The Sales Evangelist

How Sellers Can Build Trust With Buyers in Remote Settings   Virtual and remote settings are now part of the sales process due to the ongoing pandemic. As a result, it can be hard for a salesperson to build trust with your buyers you can’t meet face to face. In this episode, we’ll look at ways trust can be built regardless of proximity. Russell Wurth is the global VP of Sales Enablement at Showpad and has had an expanding range of experience over the last 20 years.     One of Russell’s favorite books, The Trusted Advisor, has a great formula for trust: Trust is credibility plus reliability plus intimacy divided by self-orientation. Trust is about developing credibility and reliability with a bit of intimacy. The thing about intimacy is that it’s hard to develop virtually. This is something that you build by personal interaction through dinners, lunch meetings, and other events. With the lack of personal meetings, however, sales reps now need to rely heavily on their credibility and reliability.  Developing personal relationships is the natural way to build intimacy but what elements help the process? One way is to invest time in doing research about the other person’s personal interests and focus on topics that have nothing to do with business. That research will offer insight to common ground that could lead to a great conversation. You don’t want to come across as a salesperson looking to cut a deal right away. Step out with your authentic self.    Building credibility  Once a relationship starts to build, you’re then able to build credibility by focusing on what the buyer is going through. Bring value to the table. Share beneficial information that will help their pain point and present it in a way they’ll be able to understand.  Don’t limit yourself to presentations that come from PowerPoints, PDFs, and videos. Think about the nurture path and feed the clients bit by bit. Provide insight instead of just unloading a pile of digital content, assuming that the client is going to read it.    There are a lot of digital tools available that would vastly improve your presentations but as a salesperson, your goal is to make it more personal. Be authentic and show you truly care. You need to learn how to use your emotional quotient by showing empathy toward their challenges.    Developing emotional quotient Salespeople used to just focus on what was good for their commissions and their  company. They focused on product knowledge and how prospects could help their business.  You can still share information about your products and services but only offer as much as it is truly helpful to your client. Sell them the problem solvers.  Dive deeper and share the challenges that aren't’ just case studies but something that is relatable to them.    As you build intimacy, make sure you don’t forget to focus on information that isn’t business oriented. #SalesCredibility   Video is the way The best way to be out there right now is through video. Don’t be embarrassed about your background, what’s going on, or if there are kids everywhere. Be a little bit vulnerable and let them get a peek into your life. That will help you connect with your clients. You won’t just be a disconnected voice but someone they can see on camera, smiling and talking. Just be sure not to multitask while you are on a video call. Give them your full attention. The more you can show how invested you are in the conversation, the more they will return in kind. Showing them a bit of who you are can open into a friendlier conversation as it puts their guard down.  Video calls aren’t about having the best background, it’s about finding your most comfortable spot.    Sales reps need to be sensitive about time management especially when making calls. Set up your Google Calendar and be in 10 minutes before the scheduled time. Don’t try to wrap everything up within the hour. Your clients and prospects don’t want to feel rushed.  If you can’t finish the presentation, then break it down by segments. Open your calendar again and set up another time the prospect can continue.   You are only as good as the people who are going to vouch for you so explore how to do that in this digital world. Use this time while you’re home to build your social network and build your portfolio.    “How Sellers Can Build Trust With Buyers in Remote Settings” episode resources Connect with Russell Wurth via LinkedIn and check out his official websites. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

The One Thing Holding You Back From Massive Success   Regardless of the industry we are in, success is the goal, but it isn’t easy to achieve. It takes time and effort and oftentimes, we have to overcome mental blocks that keep us from attaining that success. In this episode, we’re talking about breaking through that upper limit to achieve sales success.    Limiting your sales success Gay Hendricks wrote the book, The Big Leap: Conquer Your Hidden Fear and Take Life to the Next Level. It is a powerful book that talks about how we set limitations and don’t take big leaps because of fear. As a salesperson, we set limits on ourselves about what we do on a day-to-day basis. This may include calling clients or setting appointments. We  have these upper limits, the proverbial glass ceiling,  we impose on ourselves. These are the limits we don’t go beyond.    For example, one salesperson may limit himself to three appointments a day and when they try to go beyond that, they somehow find ways to sabotage themselves. This is because he isn’t comfortable with success that is outside of his norm. He feels the need to move himself back into his comfort zone, a place where he feels like he belongs.    The same is true in relationships. Sometimes when things are going well, fighting starts. This isn’t just a mystical force suddenly showing its face. The fight is something we conjure up in our minds. We allow it and find ways to let it intrude on our lives. It turns a small incident into a big deal. It keeps us at a lower level.    Go beyond your comfort zone The sales reps that go beyond their comfort zone are the ones who typically thrive but this requires you to put yourself in an uncomfortable position. It requires you to take the big leap.    How can you achieve your sales success? How can you go to the next level of your sales performance?    In this pandemic, some of you may have already set your proverbial glass ceilings. You may have decided that your opportunities are limited and convinced yourself that you’re not going to be successful in this current season. The truth is, sometimes the worse things happen because we stop taking action. Are you showing up on time for virtual meetings? In what areas are you showing a lack of effort?   The Sales Evangelists are still offering the same services now as they did before.  The organization, however, is receiving more opportunities, even with this pandemic. Donald realized that this was because he didn’t limit what he could do as a leader of the organization.    Constantly look for areas to improve  There is always room for success when you break through the ceiling. This may be through prospecting, your LinkedIn outreach, or your social selling. Whatever those limits are, go beyond them, and position yourself as someone who can solve the problems of your ideal customers.    