How To Sell Show

How to use goals to sell more  If you look at goal setting there are so many pieces of information from you to choose from. You have to find what works for you. There isn't a one size fits all goal-setting process for everyone. It's ok to try something and if it doesn't work find something that does. Your job is to find a plan, stick to it and work it. You can always modify as needed, in the end, this is your recipe.  Goal setting and sales  One of the common mistakes salespeople and entrepreneurs make is to think they have to wait until January 1st every year to start with their goals. You will find consistency in sales starts with expectations and tracking. Plenty of salespeople and companies struggle with consistency and tracking.  Goal setting data points  Most stats about goal and goal setting have no attribution. Most studies have too small of sample sizes. It's tough to judge off success off of 10 people vs 1000 people. The Harvard Study Study has been shown to be fake or nonexistent. Here are the 2 constants you will find when you study goal setting.  You are 33% - 43% more likely to achieve a goal if it's written down. 2015 Gail Matthews You are 76% - 81% more likely to achieve a goal if it is tracked - No attribution Use ranges when setting goals – Particpances averaged 2 pounds per week when they targeted to 1-3 pounds per week. (https://hbr.org/2014/11/when-you-give-your-team-a-goal-make-it-a-range) Goal setting success can be linked with motivation, self confidence & autonomy (Locke & Lathan, 2006) The goal-setting common experience  There are some common traits in goal setting that seem to be a strong constant. These items are mentioned in just about every example, article, podcast, YouTube video as well as goal setting courses: Write your goals down Review your goals frequently with tracking  Area 1 - You do have to have your foundation (the 4Ds): Discipline – How strong is your discipline – do you need someone to monitor you or tell you what to do?  Devices and Systems – What framework do you have besides your beliefs? Dates – What are your timelines: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannually, and yearly Data - Where do you put your outcomes – how do you track them? Area 2 – Reason why Have a strong reason why to escape from struggling. This concept is the main drive above all and everything else that I see help people propel. There are 4 main topics with plenty of subtopics. 3 of these are common ideas and 1 isnt. What is the deep-down reason for your goal? Not the reason you tell everyone. If you were to speak to a confidential source what would you tell them? This conversation may be super personal. For others, it can be an open book.   Your desires and personal outcomes matter Prove yourself right – It was something I wanted to do, Show others what you can do – I want others to see me and hear me Prove others wrong – Everyone said I couldn't Conditions you grew up in – poor or even in wealth Phantom – Natural drive – not normal in the distribution of people. Some people just don't have this, it who they are Questions to ponder for your reason why   What does the goal mean to you, how have you attached to the outcome? Do you really want the goal or is it a platitude? Are you trying to impress someone else? What is your level of commitment? What are you willing to sacrifice? What is in your way to get the goal accomplished? Who is in the way of your goal? Is the goal worthy of you?   Area 3 – The groupings and explanations These are typically tied to a date and a sum of money or outcome. You can set a time and date fairly easily. By March 30th I will hit 500k in gross income from all of my businesses. Royalties, equity, mastermind and consulting. You can then add these 14 dimensions or groupings: Actions – Things you want to do and or achieve Events – Meetings and or groups you would like to be a part of. This could be courses, masterminds, philanthropic Locations – Places you want to be, want to go, want to attend. Purchase Money – the income you want to achieve, the money you want in savings and or investments People – The people you want in your life as well as the people you would like to do business with and connect to Philanthropy – the places you want to donate time and energy to Physical – How you work out, your weight Products – The things you want to purchase or acquire. Cars, watches, houses, businesses, buildings   Purchases – things you want to buy Recreation – what you want to do for fun Relationships – How you treat the people in your life and how they treat you. Family, significant others, friends, and colleagues Rewards – this is an if-then statement style (when I do this, I will do that) this is the ultimate dopamine rush for your goals Spiritual – Your relationship with your creator and your style Stretch goals – These are the additions to a goal a “push up” in case you hit something quicker Area 3 – The underpinnings   What you have as moving parts inside of a goal (here are the elements): Light version goals vs master planning may be easier. The light version may be how you talk about the goal. Master planning is what will it take for you to get there. What will you need to have to reach your goal? (what framework is needed to make what you want to have happened work out) Attention – how much time do you have to put towards the goal? Routine – things you are already doing vs new routines New skill – this is something you don't know how to do Current skill – this is something you can enhance Experience – this can be what you already have (people /courses / classes Taking action – your ability to take the first step Continuity – What you will do when things don't work out or you get busy Bonus area Adversity map advances planning – this is where I point out what could go wrong and what to do to get back on track. This is not super detailed. This is about saying “___________” could happen. The unexpected is unexpected. This helps with planning. In business, these could be called red team events. Who you can name in your goal adversity map: People – what if the wrong people enter my life, how will I know? Economy – this is always a moving target Events – these are things that can cause problems Government agencies Weather / natural disaster When you look at this preparation you don't look at it every day. This is just prep for what may be. This is more of a “who is in my way or could get in my way session” Side notes about goal setting  Pie-in-the-sky goals can be spotted by people who know how to listen and or watch.  There are items that can be red flags "I am going to be the top salesperson this year". You will find that the more steps needed the fewer actions people take. What can you do to streamline your goal-setting process? How can you make your goals stepped up? You can imagine and "Feel the feeling" with as much imagination as possible. When you think through success, where do you share your wins, who do you share them with? Things you can do to reach your goals: Less can be more when you work on your goals and goal setting. There are multiple ways for you to streamline the sales process.  You can keep your goals on 3x5 index card and look at them during the day.  Review your goals frequently, you can record them on audio You can share goals with others. You only want to share with the believers and the people you trust. Nonbelievers will tear you down and say horrible things to you. Talk about your goals as if they have been accomplished – put a point on the horizon and march towards it. I heard Taylor welch call this directional certainty. Ask the right people if they can help you with a goal. You don't say it this way. You could go to social media and ask for a connection or a collaboration. Speak your goals and to an extent, they will manifest. If you work for someone ask them for more. Listen you gave me the goal of $1,000,000 in sales. What would you be willing to pay out if I hit $1,200,000. You need to be able to explain why this helps the person you want the bonus from. And extra 200k on a business not expected is a good thing for most divisions. You just have to know that as you increase your number it will be ratcheted up yearly Here is where I differ Once again this is what works for me, you may need to find your own path. You can use an  accountability partner – I talk my goals out as a check in with a good friend and they do the same. We poke holes in ideas – not as an aggressive action “have you thought about_________” have you considered __________” and or “could you make this pivot __________” – sometimes these meetings are hard. I have learned from great marketers around me “everything is a test” I take that for actions I take and don't really beat myself up when things don't work right Knowledge is power Applied knowledge is power To learn knowledge is wisdom End of the month, quarter, year review There will be goals you miss and it may bum you out What did you do that increased your skills abilities and knowledge – celebrate all wins, look for where you gained. I didn't hit all of my goals last year. I didn't make some huge improvements in my life. Look for the areas where you need to do better so you can recalibrate your goals

Money is emotional in business and sales  You will find that when you spend money or make money it is emotional. This comes down to  the money spent vs time to make it. You will want to understand this concept in order to close more deals. When you can grasp the money vs time concept you can have better communication with your buyers. If you add in the understanding of risk it's that much more impressive. When older people tell you their age, it's a money issue.  Trust helps close deals in sales  As consumers, we have a fear of being taken advantage of. We don't want to lose out. This fear comes down to protecting your back end and not losing. When you win there is a dopamine rush, when you lose there is panic.  Time vs cost in sales and emotions  When you make money you calculate the time, energy, and or effort it takes to make a purchase. This is normal for most people for mid-range and large purchases. Sometimes what you sell will take weeks, months, or years to pay for. This comes down to time, energy, and or effort. People buy on emotion and justify with logic: There is an emotional feel to spending money  there is an emotional feel to winning and or losing money  Some people put more weight on either way or both – greed As a salesperson, it helps to understand these concepts not just for the purchase, but also the objections as well as the problems faced after a deal. There is emotion to a sales presentation: Sometimes you hit it off immediately with buyers  Sometimes you lose the sale in the first 3 minutes of the appointment  Angry people will still make a purchase Its not just the buyer its you as well that does this  Think about how upset or angry you get when you make a mistake or when something goes wrong. There is risk in making a mistake, you could be: Irritated Upset Angry Judgment  Guilt Humiliated Passed over for promotion Fired Talking about emotions in sales Early on in your sales career, you may have fears about emotional conversations and questions. You can use emotional questions with your buyers and be ok. You do need to pay attention to how often you have them so they don't feel manipulative. Ways you can lock in emotions in the sales process: You can ask for the feelings, the right amount. How many emotional questions you choose to ask is a personal decision You can anchor the feeling and or emotion  Set the expectations emotionally with your buyers  You can reduce problems and or issues with your buyers by setting the expectation. Explain to buyers what will happen emotionally if they go the wrong way. You can talk people through their decision-making process. The way you communicate can be: This can be explicit or a hint This can be a story This can be a testimonial  How to explain the outcome with emotions You can use emotional words to explain and set expectations. Remember to not use too much, just in a few places. You can mirror the words of the buyer when you ask emotional questions.  A mismatch may not work to your favor.  If they say upset don't use anger for them, save that for another example. Use certainty – I am certain you will be happy with this You can use priming with images of smiling people You can use testimonials where someone didn't think the product, service, and or idea would work Colors Things you can do when sales go sideways Contact the person immediately – the sooner the better Listen to what they say, the story will repeat a few times - You can agree with them - You can ask them what they want to solve the problem, get them to go first. Sometimes its just the venting. Sometimes its money   Making money is emotional and spending money is as well  You have to remember money is emotional. Spending, making, losing, saving and thinking about money can bring in emotions. To sell more you will want to think through people sell how they buy. Setting expectations can help close deals. Tell them what to expect. Tell them what to do if something happens. Last of all don't sell perfection.  

How to create a buyers guide One of the coolest things you can do for your service and or industry is create a buyers guide. A buyers guide is an explanation for what a buyer could do to make a good decision. This guide is your way to influence the sales process. You get to put your ideas out in front of the buyer before, during, and after the sale. You get to have some help with some of the buyers purchasing behavior. Part of the buyers guide is to help overcome things like getting 3 bids, shopping on the lowest price, and time stalls.  Most consumers dont know how to purchase items  Most people don't know to buy the products and or the services they need. Most companies make it all about the price so it becomes a discounting game. Having a buyer's guide automatically makes you an expert. You are distilling information to make it easy for the buyer. In essence, you can become their hero. At the same time you get to distill the concepts and or ideas that you think are important.  Buyers psychology and buyers guides  Your buyer has risk when they make a purchase. Nobody wants to look dumb or silly when they buy. As consumers, we all want to make good choices, and we will go out of our way to not look dumb. This buyer's guide targets people's fears and or risks and helps reduce them. Most salespeople skip visualization of what they do – touch, feel, see, hear. Most salespeople leave a brochure behind that doesn't answer questions and its just fluff Building a buyers guide framework You will want to put some thought into this project. You can do some research by looking for the most common questions your buyers ask. Once you look at the questions you can ask the people you work with. If you still need more content you can look at reviews. You will want to write down all of these questions and confirm they are what is asked. You dont want to create objections you dont have. You then take the objections and turn them into questions about your product and or service. The good new is, you already have all of the research to make this happen   The aspects of a successful buyers guide: 10 FAQs – the FAQs are just that, these are the most highlighted common questions – a few of these can be against you competition 10SAQs – This is where you get to differentiate what is your wheelhouse – what do you do better – a few hours reframe - 10 common mistakes people make – these are the protections you can explain to the buyer. There is a mix of what you can do to help and a mix of common objections. Story Tips on how to build a buyers guide  Salespeople and even business owners struggle with buyers guides. The hope for them is the first version is the final version. You may have multiple versions of your buyers guide before you feel it is complete. Start small and then validate that it is what you want. You do have to start somewhere. Here are a few concepts to help you out.  This is going to be a living doc so it will change over time  You will find better ways to use it and need to modify as time goes on Do not print tons in the beginning, make the first few batches small runs  MVO - a minimal viable option - you want to just get this document up and running  Items to add to a buyers guide  Once you have your 10 frequently asked questions, your 10 should ask questions and the 10 common mistakes salespeople make you can add more items. You need to have your base work down first so you know what else could be added.  Awards from groups  Awards from clients  Awards from Manufacturers  Testimonials that overcome objections Warranties - Guaranties – risk reversal Risk reductions Speed Longevity Savings Agreements for service (contracts) Service level agreement Qr code – sizzle reel Chat link 800 number Your goal is to list out all of your best features and figure out how to highlight them. Once you have the framework built out you can turn this into audio – video with a download.  How to make your buyer's guide even more powerful  If you want to go even further there are other elements you can add to your buyer's guide. You can go to a graphic designer and have them design this item. You will want to make sure it isnt too perfect. It does need to have the feel of easy and not expensive. You can add images of people smiling as a priming factor.  How to make a buyers guide even more exceptional  Giving someone words on a piece of paper is one thing. Being able to walk someone through a decision is even better. You can add a small section in the back of the guide that uses a matrix pre-filled out with your best benefits and options. You can use checks and X's to fill in the blanks of your service and or business. Ways you can use the buyer's guide to help influence the sales process  The whole goal of the buyer's guide is to make the sales process easier for you. This document is meant to be a tool you can use to help influence the buyer's decision. You can use this document as a lever before, during and after your presentation.  The buyer's guide can be used as a closing technique Your future buyer can download the buyer's guide and or even pay for it  You can use your buyers guide in your presentation You can send out the buyers guide before your sales presentation You can try to get on the news if you have a regional company Use this as the framework for a video or a podcast(s) The mistakes when building a buyers guide  The goal of the buyer's guide is to reduce friction in the sales process. If the whole thing is a pitch fest you will lose the power this item holds. If the writing is too technical it will be hard to read. If there are spelling errors or punctuation errors people may lose interest in reading it. Yu can always run a FK (Flecsh Kincaid Score) on the writing to make sure it works. Here are a few other things to consider when building a buyers guide. Include images, graphs, charts, or anything similar Make sure the content is friendly and not condescending  The content being delivered is something someone would want to consume  You will want the content to be slightly controversial but not over the top. this creates interest and conflict.  Make sure to add a call to action at the end or in a few strategic locations You do need to make sure your buyer's guide is quality built but not perfect  Last notes about creating your buyer's guide  Your buyer's guide does need to be released into the wild. You will get ripped off, its part of “the game” be willing and ready to modify what you have and what you do. It will happen within 90 days. As your competition builds theirs out be willing to up your game. You can buy a good url howtobuya__________.com for people to hear or see in a commercial or ad. Add a reference to your buyer's guide in your call to action. If you are a regional company you could license your idea. You could get sponsorship or coop from a vendor to help pay for your guide if you choose.  The legal parts of a buyers guide  You may want to consult with an attorney or solicitor to make sure you have not created a legal risk for yourself. Copyright laws and work laws may be in play here so the few dollars you spend on legal qualification can help you. You do not want to specifically name a competing company and or salesperson. Make sure there are not any implications

