The Pierce Marrs Show

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Episode 21 of Season 4. Lori Grenier is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Liddup”, “Echo Valley Meats”, “RootSuit”, “Gobie H2O” and an update on “The Coop”. Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central at The Shark Tank’s new time on ABC.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Also, CLICK HERE to Like Us on Facebook.

“Shark Tank Fan Podcast: Season Four, Episode Twenty-One“ Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Episode 21 of Season 4. Lori Grenier is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Liddup”, “Echo Valley Meats”, “RootSuit”, “Gobie H2O” and an update on “The Coop”. Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 […] The post “Shark Tank Fan Podcast; Season 4, Episode 21″ appeared first on Sales Coach Pierce Marrs.

If you lie or misrepresent yourself and/or your product at any point during your sales process, you are risking the chance of never having an ongoing relationship with your prospect.

A friend of mine shared this story and I wanted to pass it along to make my point.

My friend, let’s call him Joe, received an email from a gentleman who said he would like to schedule a time to go out to dinner with their wives and reconnect since it had been a while since they had seen each other. Joe was initially pleased to hear from him until he noticed the information under his name stated that he was now in the insurance business.

Joe asked if this was a sales call and if so, he was not interested since he had recently revamped his entire portfolio. The guy insisted he just wanted to catch up and it was not a sales call.

He showed up in a suit loaded with information and in full sales mode. Joe took the information and dropped it in the trash as he arrived home that evening.

Not only did this new salesperson ruin his chances of ever doing business with Joe but also damaged their personal relationship. He destroyed the trust and it will be difficult to ever fully regain what he lost with Joe.

As salespeople, stuff is going to happen. We can get busy and forget to call someone back or promise a delivery and something happens at the factory to cause a delay.

Regardless of the conditions, you will never go wrong by being honest and straightforward, especially if you are looking to build long-term relationships with your clients. Tell the truth and be professional. This will set you apart from the crowd and build trust.

Integrity is priceless and your customers will love you for it.

Have a great week!

Pierce

The publisher of Success Magazine, Darren Hardy, states in his bestselling book Compound Effect, “Your biggest challenge is that you’ve been sleepwalking through your choices.” He goes on to say that half the time you’re not even aware your making them.

Mr. Hardy reminded me of a process I discovered many years ago entitled The Four Levels of Competence.

We all have areas of incompetence and should have a goal to be in a constant state of learning and personal development. This is not something to be embarrassed about. It is imperative we keep growing to take our personal success to a higher level.

Here are the Four Levels of Competence and a very brief overview of the process that occurs each time you learn and master something new:

Level 1 – Unconscious Incompetence:

At this level, you don’t know that you don’t know or I have heard it said you are blissfully ignorant. If you are ignorant or unaware, how do you recognize your own incompetence?

• Failure: When we fail we are faced with a few choices. We can continue doing the same thing until we fail again. We can also quit because the pain of failure is too great or we can gain new knowledge and start fresh with a desire to learn from our mistakes and commit to not repeat this failure.
• Desire: You want to succeed! You become a sponge and acquire as much information as you can to give yourself the best chance of success. When you seek out knowledge, it will find you.
• Necessity: Sometimes events in our life force us to make change. Possibly an unexpected job loss or illness. Through this we have to take a hard look at ourselves and examine our options through a different lens or “new eyes”. Stephen Covey calls this a paradigm shift.

Level 2 – Conscious Incompetence:

At this level, an individual may not understand or know how to do something but they cannot deny there is a lack of knowledge or skill in this area.

Level 3 – Conscious Competence:

Here the individual has overcome what they didn’t know and is on the path to learning, however, it does not come automatic. They have to consciously walk through the steps each time.

Level 4 – Unconscious Incompetence:

At this level, your new skills become habits and you can perform them without conscious effort. It becomes second nature.

We are never too old to learn something new. It will invigorate you and keep you young. Whatever your pursuits, we all begin in the same place. Stop sleepwalking and begin the process today.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Most people want to be liked. It is human nature.

It is on a rare occasion that you will find someone that is so outstanding at their craft that people will do business with them in spite of a terrible attitude and grumpy demeanor.

The “Soup Nazi” from the sitcom Seinfeld comes to mind. The premise is a soup shop where the owner’s soup is so delicious that they will put up with his eccentric, brash attitude just to get some of his amazing soup. Of course, if you break the rules you are met with a stern, “No soup for you!”

This scenario is rare and if we want to influence and persuade we must learn to draw people to us and be likeable. In my sales process, I use the word rapport, which in its simplest form is like-ability.

Face it. Most of us enjoy doing business with people we like and can relate to. Building rapport is the process of making that connection and finding common ground.

On a recent episode of the Monday Morning Memo by Roy H. Williams, he told a great story about Harry Connick Jr. and the advice he gave to the young actor Chandler Canterbury who asked, “What’s the secret of being popular? How do you get people to like you?”

Harry advised the young man, “The secret of being liked is to always ask 5 questions about the other person before you say anything about yourself. People won’t remember what you said about yourself, but they’ll always remember what you asked about them.”

I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel. ~ Maya Angelou

This is practical wisdom that you can use today.

Have a great week!