It’s not easy to take the big leap, especially if you are making big changes, but there’s no other way except to break through the limitations you’ve set.    Be the person who can solve the problem for your ideal customer. #SalesSolution   “The One Thing Holding You Back From Massive Success” episode resources   If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Intherrupt, a podcast that is all about empowering women leaders. Every episode, Linda Yates interviews some of the most intriguing women in the business world and finds out what they do to be able to gain an opportunity in the business world. The podcast launches on August 24 and if you want to get on an early adopters list, go to www.salespodcastnetwork.com/intherrupt. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Use virtual tools to do more, in less time, with better outcomes   Out of necessity, we are moving into a digital world in which almost every step of the sales process involves the use of virtual tools. The challenge is, not all salespeople know how to use these virtual tools and it’s inhibiting sales growth.    Jeb Blount has been doing virtual sales since 2015. As he recognized the increasing need for sellers to be tech-savvy, he wrote  Virtual Selling and realized that there is so much more than integrating videos in the sales process. Virtual sales include integrating all the virtual communication tools, both the synchronous and asynchronous. The question was how to utilize all these virtual tools for sales and blend these into a viable way to sell and prospect. We say “blend” because face-to-face selling isn’t always available, especially in this season of people’s social distancing. Being able to use virtual tools makes the sales process more efficient and productive.    Virtual calls, for example, is a good prospecting technique. Instead of getting on a traditional call, try getting your potential client on a video conference.  Face-to-face offers a better opportunity to build a relationship with your prospect. You can also save time with a virtual call because you don’t have to travel for a meeting. This frees up time to manage other activities in the sales process. The more people you get to talk to, the bigger your pipeline will be. Virtual tools are starting to reshape the way we think about selling as these tools help in shortening the sales cycle and improving closing ratios.  Changes in the sales methods The great recession brought about the existence of BDR and SDR. Now, with the pandemic, the landscape of sales is changing again. We have to make changes in the process and technology is the answer. Necessity is the mother of virtual selling but not all salespeople are keen on using technology. Even Gen Zs and millennials are struggling to use technology in effectively running omnichannel. Salespeople have to learn to adapt and adjust to stay competitive.    People who are looking to go virtual have to learn new skills like email etiquette and working with a camera. Fear of being in front of the camera, and speaking to an online audience, has to be overcome.    Familiarity isn’t something that comes easy without face-to-face conversation. With people becoming more tech-savvy, however, you can achieve the same level of familiarity using social selling and personal branding. Ask prospects if they would be interested in a video call. You will be amazed by the number of clients who jump at the opportunity. Organizations need to teach their reps that virtual calling and using virtual tools for selling is the closest facsimile to face-to-face. There are now multiple ways to build and create relationships. Studies show that there is almost a 50% increase in closing when someone is able to see a face, even virtually.    Internet traffic is rising. It’s projected that in a couple of years, 86% of the traffic will come from videos. HubSpot also did a study on prospecting and video messaging. The study revealed that video messaging is a powerful virtual tool as it increases email conversation rates to 400%.    Video is king. Are you part of this selling process? #VideoSales   Learning video calls etiquette You may not be comfortable facing the camera but that can be remedied. It’s important to consider perfect framing so that your clients can see you properly. Position yourself so your clients can see your hands as trust is built when hands are visible. When you’re talking to the client, lift your hands up, make gestures, and don’t be afraid to emote with your hands. If you’re able, you can stand up. You can create depth by leaning forward or stepping back.  You can use your body to attract attention. A study revealed that people look at themselves 70% of the time when on a video call. This is something salespeople should avoid. Instead of looking at yourself, look at the camera in order to be perceived as making eye contact. Because of the limitations of video calls, you want to be mindful of projecting in a way that builds trust.  Consider investing in good quality equipment to ensure high-quality video call content. As you’re able, you can hire people to set-up your mini studio but know that you don't have to wait for that as you learn, practice, and build your skillset.    Choosing the right virtual tool for sales  Productivity comes from choosing the right communication channel that will give you your desired outcome while spending the least amount of time and energy. This current season is a good time for sales leaders and CEOs to take their entire sales process and research the best communication channels so their sales reps can meet buyers wherever they are. This would allow sales reps to be more productive, make more sales calls, and reduce the total cost of the sale.    Combining video messaging with direct messaging such as WhatsApp, Messenger, and LinkedIn will improve your chances of closing sales even more. We are at a time where we have more channels and more avenues at our disposal so build your skillset and connect with people more than ever before.    “Use virtual tools to do more, in less time, with better outcomes” episode resources Connect with Jeb Blount via LinkedIn, Twitter, and his official website. If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

