Boarding an airplane creepily makes me think about Nazi Germany.  TSA and the airlines line you up.  They strip you of your personal dignity.  They poke, prod, and scan both you and your belongings.  Then in spite of everything they do to dehumanize and supposedly protect you, you may very well be settling into a death chamber rather than a means of transportation because all this activity actually does almost nothing to protect you.

It makes me angry both with the people who have caused this mass hysteria and the governmental agencies who are supposed to protect us.

In the process of “keeping us safe”.  The airlines have taken their already poor customer service and created an atmosphere completely devoid of customer service.  Each paying passenger is treated like an enemy combatant.  No wonder air travel is down.

With my previous airline experiences in mind you will understand my shock at the contrast in customer service I experienced on my recent cruise.  I almost wonder if every cruise employee is a graduate of the Disney school of customer service.  Each employee I encountered made eye contact, they smiled, and they spoke to me.

Yes, they spoke to each and every passenger.  They greeted you every time your paths crossed.  They made sure you knew they really wanted to make sure you have the best time ever.  If there was any question you needed answered, something you needed help with, or anything they could do “for you” they did it.

Within a few minutes of boarding the ship I wanted to locate the on-ship internet cafe so I could purchase an internet package to use during the cruise.  However, I couldn’t figure out where it was or how to get there.  I happened to encounter the hotel manager for the ship and he personally walked me to the internet cafe.  Then he introduced me to the staff member there.  Can you believe it?

I was almost speechless.  Yet, this wasn’t some isolated event.  Time and time again I saw cruise employees go out of there way to do things for passengers to make certain there needs were met ASAP.

Most of the other passengers I met on the cruise were NOT first time cruisers.  I met people who were on cruise number 45 cruise… cruise number 60.  I met people who take a cruise 2 and 3 times a year.

Here’s the point.  When it comes to getting clients and keeping those clients the more personal you make their experience the easier and more successful the entire process.  We all want to be treated like human beings.  We all want someone to care about what we need.  Plus finding someone who puts your needs ahead of their own is absolutely refreshing.

I know you do really care about your clients and the people you want to become clients.  Just make certain you don’t allow yourself to get too comfortable with routines and procedures to the point your relationships suffer.  If you have employees make sure they truly demonstrate kindness and respect in EVERY client or potential client encounter.

If you’ve had an especially great example of a business making it personal for you please tell us about it below.

Coach Cheryl

photo credit: 111 Emergency

In the last post we talked about attitudes.  I pointed out that rather than trying to change your attitudes, which are simply the way you look at things based on your values, you are better served accepting your attitudes and using those attitudes to motivate the actions that produce results.  There is nothing wrong with you, or the way you think.  You are uniquely positioned to fulfill your dreams.

There are four core aspects involved in your ability to sell.  Attitudes is one of those aspects.  The other aspects include: knowledge, skills, and habits.

Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, Habits

Most people think knowledge is the most important when it comes to sales.  Knowledge involves both knowing your product or service, and knowing what to do to produce the sales results you want.  Far too many people waste precious time and miss tremendous opportunities because they think they have to know every gory detail about their product or service.

You could sell all the products and services you want knowing little more than a bare minimum about the details of your product or service.  This is true because your prospects don’t care what your product or service is.  Your prospects only care about what your product or service does that’s important to them.

“Knowing” what to do to sell couldn’t be simpler.  All you have to do to sell your product or service is:

• get in front of people interested in what you can do for them
• set appointments with those people
• help those people make a good buying decision
• maintain your relationship
•  earn referrals

There are literally thousands of books on selling.  You could pick any one and “know” what you need to know to sell, for the most part.  However; there’s a BIG difference between knowing what to do, and knowing “how” to do it.

Skill > Knowledge

That’s why skill is much more important that knowledge.  Skill is knowing how to do what you know you need to do.  Skill is where the disconnect happens.