celebrate all wins in sales Sometimes in sales, we are our own worst enemies. It's easy to discount the accomplishments made over the course of a day, week, month, quarter, or year. You may have achieved something great only to tell yourself it wasn't that good. What you tell yourself after you close a deal matters. So often salespeople struggle because they ont see the good in what they have done. Part of this conversation comes from content from Blair Singer and part of it from coaching salespeople.  What you say to yourself in sales matters Your inner voice is your operating system. How you talk to yourself about your wins can either propel you to close more deals or give up on winning. Its easy to look at others and minimize what sales have been made because someone else was able to do more.  In sales, we have a way of minimizing what we do because it isn't big enough. If you look at social media everyone is crushing it. In your mind, you end up with a "success measuring contest". The universe feels small when you want it to.  Deal size and deal flow can play games with you  You can literally psych yourself out of closing deals. You can look at a skinny deal and say it isn't good enough. You may think the easy win was too quick. You may say the difficult sale was not worth it or the tough buyer was not a good deal. When we minimize deals we invalidate our work and may not even realize it. The comparisons you make can cause havoc with your closing process.  Minimizing accomplishments hurts sales  You can work your but off to close a deal and then look for reasons why it wasn't a good deal. You close a deal with ease because of your learned skills and you invalidate it. You can ask yourself this tough question "Is this a deal I would have won as a previous version of myself" There is a point where looking to improve in places crushes the work you have done. Sales training and kaizen hurt sometimes, sit down and marvel in all of your glory for a moment. We have enough people that beat us down in life: The evil manager / boss The horrible co-worker The jerk neighbor xx The family troll You don't have to add yourself into that mix. In fact, you should do everything possible to not include yourself in those groups.  What you can do to celebrate your wins  "Success is 20% skill and 80% psychological" – Tony Robbins, think about what this quote means and how it applies to what you do. You can focus on the outcome.  You sold the job, product, service, and or offering you should make a big deal about it. Sometimes you do have to work towards mile markers. You can take a large goal and break it into smaller ones.  Head trash hurts sales  Negative self-talk is one way to describe head trash. Sometimes we pile the trash in our heads deep and it causes repercussions. Sometimes we are our own worst critics and hold ourselves back. The self-talk can range from fantastic to horrible. Your goal is to give the focus of the win the fuel and not everything that went wrong.  The 4321 Process in sales  The close-out you do with your sales process matters. You can use the 4321 processes to help remind yourself of what you did. Here is how the process works  Find 4 things that you did great in the sales presentation  Find 3 things that went well  Find 2 things you can improve on  Find 1 thing that was completely wrong  That list will give you 7 things right and 4 things that need work. You end up with better than 2:1 odds. The 4.3.2.1. process is meant to show you did things correctly and not everything is wrong.  What to do when you close a deal  There are multiple things you can do when you close a deal. The sky is the limit for you to find what works for you. You have to get started somewhere to make this happen. Here are a few ways for you to memorialize your win.  Write the sale in a journal – what you went through and why you think you closed the deal Anchor the feeling Make it a big deal or celebration to enter the win in your CRM Thermometer like little kids do at schools and for fundraisers Record your win in an awesomeness swipe file You talk it out to the universe – I am the greatest man alive (A take on the I am the smartest man alive – Billy Maddison) The whole idea is for you to create a celebration routine in whatever way you do it Where focus goes energy flows There is a saying that where focus goes energy flows. When you focus on the success of the deal and not the outside scope it helps with the reframe. Here are some external things to focus on: You can have a team or a squad to celebrate with You can put something on social media You can call someone you love that will be there for you Celebrate with others when they do something cool, awesome, and even when they close a deal. Your celebration may be the thing that keeps them going. We all want approval whether we want to admit it or not. Secondary ways to celebrate wins You can use the momentum from a win to your benefit. This is something that you can do to help perpetuate new ideas and or thoughts: Make follow up calls, emails, and or videos for people who have not bought yet Start something new and take a small but not dangerous risk Reach out to the dream client you want Call someone and tell them you love them – family member, significant other, etc Donate money to a charity  Donate time and or effort to an event Last words We all have weak moments where we doubt ourselves and our capabilities, you have to find a way to have more positive thoughts than negative. If you are struggling right now one of the easiest things to do is make a list of what is working in your life no matter how big or small.  .

Risk vs reward in sales and business Google the words risk or reward and you will see exactly what they have to do with your sales presentation. As you meet with your buyers they are thinking about the risk they have of doing business with you, they just may not say it that way. The risk vs reward levers are used in purchases you make as well as your buyer.  Risk - a situation involving exposure to danger Reward - a thing given in recognition of one's service, effort, or achievement. “The juice has to be worth the squeeze in sales and business” This is really the framework of offers, and or deals in business, marketing, and sales. One of the movies that explain this thought the best is Tommy Boy. At the end of the movie, Tommy needs to sell brake pads. He wants to show a superior product so he talks about guarantees. Some people, not all reduce their risk by wanting a guarantee. Here is the exchange from Tommy and Ted: Tommy: Ted, why would somebody put a guarantee on a box? Hmmm, very interesting. Ted Nelson: Go on, I'm listening. Tommy: Here's the way I see it, Ted. Guy puts a fancy guarantee on a box 'cause he wants you to fell all warm and toasty inside. Ted Nelson: Yeah, makes a man feel good. Tommy: 'Course it does. Why shouldn't it? Ya figure you put that little box under your pillow at night, the Guarantee Fairy might come by and leave a quarter, am I right, Ted? People buy on emotion and justify with logic You will hear people buy on emotion and justify with logic. People are emotional creatures and do think about the emotions in the deal. People will outweigh what the risk is of purchase and compare it to the reward for what they are getting. Worrying about failure or risk is something people have issues for just about any purchase. Look to risk reversal to help understand how to help serve them.   How your own stories can reduce risk for buyers  People want to find comfort when they buy. Stories about your clients' successes and even failures will help you overcome objections you face. You can also reduce reactance and oscillation or the back and forth on a decision. Stories will come to play before you need them.  You will want to have some well thought out stories of how you helped people. The stories can be based upon: Psychological Physical Business Life There is a risk to a low price in sales  Think through the reasons why risk vs reward is important. What are all of the risks when someone only buys on price? When people solely buy at a loser price their reward is the cheap price, their risk may be high but they are willing to take it. If someone goes with a full offer company the risk may be that they pay too much, the reward is the warranties and guarantees put in place. Tough questions to ask yourself about risk vs reward in sales  Here are a few questions to think about when it comes to dealing with the reward of purchases as well as risk. These questions could be asked about your buyers: How many of the objections you have had over the last 90 days have happened because the buyer felt like they had more risk than reward? How much of your presentation deals with the risks alternative options have? How much of your presentations counters with the true rewards you have to offer that nobody else does? How many deals have you lost because your competition has better risk reversal and are not afraid to use it? What company takes your lunch money, not because of skill but because of expression of risk reversal? How many deals could you have sold for more if you had better risk reversal? What is the best risk reversal in your industry? Whats the best risk reversal you have ever heard of You can close deals with outcomes The objections you face may not be about “the money” it could be about the risk. There are image issues when someone makes a bad purchase. There are people who can be harmed in a company with a poor decision. Risk of implementing and failure Risk of using relational capital in meetings - Risk of going too fast  Risk of shame in front of a team or owner for a bad decision Rewards from making the right decision  Rewards on the other hand can be the dopamine rush people are looking for.  Savings that come from the product or service Speed of implementation and fixes The ability to get someone out of a pickle The fear in business is making a mistake, to be judged by others, or to be harmed. The truth is there isn't 100% indemnity from mistakes. You have to be able to help your buyer explicitly see their risk vs reward: Guarantees – meant to help people reduce their risk Warranties – Meant to help people reduce their risk Reputation – Meant to help people reduce their risk Nothing works 100% of the time. You have to be able to show your buyer why they are “safe” you may not be able to use that word, you can convey it. You sell how you buy and risk vs reward in sales  Your personal life is part of your business life.  You sell how you buy and if you need all sorts of risk reversal to make a purchase you will push this idea hard in the sales process. If you don't need risk reversal you may skip over it.    In your own life look at how you evaluate your own risk and reward Look for places where you got upset about a deal or a struggle and map out why Look at other peoples offers Specifically, search for guarantees and warranties – look at where they are weak and where they are strong – how would you modify them Study strategies from others – read books about deals How to understand risk vs reward to close more deals If you really want to understand what your buyer faces you can map it out. There are 2 steps here to get you going. First, make a list of all of the risks your buyer faces when they make a purchase. Second, make a list of all of the ways you take care of those risk factors and fears.  Keep track of the questions you get in presentations – if you are new ask a closer / pay a closer / role play with a closer List them out in order of priority You have to know them – you don't have to put all of them in your presentation use the 80/20 rule You have to script out all of the concerns in order of what could be asked You may have to group source this and talk through it You may have to practice answering the questions / concerns / risks Practice in front of closers Take your script and have the most doubtful person try to poke holes in it Questions to end on You can do this short exercise in order to understand risk and reward better. There are a few questions about listening to this episode: What was the risk of listening to this episode  What is the risk of not taking some action in your presentation  How do you bridge the gap from what you heard to take action  How your competition can be left to deal with risk vs reward in sales  You can explicitly talk about risk vs reward with your buyers and put the onus of work on your competition. You can point out problems your competition has and explain the risk using the work "risk". You can get the buyer discussing their problems with the purchase to make it more powerful. 

How to keep going when you want to quit sales  All salespeople hit a wall in their careers. The thoughts of wanting to quit is normal. Sales is not easy, especially in the begining. You go through ups and downs throughout the time you sell. These spots can be a high or a low. Sometimes it feels like a low all of the time. You will feel like nobody understands what you are going through. The pains you face don't seem right and quitting feels like the correct option.  What the pros say about tough spots in life When you talk to Drs, therapists, and health professionals they will all tell you something different. In the end, you will have to do what is right for you and what gives you momentum. Some will tell you that you need to live through the situation instead of speeding through it, you may hear that you have to be gentle with yourself and even to do the work and not complain.  Books to read when you want to quit sales  There are books on every topic these days. Some are helpful and some are not. When you find a good book on a topic you may want to read it a few times. Here are three books you can read if you are struggling with your want to be in sales or even business:  Todd Herman - The Alter Ego Effect Victor Frankle – Man's search for meaning Norman Cousins – Anatomy of an illness  Concepts meant to help you stay in sales  Tony Robbins says "Success is 20% skill and 80% psychological" if this is true then what you think about yourself matters. This also implies you will need to improve the way you think. A little background for validation for wanting to quit: We all hit a wall We all have doubts We all have fears There are things that happen to us because of ourselves There are things that happen for reasons out of our control There is a point where it can get to you It can be a small little bit in the back of your head or a huge one Its possible to be overwhelmed, scared, worried, upset, angry, and even stressed out What you decide to do with it is what matters Some of this is normal life and some of it isn't Emotional feelings and problems in life can drain your energy What we tell ourselves matters The people you choose to have in your life matter  At some point, you will need to remove the people in your personal life that don't support you. There are people in your business life that beat you down. Those who beat you down could be other salespeople, your management, or your ownership. If you are being mentally abused you will want to take some sort of healthy action. You may need to get new tools, help and even better support.  Get your sales momentum back  Your fears and problems can be multiplied by those around you, when that happens you keep going. When you are at the bottom it feels like there can be no way out, keep going. Sales can be tough, difficult, and even stressful. There are times where the conversation about quitting feels good. The challenge for you is you can talk yourself into quiting.  How people deal with wanting to quit sales  At the end of the day, it is your choice of what to do about your sales job. There are only so many options you have and moves you can make. This will all come down to a decision for you.  Once you hear your problems and concerns are valid then what?  You keep talking about them You move on and bury them You move on while talking about them The framework for success in sales  What you intake in your life matters. This is food, thoughts, content, and even relationships you have. You can ensure proper mental intake from what you watch, read and listen to. One suggestion is to start your day with motivational mornings. This means you start with listening to people who get you motivated. There are multiple people you can add to this list: Steve Harvey  Les Brown  ET The Hip Hop Preacher  Tony Robbins The list is endless, your goal is to find someone who resonates with you. You may have to listen to and watch quite a few people for the energy to feel right.  Your internal thoughts matter You may feel that if you talk to someone you could be broken. If you share your problems you may feel broken. What you need to know is there is a reason why you can reach out for professional help. When you share your problems you are not weak. There is a saying and it is "Where focus goes energy flows". Where are you placing your energy? Who are you talking to? How are you getting help? What help are you avoiding? It may help you to get these thoughts and feelings off your chest. You may want to consider talking to a professional to help guide you through your problems, your pains, and your issues.    Possible steps for you to keep going when you want to quit There are multiple actions or steps you can take when you want to quit. You will want to choose what works for you and your situation.  Ignore the problem and hope it goes away  Look at the gap or where you started and where you are now  Goal post-game – break the goal into small steps  Find what motivates you whether movies, podcasts, books, preachers or anything else.  3x5 index cards with your goals to be constantly reviewed  Find people in your life that will support you whether online or in real life  Look for what's funny about this situation - Dr Sean Stehenson  You can think "This isn't the weirdest thing that has ever happened to me" Find ways to laugh and have a good time  The struggles you face in sales and business are real. If you feel stuck please find some professional help.  ***I am not a licensed health professional, if you feel that is what you need that is what you should search out. 

