Category Archives: Creativity

Authenticity, Buyers, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Winning

What to do when you get kicked “down” the chain

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What to do when you get kicked down the chainToday I had a meeting lined up with the head of the department who buys what I sell.

20 minutes before our meeting, she sent an email saying that she can’t make the meeting, but her employee (who she said is COMPLETLY involved with their programs) would be there instead.

Know how I responded?

I emailed back (cc: all)  “PERFECT! I am delighted to meet with Samantha…she is just the right person to take a look.”

(HINT: Always leave people knowing that everything is NO PROBLEM and JUST RIGHT – even though you may feel disappointed).

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

Actually, NOW, I had a HUGE advantage

I was talking with the person who USES my competitor’s product on a day-to-day basis. SHE is more familiar with the PAIN than anyone else in the company. I can develop this person to be a real fly-in-the-ointment of her managers if she wants to switch to our products.

BUT, Beware!

I didn’t assume a single thing about the sale. I started from scratch.

First, I laid out for Samantha why her manager had wanted to meet with me and why her manager had put it on the calendar.

THEN, I turned the focus completely to her. I asked Samantha what HER expectation of the meeting was. I asked her what, if anything, she knew about my company. I asked her what she did and what her role was (don’t pretend that your search on LinkedIn or her title tells you a single bit – ask THEM.)

And of course, the MAGIC questions:

“What would be the best use of YOUR time on this call? What do YOU want to see?”

The world opened up!

Samantha told me EVERYTHING she was dealing with as the end-user of our competitor’s product and EXACTLY what she wanted from our time. It was delicious. And, she felt important. Because she is.

The meeting went EXCEPTIONALLY well. Because Samantha felt like it was a big deal that I’d gotten kicked down the chain, she gave me everything I wanted to know about her company’s pain points.

She left the call EXCITED and wanting to hear more.

Now, what I’ll do…

I will now call Samantha’s boss and tell her how great is was that she put me in touch with the perfect resource. I will summarize our call and WE ARE FURTHER ALONG than we would have been, otherwise.

Never forget the power of RECIPROCATION

Samantha’s boss turned the tables on me. And I was GREAT with her. And, I was GREAT with her trusted-employee. Now, she owes ME graciousness. It works like a charm.

Believe me, I am 10 times more likely to close this deal than I was when I woke up this morning.

I NOW  have an internal advocate, a decision-maker who “owes” me and more information about what they are REALLY dealing with than I would have EVER gotten in the meeting I thought we were going to have.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Your job is to always be great with everyone and everything. The rest will sort itself out!

Pretty easy, right?

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Winning, Wisdom

How low do you go?

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Reading the title, youHow low do you go? might think I mean price… I do not.

I am talking about technology today. Sometimes HIGH technology thrusts you forward. Sometimes the lowest technology keeps you connected.

Here’s the thing about technology… it ONLY works if it is working for you.

We find ourselves in a world of INCREDIBLE tools.. tools that will explode us to the top of the sales world, if only we can use them well.

Some of us are ACES at breaking through with new tools (read: www.DanWaldschmit.com, or even, Nancy Nardin http://www.smartsellingtools.com/about.html). Dan and Nancy are  MASTERS at quickly assessing new tools and applying them.

ME?

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

I’m a bit low-tech.

Yet, I am ALWAYS NUMBER ONE in sales!

All I am saying here is USE WHAT WORKS!

You would crack up if you saw my sales tools. A whiteboard of checklists and an Excel spreadsheet.

Today, in technology, I am a fan of:

The Smartphone: (I can answer emails immediately from my phone)
LinkedIn (I can do very quick research)
Google and Google Alerts (obvious)

Here’s where I win, though – EVERY TIME

I know what works for me and I do it RELENTLESSLY.

1) I am on time
2) I send hand-written Thank You notes (a rarity)
3) I track my activity

Of course, I do not ignore the new tools, I want to learn more. I just can’t be DISTRACTED by every little thing that rears it’s new head. Can you?

My question is: Are you trying to make new technology work for you OR are you making sure YOUR tools work?

There is room for all of it!