Most people find it very difficult to read, hear, or watch someone else doing what they know they need to do, and then TRANSLATING that knowledge into their own skill set.  Skill involves:

• taking a concept and applying that concept specifically to your needs
• adapting words and actions to fit with your attitudes
• confidence gained through successful repetition

In sports there are lots of players who know the rules, know how the game is played, and know what they are supposed to do.  Most players never get beyond an average skill level when it comes to implementing their knowledge of the sport.  The very best players develop superior skills not because they have greater knowledge.

The very best players develop superior skills because they work closely with a coach who is able to help them achieve greater skill levels than they ever could on their own.   The coach sees the players blind spots, they help the player build on their strengths and work around their weaknesses.  The coach serves as their rapid translator and skill refiner.  Players who work individually with a coach develop superior skills faster than those who don’t.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself 

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

Have you ever bought something that turned out to be a BIG mistake?  I sure have.  I’ve made purchasing mistakes from inconsequential junk to costly products and services.

When you buy some doo-dad that’s supposed to do something, and it turns out the doo-dad is worthless you throw it away without thinking much about it.  You might feel upset about it, but you didn’t risk much so you aren’t all that worried about the risk when you make the purchase decision.

If you’ve ever made a mistake like that, a mistake that wasn’t a big deal, and you’ve also made a costly mistake you already understand there’s a big difference in how that decision impacts you.  What you may NOT realize is the reason the impact is so very different.  The reason the impact is so different is not limited to the amount of money involved.  Understanding this reasoning will help you understand how to overcome this challenge with your potential buyers.

When it comes to larger investments the money required to invest is a concern; however, it is NOT the BIG concern that holds people back and keeps them from making a purchase decision.  What holds you back and keeps you from saying “yes” is a fear of…

PUBLIC HUMILIATION

Yes, it’s the fear of public humiliation that prevents you from saying “yes” to the buying decision.  A buyer can easily choose to make a $50,000 purchase, yet squirm over a $5,000 purchase and here’s why.  Quit often the buyer has sole decision making authority for the $50,000 purchase.  If the buyer is disappointed with their purchase decision later no one but the buyer ever has to know.  In contrast the $5,000 purchase may involve other people.  I don’t necessarily mean other people will be involved in the purchase decision I mean people who will be involved in the outcome of the investment.

Those people will use the product or service.  Those users will formulate an opinion about whether the purchase was a good decision.  Therefore, this purchase decision is more public and a bad decision is more visible.

The big reason prospects often have trouble with a buying decision is because they fear making a public mistake.  They don’t want to have to answer for a poor decision and face public humiliation.

Countering the Fear

Before your buyer can make a “yes” decision you have to counter their fears.  The only way to counter their fears is to provide them with a logical argument for why this is a good buying decision.  They need you to help them formulate their argument because this is how they will explain their decision.  They don’t want any holes in their story.

They want to know if things don’t turn out like they planned that any reasonable person would have made the same decision.  They literally want you to finish the statement, “Any reasonable person would have decided to make this purchase and here’s why…”

So before you presume money is the reason a prospect isn’t buying face the reality the real reason may be fear of making a publicly visible mistake.  Then help your prospect develop a logical argument for why any reasonable person would make this decision.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

Before you can answer that question you would have to know what that skill is.  I’ll get to that in a moment.  First, I want to talk about a common deadly mistake made by people trying to sell their products and services every day.  Especially people who previously sold a low cost product.

I Already Know How to Sell

Unfortunately, many people who start a business who have experience selling low ticket products believe they have an unfair advantage because they already know how to sell.  Yes, you know how to sell that product yet if you are now selling a service or a high ticket product the knowledge that led to your success will lead to your failure now.

There’s a big difference between selling a service and selling any type of product.  Plus there’s a big difference between selling a low cost product and an expensive product.  Product sales are transactional and experiential whereas high ticket product and service sales are relational and emotional.

