Inside BS Show

In this show I share my number 1 content creation secret.

If you've ever wondered how I manage to create a podcast and video each day, article each week, a book each year and still run my business, this is the show for you.

In this show I divulge my top content creation secret and it's been right in front of you all along.

The secret is to write something each day.

In today's Do This Sell more Show you will discover some new ideas for topics for you content and you'll also discover how to make sure you never get writers (idea) block.

I will even share with you my thoughts on how you can keep the ideas flowing by writing about seemingly mundane things.

If you want to become a content generating machine, this is the show for you.

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On this show I share my thoughts on each of the following networking groups:

• Civic (Service) Group: Rotary, Kiwanis, Knights of Columbus
• Social/Athletic: Country Club, Tennis Club, Cigar Club
• Industry Trade Association: Bar Association, American Medical Association
• Ethnic/Affinity: Italian-American Cultural Society, Irish-American Police Officers’ Association
• Business Associations: Chambers of Commerce
• Charities/Non-Profits: United Way, American Cancer Society
• Educational: Entrepreneurs Organization, Young Presidents’ Organization
• Structured Networking Groups: BNI, LeTip

Some groups are a better fit than others for relationship development. The size of your business and your enthusiasm for the mission of the group are the determining factors. 

I also share the formula for business success with group networking.

Are you struggling to keep your customer pipeline full? In this show, I talk about the sales activities you should be focusing on if you want to attract ideal clients and bring in big money. 

All too often, salespeople count on cold calls and lead lists to stuff their sales funnels – with names that go nowhere. Stop wasting your time and energy pursuing meaningless stabs in the dark. Instead, leverage your relationships to meet real prospects, establish yourself as an expert, and get referrals. 

THESE are worthwhile sales activities: 

- Ask your current clients about the groups they belong to, then join those groups. Offer to speak at functions where you’ll establish industry credibility.

- Similarly, find out what websites they visit and what trade publications they read. Post and publish articles in those places.

- Determine what conventions your best clients attend and go to them. The networking you’ll do at just one trade show will fill your customer pipeline for a month.

- Figure out who else sells to your customers and do joint ventures with those people. Piggyback off of other people’s relationships to make your own deals.

Now, you may be thinking, “I need to be out there selling.” I’m here to tell you, these activities ARE selling. Making connections, getting referrals, demonstrating industry know-how, and teaming up with trusted providers – it’s how to keep your customer pipeline brimming with quality prospects.

Commit to these sales activities every month. Speak, publish, network, and partner up. Then make sure you follow up. Your pipeline will stay full and sales will follow!

When you cold call you annoy people and interrupt their day but that's not the only reason to avoid it. In cold calling you demonstrate you are out of ideas and desperate. 

What clients tell me (and you) all the time:

• If people were beating a path to your door, you wouldn’t have to cold call
• If you were able to educate people via a speaking engagement or education event, you won’t have to cold call.
• If you knew how to write letters to people and demonstrate your value proposition, you wouldn’t have to cold call.
• If you could write articles, you wouldn’t have to cold call.
• If you were able to get referrals you wouldn’t have to cold call. 

Many of the "sales gurus" tell you cold calling is essential. It's not. If you have the ability to do any of the things we discuss in this show, you can develop expert status and you'll never have to cold call again.

Prospects will sometimes disappear without offering a reason why. In this show you will discover the questions you can ask to keep this from happening.

Sales communication is important because without proper dialogue, you could be wasting time and energy working with someone who never intended to buy in the first place. In this show, I offer six key questions to ask customers when selling a product or service.

The first question has to do with price. People will often be embarrassed to say they can’t afford something. That’s one of the reasons why you should ask for a budget in advance. If they refuse, you can say, ”I don’t want to waste your time or my time if money is going to be an issue…”

The second question addresses laziness. Switching means work. You have to show the prospect how NOT switching will cause more pain. Effective sales communication should demonstrate the value you bring.

When thinking of questions to ask customers when selling a product or service, they should all give you information or help the prospect see your worth. This next one is not really a question, rather a way of addressing the prospect’s fears about being fired. You can combat this fear by saying, “If you’re worried about taking a risk on us, I will guarantee my performance.” Then give a list of things you can guarantee.

Other questions include asking if they have a relative in the business, asking why they’ve chosen to address their problem now, and who else might be a decision-maker that needs to be brought on board.

These are all essential questions to ask customers when selling a product or service because they provide relevant information while addressing several common concerns. Don’t take sales communication for granted. It’s a skills that, when done effectively, can make selling a whole lot easier.

What makes a bad manager? What are some of the most common leadership mistakes that a manager can make when they’re in charge of a sales team?

