It’s not about just you

I had a salesperson that I just couldn’t seem to get her to work with more customers- being she was new, I would repeatedly emphasize to her to work with more customers, but when they would come in, she’d usually fall back & let another salesperson Up (catch) them. I couldn’t figure it out..she knew her product, she was technically sound, & she was used to competing against the boys because she came from a male dominated industry …so what was it? When asked, she responded, “Marsh, I don’t have a huge need- the other salespeople around me have to struggle to make a sale in order to pay rent & car notes- I don’t have a huge need so I don’t need to make much.” Leaning back I asked her, “So what’s your end game…” to that she told me that she planned on being in the car business a long time. “Then if that’s the case, you’re not doing yourself much good- here’s why…

First, you can’t teach what you don’t know & you’ll never know until you first do. In his biography, Arnold Schwarzenegger said the 3 keys to him becoming a 7x Mr Olympia, successful businessman, & one of the highest paid actors at the time in Hollywood were reps, reps, reps.”

Reps weatherproof your career. You’ve got to work with hundreds of experiences, objections, scenarios, & obstacles while fading & maneuvering through thousands of rejections not only so that you can learn, but so that you can pay it forward and help others succeed who are starting out as well. Reps also give your customers the needed assurances that you can help them with their current situation because you’ve helped other customers maneuver through similar circumstances as well.

“This brings me to my 2nd point,” I told her, “When you’re not working with enough customers, not only do you not possess enough of the necessary skills that they desire & deserve, but not working with enough customers means that you’re OK with them buying from an inferior salesperson- if you say that you’re here to help customers, then you’ve got to follow through with actions to those words.”

“Which brings me to my 3rd point,” I quipped, “Do you have kids?” She told me that she had a boy and a girl- Mason & Madison…”Do you want them to do well in life,” I asked knowing she’d say yes. “If you want them to do well, then be their teacher- set the example because they can’t be what they don’t see. The reason why so many struggle as adults today is because, no one played the part…no one showed them the pattern… no one chalked the outline, nor showed them what they could be because no one helped them see…no one showed them more so they’ve accepted less.”

You must do well…you must reach beyond your comfort zone…you must dig deep and get back up…you must set audacious goals & kick the door in when Life tries to slam it in your face…you must reach higher because this isn’t just about you.

It’s way bigger than that…

….but first you’ve got to set the bar.

I’ll see you on the Blacktop.

What you miss becomes your momentum

It’s sooo frustrating to put in the hard work only to wind up empty handed. You work with a customer for hours, days, even months only to finally catch them on the phone and discover that they bought somewhere else.

Or what about the video or blog post that you worked on for hours only to have one viewer? (Hmm I wonder who that could’ve been.)

You tried out for the team…you put in the application…you submitted a proposal…or you finally got the chance to set up a meeting, but you ended up scratching.

No jersey with your name on the back; no new fancy title; no gabillion dollar new account; and the meeting got canceled while you were sitting in the waiting room.

You could stop by the local gas station and buy that $9.99 bottle of Yellow Tail to drown your sorrow…

You could blame the man for always keeping you down…

Or you could realize that you didn’t miss anything, because what you “missed” actually becomes your momentum. 

One of my favorite phrases is, feed the machine – meaning, constantly feed your action… relentlessly feed your effort… because if you feed it, the results will show.

Maybe the results don’t show up in the way that you’d like for them to, but they always show.

Sometimes they show up in winning results…

But they always show up in feedback.

The problem is we rarely take stock in feedback.

Yes or no…deal or no deal…”Congratulations,” or “Thanks, we’ll pass,” use the feedback to tweak and refine your next approach, phone call, meeting, or submission. REGARDLESS of your immediate result. 

Because…

Feedback isn’t valuable…it’s priceless. 

Feedback is your return on effort.

Musicians know all about feedback…

When they get on stage to do a sound check, sometimes their mic gives that deafening ring – that’s feedback and the sound engineer makes the necessary adjustments so that the sound comes out clear and crisp when they get ready to perform…your process needs to be the same way.

When you step onto the stage with a customer-hell, when even you step onto the grand stage of Life– your initial feedback may be ear piercing, but keep making the necessary adjustments….

Musicians don’t just walk off stage due to the initial foul sound.

They make the adjustments- not once, but all throughout the performance.

So should you…

Whether you’re slaying it today or just flat ass bombing, make the adjustments with the feedback that you are receiving – don’t personalize or internalize it, just keep adjusting…

And if you “miss” the result, keep in mind that you made the momentum. Make the adjustments and keep on rocking.

Stay in The Sales Life!

-Marsh

 

It’s not the What, but the Who. #love #motivation #overcome #newday #blessed

Some things can’t be unbroken. #motivation #love #benice

The simplicity of #love as told by my 6 yr old. #motivation #lifeisshort #inthemoment #breathe

Love The One You’re With

Finding common ground is the next step after professionally introducing yourself to a customer. (You do that don’t you?) Some people, like my mom, have a natural knack for being able to talk to anyone; if you are like me, I struggle in this department. I am an introvert by nature and an extrovert by profession. When I worked in surveillance for the casino industry, isolated in a dark 15×5 room with only one other person, being an introvert was ok-not so good in sales. In our industry, we have to be able to become a human to our customers. The only way to do that is by finding some similar interests with them. When a customer can relate to you, they are more apt to buy from you. I use the acronym L.O.V.E. (fittingly enough) in an effort to find common ground with my customers.

 

·         L–Likes: What do your customers like to do in their spare time? Because I live in South Louisiana, a lot of my customers love the outdoors. Men and women love to hunt, fish, and alligator hunt- well maybe not the last one, but everybody thinks we do. (I run from them just as fast as you do.) Everyone has an interest in something besides punching a clock. Find out what they like-you and your customer may share a common interest. Caution: If you don’t share their interest, don’t act like you do; you will lose credibility. Be a good listener instead; your customers will love to share what they know.

 

·        O–Occupation: What do they do for a living? I’ve encountered salespeople who think they are prying when asking a customer what they do for a living? My question is, “Do you get offended when someone asks you about buying a car?” I rest my case.  Use open-ended questions like, “That sounds interesting, tell me more.” Or  “What attracted you to that line of work; “You’ve been there a long time and have worked your way through the ranks, how did you do it?” These are just a few questions you can use in an effort to get your customers to open up. In order to become interesting, you must first become interested.



·         V–Values: What are your customers’ values? I don’t mean lay ‘em on the couch and get them to share the most intimate details of their lives; finding out if they belong to civic organizations, non-profit orgs, or any sort of involvement in the community is a sure-fire way of getting customers to talk about themselves. You may belong to the same organization; in turn, you will receive instant credibility.

 

·         E–Endorsements: Developing a great reputation with your sold clients is an invaluable way to receive third-party endorsements. As Jim Ziegler advises, develop an evidence book chocked with photos, testimonials and thank you cards will make your credibility stock soar. We are more likely to buy clothing, books, or other products when the one endorsing the product is someone we relate to.

 

So the next time you are trying to find some common ground with a customer or even in a social setting, learn to L.O.V.E. them and see your relationships deepen. See you on the Blacktop!