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[E19a] Fundamentals Week: Bonus Episode – Krista Mollion
Wrapping up the two weeks of Fundamentals, it only seemed
fitting to have Krista Mollion, of the truth telling Sassy Method, on the show
to talk about the Hope and Urgency steps in the sales process.
Here are some of the topics Krista and I talk about in our fun sales conversation:
- Prospect’s pain
- Using honesty and transparency in sales
- The big mistake most sales people make
- Being a problem solver
- Conversational flexibility
- Not knowing everything
- Timeshare sales done right
And of course so much more!
Links from Krista:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristamollion/
Youtube channel: https://m.youtube.com/user/kmollion/?sub_confirmation=1
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ktalks-with-krista-mollion/id1459414951
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/The-Sassy-Method-308061656535740
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristamollion/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmollion
E19a – Transcript
Jason: Welcome to another special bonus
episode of the Sales Experience podcast. My name is Jason Cutter and with me
today on the show I have Krista Mollion who is the chief heart officer for a
company, the Sassy Method among lots of other things. In fact, she is the LinkedIn
top truth teller. I thought it would be fun to have her on the show during
fundamentals week to talk about some truth when it comes to sales. Of course
I’ll have links for her and how to find her information, where she is online,
her website, LinkedIn, all of that. Make sure to check out her podcast as well.
I’ll tell you, her first podcast she did was one of the things in a tw day span
that got me to move forward on this podcast and I actually mentioned that in my
first podcast as well. So Krista, welcome to the sales experience podcasts.
Krista: Thank you Jason. It’s a true
pleasure to be here and to talk with you about one of my favorite subjects,
which is sales.
Jason: Yeah, it should be fun. We talked
a bit before this and it, what’s really interesting is how you’ve been business
to business, I’ve been business to consumer. But so much of this stuff and so
much in sales you’ve been in marketing and sales, I had been sales with some
marketing side, but there’s just so much overlap, so many common things. Obviously
I call this fundamentals week. There’s so many things where it’s just literally
the fundamental basics of how to do it right and how to sell. I know we could
just talk for hours and hours on this topic. When I was thinking about this and
when I chatted with you, I was thinking like, what the heck do too truth
telling sales speaker podcasters soon to be authors talk about, and the topic I
wanted to start with was the hope and urgency in the sales process.
Krista: That is such a key part of the
sales process. First off, I just want to say it’s great that you’re doing all
this sales trainings for people and this podcast giving away some free tips
because I honestly think that every salesperson needs to listen to a podcast
like this and really understand the fundamentals of sales. More particularly
hope is the point of the conversation where there’s a potential to pivot.
You’re pivoting away from generalizations, small talks, getting to know one
another maybe. You’re going into, I think I understand this client’s pain point
and I think my product may solve it or one of our products may solve it. That’s
where hope is instilled in the salesperson that they have found a solution
that’s going to close the deal for this person. So it’s a very exciting moment
in the call.
Jason: Yeah. It can honestly, and
transparently, I guess authentic is the best word for it really come once
you’ve done those first steps., Like, where are you said it’s that pivot point.
In these fundamental week that I’ve been covering so far, there’s rapport than
empathy, rapport and trust. You’ve got to do those things where you’re
uncovering their needs and wants, desires, pains, struggle, whatever that is. Then
from there you can offer them hope. A lot of times people jump into the sales
process and they just throw out the hope in a shotgun effect in the beginning. So
the classic sales part where it’s, let me give you my sales pitch and the first
couple of seconds so I can tell you what’s great and how amazing I am and how
I’m going to change your life. But I haven’t actually even uncovered if it’s a
good fit or if it will change your life and if there’s even enough trust there
in a relationship where you’re going to believe my hope.
Krista: I think what you just said, is one
of the fundamental mistakes that salespeople sometimes make, both on calls and
in their messaging is by pitching your solution too early in the game you
create a barrier between you and the customer. They’re on their side, which
immediately draws up more of a defensive position because it’s like, Aha, this
person probably wants to sell me this product. On the salesperson’s side, it
creates the boundary of I have something that I’m trying to give to you. I
think that in order to really close the sale, we have to remove those barriers
and avoid even putting them up in the first place by creating a sense of we’re
in this together so that that direct rapport with the customer is where you
should start off because then it’s easy for them to start talking about
themselves. Ultimately that’s what you want them to do is talk more about
themselves and their problems. Because if you pitch too early and you’re like
we’re selling widgets. Do you want a widget? The customers, it’s easy to do
have that boundary already established and it’s a yes, no boundary. Versus what
are your problems? Tell me about your problems and listening attentively and
then pitching your service from the standpoint of their voice versus from your
own.
Jason: Yeah, it’s funny because as cliché
as it sounds, those open ended discovery, deep diving questions, will get you
to the point where you’re breaking through that barrier and then you can offer
that. I’m sure we’ve all met somebody who right out of the gate wants to give
us advice or try to help us with something and it’s like, you don’t really know
me well enough, nor do I believe you or trust you. Whether it’s an a sales
buying situation or it’s just in life, it’s like, Hey, show me that you care first
and that you actually understand who I am and then we can talk about the next
phase and what you think I should be doing or what’s would solve my issues.
Krista: Yeah. It’s those assumptions that
all customers have the same problem, just because you have a product that
solves a specific problem and that’s a very big mistake. So if you’re listening
to your customer without jumping to those conclusions too early, you’re going
to have a much better chance of understanding their real beliefs and then
repeating it back to them. That creates trust. That creates the bond. Once they
have that bond established, that’s where the hope comes in because you have
shown them that you care, that you’re a good listener and they’re almost
waiting for you to give them advice at that point. Versus being in a defensive
position of you don’t know me. Why are you offering me this? You don’t even
know if that’s my problem.
Jason: I know for me, with all the sales
I’ve ever done, the people I’ve managed and trained anything like that has
always been for a product or service where it’s not a one size fits all. As
I’ve always said, it’s like not everyone wins, it’s not magazine sales where
I’m going to sell a magazine to every single person because they have a pulse.
I’m trying to solve problems or help people with something. Even if it’s selling
cars, not everyone should buy that car, a car or qualify. It’s really about
doing the right things for people and solving their specific situation or need
and helping improve their life and get them into a better place, whatever that
is with or without me. Just wanting the best for people.
Krista: Exactly. Wanting the best for
people. So I saw and in your previous podcast that you’ve talked a lot about
authenticity. I think that it merits bringing it up in every episode because
that is probably your biggest sales killer, the phoniness, the fakeness of I’m
pretending to be concerned when really all I care about is getting my sales
numbers this month. Caring authentically about people’s problems and saying,
I’m not a sales guy or sales lady, I am a problem solver. Being proud of that that
you’re bringing a solution that people actually really need. That’s what you
should think about in your career instead of just thinking about a competition
or a game to sell the most widgets possible.
