The Pierce Marrs Show

Recently, I was listening to an interview with Jillian Michaels, trainer from the “The Biggest Loser”. She made a profound statement; “the concept of weight loss is simple, burn more calories than you consume and you will lose weight. The reason I am successful is that it is not easy and people need help dealing with the mental and physical issues of weight loss”.

I know what she means first hand. As I write this, I have lost twenty five pounds. I don’t always feel like working out, but I love the way it makes me feel, the energy it gives me and the weight loss results that it provides.

The concepts I discuss in successful selling are very simple. However, based on our individual personality and past experience, some of the steps may be difficult and go against out nature. For example, my personality is outgoing and gregarious and I enjoy meeting new people. I am also very talkative and that can be a problem especially when I teach that you must talk 30% and allow your prospect to talk 70% of the time.

Why don’t I just talk all I want and show the customer what an expert I am? Why should I suppress my nature to say what I want? It is simple…because it does not get the results I want. It’s a simple concept…not always easy to apply.

Some of the most memorable successes you will have in your life will come from learning new skills, pushing yourself and overcoming. Will you be willing to change in order to get the results you want?

Can you think of any task or process where this principle would apply? I would love to hear from you.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Most people will admit that life can become hectic if you allow it. It can sneak up on you. One moment you are making a new resolution to control your time and make quality deposits in the most important areas of your life. Then you find your self overwhelmed and overbooked and wondering how it happened!

This is not a rant on how to stay organized or how to prioritize. We can talk about that later.

I want to know, are you are living in the moment? When you are having a conversation with your spouse, children, customers or anyone, are you fully present?

One of the many issues that come with a busy schedule are  the distractions. If I am not careful, I will let my mind wander to something on my “to do” list. This prevents me from giving the other person my full attention.

You may think you are good at faking it, but you’re not. The other person can tell and it can damage your relationship. Frankly, it appears you don’t care.

One of the principles Dale Carnegie taught in “How to Win Friends and Influence People” is that if you want people to like you, you have to become genuinely interested in them.

When you are sitting across from your customer, a new prospect or your family give them your full attention. Turn off  the TV and have dinner as a family. Put your computer away during a family movie. They deserve “all” of you.

That is why I going to stop writing and watch the Titans game with my wife.

In basketball—as in life—true joy comes from being fully present in each and every moment, not just when things are going your way.

~Phil Jackson, Sacred Hoops

Have a great week!

Pierce

When I started my sales training approximately twenty eight years ago, I listened to nothing but positive and teaching information. I did this every day. More importantly, I chose the material that I listened to.

Some years later, I spent my driving time listening to talk radio. I would get wrapped up in the politics and one-sided banter of each of the local and national talk show hosts. I noticed my attitude was affected in a positive or negative fashion based on the commentary.

Lesa bought me an Ipod a couple of years ago and it has been one of my favorite gifts. Once again I was able to choose my listening material and with the abundant amount of free material available online, my choices were unlimited.

I also love the portability. I carry it with me when I work in the yard, to the gym and while I am driving anywhere. This allows me to fill my mind with positive information of my own choosing. I can turn my car into a University.

Here is a list of some of my favorite podcasts:

Dan Miller’s: “48 Days to the Work You Love”
Andy Traub and Cliff Ravenscraft: “Business Tech Weekly”
Kevin Miller and Justin Lukasavige: “Free Agent Underground”
Cliff Ravenscraft: “Podcast Answer Man”
Roy H. Daniels: “Monday Morning Memo”
Justin Lukasavige: “CoachRadio.TV”

I urge you to find material that relates to your personal and professional interest.

You have a choice about what you listen to, it will affect your attitude and can help you reach your goals.

Have a great week!

Pierce

Having these two practices in your toolbox can be very powerful. They can literally separate you and give you an edge over your competition.

I am not sure why we don’t want to admit ignorance about something we don’t know. Or give a customer the real delivery time that is two weeks longer than the one they requested. I guess it comes from our desire to please people and have them think we know all the answers. Maybe we are afraid if we can’t give them what they request, they will not buy from us.

I say it is worse to promise unreasonable expectations than to risk losing the sale. Promising and not delivering may work sometimes but eventually it will catch up with you and your customers will grow weary of the stress. They will find it much easier to give your competition a chance.

On several occasions I have been in a position where my product would not serve the customer’s best interest. You will be amazed at how receptive your customer will become when you tell them your product or service may not work in their situation.

This confidence comes from the knowledge you have of your product or service. Do you know how to apply it? Can you help this person avoid pitfalls and setbacks because of your experience?

I recently advised a contractor of several concerns I had about a building project he was undertaking. I told him I would walk away from the project rather than provide the wrong material and cause him and the new occupant the pain of correcting these mistakes after the building was complete. It took several months longer to close the deal but my customer knew I had his best interest at heart.

You need to be the expert. Guide them and protect them from unforeseen obstacles. But for heaven’s sake, if you don’t know, say I don’t know! But, I will find out and get back to you. Your customer will respect you and more importantly, they will know they can trust you.

Have a great week!

