Secrets Of Top Sales Professionals Exposed!
Dale Beaumont
With Stuart Zadel & Foreword By John Rawson
Disclaimer
All the information, techniques, skills and concepts contained within this publication are of the nature of general comment only, and are not in any way recommended as individual advice. The intent is to offer a variety of information to provide a wider range of choices now and in the future, recognising that we all have widely diverse circumstances and viewpoints. Should any reader choose to make use of the information contained herein, this is their decision, and the contributors (and their companies), authors and publishers do not assume any responsibilities whatsoever under any conditions or circumstances. It is recommended that the reader obtain their own independent advice.
First Edition 2007
Copyright © 2007 Dream Express International Pty Ltd
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National Library of
Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Beaumont, Dale.
Secrets of top sales professionals exposed!
1st ed.
Includes index.
ISBN 9780980308662
1. Selling. I. Title. (Series: Secrets exposed).
658.85
Dream Express
Publishing
A division of Dream Express International Pty Ltd
PO
Box 567, Crows Nest, NSW 1585 Australia
Email:
info@SecretsExposed.com.au
Website: www.SecretsExposed.com.au
Editing by Simone
Tregeagle [simone@inkcommunications.com.au]
Layout and typesetting
by Bookhouse [www.bookhouse.com.au]
Cover design by Jay Beaumont
[www.thecreativehouse.com]
Illustrations by Grant Tulloch
[www.tullytoons.com.au]
Printed and bound by McPhersons Printing
[www.mcphersonsprinting.com.au]
To my totally amazing and very special wife, Katherine. Your encouragement, hands-on support and love have been incredible. Looking forward to a life of adventures!
Dale Beaumont
To all the ethical entrepreneurs out there who understand the world is what we create it to be. You must sell peace over fighting, you must sell health over disease and you must sell sustainability over short-term profits. Your mission is to outsell those who would have it otherwise.
Stuart Zadel
Acknowledgments
As with any major project, there are a number of very special people who contributed to making this book happen, so we’d like to take a short moment to say, ‘Thank You’.
To the 14 exceptional sales professionals featured, THANK YOU for accepting our invitation to be a part of this book. It has been wonderful to learn from each of you and discover the secrets of how you’ve all excelled in your chosen paths.
Next, a huge thanks to Emma Lyons, our very special project manager who again worked tirelessly to pull together all the material for this book. You are a real gem!
To the wonderful Simone Tregeagle and Kerrin Medenyak (from Ink Communications) and Neil Murphy, our great editors – thank you so much for your ongoing support. Sharon Witt your efforts are also greatly appreciated.
To Jay Beaumont (Dale’s brother) for designing the book covers, to Simon and Sammy from Bookhouse who continue to do such excellent typesetting and to Robert Stapelfeldt – thanks for everything you do to bring all of the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ books to life.
Next, to the team at Sure Fire Marketing. Thanks for all your efforts with the ongoing development of the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ website. We really value the work that you do.
Thanks to all the staff at Gary Allen (our wonderful distributors) and each and every sales rep that has helped to get these books into the stores – we greatly appreciate the work you do.
And finally, to tens of thousands of readers that have supported the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series – a very heartfelt thanks. May the words from our books continue to inspire and guide your way!
Praise from readers of the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ Series
“The ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series is simply fabulous! The simple interview format has provided a useful insight into the minds of other successful people. It has enriched our way of thinking through learning from the experiences of other people. No bookshelf would be complete without these books.”
“To me, these books are inspirational and motivating. I am a 25-year-old who is bursting with ideas on ways to progress in my career and having read three of the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series so far, I can honestly say that I will continue to purchase more. I truly believe that success is only defined by what you think success is.”
Amy Dolman – Sales and Marketing Assistant
“I find the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series very empowering. In each book the 15 or so interviewees make an account of their journey to success and beyond. There is no right way, but the point is to find what works and keep doing it.”
Karen Holland – Investor
“I think this series is informative and very easy to read and digest. It caters to so many people and I will continue to add the books to my growing library. I also appreciate all of the bonuses and added information from these generous offers.”
Kerry Rostron – Rostron Resolutions
“As a young businessman looking to succeed in the business world, I find the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series very educational and motivational. For me, learning from other people’s stories and experiences is essential if I am to become the person I want to be. The ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series is a MUST READ for all people who want to achieve everything they can in life!”