Jason: Right. Since you brought up, maybe
that is a good idea, maybe I should just pull like a Gary V type thing and just
talk about authenticity in every single episode. I think people would get
really tired of that. I’d probably get tired of talking about it, but you never
know. What’s interesting though, and this is totally separate from the hope
conversation, but it’s kind of part that has to get you there is that
authenticity and being who you are and being real balanced if you’re a real
professional good salesperson with being a chameleon who can also mold to the
conversation and be who the other person needs you to be, the version of you
for them to move forward on the solution that you have. Like if you know that
you’re selling something that actually helps people or will get them from point
a to point B, whatever it is. It could be TVs, if it’s solving their need or
their issue or their wants, whatever that is, it doesn’t matter. If you know
that it’s a good thing and it will help the right people, then you want to be
authentic, but you also want to be the authentic version of you who fits with
what will make them happy, reduce those barriers and get them to where they
need to be. I think it’s a fine line because sales people think, well I’m just
acting and this is all fake and it doesn’t matter. Again, that’s like you said,
to sell the most widget to get their name on the board to get the big
commission checks. Another one is to be transparent, but flexible, I guess in
the conversations you’re having.
Krista: Absolutely. Figuring out how to be
flexible without sounding like you have a comeback for everything they say is really
a fine strategy that you have to master. It’s not easy because you can’t
pretend to be a one solution for everything that they have in their lives. So
it’s really about driving the conversation towards what are their bigger goals.
So I wouldn’t want you to get the impression that clients should just start
ranting and complaining about all their problems. It’s also about strategically
driving the conversation towards what is the outcome that they want to have. So
not only just continuing open-ended complaints and negativity about their
problem, but once they’ve laid out their problem strategically, you have to
drive them towards how to envision yourself happy with this problem solved.
What would that look like for you? Because making assumptions that your product
will fix it is wrong. You first have to listen to both sides, what their
problem is from their words, not yours as well as what do they think their
solutions are? Because that will help you really understand what the, what the client’s
goals are ultimately.
Jason: That’s awesome because that’s
really when you get to some of the fundamentals of the hope step, it’s tying in
what they’re feeling now, whatever it is, good or bad, where they see
themselves hopefully in a much better situation, transformed and improved and
in one way or another. Again, it can be a consumer good, but it will help them
feel better or it’s something they’ve been wanting or a goal that they have. Or
it could be solving a fundamental issue they have. It could be the business to business
landscape that you were in before where maybe it’s helping them with their
marketing or their business, whatever that might be. But when they’re in touch
with where they want to be and seeing themselves in that situation there
instead of their current state and they can feel that energy. Kind of like you
would also do if you went to a motivational seminar. If you went to a Tony
Robbins type thing and they have you set goals and then visualize and journal
and write about what that would be like if you had that house or that perfect
relationship or that car or the freedom to travel, whatever that might be, and
then feel that vibration and energy. Then literally nothing will stop you and
get in your way of going after that. That’s fundamentally as weird as it may
sound, what you want to create if you’re doing it right in the sales
environment, whether it’s B to C or B to B for your prospects because in my
opinion, when you do that step and then you offer them the hope and solution,
then it’s nothing you have to actually close and use any sales lines for. Literally,
they should be begging you for the help to get to that point.
Krista: Exactly. That’s another point you
bring up about hope is once you’ve built a rapport and a connection with the
client by listening to them in an authentic way, not trying to steer them into
solutions that you’re selling for the sake of selling. Now you’ve also talked
about what they would like the outcome to be. That’s your opportunity for hope
and that’s the key moment where you can really lose a person if you’re not
careful, because the last thing you want to do is twist what they’ve said to
you into a solution that is absolutely not what they’ve told you. That just
builds frustration and immediately you’ve broken the trust. So it’s important
to listen and carefully respond and figure out from the outcome that they’re
discussing, is my product the right one? And approach it from that angle versus
just launching into your usual full sales spiel
Jason: I call it monologue. Yeah. It just
is this long monologue stage performance for sure. Those can be effective.
Those sales reps who do that, where they just get the person manipulator,
persuade the person to buying their product, whether it’s the right there or not.
Works short term, long term it doesn’t, cancellations, refunds, bad reviews online,
all kinds of things will happen. It’s tough for that type of salesperson or
that type of sales organization if that’s their strategy, to really truly be
successful long-term without having to run from let’s say industry to industry
and change constantly because you can only run that game so long. Like the old
snake oil salesman.
Krista: Yeah. I think that one way of
guaranteeing that this won’t happen is by taking notes while the customer is
talking to you about the key pain points that they have brought up. Saying you’ve
just expressed to me these 3 key pain points and then our product provides 2
out of 3 solutions for that. So that instantly shows that not only you’ve
listened to them, but you’re also humble enough and willing enough to admit
some of the shortcomings of your product. Instead of going into your full blown
spiel of your sales pitch that our product is the best and our product will
cure every problem you’ve ever had and ever will have. You’ve really outlined out
of 3 things that you need, my product solves 2 of those things. I think that
that for many salespeople listening, that may sound counterintuitive, you’re
like, oh, we can never admit that we’re wrong or we shouldn’t show our
weaknesses. But in today’s world of over information where we’re getting
bombarded with spam right and left, and there’s a lot of snake oil being sold
by people who can’t deliver or don’t have the right competencies, people are
extremely weary. So now’s the time to put more emphasis on being vulnerable,
being authentic, creating trust. one of the best ways to do that is to show
that you’ve listened to the person and that you’re willing to admit if your
product doesn’t quite fully cover what they need. The results will be amazing
because someone’s going to say, wow I’m going to buy your product just because
I feel now that you’ve been really transparent about it and that’s good enough,
2 out of 3 is good enough for me.
Jason: Yeah, for sure. I think that
really we talked about this before this conversation here, but that goes into
the longevity of them and as a client and setting the right expectations. If I
tell you I can do 2 out of the 3 and I can’t do them all and you still agree to
move forward, there’s no surprises. Versus what may happen if I don’t do that.
If I try to tell them it’s all going to be great, give them the false hope, that’s
where that can really be bad is the false hope of I can solve all of your
problems and all the ways and I’m better than whatever you’ve been doing. Then
you realize that it wasn’t true.
Krista: Yeah. There’s one trick that I
have learned over my life that I think is very valuable for any, especially a
newer salesperson. If you don’t know the answer, don’t pretend like you do. How
often can we say that? You’ve definitely experienced this, where some is in
their head, oh my goodness, of course we offer that. Then later on they get
reprimanded by their boss who’s like you told the client what?
