Sales Training Blog

“You have some good news and some bad news, which would you like first?”

This is a common question that you have probably been asked numerous times.

Here is the thing… it is a poor question!

A far better way of wording it would be: “I have some good news for you, but later I also have some bad“.

There is a good reason for this, and it is this rule that you need to use in your sales speak: People will focus on the bad news and will be so distracted that the good news will be wasted.

For example, a doctor calls you on the phone and utters those immortal words: “You have some good news and some bad news, which would you like first?”

You say: Bad news first.

Doctor says: We got the results from your scan, and you have 48 hours to live…

You drop the phone and run to be with your family, you get drunk, you try and say your goodbyes, and you try and squeeze everything into those 48 hours.

Doctor says: Unless we operate this afternoon, in which case you have a 99% chance of a complete recovery.

At which point you are halfway down to road to go and see your parents.

I am not saying DON’T use bad or negative news or info in your sales pitch, in fact, it adds honesty and believability to a pitch… but do not use it first.

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There have been numerous studies and experiments of late, all designed to find optimum data to help you convert leads into sales.

I have gone through them and summarised the best parts to create some lead generation tips and secrets.

1) The follow-up MUST occur within the first 24 hours, no exceptions, no excuses.

2) Contact rates and qualifications are highest between 3-6 p.m

3) The peak time for conversions is between 3:30-4:25

4) However, peak time for contact is 5:15-5:25

5) Best contact rates are found on Friday

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Did you know that each of us has one specific learning style that we use to process and apprehend new information?

Tis true!

So today I would like to share with you the 4 different learning styles, and armed with this knowledge you will be able to create rapport, help your customers understand your points, and tap into their subconscious.

So let’s get started with the first, and most popular learning style:

Innovative Learning - apparantly around 35% of people are innovative learners. They focus strongly on the what’s in it for me? factor. For example, they won’t learn a language unless they plan on moving to that country. You can attract this crowd by focusing on the benefits of the product/service.

Analytical Learners - Around 20% of the population are solely interested in facts. They will be sceptical until they can see the cold, hard facts, stats and data.

Common Sense Learners - this group is a tricky one to sell to. They make up around 18% of the population, and they like to know how things work, how they function etc… and they like to learn by experimenting. For example, if you are selling a vacuum, then this group will be keen to test it with an in-home demonstration.

Dynamic Learners - Approx 25% of the public make this group. They are certainly an interesting bunch. They are interested in the possibilities and potential that the information provides. Selling to this group is also fairly hard, as they prefer to teach themselves.

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There are many reasons that a potential customer will not buy from you. I call them “sales road blocks”, and there are 7 that are the most common in ANY customer.

1. They cannot afford it
2. They feel the price is too high
3. They don’t have the authority to make a decision
4. They think they can get a better deal some where else
5. They don’t need your service or product
6. They don’t have confidence in your company, product or service
7. They are too busy

I could write an entire book on each of the above, but I know you are busy, so here is a brief overview of the first three.

1. They cannot afford it - This is where your qualifying should have been used. There is no point selling top of the range $900 mobile phones to people on minimum wage. Also, ensure that early on you give a rough idea how much the item will cost, thus saving you time. Finally, offer numerous payment options and payment plans.

2. They feel the price is too high - In this instance you will have to focus on benefits that your competitor’s product or service doesn’t have.

3. They don’t have the authority to make a decision - This is a simple one, just ask to speak to the head of the house etc…

Please use the contact form below to give your methods to overcome the other issues.

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I challenge you to read out loud the following section from the 1996 British Airways Memorandum:

“The Landing Pilot is the Non-Handling Pilot until the decision altitude call, when the Handling Non-Landing Pilot hands the handling to the Non-Handling Landing Pilot, unless the latter “calls go around,” in which case the Handling Non-Landing Pilot continues handling and the Non-Handling Landing Pilot continues non-handling until the next call of “land” or “go around” as appropriate.”

Congratulations, everyone listening to you now thinks you are mental!

Seriously though, this is an extreme example of how some sales people sound.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make is to over complicate your sales speak. This will confuse the listener, destroy any rapport, and dis-engage the listener.

Remember, the customer does not have the same level of knowledge about the product as you do… if they did, then they wouldn’t need you.

So it is your role to explain things in a way that can be understood by ANYONE.

Experts claim that the average person has the literary skills of a 6th grader, so over complicating language and technical jargon is a recipe for disaster.

Here is what I do when I am creating a pitch or sales letter:

I write it in a word doc… then I send it to a friend who has zero knowledge in the industry. If he understands it, then it is a litmus test that shows that almost anyone will understand it.

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Here are some facts that may surprise you:

1) More people are killed each year by coconuts than sharks

2) More people are killed by sand than sharks

3) Donkeys kill more people than plane crashes

4) More people die each year from being crushed by a tractor than in plane crashes

I am not actually trying to cure any fears for sharks and planes, but if I wanted to, I would use comparisons to make a dramatic point.