Using Trello to Manage Business and Sales Efforts   Trello is an emerging platform that helps their customers manage and organize tasks. On one screen, Trello is an amazing “white board” that shows your to do list, doing list, and done list, especially when you have multiple projects and ideas being generated at once.  How do you use Trello so you can focus more efforts driving sales? Check out this episode.    Brittany Joiner is a self-proclaimed Trello nerd as she’s been using the program for about a decade. She works full-time in marketing and is learning programming on the side. Productivity has always been something she’s passionate about learning more of. Since she saw the movie, Cheaper by the Dozen as a kid, she’s loved the satisfaction brought about by efficiency.    Brittany has been using Trello as a tool to organize all aspects of her life and it’s been a great help in keeping track of all her tasks and schedules in one place while keeping other team members in the loop about what’s going on. Trello helps her accomplish all the things that need to be done.   Defining productivity There’s no magic bullet when it comes to tips and tricks about how to increase productivity. What makes people productive is different for everyone. For example, one of the most common pieces of advice that is offered by experts is to wake up early, but some people are night owls and are actually more productive in the evenings.    With the pandemic going on, people have been working from their homes and have the biggest opportunity to be able to set their work around how and when they want to do their tasks. It’s a great way to experiment with scheduling to see when the most work is getting done.    Trello and productivity Trello helps with general productivity. David Allen, the author of Getting Things Done, said that the mind is for generating ideas, not for holding on to them. The mind makes an effort when it keeps track of what needs to get done and this is where Trello can be of tremendous help. It’s a tool that allows you to organize all your thoughts so your brain can process better and creatively connect the dots. The brain can then solve the problems instead of just holding onto information.    Think of Trello as a digital whiteboard with lists and sticky notes on steroids. Each card acts like a sticky note. You can add checklists, due dates, members, labels, automation pieces, and so much more. Trello is where you organize your ideas and make them accessible anytime you need them.   Brittany’s Trello system consists of three categories: To Do, Doing, and Done. She moves her tasks through these cards depending on what she’s accomplished and then completed. She also has a backlog of ideas she calls an  “idea inbox.” It’s where she puts her ideas and what she needs to work on for the week. She organizes this at the beginning of each week and it’s these lists that prompt her week’s activities.    Satisfaction from getting things done It feels amazing to know you are getting things done and when you are able to move a card from To Do to Done. Trello has a new feature where confetti is sprinkled across the screen when you move one card to another. Brittany has added a Yay list where she puts all the accomplishments she wants to remember.  Among them,  launching a website and creating a blog post. It’s also possible to archive cards and tasks so you can document what you’ve already finished and still keep track of them even when they’re no longer visible on your board.    Challenges in sales in terms of productivity According to Brittany, one of the biggest challenges is being able to take a task and apply it across the board for all team members and prospects. It can be difficult to manage and apply specific items to everyone. For example, you may find a task working for you but it’s still hard to be consistent with each person you’re following up with. If that’s the case, you can add a follow-up checklist to your card and apply this checklist to all your lead cards. With a standard sales process, you don’t have to worry about what you did and didn’t do with this particular lead. You can just check off the boxes you completed with your clients.   Another challenge in sales is the fact that many salespeople want to do sales and not the admin work. This may be true not only for people in sales, but in general. Trello has a card-repeater powerup. What it does is you can automate your card and make it pop up every Monday, or any day you want it to appear. You can also put a habit tracker to your Trello board with reminders for LinkedIn building, sales outreach, and more.    Be productive  Managing contacts is a struggle for many salespeople. Crmble, a plugin for Trello, is a good tool to manage your contacts and move them through your sales pipeline. It is better than a spreadsheet. You can use Crmble, set up your list, and customize it. Each contact is a card and you can import them from CSV. You can set it up automatically to sync with your form. If you have Google form, you can connect contacts that are coming through  and connect it to your Trello boards. Crmble took great care in making it attractive. You’re able to click on the dashboard and it will show you a funnel  that shows the percentages from one stage to another. You can even filter by date.    Crmble is free at the moment but they are working on a pricing model. In the future, it may be priced based on lead volume. You can join the Facebook group for Crmble,  and ask questions to the community.    Try things out. Don't be afraid to try something out and see if it works. Don't feel like you have to have everything all organized in a row before you take action. #SalesProductivity   “Using Trello to Manage Business and Sales Efforts” episode resources Reach out to Brittany Joiner via LinkedIn and Twitter.  If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

The Number 1 Reason You Hear "I'm Not Interested"   Of course salespeople like to hear positive responses from their prospects but it’s not always the case. Sometimes prospects say, “I’m not interested.” Why do you hear that? Is there something wrong with your pitch? Listen to this episode and understand what prospects are thinking when they say they’re not interested.    Donald has worked with hundreds of sales reps,has coached a variety of individuals, trained organizations, and he’s been on countless sales phone calls. All those experiences have taught him many things.  Donald’s latest lesson came from seeing Disney’s, The Princess and the Frog.    The story of Tiana and the Frog In the story, Tiana lives in Louisiana and has a dream of creating an amazing restaurant with her dad. She wants to do something with her life and have a purpose. Eventually, however, she gets turned into a frog. The prince in the story also gets turned into a frog. Together, they begin their quest to find the witch that turned them into frogs so they can be turned back to humans. Along the way, they come across an alligator who’s good at playing the trumpet, and the frog prince asks the alligator for help. The alligator tells them about a witch doctor that can help but the frogs don’t know how to get there. When Tiana asks the alligator to take them, he refuses and goes back to playing the trumpet.  The frog prince realizes they messed up their pitch and so he tries again. He goes back to the alligator and asks him about his challenges. To this, the alligator replies that it’s hard to play trumpet in front of people because they just run away. Upon hearing this, the frog prince then redirects his pitch. He asks the alligator to come with them in the hopes of being turned into a human as well. This time, he decides to join them! The frog prince was able to reframe the offer so the alligator could see the benefit to himself.   In relation to sales  That story speaks to the platinum rule in sales - to treat others the way they would like to be treated and to tell them things that they want to hear. The focus should always be about the prospect or client with the goal of giving them what they want and need.    