Grant Purcell – ActionCOACH
“As a personal trainer, I am continually interested in learning new things that I can apply to my life and business. I have found that the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series is the best way to get an in-depth grasp on a subject in the shortest space of time. I am impressed how each book offers advice from people who are already successful in the field. Each book gives the reader the chance to query a handful of experts. I find this extremely valuable, as good mentors are hard to find. If you are looking for advice in a particular area of personal development, the ‘Secrets Exposed!’ books are the way to go. An enjoyable read that I thoroughly recommend.”
Paul S Mason – Executive Master Trainer, TWEQ
“The thing that stands out for me about this series of books is that in each book, you get such a range of information about that topic. It would take months to gather such information yourself, and this series gives it to you in an easy to read format.”
Samantha Miller – Student
“The ‘Secrets Exposed!’ series has opened my eyes to numerous new ways of doing business. There are things in these books that I would never think of, and now I have the power to utilise them with my own company and staff. I appreciate the different information from all contributors and look forward to expanding my knowledge with future ‘Secrets Exposed!’ books.”
Patricia Hunt – Small Business Owner
Contents
Preface
If I were in your position right now I’d be wondering if I really needed to read this section. However, if this is the first ‘Secrets Exposed!’ book that you’ve read, could I ask you to please resist the temptation to skip ahead, as I’d like to briefly share with you why this book has been created and how you can best use it to impact your life.
When I was growing up I heard somewhere that there are two ways to live your life: the first is through ‘trial and error’ and the second is through ‘other people’s experience’. At the time I dismissed it as just another one of those sayings that sounds good, but doesn’t make much sense. Then, like most teenagers I finished school with stars in my eyes thinking, ‘This is great! My education is over – no more books, no more lectures, no more people telling me what to do’. How wrong I was. After a few months of bouncing around, not quite sure of what to do next, I stumbled across the idea of personal development and started to hear concepts such as:
• Formal education will earn you a living, but self-education will make you a fortune.
• Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.
• You will be the same person five years from now, except for the people you meet and the books you read.
• Don’t wish that your job were easier, wish that you were better.
• You are your own greatest asset, so you must invest in yourself.
Since November 2000, I have been totally committed to becoming my own most valuable asset. After attending hundreds of seminars, listening to thousands of hours of CDs and reading shelves of books, I have discovered that the people who truly succeed aren’t any smarter, better looking or harder working than anyone else – they just think differently and have learnt to incorporate different values into their lives.
I am now in the very fortunate position of being able to travel internationally to present personal development seminars to teenagers and I am often asked, ‘What is the one thing you need to know to be successful?’ My answer is always the same: ‘The one thing that you need to know is that there is not one thing that you need to know to be successful’. I’ve learnt that success is multifaceted and that mastering one principle of success or area of your life isn’t going to take you to the top – the more you master, the more successful you will become. But if I did have to identify one of the most important success strategies, it would be this: ‘Find out what successful people do and do the same thing until you get the same results’.
That’s what this book is all about. The only difference is, instead of you going out and finding successful people, we’ve brought them to you.
You see, whatever you want in life, whatever you are shooting for, chances are that someone else is already living it. They have already invested years of their life and probably hundreds of thousands of dollars, they’ve made lots of mistakes, learnt from them and eventually succeeded. So why would you want to waste your own time, money and effort through ‘trial and error’ when you can fast-track your success by learning from ‘someone else’s experience’? As Sir Isaac Newton said, ‘If I have seen further it is because I have been standing on the shoulders of giants’.
Every time you pick up a book, attend a seminar or interview a successful person, you are compressing years of life experience into a few hours. With any of the ‘Secrets Exposed’ books, you can multiply that by between twelve and seventeen people and you’re looking at around 250+ years of experience and wisdom ready and waiting for you. It won’t prevent you from making mistakes of your own, far from it, but it will help you to make more calculated and purposeful decisions, rather than big, misguided and ignorant ones.
There is no shortage of information about how to achieve proficiency or even greatness in any area of life these days. Go to any bookstore or library and you’ll find the shelves sagging with titles from experts, all with their own theories and ways of doing things. But what I have discovered is lacking in almost all of these books is INSPIRATION. What’s missing is role models and mentors – the stories of people we can all look up to. People who started out exactly like you – with a dream in their hearts and with all the same fears and insecurities. Given the choice between reading a textbook or a dozen success stories about people who have actually done something, I’d take the success stories any day of the week. I’m not saying that theoretical information isn’t important, of course it is, but having presented hundreds of talks to all different types of audiences, I can confidently say that it’s always the stories that move people. It’s the whole, “If he or she did it, then so can I” that gets inside people’s hearts. When we’re inspired we get motivated and then we take positive action which leads to results.
