Jeff Garrison

Take Action in Faith

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When it comes to getting extraordinary results in sales (or anything for that matter), the most important thing is to have faith that by taking action, you will achieve a successful outcome.

Of course it is important leverage your activities and resources by "working smart," but you don't need  to wait until you are sure you know "how" to do something before you just ... well, do something!

After all, achieving great success is never a perfect, mistake-free, linear journey.  Rather, the road to success is full of ups and downs, lefts, rights, and even going backwards.  The journey includes learning, tweaking, reevaluating, and often times starting over.

So, back to sales.  Don't get beaten by call reluctance because you are not sure just what to say to people.  Dial the phone and have faith that you can't say the wrong things to the right prospect.

Go network beliving that when you do, you will sow seeds that will grow.

Don't cut prices or make deals in fear of losing opportunities.  Have faith that you can help prospects pay for the full value of what they receive.

Don't debate in circles about what to do next or how to do it.  Just agree to take action and have faith that you will make the right adjustments in order to move towards your goals.

Selling Ice Cream in February (A Story of Sales Paradigm Shift)

Winning Sales Paradigm has been the subject of conversation a lot lately. Coincidentally, following a lunch of sharing philosophies and stories about sales, Tom Wheeler of Modern Woodman sent me this email.  I want to thank him for his generosity and his permission for me to share this story with you.

Hi Jeff!

Your story about being in the right place at the right time, and someone taking you under their wing is not all about luck. The person that let you write the article with him saw something in you that allowed that to be possible. Which reminds me of my favorite sales story.

There are several different ways that people become successful, but I tend to migrate towards “confidence.” 

NOW my favorite sales story. It was 1988 or 1989 and I was working a ton of hours. I would go in at 4:00 am come home at 8:00 or 9:00 pm. This one particular winter evening I was getting home from work around 9:00 pm. As I pulled in the drive there was a Schwan’s delivery truck in the street across from my house. We had never bought anything from them although we had found books stuck in the door from time to time. I went in the house and shut the garage door. About a minute later the doorbell rang. At the door was a small, cold young man with “Ken” stitched on his jacket. I turned on the porch light and opened the door. Immediately this boy started reading from a recipe card held in his hand all the while he never looked up.

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His spiel was something like this:

"Hi, my name is Ken and I am the new Schwan’s route driver for this area. I want to introduce myself as well as the many fine products Schwan’s has to offer. (He handed me a catalog without ever looking up or hesitating in his presentation.) This month we have a special on four flavors of our award winning ice cream. (A special on ice cream? This is February!) They are very delicious and if I sell enough I can win a bicycle for my daughter. Would you be interested in trying one?

He finally took a breath but still looked down at his recipe card. I asked him what his daughter's name was and how old she was. He said her name was Beth and she was eleven.  I then asked him how many ice creams he had to sell to win her a bike. He didn’t know. I asked if he had the information with him and he said he did and it was in the truck. I asked “how can you win something if you don’t know what you have to do to win it”? I told him to get his information on the prize. He ran out to his truck and returned with a prize catalog with the prizes that could be earned. He showed me the bike and how many quarts of ice cream needed to be sold in six weeks to win the bike.

He needed 50 quarts.

I then asked him how many he had sold so far towards his goal. He did not know. I asked if he had the information.  Again, it was in the truck. Again, I sent him to get it. When he returned we found he had sold seven quarts in four weeks. 

I asked him to describe the ice cream to me once again and this time, tell me why he liked it. He went through every flavor and his description made my mouth water, even in winter time. I then looked Ken in the eye and told him I believed him when he said that it was the best ice cream and that I wanted to buy some. He asked me what flavor and I said “all of them." His eyes beamed as he asked, “You want four quarts”?

I responded, “No, I want forty-three quarts and I need you to pick out the flavors." 

Ken was in shock and did not know what to say or do. I had to ask him if he was going to get the order in the truck. He flew to the truck and dug through the products looking for the ice cream I ordered. He came back and said he only had eighteen quarts and would have to return. I told him that was OK because I had no place to put it. (Luckily it was cold enough to leave it outside). I wrote him a check for $168 and we gave ice cream away to everyone we knew and many we didn’t.

