The Art of Sales with Art Sobczak

Fear is one of the strongest human motivators. It causes people to take massive action, or do nothing because it paralyzes them. And we should use it in our own sales. Professionally, and ethically of course. To help people. You'll hear exactly how, in three different areas.

It's always better to let people tell you what they want, and sell themselves in the process, than YOU telling them what you want them to buy. Art shares a simple, one sentence template that you can use by filling in two blanks.

In sales, too often the salesperson's emphasis is self-centered, with the focus on what they want... the meeting, the sale, the commission. And that is evidenced by product pitches, irrelevant and unfocused messaging that is not personalized. Professional sales is all about relationships, not just getting the deal. Casey Jacox wrote the book on that, "Win the Relationship and Not the Deal,"and shares valuable, important rules we all can benefit from.

We all love to hear from prospects who contact us and seem ready to buy. Some are in a great hurry to get price quote, proposal and other information urgently. But, all of those do not really intend on buying from you. In this episode, Art shows how to sort through and find the real buyers, and not waste time with those who will never buy from you.

Asking "What is your budget?", or "Do you have anything left in your budget?" typically results in an objection. The fact is, if you are talking to the right person, and the need for what they want is strong enough, they will find a way to get the money. Art shares a story about a call he received where the rep killed the call with his question, and what he--and you could do instead to get people talking about buying what they want.

The biggest problem in sales is people presenting what they want to sell, without regard for what the other person might be interested in. And that causes objections. It's really not that tough to do things the right way. To recommend instead of present. But it needs to be done in the right way, at the right time. Art shares his simple four-step process for doing just that, so you can get more agreement, and fewer objections.

Many sales calls are doomed because the sales rep told himself so before the call. You might not win them all, but if you don't think you'll win, you'll likely get very few. Art discusses the importance of your thoughts going into any sales situation--or competition--and shares a personal story.

Many jobs that aren't considered sales, actually involve a lot of selling. Casino dealers are in that category. Art shares his recent, positive Las Vegas experience and how the dealers at one casino were the ultimate sales pros.

When people fail at sales, and when individual calls are not successful, the fate has been determined well before they ever speak with prospects and customers. It's due to their self-centered mindset. Here are specific questions to ask yourself about your prospects and customers to think about them, and what they want in order to guide your attitude and messaging.

As the intro to the show states, "everyone sells every day," regardless of whether it is someone's actual job. In this episode Art shares an experience that most have had: listing something for sale and dealing with potential buyers. He shares mistakes to avoid, and what to do to get a sale, at full price.