The problem with shame from sales  The emotions nobody wants to talk about are the ones you should. Everyone wants you to close deals and you want to be a closer but we have to talk about side products, bi-products of the sales process. These conversations are what you may think but are scared to say. Shame comes from internal issues and problems, conversations with salespeople and even professional therapists. Shame can come from the feelings you feel about yourself and the events that take place. Your personal life affects your business life more than you know. Shame and sales problems  You can look at multiple definitions of the word "shame" you will find a common thread. This can be internal guilt you have after an event. Lookup multiple definitions and you get something along the lines of: Wrong or foolish behavior Regret, self hate, and dishonor Deep shame comes from regret and rejection. Shame from sales comes from the belief of judgment from not just others, but yourself. Embarrassment and or humiliation may be at play when you feel shame in after the sales process. Tough conversation and possibly an emotional one as well. Shame is one level deeper than rejection, this is the underpinnings of the rejection and what happens after. Rejection and shame  Rejection in sales presentations and after-sales presentations can lead to shame. You use the formula for rejection time, effort, energy, risk, money or reputation. Reputation is targeted here because it is easiest to trigger the feeling of shame. Some of the feelings you face after rejection is pre-programmed from being a kid or events that have happened in your life. If you were bullied, made fun of or even pushed hard as a child shame can be triggered easily. You get caught up in routines and past behavior.  Feelings of shame after not closing a deal Shame can be triggered in and after the sales process. The feelings you have when you don't succeed are those of: Loss Loneliness – nobody can understand this Anxiety – When will this happen, its not working right now Frustration – I have put in so much work and or effort Internal doubt – What's wrong with me? Shame – I don't want people to know I am not closing right now How shame and disappointment trigger each other If you had a strict upbringing the shame can come from a lack of performance. If you had someone pay for your training, help you get to where you are, the shame can come from letting someone down. You can have projected disappointment by not fulfilling your promises to a company. Disappointment from others can be real or it can be that you believe they will be upset or disappointed with you. Sometimes salespeople and even professionals get shame and rejection confused. Here are the common emotions you can face with shame: Fear Uncertainty Guilt Nervousness Despair Anxiety Humiliation These feelings can hurt sales flows and progress when not dealt with. When you don't close deals we have so much riding on the line. It's not just money it's your personal image on the line as well. This is who you are personally and professionally. You can start questioning yourself with questions like:  What did I do wrong Why am I broken I cant do this I will never make it I will not be loved Why shame in sales is so hard  Shame is a hard topic most people don't really want to get into, this is taboo for so many reasons. 10 years ago nobody wanted to talk about shame in sales and shame from not closing deals. Today the conversation about shame in sales is easier. There are common things salespeople do when they face shame: They hide They binge eat The drink They do drugs They gamble They go into party mode The loss of confidence and shame  Deep down inside salespeople want not just the dopamine of a closed deal, they want the respect of others including salespeople. This makes sense why salespeople hide when they don't close deals, they don't want to show they have the shame of not closing deals. There is a risk to be made fun of, torn down, and to be talked down to. True closers build those up around them. There is a difference between Closers with capital "C" and closers with a lower case "c".  You will want to decide the type of people you want on your side. Closers with a lower case “c” tear people down, try to destroy others and are generally not pleasing people to be around.  Shame and closers in sales  Closers with a capital "C" know the feeling of not closing the deal. It takes tons of appointments to get used to the process. It's hard to get there over time without the emotions of loss getting in the way. Shame is part of the game. It's hard to tell you there isn't. It's hard to live through the tough emotions in sales.  How to get past shame in sales  Some of these ideas about shame will not be the thing that helps you sleep at night. Some of these solutions require hard work and effort. Some of these sales solutions are nice and flowery. Know you are a salesperson and part of the game is the ups and downs. You must be willing to put in the hard work. If you are really struggling with sales because of shame, get some help from therapists, coaches, and or mentoring: Keep a journal Know you are an amazing person, you are willing to do what so many people are scared of (the greatest fear most people have is all around talking in front of people) be gracious on and about yourself.  Fall in love  Have a hobby outside of work Take vacation Save money  The dark dark side of sales You can face shame in sales from making bad decisions, selling the wrong thing or even from selling the wrong item. You can face shame from evil deeds. You may tell yourself "I should haven't used that tool to close a deal". You know when you have done wrong. Shame in sales can come from not working for or with the best or selling the best. This feeling of shame in sales can touch on: Imposter syndrome Rejection Past fears from life Worried about being exposed for something you are not Anxiety Low self-esteem Depression If you feel like you are stuck please get help from someone, a professional, and find someone to talk to.

Why a structured sales processes help you close deal Flying by the seat of your pants nets nothing except frustration. Your clients know what you are doing, they feel it.  Your buyer deserves your best effort. If you really want long-term success in sales you need a system. Consistency in sales only happens what you have a solid game plan.  The power of structured sales processes  Masterful presentations demand attention, you get out what you put in. You may hate the structure, it really gives you freedom. There is a common pattern where newer salespeople push against the process because they think it's the process not closing the deal – in all realities the sales presentation isn't that good or prepped. Secrets of sales success  Top salespeople use a consistent process that they built or had someone build for them. You may hear the phrase “It's not a sales call it's a performance”. If you need a generic formula to a sales presentation here it is: Mind Prep – get in the game Intro – there is all sorts of work in here, positioning, priming, frame control Rapport – masterful stories are used here Agenda – Control, assertion, and future pacing – If we can't get to a budget there is no reason to be here Discovery – Pain, problem, pleasure / budget / commitment – 1 of these 3 is missing and the sale doesn't happen - Presentation – Refer back to the discovery Objections – this really happens through the whole call – buyers feel the hammer coming Closing – Asking for the sale How to build a powerful sales presentation  You will want to figure out your game plan. You may need to ask yourself some tough questions about what you are doing:  What format are you using? What questions are you asking? How consistent is your process? You will want to map out what your sales process is and then find a way to stick to it, with everyone. If you do need to make changes make them when you are on top and make them slowly. Why people panic in sales: They feel like the constraints are holding them back They fly by the seat of their pants to speed up the sales process They are not making the money The quit just before they get good What you can do Find a solid presentation for your industry Practice it a bunch of times – practice with purpose Get used to saying things over and over again Be willing to get used to a boring conversation that you make interesting

Reframing rejection in sales  Rejection is a common conversation in the sales world, most salespeople are not ready to dig in and have the tough conversation. There are sales trainers and sales managers not prepared to discuss what salespeople go through. As a salesperson, you should always be willing to increase your knowledge in and around rejection.  Your need for approval can lead to rejection  Deep down inside we all want approval from someone. You can want approval from people you know and even people you have never met. This "need" for approval can amplify you feelings around rejections. You may find yourself in a state of panic from not having deals closed because of a lack of approval. Who are you looking for approval from: Friends Family Co-workers Coaches / mentors The world Your search for approval from strangers  You may be searching for approval from strangers and not even know it. This approval can feel like a dopamine rush. Rejection from sales is real and rejection in sales hurts. If you look for the ability to beat the feelings of rejection you need to know the formula for it. There are 6 elements to the feeling of rejeciton: Time Effort Energy Risk Money Reputation What you need to know is the formula for rejection is also the formula for regret when action isn't taken. Shame plays a part in the sales process as well. When you have shame you ignore others and forget to ask for help. You have to be able to reframe what you are going through. You get rejected all of the time and don't think about it: Stop lights Grocery store Specials / sell outs / discontinued items You don't put weight to these items, its part of life, there is no real consequence for getting the rejection. Other industries face rejection all of the time  Look to other professions and services when trying to see who else faces rejection. There are multiple people and or industries that face just as much or more rejection as sales. There are professionals that get eviscerated by producers: Dancers – broadway / Vegas Actors Musicians A good movie to watch about the abuses from coaches and rejection is Whiplash. Part of your sales mindset matters when closing deals and overcoming rejection. You meet with a buyer and you perform.  It's not a sales call it's a performance is a good way to think about this.  When you put in the effort not hearing back from your the buyer can hurt. It's about the accolades we get from friends and family members. You are vulnerable to a phantom critique because you got ghosted. Rejection can hurt more than most people know.  Rejection is part of sales and always will be  When you meet with a buyer you are putting it all on the line for 1 or 2 words of approval, this is a disproportionate amount of work for the most part… at least from your view. The buyer has risks as well.  We all have someone we answer to, they have an agenda. If you are struggling in your personal life professional rejection hurts When you are not making money professional rejection hurts If you have emotional issues professional rejection hurts If you need approval from others in the form of a closed deal-professional rejection hurts Love and request can lead to rejection  In the business world, buyers adopt a protective device and its to be hard on salespeople, this is a defense mechanism for their role as a buyer – some noncommercial buyers do this and you need to see it for what it is. Things you can watch rejection in real time / sort of Live sales presentations Guys hitting on women Shark tank The voice / Americas got talent / American Idol – Similar shows Ways you can get past rejection: Get help from a pro Talk to someone Keep a journal Know that there is a learning process to sales Get some exercise Go and laugh – watch 2 – 5 minutes of comedy before and after a sales call Donate time to a charity The reframes: You will need to reframe rejection. "This is what I do" becomes a mantra. Average salespeople get 1:3, good salespeople get 1:1 and closers get 75% of their deals. It's all about the work you put in / you get what you put in – practice, work, reading, role play, classes.   

The power of learning how to be assertive in sales  To take your sales skills to the next level you will need to learn how to communicate better. Being assertive in sales is one way for you to move towards being a closer. You have to learn your own path and process. You can take and model what you learn but you will need to expand your zone.  How to stand up for yourself in sales  You must learn how to stand up for yourself in sales and not get pushed around. The people who meet with you need to see you have a direction to your process, you will say what you need to and you can deliver content to them. You must learn how to take comfortable control. What you need to know is this idea can be controversial. Some sales training concepts are anti-sales as some scripts and word tracks will get you in trouble. How to build powerful scripts in sales  You must be careful with your scripts. It's a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr hyde when you are building rapport and then you go on the script. You have to learn how to meld the 2 concepts of your ideas and your words.  You have to get good with a script first so you can become you as a salesperson. Most salespeople never ever realize the personalization happens after you become comfortable with the sales process. The way the world works conversation  If you were going to look towards an idea or concept around this process it is the "This is the way the world works" conversation. You may even use a phrase like "I gotta set the record straight" You have a friend that says what they are thinking. Sometimes what the person says is very elegant and sometimes the people we know are very gruff. When you meet with people they want to know they are being told the truth. Sometimes people say they want the truth but they also cant handle it. Why new salespeople struggle with being assertive  New salespeople don't know what to say or what to do. New salespeople don't have their sea legs under them. New salespeople don't have enough experience. What you think sales is may or may not be true, in fact, you can be 180 degrees off.  – when I first looked at Sandler-type sales in the 2006 – 2008 era it made me uncomfortable. The more closers I was around the more I adopted their conversational flow You never know who is going to have an impact on you Coworkers  Trainers Friends  Industry leaders  Enemies  People don't want to be lied to and they want to be told the truth. People want to be the bold guy or girl and say what they are thinking and admire those who are masterful at it. You can use the framework"I want to make sure you understand I am not saying to be a jerk". In order to be assertive in sales, you have to learn how to disassociate from being friendly and saying what needs to be said.  You can make an agreement with buyers  “I really don't know how to sugar coat, I will give you the good and the bad and if that isn't going to work you will need to let me know”. The thing is if you say these phrases it better be accurate. This is a shot across the bow early on in a conversation, it's positioning, its priming.    When someone makes a request that doesn't work, you have to know how to shut them down: Yeah, that's not going to happen (because) Most salespeople are supplicant and will beg for the deal. You have to be able to deliver powerful messages using your personality. If you don't like how someone else says it, figure out how to use it as a framework.   Your gameplan Look for the people you list out and look up to. Be willing to have tough conversations in your real life. You can spend people who say it like it is. There is a whole generation of people like this. It's not about being mean or abusive to others. Your confidence in what you say matters – you gotta get the skills to sell and deliver information. Take improv classes to get used to the timing

Why I spend so much time putting content together This episode may sound like its all about me, its not. I have to share my experiences to build the road map. This isn't a cheesy covert hypnosis or inception all about myself. With 2600 YouTube videos and nearly 200 podcasts episodes, you have to know I have an agenda. Every chance I talk I get to refine my content, my thoughts, and my skills. How my past helped me build content  I was made fun of relentlessly for my speech problem as well as my weight. I was told to be quiet my whole life. When I started in sales there was not the level of coaching, youtube, podcasts, or blogs as prolific as they are now. If you are just getting into sales you have more content available to you to choose from. The building of content is a reminder for me of a path, a digital journal of sorts. How my content creation process was jumpstarted and why it matters  In 2014 my house was broken into and I was in a slump. This was the time that the ice bucket challenge. In May 2014 the conversation and viral video process was really amplified. Deb Cole @coachdeb challenged me to create content. I went for 100 days in a row adding videos to YouTube. I was told that the skill of being in front of a camera or video would work out for me. I added 2600 pieces of content to YouTube over time. In March of 2020 the Pandemic made Zoom videos prolific.  My extra reason why for creating content   It's my hope that an episode will help someone who is struggling. The feel of a bottomless pit is real and it's scary. I want to leave a legacy of my journey and how to help others. Not everyone wakes up with killer confidence. Some people have to work at it, I have my moments. Some days I am superman and some days… I just don't have it.   How content creation helps me  Refined ideas and thoughts equals wisdom when done properly. I drive for hours sometimes talking into a headset or microphone to refine, shape, and shift a concept. Teaching content allows for you to command control of your ideas – a few people have told me that my recall skills are unparalleled for various topics – it's because I have internalized the thoughts and beliefs. I look for concepts, correlations, questions, hypotheses, and patterns. I build out note guides for other people to help me remember – I have done this for multiple courses or events. At the end of the day, it makes it easier for people to find me Content creation is bragging rights  There are not many people who have as much content online as I do. There are a few people who have more. There is so much bad advice out there.  I can think of a few people I have zero respect for that think they can train. I put things out there to counter their bad content. The challenge for you is to come up with 10 pieces of content. You also need to be interviewed. When you get interviewed you are the expert.    

5 Sings of being in a toxic sales environment You can start working at a company and everything is fine. Over time the office can go sideways. You need to know what to do when your company becomes unethical. The company may have been great before but then they change. There is a point where some companies become toxic. This is a process and evolution of a business. Sometimes the change happens overnight, sometimes it happens over time and sometimes you didn't see the signs. Why toxic business environments start: Profits were weak the previous year An old manager is fired – average time on a job is 3-5 years The company is being prepped to be sold Bad professional advice Management can encompass managers, owners, and even new owners. These issues can happen with people you know and people you have never met.  Management or ownership is abusive to employees: The way employees or other managers are treated is like hazing, some managers treat the employees poorly Management plays games to get people to purposely quit instead of doing the adult thing and asks the person to leave – this happens to salespeople Outside vendors are allowed to treat employees poorly New managers are trying to prove their power Old managers are trying to keep their job and appease the new managers / owners Management or ownership pushes for the wrong thing to be done: All the standards and the “norms” are no longer followed New management brings in their squad Management is opportunistic Management and ownership sour to salespeople and highly skilled staff Salespeople are called names and treated poorly Long term employees are ushered out, they know the lay of the land and know where all of the “bodies are hidden” The 3 bounce – when someone is moved 3 times in an organization it's the kiss of death – pay attention to if this is you Management builds teams Poorly skilled managers are always looking at the “my team vs your team” scenario. They take sides and want you to pick one Sometimes its pick a side or get out – you have to read the subtext Management plays with the commission structure Commission structures are played with Your money and or bonuses are never paid out Your game plan At some point these games are going to be played with you: Here are 5 things you can do to prep Create your own authority site and content and let your buyers know you have done this Constantly evolve your skills so you can sell anything Build your resume and keep one handy Foster relationships with vendors as well as managers from other organizations Be willing to leave when things go bad – if you are a closer you are the prize, someone will love you somewhere else

7 skills all closers have  There are common traits of salespeople in all sorts of industries. When you take a look at styles and skills here are some of the places you can learn from: In home sales Commercial sales  Real estate sales  SaaS sales  Car sales Enterprise sales  Phone sales These are the 7 traits closers have. If you look long enough you may find different ideas. You can build out your own list or concepts. You can take and compare notes for what you find. Watch other salespeople and see what you would come up with or if you would use the same list. The top traits of closers When you look at the skills and the talents closer have you can then duplicate them. In NLP this would be modeling. You copy somewhat the things you see and duplicate them. You then evaluate where your skills and capabilities are. You must be willing to dig in and ask if they are the real things you feel or if they feel fake.  7 traits of top salespeople  These traits are for the most part in order of the presentation you will give. It doesn't matter the industry you are in or the product you sell. These 7 traits of closers are universal.  Self-image – this is what they think about themselves. Their confidence, their aura in a room. Delivery – how they talk, communication, and interaction with the person or the people they meet with. Delivery happens from the moment a salesperson walks into a door to the time the sales call ends. Timing – study comedy = improv classes Rapport – this is all about how they connect with the person or the people they are meeting with. Rapport is the feeling of being similar Questions – Questions, and stories are in my mind are the 2 most powerful forms of communication. Most top salespeople can flip an idea with a question “is it possible” “its impossible unless – they turn the tables on buyers Presentation – this is how they talk to people in the presentation, how they explain what they offer and how they talk through their offer. This is narration, this is conversation and this is story. Objections – How they deal with the problems the buyer has – the calmness, the walk into the fire belief Negotiation – What they do to get the deal closed, how they get the buyer to the horizon The traits to target to be a closer  If you are struggling look at how much rapport you are building. If you want to target a skill to increase your closing rate look at the questions you are asking. Make a list of all of the questions you know and be willing to add to them. The one place you can start is to learn how to deal with difficult people and or buyers. Learn to deal with the worst of the worst, this makes it so much easier to deal with anyone.  The 8th trait of top closers  If there was a bonus skill that was needed for closing it would be critical thinking. This skill is a combination between questions and correlation. You do want to get better at looking at cause and effect. You can utilize follow up questions to get better answer as well.     

