Category Archives for Honesty

TSE 882: The Coffee Shop “Meeting Trap”

Imagine being invited to coffee by someone who wants to hear more about what you’re doing. You arrive at the coffee shop, spot him, wave him over, and buy him a drink. After 30 seconds of talking about your project, he launches into a sales pitch. You realize you’ve been snared in the coffee shop meeting trap.

On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we discuss the negative consequences of misleading sales methods, and why the coffee shop meeting trap may hurt you more than it helps.

It happened to me a lot when I was a new seller, and I quickly discovered that I disliked it. We’re going to address why you shouldn’t do it.

You’ll be perceived as dishonest.

This kind of activity amounts to bait-and-switch. If I show up to meet with you about my podcast, but you turn it into a sales pitch, it makes you seem untrustworthy.

Because buyers are more prepared, they do their research before they connect with people. If you develop a reputation for this kind of behavior, people will begin to sniff it out and they’ll avoid meeting with you altogether.

Even if it lands you one successful sale, you’ll likely experience fallout in the future.

You’ll stand out for the wrong reason.

Bait-and-switch isn’t a new concept. People are aware of it and they’ll recognize it immediately.

My belief has always been that you should do the opposite of what everyone else is doing if you want to be successful.

You’ll burn bridges.

You should always respect people’s time.

If you mislead me into spending an hour of my day with you, without accounting for the travel time to meet with you, you wasted a portion of my day.

If you mislead me into spending time with you, I’m probably going to make a podcast about you.

There’s a better option.

Your ultimate goal should be to foster a relationship.

Look at the person’s LinkedIn and figure out what business he’s in. Figure out how you can provide value to him. Connect him with a potential customer, or write blog content about his company so that your own audience will learn more about him.

In this case, find a way to provide value to the person you’re hoping to connect with. If you know of someone who might make an ideal customer, research to find out whether you’re right.

Once you’ve discovered that the two are a good match, connect them.

In my case, I might begin with a phone conversation about what the prospect could talk about on a podcast. Once we’ve determined that, I’d invite him to appear on the podcast, which helps him.

Perhaps, as a result of the podcast, he’ll want to do something to help me.

Look for opportunities to collaborate.

Be genuine. Begin with a 5-minute conversation that allows you to get to know the other person. Seek to become friends and build lasting connections.

Do the things you know work: nurture the relationship, connect with the prospect, and bring value first.

If you seek to bring value first, you’ll create more opportunity for a lasting relationship.

We tell you these things because we want you to find more ideal customers, build stronger value, close more deals, and do big things.

“Meeting Trap” episode resources

This episode was brought to you by our friends at Wiley, publishers of the book Stop Selling & Start Leading. It’s a blueprint for sellers based upon years of research about the things buyers hate.

We’re so convinced that you’ll love the book that we’re providing a free excerpt to our listeners here. We also have a free SlideShare available to help you become a sales leader.

Check out The Sales Evangelizers on Facebook, where a community of people shares their struggles and their experiences with selling.

Also check out the Video Jungle podcast, your source for marketing and selling your brand using video. Plan, create and share your way to better content and strategy.

Leave us a review wherever you consume this content, and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. If you haven’t already done so, subscribe so you won’t miss a single episode.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

TSE 822: Selling Basic 101…Establish Your Own Set of Values

It can be very tempting for sellers to compromise their core values in pursuit of sales and money.

On today’s episode of The Sales Evangelist, we’re discussing how to stay on the high road and still make plenty of money.

Determine core values

Your core values are the principles you live by. Think of them as your North Star, keeping you on the right path.

A father and son were navigating trails in the woods when the father told the son to keep his eyes on a fixed point to avoid getting lost. Instead of following his father’s directions, the son got distracted by a rabbit that ran across his trail. He followed the rabbit and couldn’t find his way back to the trail.

When we establish values that won’t change, it helps you navigate the tricky waters of trying to accomplish your goals without sacrificing your relationship with your prospects.

Be honest. Treat people the way they’d like to be treated.

Be respectful, ethical, patient, and give them what they want.

Keep long-term goals in mind

The book Stop Selling & Start Leading: How to Make Extraordinary Sales Happen  advises sellers to do what they say they’ll do.

If you schedule an appointment and then realize you can’t make it, let the prospect know and reschedule.

Otherwise, the prospect will assume that, if you couldn’t keep that commitment, how will you keep other, more important commitments?

Be straightforward with your prospects when you aren’t the best fit for them, and they will respect you and your honesty. They will look for ways to do business with you because you were honest.

Sometimes as sellers we focus on the short-term gain because we want to get the deal. When that happens, we may land a small deal for ourselves.

Very often, though, if we keep the long-term in mind, we may land a bigger deal with a prospect who refers us to other people because we provided value and we built trust.

The prospect doesn’t know you yet, and they don’t have an understanding of who you are. Create a good impression.

Episode resources

We’re big fans of the book Stop Selling & Start Leading: How to Make Extraordinary Sales Happen by our friends at Wiley. The authors compiled research from customers that will help you become a leader instead of an order-taker. The information will help you bring value to your customers.  Read an excerpt of the book here.

If you haven’t already subscribed to this podcast, subscribe today and tell a friend or colleague about it as well. Consider leaving us a rating wherever you consume this content to help other people discover our message.

To learn more about our newly-launched Sales Podcast Network designed to provide specialized sales content for sellers of all levels and all industries, email us at SPN for more information.

Check out the Video Jungle Podcast, part of SPN, to hear best practices for video and film production and to learn the art of selling your product with video.

We want you to find more customers, build more value, close more deals, and do big things every day.

Audio provided by Free SFX.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

TSE 069: Just Say Noooooo!

As a new seller, one of the biggest challenges that I faced was the fear of saying “no” to prospects or clients. Why? I thought if I said no to any questions that they ask, I would disappoint them and eventually turn them away. Have you ever felt the same way? Well, in this episode I share my experience with this challenge, how I overcame it and why you should say “no” even more.

Here are some of the major take aways from our discussion:

• Saying “no” will make you different from every other seller who are a “yes men/women”.
• It is important to be honest with your prospects. Don’t get in the habit of taking on projects that are not a fit for your business, you will waste time and money.
• Saying “no” to things that are not for your organization allows you to focus more on those that are a fit for your business.
• Being honest is important.
• When you say no to a prospect they will respect you more because you were upfront with them unlike the stigma that they may have had about what a sales person is like.
• Finding out why a prospect asks you certain questions will help you learn if something is critical or not.

After listening to the episode, answer this question below in the comment area. “Do you feel there is ever a time when you should say yes to a prospect no matter what?” (Y or N)

Learn why it’s important to be able to tell your prospects no!

MUSIC PROVIDED BY FREESFX

Podcast: Play in new window | Download | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS