Sales Babble

Consulting Coaching and Serving Your Ideal Client with Ben and Aiden Hoppe #234

In this episode we turn the tables around and have two budding young entrepreneurs interview me on the podcast.  Ben and Aiden Hoppe are my nephews and this past summer we shared an adrenaline rush riding roller coasters at Cedar Point Ohio.  Today Ben and AIden ask me about consulting coaching and serving your ideal client.

The Questions

Download the free checklist to discover Who Do You Serve.

1. Who is your ideal client?

2. What is the problem you solve?

3. What are the typical symptoms people experience with that problem?

4. What are the common mistakes people make when trying to solve that problem?

5. In your experience what can your prospects do to remove these problems and find success?

6. What is one resource that you can direct your prospects that will further help with that problem?

7. What one piece of advice you can give your prospects they could take action on immediately and find success?

For Pat’s answers on coaching consulting, helping sales managers, startups, and sales professionals go here!

Top Thrill Dragster

My favorite roller coaster was the Top Thrill Dragster a hydraulic launched accelerator coaster that goes from 0-120 miles per hour in less than 4 seconds. That’s almost 200 km per hour.  Just as you get to the top it plummets 120 meters (420 feet), then flattens out

to a stop in 17 seconds. The entire trip last 31 seconds. It’s frightening. It’s awesome.

Take Action Now

Don’t put off tomorrow what you can do today. Yes it’s a cliche, but we’re running out of time. Take action now. Be fearless!

Free Links Checklists and Selling Aids

How to build your pitch. Great way to know what to say BEFORE you’re tested in public. Prepare now.

The Trick to being a persuasive seller. It’s not about being outgoing, pushy or assertive. You can do it too!

How to Connect With You Ideal Client

* Debunking Sales Myths with Mike Schultz #216

* What’s Not Working In Sales Today with Brandon Bruce #204

* How To Generate Leads without Sales and Marketing with John Tripolsky #191

* Repeatable Success for Sales Development Reps with Brendan Barrett #188

* 7 LinkedIn Strategies for Generating Qualified Leads with Janis Pettit #176

* Why Qualifying Prospects is Like Selling To Zebras with Jeff Koser #171

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Telling Your Sales Story with Tom Jackobs #233

In this episode we meet Tom Jackobs. Tom is a former fitness trainer, business owner and now story teller. Tom and I discuss the value and power of using stories when selling. Tom talks about ways to find stories that best represent you telling your sales story. Secondly Tom shares how to structure the story in a way that makes it memorable, insightful, and impactful.

The Hero Journey

Tom went from fat to fit. Through his fitness journey he discovered his ability to educate people. He started a personal training studio in 2008. Despite facing near bankruptcy, with the help of a family business loan, he learned how to Up his selling skills. When sharing his fitness story prospects identified with the tail and were persuaded to join. Tom’s business grew from in $100K to $500K revenue in less than a year. The rest is history.

How To Find a Good Business Story

Find impact moments in your life. Big or small, write them all down. Next, pick the top three that are the most emotionally charged. Write out the story as a hero’s journey. The story should contain:

* Troubles you experienced

* Insightful moments

* What lead up to the challenges

* Who helped

* The villains

* How it turned out

* What your audience would learn from it

Get the audience to see themselves in your story. Add details, “it was a rainy gray Thursday and …. ” . Once the stories are written practice, practice, practice.

Take Action Now

Don’t be afraid to tell your emotionally charged story. This is how you make a connection. This how you make sales.

How To Find Tom Jackobs

Website – www.TomJackobs.com

Twitter @tomjackobs

Facebook tom.jackobs

LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/trainertom/

youtube: youtube.com/c/tomjackobs

Stories That Sell Training: www.AlwaysBeSellingSystem.com/webinar

Impact Sales System: www.ImpactSalesSystem.com/training

Past Episodes on Storytelling Selling

Let’s keep the conversation going. Here are past episodes to take your selling skills to the next level. Listen now!

SB032 – How Sellers are the Plucky Sidekick an Interview with Aprille Janes

 

Image Message Story. An Interview with Heidi Thorne

Why You Need a Killer Business Plan with Peter Mehit #232

My guest Peter Mehit delves into to the importance of having a business plan. We observe how the skills that make great entrepreneurs, are not the skills of a great CEO. Entrepreneurs and sales professionals are known for taking quick action. But too often they do so without a plan. This is the death of many companies. Peter is the author of the book  “Killer Business Plan” . In this episode we learn how a business plan is what’s needed to take your business to the next level.