Jason: I’ve generally been in
organizations where there’s both the sales involvement side as well as the
fulfillment and the client relations side with customer service and retention,
all the backend. So to get those messages from them saying this client just
called in and said they were told X Y and Z. That’s always bad, it’s not worth
it because then it just creates more heartache and it’s not good for the customers.
Krista: I think it’s okay to admit that
you don’t know. My favorite comeback is I’ll get back to you. So I know 2 out
of 3 of the things you’ve asked about. About the third, this is a new area that
I’m not an expert in, but I will find someone to answer that question and I’ll
definitely follow up with you. That shows that you’re committed to taking their
concerns seriously, that you value them versus trying to just over promise and
blow it off. Like, oh yeah, our product does that when you’re not sure.
Jason: Then when you do come back with
the answers, then there’s some more validity behind it because it doesn’t feel
like you’re just making stuff up all the time
Krista: And there’s no disappointment
either because you never promised them in the first place. You said you’d look
into it. Versus shaking your head, oh, I’m sure we do that. then later on
having to admit to them that you were wrong.
Jason: So we talked about the hope side,
which I think is very valuable to provide them with that kind of feeling of
what their life will be like when they have your product or service as a result
of you really uncovering what’s really there at the deepest level they’ll allow
and that makes sense for what you’re selling. So then the next part comes
actually closing them and the urgency. Now what I’ve always trained people on
and focused on is on the urgency side. Obviously fortune always favors the
person who’s taking action, massive action, making decisions and moving
forward, especially when there’s a solution provided for a specific want or
need or goal, whatever that is. Then on the flip side, like I’ve told lots of
people is the urgency really you don’t want it to come from you forcing the
urgency and you must buy now and limited time offer. Those things kind of help.
But the urgency, if you’ve done it right to this step the urgency should be
coming from the prospect who’s like, okay, how do I sign up? How do I buy this?
What’s next? They should be giving you those signals instead of you having to
create that false urgency.
Krista: Absolutely. So I think your point
is that the hope component really ties into creating a sense of urgency in
themselves where if you can create hope on a much deeper level, you have
already closed the deal.
Jason: Yeah. I mean they’ve closed
themselves. They know it. They’re excited for their reasons, not your reasons. Then
at that point you’re just shifting to application filler, money collector for
them to get what they want.
Krista: Yeah. Then there is no pitch.
You’re just like, okay, so do you want to get started? Let’s get started. I’d
be happy to talk to you
Jason: I’m sure you’ve seen this in all of
your travels in sales as well. It’s like you have those prospects where you
uncover things deeply and you create all of that and the urgencies is there and
they’re begging you. Then there’s the other ones where maybe you’ve seen other
salespeople do it where they’re just shallow and they’re throwing out that
monologue sales pitch like you were talking about. Then next thing you know,
they’re just chasing this lead endlessly trying to get them to make a buying
decision because there’s just no urgency because there’s fundamentally no
reason for them to see the value in it.
Krista: Exactly. So I think that’s your
indicator is how well did you, did you listen to your prospect and instill hope
in them that your product can solve those fundamental needs? How deep did you
go? That’s another one. How hopeful do they sound in the end? Because the
closing part should not be such a big deal. So if someone says to you, I have
to think it over or I need some more time, then you have not met the first part
sufficiently. Either you mismatched their needs to your products solutions or
you didn’t go on a deeper level too put into their heads what their lives would
look like with that product.
Jason: It’s interesting because I have my
experiences, you have your experiences we’re on the sales side. Can you think
of any sales situation where you wouldn’t want to go deep if you’re selling
something that’s obviously of some value monetary or otherwise?
Krista: Absolutely none. There’s an
absolutely 0 situation where you don’t want to go deep because ultimately you
have to figure out that your products and services aren’t just solving the
superficial problem. They’re going to change people’s lives. Some of you may
shake your heads and be like, no, my product doesn’t really do that. But it
does because I guarantee that no matter what you’re selling, you’re going to
make someone’s life easier. If your product doesn’t, you shouldn’t be on the
market. So whatever you’re selling, whether it’s a product or service, you’re
trying to make someone’s life easier. You’re taking one thing off their plate
or you’re taking that thing that they have on their plate and you’re making it
easier for them. Ultimately that creates a better wellbeing, a better quality
of life, more free time for them to dedicate to things that really matter. So
it all goes back to time is money and it’s a value exchange. You’re giving them
back a little bit of time and mental capacity to their day in exchange for your
product or service. The more you can hit the nail on the head, the stronger the
sense of urgency will be to buy your product. one of the best examples I’d like
to share was is 4 Welk Resorts, which is a timeshare company and they’re
notorious for their sales. So they get you into a sales pitch. They say it’s a one
hour presentation, they have some exchanges for free that they’ll give you. Maybe
they’ll give you 2 nights in one of their resorts or a free lunch, or even
sometimes tickets to go to a show or something local. So a lot of people have
strong enough insensitive to say, why not let me go do a sales pitch with them.
Let’s see how it goes. I was really impressed by the Welk
Resort sales tactics that I observed. They actually showed a video of an older
couple who was on a cruise ship and they show the woman and the man looking out
over this beautiful tropical ocean from the cruise ship itself. Then they zoom
out and they show that the man is in a wheelchair and he has an oxygen tank
attached to him. The message underneath was, why wait? We always talk about
having vacation later in life when Welk Resorts offers you annual membership
that you can go to these beautiful destination. Every year you have no excuse
not to take your family on a paid vacation because we’ve already arranged that
for you. You just call us up and you say, I’m a Welk member and yeah, we’ll get
the dates set up and here’s all the beautiful places you can go to. We have
partners. So there’s almost unlimited options that we can offer you. We have
cruise ships and we have hotels and we have resorts and we have apartments. So
it’s like the sky’s the limit. But the main thing that got people was at the
end when they saw that poor man in the wheelchair and they looked around at
their loved ones and said, that could be me. I better buy this now and start
going on vacation today versus waiting until I finally made it on the cruise
ship when I’m already not able to fully function and enjoy it.
Jason: There’s your urgency for sure.
Krista: So maybe your product isn’t that
extreme, but I can guarantee that there is a hook. There is something that
you’re helping people with that completely changes their lives for the better
in one small way or one big way.
Jason: When we’re talking about that
urgency step, that’s interesting because if you contrast that story of the
timeshare versus what people experience or the stories about it where it’s a
hard sell pitch and it’s like 5 layers of people you have to get through if you
actually want to leave and they’ll keep you there for hours and hours and hours.