What to do when you lose a sale or a deal This is a hidden conversation in sales to the extent most people can't answer it properly. What happens internally to you when you can't close a deal or you lost a sale. Nobody talks about this because they don't know how to fix your problems. When you take the time to commit to fixing the issues you will get further in sales. You must be willing to answer tough questions and be accountable to someone.  How to pinpoint a lost sale or deal  There are plenty of places you can be influenced from to be a better closer. These ideas and concepts have come from therapy, other closers, notes, and well as conversations with salespeople who lost deals. Most sales trainers will say keep going and not give ways to fix your problems.  Rejection in sales is normal and part of what you do  When you look at sales rejection is part of the industry. Rejection is supposed to happen in sales. You are supposed to get better over time. Great sales trainers and coaches use their experience as well as others to help you with guidance. Even though rejection is normal yet it can hurt and does have lasting effects. Your problems with rejection are compounded by your personal life. When you lose a deal you can look at what's going on in your life. You want to treat this information like a puzzle. Are there correlations to the problems you are having with closing deals? The formula for rejection and regret   If there was an overall formula for rejection and even regret it would be time, effort, energy, risk, money, or reputation. We all want to look good in front of others. You question your skills, your talents and your capabilities. When you are closing you have better relevancy internally. When you are not closing deals you will search for the approval of others.  The enemy in sales is rejection As you get better at sales your closing rate increases. Rejection happens 2x more than success for most salespeople. Closers get closer to 1:1 for rejection and closed deals in most industries. The best of the best closers have roughly a 25% chance of failure. 66% closing rate, 50% closing rate, and 33% closing rate are the targets for you. These are the three stages of sales sort to speak. Why routines matter in sales  Routines matter, what you say to yourself matters, what you do when you lose a deal matters. It's easy to blame others and when you do you lose control. Its easy to want to push aside what really happened and focus on other people or outside circumstances. There are times where its 100% your fault and a few times there is something from the outside. Questions in sales and closing deals  You have to get good at asking questions. Jim Camp had a process called 3+. Jim was able to use this technique in his discovery process. When you ask a question 3 different ways you can find answers people didn't think they would give you. There is a point where you are beyond training and have to put in the work. You can only practice so much and then you have to put into action.  The questions to ask yourself when you lose a deal The hard part of losing a deal is what most salespeople don't want to face. You really have to look inside and ask the tough questions about yourself and your skills: How did you prepare? What questions did you ask in the presentation - What rebuttals did you use? What objections did you not call out early on – you stop a presentation instead of letting the idea reverberate “I get the sense” I get the feel”, “Maybe you can help me out here” target feelings emotions - You ask for the sale  You overcome objections - You win or you lose The 4321 sales process framework  When you organize your thoughts is makes it easier to pinpoint the loss of a deal. This doesn't take away the feelings of grief or even magically make things better. You can get a sense over 10 calls where you are really struggling.  4 things that went right 3 things that were ok 2 things you struggled with 1 thing you completely failed on The end goal is to look at what went right more than wrong. You don't bounce around. You find the things you are getting right first, this is the opposite of negative You can go to: Howtosell.live/4321 and get your cheat sheet.  How to determine if you met with the decision-maker There are times when you lose a deal because you didn't do enough or even pinpoint where the potholes are for the buyer. When you meet with a person to make a sale you need three items to be complete: 1. A pain, risk, problem or pleasure 2. A budget 3. A timeframe or commitment If you are missing any one of these three you will more than likely lose out on a deal. 

Would sales be a good career for me? A common phrase that comes up in Google is "Is sales a good career to get started in". This is something sales trainers and sales experts get asked as well. Know that sales is a great service to be involved with. You get to help people with problems and issues they face.  Common fears about sales  There is always the fear about taking advantage of people – you don't have to do this Living on commission Asking for the sale What you get to take with you for life. When you know how to sell, you get whatever you want.  How to ask for what you want Negotiation Better confidence Ability to speak in front of a crowd Talk yourself out of stations Up your income You get a better understanding of people Sales is a great career, you can move to different positions and or locations: Industries Services Locations Systematized sales processes can be used in multiple locations. Here is what you may have to put up with: The learning curve Management - Product changes - No set or guaranteed pay – there is the opposite and a huge upside Unethical people Who sales is not for Liars, cheats and frauds – they will always be in the industry (that's the list) 3% Where can you learn Network marketing (MLM) Start small think in terms of a low dollar item Look a place good reputation 2nd party sales – garage sales, FB market, craigslist Focus -

Overcoming your money fears in sales  Most fears of rejection come in around money. You may be the cause of objections with your buyer. You have to be willing to ask for what you want in sales and that includes money.  Salespeople who don't make money tend to make decisions for the buyer. If you wanted to look for a similar type of energy this can be compared to asking someone out on a date.  You sell how you buy  You sell how you buy or you buy how you sell really is your operating system. If you had pre-sales programming this is it. Your own internal money fears create your objections. You literally talk yourself into your greatest fears. Your buyers feel your fears, your buyers know your fears. Buyers hear it in your voice and it betrays you.    Price reluctancy in sales is real   You talk circles around your fears. Kids talk circles around things they want or people they are interested in. Salespeople may tell themselves "I don't want to ask the buyer, the client or otherwise for that much money". Salespeople can build too much rapport to avoid getting to the money. Salespeople can ask endless questions to avoid getting to the money. Tips to get over money fears: Watch closers talk about “the money” See how its “just the money” with no real energy – it's factual Role play at 10x to 100x your cost. If its 10k role play at 100k etc Role play saying price 100 times Be willing to talk about money early on Be willing to talk about money a few times in the sales process You can price condition – number, phrase, color – hypnotists do this You can use phrases like “I don't want to spend all of your money, I just want to spend some of it” – focus Can we agree early on that I share with you what you need – yes, you might hear something that you were not expecting. If you need a 100K product ill let you know. If you need a 10k product Ill let you know. Im not scared to let you know what you really need. At the same time, ill let you know if there is something you don't. Place the blame for your own internal objections  To begin with its your fault if you are not closing deals. You can buy into messages from the buyer. You can get caught up in what others are doing. Some of this is the buyers' fault since they are nervous and you buy into it. Some of this is sales fault. This can come from bad sales training. You do have Homework, go watch other salespeople present.   

50 Killer questions for your sales process As a salesperson, you do have to get used to nervous energy, silence, and even pressure. Questions deliver all of these concepts and ideas. Whoever can ask the best questions can win. You should study books on questions. You should get good at interviewing as it will help your sales process. Questions and stories are the 2 most powerful forms of communication. You don't have to answer a question but you do have to think about it.  The downside of asking questions  You don't want your conversations and questions to be an Interrogation. When you ask questions, "how" and "what" questions are better than "why" questions. The fortune is in the follow-up, that is the fortune is in the follow-up question.  How to gather great sales questions  You can go to google and a whole bunch of sites and gather as many questions as you can. Look for the ones that you are comfortable with and the ones that make you uncomfortable. Look for ways to work in the uncomfortable ones. Some questions lead to conflict  When you are new to sales all questions are uncomfortable, especially under conflict. Some questions are out of bounds. Look for people to be your mentor whether they know it or not. 3x5 cards they are not just for objections they are also for role play. You can write the best questions on the cards to find the right way to ask them.  A list of great sales questions  Here are a bunch of questions to fit every type of personality, you may or may not like all of these. Pick and choose: Lock in – how committed is the person to this task Why did you decide to reach out What finally lead you to take action with your __________ (problem . issue) When you think about starting this conversation what got the ball rolling Pain, problem, risk, pleasure Probing / outcome – here is where salespeople don't put in the work, so I am giving you a bunch of them Could you share with me what lead to this conversation – story What got you started in this process? What have you tried so far that has worked What have you tried that hasn't worked What do you like about your product or service now? Why now, why today What are your short-term and long-term goals with this product or service? If there was only 1 problem I could solve for you, what would that one thing be? (magic wand variant) What are the must-have features for this project and what ones really don't matter? What criteria will you use to determine your __________ (vendor, product or service) What's important to you about the company you choose What is the ideal outcome you are looking for? - How much of a priority is this for you? The last time you made a decision like this, how was it made? – Will you be using that same process on this project?   Future based questions If we were to meet here a year from now what would help you say you made a good decision? If you look into the future a year from now what is your biggest opportunity with us, our product and or our service? What excites you most about working with us as we look to the future? When we do this work for you what concerns do you have for implementation? If we were to take care of this project for you what milestones would need to be met for you to find this project a success? When you take a look at your options what are the expectations you have for this product or service and would make you happy with the results?   Reversals This can be a stall question or a qualification question – this is a Sandler technique I am curious why you asked that right now Because? Share with me why that's important to you? I am not quite sure this is what you need, is this what you have been looking for? Follow up questions Can you explain that to me in another way I heard you say _________ can you expand upon that a little more I am a little confused by that answer can you share with me what you mean by that? How is that supposed to work out? Money / budget What kind of money do you have set aside for this project When we look at the budget for this were you thinking it was going to me $__________ or more In round numbers what are we looking for with a budget? Tell me when it hurst what number did you want to keep this under per month – JZ Timeline What's your timeline for implementation As we look at your timetable what markers do you have in place right now for this project? What kind of deadline are we working with?   Other decision-makers Who else needs to be involved in this process? Can you authorize a purchase like this? If I could do this right now and take care of this project who would need to sign off on it? Closing questions What do you think we should do What comes next? Are we going to do business together or not? - Which one fits your needs the best? When would you like delivery Do you want option a or b Cash or credit card? Referrals Who do you know that would like to get involved with? Who is the first person you think of when it comes to the same type of problems and issues that you have? Cutting through the clutter questions – pitch and tone matter I get the feeling something else here is going on, can you fill in the gaps for me At this point, all of my cards are on the table and I feel like you are still holding onto a few of your own, care to jump in here If I shared with you that I don't think you are really into me or this project would you agree with that statement Bonus quesitons  Upsells Don't stop at the initial sale – the resistance is gone Now that you have the best of __________ (product) would you like the insurance Can I share something else with you that would help you out? The extended warranty is only a few dollars more, which version works best for you?

How sales systems and processes help you close more deals  You listen to enough successful people it's all about systems and processes. This framework is used to get consistency in their life. You can look at interviews with billionaires and or highly successful people. They have a repetitious element for the most part. Most salespeople early on look at systems, processes, and routines as a detrement.  Systems and constraints  Look at management as a system even though there are constraints they help. Looking at the numbers is a system, using time is a system, setting up funnels is a system and having the right managers is a system. Look at how many systems are out there.  Some systems are better than others. Some systems are more difficult and time-consuming. You have to find the right ones to help you and push you. If you don't have a system and process you have one by default – not having a system is chaotic and sporadic.  Systems and processes are everywhere in sales  The commission structure is a good example of a system. This is all about steps and actions.  look for where you do well and struggle. Look for the places where you struggle that can have the most impact. You have to work towards consistency. It will difficult in the beginning, what you need to know is most people give up.  Why closers have systems in sales  When you watch closers in sales it doesn't look like they have a system. One of the most common concerns, when salespeople work with closers, is “it just feels like they are talking” that's a closers system. Most salespeople say they want the freedom of random presentations and then complain about the results they get.In the beginning, you do have to learn how to use scripts, word tracks, and stories until they become second nature. If you work out and you want the max results you have to have a system If you drive a race car you have to have a system for max results If you do your taxes you have to have a system for max results If you do a diet you have to have a system for max results How to figure out your system You do need to take the time to figure your system out. You may have to ask people for help t find your way.  Use one already built and stick to it Pay someone to build one for you Try to come up with one on your own The challenges are: We fight for autonomy We don't like constraints and being told what to do We get bored Without guided practice, we get off track A few examples of systems in your personal life – high examples : What time you get up - How you work out The food you eat How much sleep do you get The training  you are willing to take 

Why is sales so hard and why cant I just be a closer? The question of sales difficulty comes up often. This happens in all services and all industries. Sales is a business decathlon it's not just one event or topic it's multiple you have so many things to look at. The more expensive the item the more things to remember. Low ticket items are easy to sell, there is no real risk. The more the investment, the more the risk. As you start in your sales career you have to get the basics down.  How to get started in sales  Most salespeople find some sort of job start early. It can be mowing lawns, selling candy or even a paper route. If you are thinking of getting into sales you are going to get a glimpse of what it is like. If you have been in sales get ready to nod your head for a few reminders. Look at all of the things you need to know how to do when it comes to sales for bigger ticket items. As you look at the list of what you need to know it is overshadowed by the list of: Bad training / coaching Bad information  Poor implementation or becoming stagnant  Jon Benson uses the line "Its not your fault but now that you know its your responsibility". Find the best sales training you can pay for tat the time. Figure good sales training will make your money back at some point. You have to get good at figuring out skill and: Emotions Inadequacies Personal conflicts The right product for your buyer There are so many things to know, it's not just about personality and communication. You can work years to master these skills and always work to improve them. Here are the 10 items you must know how to do to be a master closer: Keep a strong mental state – this isn't always easy. Boundaries Deal with rejections – a pile of it and just when you think its done, you get more Put up with office politics – you have haters on the outside… haters on the inside. Some of your worst haters are managers that have never done sales Give a good presentation (content mastery) scripts, delivery, conversations, interruptions Ask questions and answer questions – getting good at knowing what to say and not to say Tell stories – good stories, emotional stories, sales stories. Know about the product, service, competition, rules – this is the in-depth knowledge that people cant have off the net or from a book – this is what you get paid for Overcome objections – you have 5 major objections for most industries and then their hybrids. It's not just the 5 major it's really a combination of 25. You have to get good with the base 5 Deal with delivery and timelines – you have to know when and where and also negotiate to make it happen with vendors, staff, and even legal issues. Deal with upset clients – not everything goes well Every one of these items could be an episode in itself. Every category could be broken down into more categories. Just in objections alone you can look at: 3 bids  Buying criteria  Personal beliefs 