Features Do Not Create Value

Product knowledge can play a significant role in product sales because the customer has a mental checklist of features they want, and features they don’t want.  The product with the most relevant checks on the customers mental checklist is likely to gain the sale.  The only thing standing in the way is cost comparison.

Compared Cost is NOT the Same Thing as Perceived Value

When you are selling a product and you can rattle off features like a machine gun it can work for you because you are rapidly hitting and missing the prospects buying buttons.  When you try the same approach selling a service or higher value product you make a deadly mistake that works to your disadvantage and costs you the sale.  The more feature bullets you fire the less interested the buyer gets, and the more likely you are to lose the sale.

Prospects are very familiar with what a product is supposed to do before they ever decide to buy one.  They know that some versions of a particular product do more things they want while others do less.  Typically the prospect has experienced the product either through a previous purchase or through someone they know having one.

High ticket products and services have far more “features” than a prospect ever wants to know about.  Most of the possible features don’t add value they only add confusion, and confusion leads to “no sale”.   The potential buyer cares far less about how they get what they want than about simply getting what they want.

The single most important skill in sales is the ability to help a prospect uncover and imagine the perceived value of ownership.

As the cost of ownership rises so does the prospect’s uncertainty.  Uncertainty is reduced and perceived value is increased when you help the potential buyer discover:

• How your offer produces or eliminates exactly what they are looking for
• How much faster, easier, etc. this will make things
• How the value of getting what they want is far less than the required investment

These discoveries must be made by the potential buyer with your help.  They must say these things in their words not hear them in yours.  You must help them feel their current frustration along with the feelings of removing it.

I’ve always said you would do far better knowing next to nothing about the product or service you are selling if you’d just meet with people and get to the heart of what they really want.  Once you know that, then and only then, can you develop a plan to help them get that and have them eager to hear it.

Sometimes, like in this case, the damage is in the details and the gold is in the heart.

Coach Cheryl

If you wanted to invite a friend to share a soft drink odds are you might say, “Hey, let’s go grab a Coke”.

If your nose were running you might ask, “Could you hand me a Kleenex”?

Even though you may prefer brands other than Coke and Kleenex most of us talk about a general group of products like soft drinks and facial tissues in terms of one specific product within that group.

Why?

You may wonder why we do that.  The reason is because those particular manufacturers own that category in the minds of their target market.  That’s called positioning.

Positioning = Major Moolah

This concept of positioning is defined by authors Al Ries and Jack Trout as “what you do to the mind of the prospect” as revealed in their book…

Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition

Positioning is a very big deal, and it has a very big influence on the success you will or will not enjoy in your business.  It’s not the size of your business that matters it’s the slice of the world your business owns for a particular group of people that matters.

Uncovering the position you want to own is challenging for most business owners.  What you are looking for is a gap in the market place that solves a problem.  Plus the people who have that problem must already be looking to buy a solution for that problem.  Those two criteria are so important I want to restate them.  Keys to finding your position:

• An unsolved problem
• People are already looking to invest money to solve this particular problem

Two of the reasons this is so important is because…

• It isolates ready buyers
• It makes you findable by other ready buyers

Obviously, that means you get clients right now plus potential clients seek you out on an on-going basis.

KISS

As Mary Kay Ash would say, “Keep it Simple Sweety”.  You need to boil your position down into a single easily understood and repeatable sentence.  Hint: kind of like what you read in the top right hand corner of the sidebar of this blog;-)

Your position must be based on a reality in your prospect’s mind.  Meaning it matches their prior knowledge and experience.  Most service professionals have had at least one negative experience with a sales person.  They already know they don’t want to act like a sales person.  Yet they need to get clients, or they can’t do what they get paid to do (experience match).  So they are already looking for ways to get those clients without acting like a sales person.  They already believe there must be a way to do that because other professionals like themselves get clients without acting like sales people (knowledge match).

