Sales Babble

How to Sound Better and Improve Your Voice During Sales Presentations with Tracy Goodwin #172

In this episode we meet Tracy Goodwin, owner of Captivate the Room. Tracy has coached hundreds of people around the globe how to improve their voice, sound more confident, and close sales. Starting her career in the theatre,  Tracy coaches business professionals  on what she calls the psychology of the voice. She  gets to the core of how to sound better and improve your voice during sales presentations.

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Voice is the Tool to Affect Emotions

The voice shares passion and feeling and it’s how people connect. Great sales is based on building relationships.  People can hear doubt, desperation, and aspiration. Your ability to connect depends on words.  Words are everything and nothing.  It’s how you bring them to life that matters.

Mistakes people make:

* Rely solely on the words, not the voice

* They talk too fast, try to get all the words out

* They don’t connect with listeners because they don’t understand

What To Do To Improve Your Sales Voice

Tracy discussed at length on things sellers can do to improve their speaking and presenting. She also shared six ways to sound better and improve your voice during sales presentations. We dug deep into each element:

* Take  a deep breath before you pickup a phone or stepping on a stage

* Find connector words – be a tour guide and go on a voice journey

* Tell stories and it will minimize getting louder and faster

* Pause (don’t fear the space)

* Be unpredictable

* Memorize the first line and the last line (like an actor). This way you know where to start and how to end. The middle will fill itself in.

Take Action Advice

Make bold choices and commit to them.

How To Find Tracy Goodwin

People all over the world seek out Tracy Goodwin for her expertise because she unravels the voice story. If you’re interested in ways to sound better and improve your voice during sales presentations, find Tracy at here Captivate the Room website: www.captivatetheroom.com

Free Voice Review Offer

Connect with Tracy and send her a recording of your speaking and she will give you a free analysis and advice on how you can sound better and improve your voice during sales presentations.

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Building Rapport in Sales

Look here for past episodes on how to build rapport in sales!

* Selling from the H.A.R.T. with Mega Cindy Vranken #143

* 4 Step Sales Framing Process with Aaron Janx #131

* When Buyers Say No with Tom Hopkins

* How to Assume Rapport when Prospecting with Ken Dunn #90

* Stop Selling Start Leadi...

Why Qualifying Prospects is Like Selling To Zebras with Jeff Koser #170

Our guest today is Jeff Koser, author of the book “Selling to Zebras”.  Jeff believes that good prospects should be as easy to spot as a zebra. Far too many sellers have no idea what problems they solve for their clients.  They can’t distinguish a hot prospect from zoo animal. That’s the topic for today and what you can do know your perfect client and get results.

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What’s a Zebra?

If you don’t know your ideal client (your Zebra),  sales, business development and marketing are going to be misaligned. Nor will you be able to connect with Power, what Jeff calls the sole person who can decide to buy without checking the budget. The goal here is to only be selling to zebras.

Sales Process

Build your Zebra – Define your ideal client and design your avatar. Use

7 attributes, score each attribute 0-4 with  red yellow green. The high score is 28

* 0-16 is in the red (you’re never going to make the sales)

* 17-22 is in yellow (you’re deal is in trouble, you’re not selling to zebras)

* 23-28 is in green (you’ve earned the right to ask for the business)

Zebra Attributes

* organizational profile

* operations

* power

* funding

* value

* technology

* service

Voice of the Customer – find the person who can buy without a budget. Discover THEIR problem and solve it. Power focuses on cost avoidance. Ask your current customers what problem you solved when they came on board. Find out what value you bring. Build a business case why someone should buy from you

Business Case – the Value Proposition. This process forces you to do your homework. Identify why they are your zebra, you’ve build a business case for your product, now you can frame your product in Power’s context.

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How to Find Jeff Koser

Jeff’s company is Selling To Zebras:

* Go to www.SellingtoZebras.com

* Get a free copy of the book. They charge for shipping only.

* The Voice of the Customer book is a free eBook download

Take Action Advice

Don’t give up. If you have a dream the single biggest difference between succeeding and failing is your willing to continue to persevere.

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SlideBean in the Media

Please take a moment to support our sponsor Slidebean.  This is  the free cloud-based presentation tool that is storming the business world with head turning content is being lauded by the press:

* Slidebean Presentations that Design themselves

* YouTube Slidebean Presentation 

* S...

Selling In A Skirt with Judy Hoberman #170

In this episode we meet business advocate and professional mentor for women Judy Hoberman. Judy is the author of the book  Selling in a Skirt where she discusses gender differences in buying and selling.  In this episode we discuss how women sell to men, men sell to women, and how to create a niche market that ensures you’re the expert.