Versus here’s a video, here’s what you could be getting. Now create your own
urgency like I was talking about of why you want it for you and why you want to
sign up instead of us using tactics. Because as a salesperson, if you can have
the prospect have their hope and their urgency for why they want it for them,
then there is a lot less. There’s never none because there’s always some kind
of buyer’s remorse, thinking about it and questioning. It’s what we all do. But
that 2:00 AM panic that will happen the day after they buy from you will not be
there at the same level because they did it for their reasons and not your
reasons.
Krista: Yeah. one of the other sales tactics
they used was to have the prospect when you sit down with your sales rep is
they gave you a paper and they say, can you write down the three main reasons
that you like to go on vacation? That’s how they start their sales pitch. Then
they look at the paper and they start talking about those 3 reasons. So they’re
already positioning themselves on your pain points and of course they already
have a solution. Welk resorts as one of the best examples I can imagine. So I’m
just giving that out there because it really showcases all the things we’ve
just discussed about giving a person hope and then creating their own sense of
urgency versus imposing one on them. Of course throwing in some incentives
helps too by saying today if you sign up, we are giving away an extra, a bonus
or giving an extra discount. But you shouldn’t do that too early either. You
should wait until the person is already scratching their head, looking at their
spouse or you can hear that they’re really thinking it over. That’s when you
throw it out there. So wait
Jason: Just a little bit of a punch
Krista: Yeah just wait a little. And by
the way, it should be a by the way kind of thing versus did you know you’re
going to get to get a discount, hurry up. That’s when people get even more on
their guard and their defensive comes up.
Jason: This whole urgency side is interesting
because I’ve had so many reps were they just don’t get it. Like you said a
little bit ago where everything you did up unto that point in the conversation
or conversations has led to that moment. So if they say, I have to think about
it or I’m not sure, or let’s do this in 6 months. That right there is just the
outward symptom, but what happened is everything before then that led up to
that. Unless your sales cycle is, everyone needs six months and it’s never the
right time, then that’s something about your product or service or your sales
process. But if there are people who will make same day decisions or short
decisions, within a matter of days then anybody who doesn’t means you missed an
opportunity.
Krista: Exactly. I fully agree. So it’s
just a validation that you have missed something in the earlier process of the
sales call.
Jason: Yeah. Otherwise they should be
basically begging you for the solution to improve their lives, whatever it is.
Maybe even that vacation so that they can take that forced vacation every year,
whether they like it or not so they can get away and have some time.
Krista: I know. Can you imagine you have
to convince people beautiful vacation?
Jason: Yes. We talked about that earlier offline.
Yes. Yeah. There’s some people out there that don’t take vacations.
Krista: Absolutely. I think that’s a
beautiful cop topic for one of your upcoming podcast if you haven’t talked
about that already. I think while putting in their heads that visualization
about the hope. The hope goes back to putting into the customer’s head this
picture of what it would be like once they have this product and the more
vividly they can visualize that, the easier it will be to close the deal.
Jason: The more real it is, the more it
feels, they can feel it, vibrate it
Krista: But that wasn’t the topic. The
topic that I’m thinking was pivots. Once you get to that point where there’s
that dreaded sentence, I need to think it over, I need more time. Once you hear
that dreaded death sentence for your sales call, is there any possible save or
are we done? I think that could be such a very important topic to talk about if
it’s even possible at that point to try to save it. How do you know if there is
even a remote possibility? Has anyone ever done it? I would love to hear from
people who have I have an actual example that that happened to me and I was
still able to close the sale on the phone on the same call
Jason: That’s great. That will definitely
be a whole other show I will either we can do together, I might just release on
my own if it fits in. But yes, there is a way to recover those. Yes, there is a
way to still help them in the buying situation. And yes, I have many examples
from myself and from others where it works, especially in the business to
consumer. It’s really about when you hear that the short answer is take charge
as the professional, realize that you messed up, make sure you share with them
that you realize that you messed up because your goal is to actually help them
and then go back to digging deep to go through those initial steps. Like the
questions, discovery, the empathy, the trust and then the hope and try to find
that again and dig deeper. Sometimes the rep didn’t do anything wrong.
Sometimes it’s just a function of the person was so closed off. Maybe because
of past experiences, bad experiences with salespeople or buying something. Where
it’s going to be tough and you’re going to have to go through the process
several times to dig deep enough where they want to do it. Sometimes the reps
messed up and you might not be able to recover. So yes, there are ways. I used
to train people all the time on when you get that, here’s what you say, here’s
how you handle it. Honestly, the transparent thing like I just mentioned, is to
take a lot of responsibility. It’s hey, this is my job. I messed up because I
know that you need this help. If it’s something you need to think about, then
that means I did something wrong and then you lead and other stuff. That’s the
basic paraphrasing of it.
Krista: Absolutely. I love it. I’m so
happy you’re doing this podcast because you really can help a lot of people
save those sales calls. You’re providing value and your one00% convinced that
the value that your product offers is something that can help the person
Jason: That’s the key.
Krista: That’s the key. It’s like you’ve
determined that they are qualified because during the call there is a potential
that you determine that they actually need a different product and that’s a
different, that’s another topic as well. But the chances are usually quite
small. So usually you’ve got the right person and they need your product. We’re
going to assume that. Keeping that hope alive that your product is really the
solution and then convincing them it should come from them. They have to
convince themselves. So the more you can stay in that realm and get it done the
right way, then the easier it will be to close. Yeah.
Jason: Yeah. I think that’s a great place
to stop with the keeping hope alive. Krista, I appreciate you coming on here.
This has been super fun. I feel like we could keep talking for long periods of
time and probably should do this again as well.
Krista: Lovely. Jason, you and I happen to
be not that far away from one another, so I’d love to invite you down here to
San Francisco for the right business event to speak about sales.
Jason: That would be great. one thing
that didn’t get coordinated for this, but I think for the next one, maybe
something on your podcast or even on mine is get together and do a video
version and meet and chat and record it and just share all of our different
diverse knowledge with everybody.
Krista: Absolutely. I love it and thank
you so much again for having me, Jason. I honestly think you’re doing a great
thing for salespeople all over. This podcast is going to change a lot of
people’s tactics for the better and get rid of bad sales tactics. Thank you.
Jason: For everyone listening make sure to check out the show notes. I’m going to get all of the links from Krista where you can find her on LinkedIn, YouTube, just everywhere that she’s at producing content, her podcast, the videos that she’s making. I’m also going to get a transcript available for this so you can reread the conversation, highlight, pull out the gems that you heard. Obviously, make sure you subscribe, download the show, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Sound Cloud, Google play music, Castor, and the cutter consulting group website.
Make sure to share it with your fellow salespeople. As Krista said, and it was an unpaid endorsement, which I appreciate share this with anyone that you know of is in sales, sales management. Nothing would make me happier than having this content spreading through the sales community and making a big impact. But until next time, always remember that everything in life is sales and people remember the experience you gave them.
