Tag

Authenticity
Sales Fails in Emails - Stop the Ugly Sales Tactics
27
Jun

Stop The Ugly Sales Tactics. Be Better At Selling.

June 27, 2020, , , , ,
My husband sent me this email earlier this week. He’s such a good sport. I truly think he may listen to what I say about sales and selling and I’m convinced he may even read my blog posts. He knew he had an example of a #SalesFail. A case study of what NOT to do...
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Every sales person I talk to asks me the same thing, “How do I get buyers to listen to me? I can’t seem to get their attention, a call back or response.” My response is a question back to them . . . “What are you doing differently than the other 37 sales reps knocking on their door or blowing up their inbox every single day?” Chances are, you’re not getting responses or movement from your buyers if you’re stuck in the “sea of sameness” as are most sellers. Same approach, same emails, same phone calls, same networking events, same presentations . . . same, same, same . . . equals, Ignore, Ignore, Ignore. If you’re having difficulty producing leads or moving business forward, it could be because you’re working at the wrong end of the buyer journey, trying to influence their decision to buy you by interrupting or disrupting them after they’ve already done their research and formed their decision making criteria. As sellers, we tend to look everywhere or at everyone as a potential prospect however, not everyone needs you. Of those that do, buyers fall in to two categories: those looking for solutions or those looking for NEW solutions. This means as a seller, you have an uphill battle to either overthrow the status quo or upseat the incumbent vendor/provider. Your buyer will live with the status quo as long as possible and if they are thinking of making a change or investing in something new, they are starting their research and road to buying LONG before you know it. So, how do you overcome these obstacles and battle the status quo? You’ve got to stand out from the crowd by being BETTER than the crowd. Getting attention and response from time deprived buyers in a sea of competition requires Leveling Up your sales game by investing in your personal professional development. This isn’t about Marketing handing off more leads or creating better brochures or slick emails – this is about you amplifying your personal brand and projecting your professional value to buyers that DO need you. Your Keys to Standing Out From The Crowd: Authenticity – be you. When you come across first and foremost as “Jim” or “Sarah” instead of a fabricated professional sales persona, your genuine self is easier to relate to and helps build the foundation for trust. We all have an internal BS meter and can detect when someone isn’t being genuine or has an agenda. Be you, not a robotic sales version of you. Confidence – be confident. Be confident that you have value and that you CAN help your buyers. Confidence is attractive and paired with your authentic self, you have CHARISMA which is like creating your own gravitational pull. Buyers need professionals that sound, act and demonstrate confidence in their product and ability to provide answers and solutions. If you sound unsure and can’t demonstrate your belief in what you have to sell, it shows up in your voice, your body and all your communication. Your confidence helps your buyers feel more confident in you. Expertise – gain it. Read, read, read . . . learn, learn, learn and have your pulse on what’s happening in your industry, your customers’ industry and your market. Most sellers have done due diligence to know their own product and probably what their competitors offer, but how much do they know about their industry. Or how in depth are they versed in the industry and competitive drivers of their customers’ industry or how their customers compete in their markets? Demonstrating expertise that is deeper than your competitors is an excellent way to stand apart and put you in a category of one. Having this profound level of knowledge changes the conversation from only what you offer to what really MATTERS to your customers. Knowing you offer insights and context to their circumstances is a trust trigger that can get you calls back or responses from those busy buyers. Voice – use yours. In a sea of the same, a fresh, authentic and confident voice cuts through the crowd clearly. Most of your contemporaries are still grinding away at the sales with the same techniques and generic messages. Your voice has more value if you’re using it, not as the company mouthpiece, but to share what YOU know and why YOU believe. Plant your flag on your expertise and knowledge and wave it for everyone to see. Use key platforms to share your voice so your buyers understand who you are and why they should work with you. We’re not just talking about having a LinkedIn profile and I’m certainly not talking about promoting your product on social media channels. Using your voice is about bringing insights and opinions to your buyers’ journey so they can make the best decisions possible. Engage – your network. This is where you truly stand out from the crowd. Pull together your authentic personality and confident voice and start engaging in conversations with your buyers BEFORE they do all their research. You have the opportunity here to influence your buyers’ journey, instead of trying to reach them at the far end of their journey when they have already made most of their decision. Find where your buyers learn. Be where your buyers are engaged. Connect with them there and contribute to their professional network. Share your insights and opinions. Offer up resources and endorsements for those you work and collaborate with. Buyers are looking for connected and engaged resources to help them make their purchasing decisions. Having engaged with your buyer in their network before you call them makes for a warm conversation versus a cold call. If you could ask your customers or future buyers, they’d tell you that they’re pulling their hair out from having too many decisions to make, not enough time and they’re under ever increasing pressure to get more done on a daily basis with fewer resources. If you could step in to their shoes you’d understand why most of them are performing their own research on their own time frame and shutting out any seller that isn’t finding a way to add more value to their time or give them time back. Sharpen your skills and level up your sales game to be BETTER than your competition and better serve your customers. Until next time, stop hoping, start SELLING! PS – Here is an insightful “Letter from your customer” penned by sales guru, Jill Konrath. She nails what your customer is thinking! PPS – If you are struggling with how to get attention, have your calls answered or your emails read . . . you need a different strategy. Learn how to tap in to your best assets to be BETTER than the average seller who is still plugging away with the same tired tricks and tactics. Start your new year with new tools and the keys to Selling Yourself and standing out from the crowd. Stellar Sellars Workshop: January 8th, 9am – 12 noon
14
Dec