The ‘Secrets Exposed’ books are not intended to be a one-stop-shop. They are an introduction to the wealth of knowledge available to you and to some of the real success stories of people who have reached the top in their chosen field of endeavour. That’s why at the back of each book you will find most of the contributors’ contact details and some of their other products and services that are available to help you continue your journey.
So, how did the whole idea for the ‘Secrets Exposed’ books come about?
Well, in 1998, when I was around seventeen, my nan gave me a copy of a book titled Collective Wisdom, by Brett Kelly. In it were transcripts of face-to-face interviews with a whole lot of prominent Australian personalities. And it was a fantastic read. Since then I have seen a handful of random ‘success story’ books, but the challenge I find with most of them is that they are either transcripts of interviews, that never really make complete sense in the printed form, or they are written by writers who paraphrase someone else’s story. The result tends to be a diluted message that doesn’t really allow you to get a sense of the individual’s personality or character.
In around 2001 I read my first Chicken Soup for the Soul book and realised that there were dozens and dozens of related titles designed to meet the needs of different people’s areas of interest. I thought that was pretty neat.
It wasn’t until January 2004 that the ‘Secrets Exposed’ idea boiled over. I was in my hotel room in Singapore relaxing after six straight days of presenting to hundreds of teenagers. I was reflecting on the ideas that had been shared with them. One of the most important was to seek out those who have already achieved what you want and ask them lots of questions. I was plagued by the thought that only a small percentage would act on that very valuable advice and that most would never take the step due to a lack of confidence, fear of rejection or an inability to contact the people they needed.
That’s when it hit me...‘What if I could find the people and put together a number of books covering a range of different areas?’ I knew it would take a lot of effort, so for the next three days, I sat in my hotel room and developed the basis of an entire system to make it happen.
Based on my experience with other books, I decided that these books had to be non-time specific and be written (not spoken) by the people themselves. This way the answers would be planned and well thought-out, providing richer content and more interesting reading. I also wanted to make sure that there was an even balance between practical ‘how to’ information and inspirational stories that gave an insight into the highs and lows of people’s real journeys. I also wanted to ensure that a percentage of every book sold was donated to a charity relating to the nature of that particular book.
When I arrived home I got into action. However, between working out of a tiny one-bedroom flat and trying to manage two other demanding businesses, my plans were a little slow in the beginning and I had to be resourceful. So I bought a plastic tub and turned the boot of my car into a mobile office! Anytime I could find a spare hour or two, I’d park myself at the gym or a nearby coffee shop and make calls from my mobile phone.
Putting these books together has been both time-consuming and demanding, but it has also been a real privilege for me to have the opportunity to work with each of the people involved in the various books. Thank you, to each of you, for making it possible!
Well, I think you’ve heard enough from me. Now it’s time for you to discover for yourself the wonderful wisdom contained in these pages. I hope that you enjoy the read as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together. And who knows, maybe one day we will be reading your story?
Dream Big!
Dale
Beaumont
Creator of the ‘Secrets Exposed’ Series
Sydney,
Australia
Download Your Free Audio Gift
Exclusive to readers of the ‘Secrets Exposed’ series...
In this 1 hour 43 minute recorded interview, author Dale Beaumont intimately shares the inner workings of the ‘Secrets Exposed’ series. Discover in greater details how he came up with the idea, how he managed to secure personal interviews with over 200 of the countries most successful people and what he believes are some of the most important business and life principles from each of the books in the series.
Simply visit the web page below and follow the directions to listen to download the entire interview direct to your Notebook or PC.
www.SecretsExposed.com.au
Foreword
‘Salesperson!’
What images, feelings or words does this term conjure in your mind? ‘Pushy’, ‘high pressure’ and ‘dishonest’? Or ‘integrity’, ‘honesty’ and ‘service’?
The truth is that many people perceive it as the former, which is a real shame. Even today, ‘selling’ is one of the most misunderstood words in the English language.
At last, this landmark book blasts apart many of those false beliefs and misconceptions forever, and places sales upon its rightful throne as a just and noble profession. This book could well be the most liberating and freeing philosophy or exposé of what selling really is that has ever been written.
I started earning money in sales over 35 years ago. I was looking for a change and made the smart decision to choose Encyclopaedia Britannica, a company that had one of the best training programs at that time. There I learnt about the skills in selling, and once I had those skills I was able to adapt them to many different industries. I worked at shows, spruiked in shopping centres, sold at markets and eventually moved to television where I became a founding partner in Demtel. You’ve heard of Demtel, haven’t you?