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By Jason Cutter
4.9
3535 ratings
Wrapping up the two weeks of Fundamentals, it only seemed
fitting to have Krista Mollion, of the truth telling Sassy Method, on the show
to talk about the Hope and Urgency steps in the sales process.
Here are some of the topics Krista and I talk about in our fun sales conversation:
- Prospect’s pain
- Using honesty and transparency in sales
- The big mistake most sales people make
- Being a problem solver
- Conversational flexibility
- Not knowing everything
- Timeshare sales done right
And of course so much more!
Links from Krista:
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kristamollion/
Youtube channel: https://m.youtube.com/user/kmollion/?sub_confirmation=1
Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ktalks-with-krista-mollion/id1459414951
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/The-Sassy-Method-308061656535740
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kristamollion/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kmollion
E19a – Transcript
Jason: Welcome to another special bonus
episode of the Sales Experience podcast. My name is Jason Cutter and with me
today on the show I have Krista Mollion who is the chief heart officer for a
company, the Sassy Method among lots of other things. In fact, she is the LinkedIn
top truth teller. I thought it would be fun to have her on the show during
fundamentals week to talk about some truth when it comes to sales. Of course
I’ll have links for her and how to find her information, where she is online,
her website, LinkedIn, all of that. Make sure to check out her podcast as well.
I’ll tell you, her first podcast she did was one of the things in a tw day span
that got me to move forward on this podcast and I actually mentioned that in my
first podcast as well. So Krista, welcome to the sales experience podcasts.
Krista: Thank you Jason. It’s a true
pleasure to be here and to talk with you about one of my favorite subjects,
which is sales.
Jason: Yeah, it should be fun. We talked
a bit before this and it, what’s really interesting is how you’ve been business
to business, I’ve been business to consumer. But so much of this stuff and so
much in sales you’ve been in marketing and sales, I had been sales with some
marketing side, but there’s just so much overlap, so many common things. Obviously
I call this fundamentals week. There’s so many things where it’s just literally
the fundamental basics of how to do it right and how to sell. I know we could
just talk for hours and hours on this topic. When I was thinking about this and
when I chatted with you, I was thinking like, what the heck do too truth
telling sales speaker podcasters soon to be authors talk about, and the topic I
wanted to start with was the hope and urgency in the sales process.
Krista: That is such a key part of the
sales process. First off, I just want to say it’s great that you’re doing all
this sales trainings for people and this podcast giving away some free tips
because I honestly think that every salesperson needs to listen to a podcast
like this and really understand the fundamentals of sales. More particularly
hope is the point of the conversation where there’s a potential to pivot.
You’re pivoting away from generalizations, small talks, getting to know one
another maybe. You’re going into, I think I understand this client’s pain point
and I think my product may solve it or one of our products may solve it. That’s
where hope is instilled in the salesperson that they have found a solution
that’s going to close the deal for this person. So it’s a very exciting moment
in the call.
Jason: Yeah. It can honestly, and
transparently, I guess authentic is the best word for it really come once
you’ve done those first steps., Like, where are you said it’s that pivot point.
In these fundamental week that I’ve been covering so far, there’s rapport than
empathy, rapport and trust. You’ve got to do those things where you’re
uncovering their needs and wants, desires, pains, struggle, whatever that is. Then
from there you can offer them hope. A lot of times people jump into the sales
process and they just throw out the hope in a shotgun effect in the beginning. So
the classic sales part where it’s, let me give you my sales pitch and the first
couple of seconds so I can tell you what’s great and how amazing I am and how
I’m going to change your life. But I haven’t actually even uncovered if it’s a
good fit or if it will change your life and if there’s even enough trust there
in a relationship where you’re going to believe my hope.
Krista: I think what you just said, is one
of the fundamental mistakes that salespeople sometimes make, both on calls and
in their messaging is by pitching your solution too early in the game you
create a barrier between you and the customer. They’re on their side, which
immediately draws up more of a defensive position because it’s like, Aha, this
person probably wants to sell me this product. On the salesperson’s side, it
creates the boundary of I have something that I’m trying to give to you. I
think that in order to really close the sale, we have to remove those barriers
and avoid even putting them up in the first place by creating a sense of we’re
in this together so that that direct rapport with the customer is where you
should start off because then it’s easy for them to start talking about
themselves. Ultimately that’s what you want them to do is talk more about
themselves and their problems. Because if you pitch too early and you’re like
we’re selling widgets. Do you want a widget? The customers, it’s easy to do
have that boundary already established and it’s a yes, no boundary. Versus what
are your problems? Tell me about your problems and listening attentively and
then pitching your service from the standpoint of their voice versus from your
own.
Jason: Yeah, it’s funny because as cliché
as it sounds, those open ended discovery, deep diving questions, will get you
to the point where you’re breaking through that barrier and then you can offer
that. I’m sure we’ve all met somebody who right out of the gate wants to give
us advice or try to help us with something and it’s like, you don’t really know
me well enough, nor do I believe you or trust you. Whether it’s an a sales
buying situation or it’s just in life, it’s like, Hey, show me that you care first
and that you actually understand who I am and then we can talk about the next
phase and what you think I should be doing or what’s would solve my issues.
Krista: Yeah. It’s those assumptions that
all customers have the same problem, just because you have a product that
solves a specific problem and that’s a very big mistake. So if you’re listening
to your customer without jumping to those conclusions too early, you’re going
to have a much better chance of understanding their real beliefs and then
repeating it back to them. That creates trust. That creates the bond. Once they
have that bond established, that’s where the hope comes in because you have
shown them that you care, that you’re a good listener and they’re almost
waiting for you to give them advice at that point. Versus being in a defensive
position of you don’t know me. Why are you offering me this? You don’t even
know if that’s my problem.
Jason: I know for me, with all the sales
I’ve ever done, the people I’ve managed and trained anything like that has
always been for a product or service where it’s not a one size fits all. As
I’ve always said, it’s like not everyone wins, it’s not magazine sales where
I’m going to sell a magazine to every single person because they have a pulse.
I’m trying to solve problems or help people with something. Even if it’s selling
cars, not everyone should buy that car, a car or qualify. It’s really about
doing the right things for people and solving their specific situation or need
and helping improve their life and get them into a better place, whatever that
is with or without me. Just wanting the best for people.
Krista: Exactly. Wanting the best for
people. So I saw and in your previous podcast that you’ve talked a lot about
authenticity. I think that it merits bringing it up in every episode because
that is probably your biggest sales killer, the phoniness, the fakeness of I’m
pretending to be concerned when really all I care about is getting my sales
numbers this month. Caring authentically about people’s problems and saying,
I’m not a sales guy or sales lady, I am a problem solver. Being proud of that that
you’re bringing a solution that people actually really need. That’s what you
should think about in your career instead of just thinking about a competition
or a game to sell the most widgets possible.
