Sales Is King

Elite Sellers are gifted storytellers and that doesn't mean they spin a yarn about the good ole days, college exploits or last night's ballgame. They follow a well thought out approach to selling that connects emotionally with their prospects and customers. Dan walks us through the formula used by sales expert John Livesay.  A Few Highlights: Your happy client, the one whose problems you solved, is the hero of the story(not you). What do you solve? Paint a picture "And what this means to you is...." "Does that sound like the type of journey you'd like to go on with me?" Check in moments Creating Intrigue Tune in for groundbreaking tactics to telling compelling stories and making selling easier than it has ever been before 🎧

Dan switches it up and reads his popular new LinkedIn article which implores reps to stop complaining about a lack of leads and to take on greater accountability- in short, transforming themselves into modern sellers. This episode focuses on the following key areas: 1. Personal Brand/POV 2. Giving a sh*t/Empathy 3. Always Adding Value 4. Creating Your OWN Demand Don't miss this new spin on modern selling 🎙

A new Forbes article says it all: the game of Sales is in a constant state of flux with sales reps grappling with a myriad of new techniques, approaches and methodologies to follow. Ask questions, don't ask questions, the prospects already know what they want, the prospects need to be led, deliver insights, connect problems to your solution, differentiate, add value, be persistent, but not pushy...need I say more? The state of Selling today requires a close connection between sales leaders and reps. Dan boils it down(with the help of an Inside Sales article) to the 5 key traits needed for success in sales today.   🎙Listening Skills 🎙Resilience and Grit 🎙Empathy 🎙Preparation 🎙Motivated + Competitive 🎙Product Knowledge/Subject Matter Expertise Let's face it, Selling is in a state of disruption, which means that we've hit a fork in the road. Will you choose the path the leads to riches or the one that will take you to mediocrity and potential extinction?  

Stated over and over and over lately: Sales Reps need to be problem solvers. Easy right? Nope.  While 83% of Reps are proficient in asking discovery questions, the number plummets to only 33% of Reps that can actually connect their solution to solving the problem. Even more on issue, only 12% of Reps can create a sense of urgency in Buyers. Dan breaks down the key characteristics of effective problem solving in Sales today.  Furthermore, Reps need to be accomplished storytellers, say the experts. Well, that's great but what the bejesus does this mean? Dan walks us through a new article by the folks from the Challenger Sale for some guidance.  These are two pivotal skills for success in 2019, so grab your walkman and listen NOW, damnit 🏅

Are you capable of making millions as an elite seller? Are you a Wolf? Or a lamb? Dan puts a bow on 2018 with a killer program which details the motivation and tactics in step by step fashion of Jordan Belfort, the Wolf Of Wall Street's Straight Line Selling methodology. Don't miss the last episode of the season! 🤟

Dan is interviewed by Mari Anne Vanella on her program "Outstanding Outbound" and comes out swinging in a harsh criticism of sales leaders and later outlines the 3 steps required to maximize sales leaders' success in 2019: 1. Decide which skills are important and hire the right sales reps that demonstrate those skills 2. Learn how to COACH 3. Hold yourself accountable Grab your popcorn, get comfy and hit PLAY.

While 74% of the wins in B2B Sales go to those reps that engage early and helping to set the buying agenda(vs only 26% occur in the late stage RFP/bake off/feature fight), many sales execs struggle with asking the right questions and uncovering a reason for the prospect to move along the sales cycle. Thus only 17% of reps get invited to a second meeting. Dan takes a look at the reasons why people BUY, their motivations from a psychological perspective which is key to understanding what drives decision-making. There are dozens of reasons why a buyer will pull the trigger on a purchase. If, as a modern seller, you can engage and uncover one or more of these motivations, there is a great chance you are going to be in the drivers seat. But you need to be skilled to unlock this path to success. Tune your dial to the latest Sales Is King and learn how to CONVERT more meetings into $$$. 🎙

In How To Become A Rainmaker, by Jeffrey J. Fox, the author talks about the need to sell money rather than products or services. You are not selling medical devices, stocks, software, technology, services, etc. If you are doing it right, you are selling MONEY. What Fox is saying is to sell value instead of widgets. Dan, in this new episode, uses this as the launching point for this eye opening episode where he details the steps Sales Reps need to take to effectively sell value. Dan walks us through a new report by the RAIN group which states that nearly 60% of buyers find meetings with sales people useless. There are 5 key areas to where sales reps and sales leaders need to focus and improve to adequately grow in 2019: 1. Sell With Value 2. Train and Coach 3. Grow Existing Accounts 4. Improve Sales Management Effectiveness 5. Improve Time Management(e.g spend more time selling, man!) Turn on your CarPlay and listen now! 🚗

Like-ability, which used to be at the top of the list of sales rep requirements in the pre digital era is now turning into one of the biggest weaknesses for sales reps today. A new study by the Objective Management Group confirms this. Those reps that find themselves needing to be liked by the prospect or customer and that work in a producer role in a consultative, longer selling cycle role are outperformed by a wide margin by their counterparts who do not care about being liked. Tune in as Dan takes us through each of the categories and the score comparisons, the consequences for reps, and what we reps need to do to avoid this common downfall and turn things around.

A buyer calls up and says he has thoroughly researched all of the solutions available and believes you and your company may be just what he is looking for. He just needs a demo and a quote and he'll be good to go. Good news? Not really. Only 26% of deals are won in this scenario. In this episode, Dan reveals that some buyers may think they know what they need but the sales rep's job is to take a step back and diagnose the situation much like a medical doctor would with a patient that comes in asking for a particular drug. One of the most difficult sales moves is to pull(gently) the buyer potentially out of his 'journey' and into your sales process. There is a multi point approach that is required when a sales exec encounters this type of buyer: 1. Find out where the buyer is in the process 2. Uncover his motivations and reasons for believing you can help him 3. Shift/pivot into Discovery/Assess mode uncovering motivations/issues 4. Validate that you can in fact help 5. Use phrases like, 'help me understand..." and "have you considered...?" 6. Value/Gap Sell based on your Discovery