There are lots of sales coaches.  Most sales coaches work with sales managers and sales reps.  Most sales coaches work with people who sell products.  However, the Increase Sales Coach is the coach you think of when you sell a service and need to get more clients.

Start thinking about how you can adapt a similar thought process for your business following this example.

What problem exists that people with that problem can’t easily find a solution for?

How would people with that problem immediately know you were the person with that solution?

What do they know and already believe about that problem?

What has their experience been with that problem or the solution to that problem?

Before you proceed validate:

• A perceived need to solve this problem among your potential clients
• A perceived value in solving the problem
• People are already searching for a solution to that problem

When I wrote “How to Get More New Clients in 9 Days” I carefully constructed a process to help you get clients now that also helps you develop your position in the process.

I strongly recommend you do some searching to validate you’re on the right track.  Then work on the way you communicate your position.  You don’t want big words.  You don’t need to be creative or catchy.  The key to developing your message about your position is…

• It’s easily understood
• It’s repeatable
• It’s based on the language someone looking for that would already use

Never try to convince someone to your way of thinking.  Instead adapt to their way of thinking in terms of their experience, knowledge, and beliefs.

Using your Strategic Sales Master Plan template from yesterday, complete the Unique Market Position section.

Coach Cheryl

Do it Yourself

Do it with a Little Help

Do it with Guidance

Most business owners, entrepreneurs, and sales professionals have at least one A list potential buyer they would give their right arm to get to talk to.  The problem is you can’t get to them so there’s almost no hope of ever selling them anything.

• They won’t take your call or respond to your voice mail
• They throw your mail in the garbage unopened… if it ever even hits their desk
• The gate keeper must have formerly worked at Fort Knox

If you could get in and talk to the decision maker it could entirely change your sales success because this one big fish would open the door to a whole school of other big fish.  If only…

Make that Dream a Reality

Let’s think about what you’re doing now and why it isn’t working.  Right now your actions and behaviors are:

• Expected
• Predictable
• Ordinary

Everything you’re doing now is decreasing your chances of ever getting into the big guy.  Everything you’re doing now ensures if you ever even happened to run across the big guy he wouldn’t give you the time of day.  Everything you’re doing now is making things worse instead of better…

BECAUSE

You are acting like a typical sales person.  When you act like a typical sales person you can expect to trigger the defenses of the very person you want to pay attention to you.  Rather than paying attention to what you’re doing or saying all they’re doing is thinking of ways to avoid and get rid of you.

Open the Door and Get Invited In

If you want to get in the door and actually speak to the big guy your’e going to have to:

• Stand apart from the crowd
• Do the unexpected
• Create a positive impression

You need an innovative way to open that door.  You need something that will:

• Give you a way to connect with the decision maker
• Tap into what the decision maker wants now
• Help the decision maker envision a desired future

The ways you can do this are only limited by your imagination.  I was talking with my friend Harish Keshwani about his new business Speaking Roses Omaha when it hit me.  I immediately saw a way to show you how this works using his business Speaking Roses Omaha as an example.  Please go to Speaking Roses Omaha and take a look at what his business sells before you continue because it will help you understand the example.

Did you think this was a business for public speakers?  Somehow that’s what I thought when I heard the name so I was really surprised when I actually saw it.  Way cool idea.

So anyway, let’s see how this might work for a service business.  Nancy Proffitt of Profitable Business Coach is the best leadership coach there is.  If you’ve ever wished your employees were as excited about your business as you are this is the leadership coach you absolutely must connect with.  If you’ve ever thought your profits should be better than they are now, this is the lady you need to connect with.  You may want to browse around her website here so you better understand the example…  Profitable Business Coach

Okay, so now you’ve seen what we’re going to use to open that door and you understand the kind of business we’re going to use as our example.  Now let’s see how this might play out.

