
- Number of follow ups you make in a day / week / month
- How often you access your crm
- Your average commission
There is gold in your data
Whether you use some or all of these data points you can close more sales. Your ability to be a closer in sales happens when you use every advantage you can take. When you use this advantage against your competition and they don’t you can take a few extra deals.
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #Podcast #Howtosellshow #Sacramento
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
Neediness in sales will lose you deals
If you are needy with buyers you will find yourself giving discounts and or price matching to close the sale. If you are significantly needy you will find you shorten your sales presentation. Its not uncommon to see needy salespeople get taken advantage of in the sales process.
Its not just the problems created in the sales presentation it is also the problems created after the purchase is made. When you are needy in sales and the buyer makes a purchase too quickly they tend to want to renegotiate after the deal has been done. The buyer may think out of your neediness they could have got a better deal so they have regret. This buyers remorse is dangerous.
The buyers expectations are not set correctly since there is such a hurry to get the deal done. The buyer doesn’t really know what they are getting or you may overpromise to close the sales.The discounts or refunds after the sale are usually steep and now you have a forever difficult buyer on your hands.
How salespeople are needy in sales presentations
If you are starting off the conversation with discounts and price matching this is pure lazy salesmanship. It is your job to explain why you are different to your buyer. There are very few companies out there that are the low price leader. If you make the promise of being the lowest price then you challenge the buyer to prove you wrong.
Too much talking will lose deals
Salespeople who over talk their buyer will lose deals out of frustration. Too much talking causes not recognizing the statement or the question. You can think that you are the entertainment to the point where the buyer doesn’t have the chance to talk. If this is you their eyes will glaze over and you will get the I want to think about it objection.
Not listening to the buyer or over talking people or having to hold the spotlight is one of the fastest ways deals next to already having a pre planned item to sell because it pays the most commissions.
You need an agenda in sales presentations
Not getting to the point with your buyer is a form of neediness in your sales process. No agenda in sales makes your buyer question if you are a pro or a joe. If you have nothing but time to waste in the mind of the buyer you are probably not busy so you can be taken advantage of.
Old school sales training creates needy salespeople
If you buy into the old school sales strategy of ABC – Always be closing you will be seen as a needy salesperson. This is similar to a your guy in a relationship constantly chasing his first girlfriend and asking are you ok? At some point the girl gets fed up and finds a confident guy. If you buy into always be closing you can be seen as someone who does not have confidence in their sales process. The constant concern about closing the deal can make you look weak and like you don’t have control of your sales process.
You need to know when to walk away from a deal
If you are afraid to walk away from deals you will be taken advantage of. Not everyone is your client and not everyone deserves to do business with you. Buyers will abuse you when you are needy, you need to learn how to be elegant when rejecting a buyer. Just know when you reject someone before they reject you they get angry.
The repeater game for salespeople
Constantly answering questions with questions is not just annoying it is childish. You will ant to remember that sales is conversational. When you answer question with questions this does not feel right and does not feel conversational. Almost all politicians do this and reframe the conversation.
- You are really saying this
- Its not this its that
Begging for a sale is never elegant
Begging for the sale is the worst of being needy. There is no worse way to close a sale then to beg for it. When you emotionally manipulate people they hold it against you for the long run and they don’t forget. You will get taken advantage of since money is emotional. Some people will take pity on you while they others will abuse you. If you beg for a sales this buyer will more than likely be difficult for the length of time you work with them.
Discounting and price matching isn’t selling
Massive discounts that are over the top may be a quick way to get attention but in the long run this does not get the traction you think that it would. You will look desperate to a buyer if you discount too hard with buyers. Too big of a discount signals something is wrong. This is a huge red flag in the sales process. Being able to discount is a dance more than a sprint.
Not all follow up is good follow up
Too much follow up and follow up done wrong is beyond needy. If you call 5 times a day plus text messages you will have problems. Follow up is good when you build a strategy. Follow up is bad when you are desperate.
The best way to not be needy in follow up is to have a string game plan.