Jason: Right. Since you brought up, maybe
that is a good idea, maybe I should just pull like a Gary V type thing and just
talk about authenticity in every single episode. I think people would get
really tired of that. I’d probably get tired of talking about it, but you never
know. What’s interesting though, and this is totally separate from the hope
conversation, but it’s kind of part that has to get you there is that
authenticity and being who you are and being real balanced if you’re a real
professional good salesperson with being a chameleon who can also mold to the
conversation and be who the other person needs you to be, the version of you
for them to move forward on the solution that you have. Like if you know that
you’re selling something that actually helps people or will get them from point
a to point B, whatever it is. It could be TVs, if it’s solving their need or
their issue or their wants, whatever that is, it doesn’t matter. If you know
that it’s a good thing and it will help the right people, then you want to be
authentic, but you also want to be the authentic version of you who fits with
what will make them happy, reduce those barriers and get them to where they
need to be. I think it’s a fine line because sales people think, well I’m just
acting and this is all fake and it doesn’t matter. Again, that’s like you said,
to sell the most widget to get their name on the board to get the big
commission checks. Another one is to be transparent, but flexible, I guess in
the conversations you’re having.
Krista: Absolutely. Figuring out how to be
flexible without sounding like you have a comeback for everything they say is really
a fine strategy that you have to master. It’s not easy because you can’t
pretend to be a one solution for everything that they have in their lives. So
it’s really about driving the conversation towards what are their bigger goals.
So I wouldn’t want you to get the impression that clients should just start
ranting and complaining about all their problems. It’s also about strategically
driving the conversation towards what is the outcome that they want to have. So
not only just continuing open-ended complaints and negativity about their
problem, but once they’ve laid out their problem strategically, you have to
drive them towards how to envision yourself happy with this problem solved.
What would that look like for you? Because making assumptions that your product
will fix it is wrong. You first have to listen to both sides, what their
problem is from their words, not yours as well as what do they think their
solutions are? Because that will help you really understand what the, what the client’s
goals are ultimately.
Jason: That’s awesome because that’s
really when you get to some of the fundamentals of the hope step, it’s tying in
what they’re feeling now, whatever it is, good or bad, where they see
themselves hopefully in a much better situation, transformed and improved and
in one way or another. Again, it can be a consumer good, but it will help them
feel better or it’s something they’ve been wanting or a goal that they have. Or
it could be solving a fundamental issue they have. It could be the business to business
landscape that you were in before where maybe it’s helping them with their
marketing or their business, whatever that might be. But when they’re in touch
with where they want to be and seeing themselves in that situation there
instead of their current state and they can feel that energy. Kind of like you
would also do if you went to a motivational seminar. If you went to a Tony
Robbins type thing and they have you set goals and then visualize and journal
and write about what that would be like if you had that house or that perfect
relationship or that car or the freedom to travel, whatever that might be, and
then feel that vibration and energy. Then literally nothing will stop you and
get in your way of going after that. That’s fundamentally as weird as it may
sound, what you want to create if you’re doing it right in the sales
environment, whether it’s B to C or B to B for your prospects because in my
opinion, when you do that step and then you offer them the hope and solution,
then it’s nothing you have to actually close and use any sales lines for. Literally,
they should be begging you for the help to get to that point.
Krista: Exactly. That’s another point you
bring up about hope is once you’ve built a rapport and a connection with the
client by listening to them in an authentic way, not trying to steer them into
solutions that you’re selling for the sake of selling. Now you’ve also talked
about what they would like the outcome to be. That’s your opportunity for hope
and that’s the key moment where you can really lose a person if you’re not
careful, because the last thing you want to do is twist what they’ve said to
you into a solution that is absolutely not what they’ve told you. That just
builds frustration and immediately you’ve broken the trust. So it’s important
to listen and carefully respond and figure out from the outcome that they’re
discussing, is my product the right one? And approach it from that angle versus
just launching into your usual full sales spiel
Jason: I call it monologue. Yeah. It just
is this long monologue stage performance for sure. Those can be effective.
Those sales reps who do that, where they just get the person manipulator,
persuade the person to buying their product, whether it’s the right there or not.
Works short term, long term it doesn’t, cancellations, refunds, bad reviews online,
all kinds of things will happen. It’s tough for that type of salesperson or
that type of sales organization if that’s their strategy, to really truly be
successful long-term without having to run from let’s say industry to industry
and change constantly because you can only run that game so long. Like the old
snake oil salesman.
Krista: Yeah. I think that one way of
guaranteeing that this won’t happen is by taking notes while the customer is
talking to you about the key pain points that they have brought up. Saying you’ve
just expressed to me these 3 key pain points and then our product provides 2
out of 3 solutions for that. So that instantly shows that not only you’ve
listened to them, but you’re also humble enough and willing enough to admit
some of the shortcomings of your product. Instead of going into your full blown
spiel of your sales pitch that our product is the best and our product will
cure every problem you’ve ever had and ever will have. You’ve really outlined out
of 3 things that you need, my product solves 2 of those things. I think that
that for many salespeople listening, that may sound counterintuitive, you’re
like, oh, we can never admit that we’re wrong or we shouldn’t show our
weaknesses. But in today’s world of over information where we’re getting
bombarded with spam right and left, and there’s a lot of snake oil being sold
by people who can’t deliver or don’t have the right competencies, people are
extremely weary. So now’s the time to put more emphasis on being vulnerable,
being authentic, creating trust. one of the best ways to do that is to show
that you’ve listened to the person and that you’re willing to admit if your
product doesn’t quite fully cover what they need. The results will be amazing
because someone’s going to say, wow I’m going to buy your product just because
I feel now that you’ve been really transparent about it and that’s good enough,
2 out of 3 is good enough for me.
Jason: Yeah, for sure. I think that
really we talked about this before this conversation here, but that goes into
the longevity of them and as a client and setting the right expectations. If I
tell you I can do 2 out of the 3 and I can’t do them all and you still agree to
move forward, there’s no surprises. Versus what may happen if I don’t do that.
If I try to tell them it’s all going to be great, give them the false hope, that’s
where that can really be bad is the false hope of I can solve all of your
problems and all the ways and I’m better than whatever you’ve been doing. Then
you realize that it wasn’t true.
Krista: Yeah. There’s one trick that I
have learned over my life that I think is very valuable for any, especially a
newer salesperson. If you don’t know the answer, don’t pretend like you do. How
often can we say that? You’ve definitely experienced this, where some is in
their head, oh my goodness, of course we offer that. Then later on they get
reprimanded by their boss who’s like you told the client what?