The first mistake many sales managers make is focusing too much on paperwork. If your salespeople are performing well, leave it alone. Sales reports generally won’t give you accurate information anyway because your sales team isn’t going to put genuine effort into doing them.

A big part of what makes a bad manager is the tendency to let ego get in the way of performance. This is not about you. Your job is to remove barriers so that your sales team can be in the spotlight. Be the behind-the-scenes operator who allows everyone else to shine. Keep your ego at bay.

Being a fair-weather fan when it comes to your salespeople is another of the most common sales leadership mistakes. Top performers tend to get plenty of attention because of their success. Low-level producers also get a lot of attention, because managers are continually trying to help them improve. But those salespeople who perform somewhere in the middle often get neglected. Take care of your mid-range sellers and turn them into top performers. Treat everyone like winners.

The final of the killer leadership mistakes I notice frequently is the promotion of a top salesperson into a managerial position. Why is this problematic? Because what makes a bad manager is often what makes a great salesperson. Managers should be empathetic and eager to applaud the success of others. You’ll usually find the opposite personality type in great salespeople – which is why they’re great at what they do.

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➜ How to structure your proposals to close deals

➜ How to close deals in sales more often 

➜ Why you should never put your proposal in writing

So you've got a prospect on the ropes, it's time to close the deal with an amazing proposal, but then it comes to you:

"What do you even include in a good proposal?"

Or maybe you've already given a few sales proposals and haven't had much luck.

In this show, I share one of my secrets towards crafting the proposal that gets you the sale.

One of the most important things to remember is that you should rarely put your proposal in writing.

Rather than writing down your whole proposal, it's much better to go through this stage verbally. That way, you can deal with objections immediately and in person.

Once you do that, you can move straight to the contract without messing around.

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Is there a recession coming? What should you do about it? These are both great questions. But the first thing you need to know is “what is the meaning of recession?”

A recession is two consecutive quarters of negative growth of the United States Gross Domestic Product (GDP). This is the technical, economist definition. 

A slow economy or an economic downturn could be GDP growth of 1% or less. So, while a “textbook” recession is negative growth for two quarters (six months), it will feel longer because after things slow down, the recovery process is slow.

Now that you can answer “what is the meaning of recession?” is there a recession coming? Here are some signs that will let you know:

- Manufacturing slows down

- Real estate purchases slow down

- Retail sales slow down

- Travel (both corporate and leisure) slows

- Unemployment increases

Unemployment is one of the last things to be affected but it’s the thing that everyone looks at. Typically, companies begin laying people off only after they’ve already shown weakness in revenue. 

Notice I didn’t say anything about the stock market. Typically, the stock market reacts negatively to these factors; but people buy and sell stock for hundreds of reasons – some related to the broad economy and some unrelated. 

When you see the signs I listed above, you should instruct your sales team to focus on the following sectors: energy, health care and government.

These sectors tend to continue to buy, even during slow economic conditions.

So, is there a recession coming? Knowing what is the meaning of recession, you can now spot the signs and start guiding your sales team to make the right choices.

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LinkedIn is an incredible asset to any business owner. This is especially true in sales, where it's one of the most useful marketing tools out there. 

It helps you build your network out with strong connections, but only if you know how to use it.

On LinkedIn, there are tons of time-wasters to get in the way of your prospecting. If you want to market yourself and build valuable connections, you've got to learn who to trust and who to avoid on the platform.

In this show, I discuss the 5 types of people you'll meet on LinkedIn, and which ones you should do your best to avoid.

If you want to get the most out of your LinkedIn account, do your best to surround yourself with people who add value to your life and business, not the people who suck the value out.

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One effective sales marketing strategy in consultative selling is the strategic alliance partnership. In this show, I provide a few strategic alliance examples and explain how they can help you acquire more prospects.

The first step you need to take in order to partner with another business is to find someone who’s targeting your ideal client. This should be someone

who has a large number of your ideal clients in their database.  

Once you have a partnership, you can start developing your sales marketing strategy. These strategic alliance examples can show you some ways that you can do that.

One option is to use joint/endorsed mailing. Direct mailing is a highly effective way of marketing; however, joint/endorsed mailing is even better because you can use the credibility that your partner has with their customers to get your name in front of them.

You can also host a joint event. A joint event is beneficial because as with the mailing, you get to use the credibility of your partner to get yourself known to new prospects. In this case, you can meet new prospects in person.

A third idea is to create a joint product or service with your strategic alliance partner. When you develop something with your partner to offer your customers, you’re able to sell that product or service to the combined audience comprised of both your own network and your partner’s.

The reason this sales marketing strategy works is because your strategic alliance partner has the trust of their audience. Before using these strategic alliance examples, you may have to offer some value first; however, once a bond is developed, you’ll have access to a new audience who will see you as legitimate.

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