Sales rep failure rate and sales failure reasons Being a salesperson can be weird. Most salespeople fail more than they close. Some salespeople want something they cant have early on. What the salespeople want is a career without failure.  Most industries have an average of 20 – 30% closing rates. This means 1/3 appointments are closed. The better salespeople are 2/3 sales deals closed. Getting past fear of failure  Failure is part of life. The more risks you take the more failure you can face. It's your job to fail often and figure out how to make things work. As you fail you are supposed to learn. There are a few ways for you to get past failure and the feeling of it: Take notes Fail, beyond the training Know that attempts are tests  Read biographies of successful people How to get through failure in sales  Salespeople can be seen as unusual.  Salespeople look at going into the fire, taking the bullets, and then running out with a client on their back. Plenty of people have a fear of not doing well in the face of adversity. People freak out about being told “no” but they don't know that the key to getting to the yes is figuring out what people don't want. Read “Start with no from Jim Camp” and Never split the difference from Chris Voss.  Getting through a sales slump  If you want to get to the next level in sales and or have success in business you can look at sales as a bell curve. You can become obsessive about routines and processes.  It's a closing rate measurement contest not who you are. The only way you can get better is by putting in the reps. The pattern for success in sales is this: New content – role play – fail – role play fail less – fail – role play – fail less – role play = comfort = close. The closing deal Framework How do you think and think about yourself? This question can be for your looks, your abilities, your skills and so much more. Your external belief in yourself has an impact on your sales process. The worse you feel about yourself the tougher it is to close deals.  7 rules of sales failure You must want to really close deals – opportunity in the future You must learn to be ok with failure and problems with losing deals You must be willing to look back at deals to dissect them You must be patient – you need You must see that in the long term sales is cyclical You must be ok with no as much as or more than yes He or she who asks, gets – you only get from life what you ask for The 7 skills closers have Self-image Rapport Presentation Questions Objections Negotiation Delivery   7 skills all closers have  

Everyone wants to be a closer until they have to put in the work  Every time you solve a problem you create a new one, this is true and life and business. This is a lesson you must understand. Once you get this sales does become easier. Sales failures and sales slumps are a normal part of the job. There are times where people say they want to be in sales and that they want to be a closer until they have to take aciton.  Different ways to think about sales  Think about this, you sell a product and or service and its new to the buyer. They know what life was like before they bought but they don't know what life is like after. You need to build comfort, consistency as well as commitment. Salespeople don't know how to do this, they think its all bout the price. You must be able to resolve the issues of the past, present, and future. You don't want to be an emotional punching bag for someone so they feel better without them taking action.  Tough conversations in sales  Tough conversations are something you must learn how to have. Most salespeople are scared or upset and or angry buyers. You must get past the worry and or fear of tough conversations with your buyers. Angry and upset people will still purchase goods and or services. You can have candid conversations with people about their fears and or worries.  Turn problems into opportunities in sales  Whatever "problem" your new product or service creates should have an opportunity to fix it.  Every problem should be looked at as an opportunity. Most salespeople get caught up on one side of the coin. Here are just some of the problems you can, will or may face. Other salespeople who are knuckleheads – they don't practice, they don't know their product, they sell on price, they call and dump on the closer, they need help with mommy or daddy close the deal. They have to deal with the office who doesn't care about deadlines, promises made – by all means they get paid by the hour and hate closers They get difficult clients – and close them - They have to answer questions – and do it well They have to close – and ask for the sale They have to deal with post close issues – products, services as well as logistics and or vendors They have to deal with paperwork – lots of deals = lots of paperwork They have to deal with upset clients – not everything goes right with set up, processes and delivery They have to deal with haters – show me a closer and I will show you a line of haters They have to deal with managers that don't get sales (accountants, HR and managers don't understand closers) office staff love pliable salespeople – they don't ask, they don't push and they don't get. Closers learn how to say what they are thinking in a way that's bold – it drives insecurity in others so it creates problems Walk sales into the horizon and the future  Not everyone has it in them to deal with what closers create, in fact managers say “why cant we go back to the way it used to be". Closers are future-facing and move forward. Closer know when they meet closers, closers also know when they meet posers. There is a feel to someone who can and will close deals. There is also a feel of those who cant. Its in their actions, their voice and their overall persona. Game recognize game. Everyone wants to be a closer until office politics Closers will say what they are thinking, they don't take crap from managers – they know they are the prize and can get a new job now (they take the arrows in sales meetings and don't care)

The only shortcut in sales and business is hard work There are no shortcuts in sales except the work you put in. Sure on a Wednesday on a full moon where you stub your toe getting out of bed there may be an exception. Some training isn't quick, its slow. You have to put in the repetitions. There isn't such a thing as instant learning. Everyone learns at a different pace, some people may be faster or slower than you. Your learning comes from your life experiences.  You must put in the hard work to learn how to sell  It's all about the reps you put in. You have to get multiple items down in order to sell. Sales is like a business decathlon. You have multiple items you must get good at. In Happy Gilmore its said "Its all about the hips “go with it, feel the flow”. In sales its about taking a path of learning what needs to be done to close the sale.  Momentum in sales takes effort  You have to put in the effort to make gains. Most salespeople say that they want to close deals but they don't want to put in the work. You will have wins and you will have losses – as you grow the losses are more than the wins. There will be a flipping point where the wins are greater than the losses. Natural talent isn't normal, it actually hurts naturally talented people more to fix. Anyone who sells an instant fix isn't really telling you the whole truth. You can train for a weekend, your sales pump up and then go down. It's all about the repeittion.  Why you must use a sales system  What system are you using? How is your system working for you? Do you do the same thing every time? What do you tell yourself? How is the conversation going in your head? How committed are you to your own personal improvement? These are just a few questions you could ask yourself to get going. You dont want to be a graduate of the: Wild E coyote school of sales George Costanza school of business Negative content and the positive rebound Its you against you first in sales, it's you against everyone else second. Who cares what other people are doing? if they are liars, cheats, or frauds it will catch up to them at their worst moment, it's not your worry or your reputation. It sucks when you are at the bottom looking up and it seems impossible.  Dr. Alan Baranrd likes to use the phrase "it's impossible unless". How can you use this phrase to your advantage? You can look to movies for inspiration. In Batman Returns Bane threw Bruce Wayne in the deep hole. Bruce Wayne had to decide he was going to get out. The hard work in sales  If you really want to make an impact in sales you can start with consuming positive content. You will also want to Role play not just a little but a ton. You can encourage others as it costs you nothing and opens up new receptors in your brain. Gratitude is one thing you can do as well you can start with a gratitude journal.  Coached failure is faster than learned failure  You can move faster with Coached failure get someone to help you do it better, faster and easier. You have to put in the work and the effort others are not willing to do. You will learn on your timetable and not others.  Be willing to do what others will not: Go online – buy courses Read books Interview experts  Keep track of your numbers       

Confidence in sales – the 7 steps of confidence There is a path, this isn't automatic, it takes time, energy, and effort. You must put in the hard work to be a closer in sales. This means you have to practice, drill and rehearse. Another way to say this is role play. Your personal life has an influence on your business life. Daily struggles can turn a closing streak into a losing streak. You can over time find your confidence and keep it until something knocks you off your feet.  Restore shaken confidence  Your confidence can get shaken. Your confidence will get shaken, this is part of personal and business life.  Losing confidence is normal and happens to everyone, it's how you deal with it. When you have confidence and when you lose confidence think through what you tell yourself and what you say to yourself.  You can model confidence  You can use an NLP technique and do what others have done. This "modeling" is a way for you to borrow the traits of those who are confident. Look at people who are confident, what do they do. You can model confidence by people watching wherever you go out and when you do things.  How to get your confidence back  There is a recovery period associated with The timetables for recovery are different for everyone. How you think about your wins and losses matters. The bigger the change in your life the larger the possibility of having shaken confidence: No sales – getting told no Sales slumps  Break up  Deaths Personal image issues Not hitting personal goals Feeling stagnant Losing something Being overweight Missing a deadline Why confidence in sales is so important Confident salespeople with a bad message cant sell. Someone with confidence and a strong message can sell anything. It is important to have confidence in the sales process. Here are 7 steps to confidence.  Choice – you get this choice. It's all about what you tell yourself Clear – You have to get clear on what you want Commitment – Once you know what you want you to have to make a commitment Capable – this comes from repetition Consistency – Repetition over and over again Certainty – When you are certain people around you know it Confidence – Confidence has a feeling Compound (Bonus) – This is a force multiplier – follow up 2nd greatest feeling iwn the word If you disagree how would you put the list in order, what would you change, how would you say it? What is your recipe?   Ways for you to grow your confidence It's you against you in sales first - Know there are haters that love to bring you down - What you intake matters – food and ideas books/ podcasts Exercise Read - Motivational content Encourage others – good job, keep going Stay away from negative people Make a journal of what you are thankful for – gratitude Awesomeness swipe file – episode 144

HTSS180 - How to find the best salespeople One of the most common questions business owners and managers ask is "How do I find the right salespeople". If this is the case for you then you must get clear on what you want from your sales team and your office. Most business owners and managers don't understand how important culture is with a thriving business.  Ethics in sales matter Make sure to get ethical salespeople. This must be non-negotiable. The best salespeople are always in demand. This is why you should do everything possible to increase your skills and talents. Training from companies is important as well to set the stage.  How to find top sales talent Make a list of the traits you want in your team. You will also want to make a list of the traits your team has. You will need to bridge the gap between the 2. It costs too much to hire the wrong person, it takes too long to recover from their mistakes as well as the leads lost. It's not just that you want to find salespeople, you want the people who are: Coachable Team players Able to ask for the sale Want to be in it for the long run – looking for a home You want ethics – quick wins are not always good wins – Car dealer that tried to hire me Working with the top salespeople Salespeople are a different breed, they like to compete, they can deal with rejection, and can be a little quirky to others. Top salespeople have an attitude and confidence that can be unsettling to others. Your office will complain about how top salespeople act and how much money they make.  Building a top-performing sales team  You can hire top salespeople talent When you hire top salespeople you reduce costs (closing rates increase bottom lines / look at marketing costs). Office managers hate how much top salespeople make – it bothers them Salespeople can become territorial Other salespeople will call top salespeople liars, cheats, and frauds. (You have to know that sometimes this is the truth – if you want to know check-in with clients – you can get the sales team to knock it off – it's the 80/20) You have to be the type of company a closer wants to work at – culture If you are a closer you are the prize – not the other way around – this hurts manger and business owners feelings when this idea is shared  You can build a top performing sales team  This takes time Look for people who will implement / Ask about failures in your interview process and what the person thinks about when they need to stop What have they done to increase their skills on their own - Look for industry standards – keep track of numbers You can buy a company to acquire a top-performing sales team  If you are really struggling to find top salespeople you can buy a company with a team in place. In some instances, it is easier to acquire a full team along with the management. This action has to be done correctly or it can create problems in the company.  Acquisition costs may be less They already know that they are doing When you get the management and team you may be able to bypass growing pains Instant momentum when done right (dumpster fire when done wrong) How to foster the sales team to win more  At the end of the day you can get your company to grow more. Its under proper management a sales team can grow consistently.   Get training schedule up and running Bottom level people will complain Allow for an opt out for closing rate Don't make everyone do push ups How to hire salespeople Define what you want (closer or someone to groom) You have to get good at the interview Order of operation – good salesperson first then people who are new – when possible Some people suck at the interview, some people don't Closers come with opportunities and problems Opportunities – deals get closed Opportunities – The office may not like closers Push back on the salesperson and ask for examples – scenarios and then give them “I wanna think about it” Know they top salespeople have three traits (good looking, social awkward and funny) Some people you have to see do some of the work – they don't interview well. Sometimes you have to look for a diamond in the rough How to keep salespeople Pay them for their work If you like them closing deals bonus them out (step up basis) give them a reason to stay Give them the resources they need Congratulate them when they do well, Give them a reason to talk trash - Have a good culture – this matters You can find the closers as well as the diamond in the roughs, you just have to be willing to look and do the work. 

The Sales Hack formula for coaching and training  There are hacks to sell more goods and better coaching. What you need to know this is hard work. Being in sales is not supposed to be easy. H.A.C.K. is an acronym for you to work from.  Most salespeople say they "want it" until they have to put in the hard work.  The failure rate in sales and closing deals  Most salespeople and entrepreneurs don't see the failure to success ratio (this is the number of times you fail vs the times you succeed). Most industries look at a 30% closing rate as good which means you fail 2x more than you succeed. You will have to take the hits to up that level. You need focus, skills, dedication, and a knowledge that failure isn't permanent unless you make it permanent.  Bad experiences in sales and business  As salespeople we have all been through bad experiences,  thank goodness you are looking to learn and improve. Correction in sales may lead to tough conversations. Sometimes you need to find a new coach because they cant help you. Salespeople may get their feelings hurt when they think coaching is what they want to hear and not what they need to hear. Sales coaching only works when you do. This explicitly means you must put in the work. You have to be willing to be uncomfortable, take the steps and implement.  Testing your process in sales  You can learn from the world of marketing,  test to see if something works and then reframe your position. You must get past the feeling of looking dumb, silly, or otherwise.  When you get coached you have to put in the actions. If you have had coaches you may have been corrected over time and been OK with it. You must have a good belief between coaching and success   The HACK formula for sales success  If you need a framework for sales success here is the acronym you can use: Help ask for it – At the end of the day it helps when you want the help Salespeople who have no skin in the game don't really end up doing anything with the training or coaching You have to be all in with the ask and be humbled You can ask someone at work, a manager or even hire someone Tough conversations are part of the ritual – sometimes you want to hear something and your are shown another way. Action This should be self-evident, not all salespeople think about this You will have to step out of your comfort zone It's going to be hard – you will have good times and bad times Coaching Coaching isn't always easy for the salesperson or the coach. You have to put in the effort and not just do the minimum There is time involved – which means there is risk for you A good coach is going to want for you to win and not just get paid Kick butt The process is all about calibration There is a time where things may seem slow you also have to build up to momentum There will be a point where you get stuck again and need to get the coaching or training – will probably evolve over time   How to pay for coaching and training in sales  If you want to get to the next level in sales you have 2 options. You can learn on your own and this process takes longer and can be costly. You can hire someone to show you what you need to know. Here are the ways you can get coaching: Save for it and pay for it  Ask someone to help you out  Trade and or barter for sales training  See if you can get someone to underwrite you and or pay for it  MIH - Make it happen 