Salespeople can be needy in the office
Neediness in the office happens with complaining about normal circumstances. You can go over the top and try to get everyone to do your work for you as well. You can make people not like you by trying to push your work off on them.
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #Sacramento #Podcast #Howtosellshow
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California
Monday Feb 10, 2020
Monday Feb 10, 2020
How to avoid burnout in sales 12 steps
First and foremost burnout in sales is real. You may have to recognize it is possible and people do get burned out from the industry the hours and the job. Some people don’t want to hear about the bad associated with sales. You will find it is easier to close deals when you are at your best. This isn’t some unknown but for whatever reason people in the industry dint want to talk about it.
You will have a moment where you are fed up. When you reach that moment it may be tool late for the people around you. You will take losing deals out on the people around you:
- Clients
- Coworkers
- Family members
- Potential clients
- Vendors
The curse of chasing deals
At some point in sales you realize there is always another deal. This means you don’t have to chase every deal under the sun. There are times where you need to walk away and get the next deal. This does not mean you get to be lazy and not do your job. It does mean that you know you don’t have to get every deal on the table and work yourself to death.
There are some industries where some huge deals may go away and never come back. In most consumer industries this isn’t the case. Just like most buyers know deals are always around the corner you have to e ok with taking time off and letting other people take leads or ups.
My Goals are not your Goals
One of the fastest ways to reach burnout in sales is chasing the dreams of someone else. You will want to look to your goals and not someone else’s. One way to think about this is “Your goals are not my goals”. So many times salespeople acquire goals for what they think other people will want and not for what they want to do. You can look for small wins as well as big wins when building your goals. You will also find that your coaches and mentors will change over time and so will your overall goals.
If you chase other peoples goals it will lead to burn out. Other peoples goals will take you off path of what you want to do and you will not buy into them. You lose interest in other peoples goals fast and have a tough time with coming up with your “reason why”.
You can void burnout by staying healthy
Your health has many facets and can have multiple directions for you to go. Your diet and exercise can help you stay on top or drag you to the bottom. The diet and exercise you get does matter. The amount of water you drink does help as well as the amount of sleep you get can keep you sharp. This one factor of closing sales is not talked about often enough and it does help keep you on top.
Work your schedule
The way you configure or work your schedule can help keep you in the closers seat. Know when to walk away from deals and sales and know when to take days off. Sales managers will allow you to work as many hours you want and this can hurt you in the long run. know what you are willing to work through and why you will be willing to put in the hours.
When you know how to close you can make some demands. You may be able to get extra time away from the office or not have to work weekends if you are a closer. Not everyone gets that treatment and this is one reason why you should work towards being a closer.
The friends you keep matter
When you have friends outside of the industry you will have other things to talk about other than work. If all you do is talk about work day in and day out it will consume you. Dr. Sean Davis recommends you find other things to be involved with other than sales. You can pick up a hobby and or join a group where you don’t associate with salespeople.
The toxic people trap
You should do everything possible to stay away from toxic people. The average toxic person will steal money from you and your bank account. Now they may not go into the bank and steal it, they get the money from taking your attention. Toxic people are everywhere and when possible it is best to cut them from your life.
Lover time is important
Your sales job will suck the life out of you if you let it. If you have a significant other you should set aside time for them. If you don’t give the person you love attention someone else will give the significant other enough attention. This will cause your sales to spiral out of control. If you are not in a relationship you can set aside time for dating. If you don’t have good role models from when you were younger you can pick some new ones.
Laughter is the greatest medicine
One of the first things stressed out salespeople forget to do is laugh. You can keep some comedy around or even stream some to a phone or tablet. You can go see live comedians as a way to ensure you set aside time to get some laughter in. If you are stressed out or burned out in sales chances are good it has been a while since you have laughed.
Pick up a hobby to get away from selling
When you have a hobby you get to focus on other things other than sales. The more you can get away from being in a sales call, talking about sales or thinking about sales when you are off the clock the better off you are. Your hobbies can range in fields and knowledge, just know to turn off the sales thinking.