Since 1996, I’ve been sharing my knowledge as a consultant on sales and marketing and specialise in motivation and communication training for businesses. And what this has taught me is that everyone, not just the sales professional, can benefit from learning to sell.
For the individual, there are few more valuable and pleasurable skills. What you learn in this book will serve you, and those you love, everywhere you go. It’ll help you the next time you’re making reservations for dinner, the next time you purchase a new car or computer, and the next time you rock up to an airline counter with your baggage over the weight limit!
For the career-minded person, your ability to sell yourself to your boss, your customers and your co-workers could easily be the single most important skill for your fast advancement and increased income. For the small business owner it’s really the most important thing you will ever learn. There are many great products and services out there that fail, simply because of a lack of skill and understanding of sales. And finally, for the salesperson already in the profession of selling, the only limit on your income is your level of skill. As you improve your sales and communication abilities so too will your income and enjoyment increase.
Life’s simply too short and painful to make all the mistakes yourself. In fact, it’s often said, ‘A conversation across a table with a wise person is worth a lifetime of trial and error’. Accordingly, your decision to invest in this book could be one of the best you’ve ever made: it contains the distilled wisdom of 14 excellent salespeople.
Just stop and think about that for a moment. This could cut ten years off your learning curve and add a zero or two in front of the decimal point to your bank balance!
Remember, sales is unlike any other profession. It has a truly ethical compensation plan where you get paid by results. You can usually set your own hours, your own agenda and work with people to truly make a difference in their business or life through your product or service. What could be more rewarding?
John Rawson
Co-Founder of Demtel
Managing Director of Success Gym
Introduction
Selling is fun. Really! And the more fun you have, the more people you help and the more money you make. What a great deal!
Why then, do industry statistics reveal that somewhere between 30 and 50 per cent of people who enter the field of sales fail and quit within 12 months? Shocking, isn’t it?
The challenge, as John says in his introduction, is that ‘selling’ could easily be the most misunderstood word in the English language. Even today, many people believe that to succeed in sales you need to exert pressure, lie, and deceive your customers to get their money. And it is this unfortunate misunderstanding that causes people to not want to sell, or even learn this valuable skill.
Now you might be thinking, ‘I’m not even in sales, why even bother to learn about it?’
It might surprise you to know that we all sell! Think about it. If you’ve ever been out on a date, wasn’t that selling? If you’ve ever had a job or been to an interview, wasn’t that selling? And if you’ve ever been in business for yourself, wasn’t that selling? In fact, even from the day you were born you were ‘selling’ – it’s all about improving your ability to communicate. So doesn’t it make sense for everyone to improve this skill?
One thing that quickly becomes evident is that selling is both a mindset and skill set that can be learnt. And the real beauty is that in selling there’s no discrimination. It no longer matters if you are male or female, where you live or grew up, what your religion, skin colour, financial or academic background is, or any other condition or circumstance you find yourself in.
What does matter is your ability to make an irrevocable decision to learn and master the authentic mind-set and skills contained in this book.
So here, at last, is your chance to free your mind, get inspired, and live a bigger life. If you ever wanted to make a difference, this book will teach you how.
If you look at it, all the great leaders in history had the ability to sell and influence people on a better idea. Martin Luther King Jr sold the American people on equality regardless of skin colour, religion or race. Ghandi sold two hundred million people on the idea of moving in peace to defeat the world’s most powerful military without violence. Steve Irwin sold the world on wildlife conservation and instilled his message in people’s hearts.
Clearly, selling is indeed a worthy subject of study and also a worthy career that offers you an unlimited opportunity for personal growth and financial reward. Remember, nothing happens until somebody sells something. If there were no sales, there’d be no money to pay wages, no money to buy goods and services and anarchy would result. Our whole economy would shut down overnight if we removed our salespeople.
In light of this, it could be argued that salespeople have the single greatest opportunity to improve and sustain our economy – a truly noble cause. Through ethical service, adding value, building trust in long-term relationships and finding a product or service you believe in, you and your business will prosper and the world will become your oyster.
So, do you think you’ve got what it takes to succeed in sales? Here’s the good news – you do!
All you need is a positive attitude and some good advice from people who have made it to the top of their field. In Secrets of Top Sales Professionals Exposed! we’ve assembled an amazing group of 14 highly-successful sales professionals, eager to share the first-hand knowledge and key ideas they’ve learnt from decades of experience.