Ken went on to be a very successful sales person and would tell me repeatedly that my order was the boost in confidence he needed to “feel” success.

Many of us have been helped by someone who made a difference in our lives. That help built our self confidence allowing us to accomplish things previously not thought possible. It is what we do with that success that can make a difference in others lives.

Thank you for making me remember a story that is dear to my heart.

Talk to you later.

Tom

Do you have any great stories? Please share them in the comments section below.

More Winning Sales Paradigm Posts

In This Economy, I Just Can't Sell ...

Recently I participated in a conversation with a few sales people during which one was asking the other, "How do you sell a product that is twice the cost of mine?  I can't get anyone to buy in this economy."

In "this kind of economy," the danger for business owners and sales professionals is that they start to buy into statements like "nobody is buying" or "nobody can afford our products or services."  The truth is that tragically, many businesses have been devastated by this economy.  But thankfully, most businesses are surviving and some are thriving.

What is certainly true across the board is that b2b buyers are seeking more value for their dollar.

So, that begs the question, why have some sales professionals experienced a much steeper drop in sales than some of their peers and competitors?  Here are four possible reasons. 

Paradigm

Some business owners and sales professionals have an abundance paradigm.  They believe that there is enough business to go around for those who are good at what they do.  Thus, they have maintained or perhaps even increased their sales activity.  They are the sames sales professionals who still make phone calls even though "nobody ever answers their phone anymore" and they are the same people who get out and network even though "networking doesn't generate business anymore."

On the flip side, those with a scarcity paradigm, deep down, don't believe that they can sell in this economy.  They prefer to just go through the motions every day until things get better.

Disciplined Focus on Margin

Some business owners and sales professionals focus on margin per sale.  They expend most of their energy on clients and prospects to whom they can provide the most value.  For many reasons such as internal efficiency and client appreciation, this work is the most profitable.

Business owners and sales professionals that focus on gross sales are apt to chase opportunities that are not as closely aligned with their competencies, thus they expend disproportionate amounts of energy on marginally profitable clients.

Branding

Business owners and sales professionals with a strong personal business brand (one that has F.O.R.M.) tend to get more and higher quality referrals and they are able to build trust and credibility faster.  This results in a faster sales cycle and higher margin.

Those business owners that focus on pure "sales activity" and ignore or put little effort into their own brand tend to get fewer referrals.  Those referrals that they do get tend to be more price sensitive rather than focused on ultimate value.  Furthermore, because their own brand is not distinct, they are poorly positioned to command "full price" in a weak economy.

Sales Process

Finally, business owners and sales professionals with a solid sales process are able to demonstrate a greater understanding of the impact they have on their client businesses.  They design better solutions for their clients thus they can close more deals at higher margins.

Those business owners and sales professionals with a poor sales process struggle to understand and demonstrate the full impact that they can have on client businesses.  They tend to provide undifferentiated solutions, thus they must compete upon price rather than value.

What other thoughts do you have as to why some business owners and sales professionals find it harder to compete in a weaker economy?

Photo on flickr by annie9641

In Sales, Seek First to Understand ...

Next to Follow up, Follow up, Follow up, Seek First to Understand is the most important piece of advice that I would give anyone who aspires to succeed as a business owner or professional sales person.

The Problem

Too often the salesperson will arrive for the first meeting with a prospect with the intent to sell.  Perhaps after some rapport building conversation, they will start to ask questions about the prospects needs.  Sound good?

The problem is that their questions are meant to uncover a springboard issue to leap off of into a "let me tell you about our products/services/expertise/experience/etc." conversation. 

Think about what must be true for this approach to regularly succeed.

• The prospect must already understand their own issues
• The prospect must already have identified possible solutions
• The prospect must already understand the impact of those solutions
• The prospect ONLY needs to be convinced that you can provide the solutions they have already identified to make the sale

In other words, this approach assumes that the prospect knows generally what they need, they just don't know how to do it or make it for themselves or it is cheaper to outsource.  Therefore, the sales person goes in to perform.

New Paradigm--Seek First to Understand

Here are some things to think about to improve the outcome of your first sales meeting. 

First, it would be very unusual for you to get an appointment with a prospect that has not already checked you're company out.  At the very least, they have been to your website.  They already know something about you're products/services/expertise/experience.  You do not need to look for opportunities to tell them.