Jason: I’ve generally been in
organizations where there’s both the sales involvement side as well as the
fulfillment and the client relations side with customer service and retention,
all the backend. So to get those messages from them saying this client just
called in and said they were told X Y and Z. That’s always bad, it’s not worth
it because then it just creates more heartache and it’s not good for the customers.
Krista: I think it’s okay to admit that
you don’t know. My favorite comeback is I’ll get back to you. So I know 2 out
of 3 of the things you’ve asked about. About the third, this is a new area that
I’m not an expert in, but I will find someone to answer that question and I’ll
definitely follow up with you. That shows that you’re committed to taking their
concerns seriously, that you value them versus trying to just over promise and
blow it off. Like, oh yeah, our product does that when you’re not sure.
Jason: Then when you do come back with
the answers, then there’s some more validity behind it because it doesn’t feel
like you’re just making stuff up all the time
Krista: And there’s no disappointment
either because you never promised them in the first place. You said you’d look
into it. Versus shaking your head, oh, I’m sure we do that. then later on
having to admit to them that you were wrong.
Jason: So we talked about the hope side,
which I think is very valuable to provide them with that kind of feeling of
what their life will be like when they have your product or service as a result
of you really uncovering what’s really there at the deepest level they’ll allow
and that makes sense for what you’re selling. So then the next part comes
actually closing them and the urgency. Now what I’ve always trained people on
and focused on is on the urgency side. Obviously fortune always favors the
person who’s taking action, massive action, making decisions and moving
forward, especially when there’s a solution provided for a specific want or
need or goal, whatever that is. Then on the flip side, like I’ve told lots of
people is the urgency really you don’t want it to come from you forcing the
urgency and you must buy now and limited time offer. Those things kind of help.
But the urgency, if you’ve done it right to this step the urgency should be
coming from the prospect who’s like, okay, how do I sign up? How do I buy this?
What’s next? They should be giving you those signals instead of you having to
create that false urgency.
Krista: Absolutely. So I think your point
is that the hope component really ties into creating a sense of urgency in
themselves where if you can create hope on a much deeper level, you have
already closed the deal.
Jason: Yeah. I mean they’ve closed
themselves. They know it. They’re excited for their reasons, not your reasons. Then
at that point you’re just shifting to application filler, money collector for
them to get what they want.
Krista: Yeah. Then there is no pitch.
You’re just like, okay, so do you want to get started? Let’s get started. I’d
be happy to talk to you
Jason: I’m sure you’ve seen this in all of
your travels in sales as well. It’s like you have those prospects where you
uncover things deeply and you create all of that and the urgencies is there and
they’re begging you. Then there’s the other ones where maybe you’ve seen other
salespeople do it where they’re just shallow and they’re throwing out that
monologue sales pitch like you were talking about. Then next thing you know,
they’re just chasing this lead endlessly trying to get them to make a buying
decision because there’s just no urgency because there’s fundamentally no
reason for them to see the value in it.
Krista: Exactly. So I think that’s your
indicator is how well did you, did you listen to your prospect and instill hope
in them that your product can solve those fundamental needs? How deep did you
go? That’s another one. How hopeful do they sound in the end? Because the
closing part should not be such a big deal. So if someone says to you, I have
to think it over or I need some more time, then you have not met the first part
sufficiently. Either you mismatched their needs to your products solutions or
you didn’t go on a deeper level too put into their heads what their lives would
look like with that product.
Jason: It’s interesting because I have my
experiences, you have your experiences we’re on the sales side. Can you think
of any sales situation where you wouldn’t want to go deep if you’re selling
something that’s obviously of some value monetary or otherwise?
Krista: Absolutely none. There’s an
absolutely 0 situation where you don’t want to go deep because ultimately you
have to figure out that your products and services aren’t just solving the
superficial problem. They’re going to change people’s lives. Some of you may
shake your heads and be like, no, my product doesn’t really do that. But it
does because I guarantee that no matter what you’re selling, you’re going to
make someone’s life easier. If your product doesn’t, you shouldn’t be on the
market. So whatever you’re selling, whether it’s a product or service, you’re
trying to make someone’s life easier. You’re taking one thing off their plate
or you’re taking that thing that they have on their plate and you’re making it
easier for them. Ultimately that creates a better wellbeing, a better quality
of life, more free time for them to dedicate to things that really matter. So
it all goes back to time is money and it’s a value exchange. You’re giving them
back a little bit of time and mental capacity to their day in exchange for your
product or service. The more you can hit the nail on the head, the stronger the
sense of urgency will be to buy your product. one of the best examples I’d like
to share was is 4 Welk Resorts, which is a timeshare company and they’re
notorious for their sales. So they get you into a sales pitch. They say it’s a one
hour presentation, they have some exchanges for free that they’ll give you. Maybe
they’ll give you 2 nights in one of their resorts or a free lunch, or even
sometimes tickets to go to a show or something local. So a lot of people have
strong enough insensitive to say, why not let me go do a sales pitch with them.
Let’s see how it goes. I was really impressed by the Welk
Resort sales tactics that I observed. They actually showed a video of an older
couple who was on a cruise ship and they show the woman and the man looking out
over this beautiful tropical ocean from the cruise ship itself. Then they zoom
out and they show that the man is in a wheelchair and he has an oxygen tank
attached to him. The message underneath was, why wait? We always talk about
having vacation later in life when Welk Resorts offers you annual membership
that you can go to these beautiful destination. Every year you have no excuse
not to take your family on a paid vacation because we’ve already arranged that
for you. You just call us up and you say, I’m a Welk member and yeah, we’ll get
the dates set up and here’s all the beautiful places you can go to. We have
partners. So there’s almost unlimited options that we can offer you. We have
cruise ships and we have hotels and we have resorts and we have apartments. So
it’s like the sky’s the limit. But the main thing that got people was at the
end when they saw that poor man in the wheelchair and they looked around at
their loved ones and said, that could be me. I better buy this now and start
going on vacation today versus waiting until I finally made it on the cruise
ship when I’m already not able to fully function and enjoy it.
Jason: There’s your urgency for sure.
Krista: So maybe your product isn’t that
extreme, but I can guarantee that there is a hook. There is something that
you’re helping people with that completely changes their lives for the better
in one small way or one big way.
Jason: When we’re talking about that
urgency step, that’s interesting because if you contrast that story of the
timeshare versus what people experience or the stories about it where it’s a
hard sell pitch and it’s like 5 layers of people you have to get through if you
actually want to leave and they’ll keep you there for hours and hours and hours.
