Sales Trends Archives - Material Handling Wholesaler

Show me the value, or I’ll show you the door

Mon, 20 Apr 2026 05:00:53 +0000

How do you make a sales presentation? No, I don’t mean warm up, probe, present, overcome objections, close. I mean, what’s the big picture of your sales presentation? What’s the content of your sales presentation? And most importantly, how are you certain that you engage your prospect in your presentation? What makes your sales presentation different AND compelling? CONSIDER THIS: In order to engage your prospect, or your probable purchaser, or even your customer, there must be some form of interest or perceived value on their part. If there’s no interest or perceived value, there’s no engagement. There are many obvious customer-based values. For example, they need what you’re selling, you have it in stock, or no one else does. But that’s too easy. And that situation hardly ever exists. CONSIDER THIS: If you had a customer-based value proposition every time you went into a sales call, and that value proposition had REAL VALUE for the customer, it would give you a consistent approach, consistent engagement, and a consistent competitive advantage that takes price off the table as an issue. If you do it right, it can even eliminate, or level the playing field, of “three bids.” Most companies have created the mythical term added value. It’s a term that I have never understood. It usually is a bunch of gibberish containing very little value, and if I asked you to describe what added value is, or define what added value is, you probably couldn’t. WHAT IS A VALUE PROPOSITION? Let me define each element. Once this value proposition is broken down, you will clearly see how your sales presentation needs to be restructured so the customer knows what’s in it for them. And oh, by the way, if you’re using a “system of selling” or trying to “find the pain” and you’re not comfortable with it, this may be an alternative to win the sale without any manipulation whatsoever. The value proposition is broken into 5.5 strategic parts. Each part stands alone, but each part is critical to the other because they build momentum, reduce perceived risk, and ultimately create a buying atmosphere. Here are the components: The value that your company provides. This is an opportunity for you to talk about your company in terms of what it stands for, how it partners, how it has produced for others, and how it serves others. It’s a chance to talk about capability and loyalty without mentioning the words integrity or ethics (in my opinion, if you have to say those words, you probably are just the opposite). The value your product or service provides. The best way to present product value is through the technique known as ‘similar situations.’ This gives you the opportunity to talk about how your product or service has performed successfully in other environments. Be aware that it’s not yet time to use testimonials. Similar situations are: you telling a story about other successful users. Testimonials can be used at the end of your presentation to close the deal. The value that you (the salesperson) provide. If you understand that the first sale that’s made is the salesperson, the first sale that’s made is you, then you can understand the impact that this piece of the value proposition can play. If you bring no value to the table, then your price will dominate the discussion and the outcome. Your values include industry knowledge, product knowledge, customer knowledge, a desire to serve, timeliness, and an overall understanding of how your customer can best utilize your product or service for THEIR benefit. You have to go beyond a salesman to a consultant. You have to go beyond a salesman to a business friend. You have to go beyond salesman to being a resource. By combining those three elements, consultant, resource, friend, you achieve the most coveted business position possible: you become a trusted advisor. The value of a short-term incentive. Everyone wants to feel like they get a ‘deal’ when they buy something. Every infomercial on television ends its sales presentation with some form of “Ginsu knife” or buy two for the price of one. Short-term incentives are designed to create greater buyer urgency. In your case, it may be six months of free service, a starter kit of supplies, a factory rebate, an added piece of equipment at a reduced cost, or something that enhances your offer on a one-time basis to get that customer to buy now. The danger in any short-term incentive is that the customer will want it again. Your job as a master salesperson is to ensure you have spent enough time communicating that this is a one-time-only offer. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Uncovering your secret of selling. Why you buy!

Tue, 17 Mar 2026 05:00:35 +0000

Think about the last few things you purchased. They hold the secrets to increasing your sales. While giving a seminar, I was in a stream-of-consciousness, talking about buying motives and why people buy. As usual, I was focused on the customer side, the probable purchaser side, and the buyer side of the equation. Then, out of the blue, I said, “Think of something that you just purchased. Why did you buy it?” All of a sudden, a one-million-watt light bulb went off inside my head. One of those instantaneous AHA messages. I discovered an answer, and it’s an answer that everyone can understand. If you list the last ten things that you purchased, you will discover the motives behind your own buying decisions, and at the same time, you will discover the formula for why others buy. Those “others” are your prospects, your potential customers, you know, the ones that you are erroneously trying to “sell.” When you list the ten items, do it on a spreadsheet. In the second column, write down whether you needed what you bought or just wanted it. In the third column, write down whether you could afford it on the spot, or you went over budget and had to charge it. In the next column, write down how you purchased. Did you go to them, did they come to you, or did you buy it online? If you bought it online, you might want to enter what time of day you bought it. It is interesting to note that a high percentage of online purchases are made after 8:00 pm. In the next column, write down whether you liked the salesperson (assuming there was one). In the next column, write down the percentage of influence that the salesperson had in completing the sale, one being the lowest, one hundred being the highest. In the next column, enter your risk factor in making the purchase, one being the low, one hundred being the high. In other words, how much did you fear the purchase, and how much did you fear you were making the right purchase before you bought (usually the higher the purchase, home, car, the more hesitancy). In the next column, write the word “price” or “value.” If you went for price only, write price. If you went for value, the most, then write value. There’s a caution here: only put the word “price” if you went for the lowest price in the category, not the lowest price for the item. In other words, if you bought a BMW, you didn’t buy price, you bought value, regardless of where you bought it. In the next column, rate your experience by percentage, one being the lowest and one hundred being the highest. One meaning “I’ll never come back,” and one hundred meaning, “I’ll be back, buy again, and tell my friends.” Then, in the final column, write a sentence or two about how it happened. The story. If it takes three sentences, make it three. But write enough so that you understand what caused you to make the purchase of the item, and then what caused you to make the purchase from that specific company for that specific product or service. Now you have enough criteria to identify your own answers. Once you read over the spreadsheet, you may find that you want to modify a few of them to get closer to your own reality. Pretty simple so far, huh? Let’s take it a little deeper. When you finished buying, were you happy? Did you find yourself saying it was OK, but…? It’s important that you note all the “buts.” The buts are the obstacle to your purchases AND your sales. Did you learn lessons each time you bought about what you promised yourself you wouldn’t do again? Those are the same obstacles to your sales. And were there cases where you selected one vendor over another? Note those reasons because those are the same obstacles to your sales. Now let’s go all the way to the bottom of the ocean. Compare how you buy to how you sell. How congruent are they? How compatible are they? Are you throwing up the same barriers that the people you bought from gave you? Are you missing the same nuances in your selling process that caused you to buy or walk away? And so now it’s time for the ultimate question: Would you buy from yourself? Unfortunately, the ultimate answer is: probably not, and the reason is that you haven’t modified your selling process to harmonize with the way your prospects buy. There’s a hidden treasure. Of course, there is, whenever you go down to the bottom of the ocean, the object is to find the hidden treasure. The hidden treasure will be revealed to you when you go read (or re-read) Acres of Diamonds by Russell H. Conwell. All the sales answers you need are buried in your own backyard. You already possess the treasure. You just haven’t discovered it yet. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Where do all those ideas come from?