Relax. You don't need to perform.

Second, understand that you will win business by showing that you understand their situation.  This means that you must spend time asking intelligent and relevant questions and carry on a conversation that demonstrates that ...

• You understand their issues and aspirations
• You understand how they feel about their situation (frustrated, uneasy, excited, confident)
• You understand what they perceive to be the impact of doing nothing
• You understand the impact of moving forward

In the end, the prospect's judgment of your products/services/expertise/experience will be impacted far more by the understanding that you show (through the questions you ask and the ensuing conversation) than by the selling statements you make.

Photo on dreamstime by Canadafirst

For an in depth look at the principle "seek first to understand," see The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey.

Honest Commitment to Sales Goals & Activity

Being consistently great at developing new business either as a sales person or a business owner requires that you HABITUALLY do the right things, the right way, at the right time, on a regular basis (which is usually daily or perhaps weekly). 

The Sales Habitues training program is about identifying those right things, learning to do them the right way, and consistently scheduling them at the right time.  This takes tremendous commitment because learning new sales skills and turning them into sales habits does not happen over night or in a two hour workshop.

Recently I met Brian Klemmer and I listened to him address a large audience regarding personal change and honest commitment.  Brian runs a $10 million company.  With his own staff, he emphasizes that when they make sales commitments in particular, he and other leaders will base their decisions based upon these commitments.  It doesn't work if people commit to what they think management wants to hear rather than what they are committing to doing without fail.

In fact, Brian will ask his staff what they are willing to lose or give up if they don't come through with what they have committed to doing.

This week, I was working with a sales professional on her planning.  She has a weekly objective to have a specific number of face-to-face appointments with prospects.  She confidently told me that she plans to meet with eight new prospects a week.

I asked her if she were willing to write her company's owner a $100 check that he could deposit and keep if she did not meet with eight new prospects next week.  There was an uncomfortable silence.

The point is, as sales professionals and business owners, we are often not honest, or at least not realistic, about our commitment to our goals and activity.  We can't hit our sales goals and our personal financial goals nor can we become great where we are if we are not fully and honestly committed to achieving what we say we are going to achieve.

Don't let falling short become a habit.  Don't let your company down.  Don't let yourself down.

Find a way to make honest commitments.  Find a way to put skin in the game to keep you honest.

Feel free to contact me for ideas as to how you can get more skin in the game.

Photo on flickr by eschipul

Be A Nurturing Sales Person

People tell me all the time that they are not good at sales or that they could not be a salesperson. It is understandable because most people have experienced the scripted, silly and often irritating closing questions of a salesperson trying to close a sale.

They believe that "successful" sales people must GET people to buy.  They must be a "closer." 

Fortunately, most of us are just not "closers" like Vin Diesel in the movie Boiler Room.

Of course, this example is over the top. But what is obviously happening here is that manipulative techniques are being used to close the deal because the sales person wants to close the deal whether or not the lead is ready to buy. In addition to being distasteful and bad for generating referrals, many "closers" have a tendency to offer discounts or additional value for free to get the deal done thus hurting long term profitability.

The fact is most sales people are not pushy. There are far more business owners and sales professionals who will test your interest with some qualifying questions and back off immediately if you don't demonstrate that you are ready to buy. They are afraid of appearing pushy or they convince themselves that spending time with "tire kickers" is a waste. 

Like a rolling stone, they will just go on to the next lead.

Consider this. Experts agree that it will take you at least seven to 12 contacts with a lead before they are ready to buy. If you give up at two, three, four or five, your competition is finishing what you started.

Also, experts agree that in large B2B sales, 25 percent of those who are going to buy do so within six months of becoming a lead. Another 25 percent buy within seven to 12 months. Another 25 percent within 12 to 18 months. And the final 25 percent buy after 18 months. If you give up too soon, your competition is finishing what you started.

For both the "closer" and the "rolling stone," LEAD NURTURING is the way to increase sales results (not to mention professional esteem).

Lead nurturing is the process of building a relationship based upon credibility and trust with your leads so that when THEY are prepared to buy, you will be the from whom they buy and all will enjoy the process.

Lead nurturing requires three things to get started.

