Bright Lights

I see all sorts of great sales and service action when I am travelling, and my last trip was no exception.
 
I walked into a mid-sized office building near O’Hare. I was a little early, so I strolled over to the directory to double check the floor I needed and took a little longer to check out some other company names. I am close to 6’6” tall so when I turned around I nearly ran over a very serious looking, uniformed woman who was about 5’ tall and standing very close to me.   Read More

On the Contrary . . .

We all know contrarians. They love to distinguish and protect themselves by taking the opposite position in a discussion or debate. Great fun at dinner parties but incredibly frustrating in the context of selling.

Psychologists actually have a clinical name for this technique . . . they call it polarity. People who process information by polarizing, sort the data by looking for the opposite of the input. It gives them a sense of power and management over what we all know is the virtual flood of ongoing information.

So how do we, as salespeople, motivate a hard core contrarian to give our product a fair hearing? Read More

A Lesson From TV

We have all watched those cliché advertisements on TV in which the pitchman starts adding benefits toward a conclusion . . . you know . . . “Order these kitchen knives right now and we will add a knife sharpener, plus a knife holder, etc.”

Well, as cliché as these ads can be, the people who create them are anything but stupid. Because they know that tests show that “add-ons” can increase response rate by 35%, a huge number in the context of direct sales. Read More

Ahead of the Curve

I have had pretty good luck traveling this past year or so but last Friday my luck ran out. I arrived at O’Hare Airport for a late flight home and the dance began. 

First, it was announced we were going to be delayed. Then we boarded. Next, the pilot announced there were some “minor” mechanical difficulties that maintenance was checking. Then we deplaned. More waiting. Finally, our plane was de-commissioned, but, they found us another plane at another gate. Re-boarded. Waited another hour for “catering.” Arrived at our destination at 3 a.m.

As I staggered in around 4 a.m., I did a last check of my emails and there was an email from the airline apologizing, and awarding me 10,000 miles. Two things came to mind:

Read More

The Power of the Metaphor

Metaphors create tremendous leverage and clarity in communication. They cut through the jargon and activate the imagination and the emotional side in the buyer’s mind. Metaphors begin with the phrase, “It’s kind of like…”

Here is an example we often refer to.
Read More

May The Force Be With You!

I hurt my shoulder being a knucklehead working out Friday, so I called a local area spa/resort to try to arrange a massage. I was not ready for the hurricane of energy and positive vibes I was about to experience. It went something like this: Read More

Knowledge = Confidence = Sales

It never ceases to amaze me how many salespeople I run into in the course of my own purchasing who do not have solid, confident answers to core questions about their products and services. A car salesperson may not have crisp, clean answers about lease terms. Or a real estate agent may not be able to quote comps from the neighborhood. 
 
Whatever the case, I can only assume one of two dynamics is in play:  Read More

A Secret to Downton Abbey’s Uber Popularity and What It Can Teach Us About Selling

The incredibly successful Public Television series Downton Abbey just completed its six year run and more than a few people are mourning its passing. Like earlier popular series like Cheers, Seinfeld and Mash, people really looked forward to their weekly interaction with these wonderful characters who grew and developed before their very eyes.

But there was also a technical dynamic in play which we should keep in mind when selling. Read More

Trust . . . The Great Equalizer!

All sales are based upon trust. Trust is established in many ways, but one particularly strong, early technique is to ask a buyer about his/her objectives then to repeat them, immediately, in summary form.

Let’s say we are selling banking services. We ask the prospect what her objectives are. She answers by emphasizing low risk and a relationship with someone local she can visit and talk to, among other things. When she finishes, we say, “Thank you Ms. Smith. So just to be clear, you want to place some money in a low-risk instrument at a local bank and establish a relationship with someone you can visit or phone on a regular basis that will be there for you. Is that accurate?” “Yes.”

This may sound simple but it has some profound psychological and emotional power to it.
Read More

Selling Through Relationships

I want to step back this week and revisit how this whole “Mr. Shmooze” thing started, because it is at the core of everything we do with our research and our writing.
 
Years ago, I became fascinated, both as a buyer and a seller, with people who could make a difference by sheer force of their personalities and will. In other words, while the product or service they were representing were obviously key, these special people could add to the appeal of them through their own, unique communications skills and selling styles. That set me off on a journey I continue to make today in the quest of understanding, and passing along, the magic such people create in the course of pursuing their life’s work. Read More

Change . . . Or Get Sacked!

I was reading the Super Bowl post analysis and something caught my eye.  Some members of the Denver defense said that in watching the Carolina films, for the two weeks prior to the game, they saw some patterns they thought they could exploit, and they adjusted their defensive strategy accordingly (basically blitzing on almost every play).
 
They were not sure it would work if Carolina shifted to a different approach, but the Denver defense was, in their words, “shocked” (and delighted) that Carolina just kept coming at them the same way, play after play, exactly as they has seen it on film, for the whole game.
 
“Shooting fish in a barrel” said one player. “We knew exactly what was coming and they never changed . . . must have been brutal from the other side.”
 
As salespeople, we can learn something from this.  Read More

Wait for It

I recently saw something on television that I sometimes run into as a salesperson. A celebrity was being interviewed but rather than rattle off quick answers, he paused for a moment to process the question, then gave a thoughtful answer.
 
The trouble was that the hyper talk show host could not stand the downtime and began interrupting and talking over him, until the guest pretty much shut down. It was not a very fulfilling conversation for either of them, or for the audience for that matter. Read More