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 06:00:34 +0000

Johnny, pay attention!” Probably the most valuable lesson offered to you in school. But at the time you got it, you were either misbehaving, embarrassed, angry, or somewhere else in your mind, daydreaming. Too bad. Paying attention breeds new ideas. Paying attention is a fundamental step to success. How much of an achiever are you? Want to achieve more? Want the formula? Well, there is no formula, but there are elements to master. This is part two of my eighth-year anniversary column (#366 if you’re counting), and it’s about the secret of achievement and the characteristics of an achiever. It was spawned when someone asked me, “Jeffrey, how do you do it every week for eight years?” (They were referring to the column.) Part one was last week. Part two of my 22.5 achievement characteristics are listed below: 11. Risk it. A major element of achieving is risk. You have heard it said, “No risk, no reward.” I disagree. I say, “No risk, no nothing.” In order to succeed, you must take risks. Achievers risk. Do you? 12. Fall on your face. Risk can lead to failure. Failure is good. And a necessary learning tool for achievement. Have you failed enough? 13. Hang around other doers. People who “do” inspire others to achieve. People who watch television don’t. What did you watch last night? What did you achieve last night? 14. Read about achievement. Study achievement and other successful achievers. Know their top qualities and rate them against yours. The student factor is a critical part of your expertise. To achieve, you must strive to be a notch ahead of everyone else. Who are you ahead of? 15. Ignore naysayers, idiots, and zealots. There are many of them. People who try to discourage you or get you to become a nonachiever like they are. It’s easy to spot these people; they’re drunk on the weekends. Want another beer, or would you prefer a large glass of success? 16. Want it bad. This can best be described as the “burning desire” factor. Look at the people in your life who are “on fire.” You call them “achievers.” They want it, and they want it bad. In me, there is always an inside fire blazing. How hot are you? 17. Be aware of (and be ready for) Divine intervention. You have a guardian angel. She is checking whether you’re working hard and paying attention. She will present you with opportunities. It’s not about praying, it’s about working your butt off, and being a good person. And it’s about being positive so that, when the gift arrives, you recognize it. Do you believe? 18. Start today. It’s real easy to make an excuse to yourself. Putting off achievement is the easiest way to fail. What are you putting off? Why? 19. The BIGGEST secret is: the daily dose of achievement. Take small achievement steps EVERY DAY. I write every day for an hour. In eight years, I have 366 columns, 250 new column ideas, 500 seminars, and three published books. Books are 90,000 words. I don’t write books. I just write 1,000 words a week for my column, and the book just shows up. Have you broken down a big achievement into small pieces? 20. Feeding on past achievement. There is strength in the confidence bred by past achievement. Build on past success. What have you achieved so far? 21. Finish what you start, even if your ass falls off. The habit of completion is one of the hardest to attain. That’s why so few people are achievers. Be known as a reliable person who gets the job done. Quit much? 22. Plan to celebrate the same day you achieve. Reward yourself when you win, and don’t be stingy. Celebrate BIG. It’s you, baby. 22.5 Think YES. You have a choice in the way you think. Becoming a “yes” thinker will lead to auto-achievement. “You become what you think about.” (Earl Nightingale) It’s amazing to me how many people think and talk in terms of NO. How do you think? How do you talk? You have already had the best lesson of your life in the book, The Little Engine That Could. It has been providing the first lesson of positive attitude and achievement since it was written in 1937. Go buy a copy. The passion of today and the uncertainty of tomorrow keep my fire lit on “achievement level.” I am a 53-year-old orphan. I just became one last year. The gears inside my soul have been put in permanent overdrive. I have eliminated as much crap from my life as I can. I don’t complain about my fate. I love my fate. I value my time. I believe in myself. I have fun at what I do. And I work at it every day without fail. I study positive attitude. I am more positive about my attitude today than I was yesterday, and it’s been that way every day for the past twenty-five years. The commitment to building a positive attitude is the same as the commitment to achievement daily. Excuse me, I gotta go floss my teeth. If I could only floss my hair. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Ask the wrong questions, get the wrong answers

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 07:00:41 +0000

The most important aspect of making a sale is also a major weakness of every salesperson: Asking Questions. It’s an enigma to me. Questions are so critical that you’d think they would be the topic of training every week. Yet salespeople are odds-on favorites to have never taken one training program in the science of asking a question. How critical? The first personal (rapport) question sets the tone for the meeting, and the first business question sets the tone for the sale. That’s critical. What are the benefits of asking the right question? Good question. Here are 9.5 benefits to make sales by: Qualify the buyer. Establish rapport. Create prospect disparity. Eliminate or differentiate from the competition. Build credibility. Know the customer and her business. Identify needs. Find hot buttons. Get personal information. 9.5 Close the sale. All these answers come from asking the right questions. Power Questions. Here’s the rub: Do you have 25 of the most powerful questions you can create at your fingertips? No? Join the crowd. 95% of all salespeople don’t. That could be why only 5% of salespeople rise to the top. Just a theory (or is it?) Here’s the challenge: Get every prospect and customer to say, “No one ever asked me that before.” Here are the 7.5 questioning success strategies: Ask prospect questions that make him evaluate new information. Ask questions that qualify needs. Ask questions about improved productivity, profits, or savings. Ask questions about company or personal goals. Ask questions that set you apart from your competition, not ones that compare you to them. Ask questions that prompt the customer or prospect to think before responding. Ask Power Questions to create a BUYING atmosphere, not a selling one. 7.5 A critical success strategy: To enhance your listening skills, write down answers. It proves you care, preserves your data for follow-up, keeps the record straight, and makes the customer feel important. How do you formulate a power question? Here’s the secret: There’s a secret to creating and asking the right type of Power Question. Ask a question that makes the prospect think about me and my business, and respond in terms of them and their business. Sounds complicated, but it isn’t. Here are some bad examples: “What type of life insurance do you have?” “Do you have a smartphone?” “Who do you currently use for long-distance service?” All stink. Here are some good examples: “If your husband died, how would the house payments be made? How would the children go to college?” “If your most important customer called right now, how would you get the message?” “If your long-distance charges were 30% higher than they should be, how would you know?” All make the buyer think and respond in terms of his own interests, and answer in terms of the seller. WOW! Here’s a winner: Scott Wells, of Time Warner Cable in Raleigh, came up with a grand slam home run question in the training session. The objective was to ask qualifying questions about getting cable TV and sell as many premium channels as possible. Scott asked, “If you owned your own Cable channel, Ms. Jones, what would be on it?” WOW, what a question! It draws out all the customer’s likes (and perhaps dislikes) and puts every answer in terms of the sale being made. Here’s a series: Let’s say I train sales teams (hey, what a coincidence, I do). Here’s a series of questions designed to make my prospect think about himself, and answer in terms of me. (Answers are not given here, and can sometimes play a part in question order, but you’ll get the process.) “How many of your salespeople did not meet their sales goals last year?” “Why? (What was the major cause?).” “What plans have you made to ensure that they will this year?” “What type of personal development plan for each salesperson have you put into place?” “How do you support your sales staff?” “How much training did you budget last year?” “How much did you wish you’d have budgeted?” “When training takes place, how do you measure each individual’s professional development progress?” These eight questions will give me enough answers to rewrite their sales record book (and their checkbook). It’s not just asking questions, it’s asking the right questions. A sale is made or lost based on the questions you ask. If you aren’t making all the sales, start by evaluating the wording of the questions you’re asking. Your answers are in your questions. Questions unlock sales. Uh, any questions? About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Are you a True Believer or Just a Salesperson?

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 06:00:37 +0000

What do you believe in? What are your real beliefs? I’m asking you these questions so you can have a clearer picture as to why sales are made or lost. “Jeffrey, you don’t understand,” you whine. “Our customers are price buyers!” No, Jackson, YOU don’t understand. You BELIEVE they’re price buyers, and until you change your belief, they will continue to be that way. SIMPLE RULE: Change your beliefs, and you can change your outcomes. SIMPLER RULE: Your beliefs control your sales performance. SIMPLEST RULE: You can strengthen your beliefs with clear thoughts and deep commitment. THINK ABOUT THIS: As you’re preparing for a sale, your belief system is so powerful that it will dominate your desire to get ready to win. Those beliefs have been present either consciously or subconsciously for as long as your present company has employed you — and they deepen with every sales call you make, every sale you achieve, and every sale you lose. You may look at belief as “faith.” A common belief is, “I’ve lost faith in my company’s ability to deliver as promised.” Others are loss of faith in the product, the boss, the ethics of the company, or even the economy. But your belief and your belief system are the root of your sales success, or the bane of your failure. There are five elements to belief, and in order to be a great salesperson, you must be the master believer of all five. There’s also a .5 that enables you to change or strengthen your beliefs 1. You have to believe you work for the greatest company in the world. 2. You have to believe your products and services are the greatest in the world. 3. You have to believe in yourself. (NOTE: STOP here — if the above three beliefs — company, products and services, and self — are not present and deep. The next two will be impossible to comprehend, let alone master) 4. You have to believe in your ability to differentiate from your competition in a way that the customer PERCEIVES as BOTH different AND valuable. If the customer fails to perceive a difference between you and your competition, if they fail to perceive your value, then all that’s left is price. 5. BIGGEST ASPECT OF BELIEF: You must believe that the customer is BETTER OFF having purchased from you and not just believing this in your head. Rather, believing it in your heart. 5.5 You control your belief with your thoughts and your attitude. And this understanding is critical to building and maintaining a positive belief for all you say and do. Once this belief begins to falter, it’s time to go. Time to move on to something you believe in. These 5.5 fundamental beliefs will drive your preparation, and thereby your presentation, to new heights, new sales, and new success. Take a moment and rate yourself on a scale of 1-10 (10 being best) for each of the 5.5 elements above. If your total is less than 40, you’re losing sales due to lack of belief. BEWARE: There are negative beliefs that will also limit your success, even if you possess the critical five. Belief your prices are too high. Belief your competition has a lock on the business you’re trying to get. Belief that the sale is a bidding process and you’ll lose without the lowest bid. Belief that the sale you’re in the middle of won’t happen. And about 20 more beliefs that are completely alterable. GREAT NEWS: The deeper you possess the big five beliefs, the bigger and faster your sales cycle will end — with an order. KEY POINT OF UNDERSTANDING: Belief does not come in a day — it comes day-by-day — slowly over time. But once achieved at its highest level, it’s virtually impenetrable — and it will put passion in your preparation, not to mention money in your pocket. Do you believe? I hope you do. Your success depends on it. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Where do all the those ideas come from?