1. A Belief that it will pay dividends
2. A System to do it efficiently
3. A Commitment to execute

What would the impact be on your sales if you abandoned the "closer" and "rolling stone" approaches and developed a system of lead nurturing?

Know, Like and Trust (Part 2)

You trust me. They trust me. I trust you. I trust them. You trust them. They trust you.

I was startled as I read these 6 sentences.

Weave them together in our lives and we weave our golden fleece. A golden fleece we can share collectively. Doncha think?

Like, Jason and his ship of heroes, we all seem to be on a journey seeking the golden fleece of a community based on trust. Who can we trust? Where can we trust? Why should we trust? How do we know we can trust? Hmmm?

Trust is the golden fleece for business, too. Trust from me is tantamount to a blank check. A vendor asked me the other day what was my budget for a project. I had no idea. Why? I trusted that vendor to tell me what I needed to spend to achieve my desired results. I trusted that vendor with this information. I was right. He told me what I needed to spend to achieve the desired results.

Another vendor may have seen that as a grand opportunity. They think to themselves: Here is the lamb in the marketplace taken to slaughter, er, sacrifice. A quick profit, a bit more cash-flow, this month and we’re done. True. And literally. Sacrificed at the same time are the future cash-flows from future clients who came to trust this same vendor from our word-of-mouth recommendations.

Some may read this as simple, even quaint. You think The ruthless world of business sacrifices trust early. Your observation would be accurate.

And therein lies the advantage. Trust is now THE key differentiator. Trust is a key value-add. Trust adds margins. Trust and its sidekick Respect are the top three decision-making factors for purchases.

Those margins come in the form of less need to compete on price and the resulting higher numbers of customer referrals and the reduced need for advertising.

Now. Ok. You’re sold. You trust me. How do you do it? How do you weave your golden fleece of trust?

It all starts with each of us. Always. Trust, integrity and respect may be the ultimate proof of this axiom. Here are a few simple steps to expand, renew, rebuild, repair or build a reputation of one that can be trusted:

What would you tell your mom?

Simple, quaint. But as I read these stories of corporate ethical lapses, big and small, I always wonder: would they tell those stories to their moms? Would they, could they, sit straight-faced and say No, mom, those interest-only loans you are barely able to afford now...are risk-free. Interest rates will never rise AND property values will always increase by 25 - 100% a year. You are safe. Besides, I would never put my quarterly bonus ahead of your long-term financial needs.

So. Moms are always smarter than they let on. Assume your mom knows all. Would you tell her what you just told that customer? No? Then don’t. Tell that customer, employee, vendor or partner, investor or stakeholder the same truth you would tell your mom if your mom were in their shoes.

This appeal to your heart doesn’t work? Ok.

What story do you want others to tell about you...today?

This gets to legacy. But legacy has the sheen of something...down the road. Legacy implies, A compilation of your life’s achievements with some convenient editing in the mix.

No. The question is:What story do you want told about you today?

Oh, are prepared to read this story ...on every social media forum you know and 3-4 others you do not know? And these would your story told in the eyes of your customers, employees, vendors and partners...your stakeholders. These are the ones whose word-of-mouth, and purchases, make your brand.

Too many companies are shocked, shocked, they say to see what’s written about them on the web. For some reason, they think...who knows.

But, we all talk. We have done it all of our life. In fact, we celebrate our first words as a bellwether of progress. And then we’re off and running and we can’t stop. What do we talk about most? Well, in business, we talk most about those companies who disappoint us the most. Negative word-of-mouth is far more extensive, far more exciting, and shared by far more people, than positive word-of-mouth.

So. What story do you want others to tell about you...today? The story like my vendor will write with me? Or another story? Don’t forget: it is our choice, it is our creation.

What movie do you want to direct and then review at the end of your day?

We review (and wish we could edit, often) the movie we created each day with our actions and conversations. We do this as we sit quietly or wait for sleep to rescue us.

What movie do you want to direct and then review at the end of your day?

Again, it is our choice, our creation.

Listen.

Our truth is always heard through the filters of our audience. Too often, our truth is spoken to our questions. That may not be the truth nor the questions of our audience. Their questions, their comments, help us see their truth. So, we can honor it and speak to it. Listen.

Shipmates.