7 basics of negotiation skills you must have  Basic negotiation is a need you must have in sales and business. You will find for some business owners and salespeople negotiation freaks them out. This means you have a huge opportunity to close more deals and make things happen. You have to be willing to learn how to negotiate with other people and or business owners.  Regret after negotiating a deal  You always walk away from deals thinking you could have done better, this is normal. You will get better with negotiation over time. Everyone could have done it better once you explain the deal. Monday morning quarterbacks are real once you share your side. You really can't pay attention to what others say after you do a deal.  Negotiation creates anxiety for others  You have to get over the anxiety and then put in the work. Your skills can only be improved from learning the negotiation process.  You will be beyond the book at some point. Roland Frasier shared this phrase and it's a perfect way to explain how negotiation works. Most people are not willing to put in the work and or the effort to close deals. If you just work for a few minutes a day you can get huge leverage.  The best books for negotiation  There are a few great books on negotiation. You will want to pick up Start With No from Jim Camp and Never Split the Difference from Chris Voss. These 2 books on negotiation will give you the skills and the knowledge you need to have a fundamental framework. These 2 authors can give you enough to get a jump start and then take action to get started.  The 7 basic negotiation skills you must have  Put in the work – know what you are looking for and what you are not looking for (it may come down to your data, comps, questions, and even examples). He who asks gets – you have to ask for what you want. There is a dance to negotiation – the back and forth – vocal pitch and tone, pace Everyone complains about price - All people are taught over time to complain about the price  You must remain calm – you can overplay your hand / you can come across as aggressive There is always another deal – You can get wrapped up in sunk costs fallacy, there are plenty of deals out there.  Have fun when negotiating – it's just a product or service     Negotiation basics you need to know  You must get to the point of negotiation. So many people never get here or they “have to think about it” out of fear of negotiation. There is typically small talk when people meet with you. Get started by selling on the 2nd hand market. You can use Facebook marketplace, Craigslist, or anything similar. You can start this by finding 10 things around your home that have some sort of value but no meaning to you.  How to visualize negotiation  If you would like a visual representation of negotiation you can draw a plus sign. North to south is more of something or less of something (product or money) – east to west is more time and less time. These quadrants that are created will cover about 80 - 90% of the items you will negotiate for. You can literally draw this out every time you get into a negotiation. You can get stuck on a quadrant and lose out or you can use it as a guide to get what you want.  Negotiation in sales Your buyer is nervous when you negotiate. Make the process really cool and really easy for the most part. There is power in remaining calm for yourself and for the people you meet with. There are elements where you do have to emotionally engage to help you get what you want. Most people don't want to deal with an aggressive negotiator, you use this emotion when you need it for emphasis. Most people have the fear of making a bad deal, paying too much or getting bad terms in their mind. How to renegotiate and save face There are times where deals need to be renegotiated. Buyers remorse sucks this isn't a reason to renegotiate. If you do have to go back and share there was a mistake made you can open the dialogue but before you do you must know your "reason why". This question is going to get asked by the people you meet with. Know that you can renegotiate deals, but the other group doesn't have to respond. It may be that you need to tell them the truth, they were too good and negotiated too well against you and your team. Communication in negotiation  Communication in negotiation will come down to questions, reason why, stories, ask for favors, and even having fun. You can fail by walking into the worst parts of negotiation: automatic or max level discounts - This puts you in a bad spot  Desperate - You will get taken advantage of or cause people to walk away  Terms / price - Know what you can do and have planned levels when possible    

Why am I struggling in sales Questions about struggles in sales are more common than you would know. When it comes to sales you have to know what is normal and what isn't. Finding yourself without closed leads can happen over time or it can happen quickly. Distractions are common, you have things going on in your life besides closing deals.  Sales is repetitive and so are struggles  You must get the reps in, it's just like going to the gym. You have to put in the work and the effort. There are cycles to sales, you do good and then you don't You have to get used to: Your presentation – Comedians go to small towns to work on their sets to get their timing right Your timing in the conversation and interactions with your buyer  Your comfort – the average salesperson takes 200 – 600 presentations to feel normal It took me 500 videos to get used to being in front of a camera Confidence is felt, heard, and spotted – On the spectrum so is a lack of confidence and arrogance What happens when you face emotional meltdown How you hold and keep your Attitude Why am I so bad at sales No preparation or lack of presentation to the buyer  No role-play or practice  No patience with people and their objections  Not putting a sale on the horizon – future pacing – if vs when (this takes 7-10 times) urgency. No networking with other salespeople and or closers No working with others to increase your sales skills.    Why is sales so difficult?   So many books say build rapport with your buyer. The problem is at some point rapport works against you and your process. Rapport can help you close deals and at the same time when you cross the line of interaction you end up hurting yourself. Yes, you do need to build rapport and interact with your buyer and you also need to have some tension in the sales process. You cant always agree with the buyer, you need surprise and you need tension.  Sell on price and die poor So many salespeople say raise the price to discount it. This doesn't require sales skills it requires a calculator to make something happen.  It's also common for salespeople to say to price match in order to close a deal. The problem with price matching and is that it becomes addictive. When you sell on price you will die poor. Comfort in sales   What they don't tell you is you need to be comfortable for the buyer to feel comfortable – the go-to move is rapport but fake rapport is felt. Most salespeople ask the questions that every other salesperson asks. There is not point and it feels like a routine. You can't just stay in the learning lane forever. There will be a point where you have to put in the work and the effort.  You will be beyond the book at some point, which means your skills and talents will have to increase over time. 

Costly Entrepreural mistakes I have made – please learn from them   As an Entrepreneur, I have made some mistakes over time. I am hoping that my mistakes will help you. Some of these have been very costly with time, energy, effort, risk or money. YOu have to look at the time you have vs the time you are spending on events.  Common mistakes made when growing  When listening to these mistakes you can take a look and do the opposite.  Trying to learn everything before moving forward isnt an option. There is a point where you are beyond the book. You do have to put in the action at some point and have it result in a profit.  If you are not using paid traffic you have a hobby and not a business – Todd Brown Not building a list like I should have Not maintaining Scottbellconsultant site Not creating articles on a consistent basis (podcasts as well) Doing more content creation than client acquisition Not building a Facebook group(s) Not networking enough Not partnering and or JV – its easier to work with the right partner (sometimes this doesn't work) Not automating faster – Calendly to quiz to video (etc) Not buying the right tool – doing it wrong has cost me way more than just buying the right app, service or consulting? Not getting into consulting sooner - Not multi-purposing my content this whole time Not creating my own mastermind Not charging enough early on – really you must charge more Not having a few projects to work on (not too many) Not saying no fast enough Mistakes I have made with other people as an Entrepreneur    It's not just mistakes I have made by myself, there are also things I have done with other people. Being in business is not a hand holding sport by any means. There are actions you must take on your own.  Sticking in and waiting for people instead of jumping Recognizing the never-ending rainbow – realize when you are being led on Not setting drop-dead dates / walk away time frames (go – no go situations) Not hiring the best – Hire the best cry once Operation time suck Common - Trends

Nobody is coming to save you in sales and business  The title may sound negative, its meant to help you understand what you are up against in sales and business. When you watch Shark Tank some entrepreneurs are left to figure out their problems and don't get any money.  Problems in sales are cyclical   We all go through cycles. Most entrepreneurs have lost it all before. Entrepreneurs go broke all the time. Stats say most millionaires have lost it all 2x before they made their money. The truth is you have to save yourself, this means you have to put in the work. Look for ways where you can talk out your problems and spot where you have issues.  Jay Abraham says "you are the solution to someone else's bigger problem" Desperation in sales  Desperation is a tough spot to be in. Desperation has an inward focus (strong focus) everything is all about you especially when you are at the bottom. Solutions happen when you put your feet to pavement or action to marketing. When you struggle there may not just be one single silver bullet especially if you have tons of bad habits or crisis. The mistake can be looking for the easy way out (it may be the hard thing that saves you). You must be willing to put in the work and take action What if nobody is coming to save you in sales? What if you take the path that “Nobody is coming to save me”. How would this shift your world view? What new actions would you take? You must take action to move forward and create momentum. You must “want it” and know your reason why How to create momentum in sales  Network – does matter Your vision drives decision Work you put in place pays into the future  A warning about opportunistic people  Opportunistic people may be hanging out to take advantage of you. The more desperate you are the more danger you are in. In the end people who can and will take advantage of you will find you.  Emotions you face in sales and business  Anxiety Depression Frustration Resistance  Loneliness  Motivation Dopamine Positive – excited / aware Surprise Relief Actions Look for what inspires you Keep a journal – learn from your mistakes (by the way we all fail – its impossible to live and do business and not fail) Be willing to pay for knowledge Partnering may take you further  Look to grow your network Can you treat what you are going through like a puzzle How can you be creative Who can you call Podcasts Look at the gain and not the gap  Look to your drive and goals.

How to protect your time at work and in sales  People will chew through your time. You will want to think of your time like an attorney. This may sound aggressive, look at the time value of your money. This may give you insight when you try to connect with others. These examples will give you some ideas of what you can do.  Have a morning routine to protect your time in sales  Check emails till at a specific time Return phone calls at a specific time  Use airplane mode on your phone so you dont have to answer it  Have a set time and day for your meetings. Shop when most people are not in the store Run from drama – people will pull you into stupid stories (play stupid games, win stupid prizes) Cut negative people out of my life – look for flags knowing when you look for red flags you will find them. Don't do conceptual ideas, talking just to talk… plans that will never go anywhere. Constant planning isn't worth it – this eats time and sucks. Don't get caught up in social media drama Have set times to create content – I have running docs when I come up with ideas. Make sure all of your docs are cloud backed up in multiple locations  Work your ass off on the plane and don't like to be interrupted Do work in batches (podcasts, videos, content creation) Have tons of content on your phones and laptop. Always have and extra book if I do need to wait Set appointments when I can for everything, I don't wait in line. I will pay to be moved to the front of the line. Have things delivered instead of going to the store I don't answer the front door – ever. The family needs to call me before they come over. Learn to say “no” – most salespeople are scared to reject just as much as they are scared to be rejected. You have put time, energy, or effort into your skills and knowledge. Don't jump on the phone for just about anyone.  Don't let people pick your brain They are looky lous. They don't take action Systematize everything and anything you can Make videos for repetitive fees My marketing video Make people jump through hoops Use quiz software (think jotform, quizly) Use a VA to answer emails / respond back – do postings and or editing If it doesn't sound appealing, just say “no”.  

What to expect when private equity buys your company (Part 2) When a company buys another it's automatic that the rules will change. These changes will take place quickly or over time. YOu have to be prepared for the changes and know its a not a matter of if they change but when.  New management with private equity take overs  There will be games that can get played against you. Companies that acquire are typically larger, they swallow the old one. The new company has goals and outcomes they want. The new execs will pick key people who were labeled as “critical” and “needed”, they are sizing up the team for who to keep and who to let go. The acquiring company has put new people into leadership without knowing the lay of the land, the legacy people and they change up processes. New people are pushed to be integrated and it screws up the dynamics. This is the case of too many things at one time, the dust doesn't settle soon enough. The problems with quick changes in a business  New takeovers do not take the time to ensure there is a full understanding of how the company works (demographics, sales process). Larger companies assume they can flip the switch overnight. This is business sabotage. Salespeople jump ship and the competitors sneak in and steal clients. (targets are prioritized). How companies lie when they sell their companies  When companies are ready to sell, they inflate numbers, sales, roles, and even future events. They are rebuilding the house before they sell it. Sometimes companies are bought for one aspect of the company and the rest are closed down, sold off, combined, or traded. Sociopaths are upgraded because they are willing to play the games. Time consuming games played against salespeople   You spend more time on new systems than you do selling when companies want to add to your schedule.  Momentum is funky Clients are concerned Old resources for closing deals are no longer there (products, services, people) Reporting Email Computers Resources Pipelines are screwed up Competing product lines will battle Pay discrepancies and benefit discrepancies (the smaller company typically has lower pay with a bigger commission structure) salary + bonuses / monthly number ramp up and down based upon numbers. Start-ups can have higher rewards. The smaller company keeps the same players (execs) and keep the company as a division, this becomes a fight because its start-up mentality with money. Scenario 1 – company offers you a new role, you quit your old rule, and just before you start they pull the new job away from you Scenario 2 – company offers you a new role, they ask you how to fix all of the problems, you give the answer, the job never materializes and they let you go Scenario 3 – You get called to the carpet from the management team because the fake pipeline built before the sale is what you are being held to. When companies sell they inflate their numbers and their sales pipelines. New managers don't care, they want you to hold to the numbers they want to hold you to the fake numbers Scenario 4 – Territory changes – salespeople will say they have contacted people so they can swoop in on areas and freeze you out. You are upsold into believing that you will have new clients but that is already in the pipeline. You can't touch them. Scenario 5 – Territory changes with protection, the acquiring company may already have some of the clients. Scenario 6 - The new company will starve out pipelines and stop marketing, they reduce product offerings Scenario 7 – Lead generation is stopped from the bought company, marketing stops and so does momentum. It takes a while to get going again. Scenario 7 – The Kobyashi Maru – no way to win Scenario 8 – Top salesperson has honed their skills for a long time, they have good retainment. They keep horrible & toxic people in management that squeeze out top people. Scenario 9 – Bad new territories - Scenario 10 – CRM updates and gather intel before they let people go. Scenario 11 – Give us your new plan and we will bring you up Scenario 12 - The new company has you train their people and then they fire you Scenario 13 – Pay gaps are not dealt with   What you can do Keep in contact with people in your industry Keep an up to date resume Have social Keep an eye out for the games that are being played Be aware that when you look for red flags you find them Have a “go no go” conversation and map out a plan  

Sense of urgency in sales and why it matters You must have urgency in sales. This is an absolute. You have to know how to use urgency in sales the right way. There is a scale of urgency that starts with 0 or apathy and goes all of the ways to high pressure/desperation. Intentions in sales  People feel your intentions when you meet with them. As you meet with people they feel your good energy as well as bad energy. When you meet with people There is something about people who have a hefty income that values their time, they put a sense of urgency into what they are doing. When people don't value their time, they lose the urgency. Money is the grease for momentum. This has quite a few implications. When you meet with people you need to size up what direction they go. Your income matters in sales   Some salespeople will say things like "What's wrong with making 60k per year"? You can size up where salespeople by how they are taking. Urgency if future-facing – there is a direction in the conversation. No urgency is past-based, non-forgiveness in some conversations. What you can do to show urgency in sales: Set an agenda Set a timetable Talk about outcomes Have a positive belief about money Have goals Celebrate your wins Dangers in sales  If you look at the formula for urgency it is something like this: Confidence + certainty = urgency  Desperation speeds up time but can also create more problems. When you sell to people who are desperate they may come back and say you took advantage of them. 