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Build a Relationship

Sales is about building a relationship. This is true for all types of sales, from the simple to the complex.  Always ask questions and  take notes. Show that you’re very interested in learning more about the prospect.

Ask open ended questions. Discover if they are qualified for your products and services. People like to talk about themselves. They will tell you everything you need to know. If they have the problem your “thing” solves, you have a hot prospect.

Continue to fact find during the presentation. The next step is to close.

Secret Weapon

After the fact finding process Judy asks …“OK is there anything else?”

This will generate the first objection. “Is there anything else? What do you think we should do next?”

Address each objection, one by one.

When the objections cease, the trick is to get them to close themselves:

“It looks like Friday would be a good time to get back together, would Noon work?”

There are three possible answers:

* Perfect

* Not Perfect how about 2PM

* I’m going to think about it?”   (if this is the case, discover if there is a hidden objection, otherwise follow up in 2 months)

Take Action Today

Be focused and get focused by setting goals. Think of the EOY goal, and work backwards with interim monthly goals.

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How To Find Judy Hoberman

You can find Judy on her website www.sellinginaskirt.com

Judy also had a special offer at www.sellinginaskirt.com/special-offer

* Skirting the Issues eBook

* 3 key gender differences that create the perfect sales team

* What the F is everyone Twittering about

* 4 simple words that will increase your sales

* How to outsell every man in your office

 

Pat and Judy on iHeart Radio: Selling In A Skirt – Who Is Your Tribe?

In this episode Judy Hoberman interviews me on non-pushy selling and how bullying a prospective client goes nowhere during this day and age.

Judy takes a view of servant leadership that dovetails well with the Sales Babble view of helping and adding value. Consider the Covey quote “Seek first to understand then to be understood”. 

Selling In A Skirt, June 5, 2017

 

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SlideBean in the Media

Please take a moment to support our sponsor Slidebean.  This is  the free cloud-based presentation tool that is storming the business world with head turning content is being lauded by the press:

Memory Hacks for Sales Professionals with Brad Zupp #169

In this episode we have a returning guest Brad Zupp. Brad is a memory whiz and author of a new book Hack Proof Password System.  He shares memory hacks for sales professionals and tips on how to remember names, how to remember passwords and how to look like a superhero when working with prospects.   Brad’s book launched June 19 2017 but you can get it for free that week!

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 Three Ways To Remember Names

* Repeat a name 3 times at the moment you meet the new person

* Each night, think about the people you met  today AND recal their names

* In groups, connect people in the conversation (again repeating names) and how they are related or organized

Hack Proof Password System

The safest way to keep you passwords safe is to memorize them.

* Create a rule based system

* Look at website. Think of what memories it triggers.

* Find an anchor, maybe 2 or 3 words

* Substitute vowels for a random number

* Choose a favorite punctuation character

* Capitalize a letter, or word

This method is not that difficult. In fact to a certain degree it’s a memory hack for sales professionals and any business professional looking to strengthen their memory.

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 How To Find The Book

The Hack-Proof Password System: Protect Yourself Online with a Memory Expert’s In-Depth Guide to Remembering Passwords: http://amzn.to/2rqrtxm

Listeners outside of the USA click here 

Unlock Your Amazing Memory: The Fun Guide that Shows Grades 5 to 8 Students How to Remember Better and Make School Easier: http://amzn.to/2sAuw9I

How To Get a Free Bonus Book

For the free bonus material (workbook and companion ebook): www.bradzupp.com/bonus

How To Find Brad Zupp

Brad’s email: [email protected]

Brad’s main website: www.bradzupp.com

For information on Brad’s presentations for students, visit 

How To Write A Successful Sales Plan with Jamie Irvine #168

Our guest is Jamie Irvine, an account manager and entrepreneur from Alberta Canada. Jamie believes to achieve big sales results every company needs to have a sales plan. A sales plan will help you to organize your activity. With a systematic approach you can move consistently towards  closing sales. A sales plan establishes clear defined goals, priorities, timetables, and necessary resources. It is a roadmap to success.  This plan must be understood by everyone in the company and focuses everyone’s attention on achieving and making sales. Jamie shares the key elements on how to write a successful sales plan. It’s not as hard as you think!

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The Best of Sales Plans

There are a number of  key elements to a sales plan. But first understand the “why” behind the need of a sales plan. It’s primary goal is to make sure you’re going in the right direction. Have a good plan, not perfect plan. Don’t get caught up in analysis paralysis and having no plan at all. The goal is to get started and work on it consistently.