We cannot do this alone. Technically, ok, maybe. The illusion of the self-made anyone aside, those first 6 sentences for this post are written only with others. The others are our shipmates. Like Jason and his pals, the Argonauts, we all need each other’s help. We each have tools and resources, strengths and skills, to help each other. Otherwise, it is far simpler to do it ourselves.

I’m going to list those who I consider a shipmate on my journey. This may surprise them. But every day is a good day to surprise those who have inspired you. In no particular order: Seth Godin, Jackie Huba/Ben McConnell, Steve Farber, Steve MacGill, Ed Welch, Erika Andersen, Susie Poirier, Stephen Lynch, JC Garrison, my wife aka The Puhwincess, Hearts Club...I leave out many. I apologize. I’ll recognize you at a different date.

Now, speaking of Jason, his Argonauts and their journey...we have a similar journey. But, our journey differs from theirs in one big way. The fleece we seek is not found out there, wherever there is. It is found...in here (double chest bump like the athletes do), where our hearts and minds, our integrity, our families and friends together are found. And it’s value is far greater.

Disclaimer. This part three of a series with Jeff Garrison, the owner of this blog. Here is his first post on this series. His post inspired me. Jeff inspires me. You will be inspired, also. I read 3-4 times. He offers inspiration, great advice and actionable resources. You should read it 3-4 times, or more, too.

This became possible because I know Jeff. Mike Sansone introduced us. Over time, and with social media, I got to like Jeff. And over time, I trusted Jeff. Jeff's a shipmate. We have no titles on this ship, other than shipmate. But, Jeff pushing for this series makes him a valuable shipmate. Invite him to join your ship on your journey.

The Problem is the Opportunity: Branding

Recently I was working with a sales person who is early in her career as a financial adviser.  I asked her what makers her different from others.  Why would somebody buy from her as opposed to one of her competitors.

"That is the problem," she responded.  "We are all selling the same thing."

That statement is usually followed by, "It's really all about relationships."

The "problem" here is truly the opportunity! 

Everyone can BRAND themselves in a different, inviting, and relevant way to their target market.  It is not necessarily easy to hit upon that thing that resonates with people and will make them gravitate to you and it takes sustained effort over time, but everyone can establish a brand.

First, pick a niche.  What subset of your target market can you focus on?

Second, determine what unique knowledge, skills, resources, and experience is uniquely important to that subset and start developing those areas in which you are deficient.

Third, start telling this subset of your target market about your unique focus. 

Fourth, stay focused.  It will take time before this pays dividends.

The Problem is the Opportunity: The Economy

Barry Moltz recently sent me a copy of his new book BAM! Delivering Customer Service in a Self Service World.  The book begins by challenging a lot of customer service myths and wisdom such as "the customer is always right."  He points out that we have heard statements like so often that we just accept them as truths.

So what kind of "truths" do we blindly accept in sales?

We have heard and said a lot over the last year about the economy.

• Nobody is buying. 
• Companies are hoarding their cash. 
• We can't grow in this economy.
• When the economy gets better ...

How much sense do these statements really make?  Yes, the economy has been shrinking over the last several quarters (until this most recent quarter), but commerce has not stopped all together.

What most people perceive to be the problem is the opportunity!

Because many businesses are marketing and conducting their selling activity like "nobody is buying," those of us who don't buy into the gloom and doom should be out there marketing and selling like Field of Dreams. 

Let's call it Economy of Dreams: If we will execute our marketing plans and planned sales activities, people and companies will buy! 

Therein lies the power of owning a Winning Sales Paradigm.  If you believe in the "nobody is buying" perspective, it will impact the quality and quantity of marketing and sales activities that you plan and execute.  Not surprisingly, sales will drop.

On the other hand, you don't have to believe the economy is better than ever, but you need to behave like it is.  There are prospects right now that have problems that you can solve who also have the financial resources to buy your solution. 

Don't let the "problem" hold you back.  Find the opportunity in it and take action today!

Sales Habitudes for Women Workship Videos

We have broken the first session of the Sales Habitudes for Women workshop series into a set of short videos.  If you missed the first week, you still have a chance to attend.  View the videos before the next session, or watch them at your leisure in the future.

Enjoy and give us your feedback.