The Pierce Marrs Show

If you are in sales, it is inevitable that you will feel the sting of rejection. You will have done all you can do to secure the business, and the customer will say no. I could go on a rant about no’s being a part of sales and you are one step closer to a yes and this would be true. However, when you are in the aftermath of a lost sale that is the last thing you want to hear.

I admit it…I hate to lose. Last year, I lost a big sale and I walked through the process over and over to determine what I did wrong. A good friend of mine recently lost a job with a customer he had worked with for years. He had invested a large amount of time and effort into this project and the customer decided to go in a different direction.

When this happens, you have several choices. Here are some suggestions that will help you deal with rejection and move on.

1. Avoid bitterness. This is a dead end and will affect how you deal with other clients. In both of the scenarios I mentioned above. We chose to take the ‘High Road”. We thanked the customer for the opportunity and immediately began reinforcing the relationship for the next project. Besides, we are in it for the long haul.
2. Learn from it. Ask the customer a few questions about why they decided to go in a different direction. You may find out that the project was abandoned due to lack of funding. It may be due to price or a change of personnel. Regardless, try to take something of value from the experience.
3. Keep your funnel full. If you have a lot of activity and other possible sales opportunities, it minimizes your anxiety over this one deal.

When you are rejected, lick your wounds, learn from the experience, keep the door open for future opportunities and most importantly, learn how to say NEXT!

Have a great week!

Pierce

Casting calls for Season 5 Spring/Summer 2013 have been scheduled for five cities including Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Be sure to go to ABC.com/Casting to view the terms and download the application for Shark Tank Season 5.

Only the first 500 applicants are guaranteed wristbands, which ensures that you’ll be seen by the casting team. Be sure to arrive early to the line in order to get a numbered wristband.

ATLANTA OPEN CASTING CALL – SUNDAY APRIL 14, 2013
Location: The Fox Theatre
660 Peachtree St. NE
Atlanta, GA 30308
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM – Numbered Wristbands Distributed
12:00 PM – Interviews BeginDALLAS OPEN CASTING CALL – SATURDAY APRIL 20, 2013

Location: WFAA – Victory Park
3030 Olive St.
Dallas, TX 75201
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Numbered Wristbands Distributed
10:00 AM – Interviews Begin

CHICAGO OPEN CASTING CALL – THURSDAY MAY 9, 2013
Location: Shedd Aquarium
1200 S. Lake Shore Dr.
Chicago, IL 60605
12:00 PM to 2:00 PM – Numbered Wristbands Distributed
1:00 PM – Interviews Begin

PHILADELPHIA OPEN CASTING CALL – SATURDAY MAY 11, 2013
Location: NextFab Studio
2025 Washington Ave.
Philadelphia, PA 19146
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM – Numbered Wristbands Distributed
10:00 AM – Interviews Begin

LOS ANGELES OPEN CASTING CALL – FRIDAY MAY 24, 2013
Location: Beverly Garland’s Holiday Inn
4222 Vineland Ave.
North Hollywood, CA 91602
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM – Numbered Wristbands Distributed
11:00 AM – Interviews Begin
Agree to ABC’s terms and download open casting call application
Let us know if you are auditioning and send pictures from your audition city. We want to join you on this journey.

Thanks and good luck!

Pierce

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“Shark Tank Fan Podcast: Special Announcement“ Casting calls for Season 5 Spring/Summer 2013 have been scheduled for five cities including Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Be sure to go to ABC.com/Casting to view the terms and download the application for Shark Tank Season 5. Only the first 500 applicants are guaranteed wristbands, which ensures that […] The post “Shark Tank Casting for Season 5; Are you ready to meet the Sharks?” appeared first on Sales Coach Pierce Marrs.

Have you ever been having a lunch conversation with someone and they seem distracted? They may be glancing at other people or worse yet they keep looking at their cell phone at incoming text or email. How does that make you feel?

Recently, I introduced my wife to a gentleman and he stuck out his hand, grabbed three of her fingers, never took his eyes off of his phone and walked away with barely an acknowledgment of her presence. It will be very difficult for this man to reverse that first impression, especially since he was completely unaware that he did anything wrong.

Non-verbal communication represents more than two-thirds of all communication. In order to communicate with anyone effectively we must give them our full attention. Making good eye contact is one of the best ways you can show your interest, warmth and regulate the flow of communication.  Other ways you communicate is through your facial expressions, posture, gestures and voice quality.

In Dale Carnegie’s book,  How to Win Friends and Influence People, he summarized six ways to make people like you:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a man’s Name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in the terms of the other man’s interest.
6. Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

This week when you are meeting with your customers, talking with friends or your family,  remember to put your phone away, turn off the TV and show how much you care by focusing on them.

”What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The most important thing in communication is to hear what isn’t being said” ~ Peter Drucker

Have a great week!

Pierce

There are times when we get stuck. We are unsure and wondering what we are doing wrong. It is in these times we need a new perspective and see the situation through a different lens.