Pierce

The path of least resistance is often used a metaphor for someone’s personal effort or confrontation. It can also be described as “taking the easy way”. Unfortunately, when it comes to business, some things cannot be avoided.

I have served as a sales and communication coach for an organization that helps people develop their business ideas. While I agree you should have a clear plan and passion for your business, I noticed one reoccurring theme, very few people graduated to my sales class.

In the May edition of the Harvard Business Review, an article entitled What Entrepreneurs Get Wrong states that:

“Salesmanship is central to the success of any young company, and entrepreneurs ignore this at their peril. Yet many do ignore it, in large part because they have little sales experience and have probably not taken classes in how to sell, even if they have formal business education.”

Three reasons entrepreneurs avoid the sales process:

They believe the product will sell itself:

Rarely is this the case. Developing a sales process that matches the need of your prospect with a viable solution is the best way to sell your product or service. Selling must be done intentionally.

They are waiting until everything is perfect to begin:

For some people, they do not understand how they could possibly make a sales call until everything is perfect. More than half of entrepreneurs surveyed who completely developed their products before getting feedback from potential buyers considered this a mistake. Learn and sell as you go.

Fear of stepping out of their comfort zone and learning the skills required:

For new entrepreneurs, this may be the greatest hurdle. Fear of rejection and avoiding the stigma of being a salesperson lead the list of reasons people offer as their greatest concerns.

Fear comes from the unknown and is a psychological response to a perceived threat.

In most cases, these concerns can be remedied with knowledge and a plan. Developing your own sales process and learning the art of selling will ease your mind and give you confidence. Confidence will breed a healthy dose of enthusiasm that will transfer to your prospects. Start selling today!

Have a great week!

Pierce

The restaurant was a throw back to an earlier time. The couple loved it because they could sit at the counter and watch the food being cooked by the owner. It was a Saturday morning ritual they had enjoyed for years.

The owner of the establishment knew them by their first name and poked fun at the gentleman; he innocently flirted with his wife. The owner did not know what the gentleman did for a living and business was never discussed.

The gentleman was a marketing expert. One morning while he and his wife were enjoying their meal, it occurred to him that more people should know about this place. He did some research and found that the business Facebook page was dead and his website had no redeeming features that would inspire a second look.

He gently broached the subject with the owner and asked if he had considered ways to better advertise his business. The owner explained how he had desired to do better but did not know how. The gentleman described his profession and offered a meeting to discuss some ideas. The owner readily accepted.

The gentleman prepared for the meeting and brought everything that he needed to make his case and sell his ideas. While he was prepared for a full-blown sales presentation, he was surprised at the outcome.

After presenting his ideas and suggestions, the owner simply said yes, I want to do this. He did not ask any more questions nor did he want to take any of the materials the gentleman brought to persuade him. He simply said yes.

I believe trust and rapport makes up the greatest percentage of a sales process. Without it, you will be met with dismal results.

In this true story, trust and rapport made all the difference.

Have a great week!

Pierce

I began writing this blog in 2010 with one goal in mind: To discuss one idea or concept that anyone could use that week to improve his or her sales and communication.

One hundred fifty blogs later I feel like I have stayed true to that plan.

I grew up in rural Tennessee very poor and was blessed thirty years ago to have a mentor pour into me the wisdom of proper communication and successful selling. What you read in these blogs are a culmination of those teachings and becoming a lifetime student of the craft of selling.

I have read too many books to remember over the years, however, no book on communication has impacted me more that Dale Carnegie’s How To Win Friends and Influence People. My mentor gave me this book and consequently changed my thinking and my future.

This blog allows me to pass on to you what I have learned over my many years of selling.

Staying true to the plan of providing one concept you can use this week; I feel it would be appropriate to pass on the first principle I read in Dale Carnegie’s book so many years ago.

Principle #1 – Don’t criticize, condemn or complain.

This ideal teaches us to be kind and thoughtful when considering other people’s feelings. It’s about showing respect to get respect…treating others the way you want to be treated.

Criticism is futile because it puts a person on the defensive and usually makes him strive to justify himself. Criticism is dangerous because it wounds a person’s precious pride, hurts his sense of importance, and arouses resentment. ~ Dale Carnegie

Thank you so much for reading this blog. I appreciate it more than you know.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Episode 19 of Season 4. Lori Grenier is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Baby Loves Disco”, “Lose 12 Inches in Any 12 Workouts”, “Cell Helmet”, “Cordaroys” and an update on “The Painted Pretzel”. Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM Eastern/8:00 PM Central at The Shark Tank’s new time on ABC.

Click here to subscribe to the podcast in iTunes.

Also, CLICK HERE to Like Us on Facebook.

“Shark Tank Fan Podcast: Season Four, Episode Nineteen“ Pierce Marrs and Steve Hayes are back to recap Episode 19 of Season 4. Lori Grenier is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Baby Loves Disco”, “Lose 12 Inches in Any 12 Workouts”, “Cell Helmet”, “Cordaroys” and an update on “The Painted Pretzel”. […] The post “Shark Tank Fan Podcast: Season Four, Episode Nineteen” appeared first on Sales Coach Pierce Marrs.