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 07:00:09 +0000

Johnny, pay attention!” Probably the most valuable lesson offered to you in school. But at the time you got it, you were either misbehaving, embarrassed, angry, or somewhere else in your mind, daydreaming. Too bad. Paying attention breeds new ideas. Paying attention is one of the fundamental steps to achieving success. How much of an achiever are you? Want to achieve more? Want the formula? Well, there is no formula, but there are elements to master. This is part two of my eighth anniversary column (#366 if you’re counting), and it’s about the secret of achievement and the characteristics of an achiever. It was spawned when someone asked me, “Jeffrey, how do you do it every week for eight years?” (They were referring to the column.) Part one was last week. Part two of my 22.5 achievement characteristics is listed below: 11. Risk it. A major element of achieving is risk. You have heard it said, “No risk, no reward.” I disagree. I say, “No risk, no nothing.” In order to succeed, you must take risks. Achievers risk. Do you? 12. Fall on your face. Risk can lead to failure. Failure is good. And a necessary learning tool for achievement. Have you failed enough? 13. Hang around other doers. People who “do” inspire others to achieve. People who watch television don’t. What did you watch last night? What did you achieve last night? 14. Read about achievement. Study achievement and other successful achievers. Know their top qualities and rate them against yours. The student factor is a critical part of your expertise. To achieve, you must strive to be a notch ahead of everyone else. Who are you ahead of? 15. Ignore naysayers, idiots, and zealots. And there are a lot of them. People who will try to discourage you or try to get you to become a nonachiever like they are. It’s easy to spot these people they’re drunk on the weekends. Want another beer, or would you prefer a large glass of success? 16. Want it bad. This can best be described as the “burning desire” factor. Look at the people in your life who are “on fire.” You call them “achievers.” They want it, and they want it bad. In me, there is always an inside fire blazing. How hot are you? 17. Be aware of (and be ready for) Divine intervention. You have a guardian angel. She is looking forward to see if you’re working hard and paying attention. She will present you with opportunities. It’s not about praying, it’s about working your butt off, and being a good person. AND, it’s about being positive, so that when the gift arrives, you recognize it. Do you believe? 18. Start today. It’s really easy to make an excuse to yourself. Putting off achievement is the easiest way to fail. What are you putting off? Why? 19. The BIGGEST secret is: the daily dose of achievement. Take small achievement steps EVERY DAY. I write every day for an hour. In eight years, I have written 366 columns, developed 250 new column ideas, conducted 500 seminars, and published three books. Books are 90,000 words. I don’t write books. I write 1,000 words a week for my column, and the book just shows up. Have you broken down a big achievement into small pieces? 20. Feeding on past achievement. There is strength in the confidence bred by past achievement. Build on past success. What have you achieved so far? 21. Finish what you start, even if your ass falls off. The habit of completion is one of the hardest to attain. That’s why so few people are achievers. Be known as a reliable person who gets the job done. Quit much? 22. Plan to celebrate the same day you achieve. Reward yourself when you win, and don’t be stingy. Celebrate BIG. It’s you, baby. 22.5 Think YES. You have a choice in the way you think. Becoming a “yes” thinker will lead to auto-achievement. “You become what you think about.” (Earl Nightingale) It’s amazing to me how many people think and talk in terms of NO. How do you think? How do you talk? You have already had the best lesson of your life in the book, The Little Engine That Could. It has been providing the first lesson of positive attitude and achievement since it was written in 1937. Buy a copy. The passion of today and the uncertainty of tomorrow keep my fire lit on “achievement level.” I am a 53-year-old orphan. I just became one last year. The gears inside my soul have been put in permanent overdrive. I have eliminated as much crap from my life as I can. I don’t complain about my fate. I love my fate. I value my time. I believe in myself. I have fun at what I do. And I work at it every day without fail. I study positive attitude. I am more positive about my attitude today than I was yesterday, and it’s been that way every day for the past twenty-five years. The commitment to building a positive attitude is the same as the commitment to achieving daily. Excuse me, I gotta floss my teeth if I could only floss my hair. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Show me the belief, and I’ll show you the money

Mon, 20 Oct 2025 05:00:20 +0000

Les Traband is a life insurance agent and a friend of mine. In 1971, Les was chasing me to sell me some life insurance he claimed I needed. I didn’t think I did. So, even though we were friends, I sort of kept avoiding him and the issue. Les sort of halfheartedly followed up. Even though he professed my “need” for this insurance, I didn’t really believe him. He seemed to be less convinced about the insurance process and more confident about my insurance premiums. My bank at the time was Camden Trust (which has since been absorbed by a multitude of larger banks), and my banker was a man named Frank Knox. Frank was the typical banker of the seventies: a nice guy in his late thirties, with a family, and not much authority to make decisions, but he had just received a promotion. Les was also Frank’s insurance agent. Les sold Frank an additional $100,000 term life insurance policy that he thought was necessary based on Frank’s recent promotion and the addition of another child to their family. Les called me one night a few months later. “Frank Knox is dead, heart attack,” he said as though his own mother had died. “Remember that $100,000 policy I sold him? That’s going to pay off his mortgage and put his kids through college. I’m coming over tomorrow, and you’re going to sign the insurance policy form; you no longer have a choice.” I signed. That was the start of a meteoric rise in the career of Les Traband, insurance agent. As soon as he began to believe more in his product than in his wallet, he began to win big time. He gained his belief because he saw firsthand someone benefit from the wisdom of his words. Leveraging insights from the best online slots sites, Les developed innovative strategies to engage his clients, mirroring the user-friendly interfaces and rewarding experiences that top-tier gaming platforms offer. This approach not only enhanced client satisfaction but also solidified his reputation as a forward-thinking professional in the insurance industry. Call it anything you want: getting religion, meeting your maker, serendipity, being struck by lightning, divine intervention, or just plain luck. Les, through a dose of reality, transformed his sales process from wallet-driven to heartfelt. He went on to become a successful and fulfilled life insurance agent because he believed in what he did. What do you believe in? In order for a sale to take place, three things must be present: One, you gotta believe that you work for the greatest company in the world. Two, you gotta believe that you have the greatest product in world. Three, you gotta believe that you are the greatest person in the world. The key words are “you gotta believe.” Not everyone can have a Les Traband belief experience. Still, at some point in your sales career, you must achieve total belief in your company, your product, and yourself to achieve any fulfillment beyond the idea of a fat wallet. Easier said than done. Here are a few elements of belief. You might want to take a fast “self-test”: A clear conscience about what you sell. You’d buy it yourself. You’d sell it to your grandmother. You have nothing to hide. You are sincere. You are truthful. You love your company. You love your product. You take pride in your work. 9.5 Your Mother is proud of you. Before a competition starts, ask any athlete if he thinks he’ll win the game, the match, or the medal, and the reply will always be “yes.” And even though they don’t always win, they still strive to do the best they can and prepare for the next game. They believe in themselves. They (and you) only lose when they (you) quit. So, how does this equate to selling more copiers door-to-door? A strong belief will make you a more innovative and creative salesperson with a burning drive and desire to help the other person buy, and that’s a significant difference from a burning drive and passion to sell something. Mike Robinson sold products to the elderly that helped them to move and travel (scooters, bath lifts, wheelchairs). He was doing okay, but not great. He borrowed the idea of staying in touch with his old customers by sending them a birthday card. A friend of his said it was “a good gimmick,” and gave you a reason to call everybody to try and get a referral. One day, an 83-year-old woman called to thank Mike for the birthday card. She said, “It’s the only one I received.” Suddenly, Mike found new meaning in his desire to send cards and realized that they actually made an impact as opposed to being a sales ploy. For some unknown reason, Mike’s sales doubled within six months. What do you believe in? About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Easiest way to make a sale? Top-Down Selling