Get some mental help
Getting a therapist or seeing a doctor to get things off your chest is one of the fastest short cuts in sales you can take. The sooner you can let go of things the faster you can get back to closing deals. It takes a strong person to want to get the help even when they don’t want to.
Get out of town – no really
If you want to avoid burn out in sales you must know when to take vacation. All too often salespeople will work though time off and not get away from the office. You do need to find your down time and walk away form the industry for a week. You will find deals are easier and you will be less stressed out with the right vacation. An idea for a mini vacation is airplane mode on your phone for a few hours at a time if you have to be tied to the phone.
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #podcast #howtosellshow #Sacramento
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Sunday Feb 09, 2020
Closers addiction in sales explained
When you close a sales or land a deal there are things that you have happen to you from yourself and from others. When you look at what contributes to closers addiction there is a whole list of items salespeople can receive from making a deal happen.
- Attention from the office or loved one
- Bragging rights that you brough in some money or won a big deal
- Internal satisfaction for the work performed
- The office is excited that you kept others busy
- There is the dopamine rush you get when you close the sale
- When a deal is closed there is excitement
- You get status from your peers when you are successful at closing deal
- You get to see the efforts of your work on your check
So what happens when you don’t close a deal?
All of these feelings of closing deals are good and addictive. When the sales are not closing these feelings and adoration are missed. There is frustration from losing deals and not getting the attention. Salespeople will look for something to replace these feelings so they can get back on top again.
Losing deals can be lonely and empty because so many salespeople tie their self worth to their ability to get attention and the ability to get paid. When salespeople go for long streaks of not closing deals they look for attention or to get the feeling somewhere else.
Most industries don’t face this problem
There is a power associated with success. There are a few other industries that get attention like salespeople do for the job they perform and these are just a few of them:
- Attorneys
- Doctors / surgeons
- Fire fighters
- Police officers
The danger from the closers spotlight
The addiction to close a deal is the rush of closing the deal plus the attention it brings to the salesperson. The feeling from getting attention for your work is addictive to the point of wanting to be in the spotlight. Salespeople don’t understand the addiction of feeling on top and needed. Nobody points this out to salespeople when they start looking to replace the feeling or when they are in the spotlight. Too much Dopamine or even being deficient can lead to depressions. There are mental problems in sales from constantly hunting the close of a deal. In sales there are people who replace the feeling of closing a deal with:
- Attention from others in bad ways – fighting may be one of them because they are now getting attention
- Drugs
- Gambling
- Purchasing items to keep the feeling or rush going
- Sex
Salespeople search to find a replacement of the rush of closing the sale. Drugs and danger can duplicate the euphoria for only so long and other problems may be created. If nobody tells you that you have closers addiction or you don’t know what to look for it can be frustrating.
How to work through closers addiction
If you want to know what to do if you have this problem or how to fix it there are a few ways. You will have to put in some work or effort to find your solutions.
Look for what you do when you close a deal. What are the actions you take? Who do you call or email once the deal is done? How do the people you contact react and are you looking for that reaction?
All of these items can leave clues as to what steps you need to take to identify your process to closers addiction.
If you are at the bottom right now here are some tips:
If you are struggling to close sales right now pay attention to the type of people you associate with. Are the people you around there to help you or hurt you? Look for encouragement to help when not closing deals, you need help with motivation sometimes. Someone may just need to say I believe in you and I think you are a great person.
Why emotions are not talked about in sales
Emotions in sales is not talked about since it isn’t masculine. Emotions in sales all of the sudden becomes taboo when its time to talk about what salespeople go though, this is a mistake. If you are struggling make sure to get some help form a professional.
Salespeople do worry about what other people think even though this should not be done. You can help faster when you get a coach, mentor or therapist.
You can worry about what others think of you if you want to be a closer. Being addicted to closing a deal is real and you may be chasing this feeling.
Look at what you are doing to get the euphoria to make the deal happen
Create a journal to look for correlation for what happens when you close a deal or lose a deal. Look for the actions you take whether its calling friends, coworkers, sending out emails or even taking some sort of physical action.