How to have gratitude in your life and in sales  Its not uncommon to see people who are in a slump to ask what to do for help. The answer given may surprise you. As salespeople, we get caught up in our own internal events and then reprogram ourselves into losing deals. One of the greatest tools you have for your ability to grow is gratitude.   Managing emotions in sales  Your emotions betray you in sales. You can be on top one minute and on the bottom the next. The more desperate you are, the more common it is for you to lose deals and discounts. Some trainers and other salespeople will tell you to give away a sale in order to get back to closing deals. This advice can be a dangerous mistake.  How to get out of a sales slump  Everyone has their own opinion of what you do in a sales slump. Some of the sales advice is bad while some of it is good. You have to think through your sales process in order to beat sales slumps. Here is a huge hint, you don't start with the sales slump you circumvent it. You have to be willing to put in the work before you need it. This is counterintuitive thinking at its best. Your secret power in sales comes down to gratitude. There is a sense of humbleness in gratitude. Gratitude in business and sales  You can feel and hear when people are grateful, when people are spoiled and when people don't care. The real question for you is what are you grateful? If you are in a sales slump is everything all about you? Here are some items you can do to hold onto gratitude: Journal daily about what has gone right in your life  Focus on the good things you have  If you are religious you can turn to prayer and or meditation  Donate time to teens, the elderly, and even homeless shelters Donate money to charity or worthy causes  There is a power from the universe that will give you the smackdown, you get too big for your sales pants, and wham it gets you. Life has a way of giving you the lesson you need when you need it the most – hopefully you listen Here are other things you can do to have gratitude in your life: Share with others why you are grateful Talk through opportunities with those who are struggling Give sincere compliments to others Buy some gratitude – overtip a server, buy something for a homeless person, mentor someone  

Dangerous things you tell yourself in sales Our self-talk is our programming. This may sound like a simple statement. When you look at the conversation it is important. Going through and doing the hard work needed to program your brain can be complicated  Salespeople need encouragement I believe in you, you got this is one of the best things salespeople can hear from others and yourself. Encouragement is needed from your peers and internally. Salespeople can talk themselves into deals and out of deals. "What you think about all day is what you become," William James said this in the early 1900s. Your self-talk can be a poison and take you from being on top all the way to the bottom quickly.  Why salespeople lose confidence  The dangerous self-talk you tell yourself will ruin your confidence quickly. The dangerous self-talk will attract – Losers and or problems and or more issues. At some point, we all struggle with one or more of these, its normal. There is nothing wrong with asking for help and paying for it professionally.   Individual specific personal problems in sales  I don't deserve this I cant do this I will never be good at this I hate people I am worthless I am no good Who would want me Job specific internal dialogue  I hate this job I could just go back to __________ (last job) and make X money I was looking for another job when I found this one I will never make it I cant close Product specific internal dialogue This product sucks There are so many other better products out there I can't sell this crap Office specific internal dialogue I hate my manager I hate the people I work with I hate my job Relationships specific dialogue I don't deserve this  Who would love me My significant other will find out I am a fraud   The power of Morning routines in sales  You can use affirmations in the present tense as a way to increase your mental agility. What you tell yourself matters in sales and in business. You can reprogram your brain to be better and to close more sales. Meditation affirmations law of attraction would also go into this same catagory.  I am great I am loved I help others I have performed     I deserve this    

Why you should break your sales calls into quarters Nobody really teaches a framework for looking at and thinking through sales calls. This isn't a negative statement, it's meant to give an idea of direction. When you break your presentation down you have a framework or system to use that helps. You can locate areas your deals are going right and where you struggle.  Why quarters matter in your sales presentation  You see that its not 100% of the sales process that isn't working it makes it easier to take criticism. This episode is a generic road map process. You can treat this like a ruler or goal post and pre-gaming your sales process.  Here are some ideas for the breakdowns of the quarter.  Quarter 1 – Introduction – problem going too long Quarter 2 – Discovery – problem going too short Quarter 3 – Presentation – Problem - Talking about yourself too much Quarter 4 – Closing – Problem - not asking for the sale in a way that makes sense The challenge for you is to take this template and break your sales call down into quarters.  End of game

You can close sales by being counterintuitive  Not all rules in sales are true or applicable to all salespeople. You can be counterintuitive in sales and close deals. You do need to understand the elements of sales basics mastery in order to make this work. This is not a part of sales new salespeople are ready for. Not all sales trainers and salespeople will believe this type of sales process.  Old school sales and high pressure Old school sales training is all about pressure. This concept goes back to the industrial revolution. You cant always agree with the buyer you do need some conflict. You do need to know that sometimes buyers just have nervous energy. Buyers don't always mean what they say. In sales you have to learn how to calibrate. Ways to be counterintuitive in sales presentations In-home sales go naked Everyone else goes to the door with all of their content Counterintuitive Ways to handle sales objections You have to prepare this in the presentation that you will say what needs to be said (I am not a sugar coating type of person) You can do the opposite in sales and still close deals  Using a strategy like this is all about a good attitude (flirty feel / dry humor) work the best The elements Receive the information (I totally understand, good idea, I think you should do that Reverse on the information – explain why it may be a problem 1-2 sentences Let it go You have to practice this or you will come off completely wrong, if you try this without practice it will fail Asking for the sale (framework) Want one? I don't know If you want one of these – why would you Follow up Send a video Send physical mail

How to model greatness from fictional television characters AKA Best sales closers of all time from television You don't always have to turn to sales in order to learn about your sales skills. You can use  NLP modeling to get a sense of what skills you can use from others. With NLP modeling you do what they do. In essence, you borrow what you like and you don't use what isn't liked. There is a danger that you need the abilities of the person but pick the wrong ones. Blair Singer teaches how to take someone's presentation and then borrow their traits.  How to borrow traits of the top salespeople  Here is how you borrow traits of closers, leaders, communicators, and other great people. Look at the traits of the person and make a list of what you like and or admire. Make a list of your self and the items you are good with. See where you are deficient and where you can improve.  How to really use a mastermind to model greatness  In the book Think and Grow Rich Napolean Hill explained that you can leverage a group of people either with you or not. You would ask them questions and see what they would do in any given circumstance.  Here are some closers from television you could model  Happy Days – Fonzie Swagger, loved attention, stood up for others, epitome of cool Suits – Harvey Spector Traits – saying what needs to be said, asking for the deal, putting in the work, confidence, swagger, loves the fight   Magnum PI – T homas Magnum Asking questions, bring in friends as needed, not taking no for an answer Steve McGarret – Hawaii Five 0 Action first, permission second, compassion, teamwork - House – Dr Gregory House Questions, insights, going against the grain, saying uncomfortable things CSI Miami – Horatio Cane Patience, slow down the process, intuition, questions The Rock – WWE Humor, presence, showmanship, timing – one of the best in front of a crowd Olivia Benson Law and order SVU Used her difference as a woman less masculine, asked the tough question at the right time Sales training when struggling  There are periods of your life that allow you to hear things differently. When you watch television shows and pick apart what you can use, you can find new content and hope. Closers are not always alpha males or super masculine. You can find traits in women as well that you can model. You will want to look outside of sales to get skills others don't have.  Evil sales training warning  You shoud know that there needs to be a warning when you model others. You can get caught up with the evil that people have. You do have to be careful with who you resonate with. You can look to those who are different as a way to increase your sales skills. Philosophy is one place for you to take a look at closers traits. 

Your training is  beyond the book  At some point, your skills are only enhanced fractionally from what you read in a book. The saying "Beyond the book" comes from Roland Frasier. Beyond the book means your skills and knowledge will happen in real-time with time, energy, and effort.   Most sales books rehash content  When you look at the books being released lately there isn't much new. If you read 5 - 7 of the top books on sales you will cover most of what you need to know when you put the training into action. There is no substitute for real-life experience. You will want to hear the training or knowledge 2-3 different ways so that you can connect with the strategies.  Sales books are typically the ascension model    Most books are the entry point to live training and were built on the ascension model. This means the books are only the start. The whole goal is to get you to a mastermind or to one to one coaching.  How to get better at sales  You need life action and role-play + sales reps. You will want to look for places you can learn from. Here are a few other things you can do so you can increase your sales skills: Interviews of live experts Ride alongs  Role play  Interview people  Online reviews  Drama movies – look for points of high tension Ways to fail at sales  Procasting and rejection are the two most common reasons why you do not get better at what you do. You have to be willing to work through the rough spots in the sales process. 

How to be memorable in sales When people make a purchase from your its not just about the money, the sale is also about who you are. You can offset your investment with the actions you take in a sales presentation. When you are memorable in the sales process you are also being preeminent. You will want to remember, "Its not a sales call, it's a performance". When you perform in front of your buyer you are not acting in a bad sense. You are putting on a show for the buyer. People want to be engaged and entertained. You do need to put focus on your presentation before, during and after you meet with your buyer. One sit closers can still be memorable  A one-sit close is where you close the deal the first time you meet with the buyer. You can use your charisma and personality when you meet to close the deal along with your sales skills.  Some industries are not one sit closes, sometimes you have to do the rounds and come back to meet with the person or people you presented to. You can close deals later on by being memorable with your conversations, your appearance, how you answer questions and so many other ways. The sky is the limit when it comes to you getting people to remember who you are.  Being memorable in sales order of operations You can do yourself a huge favor and be memorable to the people you meet with. You can create a pre-event email. In this email you can leverage: Video Images Sound Personal linked content Social media  When it comes to being memorable you can use first impressions as a guide. You will want to be on time, use the person's first name, and smile. There are elements of the NLP that you can use whether anchoring or even the unconscious hello.  Sales basics mastery and being memorable in sales  Most salespeople have no clue as to how important it is to set an agenda. This simple step can show the buyer you are meeting with that you are a Pro and not a Joe in sales. There will be a solid feel to your meeting.  Sure setting an agenda may sound simple but it is stepped over consistently in sales.  Use body language to be memorable in sales  You can use your nonverbal communication in sales to help people remember you. The elements of rapport can be used to get people to feel comfortable with you and your presence. It is easier to remember you if people like you.  Here are the ways you can use body language to be more memorable with the people you sell to.  Body blocking Eye contact Smile when appropriate Active listening can help you be more memorable in sales  When you listen to the people you meet with you can have extra thoughts after you leave. The memories you leave really matter more than you know. As you listen be willing to take notes and ask follow-up questions. When you respond back to your buyer or potential client your pitch, tone, and cadence are important.  You can tell your story and why you like what you do. You will want to get good at this. Asking for the business and helping the buyer get to the next step can be a powerful way to be remembered when done right.  When you are done meeting with the person, the people or the group send a Thank you card the same day.  Advanced ways to be memorable in sales presentations  After your sales presentation, you have the ability to have people re connect with you. The more memorable you are the easier this will be. Here are a few ideas you can use to help yourself: Shoot a follow-up video where you use the person's name, some data from the presentation, and your personality.  Starbucks can be delivered to a buyer or nonbuyer. You can use food delivery as a way to get back into the conversation Send a gift to get the attention of the person or the people you met with

Negotiation skills training to help you close deals You need negotiation skills for your daily life. In the United States and the west negotiation isn't needed for everyday store items. The magic word for negotiation in any type of aspect is "respect". Sales negotiation skills training  The average person buys a big-ticket item 2 – 3 times every 5 years. Most people are not equipped to buy. It's not uncommon for people to not ask for a discount. As a consumer, you do need to get used to the back and forth of a deal or a sale. You should at least ask for a better deal once.  Sales negotiation books  2 of the best books on negotiation are from Jim Camp and Chris Voss. You can pick up Start with No by Jim Camp and Never split the difference by Chris Voss. Both of these books have a strong framework for the daily negotiation skills you need as well as big deals.  Learn how to negotiate on the secondary market  One of the best places for you to learn to negotiate is in the secondary marketplace. You can sell goods you no longer need on Facebook, craigslist, or anything similar. You can get used to the patterns in the negotiation process.  Sales negotiation patterns    The more you get used to negotiation, the easier the patterns are to see for you. Think of the negotiation process like you are playing ball with a dog. At first, the dog is really excited for the stick to be thrown. Your counterpart is the same way. Over time the excitement slows down. Your negotiation needs to be used to slow down the process.  You can't care that much in negotiation  You will find over time that you cant need a deal too much. You can watch Pawn Stars as a way to see the patterns. There is a good rhythm to sales calls, presentations, and negotiations. Most salespeople become Dr. Jekle and Mr. Hyde from your conversations. Your lack of focus betrays you when you struggle or when you get too excited. Just remember to smile and have fun.  Power struggle negotiations  Some people just need to win to prove their power. This trait in people in all groups of people not just one. You can see the back and forth when you watch presentations and others' work. Some people just want to "flex" and prove they have power over you because they have money. This is not the power you think because it is actually a weakenss.  How to increase your negotiation skills One of the best ways to get better negotiation skills is to do the work. The next best way to get negotiation skills is to do sales ride alongs where you go watch sales processes. You can  Interview closers and even role play with them. This way you can get used to the timing process, ask better questions, and look for patterns.  More negotiation skills training You can read books on deals and deal-making. What you need to know is there are not very many of them that are good. You can read books about billionaires and how they got to be where they are.    Red books on deals – there are not tons of them Warren buffet series – The Trump one By George Ross is a disappointment. Talk to deal makers in your life – talk to them about their favorite wins and biggest losses

Learn how to stay focused in sales If you want to learn how to stay focused in sales there are a few things you must know. First in the beginning it isn't easy. Second, others will try to get your attention whether on purpose or not. Focus is a major problem for salespeople and even entrepreneurs.  Goal setting and focus for salespeople  You will find that it is a mix of focus and goal setting that will help you get to where you want to be. These 2 items go hand in hand. Your ability to stay focused starts with you telling people "no". You have to be a man or a woman on a mission to get things done. Some salespeople struggle with this as it is a form of rejection.  Staying motivated in sales  Sales motivation is a real thing. You do need some of your own internal rules. These edicts or rules will help you stay within the lines. Tony Robbins says "Where focus goes energy flows" this is true for your personal life as well as business life.  Sales focus can feel like pressure  When you work a system or a series of rules in your life, others will say it feels like pressure. Most people are not used to a framework of getting things done. The average person is not used to a set direction for life. Look to others for inspiration, Grant Cardone likes to smile in the middle of deals. You also have to stop looking for reasons to not like someone.   The mental game of sales   Your beliefs about sales will influence how much focus you have on yourself. If you don't think you can sell a lead, you cant sell a lead. Admit that you have problems and or issues you have to deal with. Part of the mental game of sales is your ability to follow through until the end.  The power of sales scripts  Sales scripts are not the most fun when you first start in sales. You do need a structured presentation so you can be unstructured. When you go off script you are guessing as to what you are doing with your buyer and or client. Learning your own sales pattern and when you are your best and when you struggle is one why to help you stay focused in sales.  Focus on the end goal in sales  It's common for salespeople to pull back and not close the deal out of lack of focus. What is the end result you want? You must be outcome and goal-oriented in order to close deals. This may seem pushy for some and normal for others. So many salespeople lose deals out of lack of interest. What you have on your mind matters.  Being focused and goal centric to close deals  Most salespeople only need X dollars to survive. This programing of their mind tells them it's ok to stop selling. Once again there is a power of goal setting wired into focus. Here are a few ways to stay focused.  Stay away from negative people / negative conversations Role Play Checklist Be outcome-oriented in your conversation, you will literally use the work outcome and goal.  The power of focus in your personal life Your personal life has an impact on your ability to sell. If you lose focus in your personal life it can make it hard to close deals. Here are a few ways to have a great impact on your personal life: Stay away from negative people / negative conversations Laugh often – its an energy thing Morning review 3x5 card Goal board + feelings of accomplishment Accountability buddy Go and look at the item / thing you want (Rolex)

How do you lose a sale and miss out on a deal You will need to be open for you to close as many sales as you can.  The answers may not just be about sales. You have a personal life and it impacts your business life. When you lose deals it can be your fault and you do have input on it.  The sales basics you can lose deals with: Its not typically 1 thing that loses the deal, most of the time it is multiple things.  There is a belief that you say 1 thing and the deal is over. When it happens when egregious You have to be willing to be accountable to yourself – this is an important conversation Most of the time its lack of focus and is sloppy Lack of prep show up late, no resources No discovery and straight to the price   No presentation and or fly by the seat of the pants Not asking for the sale Not paying attention to the details Old school sales – not understanding what ABC is and doing general dumb things Lack of follow up The medium range reasons why you lose deals and sales  It's not just the basic reasons why you don't close a deal. There are medium reasons as well.  Assume the deal is made so you shortcut the presentation – selling to friends and family is harder and you must put in more effort Not explaining the closing sequence and giving the next steps You don't like the buyer. Your buyer feels these emotions. No focus on the end of the deal  Not excluding the competition  Lack of follow through Advanced losses of deals There are advanced reasons why you lose sales. Most of these reasons evolve around negotiation and your personal life.  There is a point where you induce greed to the buyer or yourself This isn't just for the salespeople, its also the buyer You can lose deals, just like the buyer can Learn how to sell on FB, Craigslist or anything similar Word patterns “what is your best price” … you have to answer this the right way… Personal reasons why you lose deals  Friends and family pressure  Lack of self-confidence You lose focus or have truama  You are not in it  You have evolved to the next part of your life 

When you look at the investment you make in sales, good sales training is rarely cheap and cheap sales training is rarely good.  Its not just the cost of the training, it is also the time, energy, effort, and risk taken from the training. 