Pierce

In this high speed world we have many conveniences. Email for example. I know it speeds up the flow of communication. I use it all the time. I can send information, proposals, pictures and videos and it will arrive to its destination in seconds. But does it feel personal?

When I buy pizza at my local pizza restaurant, I get greeted with a hearty, “Hello Mr. Marrs” and I really appreciate it. It’s a personal touch that makes me loyal. I keep going back and fortunately the pizza is delicious.

When was the last time you received a handwritten note from someone? How did it make you feel? There seems to be something special about someone taking the time to write and mail a special message to you.

Remembering personal details about people can help you build rapport and create a bond. Take the time to thank someone with a card, remember their birthday or ask for an update on an event or struggle they have shared. You will be amazed on how it will strengthen your relationships.

You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you. ~ Dale Carnegie

Have a great week!

Pierce

Lesa and I just received an answer to prayer. Our oldest son just moved back from California to start a new position with a company here in Franklin, Tennessee. Nick was a competitive college athlete and left Tennessee in 2007 after he graduated college to pursue a sales position in Los Angeles. After two and a half years of enjoying the weather in Southern California he decided to move back to Tennessee.

In the current state of the economy, how does a man decide to move across the country and follow through successfully?

Nick created a plan, and was very diligent and focused. He decided against posting resumes online or dropping them from the sky hoping someone would pick them up.

First, he found twenty companies online that met his personal criteria.

They had to be:

1. In the Nashville, TN area.
2. Interesting to work for and a good fit.
3. Within his qualifications.

Next he found people in Social Networks that worked for these companies and called them directly. He then introduced himself with a short bio and told them what he was looking for.

After repeating this process with each company and several phone interviews, he flew to Nashville to meet the perspective employers face to face. Within two business days he accepted an offer and was on his way home.

By the way, this entire process lasted 49 Days. Maybe my buddy Dan Miller, author of “48 Days to the Work You Love”, will give him a break for taking one extra day.

Remember to set a goal,  focus, be diligent and don;t forget to pray!

Pierce

*Click here if you are interested in joining me and Dan Miller on a Caribbean Cruise.

I recently read an article in Inc Magazine entitled “When to Hire a Sales Consultant”. Don Kennedy was quoted in the article as saying that many of the consultants offered what he calls “cookie-cutter” solutions. I had real problems I needed to solve,” he says. I wanted someone willing to get their hands dirty inside my business.”

After receiving personal coaching, Kennedy increased his closing percentage from 17% to 60% among other improvements to his sales process. Another company increased their gross revenue by 400%.

I believe in the power of the individual. Each person has a set of specific skills and talents IF they take the time to discover and develop them. Let me stress that this is the case regardless if you are one person in your own business or part of a large sales organization.

I believe a company should have a sales process with a set of proven practices based on past success and failures. In addition, a scripted presentation has its advantages to the novice salesperson to give them a head start until they develop their own dialogue for successful communication.

What we should avoid is an environment where there is no room for someone to exercise their own personality, style and creativity. Seth Goden goes into great detail on this subject in his book “Linchpin” about making yourself indispensable.

I teach many foundational principles on “Relationship Selling”. However, I hardly ever diagnose a “cookie cutter” solution. Each person and organization has different needs, strengths and weaknesses and I truly enjoy getting my hands dirty.

Have a great week!

Pierce

I believe successful selling is a purposeful, intentional process. I also believe you have to consider your prospect and their unique perspective into your presentation.

I recently had a conversation with a friend who has been selling for most of his life. While we were sharing ideas about selling he mentioned a guy who works for a very large manufacturing company. His wife quit her job to assist him in the details of quoting and order process while he would wake early and spend all day in the field doing what he did best…serving his customers.

The unique thing about this guy is that he would wear a blue collar service tech uniform and walk into each customer and state, “I am here to solve your problem”. This approach and attitude launched him to the #1 spot in sales almost every year. He also earned several hundred thousand dollars per year for his effort.

Let me be clear. I am not saying you should drop your business attire and put on a service uniform. Proper dress is one of the best ways to make a first impression and I think it shows we have respect for ourselves and the company we represent.

In this case, the customer could care less how he was dressed. I think it is important for us to see that this salesperson “got it”. He understood his customer and what they expected from him.

While selling at its basic level may be to persuade and induce someone to buy something, I believe our success will come from how well we listen and solve our customer’s problems.

Have a great week!

Pierce

This is the next level of awareness. Just like I mentioned in my last blog, many things can trigger your need for new knowledge or skills.   For example; when a young child makes their first attempt at walking, in most all cases they fail and fall down. When the child realizes he does not have the skills he needs to walk then he will seek help from his parents.
Other examples are:
• Riding a bike without training wheels for the first time
• Driving a standard transmission
• Skiing
• Changing from a PC to a Mac
• Starting a new business
• Changing careers   In order to succeed at any of these examples requires perseverance and in some cases dismal success when you first try them.
This recognition for help is called ‘Conscious Incompetence”. It means you are aware of your inadequacy in this particular area. This does not mean you are a failure but it does force you to make a choice.
Now that you have this new information, what will you do with it? You can choose to ignore it and move on with your life in the status quo or you can seek a path to develop knowledge and skills in this new direction.
Have a great week!