Tiana asked for good will but didn’t offer any benefit. The prince got results because he focused on what the alligator  desired. The same is true when prospecting for a sale. When he saw the movie, Donald realized there were times as an account executive that he’d reached out to a prospect and led with Me, My, and I. He’d talked about his company and what they’d been doing. Nothing in his pitch was about the buyer. He eventually learned to flip it around and prioritized what they needed and wanted the most. That made all the difference.   Figuring out what they want One of the easiest ways to figure out what a customer wants is to search for their job title on LinkedIn. You can also go to indeed.com. Try searching for what their responsibilities are. For example, if you see your prospect is a marketing director, search for that job title on LinkedIn. You’ll see that their job is to get traffic to their site, to bring inbound leads, bring in prospects that their sales reps can talk to, and eventually buy their product.    If you call them and talk to them about your company, they’ll only listen to the first 10 seconds of your call before you hear, “I’m not interested.” As a sales rep, your job is to reach out to them with a point of reference. Connect with them via LinkedIn using the omnichannel approach. When you’ve done that, then you’re ready to make the call.    “Hey Mike, we connected on LinkedIn last week....”   Position yourself as a person with whom they’re already acquainted. You’ve already moved through the threat barrier on LinkedIn, so now you can present them a solution they want.  For the previous marketing director example, you could say, “I was looking at what you’re doing. If there’s a way I could show you how to get 10-15% more leads coming into your website, would you be open to hearing what we can do for you?” Provide a story loop to get his attention first before you ask your qualifying questions. Then you can set up that next appointment.    The old way of doing a pitch where you present your company, and all the great things you’ve accomplished, doesn’t work anymore. Now we figure out what the clients need and present a solution that benefits them.    Client-centered, not sales rep-centered Your goal is to focus on what the buyer wants, use your questioning skills, and make them the center of the sales process. There is no deception when you are trying to grab their attention to solve their problem. If you’re not going into a deeper discussion, then you won’t get a close. Bring value to deepen the conversation. Provide what the prospect needs.    If you’re trying to grab a prospect’s attention to solve a problem, there's no deception in that. #SalesTruth “The Number 1 Reason You Hear "I'm Not Interested"” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How a Power Dialer Streamlines Your Sales Process and Improves Productivity   Power dialers improve your sales process and productivity. As a salesperson, have you given this any thought? Listen to this episode to help you decide if a power dialer will help you in your business.   Sean Leonard is the founder of FunnelFLARE and the CEO of Jump Demand. One of their products is FunnelFLARE and the other is a  marketing automation platform. Sean has a background in long sales cycle sales, specifically in the process automation where they are selling automation software. Interestingly, it didn’t start in sales and marketing but in manufacturing. In his early days, he was selling industrial software for manufacturing mainly in process control. Automation really played a huge part to help scale the marketing cycle. They started Jump Demand with the goal of helping people automate customer acquisition. They use FunnelFLARE for sales enablement.    The issue in sales Sales is about the highest paid hard work and the lowest paid easy work. All salespeople want to sell more and they are highly motivated to do that. The reality is 80% of the salesperson’s revenue comes from 20% of their activities. This means that 80% of the time sales reps are not doing revenue-generating tasks. Sales is a contact sport so we have to become proficient in making calls. Every sales organization wants its staff to talk to people and be helpful. The idea behind Sean’s products is to help salespeople reduce the effort in making calls.    The second issue Sean was looking at is the CRM. He thinks that it’s purposely built to help salespeople succeed. There are so many CRMs out there and the evolution of the tool has been advantageous for everyone on the sales team as it helps them manage their projects and opportunities. Sean and his team found that many salespeople were spending so much time trying to add to the CRM that they were also spending more time outside of the CRM. They were having to bounce from one app to the other. These tasks included logging the calls, putting together a strategy throughout the day, updating the CRM,  and integrating the information into the calls that the salespeople make.   Sean’s efforts enable sales reps to do their work in the CRM and reduce the effort that’s spent in using the CRM. The goal is to keep members of the organization have lots of documented opportunities while still being able to maintain a relationship with people.  Defining power dialer Power Dialer for Sean is basically what he is doing with the CRM. It’s a list of people that he has bulk edited and flagged for his calling session. They use a Chrome extension where a dialog box appears when they click the extension. The dialog box has a pre-loaded name of the person from the flagged list. The idea behind the power dialer is that it allows you to make calls efficiently and with greater speed.    With Power Dialer the numbers are automatically selected when you make a call. The numbers are local numbers from the region because that typically gets a better hit rate. You can put a tracking script on the website. These are prospect insights and account insights, tabs that sales reps can quickly check. This  gives them the idea of what their prospects have been up to. While the call is going on, Sean’s system records the call and builds a transcript of the call. When the call has ended, your next move is to do a follow-up email. Sean’s team has a pop-up email template that their teams can use. They also add commentary relating to the recent call to personalize the emails. When you’re ready to make the next call, you can also drop an automated voicemail if the call isn’t picked up.    The good thing about the system is that sales reps can make changes to the metadata. You can add notes that are applied when reloaded and the notes are saved automatically. The transcripts are also saved in the CRM as notes. This makes the call process more efficient  and there’s no typing and updating involved. The data are automatically loaded into the CRM.    Personalized voicemail vs non-personalized voicemail If you are making follow-up calls with your existing clients, or with people that are late into the sales process, your voicemail has to be personalized. In this case you can’t drop a voicemail that was pre-recorded.   