Why a Dr or therapist can help you close faster
If you are struggling you should seek out professional help. You can dump your problems on someone who knows how to deal with them. Once you say something out loud it makes it easier for you to work through. You can move faster without the weight of what is bogging you down.
There is emptiness in sales and there is loneliness in sales. This is a problem especially when you are not closing deals and getting the attention from making something happen. People buy with emotions and justify with logic and salespeople live through this. You will find this is true for salespeople before the deal and after the deal.
Get some help and it isn’t taboo and it really is a benefit to you.
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #success #closer #closersaddiction #oahu #Hawaii #podcast #howtosellshow
This episode was recorded on the North Shore of Oahu Hawaii at Haleiwa Ali’i Beach Park
Last notes:
This episode is not meant to be medical advice for problems you face. If you are struggling go seek proper medical attention from a qualified professional.
Saturday Feb 08, 2020
Saturday Feb 08, 2020
Closers addiction can affect the way you sell
Closers addiction happens when salespeople close deals. There is a rush associated with being able to close and there are problems that come from it.
Why salespeople have a tough time performing over time is they get caught up internally. A power complex can lead to problems in the home since the person is not used to the lack of power that they have at work. There is power and somewhat of fame when it comes to be a closer in sales. When there are good deeds done like closing deals it can go to the heat of the person who gets the “power” or the praise.
Professionals that get praise can let it go to their heads can include but is not limited to:
- Attorneys
- Drs
- Police officers
- Salespeople
- Surgeons
You can learn how to be happy and separate from the job. The disconnect from doing something different than the work can lead to more happiness. Be one person on the job and be another person at home. There are troubles in relationships brings a divide and this causes divorce when there is a power trip.
It is possible to find a shift and get over the issues that come with work. The shift happens when finding an:
- Identity outside of the industry
- Hobbies to work on
- Friends and associations out of the industry
How closing deals and losing deals can hurt you
If you only identify as a salesperson or a closer your identity is too tied to the job. If you are not closing deals you can look for replacement of the dopamine through other activities.
- Alcohol
- Dangerous activities
- Drugs
- Relationships
- Spending money
Salespeople use these items or actions to replace their self worth. The feeling of closing deals and adoration become a desire to be replaced.
Not closing deals can lead to:
- Anger issues
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Substance abuse
These problems are all centered around the lack of self worth when deals are not being closed. The problem is multiplied when people with high incomes know they can talk themselves out of a situation or pay their way out. In essence the offender gets rewarded for bad behavior and the world needs to adjust to them. As people are catered to this problem gets exagerated and can cause more problems.
The tough sales conversation
Some closers become jerks and they know the only thing they have is their job. They count this attention as their external source of self worth. All of their goodness comes from the ability to close deals. The deals lead to attention and when they don’t get the attention they need they throw a fit.
You can create sales sabotage
When salespeople have significant gains and or losses in their life you can plot out the lost deals. External sources from others can cause this as well. Everyone hates me equals a sales dip for some salespeople.
There are times where salespeople will purposely shoot for losing deals to get the rush. The story gets bigger when they get to the office and now they can have more attention.
Some salespeople get so addicted to the adrenaline of closing a sale they have to have the deal or replace the feeling. For some people they will outgrow the adrenaline and need more so deals need to get bigger and so does the attention.
The problem can be alleviated can be completed by:
- spending time with people who need help – Be a mentor
- Find value in things that are intrinsic
- Do things outside of your industry
You can shift your focus to selling and truly helping others. Getting caught up in the money or the commissions can lead to problems.
The fear to go get professional help in sales
It is possible to have the stigma of getting help can be neat by knowing anonymity is required by licensed health professionals. You can convince yourself that it isn’t a weakness to get help. Another way to say this is getting a coach or a mentor.
Momentum can be easier with help than without. If you are scared to make the call or send the email then look at the work as an investment in yourself.