Here are the elements on how to write a successful sales plan:

* Explain Why – First express the value of your sales plan. It’s important to understand the motivation for a sales plan. It will drive you to honor and follow the plan.

* Set measurable goals with defined outcomes – Activities are not enough. The desired results must clear. Without defined outcomes, sales goals don’t help you. Start with the ultimate goal of closing the sale and work backwards.

*  Establish a timeline – Pick a schedule that is challenging but doable.

*  Define your goals – Big goals, annual goals, and weekly to-do list goals to make this happen. Jamie uses a simple notepad. Breaks them up into alphabetical categories for precedence. Then numbers them 1 to N by importance.

*  Identify barriers to success –  Many times outside events are beyond your control. But you can learn how to deal with rejection and overcoming objections. That you can control.

* Outline the strategy and get everyone on board.

* Seek commitment from all the stakeholders – all roles need to support sales.

When developing a sales plan it is important that it is simple and that you take consistent action every day

 

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How To Find Jamie Irvine

This is Jamie on LinkedIn

His blog post Jamie Irvine

This is the LinkedIn article How To Write a Successful Sales Plan that caught my attention and invited Jamie as a guest.

A Bit About Slidebean

Slidebean allows you to create stunning, professionally designed sales decks in minutes, not hours. Over 2,500 sales professionals have used Slidebean’s simple, yet robust presentation tools to successfully pitch clients around the world.

Slidebean’s state of the art presentation software allows you track your prospect’s progress within a sales deck, letting you know vital information such as how many times they’ve opened your deck, and how much time they’ve spent on each slide.

 

How Value Propositions Bring Value to Your Business #167

In this episode we return to IoT World (see www.salesbabble.com/166) and show how Value Propositions bring value to your business. Not only do we talk about value, we show you the topic in action.  First we finish up the IoT World interviews and meet Keith O’Byrne and Nancy Kazdan. Keith talks about how engineers are perfect for selling technology and Nancy shows how value propositions bring value when framing your selling process. We also have a guest appearance from our new sponsor Slidebean. CEO Jose ‘Caya’ Cayasso talks about the adventure of starting a start-up, why they picked the slide-deck market and how they’ve found success, again by adding value.

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Keith O’Byrne – Asavie

Asavie Technologies makes connectivity simple according to Keith. Their mobility management and Internet of Things solutions manage, scale and secure connectivity across diverse networks. Keith talked about the need to have engineers in the sales process. They already speak the language and customers appreciate that! He sees himself as a technology evangelist. Selling is a part of that. When it comes to entering the sales profession he recommends “get stuck in…” Do it, give it a try, and it’s not as scary as it seems.

Keith can be found on LinkedIn at Asavie Technologies

Nancy Kazdan – Market Share International

I saw Nancy give a terrific talk at IoT World. She believes a Value Proposition is a short framework you share with a prospect to see if they could be a qualified buyer. It’s an economical use of words to communicate exactly what value you bring to market.

Buyers want to know what you can do for them. Only talk in the language the buyer understands. They way to do this.

Focus on:

* Narrow market niche.

* Problem you’re trying to solve.

* Solution that will solve the problem.

Don’t describe all of this in “technology” speak. Translate the “language” of the new technology. Commonly a Value Proposition is only 10 Words.

What do you do with your Value Proposition? Place it on your LinkedIn profile, Facebook profile,  LinkedIn Company Profile, or corporate website.

Remember it’s not about you, it’s about the value you provide.

This is Nancy’s company:   Marketshareinternational.com

Nancy Kazdan can be found here on Twitter and LinkedIn

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What is Slide Bean?

Caya Cayasso  met with us to talk about sponsoring Sales Babble and why Slidebean is a good fit.

Slidebean allows you to create stunning, professionally designed sales decks in minutes, not hours. Over 2,500 sales professionals have used Slidebean’s simple, yet robust presentation tools to

successfully pitch clients around the world.

Sales Advice From Silicon Valley, Sales Babble at IOT World #166

Today’s episode is an audio travelogue of the IoT World Conference. IoT (Internet of Things) World was held in Santa Clara, California the week of May 15th, 2017. We interviewed a number of sponsors and exhibitors regarding sales advice from Silicon Valley, the capital of technology innovation. In this episode we meet with startups, technologists and non-seller sellers. The goal is to better understand the unique challenges of promoting emerging technologies and secondly how to grow revenue early on in the adoption curve.