Love your sales UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

 

Authenticity, Buyers, Creativity, Customer Service, Dear Irreverent Sales Girl, Dignity, Loving Life, Performance, Winning

Dear Irreverent Sales Girl – from “Call Me in Six Months”

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I received a question today from a reader (please send me YOUR questions, they will likely be published and you will become famous!)The 3 Simple Ways to Set Yourself Up For A Sale In The Future

Here is what this entrepreneur asked:

QUESTION:

“Dear Irreverent Sales Girl,

I have developed a software product that is designed for sole-practitioner-business-coaches. It is so popular that 2-3 times a month I get approached by organizations who really like it but need a more enterprise-wide solution (i.e. teams of coaches).

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I have plans for expanding my product to offer an enterprise version, but it’s still months off and it would be irresponsible to make any solid promises regarding specific timelines. I explain as much during phone calls, and my candor regarding how I don’t have anything to sell them right now is always appreciated.  We always end on a sort of “Great, we’ll be back in touch” or “keep us posted” note.

 

I can’t help but think I could be doing things a lot better for cultivating a connection for a sale down the road, when I DO have a product ready for them

 

.
What can I do to make the best of genuine interest now for an offering I will have later?

 

~ Call Me in Six Months”

Brilliant Question!

ANSWER:

Dear Call Me in Six Months:

First, let me commend you on a few things that you have done very, very right!

* You have created a product that is useful to your marketplace. Kudos!

* You are discovering a new niche (and possibly one with more money to spend!)

* You are telling the TRUTH and gaining credibility

* You are taking the time to develop what will WORK, rather than trying to kluge (yes, that is a word) a product just to sell it now – when you know it will not live up to your standards or theirs.

What is funny is that you gave yourself your own answer – in your sign-off … I will end with that revelation in answer #3. Let’s talk through the 3 simple ways to set yourself up for a sale in the future.

The 3 Simple Ways To Set Yourself Up For A Sale In The Future

#1:  Schedule an hour with the person to do an informational call. You have a crazy advantage here. You have NOTHING to sell , so there will be no pressure. Make sure this is a call that is SEPARATE from the one in which you have gained their trust by telling them you don’t have what they need … right now. If they are serious, they will commit the time.

On this call, get the answers to the following questions:

* What, specifically interests YOU about the software?

* What challenges are you dealing with that you think the software will solve?

* How are you addressing those challenges now?

* What goals do you have currently that you think the software can help you achieve?

* When you see our enterprise solution … and you like it … who else helps decide if you will buy it?

* Are you familiar with how your company buys a product like this and how does that process go?

* What other solutions are you considering right now?

* Do you have budget for this kind of solution, or would it help you to start getting the costs associated with the software, so that you can build it into your budget for the future?

* Schedule a call for six months from now – see #3 below

#2: Set up a reminder for yourself to contact that person once-every-three-weeks. Keep yourself top-of-mind, but not pesty!

The customer will remember that you care. Each contact should be to either:

* Celebrate advances in the development of your enterprise solution

* Ask them how they are doing against the goals you discussed in the first conversation

* Both of the above

#3: Ask them to schedule a call with you for six months from now (see how you answered your own question!). This will accomplish the following:

* It will push you to be ready with an enterprise-wide solution

* It will demonstrate that the customer is truly interested (if they won’t commit to a conversation in the future, they are only vaguely interested)

* It will (in many circumstances) save you from trying to track them down again when you are “ready” (remember, priorities change, but when people put something on the calendar – it makes them think differently about their relationship with you – they are more invested.)

If you are TRULY ambitious…

Create an “Under Construction” newsletter – or some such thing – that you send out to tell people about you, your company, your successes, and what is coming next!

Most of all, of course, keep a database of these marvelous people with detailed notes about your interactions.

SO, “Call Me in Six Months”, I am delighted you asked.

Let’s ask other readers: What do you think “Call Me in Six Months” should do? I can’t wait to hear your answers!

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

 

 

Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Quotes, Winning, Wisdom

Being Responsible v. Being Successful

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I loved this video today via Marie Forleo:

Favorite quote: “Responsible people keep promises to other people, Successful people keep promises to themselves.”