Are Buyers Ignoring You?

December 14, 2015, ,
Most every sales person I talk to asks me the same thing, “How do I get buyers to listen to me? I can’t seem to get their attention, a call back or response.” My response is a question back to them . . . “What are you doing differently than the other 37 sales reps...
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99 BLOGS LATER - 3 lessons learned
16
Aug

99 Blogs and 3 Big Lessons

August 16, 2015, , , ,
This week marks the 100th blog post in The Pipeline. Whew. That is a lot of blood, sweat, tears and dedication to writing to and for our core audience of entrepreneurs, sales pros and leaders. Sharing insights, experiences and perspectives has been the BEST and most important strategy I have implemented in my business. Committing...
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4 Keys To Earning Customers: Better Blogging, Emails & Social Media
10
Jul

4 Keys to Effective Customer Communication {A Better Blog, Email and Social Media Strategy}

July 10, 2015, ,
**CAUTION: Painful #TruthBomb below** Have you started a blog for your business or sales efforts? How’s it going? Was your last post March 2014? How about that email newsletter to stay top of mind with clients? Or how’s your social media strategy working for you—are you connecting and engaging your top prospects? Ouch. We can...
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What do Monkeys have to do with Relationship Selling?
26
Jun

Why is Relationship Selling So Effective? Look Inside The “Monkeysphere”

June 26, 2015, ,
What do Monkeys have to do with building relationships to increase sales? A lot, actually. Stick with me here . . . In the 1990’s, British anthropologist, Robin Dunbar, studied primates and found a correlation between primate brain size and average social group size. By using the average human brain size and extrapolating from the...
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Develop the tools to sell yourself and articulate your value to earn the job or customers: 5 Keys to Selling Your SELF.
29
May

How to stand out? 5 keys to selling yourself

May 29, 2015, ,
This week I had the privilege of something pretty special. I was invited to participate as an advisor for the St. Jude Postdoctoral Fellows professional development day program hosted at my Alma Mater, Christian Brothers University. We are so fortunate to have St. Jude Children’s Research hospital right here in our own backyard funding and...
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26
Mar

What Do Customers Want To Know About You? {Build Your Brand Content Strategy to Give Them Awesome Answers}

March 26, 2015, , ,
What do you and your business stand for? Why should I get to know you? Why would I accept your meeting invitation or connection request? What value do you bring to my network? What do you excel at? Who have you worked with before? What results do you produce? Will I like working with you?...
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18
Mar

12 Keys to Build An Awesome Social Media Strategy To Grow Your Business.

March 18, 2015, , , ,
Are you struggling with how Social Media can work for your business? It’s hard to exactly measure the Return on Investment of Social Media but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be leveraging it to grow your business or increase your sales. If you’re not using Social Media to bring your customers closer to you, guess...
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13
Mar

What new characteristics are critical to Sales Success? Meet the Next Gen Sales Pro.

March 13, 2015, , ,
One of the hardest employee positions to fill right now is that of Sales Professional. My LinkedIn inbox and email are hit 4 or 5 times a week with business owners and recruiters asking for referrals of qualified and experienced Sales Professionals. I also see on LinkedIn many sales people boomerang in sales positions. Through...
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05
Mar

Technology and Customers – Are You Getting It Wrong?

March 5, 2015, , , ,
Last week, I had to have an unexpected surgery on my sinuses. At the doctor’s office one day and scheduling an urgent surgery for the following day! Wow – talk about a sudden disruption to your “status quo”. One of the first things I had to do was to create an account and login to...
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