Gavin Whitechurch – Founder of IoT World

Gavin calls IoT the 4th Industrial revolution. To quote Wikipedia “It’s the fourth major industrial era since the initial Industrial Revolution of the 18th century. The Fourth Industrial Revolution can be described as a range of new technologies that are fusing the physical, digital and biological worlds, and impacting all disciplines, economies and industries.”

That’s what we saw at IoT World: intelligent microcontrollers, sensors, actuators and other smart devices all connected and managed intelligently across the internet.

Dana Liedholm – Director Partnerships Comtech Telecommunication Systems

Dana believes that the best way to generate leads and new opportunities is partnerships. Why? No one vendor provides end-to-end solutions. Each vendor is a link in a chain. For example, Dana’s company provides location services (using GPS to pinpoint). Any enterprise or company that requires knowledge of a devices location could be a potential partner AND a potential lead. We found the idea of fostering partnerships was recurring through the entire conference.

The biggest challenge Dana faces is the glacial speed of adoption. It’s taking longer than expected. Only early adopters understand the value her company provides. She advises the listener to be patient and partner. Furthermore, don’t try to boil the ocean. Do a little at a time, bit by bit.

There is a natural bell curve when it comes to the adoption of technologies. To learn more, dig into the archives on episode 22. Geoffrey Moore describes the chasm between early adopters and the majority, plus steps startups can take to bridge the trough of sorrows.

Gert Jorgenson – VP Sales Delta Micro Electronics

The best example of a non-seller seller is Geert Jorgenson, a former engineer turned sales manager. At the event Geert exhibited four products where they owned the IP (Intellectual Property). When prospecting, Geert only focuses on qualified clients who have an clear understanding of the value. Some of Delta’s products include:

RFID – sensor nodes, energy harvesting and toll road

RFID – tire pressures, and intellegent bandages

Geert believes in the ability to speak the language of the customer. Currently he is looking for engineers to become sales people. It’s easier to train engineers the skills of sales, than to train sales professionals the language of a technology. If you’re an engineer, there’s a job out there for you in sales.

Cameron Ka Klotz – Obidots – Business Development

Obedotz is an application enablement platform that brings intelligent devices to the cloud. Cameron’s product is used to build dashboards and management software including data analysis. They help companies move from prototype to development. Cameron’s greatest challenge is getting clients to believe that they can build a platform themselves using Obedotz.

Cameron believes that great sales is simple: Be nice, kind, and intelligently answer questions.

The Grass is Browner on the Other Side #165

Jon Markwardt is the author of the just published book “The Grass is Browner on the Other Side – How to Grow Into an Elite Sales Professional”.   Jon is a sales manager who believes if you want to be an elite sales professional, you’re going to need to schedule your day, work that schedule diligently, most likely for more than 8 hours. His book is an adventure travel novel, founded on the idea that sales is everything we do.  It’s a case of accidental learning where sales concepts are introduced through a series of stories and events

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Water Your Own Grass

Jon’s message to sales professionals is water your own grass. If you work your plan with focus every day, you can succeed. Too often sellers stay in a sales position for less than a year. They incorrectly believe that the grass is browner on the other side. They go from job to job, looking for the perfect opportunity. This is the thing: you can’t achieve anything in less than a year. You need to stick it out!

What Matters When Being Hired in Sales

The thing that matters most in Jon’s mind is tenure. If sellers are willing to put in the effort and time, that commitment creates success.

Next Jon believes that passion wins at the end of the day. Find a product that you deeply admire. Find an organization that reflects your values. It’s not about sales but being a business consultant, helping your clients navigate to the next business level. Jon finds it fulfilling helping others and so should you.

Why Sales as a Profession

Sales exposes you to multiple opportunities: access to your executives, your clients executives, the mechanics of business and the unique challenges they face. With more responsibility comes greater joy. Opportunity leads you down many roads.

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Learning Sales Through Stories

Jon’s book is an adventure travel novel, founded on the idea that sales is everything we do. It’s a  case of accidental learning where sales concepts are introduced through a series of stories and events Jon had in Cyprus.

* Jon shared a story about the power of having the right attitude.

* Jon told a story about networking and how you need to put yourself in contact with others to build relationships and referrals.

* Jon told a story how by repeatedly pushing himself, he experiences growth.

Take Action Advice

Invest in yourself, read one book each quarter and attend a seminar every quarter. Have an attitude of continual learning.

How To Connect With Jon Markwardt

Enter the drawing for a free book here The Grass is Browner on the Other Side

The winner will be chosen on May 30th!

This is Jon on LinkedIn

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Sales Hiring Process

Here are past episodes to help you find the best sales position for you.

* Four Mistakes Business Owners Make in Sales with Donald Kelly #118

* How to Sell Yourself When Getting a Job with Scot...