Enjoy!

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

Love your success UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Purpose, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Winning

Watch your language!

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Watch your language! I was giving a cold-calling training yesterday and my participant told me that her boss wants her to come up with two scripts….one for talking to a GATEKEEPER and the other for talking to the DECISION MAKER.

Oh, those words he is using! Gatekeeper? Decision Maker? Seriously?

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

Let’s talk about Star Wars for a second.

Remember those Storm Troopers – dressed from head to toe in armor and tinted face masks? (If you don’t I’ve included a picture).

Know why they dressed them this way? Well, I might not really know why, but what I’ve HEARD is so that the audience didn’t HUMANIZE them. So, it was OK to kill them. No one would feel a shred of conscience about rooting for the Rebellion to take them all out! Dead!

Watch your language!  Now look.

What does this have to do with my revulsion to the words GATEKEEPER and DECISION MAKER? 

Yup! It takes the HUMAN out of the mix. So, NOW, when you are talking with one of these people, you sound like a GREAT BIG DORK, because the foul language you are using automatically puts you at cross purposes with the HUMAN on the other end of the phone.

See, if you call the person who can connect you to the person you really want to reach, and you call them the gatekeeper….right away you start strategizing ways to get past this nasty person. Kind of like trying to get past the bouncer at a popular club. And, all of your efforts sound disingenuous and HUMANS can smell the stink of  disingenuous from about a mile away!

DECISION MAKER is a little more subtle, but it still conjures up images of a person who is going to pass judgment on high about whether you are going to meet your goals or not. It’s brutal!

So, what language could you use instead? 

Well, for starters, you MIGHT get interested in their name. I’m just sayin’. Then, you might get interested in the role that person plays in the company and why they would even want to talk to you.

If you can’t figure out why they would want to talk to you, then I suggest you don’t pick up the phone in the first place. You will just embarrass everyone in the process (YOU, mostly).

The people who answer the phone are your best friends. They KNOW what the company is up to and they know how to get your call through to the right person … if they care enough to. And, keep in mind, they are interested in doing a good job! They want to do the right thing. Those people have a big fat sniffer for someone who is trying to GET PAST them. Wouldn’t you?

The people who make the decisions are your access to a green light. Right?

So, NOW what do you see? 

All of the people you talk to in your sales process care about something. If you are relating to them as the enemy, they will do their best to keep you out … and out you shall be!

Your job is to leave everyone you speak with feeling that you added value to their day and, even better, feel like a ROCK STAR because they talked to you.

This is where “cold-calling” becomes fun! 

You now are someone that EVERYONE wants to talk to because you care about what makes them successful.

It takes relating to a human being on the other side of the call and making their day.

Now, YOU get to be a DAY-MAKER (instead of a nasty ol’ salesperson) and THEY get to be ROCK STARS!

Think you can do it? 

Love ’em ALL UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Creativity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Quotes, Winning, Wisdom

A joke for you!

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A biologist, a chemist, and a statistician go hunting. A joke for you!

The biologist aims at a deer and misses 5 feet to the left.

The chemist aims at the same deer and misses 5 feet to the right.

The statistician exclaims, “We got it!”

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

Your task:  Apply to sales….What do you see?

Love it UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Authenticity, Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Presentation, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Winning

You can’t bamboozle your customer! PUH-LEEZE!

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You can't BAMBOOZLE your customerI was in a sales training and the sales trainer LAMENTED that times have changed.

It USED to be that the salesperson had the inside scoop

NOW, the buyer can find everything they really need to know on-line.

WAIT! He was LAMENTING this?

Is that really who we’ve become as salespeople? The ones who can sell if our buyer doesn’t have enough information? UGH!

It reminded me of a keynote I heard from the CEO of Seventh Generation. 

He said that his company POSTED a list of the DEFICIENCIES of their products.

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Which, initially, had their salespeople shaking in their boots.

Sure enough, the competitors would come in with the printed list of Seventh Generation’s Self-Admitted deficiencies…..

But, you know what happened? The customer would turn to them and say….”where is YOUR list?”