Sat, 20 Sep 2025 05:00:36 +0000

Excerpt from The Sales Bible In every company, there is one person you are certain can make a decision…The CEO. Why start anyplace else? The power of being introduced by the CEO down to the decision maker is better than a Christmas where Santa brings you everything on your list. Easiest way to make a sale? Top-Down Selling! What does the Guggenheim Museum (a classic modern art museum in NYC housed in a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) have in common with sales success? They recommend starting at the top. The building is one big circular ramp. You take an elevator to the top floor and casually walk down eight inspiring floors. It’s the same in sales. Why start at the bottom and fight your way up through people who can’t decide, and who’ll use their one ounce of power to make your life miserable? Take the elevator and start at the top, man. Don’t walk uphill! Where do you start? How high up the ladder do you dare go when making an initial approach to a prospect? The rule is… The higher you start, the more success you’re likely to meet Getting there properly can be tricky. If you ask for the president, the owner, the boss, or the fearless leader, you may get through, but it will pay you to prepare before making a call to the CEO, especially if the prospect represents an important sale to you. Here is a four-step plan for contacting and scoring a CEO appointment: Get ready before you start. You only have one shot at it; make it your best one Have a written game plan. Target 1 to 10 companies and define in writing what you want to accomplish and what it will take to get what you want. Be thoroughly prepared to sell before making the call. Have everything prepared (sales pitch, concept, samples, and daily planner) in front of you before making the first call. Identify the leader (by name) and get as much information and as many characteristics as you can. Make calls to underlings, associates, and associations to get pertinent information before you make the big call. Use the right tactics when getting to and getting through ASK FOR HELP. If you get the president’s secretary, get her name and use it. Be polite, but firm. Be professional. Persist, you can’t take the first no or rebuff. Get his name. You can try “how do you spell his last name?”, but it’s embarrassing to hear JONES. If they won’t put you through the first time… Get his extension number Get the best time to call Find out when he usually arrives Find out when he takes lunch Find out who sets his calendar Find out if he leaves the building at lunch Find out when he leaves for the day An example: You call; the secretary says, “Mr. Jones is on vacation.” You say, “Wow, that’s great, Sally, where did he go?” Get any personal information you can (golf, sales meeting time, staff meeting time, or an important new product) and refer to it subtly when you get them on the phone. Make sure the person closest to the boss likes you. Take a chance on humor. Try this line: I know you actually run the company, but could I speak to the person who thinks they do? When you get them on the phone, speak quickly Have your opening line. Get right to the point. Make it compelling (the best Power Question and statement of your life). Ask for no more than 5 minutes (offer to be thrown out if you exceed 5 minutes). Have five comebacks if you are initially rebuffed. Notes about the CEO and the process… CEO’s are hard to get to, harder to appoint, and easiest to sell. If the CEO is interested, he or she will take you by the hand and introduce you to the team member (underling) who will actually do the deal. The CEO always knows where to send you to get the job done. If they try to pawn you off without seeing you, it means you have not delivered a powerful enough message, and he’s not interested. The solution? Fix it. Keep trying until you get an appointment. If you start lower than the top, there is danger. No matter how powerful someone claims to be or appears to be, they usually have to ask someone else for final approval, except for the CEO. They typically ask their secretary or administrative assistant if they liked you. Get the picture? The benefits are obvious… The leader is always the decider. The CEO may not be directly involved in purchasing what you’re selling. Still, their introduction after a brief “interest-generating” meeting can be the difference between a sale and no sale. The power of being introduced by the CEO down to the decision maker is as real as you would hope it is. Beware of the handoff: If the boss tries to hand you off too early (before the proposed 5-minute meeting), don’t accept it. Say “I appreciate your wanting to delegate, but the reason I wanted to meet with you personally is that this will impact your business significantly. I want five minutes to show you the highlights and get your reaction before I speak with anyone else in your firm. I know your time is valuable. If I take more than five minutes, you can throw me out.” Make your 5-minute meeting the best you’ve ever had. Have a proposal in writing. Have notes on everything you want to cover. Have a list of anticipated questions and answers. Have samples or something to demonstrate. Include credibility builders in your best letter, something that can be printed. Be early. Look as sharp as you’ve ever looked. Be knowledgeable and have answers that explain how it works for the buyer. Be memorable. The thing that sets you apart, the thing that gets remembered, is the thing that leads to

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Negotiate to Win for the other guy

Wed, 20 Aug 2025 05:00:20 +0000

The object of negotiating is to win, or is it? What about the other guy? If you win, does that mean he loses? No. That’s where the phrase win-win came from. It’s to make the guy who didn’t fare as well still feel OK. Or like he or she got a fair deal. What are your negotiating strategies? Do you have any? Or do you just enter each deal and do the best you can? Negotiate/Negotiation (Webster definition): To treat another with respect during purchase and sale; diplomatic bargaining; to conduct communications in general. To meet, communicate, or confer with another so as to arrive at the settlement of some matter, or some kind of agreement or compromise about something. Come to terms. (see also: hammer, squeezing blood from a turnip) Jeffrey Gitomer Definition: Discussion with compromise between two or more parties that leads to an agreement, sale, resolution, or impasse. Sometimes negotiations fail, but it’s never the fault of the person explaining what happened. But definitions are of little value in the heat of negotiations. It takes strategies and tactics. Let’s look at your prospect, customer, opponent, divorcing spouse: you get the idea. The other guy… Will lie. Will change the deal to suit him or herself. Wants it all his or her way. Will withhold important facts until the end of the negotiation. Will pull a deal breaker out just when you think it’s a deal. Will never tell you he can’t (or won’t) do the deal. Will hammer your price. Rats. It makes it a bit harder to win. So, what can you do to win the day and win the deal, and still make your opponent feel like a winner? Here are a few lessons and strategies I’ve encountered over the years. To be a great negotiator, you must study negotiations. To learn pointers, you must study pointers. Get the point? Here are some to master… Negotiate with yourself first. Run through all the possible outcomes and develop strategies for as many as you can. Make notes and bring them with you. Employ the Max Gitomer rule. Don’t offer anything you wouldn’t take. Sharp angle tactic: Share the rules when you begin the negotiation as a softening tool. No deal or negotiation is ever one-time. Don’t burn a bridge. Be honorable and look for the long term in all dealings. Uncover the true objection or obstacle. By listening, questioning, and qualifying, you can ferret out the real stumbling block. Take the blame, win the point. Fault is less important than winning. Sharp angle tactic: “Are you saying it’s me?” Take notes. It helps you to remember points and to avoid interrupting. Know your trump and when to play it. Save your best tactic, most valuable information, best price, or best benefit until you need it. Use it as a closing tool, or in an “if I…, would you…” situation. Ask a closing question at the start that can precede (or preclude) the actual negotiation. “What would you like to do?” or “Is that what you really want?” Ask them to be you. Ask: “What would you do if you were me?” Sharp angle tactic: To break an impasse, ask the other person to walk in your shoes. Get to the (real) objections quickly. By finding out the TRUE objections early, you have a better chance of getting to deal without major hassle. HINT: Often the real objection is masked by a stall (like “think it over,” “check with partner”). In negotiation, preparation can beat size and strength. Learn the rule(s) of David and Goliath as seen from the David side: 1. Get to know the enemy. 2. Know your objective. 3. Be cool even if the opponent is bigger and stronger. 4. Know how to use your weapon(s). 5. Practice to be accurate. 6. Know when to shoot… timing and delivery are paramount in achieving your objective. Everything is negotiable. All prices and terms have latitude (or room to move), if you have the right approach or make the offer/concession. Beat this price/Match this price. Is price the last consideration? Double qualify that the price is the ONLY issue left. If you must give a price, get terms. Think of yourself as a winner, no matter what the outcome. Want to know the BEST strategy? Adopt the right philosophy before you start. Look at the famous Zig Ziglar quote, “Getting everything you want by helping others get what they want.” That is a winning for everyone strategy. Learning the “art” of negotiating is a misnomer. Negotiating is a science. The only art is how you deploy the tactics. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Leave a message and I’ll be glad to return your call. Not!