A simple sales pitch will outperform a complex sales presentation  When you give your sales presentation you will want to remember that persuasion is simplicity. The easier it is to get someone to take an action or to say yes, the faster you can close deals. As you go through the idea of persuasion is simplicity this covers all spectrums of the sales process. You will see from being in sales long enough this is part of: The presentation  The demonstration  Asking for the sale  Follow up  Sales management CRM    Long stories that are cute will destroy your sales process. When you talk too long your buyer will lose interest. There is only so long you can keep someone captivated.  Just like jokes have to have a build up and then resolution so does your sales presentation. The huge item to remember is the juice must be worth the squeeze not just for the buyer but also for yourself.  How to make your sales presentation more powerful  If you want to make sure your sales presentation is converting as much as it can then you will want to simplify the conversation. You can talk in sound bites. This means you simplify your answer to 3-5 sentences organized in a way that makes sense.  Talking to fill time is boring and its predictable that you talking in circles.   Simple sales presentations with buyers while removing complexity The more complex your sales presentation is at any step the larger your chance of having struggles. Any any of these steps you can lose out: Your introduction Questions Rapport Your presentation – complex distilled Your answers Your questions Follow up    Sales Management and complexity  Sales ownership and management can casue salespeople to have anxiety and extra stress. The more items piled onto salespeople the more complex the sales process becomes. Here are the most common places where business owners and sales managers create complex selling situaions.  Complicated presentation processes Complicated sales presentation process Complicated CRMs These are not just a problem for the buyer you will also crate problems for salespeople  

Private equity and your sales role changes  Private equity is buying small, medium, and large businesses.  These roll-ups are being fueled for revenue and future values of the companies. The company you work for could be in the hands of an owner you know one day and then its sold the next.  You have an owner you know one day and then you are owned by a faceless group the next. The first thing they say is “nothing will change”. You need to know this isnt true.  What to expect from new company owners with private equity  When a company is bought you will have major changes coming your way. You can expect these changes to happen quickly. Here are a few things to expect: Prices will be increased / maybe multiple times It will mostly be about the money from here on out Rules will change / all of them Investment in your 401 / retirement will change They may want you to train / they want your skills to be duplicated across their company Teams will be combined Management changes in sales when private equity buys your employer  When the company you work for is bought by private equity management will change. You must know there will be problems behind the scenes. The new managers need to show their power and the old managers will have to fight for positions. You will be left holding the bag and answering to new people.  There will be power struggles with the new and old management team Management will be brought in to not have to live up to old agreements and ideas You may have issues with managers trying to hold onto their positions first, dealing with your concerns 10th The previous owners you answered to no longer can help you  You may feel helpless when the "old owners" cant do a thing to help you. The problems you used to be able to address cant be fixed. You will get empty promises, at the end of the day the old owners are there for the transition only.  The old owners may be around but have no ability to make choices and decisions The owners will have to stick around for 12 months – 18 months / they have no skin in what happens You will get told to "hold on" things will get better  The new owners and private equity  When the new owners and managers step in preparation for rainbows and sandcastle stories. Everything will be shown as magnificent.  The new owners want to size up the team to see who should stay and who should go.  There will be promises made, hey may or may not be real They will sell you on the new ideas and the future  The new new owners under private equity  The valuation of the company will change and will attract new buyers. It's not uncommon for companies to be bought and sold a few times in a year to get to the next valuation.   The company will be sold again and packaged with another company You have decisions when the company you work for is bought by private equity  If you are in sales you should always prepare for a departure from the company you work for. It doesn't matter if it's a better opportunity or for you to be fired. Make your water mark for what you will put up with a private equity purchase Look for connections now so you are not stuck when the company you work for is bought out by private equity You may want to be the first one off the team looking for a better position

Important sales reframe you need to close deals and stay sane  What you tell yourself matters before a sales call, during a sales call, and after a sales call matters. How you describe your problems to yourself and others matters more than you know. As you talk to yourself you are creating a "program" for your mind. This programming creates energy and will take you in good directions with sales or bad ones.  Any salesperson can lose their edge in sales, or they can say they are slightly off. When you describe your problems to others you are signaling to your brain what you think of yourself. You do have threats and opportunities here.  The great rule in sales about internal thoughts  Pay attention to this statement "It's you against you in sales first, it's you against your team second then third it's you against the world". When you look at sales in this manner it helps.  You don't have problems with your sales process – you have opportunities Look for ways to reframe what you struggle with I am still learning vs I suck Nobody buys from me vs some people buy from me Your beliefs and thoughts matter in sales  Everything starts with your belief about your skills, your abilities. Doubt can ruin your sales process even if you are on the top. Be aware you may have co workers who try to tear you down and mess with your doubt – your competition already does this to you. You will know who your friends are and are not. You get the opportunity to use your mouth to make money and not your hands – this is why pure sales is amazing. I see and hear people say I am going to leave sales to go back to work in other fields. 

Common traits that drive salespeople crazy in the middle of a deal As you work on your sales call or interact with people there will be traits that bother you. You have to live a style of life to close deals and make actions happen. As you work with people on a daily basis your conversation will flow towards making actions happen.  What you see even when not in a deal  As you sell you have to paint the picture and the vision of the idea. As you preframe the sales using verbiage like "when" will turn into an "if". When you are selling you have to get people to buy into the idea and or the conecpt. what you will see is indecision from the buyer and not  being able to choose and say yes. There time of a deal in sales  Long winded people chew through time and drag the sell on. Over verbose or wordy people speak in terms of too many words. As people talk for a long time it puts pressure on you to focus longer. When you are not selling long winded people will drive you up the wall.  It takes outcome orientation to close deals People who are not outcome-oriented will drag on your capabilities to make something happen. You will find they don't understand moving forward or making a decision. They don't look to the horizon and they are not real with goals.    Some people don't understand time constraints  Not all people understand time and what it does to others. There is a saying in sales that time kills all deals. People don't see that on the edge of the horizon and see possibilities. People who are paid by the hour in the office don't always understand the pressure of getting things done. Retired people do not keep track of time once they leave the workforce. There is not unlimited time for all actions to happen. 

Learn how to sell more by looking at Heros and Villains  If you want to be a top performer in sales you will want to look for ways to describe what you are doing but differently. When you can think through problems a little diffrenlty and then explain them to others it creates conflict and interest.  There are 2 movies that can help with the idea of a hero vs a villain. Both of these movies can shed some light on how to increase the conversation of a hero vs a villain.  Mission impossible 2 Unbreakable Explain a better advantage and or benefit in sales  You have to be able to explain what you have or how your advantage matters. The problem is when done wrong this is boring. You can't just be the good guy. You need to add conflict to the conversation. You need to know what a villain is (every industry has multiple villains) Law Competitor Product flaw Salespeople Rule changes Your buyer has villains and they need heroes  What is it the buyer doesn't like and what is it that they really hate? This is always a good place to start with looking to explain heroes and villains in sales. Just for a quick list or reference point here are the most common villains you will face in sales.  Pushy salesperson Terms Availability How to spot villains and heroes in real-life examples  Look for outside reference points to learn how to produce villains. You can start with character diamonds as a way to think through the plot of salespeople and villains.  WWE / WWF  Politics  The news Your competition should be the villain What does your competition do, this is a great place to build out a villain.  Bear traps - episode 152 of the how to sell show.  You cant use the same villain as someone else as effective as building a new villain You need intrigue and surprise You have to be able to explain their problem better You are what fixes the problem as an expert / then the product or service Actions you can take to create Heroes and Villains  Sit down today and think of how you are the hero and who or what is the villain. Map these ideas out and tier them: What you market says vs what you do How others can pin you as the villain and how you can counter it

Are you paid on commission in sales is a question you need to prepare for  At some point, you will be asked about how you are compensated by a buyer. You need to understand why this is happening before you answer. Where you asked matters this question is in the first few minutes, in the middle, or at the end. Your confidence matters more than you know when you answer this question.  When you are asked about commissions at the beginning of a sales call: There are different times where you are asked this question in sales. It may be when you are asked at the beginning of the call your buyer is: Try to size you up for attitude Trying to size you up for trust Trying to find your tells (poker move) Trying to see how you answer They are trying to Intimidation They are trying to rattle you You started off with big words and scared them I don't want to waste your time (I am after free advice and or expertise) How you dress or appeared to them – a possible mismatch of clothing to the client You said something silly – this goes for everyone Nervous energy When you are asked about the commission in the middle of a sales call: If you are asked about the commission in the middle of your sales calls there can be multiple reasons. Remember, where you are asked this question in the timeline of the meeting can matter. Here are a few reasons why you could be asked about commissions: The buyer is trying to size you up for discounts coming You triggered them – feels like you pushed an expensive item You said something silly – this goes for everyone The buyer had nervous energy You pushed the exclusive button in their mind = expensive Getting asked about commissions pay at the end of a sales call If you are being asked about your compensation at the end of your sales presentation there could be some good reasons and there could be some bad reasons. When this question is asked towards the end of the call it could be something you said, it could be nervous energy, and last of all it could be the buyer. Here are a few reasons why you could be asked about commission structure towards the end of a sales call: They are signaling for a discount and or asking for something shady. With this type of buyer, there may be some implications if they want you to "break some rules" They are looking for desperation in the salesperson = advantage on their part They are trying to figure out your cut vs the cost of the product Other than reasons for being asked about commissions: There are multiple reasons why you could be asked about your commissions from your buyer. Some of the stranger ones are more outliers than anything else. Here are a few reasons why you are asked about your pay or your cut from the sale.  The buyer wants to recruit you for another type of job or venture The buyer wants to set you up with a friend or relative Your buyer is socially awkward with people How to answer if you are paid on commission in sales  There are multiple ways to answer how you get paid in sales to your buyer. Some people are noisy, some awkward and some are looking to see how they can reduce their costs. These answers are given from low to high. This means they will go from weak to aggressive. You need to pay attention to your timing, pitch, tone, and cadence when answering this question.  No, I am paid by the hour  No, I get paid a flat fee for every product I sell  Yes, and if you are looking for a deal we can work something out There are fees for my service (Tommy Hopkins) Yes Yes, have you seen enough to make a decision? Yes, do you want option a or b? Absolutely and the fact I am paid on commissions wouldn't stop you from moving forward, would it? That's how every single salesperson makes a living, they are paid for their expertise and knowledge I am not quite sure how does that question helps you make your decision today? It's your decision to answer how you are paid in sales  At the end of the day how you answer the question about your commission is really up to you. What is important is taking the time to think through how you will answer today. When you look at your conversation think through what you may have said early on in the presentation to trigger this type of interaction. When it's a weird reason for the buyer there will be a feel to it, you get to feel people like this out over time. 

In sales you must know when to walk away from a deal  Closing a deal is what all salespeople want at the end of the day. A deal can be a client, install, roll out, product and the list can go on and on. Whatever term you use for the item you sell is what you are trying to close to the person you are selling to.  Why you lose interest in deals  There is a point where the deal goes sour, you lose interest or it is no longer viable. You do have to pay attention because neediness can play a part in staying in a deal. You could need the money or the attention. One of the best resources on neediness is Jim Camp Start with no – Chapter 1. Your need for a sale could get you to stay into the deal for a time you should not.  Holding onto a deal too long  Sometimes salespeople hold onto the hope of a deal for way too long. There is a sweet spot of good as well as a one where you will end up losing: Time Energy Effort Risk  Money  These 5 items are the main elements of rejection. You will try as hard as you can to protect your back end. You can be quitter by walking too soon, you can lose by staying too long. Planning on walking away from a deal   You will want to pre-plan the reasons you would walk from a deal. This doesn't mean you need to build out all contingencies possible. You will want to hit the high level of why you would walk away from a sale or a deal. There is a danger in walking away from a deal – it gets easier over time. Every time you walk away you can find more reasons to not stick in the sale or the process.  Reasons you would walk from a deal Misrepresentation The person you are working with is scammy / not trustable ( so many levels here) – the deal was misrepresented, the person or group lied to you, you are having games played with you You figure the deal is one sided – the outcome doesn't work for you (time, money, expose) Metrics are not being met – you hit your drop dead date The deal no longer makes sense “metrics are not being met”, the option isnt viable anymore You have lost interest – there is a point in all deals where you find something better (you have to be careful with this one) Legal issues – things pop up, lawsuits happen The project runs out of funding, the buyer loses funding and cant get it back (you should always have a back up) Major event in your life – death or health Most salespeople think in terms of closing the sale or closing the deal. You do need to think through the reasons why you would not want the deal anymore. 

Sales cycles are cyclical and you can close more deals knowing this If you can stay in sales long enough you will find you run in cycles. Statistically speaking you will run through all 6 of these periods mentioned. If you keep good notes you can spot trends before they happen. Top salespeople hold themselves accountable   You have to be willing to be accountable to yourself, a CRM or a Manager.  When you are new the time frame typically is short and the run-up and rundowns happen quickly and the plateau is short.  If you have been in the field for a while the run up and run downs are quick but the plateaus are longer. The Bell Curve of Sales Success  Think of long term sales like a bell curve.  Everyone has their own time frame for this, meaning your time frame isnt someone elses time frame. You can look at what others are doing and see what phase or period they are in.  There are 6 stages identified for sales success: The climb – you are selling and getting traction Momentum is weird and it can be slow or fast. You are heading up the side of the bell curve. You may say things like “I can do this” , “this is hard but its worth it” The Par – where you are closing and everything is good You have gotten your track and you feel like your feet are underneath you. You may say things to yourself like “I am back”, “I close deals” “I am good” “I am amazing” The heater – borrowed from a run in a casino – You close everything You have momentum on your side and you can close sales. You may say things like “I am the best” or “I can close anyone” “I am the greatest man alive” The plateau – where you are doing well but you feel slippage It sounds strange but you will wake up one morning without “fuel” you may also feel like you have a lack of focus. You may start having some doubt “Am I really this good” do I deserve can I really do this – doubt in the mind of Sub par – where you are selling “not closing” There are 2 things that really create a slide backward and to a loss of leads. You have ego issues “I am the best and nobody can tell me what to do or how to do it You have a major event happen in your life (loss of / gain of from the money you just made) You will say things to yourself like “I made enough money this month / quarter” “I just need to make $__________ this month to pay my bills to be ok” – most of these conversations are about money than skill. Freefall – Nothing is working and deals are not closing (panic + loss of control) Freefall in sales is the panic you feel when you know you have lost traction. You will tend to speed up your time in the presentation to get to the close. You talk about yourself a ton because your inward focus is on loss. You start trying huge discounts to close deals. You say things to yourself like “I cant do this” “Why do I keep getting the bad leads” anything that pits you against the world. Poor me is what it looks like from the outside.  How to stay on top in sales When you keep track of your sales process you can spot a dangerous trend before it begins. This does take some work and or effort on your part. If you really want to be a closer in sales you do need to know where you are going and what you are doing.