It's different when you have a warm lead. You can choose to create a follow-up email or an SMS. Oftentimes, SMS has more traction because people are flooded with emails on a daily basis. Sean usually loads up SMS and sends them to prospects before making calls. This is for the prospects to know who is going to call them. The magic in the voicemail lies in the follow-up email. When you email, give them a link to your appointment scheduler and let them when they should anticipate your next call.    If you are talking to someone late in the sales process, you must personalize the message. #SalesPersonalization   Cadence Automation Aside from the Power Dialer, Sean’s team also has cadence automation. These are predefined sequences that use both emails and SMS. This system allows them to use merge fields and track links. They can personalize the SMS with a template and merge fields. Every SMS link is shortened and tracked. Every time the prospects click the link, it will show up in the prospect’s insights. The next time the sales reps call, they can see the logs and the links clicked by the prospects. Based on their cases, their automation system is measured and it proves to save time by 60%.    Automation as an account-based selling strategy For example, you’re selling into an account called Honeywell. Assuming that you are in process control and you’re hitting your sales. You want all of your sales reps from different regions around the world to be reselling or quoting your software. What you do as the sales manager to set up your day for calling the Honeywell account, is write a uniform script that all the members of the team will be using. That script goes into your Honeywell list. You can then go to your CRM, bulk edit, and grab all the people for the account reps for Honeywell. You can then start the call using the Power Dialer.    Selling is similar to being a doctor. A doctor is all about communicating that they understand whatever the patient is feeling. They then make a prescription based on their understanding. Doctors need to be present to know and understand their patient’s pain. The same is true in sales. You can’t jump between industries and calls. You won’t get the mindset of thinking about your client’s pain and truly be able to communicate to them that you understand them. You want to group your clients by industry so you can get into the mindset that is specific to this group.     Not all are open to using Power Dialers and there are a number of reasons why this may not work. Some may be closing the deal and  feeling confident. When this happens, sales reps can stop following the process.  Some may start to cut corners and  don’t follow up with an email. They may not follow the script. The other reason for these systems not launching is salespeople who have been in the industry for a number of years find it difficult to learn new habits or systems.   There’s no shortcut There is no shortcut to the system. You need to go through the process for each of your clients. The biggest challenge in automation is not letting your clients feel like they are just another number. You need to do it right. When you send them an email, don’t click before you make sure your message is personalized. Automation allows you to reuse work you’ve already done but your job is to replicate what you’re doing on a  daily basis without automating the personalization. Make use of your time while staying in the pay zone.    “How a Power Dialer Streamlines Your Sales Process and Improves Productivity” episode resources Connect with Sean Leonard via his LinkedIn account.  If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How I Creatively Booked Meetings Using Video With people being more isolated, the trend of how to set appointments is changing. Salespeople need to be more creative about how to get a prospect’s attention, such as using videos. This episode will be about using this approach to make you stand out from the crowd and get that meeting.    Frank Weshcler works for a company called Dynamic Signal. They started in San Bruno but for the last two years, the company has branched out to Chicago. It is a communications and engagement platform to help enterprises and commercial size companies.    The journey toward creating videos  When Frank was still interviewing with Dynamic Signal, he was asked how comfortable he was in front of the camera. With video creation being part of their outreach, he needed to be able to do quick 30-second dynamic video clips where he could introduce himself and create a pitch. With his theater background, he was immediately comfortable and got started making videos.    Use your creativity Frank’s company uses Vidyard, a video platform that integrates with their sales platform. It helps them find videos easily,  attaches them into emails, and sends them. Frank has been very creative in all his videos. In one of his videos he ate the restaurant's hottest wings, with triple sauce, and recorded himself pitching to the client while his mouth was on fire! Despite the fact he was coughing and choking, he pressed on.  The client loved it, sent it out to their entire team, and Frank got a meeting.  For him, it was worth it!   Keep in mind, the meeting took time and follow-up. After not hearing from the prospect after the initial video, he reached out again with another video, but without the wings this time, to ask if the client had seen the video.  It was then that Frank was able to solidify the meeting. Don’t be discouraged after just one touch.  Clients get busy.    The formula in creating a video  There is no one formula in creating a video but you can do the research to find the connective niche angle that will be the focus of your pitch. For a sports car company, Frank made a video of himself building one of their cars out of Legos in his workshop using his GoPro. He titled it “I Made Your Car in My Workshop” and it became click-worthy for the client. The video was tied into their brand and interest. Put yourself in your client’s shoes. What would make something click-worthy for you? When you create a video, tie it into the prospect’s brand or the contact’s personal interests. #SalesVideos   How to use videos Frank loves using videos as an ice-breaker. He often sends a video for the first or  second touch depending on who he is reaching out to. After the video, the next step is getting on the phone. If he still doesn’t get a response, he sends another follow-up video just to remind them of his first video. If he still doesn’t get a reply, he lets it go.   Research plays a huge part in the process of making a video. In this stage of the process, your job is to  create an idea that will be relatable to them. What are the prospect’s interests or hobbies? What are their favorite sports teams? Here is where you can use LinkedIn and other social media platforms to dig deep. Frank discovered one prospect was a slam poet so he made a slam poetry video. Use your videos to personalize your pitch in a way your competition hasn’t.  Through your efforts, you ‘re making your introductory video a cut above the rest.    The bane in video  creation Not all people are using videos for their pitch and introduction because not all salespeople are comfortable in front of the camera. The trend in sales, however, is going more toward videos as salespeople are now using Zoom in their videoconferencing. Hopefully through Zoom salespeople are getting more comfortable being in front of the camera and will take advantage of this video trend as it gains popularity. Frank had never heard utilized video prospecting before joining Dynamic Signal but he’s learned the huge advantage of personalization through this mode of communication. As the use of Zoom progresses, using video prospecting may soon become the norm. Don’t limit yourself.    “How I Creatively Booked Meetings Using Video” episode resources Connect with Frank via his LinkedIn account. You can also email him at fweschler@dynamicsignal.com or call him at 847-521-0366.  If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

