After a much needed break… I’m back baby! Michelle got me a trip to Costa Rica for my birthday… which I highly recommend! I wanted to write… but I knew I needed to stop for a few days. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with the Change Creators in the #SocialSelling world and I’m extremely excited and giddy about what’s to come. Along with that, I’m getting further and further into Snap Selling and I keep finding Golden Nuggets.
“Don’t wait for customers who are ready to buy. Be a sales initiator and learn how to create opportunities out of thin air. If you bring prospects an idea that makes good business sense, they’ll consider it. If the idea is aligned with their business objectives, strategic imperatives, or current priorities, it’ll be evaluated. If they like what they see, money will be found.”[note]Page 128[/note]
That makes pretty good sense right? When you need something so badly, you find a way to buy it. So, put yourself in the buyer’s shoes and figure out how you can make that happen. If you don’t know what the buyer’s shoes are like, figure it out. The internet is full of information… start reading!
If people are willing to change their priorities throughout the year, they’ll change their budget if you give them a good enough reason to. If they’re giving you time… they can see the value in whatever you have to offer.
“The only thing they care about is if you bring value to their business. If not, you’re a waste of time.”[note]Page 139[/note]
That pretty cut and dry and doesn’t get any easier than that. People don’t want you wasting their time because time is money! You’ve got to deliver whenever you have the opportunity. If you get someone on the phone, capitalize. If someone responds to your tweet or LinkedIn message, provide value. Continuously providing value is difficult, but once you find the sweet spot, man does it feel great!
I talk about this all the time. Providing Value. Don’t lead with your product… lead towards your product. Pitching someone about a feature doesn’t seem to work anymore… unless someone literally asks you about the feature. OR, they’re pissed at the competition. Don’t feel the need to dive directly into the product.
“Unfortunately for most sellers, their itch to pitch is unleashed when they start hearing about their prospect’s issues and challenges. Before you know it, they’re leaning forward in their chair and talking excitedly about their offering or capabilities.”[note]Page 160[/note]
I remember sitting at my desk while are Cornerstone chomping at the phone because the person was telling me about their issues! I was pumped. They’d just told me a huge issue and I knew exactly how my product could help them. I ‘knew’ it was time for me to bring up the product… and pfft… it went from a great conversation to ‘another sales call’. The prospect closed up and stopped talking.
In retrospect, I should have kept asking questions, digging deeper and setting the stage for our next conversation. I didn’t shed any light on the current situation within the industry and I sure as heck ruined the conversation.
Once you get in front of a buyer, it’s time to get out the diagram to get a better understanding of where things are going wrong.
“I’ve seen other sellers draw the silos between departments and the multiple handoff points as they discuss the tremendous inefficiencies in departments.”[note]Page 175[/note]
Try and envision yourself drawing or creating a diagram in front of a buyer. It’s a great engagement opportunity for you to show them where the troubles are. Where are the disconnects in their organization? Where do they lose time and money because they have ‘bandaided’ together solutions? The majority of organizations are ‘behind the ball’, and the majority of them don’t know that. It’s your job to show them!
You’re helping them come to the conclusion that you can save them time and money. You’re leading them down the path to choosing you as a partner because you’re providing them with all sorts of value and content.
“… if you become an everyday value creator, you will stand you. So stop thinking about getting the order and start thinking of yourself as a business improvement specialist who product/service is only one part of the value you bring to your potential and current customers.”[note]Page 177[/note]
Are you creating value regularly? Are you pushing out content all the time to your network? Are you engaging with your prospects? Eventually, once you’ve accomplished that, they’ll be coming to you for information. You’ll be their source for information. It’s absolutely insane as to why people think that this is impossible. It’s not!
I’ve got a friend in the travel industry and I know that she could absolutely murder sales… She just needs to create a website, post pictures and talk about her trips. Who doesn’t want to look at pictures and fantasize about traveling the world. Twitter and instagram are visual feed where you can post pictures. Drive traffic from those, to a website and you’ve got yourself an incredible following.
Not to mention… travel bloggers have an incredible tight niche community. Publish, post, share, comment content and become the value creator!
There’s more to come from me about:
Snap Selling | Jill Konrath
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