Hope for the Best, Plan for the Worst

If you don’t visualize the destination, nor understand where you’re at, you’ll not know where to go. As business professionals we need to have a clear idea where we’re heading. Business plans are important to decide where you’re business is going.

Peter paraphrased former guest Geoffrey Moore and Adoption Curve guru stating the skills of an entrepreneur  are not the same ones to grow it. Entrepreneurs can make immediate decisions, but lack the skills for long term planning. We each need to be CEOs and see our business as a machine. Instead of living in a world of response, we need to move to a world of planning.

Any Plan is Better Than None

A simple business plan made with business cards and a poster board might be more than adequate to get started. You need to understand WHERE you want to go. You need to learn discipline and ask:

* Who’s the customer?

* Why would they buy?

* Are they in your geographic area?

* Is it about you, or the customer?

* Is it about what the CUSTOMER wants?

* If you’re selling to everyone, you’re selling to no one.

To earn raving fans you have to target them and their taste, values and the things they care about.

When Sales Are Flat

If sales are flat, look at your products. Ask….

* Are they still relevant?

* Where could they become relevant in another market?

You could be at saturation, or you’re no longer competitive. It could be time to move on. Or it could be time to find a different market for your product.  You may need a marketing plan which is a subset of a business plan, the biggest part of the plan. When complete, test! Take something from AGILE planning, trust but verify.

Thoughts on Business Model Canvas

Business Model Canvas  is a diagram taught in business schools for starting a business plan.   Peter believes it’s a good starting point, but only that, a starting point. You should be able to logically explain the steps described on the canvas. Otherwise an investor’s going to take a pass. Think beyond the creation and manufacturing of your product or service. Focus on how you’re going to sell it and grow revenue.

Take Action Plan

* Visualize clearly who you’re selling to

* Know what they’re about

* Always ask am I talking to the right person

* Always ask am I doing the right things

Unless you’re checking yourself, you’re wrecking yourself – Peter Mehit

How To Find Peter Mehit

You can find Peter and  Custom BPS here:

Website:  www.custombps.com

Book Website:  

You Can’t Challenge Your Way to a Sale with Meridith Elliott Powell #231

Our guest is Meridith Elliott Powell, an award-winning author, keynote speaker and business strategist. Meridith is the author of four books, including Winning In The Trust & Value Economy and her latest Own It: Redefining Responsibility – Stories of Power, Freedom & Purpose. Today we challenge the Challenger Sale and  discuss better ways to engage, qualify, and build client relationships that last.

The Challenger Sale

The Challenger Sale advices sellers to take control of the sale by taking on the role of teacher. This doesn’t work in all situations. The sales conversation is a dance where we learn about our prospects AND they learn about us. You can’t teach your way through most sales!

Sales is not a task to win according to Meridith. If a prospective  client is a fit, that’s great. If they’re not a fit, that’s OK too. We’re not a match for everyone. The goal is find those that DO see your value.  It’s a case of learn not teach!

Sell From A Place Of Power vs a Place of Need

Our responsibility as sellers is to make people aware of our amazing product and its benefits. Meridith believes we are driven by the desire to love people and help them. Yet we can’t be a human specification sheet. Instead we need to build a relationship and explore the buyers needs and desires. For example:

* slow down at the beginning

* sell aggressively on the subsequent sales

* sell an urgent need

* remember it’s unlikely you are top of mind when first meeting a prospect

* customers need to be heard

* sales training doesn’t apply to everyone

Take Action Advice

Lastly, listen, learn and allow the buyer to talk.  If you do that they will tell you what you need to do

How To Find Meridith Elliot Powell

LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/meridithelliottpowell/

Website – www.valuespeaker.com

Twitter https://twitter.com/meridithpowell

Facebook –https://www.facebook.com/meridith.powell

This is the link to the FREE ebook 42 Rules to Turn Prospects Into Customers that Meridith mentioned in the podcast.

Sales Skills Training

Below are a number of past episodes that talk about mindset, rapport and generating genuine conversations that lead to closed sales. Enjoy!

* Selling Boldly with Alex Goldfayn #209

* What’s Not Working In Sales Today with Brandon Bruce #204

* Birth of a Salesman with Carson Heady #198

* Sales Jokes That Don’t Fall Flat with Jon Selig #195

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