It is normal to be nervous to meet with a professional and spill your life and or problems. You do have to build some rapport with the professional. Even therapists need to sell their services as well.
The pilot metaphor that can help you out
If you get stuck or have problems it may be best for you to slow down. Most professionals try to speed up to get out of the problem and it causes more issues.
When pilots go through a storm they slow the airplane down.
You can try to solve problems that don’t even exist if you are going too fast. Stop and look at what problem you are really trying to solve.
The question you can ask yourself is:
If you cant get to a professional for whatever reason you could ask yourself this question:
If I was not worried about this problem, what would I be worried about?
The last thing said through this process is where the problem lies.
Then you ask yourself this question again and work yourself back to the answers. This does take work and effort.
Pick some close trusted friends to help
One of the ways to alleviate your problems is to talk out what is going on. You can talk to good friends, family members or clergy to get problems off your chest. The people you know have probably gone through the same thing or something similar. “There is nothing more torturous than going through something alone”.
Special thanks to Sean Davis for appearing on this episode:
You can find Sean Davis PhD at
https://www.facebook.com/DrSeanDavis/
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #closersaddiction #podcast #Sacramento #howtosellshow
This episode was recorded in Roseville California
Last notes:
This episode is not meant to be medical advice for problems you face. If you are struggling go seek proper medical attention from a qualified professional.
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Friday Feb 07, 2020
Personal accountability in sales
You have to be able to do things on your own if you want to learn how to be a closer in sales. If you need a sales Mommy or Sales Daddy it will be hard for you ton find significant long term success. It takes self motivation in order to have real success in sales.
There are times where being in sales is not easy, it is really hard. You will have to fight through your personal feelings in order to make things happen.
How to be a closer in sales
Your ability to set your own goals and work them does have an impact on you. The best closers in sales pay attention to their goals and do not have to be babysat in order to make them happen. Closers will also keep all of their notes and details on their own. If you rely on others to track your sales and income you will leave money on the table.
The ability to be willing to learn and be coached is one element most salespeople will never get. Most salespeople look at training as entertainment and do nothing with it. It’s a shame to see someone taught the best sales strategies and tactics and then do nothing with it.
You have to be willing to pay for your own education and not wait for someone to invest in you. The average salesperson will not spend $20 to purchase a book let lone $500 for training or $5000 for personal coaching. The great news for you is it does not take much more to be better than most of your competition.
The path to closing deals is on you
When you make follow up calls you prove you belong in sales. When you don’t make follow up calls you prove that you don’t have what it takes to be a closer. Some salespeople get caught up in saying they are a one sit closer and leave money on the table. You will see that some closers are the real deal and don’t leave anything left to be followed up on.
As you close deals you must be willing to make the call to close the sale. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose when you make a deal. If you get caught up in not closing the perfect deal every time you will leave money on the table.
The hard lessons in sales
Taking care of your clients when there is a problem is one of the best forms of problem prevention you can follow. So many salespeople run away from problems and leave their clients hanging. Tons of promises were made in the appointment to close the deal but the salesperson is nowhere to be found when there is a challenge. You must help the people you make promises to.
To be a closer you must be coachable. There are many elements to being coachable in sales. You have to listen, implement and then modify to fix the issues. Occasionally a naturally talented salesperson can close deals without training but that is very rare. Closers take the time to practice.
On occasion you may take the lumps from a Business Owner, Manager, Trainer or Coach for making mistakes. You will do the best when you are able to walk away from the meetings knowing you can get back up and close deals again. Admit when you are wrong and accept responsibility when you make mistakes.
There is a flow to closing sales and you will want to know that things will be good , things will get bad and get better or worse. There are a series of stairs to being a closer and even closing deals. Sometimes this up and down effect gets to salespeople.
One of the ways for you to recharge and close deals is to take time off. Burnout in sales is real and you need to know what to to do get out of the problems you face.
Scott Sylvan Bell
@scottsbell
#sales #closer #success #podcast #Sacramento #Howtosellshow
This episode was recorded in Sacramento California