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 05:00:55 +0000

Press one if you’d like to leave a message. I’ll be glad to return your call as soon as I can. Right. And Santa will bring you toys if you’re a good little boy. Press two if you’re selling something I don’t want. That’s a lot closer to the truth. Why won’t they call me back? When you get someone’s voicemail and decide to leave a message, what steps can you take to ensure that your call will be returned? Lots. If you leave a message, here is a collection of techniques that have gotten calls returned: First name and number only (in a very businesslike manner). It seems that calls are returned in inverse proportion to the amount of information left. Be funny, Clean wit will get a response. Be indirect “I was going to mail you important information, and I wanted to confirm your address.” Offer fun, “I had two extra tickets to the Knights game, and I thought you might be interested. (Here’s the sure shot) Please call me if you can’t go so I’m able to give the tickets to someone else.” If it was positive first meeting, remind the prospect where you met. Dangle the carrot. Leave just enough information to entice. Ask a provocative or thought-provoking question. Note: There is never a reason to give your sales pitch on voicemail. No one is there to say yes. Your objective is to make contact. Your objective is to provide enough information to create a positive response. An all-time classic technique was offered by Thomas J. Elijah, III, of Elijah & Co. Real Estate, at a SalesMasters meeting. He said to leave a partial message that includes your name and phone number, then pretend to get cut off in mid-sentence, as you’re getting to the important part of the message. “Cut it off in midword,” Elijah says, “it works like a charm because the prospect can’t stand not knowing the rest of the information, or thinks his voicemail is broken.” “Leave a partial message that includes your name and phone number and pretend to get cut off in mid-sentence as you’re getting to the important part of the message.” ~Thomas J. Elijah, III Here are a few examples of the “Elijah Method.” Leave your name and number then deliver half a sentence to peak interest: Your name came up in an important conversation today with Hugh… They were talking about you and said… I have a deal that could deliver you a hundred thou… I’m interested in your… I have your… I found your… I have information about your… Your competition said… I’m calling about your inheritance… Are you the (person’s full name) who… We wanted to be sure you got your share of… I’m calling about the money you left at… I had to call Elijah this week to get some information. I tried his technique on him, cutting off my message in midword. I said, “I’m going to quote you in my column this week and I need…” He called me back in under three minutes, laughing hysterically. This technique could revolutionize message leaving. I’ve been using it all week, and it works. Be careful about how far you go on the humor with someone you don’t know. If you’re making several calls, make sure you document your messages so you can be on top of it immediately if/when your call is returned. Nothing worse (or more stupid) than getting a returned call and having no idea who it’s from. Bob Hofmann, of Hofmann Network Services, a voice mail and voice messaging company, says that voice mail helps companies route messages faster, and the recording system offered by voice messaging reduces errors, allowing complete messages to be left. If you’re thinking about buying voice mail, don’t just look at the benefit of your convenience. Before committing to a specific system, consider its impact on your customers. Will they be better served? Will you maintain a friendly, human touch in spite of the voicemail system? Don’t confuse voicemail with automatic attendant systems. Automatic attendant, where the computer actually answers the phone, is the single worst business invention ever. Here is the most customer-friendly type of voice mail system to use: Human answers. Human determines if the person you’re calling is in by ringing their phone and monitoring the response. If not in, the human returns and says, “Mr. Jones is not in. Would you like me to help you personally, take your message personally, or would you like to leave a detailed message on his or her voicemail?” You faint from the shock. If you do leave a message, ask yourself, “Would I return this call?” If you hesitate to say yes, change your message. Press one if you hate voicemail. Press the hot button of the prospect if you want to get a call back and make the sale in spite of it. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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The Isolation Process: A powerful path to more sales

Fri, 20 Jun 2025 05:00:24 +0000

Psst — hey — c’mere! I’ve got a secret to tell you…Sometimes prospects will stall you, sometimes they will lie to you, sometimes they won’t tell you the real reason why they won’t purchase. When a prospect gives you some lame excuse (stall) about why they won’t buy now, he’s really saying, “not yet.” There are two basic types of stalls: People stalls and Thing stalls. Thing stalls are when prospects say — I’m too busy now, your price is too high, I have too many other obligations. Frustrating. Want to make the stall go away? Simple. Here’s the strategy: Isolate the stall or objection as the only obstacle, and then eliminate it from the situation by asking, “What if it were gone, or was not the situation…would you buy?” Isolating and eliminating creates a new situation AND a possible sale. You repeat the stall back to the prospect and then take it away. For example, you say, “I understand, Mr. Johnson. So, what you’re telling me is if it weren’t the fact that you were too busy, this would be a perfect opportunity for you, is that correct? (get the commitment). (then double qualify) In other words, if you had the time, you would get involved? (then say) Well, let’s look at the situation closer. You say you have no time, but you also said that you’re not earning all the money you need. Maybe there’s a way to use this opportunity to buy back some of your time with increased earnings.” Another example — The prospect says, “I don’t have the money.” You say, “If you had the money, would you buy it?” The best way to handle a stall or objection is to take it away and consider new options or solutions. You say…If it wasn’t for…then insert the stall—price, timing of workload, other obligations — would you buy it? People stalls are worse. Does this sound familiar? Sounds good, Jeffrey, but I have to talk this over with my wife, husband, boss, accountant, lawyer, the executive committee, the home office, my cat whiskers, my two-year-old son, or my girlfriend. People not being able to decide on their own — Don’t you hate that? Well, here’s how to overcome it. First, isolate the person to a decision that does not include the others. “Bill, if it was only you…what would you decide?” This gives you a chance to find out how they really feel (will they support you). Second, double qualify the commitment. Ask – “Is there anything you would change or object to if it was only you?” Third, secure the prospect’s support when he meets with the third party. “Bill, when you go to the others, will you support the purchase?” And fourth, find other ways to get a decision now. Suggest alternatives that might get Bill to act now without risk. “Bill, since you’re in favor, and we only need your spouse’s approval, how about if we fill out the paperwork — give it to me so you can be in before the end of the month, and when your spouse says OK, we’ll be ready to go (and if your spouse says no, we’ll tear up the papers — no obligation.)” Hard to say no to that. One of the most interesting things about objections is that even though they continue to recur, they continue to stymie or dumbfound salespeople. I don’t get it. You put your hand on the stove once, you get burned, you don’t do it again. You learn the lesson. Salespeople continue to get burned. If you think about it for any length of time, it’s kind of silly. The isolation process is a powerful way of getting to the truth, finding out the real objection, AND in about 30% of cases actually making the sale. But it’s only one of an arsenal of weapons available to salespeople for stalls and objections. You can prevent them by covering them in your presentation, or you can at least prepare “best responses” for the ones that happen all the time. Most of the time, an objection is actually a buying signal. They’re saying, “I’m interested, but you haven’t sold me yet. And the sale is always made. Either you sell them on yes, or they sell you on no. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Where did the sale go? I seem to have lost it.

Tue, 20 May 2025 05:00:12 +0000

Lost a sale? What did you blame it on? Who did you blame it on? In my 32 years of training salespeople, I’ve never had one person come up to me and say, “Jeffrey, I didn’t make the sale, and it’s all my fault.” Excuses like: Our price was too high, the guy said he had a satisfactory supplier, we didn’t win the bid, and other such lame excuses, except the real one: The salesperson did not ask the questions that helped the prospect find a solution that his product would address. The salesperson could not create enough understanding in the prospect’s mind to get them to BUY. Sharon Drew Morgen thinks she has the answer to the lifelong question, “Why can’t I make the sale?” Cool, but there’s a hitch. You have to change the way you think about it and the way you approach the sale. Rats. Well, how come she has the answers, and you don’t? Simply put, she trains salespeople and writes about the selling process based on her successful career as an “on-the-street” saleswoman. Her book, Selling with Integrity, a New York Times Business Bestseller, introduces and teaches Buying Facilitation (her trademarked process), a sales strategy to support buyers in discovering their unique criteria for finding their best solutions. Her philosophy embraces the fundamental principles that seem to elude the “competitive” salespeople (the ones who sell price and seek to solve problems rather than find solutions). PLEASE NOTE: This is not Sharon Drew Morgen’s system of selling. She does not have one. Nor does she believe in one. Instead, she employs strategies that lead customers to discover how they need to buy. These are her principles of sales success: 1. People only buy when they have all their own answers. The length of time it takes people or teams to discover their own answers is the length of the sales cycle. 2. You must have a buyer in the buying position. The seller must include all relevant aspects of the decision in his questions in order to bring in all decision points in the possible ‘BUY’. Before making a purchasing decision, the buyer/prospect must cover three areas: They must have the ability to navigate their decision-making structure/strategy; They must come up with a solution that is congruent with their values. They must have appropriate information. Most sales deal with the information piece, and support the other two only in relation to the product. Get on their team as fast as you can. The seller will get on the team through his questions and the commensurate trust that is created. If the product is not a fit, there’s no need to be on the team. The seller’s ability to serve the client’s decision navigation will determine the possibility of the seller joining the buyer’s team and will shorten the sales cycle dramatically. People buy when they know they cannot take care of the problem in house or by themselves. Part of their decision navigation is a complete look at how they might do it themselves and what has stopped them from doing that. Where they cannot fix it themselves, they must have the criteria for choosing and working with an external supplier. And you must be willing to give up your need to sell to support buyers in their search for their own answers. Create decision support and solution finding before the information. Offering buyers information at this point in our history, when they can get any information they want in moments, is moot. We have gone from push to pull, from the Age of Information to the Age of Access. Information on its own is just a tiny piece of the pie. Sales have been related to product sales and market creation. Salespeople have the responsibility to question and listen to the buyer. This process allows the buyer to discover how, what, where, when, and if they need to buy. Without this discovery, they will do it themselves via the Internet. Sellers have been trained to use selling patterns. Buyers only use buying patterns. The seller’s ability to get rid of his/her selling patterns, or the luck of the seller in finding people who buy the way they sell, determines how successful the seller is. Approach the job of sales through serving. If you do, you will lose your need to be product/sale oriented. Instead, you will make the conversion to be willing to “support your customers by helping them find their own best answers,” rather than “need to make a sale.” Big conversion. Salespeople need to discover their clients, not create them. Most people don’t know how to decide to use us or our products, and others don’t need us. We must support the first group and learn how to recognize and not waste time on the latter. These are great answers, but they are not easy answers. They require hard work to understand, master, and implement, and most salespeople won’t do the hard work it takes to make selling easy. Very few sales trainers and writers get that selling must be replaced with supporting the buying process. Sharon Drew Morgen gets it. She gets that salespeople become known (and successful) by the questions they ask. Very few salespeople get it either, but they’re easy to find—the ones at the top. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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What is your approach to the sale? The old way? The new way?