HA! 

Your customer is smart and informed. If you can’t deal with it, go sell something that can stand up to scrutiny. You’ll have more fun!

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Creativity, Dignity, Irreverence, Loving Life, Performance, Winning, Wisdom

Hidden Mysteries Week – The Formula for Wealth Part II

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Hidden Mysteries Week - via Dan Brown and The Lost SymbolThis week, we are exploring Dan Brown’s hidden formula for wealth (as interpreted by me) in his Best Selling book The Lost Symbol (you can read yesterday’s post to get caught up).

First, we said we would explore the progression we uncovered that says: P→P→P→W

This is the most obvious of the three we will discuss

In simple language, the more productive I am, the more prosperous I am likely to become, which gives me more ability to be philanthropic (or to find ways to contribute). 

When I am productive, which leads to prosperity, I am able to give more away – then I have truly become WEALTHY.

This progression is linear and does not require much thinking. However, it is also intellectual and does not do much to create a NEW paradigm for me.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

It is obvious, but not compelling.

In fact, some COULD argue that this progression is more of an argument for W→P→P→P. If I am already wealthy, it allows me to be more productive, more prosperous, and more philanthropic. So, it really doesn’t do us much good.

The moral of The Lost Symbol story turns out to be that the Ancient Mysteries of Life are hidden in plain view…

…and available in many Universal texts, philosophies, and practices, including Alchemy, Astrology, Kabbalah, Christianity, Buddhism…among many others.

Just as the words of those works can be read at face value – with very little impact on the reader, so can our equation for wealth be read at face value. But, if we look a little deeper (which we will do over the next couple of days) a new paradigm can start to arise.

Do you see it?

I can not wait to hear your thoughts!

Love your hidden secrets UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Appearance, Authenticity, Creativity, Loving Life, Performance, Presentation, Uncategorized, Welcome, Winning

Fake it ’til you make it?

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Fake it 'til you make it?When I was first getting started building my Investment Management business, I was terrified of meeting with clients. I had the education. I felt confident that I could help, but I was afraid to ask for the business. I was afraid I could not connect with the customers.

What to do about my insecurities?

So, I came up with this great idea. I was a big fan of Law & Order at the time. It was when Angie Harmon was on the show playing a no-nonsense, beautiful, composed attorney. She always kept her cool and she always had it together. And, she looked great doing it!

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

I decided I would “be” Angie Harmon in every meeting. I dressed the part and I acted just like she would in all of the conversations.

It worked like a charm.

Every meeting I walked in with the confidence and poise of Angie Harmon. I listened like she did. I spoke calmly and clearly just like she always did.

I constituted myself as someone successful. And people responded.

People opened up to me and I found it easy to take my time to hear what they wanted and make solid recommendations. Then, I confidently opened the conversation to ask for the business. I calmly pulled out the paperwork at the right time. And the prospects became clients over 80% of the time – in the first meeting.

Find the person who you can “be” to take your business to the next level. Maybe it’s James Bond, or Cat Woman, or a mentor. Put yourself aside and act the part.

Soon, it will start to come naturally! And you will be who you wanted to be and enjoy the same success!

Love your icons UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl

Creativity, Dignity, Goals, Loving Life, Performance, Purpose, Top Ten Principles of Selling, Winning, Wisdom

Love ’em up!

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Love 'em UP!I get comments from time-to-time – people ask me – “What does that even mean? ‘Love ’em up!’?”

Here’s what it means in short.

Wondering how to go from 5 to 6 figures in sales? Check out this Free eBook: http://ebook.solidsixblueprint.com/solid-six-ebook/

As a salesperson, you will do WAY better when you love your support staff, your managers, and your customers UP!

As a spouse, you will do WAY better when you love your spouse, children, in-laws UP!

As a business owner, you will do WAY better to love your peers, your advisors, (and even sometimes your competition) UP!

When you love ’em UP! – you come from your most awesomesauce self. And then, magic starts to happen.

Love ’em UP! = MAGIC for everybody.

That is all.

Love ’em UP!

The Irreverent Sales Girl