If people can ease their darkest fears by such comparisons, then imagine what this could do to your sales talk.

Using comparisons is a technique that has been used in sales pitches by all the sales masters for decades. It really is something you should consider.

For example, if a customer has reservations about a certain product or service, you can use comparisons to ease their concern.

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Today I am going to share the power of sensuous language as a sales technique.

But before you put on your leather boots and dust off the whip, I should stress that I am NOT referring to erotica. We will save that for another time.

What I am about to tell you should make sense… in fact, it should make use of all of your senses.

I am talking about using the five senses to paint a vivid and bright picture in the mind of your customer. This will grab their attention, build rapport, and get them actively engaged in your pitch.

Example:
Exhaust fumes breathed through her hotel window. She rose with a cough and dragged herself out of lemon-scented blankets. The city’s air was musty and an unfamiliar place to her. A few rooms away the office girls prepared the first batch of coffee. The aroma of coffee beans clashed with the putrid stench of garbage cans. A mixture of bleach and water, sprayed from the street cleaner, sharply ascended into a smoggy sky.

See if you can slip a few sensuous words and descriptions into your next sales pitch.

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Which of these statements would you say is the most powerful?

a) Lose Loads of Pounds With Some Diet Techniques

b) Lose Tons of Weight This Year With Our techniques

c) Lose 20lbs in just 28 days with our fat-blaster pro 28 day program

Did you choose option C?

You would not be alone. The vast majority of people would also choose option C.

The reason for this is simple: Specific information is more powerful!

Also, and this is hugely powerful… It is more believable.

You see, “lose 20lbs in just 28 days” is so specific that it sounds like the results of a study or experiment. Whereas the others just sound like bold claims and estimates.

This is a great way to build instant authority, excitement and believability.

However, here is a pitfall you need to avoid with specificity… do not use it with jargon that could confuse your clients. e.g “CPU Processor of 2.4mhz and 2 gig of D-ram”

If people cannot understand something then they will be confused and this distraction will have a negative effect on your pitch.

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Do you know the single most important word that you can use in selling?

Free?
Offer?
100%?
Guarantee?
Discount?
Warranty?

No! It is none of the above.

Before I reveal the answer I would just like to tell you about my day thus far: I got up at 8:45am and had a nice little breakfast, then I went for a walk for around 15 mins and then bought some milk from the shop. I then went to the toilet and made a few calls…. blah blah blah…

Are you bored yet?

Of course you are. You don’t want to hear about me. Let’s be honest, you don’t care about me! You certainly don’t care about my life or what I had for breakfast.

Which proves the point I am about to make.

The most important word in effective selling is “YOU”.

You see, people don’t give two hoots about your stories, products or waffle. People care about themselves, they ALWAYS put themselves first, and our DNA indicates that we look after numero uno before anything else.

So when you are selling something, whether it be on paper or face to face, you MUST focus on the customer.

There are many ways to do this, but you can achieve great results simply by talking in second person mode.

e.g “You will be able to set it up in under 10 mins” instead of “I can set it up in 5 minutes”

“You will lose 20lbs in the first 3 months if you follow the plan” instead of “Research shows a 20lb weight loss for the first 3 months”

Also, by learning to focus on the customer you will focus on the benefits of the products instead of the waffle.

So next time you are selling something, remember, they don’t care about you!

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Let’s be honest, there are thousands of techniques that can be used to sell, but there are 3 universal techniques that can be used from everyone from the Porsche dealer to the snake oil salesman.

1. Tell a Story - Once upon a time there was a struggling salesman who learned that telling stories is a great way to engage the mind of the potential customers. He learned that people relate to stories in a way that boring sales speak can never compete with. What happened to this struggling salesman will never be forgotten, it will go down in sales folklore for eternity…

Would you like to know what happened to the struggling salesman?

Well the truth is that I invented the above story, but I managed to prove my point. You were engaged and wanted to know more. Would you have been as interested if I had just bombarded you with facts and stats?

2. Be Honest - This sounds an obvious choice, but I am not referring to not stealing from your customers etc… I am talking about using honesty as a sales technique.

Here is how it works: You confess to something, point out the flaws upfront etc… Why? Simple, people are so used to exaggeration, 10 pages of fine print, and other forms of deception, that they will be impressed and disarmed by your open and direct honesty.

Don’t worry, you won’t have to say anything like “I will be honest, this product is crap”. But you can use more subtle techniques to impress the potential customer.

“I will be honest, this is not for everyone…. but”

or

You could point put a minor flaw and then re-assure the customer that it is not a major issue etc…

3. Those who can teach - If you can teach people with your product or service then they will become more emotionally engaged in what you are saying. I am not going to get into the scientific reasons as to how the neural connections react when you learn, I will save that for a rainy day. But if you can find a way of educating without boring, then you are onto a winner.

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