Let's Talk Sales

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Tis' the Season - to be Thankful

I am seeing a pattern - that I don't like.

It's the end of the year and we are surrounded by merchandise and themes for All Hallows Day (Halloween) but not All Saints Day (the following day).

We are bombarded with Black Friday and Cyber Monday but we don't take part in the Thanksgiving.

We focus on dollar outcomes - but not on how we get there. I think this needs to change.

What are you thankful for? How have you been kind in your business this week?

What Charlie Chaplin Can Teach Us About Selling

“We think too much and feel too little. More than machinery, we need humanity; more than cleverness we need kindness and gentleness”

Charlie Chaplin

Is it too harsh to say that what is stifling you and your business right now is that you think too much?

The reality is that how you feel about what you are doing and what you are choosing dictates what you do and how you choose to do it and so how people perceive and react and even how you interpret their responses.

Let’s break down how this works (or doesn’t work) and then look at how to do it differently.

More Sales - Less Marketing

I think the very first thing that I have to tell you is that I LOVE marketing. It is a great discipline and an essential part of building an awesome business. Some of my best friends are marketers ....

And you know there has to be a but … So here it is.

The problem that I see is that lots of businesses spend too much time and money on marketing when they don’t really understand their customers and why they buy from them.

Let me explain...

Hate Sales? You are doing it the wrong way !

Hate Selling? You are doing it the Wrong Way !

If I had a dollar for every time someone told me, they hated selling … I’d be a millionaire!

I work with teams to help them reframe their ideas and actions around how they sell and interact with clients. Here is what I have learned.

Jesus: Your ultimate Sales Coach

His 5 Rules for Selling.

God loves selling (and sales people) and we can see many of the greatest sales techniques chosen by Jesus during his ministry on earth.

To celebrate Easter and focus on Him, I have put together the 5 Sales Rules everyone can learn from Jesus.

Metisan: The Catalyst Story

We all start businesses for different reasons, but the catalyst for me was making myself redundant from a job where I was an owner in the business. It sounds strange, I know. Normally when you are an owner, your position as an employee is secure. But when you truly believe that businesses are there to meet the needs of their clients then there is a higher priority at play - and that priority is how to best serve your customers.

So, I suppose you are wondering how I found myself in that position … well let me tell you the story.

Actioning Know, Like, and Trust in your Business

People buy from people they know, like, and trust.

This is one of those sayings that everyone knows and uses … and we all agree it's true ... but do you know how to apply it to your business? Just saying it isn't enough. In order to use this valuable tool, we have to action it. It has to be what your current and potential clients experience.

Building trust in your business goes far deeper and wider than understanding what people want and having some social proof. Trust is built over time and through consistent interactions that are clearly targeted to meet your client’s logical and emotional needs.

Has Apple Lost Its Core?

In 1997 Steve Jobs was back at Apple. He went back to basics with what Apple stood for, what they believed in, and where they fitted in the world.

Here is what Steve Jobs said:

It’s not to talk about speed and fees.
It’s not to talk about bits and megahertz.
It’s not to talk about why we are better.

"Our customers want to know who is Apple and what do we stand for? Where do we fit in this world?"

"Apple at its core: We believe that people with passion can change the world for the better."

Brand … not product!

Three Steps to Improving COVID Client Connections

Retaining and attracting loyal customers has never been so important, with the coronavirus outbreak and responses really testing the sustainability, agility and adaptability of many companies.

It is not simply for now, our post-COVID reality is one where customer loyalty will be of prime importance. The American Express’ Shop Small campaign and survey found that 2/3 of businesses listed returning customers as key to their recovery.

So how do we do this?

Getting Crunchy with your Client Value

We often ‘think’ that we know the value we provide to our clients. Inevitably this becomes a list of things that we ‘think’ that we offer, of the products and services, of our interpretation of the features and benefits. I want to tell you why this misses the mark and what to do about it.

There are two key problems with this:

It is from our perspective, and we (as the expert) understand so much more about the work that goes into this delivery and what people ‘should’ appreciate
It uses our words and understanding

Let's look at how to fix that.

Are you building a PurpleBrick road to failure?

We see businesses fail, and there are always lessons, but the failure of PurpleBricks in Australia has me intrigued! I am interested to know how a business that has been so successful in other markets can get it so wrong here. There s some great commentary from others in the property arena, but I wanted to take a broader look at what went wrong, and what established businesses and start-ups alike can learn from this.

Why you shouldn’t blame commissions for bad behaviour

If I had a dollar for every time I have heard people blame commissions for bad sales practices, well, I’d be living in the south of France right now. I have worked as a sales professional for most of my adult life and I can tell you one truth as a salesperson, sales manager, and business owner: the salespeople who focus on commissions never win.

Yes, they make sales, in the short term. But in the long term, they get caught out.

They get caught with their hand in the cookie jar because they don’t show enough care for their clients and the businesses they are working with. This style of sales is slowly dying out. Why? Because it doesn’t work.

Bank Culture not Commission to Blame!

The Banking Royal Commission has brought into highlight the evil side of greed, both institutional and personal. The report stated that “Providing a service to customers was relegated to second place. Sales became all important. "

Sales is important. But only when the sale truly reflects a good decision for your customer. This has been proven in all successful small to medium businesses where the question of profit versus serving your customer's best interest is a constant. This proves that the right culture and leadership can and does overcome this obstacle.

This week I was able to comment on this on ABC Radio Melbourne with Raphael Epstein on the Drive Program.

Why Sales Storytelling Works

Storytelling is a great way to get people to understand and engage with your business. It works because as well as telling the listener about your business, stories convey a deeper meaning about why you are in business and how you operate and treat your clients.

Find out why sales storytelling is so important and why they work.