10 things new sellers should avoid doing   We all make mistakes from time to time but you can’t avoid them if you don’t know they’re mistakes. In this episode, Donald will share 10 mistakes he’s made so you he’s made so you don’t have to.    Mistake #1: Being pushy People hate pushy sales reps. These are the ones that are often associated with being a stereotypical “used car salesperson.” This makes buyers feel like they are being tricked into making a purchase. Buyers nowadays are educated, prepared, and they are familiar with the tactics that sellers use. These days, buyers have different options and can go somewhere else if they don’t feel you have their best interest at heart. Buyers want to move toward sellers who can educate them to make the best decision, as opposed to someone who is trying to push them into an option they don’t really need. .  Pushy sellers are those who are trying to hit their own deadlines and quotas without taking into account what’s best for their customer. They have abandoned the whole idea of empathy.   Mistake #2: Not listening We’ve all heard that we have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak … but not everyone takes this to heart. Donald was taught early on that he should only speak about 30-40% of the time. The rest of the time should be spent listening. New sellers have the notion that the more you talk, the more convincing you get. Actually, the opposite is true. Great sellers spend their time asking effective questions. When you research and come prepared with questions buyers can  respond to, it helps them see you’re more engaged. For example, ask questions pertaining to their business or personal interests . It’s during these conversations that the prospect will tell you how to sell to them.    Having two ears and one mouth should tell you to listen twice as much as you speak. #SalesListening   Mistake #3: Saying “Tell me more about your business”  Don’t ask a buyer about their business when there’s so much information available over the internet. Do your research before the meeting. The buyer shouldn’t have to waste their time educating you about their business. You don’t want to be caught less informed than your competition. Instead, ask them questions that pertain to their services and about the challenges their company may be trying to overcome.      Mistake #4: Lying  Nobody likes a liar. As a seller, you have an idea about what numbers you want to hit. Regardless of what that might be, when the buyer asks for the price, don’t tell them you don’t know if you can give them a margin to work with. Help the buyer make a decision that’s in their best interest by offering great value first, then talk price.    If you truly don’t know the answer to a critical question, let them know you’ll get back to them. Just don’t lie. The buyer will appreciate your authenticity.   Mistake #5: Not taking No as an answer You want to help people but you can’t force them to get your products or services. Sales work is very much like baseball. Not every swing turns into a home run. Sometimes you’re just going to get to first base or hit a line drive. The same is true with your prospects. You want to give your best but when a buyer says no, you can ask a follow-up question to make sure it’s not a problem you can solve. If it’s just not a good time, don’t be pushy and revisit down the road.    Mistake #6: Not knowing the buyer’s true needs It’s best to meet a client with some understanding of their needs and how you can offer solutions or better alternatives. The last thing a buyer wants is to deal with a salesperson who has no idea how to help them solve their problems. Try to understand the pain points of their business. The more you understand them, the more you’ll be able to add value.    Case studies and testimonials can offer great insight to how problems can be solved or what the problem is. These can be found in your own company’s files, through your competitors, or your prospect’s website. Look at some of the training and videos. Look at their case studies and read on the challenges they solve for their buyers. The last thing a buyer wants is to deal with a salesperson who has no idea how to help them solve their problems.    Mistake #7: Being late for meetings   When you set up an appointment, make sure to show up on time and don’t miss appointments. Buyers are busy and being late is a bad first impression. Be diligent with your scheduling and don’t stack appointments if you can’t follow through. Learn how to organize your time in a way that you will have extra time to prepare for your next appointment. Calculate in your travel time, the time you need to prepare your slides, and anything else that will take up precious minutes.   Be careful too of being too early and creating a burden for the client. Be there early enough to set up and then be ready to go by the time the client gets there.  Mistake #8: Not keeping your word This mistake ties closely to the previous one. For example, if you gave your word you were  going to bring information to the meeting, then do so. You don’t want to come across as unreliable as they will wonder if this will be how you are after closing.  Embrace the idea of  under promising and over delivering.    Mistake #9: Overselling Overselling can happen with new sellers. Sometimes new sellers feel they have to tell the buyers everything about the product. Your job is to show what’s specifically important to the client. If you’re selling a house and the buyer really wants a nice garage, don’t spend most of your time showing them the bedrooms - show them the nice garage. Give them what they want. This is how your buyers gain confidence in you and the product or service you have to offer.    Mistake #10: Not willing to learn  As a new seller, it’s part of your job to learn from everyone. Talk to your colleagues, people from different departments, and other people in the industry. Recognize your gap and seek opportunities to keep learning and growing.  Watch videos, read books, listen to podcasts, go to training seminars, and utilize other modes of education. Be an effective seller by continuously increasing your knowledge.    10 things new sellers should avoid doing” episode resources If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077.  We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