First, realize this particular example is for a high ticket sale.  That means Nancy would have no qualms about investing +$20 to get thousands in return.  You wouldn’t either.  Especially because you would only do this for a potential buyer you know meets all the criteria for a buyer, that is:

• They have a need
• They have the money to do business with you
• They can make a buying decision

So let’s say Nancy has a couple big guys in a couple big companies she wants to talk to, but everything she’s tried has come up with nothing.  Nancy gets a customized rose sent directly to the big guy.  The rose is customized with the word “Excitement”.  A card accompanies the rose that reads…

“What could you do if your employers were as excited about your business as you are?

Next Thursday at 10:00 I’ll call you to see if you’re open to some ideas to make it happen.

Nancy

The Profitable Business Coach“

Will the big guy get the rose?  Hell ya.  Who is going to block the big guy from getting this package?

Will the big guy look at it?  Duh.  He’s going to wonder who sent him a rose and why.

Will this get his attention?  Absolutely.

Will the big guy take your call?  I can almost guarantee he will.  The message hits him with exactly what he wants.  You’ve demonstrated you aren’t just another doofus trying to sell him something.  Plus all you’ve asked him to do is be open to some ideas.

Now how might you take this idea and adapt it to that A prospect you simply can’t get into?  Let’s us know what you did and how it worked for you.

photo credit: tiny_packages

Rarely are you the only entrepreneur, business owner, or sales professional offering whatever you offer for sale.

Because there are others selling the same thing you are - your buyers have choices, lots of choices in fact. If you don’t stand out you become just another sheep in the flock.

In most cases it’s just as easy to buy from your competitor as it is to buy from you.

That is unless or until you give them a reason why they should buy from you. Unfortunately, most people never identify this reason. Consequently, they continue fighting for the table scraps from those who dominate their market.

Sometimes people try to copy their most successful competitor. The problem with copying is it makes you an also ran. Why would someone want an also ran version of the real deal?

They don’t.

So if you want to increase your sales you have to make it perfectly clear to your prospective buyers why they should choose you over all their other options. Don’t forget you aren’t just competing with the people who sell what you sell you’re also competing with the most enticing option of all. The most enticing option is the option of doing nothing.

For years marketers have referred to the reason someone should buy from you as your unique selling proposition (USP) or value proposition. No matter what you call it the reason you should develop one is so buyers understand their reason why for buying from you. However, if you’ve ever tried to come up with a value proposition you probably found it so hard to do you gave up in frustration.

Sonia Simone came up with three categories of unique selling propositions that she refers to as: the Cross-roads USP, the Metaphor USP, or the Persona-driven USP. By her definition a Cross-roads USP is putting two seemingly unrelated ideas together. In case you don’t have a dictionary handy, a metaphor represents a symbol used to represent something. And Persona-driven is based on the idea that your personality or fame is enough to drive your uniqueness.

Hmmm, great ideas for big business but what are you supposed to do… how does that work for you? The challenge is to succinctly and clearly communicate to your buyers why you are the best choice for them.

In order to do that though you must first know and understand what they’re looking for.

• If you don’t know what they’re already looking for first you run the risk of coming up with a fantastic USP based on speed when your best buyers are looking for reliability.
• To get it right interact with your current buyers and potential buyers to discover what their looking to buy right now.
• Then find out what’s most important to them about what it is they’re buying.
• Next see if this translates to what you’re selling.
• If not, find out what is important to them when it comes to buying what you’re selling.

Now you’re ready to work on sharpening your USP so in just a few words your buyers “get” why you are exactly what they’re looking for.

So tell us, “Why should people buy from you?”

Let’s get some reader feedback going.  There are over 2.500 regular blog readers here don’t just lurk use this post to help each other.  The only rule for comment is keep it constructive and polite.

photo credit: Csaba_Bajko

Whether you’re an entrepreneur, business owner, or sales professional you need all the help you can get to make your life easier.

You balance a lot of responsibilities throughout your day.