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 05:00:37 +0000

The time for systems of selling has passed. The time for sales manipulation has passed. The time for “finding the pain” has passed. The time for “closing the sale” has way passed. I wonder if you’re using yesterday’s approaches to complete today’s sales. Many, if not most, salespeople (not you of course) walk into a sale with product knowledge, a few questions, a sales pitch, and hope. This is a strategy that will result in “How much is it?” Bad strategy. It’s time for you to create an approach that works and WOWs – an approach based on value and differentiation, an approach that’s personalized and customized. PROBLEM: This requires work. Hard work. And in my experience, most salespeople aren’t willing to do the hard work that makes selling easy. They would rather do the easy work that makes selling hard. Salespeople are not willing to build reputation, build expertise, network, work longer hours (especially in these times), and prepare harder than the competition. I have an approach that’s different from yours. It’s an approach that has evolved from years of selling and years of practice. And I am current. Internet current. Google ranking current. Website current. Social media current. And technology current. Here are my approach strategies and actions. See how many of them are yours: I have done my homework about their company. I have done my homework on the person I’m meeting with. I’m prepared with questions of engagement about them. I’m prepared with ideas in their favor. I’m more relaxed than formal. I’m confident, not cocky. I’m more friendly than professional. My business card rocks. People comment when they get it. I give signed books, not brochures. I don’t start until I have established rapport AND found common ground. I ask more and talk less. I walk into the sales call with ideas, and questions, not a pitch. I look for their pleasure, not their pain. I don’t talk about what “we do.” I talk about how they win. I ask for and get their Santa Claus list (what they’re hoping to achieve). I discover my customer’s reasons and motives for buying. I answer with questions, not just statements. I dare to inject humor. Often. Not jokes, humor. I don’t make presentations from my laptop — if I use slides it’s from a projector. I’m prepared with slides if the meeting gets that far. If I use slides, they’re fun, they’re customized for the prospect, and they’re not canned. I make my own slides. I often clarify a statement with a question before I answer. I discuss money openly (it’s my favorite part). I listen with the intent to understand, and then respond. I take notes to make certain I remember what was said and what was promised, and to show respect. I use testimonials to prove points and create a buying atmosphere. I am more patient than anxious. I wait for them to ask, then tell. When I hear a buying signal, I ask for, and confirm the sale. I don’t leave without asking for the sale or formalizing the next step. THE SECRETS: I have a reputation that’s Googleable, and I have a presence on social media that anyone can find and be impressed with. My company answers the phone with a friendly human being on the second ring 24/7/365. THE HARD WORK: Internet presence. THE HARD WORK: Social media presence. THE HARD WORK: Attraction through value. THE HARD WORK: Earning and acquiring video testimonials. THE HARD WORK: Preparation for each and every prospect. THE HARD WORK: Get up early, study, and write. The old way of selling doesn’t work anymore, and the new way of selling is difficult for seasoned salespeople to master. This leaves a gap, and an opportunity. For anyone. But it takes hard work. For everyone. HUGE opportunity. And you could be the one. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Do your people WANT to listen to you?

Thu, 20 Mar 2025 05:00:51 +0000

I’m at a corporate conference about to give my 90-minute, customized, personalized talk. As I do with all my talks, I spent hours preparing it, and I’ve spent the last 20 years improving my speaking, presentation, and performance skills. I’m not just a speaker. I’m a student speaker. Anyway, before my talk, the two corporate leaders of a multi-billion-dollar company addressed the 200-person audience. The attendees were eager to hear their words and looked for (hoped for) inspiration and direction. Unfortunately, they didn’t get either. Although smart and capable, the leaders are HORRIBLE presenters. I guess they don’t consider the skill important enough to master. Not good. They have a responsibility to be GREAT, and their people are counting on it. REALITY QUESTION: How’s your leader? How are his or her presentation skills? REALITY QUESTION: How good of a presenter are you? REALITY QUESTION: Do your people, audience, and customers WANT to listen to you? Or do they HAVE to listen to you? REALITY QUESTION: When you’re giving a talk or making a presentation, how compelling is your message? REALITY QUESTION: Are you afraid to give a talk? NO — you’re just unprepared. Or not prepared enough to own the talk. NOTE WELL: You can never own the prospect, the customer, or the audience if you don’t own the presentation. When you give a talk or make a presentation, make certain you understand: What your engagement points are. How do you want the audience to walk away feeling? What do you want the audience to do tomorrow? BIG SECRET: Think of it as a performance, not a presentation. BIGGER SECRET: Never stand behind a podium. Get down off the platform and walk around. BIGGEST SECRET: Learn to perform by singing Karaoke. (I did.) If you’re giving a speech (and you should be in order to be perceived as a leader) or making a presentation, there are some strategies and elements you must employ to ensure maximum attraction, engagement, connection, and maybe even sale 1. Use genuine humor. Start with a comment or story that leads to BOTH laughter and learning. Go on YouTube and look at my videos. They will provide answers to humor and education. At the end of humor is the height of listening. 2. Ask poignant questions. Ask people what they’re hoping for. Make the people you’re addressing THINK. Especially about themselves. 3. Ask intellectual questions. Talk about their experiences and yours. Show wisdom. Ask about subject matter knowledge. 4. Tell a story that relates to you and them. Real-life experiences are relatable and create an incentive to take action. NOTE WELL: Facts and figures are forgotten. Stories are retold. 5. Customization based on the real world. The people you present to only care about themselves and their issues. Focus on that. 6. Incorporate their philosophy, mission, brand, and theme. The more you do, the more respect you will gain. 7. Give 5-10 significant points they can walk away with and use immediately. Give ideas they can use. That’s what preparation is all about. 8. Use simple slides. Make certain your slides are easy to follow, fun, and readable. Each slide should contain only one point. 9. Very little talk about you. Not who you are. Rather, what you do and how you can help them. 9.5 End with emotion. (Maybe even ask for the sale.) Family or other concepts the audience can relate to and identify with. At the end of your presentation/performance You want the audience to react and respond. Buy, do better, do new things, applaud, or STAND and applaud. The quality of your talk will be the determining factor. You want the audience (or the prospect or the customer) to remember you and the moment. The only way that happens is if you perform remarkably. You want outcomes and buzz as a result of your words, ideas, values, and inspiration. You seek a favorable outcome. So does the person receiving your message. Was it ho-hum or worth talking about? Was it value-driven to the point of taking action, or was it without punch or inspiration? The ultimate goal is to have an impact over time. If you can follow up by getting people to subscribe to your blog or ezine, you can document and measure the success of your ideas, product, or service. If you pay attention to feedback, it can drive your success. Want a report card? Video your presentation and watch it twice—once for the pain and once to take self-improvement notes. The best and toughest presentation skill lesson in the world is the one you give yourself. Want a path to success? Commit to personal presentation skills improvement. Take a Dale Carnegie course and join Toastmasters. Give talks at your local civic association. Not only are sales leads there, it’s also a relaxed, learning opportunity. Take it.

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Do your people WANT to listen to you?

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 05:00:51 +0000

The post Do your people WANT to listen to you? appeared first on Material Handling Wholesaler.

Getting what you want. It’s a matter of self-truth.