How to Virtually Forge Deep Connections With Prospects   The pandemic has changed the methods of prospecting. Sales is still about connecting with people on a personal level but with so many people doing business virtually now, sales reps have to be able to do this without getting to see people in “the real world.”    Steve Herz is the president of the Montag Group, a talent agency specializing in representing sportscasters, TV newscasters, weathermen radio personalities, podcast hosts, and more. Over the last four years, however, Steve has also become a coach to executive CEOs and anyone who wants to improve their communication skills to close more deals.    Don’t Take Yes for an Answer  Steve’s book is  Don’t Take Yes for an Answer. The title might seem odd to a salesperson whose livelihood depends on a yes. In this case,  Steve means that he doesn’t want people to be surrounded by the yeses that keep them stuck in mediocrity.  It impedes your improvement.   For example, Steve was in his second year of law school, and he was one of the 30 kids working at a big law firm in New York City. By the end of summer, he was facing a verdict of either getting an offer or not. The first 29 people ahead of him received an offer. Steve did not. The managing partner told him that he didn’t have the right skill set for the job and it was suggested he go into sales, start his own company, and come back to the firm as a client. Steve reflected on this advice and it changed the trajectory of his life. This is the story behind the title of his book. He was given a life-changing no and it was the best thing for him! Steve quotes Barry Summers, who has had great success on Wall Street, who said, “The second best thing to a Yes in the business is a fast No.”    Striving for the best version of you It isn’t your job to say yes. Your job is to bring out the honesty from people around you. Be okay with the no that will push you to become better. Show up with a healthy vulnerability that reflects your interest in growing and learning. If you  strive to get better everyday you open the door to a better version of yourself. This positions you to connect with people who may become your mentors.    Successful salesman vs a great salesman To be great in sales, you need to believe you can be a success. This comes from genuinely serving the needs of others.  Be someone who knows that you are going to do your very best for the person who has entrusted their needs with you. For example, if you’re selling insurance in Florida and you know the property is prone to flooding, let the homeowners know about it. If something catastrophic happens, get them a stay in a hotel and get their house rebuilt. Exceed the expectations of a client and care about the outcome.    Forging the connection  Steve believes that people can still forge great connections with people, even in this virtual environment. Before the pandemic, a salesperson may have made 30 phone calls but with the pandemic, may be connecting only half as much but now, it’s on Zoom. Seeing the person face-to-face has a different effect than just speaking with them on the phone. Making eye contact, even virtually, and makes the connection much deeper, especially when you’re able to discuss their life, their interests, and their needs.   Stumbling blocks in using Zoom  When you’re able to Zoom, set aside time to do what needs to be accomplished. Five minutes is not going to be enough. Instead, set aside thirty minutes per call so you have a chance to get to know what’s important to your potential client. Get to understand their reasons for being in the industry they’re in. If you spend the time getting to know people, eventually, enough of those people will have a need for what you’re offering.  Steve has been in the business for 25 years and many of his customers/clients have stayed with him for that 25-year period. He isn’t aiming for short-term business. Steve believes that the best customers are your current customers and maintaining them while getting new ones by referral is a great way to grow your business.    The authentic body language As a salesperson, you need to be confident and comfortable in your own body language. Be relaxed, have good posture, and maintain eye contact. During a sales meeting make it a habit  to be professional but authentic. You want there to be a consistency of behavior throughout your life so you can show up to prospects comfortably.  Oftentimes, we don’t even know we have bad habits. You can correct that with the help of your colleagues, friends, or family members who can be an extra set of eyes on what could be improved upon.    Make it a habit to sit up straight and have good eye contact so it becomes natural when you’re in front of people. #SalesPosture   Be perceptive and acknowledge others Make sure that the person you’re talking to feels welcome. Look at the conversation from the other person’s perspective and ask yourself:   -What do they want out of this?  -What is their point of view? -How can I frame my conversation in a way to make it about them?   Steve talked to his friend, Jeff, who ran a whole division in Citibank and built a billion-dollar business for the bank. Jeff was on the heavy side, however, and was told earlier in his career that he wouldn’t get a job in management because he doesn’t look the part. His performance was so strong, however, that he was promoted anyway to manage a whole division. Steve asked Jeff how he did it. Jeff explained that his boss noticed that in his division there was almost no turnover of people they considered integral to the business. It was because Jeff cared for his employees and whenever someone got another offer, Jeff would meet with them to ask if the offer was really the best thing for them. He would go over the pros and cons of taking the offer. Jeff supported their decisions either way, but he made it a point to create the chance to highlight that their company had already proven how much these employees were valued. Jeff was able to move through these meetings well because he’d already established trust. He genuinely cared about his people and they knew it.    Eric Mark is now a senior VP for the Miami Dolphins but when he and Steve still worked together he asked Steve to have breakfast with him. Eric said that he was coming to Steve to talk as a friend and a boss. He told Steve that he loved working with him but he got a job that would move him towards his dream job working for the NBA. Steve told Eric to take the job, even though he wanted him to stay, but knowing that Eric’s heart was somewhere else, he knew in the long run, it was Eric’s best move. Eric thrived in the NBA for five years and eventually got the offer with the Miami Dolphins. A decade later and they are still close.    We all need to constantly improve our mindset and the way we interact with others. No matter how successful we become, it’s mission critical to keep learning about how to show up for people and be at our best.    “How to Virtually Forge Deep Connections With Prospects" episode resources  Reach out to Steve Herz via his LinkedIn Account! You can also visit his official website and look up his podcast from there.  If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077.  We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com

