The Pierce Marrs Show

Season Five, Episode Twenty

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Season Five, Episode Twenty, The Kids Episode!.., Join  Lori, Barbara, Kevin, Mark and Robert to review:

– Define Bottle
– iReTron
– Henry’s Humdingers Spiced Honey
– Boo Boo Goo
– An update on Ryan’s Barkery
Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central at The Shark Tank’s new time on ABC.

It would be unwise of you to approach a new prospect or an existing customer and assume they are not informed.

In a recent interview I was asked,  Why doesn’t the old school sales approach work anymore?”

I define the old school sales approach as a sales process that relies very little on connection, questions and information and heavily on hard closing. This approach to selling is responsible for the stigma that many people have about salespeople and creates a reluctance for entrepreneurs to embrace selling in their own business.

The answer to this question is simple. People are more informed and have more access to information than any other time in history.

Before access to the internet and other media, the salesperson held the cards to all the information and pricing. If the salesperson chose to be dishonest and manipulative, the consumer had little defense against it.

Not anymore. Your customer has access to information about you, your competition, pricing, quality and with the explosion of social media, they can find out what other people think in a matter of seconds.

Daniel Pink, author of the bestselling book, To Sell Is Human said this about why the Glengarry Glen Ross style of selling has been outdated in an interview with NPR:

Twenty years ago, when [David] Mamet wrote that play that [was] made into a movie, when you walked into a Chevy dealer, the Chevy dealer knew a heck of a lot more about cars than you ever could … you didn’t have the adequate information. And so this is why we have the principle of caveat emptor, buyer beware. You gotta beware when the other guy knows a lot more than you.

“Well, something curious has happened in the last 10 years in that you can walk into a car dealership with the invoice price of the car, something that even the salesmen/women at car dealers didn’t know too long ago.”

No longer buyer beware. We are in the economy of “Seller Beware.”

Two pieces of advise:

1. Approach your customer with an empathetic ear and listen to their needs. Get out of your own head and see through the eyes of your customer.
2. Spend less time promoting and pushing what you have to offer and more time understanding their problems and how you can help.

Have a great week!

Season Five, Episode Nineteen

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Season Five, Episode Nineteen.., Join  Lori, Daymond, Barbara, Kevin, Mark and Robert to review:

– Revolights– Squeeky Knees– Buffer Bit– U-Lace– An update on KaZAM

Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central at The Shark Tank’s new time on ABC.

I do not use the word close in much of my writing due to the negative connotation that it seems to bring. In many cases, this word brings more anxiety than breaking the ice at the beginning of a sales cycle.

I recall a gentleman sitting on the front row of a breakout session I was conducting. He said, “The closer I get to the close, the more I sweat!”

I like to use the phrase gaining commitment. If I have done my job in the first ninety percent of my sales process, then gaining commitment is the natural progression to complete the process. It seems to carry less pressure and it is merely a result of how well I have proven that I can fill the prospect’s need.

“You don’t close a sale; you open a relationship if you want to 

build a long- term, successful enterprise.” ~ Patricia Fripp

I agree with Patricia. This particular transaction is one of many that I hope to conduct over a long-term relationship.

So, don’t sweat the close. Do a great job of connecting, listening and providing a viable solution for your prospect. Gaining commitment will be a natural process to a long-term relationship.

Have a great week!

eason Five, Episode Eighteen

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Season Five, Episode Eighteen.., Join  Lori, Barbara, Kevin, Mark and Robert to review:

– Cheek’d– ZipIt– Bambooee– Buzzy– An update on Kisstixx
Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central at The Shark Tank’s new time on ABC.

In spite of the broad use of smart phones to communicate, you would have to live like a hermit to avoid communicating with people face-to-face. An important aspect of effective communication is being fully present.

“I believe in being fully present.”
“That means you should be with the person you’re with.” …
“I am talking to you. I am thinking about you.” – Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie

My buddy Dan Miller mentioned on his 48 Days Online Radio Podcast that he has people comment about how he gives them his full attention when he speaks to them. He makes them feel like the only person in the room.

Recently a person asked me a question and immediately began looking at their phone and texting. When they raised their eyes, they did not make eye contact. They let their eyes roam around the room. I intentionally stopped talking. After a few moments, he looked at me and said, “I’m listening.”

Nothing about his body language made me feel like he was listening and it was very disrespectful.

A good example of being fully present is Jimmy Fallon who recently took over the helm of The Tonight Show from Jay Leno. His undivided attention and enthusiasm for the people he interviews is a model we can learn from.

Being fully present requires you to maintain eye contact, listen intently, and genuinely care about what is being said. It takes practice and intentionality. You must make a conscious effort for this to become a habit.

To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that the other person will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments. ~Dale Carnegie

Have a great week!

Season Five, Episode Seventeen

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Season Five, Episode Seventeen.., Join  Daymond, Barbara, Kevin, Mark and Robert to review:

– Moberi Smoothies
– Spy Escape & Evasion
– DDP Yoga
– Southern Culture Foods
– An update on The Game Face Company

Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central at The Shark Tank’s new time on ABC.

I recently had the opportunity to chat with the owner of a large privately head corporation. I complimented him on his understanding of how to motivate a large sales team. He has many loyal salespeople that have made a sizeable income for several years and contributed greatly to the success of his company.

I told him how I had experienced many sales managers and business owners who did not understand the powerful role a successful, motivated sales team can be to a company. More importantly, how easy a salesperson can be de-motivated by their tactics.

In one comparison, two companies that were competitors in the same industry that started nearly the same year showed a significant difference in gross volume after many years in business. As a matter of fact, the company that embraced a well-paid, motivated sales force had grown at ten times the rate of the other company.

As we discussed the various business styles of other companies, the business owner’s demeanor became very serious and he said:

“The connection between our salespeople and our customers is the most important relationship of our business. Without that connection, I do not have a company.”

He has proven that taking the ceiling off of a salesperson’s income, creating a competitive environment, setting goals and genuine recognition can create a very successful, profitable company.

The more income a salesperson earns, the more profitable the company becomes.

In this case, a rising tide does raise all boats.

Have a great week!

“Shark Tank Fan Podcast: Season Five, Episode Sixteen” Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Season Five, Episode Sixteen.., Join  Daymond, Lori, Kevin, Mark and Special Guest Shark, Steve Tisch to review: – Cow Wow Cereal Milk – Cookie Dough Cafe – Nexersys – Cycloramic – An update on ProNRG Energy Water Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM […] The post “Shark Tank Fan podcast; Season 5, Episode 16″ appeared first on Sales Coach Pierce Marrs.