Thu, 20 Feb 2025 06:00:16 +0000

Why aren’t you moving forward? Why do you feel “stuck?” Why is your success track not moving fast enough? Why don’t you have what you want? Why don’t you have what you feel you deserve? Those are not tough questions. Those are LIFE questions. Your life. If these questions are uncomfortable to you, it means you aren’t sure of the answers. And I can’t spoon-feed them to you. But you can discover them. Here are a few more questions to ask yourself that will give you insight into the answers ahead. I have not provided answers. You gotta do that: What is holding you back? Who is holding you back? Do you take responsibility for your success? Or are you blaming others for your inability or failures? Are you taking actions toward your success? Or are you blaming things or people for your situation and inaction? What’s your dream? What are you working toward? What’s your level of belief in what you do? Why do you second-guess your choices? Why do you let other people get in the way of your success? Why have you not forgiven others for past mistakes or wrongdoing? Why do you blame yourself instead of considering it a learning experience? How are you investing your time (reading)? How are you spending your time (watching TV)? How is the time you’re investing contributing to your growth? How is the time you’re spending contributing to your growth? Who are you associating with? Who is helping you? Who is holding you back? OK, I admit, these are stinging questions. But face it. If you don’t ask yourself these questions, who will? The funny thing is that if someone else asked these questions of you, you’d say that person was nagging you. The reality is that when you ask yourself, these questions become nagging questions. A much better perspective. So, what’s all this got to do with sales? Easy answer: Sales starts with the salesperson. If you’re not right, sales ain’t right. And the way you think about sales and the way you think about yourself will directly affect your results. Each of you dreams about who you want to become and what you want to achieve. The reality? Without an ability to take action, those thoughts and dreams stay stuck in your mind. They are known as pipe dreams. The dream is there, but you don’t really believe you can achieve it. Well, here’s the good news: you may actually be able to. The secret lies in two words: “transfer” and “action.” Transfer the mental image to a physical action. Transfer the dream to a successful game plan. Transfer the plan into actions. Achievement actions. Here are the 5.5 success keys: 1.The key is time allocation. Your ability to set aside time to begin to make your dream a reality. Time to learn, time to meet others, time to plan, and time to take action steps toward what you want, IN SPITE OF WHAT HAS BEEN HOLDING YOU BACK. 2. The key is your focus and self-discipline. Your focus and self-discipline will determine your success. Allocate some small amount of time EVERY DAY, even if it’s just 30 minutes. Make daily progress toward your achievement, your success, your dream. 3. The key is thought conversion. Converting the thought into an action. 4. The key is “the daily dose.” Define what you want and break it into achievable actions. 5. The key is the thinking that dominates your mind. Go back and re-read The Little Engine that Could. Think you can. Change your word-thoughts. Add words like dream- plan-support-belief-small daily actions-consistency-drive-focus-self-determination-and passion. 5.5 The key is you. Positive attitude is your glue. Purpose is your fuel. You are the driver. You have the key to the car. Without you (and your roadmap, of course) you will never arrive at your destination. Here’s the GREAT news: With the winning words and formula you create for yourself, not only will you arrive at your chosen destination-but when you get there, you’ll be staying at the Ritz Hotel, baby. Think about how you want to “arrive.” You can “just arrive” at your destination, like you do at work. Or you can arrive at your destination in the style you choose. Once you begin to exercise personal choices that make you feel successful, more success will come your way. I promise. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Where did the sale go? I seem to have lost it.

Fri, 20 Dec 2024 06:00:15 +0000

Lost a sale? What did you blame it on? Who did you blame it on? In my 32 years of training salespeople, I’ve never had one person come up to me and say, “Jeffrey, I didn’t make the sale, and it’s all my fault.” Excuses like: Our price was too high, the guy said he had a satisfactory supplier, we didn’t win the bid, and other such lame excuses, except the real one: The salesperson did not ask the questions that helped the prospect find a solution his product would address. The salesperson could not create enough understanding in the prospect’s mind to get them to BUY. Sharon Drew Morgen thinks she has the answer to the lifelong question, “Why can’t I make the sale?” Cool, but there’s a hitch. You have to change the way you think about it and the way you approach the sale. Rats. Well, how come she has the answers and you don’t? Simple, she trains salespeople and writes about the selling process based on her successful career as an “on-the-street” saleswoman. Her book, Selling with Integrity, a New York Times Business Bestseller, introduces and teaches Buying Facilitation (her trademarked process), a sales strategy to support buyers in discovering their unique criteria for finding their best solutions. Her philosophy embraces the fundamental principles that seem to elude the “competitive” salespeople (the ones who sell price and seek to solve problems rather than find solutions). PLEASE NOTE: This is not Sharon Drew Morgen’s system of selling. She does not have one. Nor does she believe in one. Rather, she employs strategies that lead the customer to discover how they need to buy. These are her principles of sales success: 1. People only buy when they have all their own answers. The length of time it takes people or teams to discover their own answers is the length of the sales cycle. 2. You must have a buyer in the buying position. The seller must include all relevant aspects of the decision in his questions in order to bring in all decision points in the possible ‘BUY’ Before making a purchasing decision, the buyer/prospect must cover three areas: They must have the ability to navigate their decision-making structure/strategy; They must come up with a solution which is congruent with their values; They must have the appropriate information. Most sales deal with the information piece and support the other two only in relation to the product. 3. Get on their team as fast as you can. The seller will get on the team through his questions and the commensurate trust that is created. If the product is not a fit, there’s no need to be on the team. The seller’s ability to serve the client’s decision navigation will determine the possibility of the seller joining the buyer’s team and will shorten the sales cycle dramatically. 4. People buy when they know they cannot take care of the problem in-house or by themselves. Part of their decision navigation is a complete look at how they might do it themselves and what has stopped them from doing that. Where they cannot fix it themselves, they must have the criteria on how to choose and work with an external supplier. And you must be willing to give up your need to sell in order to support buyers in their search for their own answers. 5. Create decision support and solution-finding before information. Offering buyers information at this point in our history when they can get any information they want in moments is moot. We have gone from push to pull, from the Age of Information to the Age of Access. Information on its own is just a tiny piece of the pie. 6. Sales has been about product sales and market creation. Salespeople have the responsibility to question and listen to the buyer. This process gives the buyer the ability to discover how, what, where, when, and if they need to buy. Without this discovery, they will do it themselves via the Internet. 7. Sellers have been trained to use selling patterns, while buyers only use buying patterns. The seller’s ability to get rid of his/her selling patterns or luck in finding people who buy the way they sell determines the seller’s success. 8. Approach the job of sales through serving. If you do, you will lose your need to be product/sale-oriented. Instead, you will make the conversion to be willing to “support your customers by helping them find their own best answers” rather than “need to make a sale.” Big conversion. 9. Salespeople need to discover their clients, not create them. Most people don’t know how to decide to use us or our products, and others don’t need us. We must support the first group and learn how to recognize and not waste time on the latter. These are great answers BUT they are not easy answers. They require hard work to understand, master and implement most salespeople won’t do the hard work it takes to make selling easy. Very few sales trainers and writers understand that selling must be replaced with supporting the buying process. Sharon Drew Morgen gets it. She understands that salespeople become known (and successful) by the questions they ask. Very few salespeople get it either but they’re easy to find. They’re the ones at the top. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com , email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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Easiest way to make a sale? Top-Down Selling!

Wed, 20 Nov 2024 06:00:15 +0000

In every company, there is one person you are certain that can make a decision…The CEO. Why start anyplace else? The power of being introduced by the CEO down to the decision-maker is better than Christmas where Santa brings you everything on your list. The easiest way to make a sale? Top-Down Selling! What does the Guggenheim Museum (a classic modern art museum in NYC housed in a building designed by Frank Lloyd Wright) have in common with sales success? They recommend that you start at the top. The building is one big circular ramp. You take an elevator to the top floor and casually walk down eight inspiring floors. It’s the same with sales. Why do you start at the bottom and fight your way up through people who can’t decide and who’ll use their one ounce of power to make your life miserable? Take the elevator and start at the top, man. Don’t walk uphill! Where do you start? How high up the ladder do you dare go when making an initial approach to a prospect? The rule is… The higher you start, the more success you’re likely to meet. Getting there properly can be tricky. If you ask for the president, the owner, the boss, or the fearless leader, you may get through, but it will pay you to prepare before making a call to the CEO, especially if the prospect represents an important sale to you. Here is a four-step plan for contacting and scoring a CEO appointment: Get ready before you start. You only have one shot at it; make it your best one. Have a written game plan. Target 1 to 10 companies and define in writing what you want to accomplish and what it will take to get what you want. Be totally prepared to sell before you make the call. Have everything (sales pitch, concept, samples, daily planner) prepared and in front of you before you make the first call. Identify the leader (by name) and get as much information and characteristics as possible. Before you make the big call, contact underlings, associates, and associations for pertinent information. Use the right tactics when getting to and getting through… ASK FOR HELP. If you get the president’s secretary, get her name and use it. Be polite but firm. Be professional. Persist you can’t take the first no or rebuff. Get his name. You can try “How do you spell his last name?” but it’s embarrassing to hear Jones. If they won’t put you through the first time… Get his extension number Get the best time to call Find out when he usually arrives Find out when he takes lunch Find out who sets his calendar Find out if he leaves the building at lunch Find out when he leaves for the day An example: You call; the secretary says, “Mr. Jones is on vacation.” You say, “Wow, that’s great, Sally, where did he go?” Get anything personal you can (golf, sales meeting time, staff meeting time, important new product) and refer to it subtly when you get him or her on the phone. Make sure the person closest to the boss likes you. Take a chance on humor. Try this line: I know you actually run the company, but could I speak to the person who thinks they do? When you get him or her on the phone, shoot quickly. Have your opening line. Get right to the point. Make it compelling (your life’s best Power Question and statement). Ask for no more than five minutes (offer to be thrown out if you exceed five.) Have five comebacks if you are initially rebuffed. Notes about the CEO and the process… CEOs are hard to get to, harder to appoint, and easiest to sell. If the CEO is interested, he or she will take you by the hand and introduce you to the team member (underling) who will actually do the deal. The CEO always knows where to send you to get the job done. If they try to pawn you off without seeing you, it means you have not delivered a powerful enough message, and he’s not interested. The solution? Fix it. Keep trying until you get an appointment. If you start lower than the top, there is danger. No matter how powerful someone says they are or appears to be, they usually have to ask someone else for final approval EXCEPT THE CEO. They usually ask their secretary or administrative assistant if they like you. Get the picture? The benefits are obvious… The leader is always the decider. The CEO may not be directly involved in purchasing what you’re selling. Still, after a brief “interest generating” meeting, his or her introduction can be the difference between a sale and no sale. The power of being introduced by the CEO down to the decision-maker is as real as you would hope it is. Beware of the handoff: If the boss tries to hand you off too early (before the proposed five-minute meeting), don’t accept it. Say, “I appreciate your wanting to delegate, but I wanted to meet with you personally because this will impact your business significantly. I’d like five minutes to show you the highlights and get your reaction before I talk with anyone else in your firm. I know your time is valuable. If I take more than five minutes, you can throw me out.” Make your five-minute meeting the best you ever had. Have a proposal in writing. Have notes on everything you want to cover. Have a list of anticipated questions and answers. Have samples or something to demonstrate. Have credibility builders your best letter, something in print. Be early. Look as sharp as you’ve ever looked. Be knowledgeable and have answers in terms of how it works for the buyer. Be memorable. The thing that sets you apart, the thing that gets remembered, is what leads to the sale. You have one chance. Please don’t blow it by not following through. It’s