What To Do When a Customer Says “Not Yet” To Closing   We’ve all gotten a “not yet” from a prospect and it can be frustrating having that delay in closing. In this episode we’ll look at how to move from “not yet” to yes.   Jeff Shore is a salesperson at heart and has been in the industry for a number of years. He started his sales career in real estate but for the last 20 years, he’s been at Shore Consulting. Jeff works with companies large and small all around the world. He is also a published author and is getting ready to launch his 10th book. He used to look at sales from the perspective of the salesperson but now, he’s looking at how a buyer buys. Instead of reading sales books, he reads psychology books to know what’s going on in the mind during the sales process that leads to the decisions people make.    Salespeople are sales counselors because they get to the root of the problem before they try to provide any kind of solution. This is the heartbeat of sales. We understand the customers’ problems and we try to offer them the best solution.   On writing his books    As an author, Jeff understands he has to live a book before he writes it. Jeff knows it’s not just about the sale. The follow up is just as important and Jeff is passionate about learning everything he can. He wants us all to know the greatest lessons are in how to serve customers and learning how we can add value after the initial presentation. This is what Jeff’s book is about.    The inability to follow-up  Not following up comes down to two things:  I can’t do it or I won’t do it. This is both an ability and a motivation issue. If you don’t know how, find someone to help you or a resource that can teach you.  Motivation entails having the right mindset.   The challenges today  The two biggest problems in doing follow-up are that salespeople are often too slow and/or too impersonal. Speed and personalization are the superpowers that salespeople have at their disposal. The faster they serve, the more that they are able to share the message that they care. These days, people equate speed with care. If you can combine speed and personalization, you’re already 98% ahead from other salespeople who just rely on their CRM to kick out a generic email 24-hours after the initial conversation.  Getting back in touch adds value and this is the first step in building a relationship with prospects. The second step is being personal. We all get numerous emails in a week and they come in many forms. If salespeople spent any meaningful time online, they would see there is plenty of accessible information to personalize correspondence and it would make all the difference.    Jeff got an email from a person who just took a photo of himself holding a piece of paper that said, “Hi, Jeff!”  He knew then that the email was for him. He got Jeff’s attention and Jeff couldn’t deny him a reply.  They didn’t close a deal but it got a response and that is a huge part of the battle.    The need to follow-up Many salespeople are doing follow-up because of the fear of getting in trouble with their bosses. If the CRM has holes in it, then the sales reps can just blame it on the system. This isn’t enough. A sales rep has to see the importance and value behind the follow-up. Your starting point should be asking yourself how you can add value to the prospect. You need a better motivation to do the follow-up than just your boss.    Don’t get eliminated  There are two types of elimination: active elimination and the passive elimination. Active elimination is when a product or service isn’t a good fit. Passive elimination happens when you fall off from the prospects’ radar and become forgettable. The longer time you wait to do a follow-up, the longer period it will be that you go without having a conversation with them. This lack of communication destroys relationships. This has something to do with a psychological phenomenon called emotional altitude. Human beings are emotional creatures. We make emotion-based decisions but we buy more with our gut. About 85% of the purchasing decisions we have are instinctive or intuitive and only 15% is based on logic and supported by data.    In a sales conversation, a prospect can start hyped up and excited. That feeling of excitement doesn’t last. Time has a way of decreasing that emotional altitude. The role of the follow-up ensures that the emotional attitude stays up. It helps to maintain an emotional engagement.    When to stop  The best time to stop doing a follow-up is when the prospect no longer thinks you’re adding value. Your goal in doing follow-up is to add value and be on their radar to solve future problems. Have structure in your follow-up and you put  yourself in a position where you can give what they need  over and over again. Be the first person that comes to mind when a need arises.   Your mission isn’t just to follow-up but to follow-up and close. #ClosingADeal Adding value using a video follow-up Videos are effective and the amount of value you can build in a 30-second length of time is astounding. One of the barricades to video follow-up is discomfort because some people just don’t like the way they look on camera. If you feel that way, just know that your customers already know what you look like. This is a follow-up video so they’re not expecting to see anyone else. The good thing about this is the ability to do it again and again until you get the perfect personalized video message.    During the pandemic, video conferencing is the best way to talk to other people. We are now forced to use videos and this can help accelerate the video interaction long before you\re able to meet somebody face-to-face for the first time.    Remember your speed  Speed is your sales superpower, so use it. Send a  follow-up message as soon as you’re able. You can record a 15-second video telling your prospect how much you enjoyed the conversation  and you’re willing to help answer any questions. That’s quick and already a follow-up. The video is much better than a business card that can get thrown away. Your video will be on their phone along with your number.    Steven Pressfield’s book The War of Art  talks to artists and writers who are dealing with blocks. Pressfield called this resistance and it keeps them from doing things they need to do. In sales, this is comfort addiction. We like to be in a comfortable place but remember that success doesn't lie in your comfort zone. If you are uncomfortable doing follow-up, you need to deal with the discomfort and breakthrough. If you can do that, then you’ll be able to uncover incredible opportunities.    “What To Do When a Customer Says “Not Yet” To Closing” episode resources  Connect with Jeff Shore via his LinkedIn account or subscribe to his podcast, The Buyer’s Mind and listen to his shows every Saturday.    If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns.  This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077.  We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to.  You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial.  Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.Mentioned in this episode:HubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOSHubSpot and bluëmago | STUDIOS hubpspot.com/marketers bluemangostudios.com