In his best selling book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen Covey called this a paradigm shift or a change in your mental image of the way things are. Mr. Covey teaches that in order to make this change it requires knowledge, skill and desire.

A young lady in Florida who was frustrated in her new sales position recently contacted me. I offered her a complimentary thirty-minute consultation to see if I could help. It became clear early in the conversation that she was having problems booking enough appointments to fill her schedule.

There are many people who actually sell on the telephone and never see their prospects face-to-face. In her case, she only wanted to book an appointment to get in front of her prospect.

In this scenario, many people make the mistake of talking too much and trying to sell the product on the phone when the probability of gaining commitment go up exponentially when we are face-to-face with the prospect.

After about twenty-five minutes on the phone we concluded the call and she was very excited and had a new perspective on booking appointments.

One week later, I received the following message:

I want to thank you again for taking the time out to coach me through my first sales position.

Since I’ve last spoken to you, I have booked and average of 6 more leads a day than I usually do. I feel so much more confident meeting with potential clients and giving them my full commitment and sincerity when booking the appointment. As you said, I’ve been selling the appointment on the phone and not the product. The results are exponential.

Again, I want to thank you as my success is because of your help.

She increased her appointments over 60% per week. How did she do it? I told her three things:

1. Remember, you must sell the appointment first. That is the only purpose of the phone in this sales process.
2. Pique their interest by telling the prospect in less than 10 seconds how you save them time, money or both.
3. Do not ask the prospect if they would like to meet with you. Assume the appointment by giving them two appointment times. For example: “I am available on Tuesday between nine and eleven or Thursday between one and three. Which day and time would work best for you?”

Maybe your sales process needs just a minor tweak to help you become wildly successful. Seek advice and counsel from someone. One conversation might make all the difference.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Pierce Marrs is joined by very Special Guest Host Chuck Bowen to recap Episode 18 of Season 4. Barbara is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Nuts ‘N More”, “PsiBands”, “Neo Mag Light”, “JesKa Shoe Company” and an update on “Surfset Fitness”. 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 Eighteen“ Pierce Marrs is joined by very Special Guest Host Chuck Bowen to recap Episode 18 of Season 4. Barbara is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Nuts ‘N More”, “PsiBands”, “Neo Mag Light”, “JesKa Shoe Company” and an update on “Surfset Fitness”. Tune […] The post “Shark Tank Fan Podcast: Season Four, Episode Eighteen” appeared first on Sales Coach Pierce Marrs.

Steve Hayes is back with Pierce Marrs to recap Episode 17 of Season 4. Lori Grenier is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Addison’s Wonderland”, “Muddy Water Camo”, “Hip Chix”, “Proof” and an update on “Liquid Money”. 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 Seventeen“ Steve Hayes is back with Pierce Marrs to recap Episode 17 of Season 4. Lori Grenier is back with Kevin, Damon, Mark and Robert where they review  “Addison’s Wonderland”, “Muddy Water Camo”, “Hip Chix”, “Proof” and an update on “Liquid Money”. Tune in Friday’s at 9:00 PM […] The post “Shark Tank Fan Podcast: Season Four, Episode Seventeen” appeared first on Sales Coach Pierce Marrs.

Something strange happened to me yesterday. I had a delightful conversation with a twelve year old. Yes, a twelve year old. My nephew Jack is smart, sensitive and engaging. He is curious and knows how to listen.

Why am I so surprised? Because this young man’s generation will lose the art of face-to-face human relation skills if know one teaches them. Studies show that thirty-five percent of second and third graders own cell phones. When texting became the preferred method of communication of this group, their ability to communicate began to deteriorate.

Recently, I was riding with a good friend and salesperson and he mentioned how impressed he was with a gentleman who can seem to carry on a conversation with anyone and is well versed in many different subjects.

This skill can help you in all areas of your life. Recently, I heard a friend of mine say that he wants to stay current so he can properly communicate with his grandchildren. That is a mature, open-minded approach compared to someone saying, “I’m older and wiser. They should talk about what I want to talk about”.

By developing this skill you can communicate with a variety of people and build rapport quickly. A good conversationalist draws people to them. You have probably seen the opposite occur when a person is clearly trying to flee from someone who has not developed this skill.

Here are a few rules to help you become a great conversationalist.

1. Become a master at being interested in other people, ask good questions and most importantly, listen carefully to their answers.
2. Remember a good conversation is balanced with a healthy give and take. I like to use the “Marrs 70/30 Rule”. Allow the other person to talk seventy percent of the time.
3. Avoid controversy. You could alienate the other person and lose the sale and relationship.
4. Be interesting and fun. Do not be a one-topic pony. Take the time to be informed on a variety of subjects.
5. Watch the other person’s body language. If you pay attention, these clues will tell you if the conversation is going well.
6. Be positive and enthusiastic. Nothing will repel people quicker than criticizing, condemning and complaining. Thanks Dale Carnegie.

Being a good conversationalist is possible with practice and can help you break the ice, make more sales and build stronger relationships.

Have a great week!

Pierce