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The secret formula for personal achievement is YOURS

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 05:00:11 +0000

“Going for the gold” is wrong. Being the best you can be in order to earn the gold, or get the gold is a surer path to success. What path are you on? Are you the best at what you do? Everyone wants success, but very few achieve the success they dream about. I’m on my journey just like you. While studying, I realized the importance of personal achievement. Last week and this, I’m sharing a personal achievement (secret) formula I accidentally uncovered. Discovering the formula was an accident, but very few people are accidentally fulfilled. Success, achievement, and fulfillment are on purpose. The principles successful people execute and live by are the basis (foundation) for their success. I’m presenting the elements I discovered so that you may compare them to the ones you execute on your own journey. It’s most interesting to me that people who have “big money” as their ultimate goal rarely attain it. Those who have “being the best at what they do” or “love what they do” almost always attain financial security. Why? They execute the elements of personal achievement. The six elements are: Vision Love Best Attitude Personal Student Last week, I discussed having a personal vision, loving what you do, and striving to be your best, but then I ran out of room. Striving to be the best was revealed as the most powerful element, but unless you couple it with a personal vision to see the big picture and a love of what you do, you will never achieve your best. The rest of the elements are: Many people cheat themselves out of achievement and success by having the wrong attitude (element four). Have you ever heard anyone say, “They don’t pay me enough to…” Have you ever thought about it or said it yourself? Those are six words that will keep you mediocre. Don’t make the mistake of failing to be your best or do your best because someone isn’t paying you. Who are you cheating? Achievement is not about money; achievement is about the best. Ask yourself what you’re worth if you don’t think they pay you enough. Having the right attitude about money will make it happen faster than wanting lots of it. So much has been written about goals that it has caused those dedicated to personal achievement to moan at the thought of another seminar on “Goal Setting and Achievement.” It’s not a matter of goals or no goals. Goals are a prerequisite for success. The question is, what kind of goals? The secret of goals is to make them personal (element five), not material. Make goals about you, not about it. Which is a more powerful driving force to make your monthly quota or be the best at sales? The quota will automatically be achieved if you aim to be the best. The other aspect of personal is athletic based. Athletes are always striving to achieve their personal best. Not to beat everyone else (although that’s a great accomplishment), just to beat their previous personal best. That keeps them going. It can keep you going, too. I got a clear vision from a Jim Rohn seminar. He said, “Whatever you want, study it first. If you want to be a doctor, study medicine, if you want to be a success, hang around successful people and study success.” Rohn says, “Be a student (element six) first. And always be a student. Not just a father but a student father. Not a teacher, a student teacher.” Wow, what a powerful piece of advice. From the day I learned my first sales technique (January 1972), I wanted to be the best at sales. I’ve been studying sales for 25 years. That’s why it’s working for me. I’m not saying that’s how it works. I am saying that’s how it works for me. Follow the advice of Jim Rohn to be a student first. With all my heart, that’s how I believe it will work for you. In my seminars, the best audience comment I get is, “Jeffrey loves what he does, and it shows.” If you love what you do, people will say it’s in your blood. And that blood of toil begins to manifest itself in your bank account. Last week, I watched the musician Kenny G. being interviewed on CNN. They asked him what drove him to his phenomenal success. He said, “I never wished for fame and fortune. When I found out I liked to play the saxophone, I just wanted to be the best. The rest just showed up.” Cool. And the real cool part is, if you think that being your best and doing your best is just a bunch of baloney, don’t worry. This information doesn’t apply to you. It only applies to those who will pass you. About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com , email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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I’m satisfied with my current source. Well, maybe

Fri, 20 Sep 2024 05:00:49 +0000

The prospect is not waiting by the phone for your call. Most people have what you’re selling and are doing business with someone else. They have a source for what you do, and they think they are happy. Satisfied. Good News: Satisfied people are willing to do business with others. Your challenge is to get them to do business with you. For you statistic buffs, “I’m satisfied with my present source” ranks second on the all-time prospect objection list. “Price too high” is number one (and always will be). When the prospect says, “I’m satisfied,” they’re really saying: This is all I know now. I don’t want to bother with you. I’m doing business with someone I like (not necessarily the best). I’m not telling you the real reason. I’m satisfied it is a brush-off. It’s not all that bad. Your prospect is saying that their existing supplier is the best they’ve been able to find. You may have a better product, price, delivery availability, service, training, or warranty. The prospect is only telling you he’s satisfied from his perspective. He doesn’t really know about you or your company yet but don’t give him any reason to switch until you know why he’s satisfied. Knowing the reason(s) why the existing relationship is satisfactory will help you understand how to proceed. Knowing those reasons gives you a chance. Here are a few “interest-gainers” or challenges that may get you in the door: Good Response: Satisfied? Great! You’re going to love doing business with us! Our customers are ecstatic, so if you’re only satisfied, today is your lucky day. Better Response: Mr. Johnson, Many of our customers said that when they were prospects like you. I wish I had ten dollars for every prospect that said, “I’m satisfied with my present supplier,” who is now a customer. Let me share a few of their comments (show your testimonials that say, “I used to buy from (name the competitor you hate the most), now I’m a loyal (your company) customer. And I invite you to call me personally if you need further explanation.” WOW! Best Response: When you started with (their present supplier), you took some risk, didn’t you? I’m not asking for all your business, but I’d be interested in what caused you to take the risk back then, and I may ask you to take that small risk with me and let me earn the rest.” Here are a few dialog starters: “Most people initially feel that way, but our experience has shown…” “What do you like most about your supplier (his product/service)?” (agree with them) “That’s what lots of their former customers said.” “If your friend left the business but stayed in the industry, would you still do business with that company or go with your friend?” “What would you change about your present relationship?” “How did the relationship begin?” “When people say, “I’m satisfied” they usually mean…” Find a personal link (common ground) that can trigger a friendly conversation. If they like you, they will listen to you. (a bit more assertive) “Satisfied or complacent? When was the last time you really looked at the situation and did a comparison?” Sales Caution: If the prospect says, “I’m satisfied,” it’s open season on the competition. If the prospect says, “I’m loyal,” watch out. Loyal is 100 times more powerful than satisfied. Sales Reality: You will not convince everyone. But the more you practice, the more “luck” you will have. “I’m satisfied” is not an objection; it’s a stall. If you believe in the value of your product, you can get past it. Sales Tip of the Year: Record five customers who were satisfied with your competitors, switched, and are now ecstatic with your company. Get your customers to tell your story. It’s far more compelling (and believable). About the Author: Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of twelve best-selling books, including The Sales Bible, The Little Red Book of Selling, and The Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude. His real-world ideas and content are also available as online courses at www.GitomerLearningAcademy.com. For information about training and seminars, visit www.Gitomer.com, email Jeffrey at salesman@gitomer.com, or call him at 704 333-1112.

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