Not having 5 star reviews, turning away leads, and telling prospective buyers the problems they might face with your solution seem like foolish mistakes for a business, but may actually be the key to your sales success. This week, we have the honor of being joined by a sales strategist with a focus on transparency. Please give a warm welcome to the Host of “The Sales History Podcast”, Author of “The Transparency Sale” and “The Transparent Sales Leader”, Founder of Sales Melon, Todd Caponi! Todd and Tim join forces to share must-knows for any sales leader. They’ll discuss the dangers of only focusing on the short term, expound the importance of transparency in the sales process, and provide a framework for being better leaders.

Takeaways:

• Buyers today are facing two main challenges, information overload, and their desire to predict bad outcomes. Sales reps need to help identify the relevant info for buyers, and be honest about predicting what challenges they may face.
• Instead of trying to overcome buyer objections, sellers need to become consultants who help predict problems and forecast outcomes. People buy on an idea of what they predict might go wrong, rather than a false perception that everything will go right.
• When markets get tough, it is tempting to focus on bagging as many short term wins as possible. Closing a deal that is a bad fit can end up creating a dissatisfied customer who hampers your brand as they share their negative experience.
• When consumers shop for products on websites, products in the 4 star range sell better than 5 star rated ones. People intuitively know that perfection doesn’t exist, and if you only give the perspective that your product is perfect, it will dissuade buyers.
• It is hard to turn away less than ideal leads. Referring them to someone else gains you long term trust, and saves you short term time. Bad leads take up as much time as good leads, without generating as much revenue.
• Companies need to brand what they give up to be great. No brand is perfect, but by making your sacrifices part of your brand, buyers know what they are getting at the start, and build a stronger identity around your brand.
• To motivate reps use the PRAISE framework. Reps need Predictability about their jobs, Recognition for their achievements, to know the Aim of their work, Independence in the workplace, a sense of Security, and to be treated Equitably with their other reps.

Quote of the Show:

• “We need to brand what we give up to be great at our core.” - Todd Caponi

Links:

• Twitter: https://twitter.com/tcaponi
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddcaponi/
• Website: https://toddcaponi.com/
• Podcast: https://saleshistory.buzzsprout.com/
• The Transparent Sales Leader: https://a.co/d/bXpzRVR
• The Transparency Sale: https://a.co/d/dNqAd7f

Ways to Tune In:

• Apple Podcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/b2b-eq/id1672326834
• Spotify - https://open.spotify.com/show/1T2zlqNsSYATzXFPH1DquY
• Google Podcast - https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mYXN0Lndpc3RpYS5jb20vY2hhbm5lbHMvajRuNnNjYmc2Ni9yc3M