You simply have to make the most of every opportunity that comes your way.

Sometimes you’re pleasantly surprised to find how much a simple tool can do to improve your life.

I’ve decided to share 7 of my favorite tools with you because I hope you find them as useful as I do. Some of these tools are completely free others require a small investment or a trip to your local library. In any case there’s nothing preventing you from trying these tools and improving your life. Plus you could increase your sales along the way.

So here’s the list not listed in order of importance:

1. Cool Timer - This is a piece of free software you download to your computer. You can use it as a stop watch, a timer, or an alarm. Now you never have to search for a stop watch or worry about dead batteries. Just click on the icon on your desk top anytime you want to use it. One of my favorite ways to use it is to manage 30 minutes of focused and concentrated work.
2. Mindmeister - This is another free tool you get simply by registering. Don’t just use this tool for projects use it to plan out anything involving several actions. When you’re finished your mind map is saved to your account plus you can print out this neat and tidy mind map to use as you take those desired actions so you never miss a beat.

   Behind every successful person is a good library. Here are a couple books you must add to yours.

3. ”The Race to Success – Make Time to Win” - The way you use your time is a big differentiator between the super sales producers and the average producers. If you find yourself rushing from one thing to another with no end in sight; if you rely on a calendar, PDA, or CRM yet they don’t seem to work this book will help you understand why. Make sure your local library has at least one copy.
4. ”The SPIN Selling Fieldbook” - Neil Rackham isn’t a sales person he’s a researcher. The fieldbook takes his research and transforms what he learned into actionable sales ideas. Anyone selling an intangible or a high ticket item must have this book and internalize it.
5. ”The On-Purpose Person” - Kevin McCarthy will help you do something few people ever do, most wouldn’t even think of doing, and everyone who wants huge success must do. This book will get your head in the real game.
6. Carbonite - I’ve had a computer crash on me so many times I’ve lost count. Each time it was a dramatic traumatic experience. Each time there were things I lost forever including precious contacts. You can get a free trial for this service that quietly works in the background so when that crash happens you can restore absolutely everything including all your computer settings in minutes.
7. Google Calendar - The reasons I like Google calendar include the fact you can share your calendar, you can have more than one calendar, you can access from any computer, and your calendar syncs automatically with your phone. So you can check and make appointments from your phone and they automatically appear in your Google calendar online.

How many of these sales tools are you using?

photo credit: OakleyOriginals

Remember when you wished for fun things like toys and vacations and such?  Now it may seem like the one thing you wish for each day throughout the day is…time.  As you constantly remind yourself you have to hurry up.

I know this will shock you BUT right now you’re chosing not to have enough time.  It isn’t a conscious choice.  Instead you choose never to have enough time by not chosing to decide how you’ll invest your time.

You have no more nor no less time than anyone else.  Have you noticed how the top producers seem to have time to enjoy life?  Are you thinking when you get there you’ll have time too?

Unless you change the way you use your time now you won’t have any more time  later than you do now.  You won’t flip a switch and instantly have all the free time you want.  You won’t, that is unless you…

Get serious about how you use your time now.  Right now huge chunks of time are slipping through your fingers.  You don’t know where they go.  You don’t know what you did during those chunks of time.

One of the first things you can do to get more time is discover exactly how you’re investing your time now.

Only after you’re armed with this knowledge can you make wise decisions about how you’ll invest your time from now on.

Join me for this free event (click here to register –> “Time! The Key to Your Sales Success” as I show you how to get more time.  You must register to attend.

You started the year with big plans.  The first quarter is nearing an end.  How are you doing?

Less than 60% of all sales people hit their targets.  The sales game has changed and it’s time to change your game by revamping what you’re selling to better fit what your clients want now.

Sales Resolution (video link)

Sales Resolution (audio link)

Join me for this free event where I show you how to hit your targets in less time (click here to register –> “Time! The Key to Your Sales Success”  You must register to attend.