Tom is a trainer and motivator where he has sold 365 homes in one year. Unbelievable? Yep! Unbelievably TRUE. This in fact opened up more opportunities for him to speak and write his first book, How to Master the Art of Selling and then eventually writing 18 more books. Now he travels around the world where he trains 5 million people and counting to help them uncover great sales opportunities by simply mastering sales in art form.
Packed with valuable information matched with Tom’s enthusiasm and passion, this is one episode you shouldn’t miss listening to. Loads of tips, insights, and strategies that you may start applying into your sales process right away.
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Here are the highlights of my conversation with Tom:
Ways to tap into the great opportunity of selling:
- Find a product that you really love and you believe in.
People say yes to what you’re selling based more on your belief, attitude, conviction, than your technical skills.
- Find a company that you believe in.
Find a company that has a good reputation in your community.
- Education
Get training and educate yourself about the seven fundamentals of selling.
- Find a coach.
Learn from them and emulate the successful things they do.
Are people born sellers?
There are no natural born sellers but anyone can do well in selling if they’re willing to become students of the art form
The 2 extreme personalities or temperaments of sellers:
- Interesting Extrovert
- Interesting people
- Extrovert
- Somewhat talkative
- Really love having conversations
- Gravitate naturally into the field of sales
- Interested Introvert
- Humble, shy, timid
- Don’t think they might be able to sell
- They usually do better than the interesting extrovert
The 7 Fundamentals of Selling:
- Prospecting
Find a way to meet more people via in person or thru phone. Prospecting is the foundation that starts by meeting and contacting more people.
Two types of prospecting:
- Non-referral
- Referrals
- Original contact
People judge you within the first 15 seconds so you have to come across in that first meeting either on the phone or in person.
- Qualification
Ask the right questions to find out things like who is the decision-maker, their financial capacity to invest in your product, etc.
- Presentation
The way you present is critical.
- Handling objections or concerns
Once you’ve mastered the first four fundamentals, they will almost have to say no before they say yes so you have to handle their objections.
- Closing the sale
Close the sale in an art form with the way you turn “maybe” into a “yes.”
- Getting qualified referrals
Get quality introductions by getting the person you sold the product to be willing to refer other people to you.
The nuances of selling that can make or break sales:
- Understand the normal fear that people have and learn how to overcome that fear.
FEAR is your enemy. Buyers procrastinate in investing in things they want or should invest in because of fear.
Various forms of fear in buyers:
- Fear of making mistakes
- Fear of being lied to
- Fear of investing in something they can’t use
- Learn how to take a person who wants to say “no” and help them say “yes.”
Tom’s newest book, When Buyers Say No is based on the fact that people won’t say yes until they first say no.
- Eliminate fear-producing words
Words are so powerful. They can either create fear or build positive emotions. The key is to reduce sales resistance and increase sales acceptance.
Common sales jargon or words to eliminate:
- Cost or price (Use total investment instead)
- Down payment (Use initial investment instead)
- Monthly payment (Use monthly investment instead)
- Contract (Use paperwork or agreement instead)
- Buy (Use own instead)
- Problem (Use challenge instead)
- Master the art of questioning
Listen more, talk little. The top salespeople are “master askers” who have mastered the art of asking the right questions that get the buyer to open up
Tom’s Major Takeaway:
Don’t take rejection personally. Realize that all of your Yeses are hidden behind No‘s. Find your yes behind the no. Service is the foundation of building a career in any business.
Episode Resources:
Visit www.tomhopkins.com and check out their free resource page where you will find great stuff like Thank You notes, books, CDs, and more.
Tom is having their live two-day seminar on April 1-2, 2016 in Charlotte, North Carolina where they will be conducting a high-intensity training session. If you are somewhere around this area, take advantage of this opportunity for you to learn more and network better.
Get a free audiobook download and a 30-day free trial at audibletrial.com/tse with over 180,000 titles to choose from for your iPhone, Android, Kindle or mp3 player.
Book mentions:
How to Master the Art of Selling
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