Versus here’s a video, here’s what you could be getting. Now create your own
urgency like I was talking about of why you want it for you and why you want to
sign up instead of us using tactics. Because as a salesperson, if you can have
the prospect have their hope and their urgency for why they want it for them,
then there is a lot less. There’s never none because there’s always some kind
of buyer’s remorse, thinking about it and questioning. It’s what we all do. But
that 2:00 AM panic that will happen the day after they buy from you will not be
there at the same level because they did it for their reasons and not your
reasons.
Krista: Yeah. one of the other sales tactics
they used was to have the prospect when you sit down with your sales rep is
they gave you a paper and they say, can you write down the three main reasons
that you like to go on vacation? That’s how they start their sales pitch. Then
they look at the paper and they start talking about those 3 reasons. So they’re
already positioning themselves on your pain points and of course they already
have a solution. Welk resorts as one of the best examples I can imagine. So I’m
just giving that out there because it really showcases all the things we’ve
just discussed about giving a person hope and then creating their own sense of
urgency versus imposing one on them. Of course throwing in some incentives
helps too by saying today if you sign up, we are giving away an extra, a bonus
or giving an extra discount. But you shouldn’t do that too early either. You
should wait until the person is already scratching their head, looking at their
spouse or you can hear that they’re really thinking it over. That’s when you
throw it out there. So wait
Jason: Just a little bit of a punch
Krista: Yeah just wait a little. And by
the way, it should be a by the way kind of thing versus did you know you’re
going to get to get a discount, hurry up. That’s when people get even more on
their guard and their defensive comes up.
Jason: This whole urgency side is interesting
because I’ve had so many reps were they just don’t get it. Like you said a
little bit ago where everything you did up unto that point in the conversation
or conversations has led to that moment. So if they say, I have to think about
it or I’m not sure, or let’s do this in 6 months. That right there is just the
outward symptom, but what happened is everything before then that led up to
that. Unless your sales cycle is, everyone needs six months and it’s never the
right time, then that’s something about your product or service or your sales
process. But if there are people who will make same day decisions or short
decisions, within a matter of days then anybody who doesn’t means you missed an
opportunity.
Krista: Exactly. I fully agree. So it’s
just a validation that you have missed something in the earlier process of the
sales call.
Jason: Yeah. Otherwise they should be
basically begging you for the solution to improve their lives, whatever it is.
Maybe even that vacation so that they can take that forced vacation every year,
whether they like it or not so they can get away and have some time.
Krista: I know. Can you imagine you have
to convince people beautiful vacation?
Jason: Yes. We talked about that earlier offline.
Yes. Yeah. There’s some people out there that don’t take vacations.
Krista: Absolutely. I think that’s a
beautiful cop topic for one of your upcoming podcast if you haven’t talked
about that already. I think while putting in their heads that visualization
about the hope. The hope goes back to putting into the customer’s head this
picture of what it would be like once they have this product and the more
vividly they can visualize that, the easier it will be to close the deal.
Jason: The more real it is, the more it
feels, they can feel it, vibrate it
Krista: But that wasn’t the topic. The
topic that I’m thinking was pivots. Once you get to that point where there’s
that dreaded sentence, I need to think it over, I need more time. Once you hear
that dreaded death sentence for your sales call, is there any possible save or
are we done? I think that could be such a very important topic to talk about if
it’s even possible at that point to try to save it. How do you know if there is
even a remote possibility? Has anyone ever done it? I would love to hear from
people who have I have an actual example that that happened to me and I was
still able to close the sale on the phone on the same call
Jason: That’s great. That will definitely
be a whole other show I will either we can do together, I might just release on
my own if it fits in. But yes, there is a way to recover those. Yes, there is a
way to still help them in the buying situation. And yes, I have many examples
from myself and from others where it works, especially in the business to
consumer. It’s really about when you hear that the short answer is take charge
as the professional, realize that you messed up, make sure you share with them
that you realize that you messed up because your goal is to actually help them
and then go back to digging deep to go through those initial steps. Like the
questions, discovery, the empathy, the trust and then the hope and try to find
that again and dig deeper. Sometimes the rep didn’t do anything wrong.
Sometimes it’s just a function of the person was so closed off. Maybe because
of past experiences, bad experiences with salespeople or buying something. Where
it’s going to be tough and you’re going to have to go through the process
several times to dig deep enough where they want to do it. Sometimes the reps
messed up and you might not be able to recover. So yes, there are ways. I used
to train people all the time on when you get that, here’s what you say, here’s
how you handle it. Honestly, the transparent thing like I just mentioned, is to
take a lot of responsibility. It’s hey, this is my job. I messed up because I
know that you need this help. If it’s something you need to think about, then
that means I did something wrong and then you lead and other stuff. That’s the
basic paraphrasing of it.
Krista: Absolutely. I love it. I’m so
happy you’re doing this podcast because you really can help a lot of people
save those sales calls. You’re providing value and your one00% convinced that
the value that your product offers is something that can help the person
Jason: That’s the key.
Krista: That’s the key. It’s like you’ve
determined that they are qualified because during the call there is a potential
that you determine that they actually need a different product and that’s a
different, that’s another topic as well. But the chances are usually quite
small. So usually you’ve got the right person and they need your product. We’re
going to assume that. Keeping that hope alive that your product is really the
solution and then convincing them it should come from them. They have to
convince themselves. So the more you can stay in that realm and get it done the
right way, then the easier it will be to close. Yeah.
Jason: Yeah. I think that’s a great place
to stop with the keeping hope alive. Krista, I appreciate you coming on here.
This has been super fun. I feel like we could keep talking for long periods of
time and probably should do this again as well.
Krista: Lovely. Jason, you and I happen to
be not that far away from one another, so I’d love to invite you down here to
San Francisco for the right business event to speak about sales.
Jason: That would be great. one thing
that didn’t get coordinated for this, but I think for the next one, maybe
something on your podcast or even on mine is get together and do a video
version and meet and chat and record it and just share all of our different
diverse knowledge with everybody.
Krista: Absolutely. I love it and thank
you so much again for having me, Jason. I honestly think you’re doing a great
thing for salespeople all over. This podcast is going to change a lot of
people’s tactics for the better and get rid of bad sales tactics. Thank you.
Jason: For everyone listening make sure to check out the show notes. I’m going to get all of the links from Krista where you can find her on LinkedIn, YouTube, just everywhere that she’s at producing content, her podcast, the videos that she’s making. I’m also going to get a transcript available for this so you can reread the conversation, highlight, pull out the gems that you heard. Obviously, make sure you subscribe, download the show, iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Sound Cloud, Google play music, Castor, and the cutter consulting group website.
Make sure to share it with your fellow salespeople. As Krista said, and it was an unpaid endorsement, which I appreciate share this with anyone that you know of is in sales, sales management. Nothing would make me happier than having this content spreading through the sales community and making a big impact. But until next time, always remember that everything in life is sales and people remember the experience you gave them.