How Sales Can Help Buyers Help Themselves – Hugh Liddle #164

Sales Wizard Hugh Liddle is a sales coach famous for his red cap In this episode we answer the eternal question all buyers ask, “What’s in it for me ?” The responsibility of a seller to help buyers help themselves. Sellers need to stop the conversation of “we we we, our our our…etc”.  Today Hugh tells us how sales can help buyers with the two skill successful sellers must have.  Plus he give practical examples on how to integrate these skills  it into your selling.

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Answer the Question “So What”

Before you start to share information with a prospect, ask the question “so what”? If the information doesn’t matter to them, it’s only bragging and blustering.

Skills of Successful Sellers

It’s not about you, it’s not about being fast talker. Two skill we sellers must develop:

* Ask good open ended questions to find out they they are thinking

* Ability to Listen

This is the path to learning how sales can help buyers, help themselves. If you qualify prospects by listening, you will be working with the kind of prospects who become buyers.

Example Development Questions

Hugh gave some examples of open ended questions:

* Where do you see your business in one year?

* What’s been going on with your business this year?

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Focus on the EMOTION of the  End Result

From the answer of the open ended questions, you will gather the emotion they are feeling. If you can create results that address this emotion, you will find success. This answer the question on how sales can help buyers. Focus on the end result the customer will experience.

How To Connect With Hugh Little

Reach out to Hugh and schedule a coaching call here

Hugh’s website is http://redcapsalescoaching.com

Sales Chalk Talk Radio

Sales Skill Training

Join the Sales Babble Facebook Group 

Here are past episodes on that focus on growing your sales skills:

* 7 Healthy Phone Habits to Get First Meetings with Marylou Tyler #150

* Myths on Social Selling with Mark Hunter #142

* How to Power Prospect with LinkedIn Groups with Liam Austin #135

* How to Sell Big Clients and Win Tremendous Deals with Melinda Chen #114

* How To Be An Awesome Sales Profes...

How Listening Can Electrify a Prospect’s Desire to Buy with Jim Brown #163

Jim Brown is business consultant and host of the Sales Tuners podcast. Jim is a former marine and graphic designer turned entrepreneur. In this episode Jim addresses the common unwillingness of sellers to authentically listen. Prospects do not want to hear how you’re stuff is the very best. They could care less. Prospects only care about themselves and the problems sitting on their desks, email inboxes and voicemails. Unless you can address the visceral issues they’re facing today, you will rarely make a sale. Jim gives us practical advice on how to create a pre-call plan.The plan will guide you to listen and discover what truly matters to your prospect. This is practical advice on how  listening can electrify a prospect’s desire to buy.

Sales Challenge, Seller are Unwilling to Listen

The inability to listen is the biggest challenge sellers face. After asking a question they are not listening. Instead they are forming the next question, or start pitching a solution. They are waiting for an opportunity to talk. Insead, listen for their needs and desires.

Question to Ask:

“By the end of the day what are the top three things you want to get out of this meeting?”

You will hear the reason they want to buy. e.g they have a UI issue. What pain is that causing them? etc….   Uncover the emotional reason for the pain. What does this real pain generate in their lives.  Common pains include:

* Too much time

* Too expensive

* Too emotionally draining

People will tell you everything you need to know.  Listening can electrify a prospect’s desire to buy. Get them to discover your benefits and sells themselves.

Tactical Listening with a Pre-Call Plan

Have Pre Call Plan that you’ve constructed ahead of time.  Things it should contain include:

* Put all the questions together before the call.

* Pain Indicators listed (see examples above)

* Play Dumb when they tell you their pains… ask how it effects their business.

It’s not things in life you don’t know will kill you, it’s the things you think you know that just aren’t so.  Therefore you will never get anything in life unless you ask for it. Start asking

How To Connect With Jim Brown

To connect with Jim you can find him at

http://www.askjbrown.com/

Twitter @jim_brown

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimbrown/

SalesTuners.com Podcast

2017 Roadmap

Go to SalesTuners.com/roadmap and  break down the activities needed  to meet your 2017 goals

Find Us On Facebook

We love LinkedIn. But the real conversation groups are in Facebook who is trying to eat Microsoft’s recently acquired lunch. Find us at www.FaceBook.com/groups/SalesBabble 

If you’ve not yet connected with us on the Facebook group a please do! Each day  pump yourself up.

How To Ask Sales Qualifying Questions

Check out these past episodes and start selling with confidence today!

* DUM Sales Qualification Questions – Anniversary Episode #155

*