You will also be pleased to know that the people in this book don’t just speak from theory. All have achieved significant six-figure incomes from their sales careers, with many consistently earning over half a million dollars every year from their craft.
As far as the range of products or services they’ve had experience in selling goes, it can only be described as diverse: houses, cars, boats, mortgages, advertising, holidays, computers, life insurance, superannuation, managed funds, information products, seminars, events, jewellery, surfwear and mobile phones. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s also wedding receptions, cash registers, real estate in Shanghai and, of course, encyclopaedias door-to-door. They’ve sold pretty much everything you can imagine, in all different parts of the country and around the world.
The content they’ve covered in this book ranges from confidence building, sales psychology and lead generation, to rapport building, questioning skills, creating emotional connections, handling objections, closing the sale, cross and up-selling, negotiation skills, selling over the phone, after sales service, time management, developing sales teams, selling internationally and much, much more.
To further assist your own sales career, a number of contributors have also very generously offered valuable gifts to all of our readers. To receive them, all you need to do is visit the specified website and follow the steps to download the bonus gifts – absolutely free.
A number of the contributors also have their own books and educational materials, which we strongly endorse and encourage you to investigate further – you will find contact details for every contributor at the back of the book.
Finally, remember it’s what you do after you read this book that is going to determine its real value to you. So, go out there, apply what you’ve learnt and when you reach a goal – no matter how big or small – let us know so we can share your success story.
Enjoy!
Dale Beaumont and Stuart Zadel
Email: info@SecretsExposed.com.au
Involve Your Customer
Paul Hanna
“Sales success is all about perseverance. It’s about never letting go of your dreams, no matter how many times you fall over. It’s about never giving up when everyone around you is telling you to.”
Profile
Paul Hanna
Paul Hanna is regarded as one of Australia’s leading motivational speakers with a client list that reads like a who’s who of the country’s corporate elite: Qantas, Telstra, Lexus, Vodafone and BMW are just some of the organisations that have used his services as a top sales professional. McDonald’s Australia and New Zealand and Coles Myer have had more than 40,000 managers, franchisees and staff attend his programs.
In May 1997, Penguin Books launched his first book You Can Do It! which went to number one on release and stayed in the bestseller list for a staggering six months. His following seven books have all achieved bestseller status and serve as testimony to his knowledge and expertise.
Despite his success, Paul was faced with his most difficult test to date in February 2002. While enjoying his passion for bushwalking, he walked over what he thought was solid land, but was actually nothing more than brush with empty space below it. Paul fell three storeys down the cliff face, hitting three ledges, and eventually landing unconscious on the rocks below.
With doctors fearing he would never walk again and the prospect of living in a wheelchair a real possibility, Paul was faced with his biggest challenge ever. In his seventh book, Don’t Give Up!, Paul shares how he beat crushing spinal injuries to return to his passion of speaking, writing and coaching.
When did you discover you had a talent for selling?
From day one. I was born into a retail family (although not like a Myer retail dynasty!) and lived on top of a fruit shop in Western Sydney. As one of six children, I had to pitch in from an early age. Making sandwiches just as the customer wanted, polishing apples so that they glowed and constantly keeping the store immaculate served as a strong foundation for me as I was growing up. These were amazing lessons to be exposed to when other kids my age were out kicking a football or riding their bikes in the park.
My selling skills were increased when my father died when I was 14, and like the rest of my family I had to pitch in and run the shop as well as maintain my school homework. But as I left school and embarked on a career in the travel industry (working my way up to a senior position in Qantas), I realised that the skills that I was using around the world with hotels and tour operators were all learnt in that humble fruit shop.
What do you think are the essential qualities or attributes of successful sales professionals?
Let me start off by saying there’s no such thing as a born salesperson. Can you imagine a doctor in a maternity ward walking around proclaiming, ‘This baby is going to be a police officer and this baby is going to be an accountant’? Even if they did that you wouldn’t believe them because you know that life creates a unique individual based on different variables (parents, friends, experiences) and no prediction can change that outcome.
You would never assume that a 747 pilot just ‘picked up’ their flying skills, and it’s the same with a top salesperson. The reason the person has achieved 747 captain or star salesperson status is because they applied themselves with tenacity and perseverance to learning everything they could about their chosen career. And never, ever gave up! These are essential qualities and attributes that you need to become a top sales professional.
“Only you can inspire yourself to reach new goals.”
What are the most important things you have learnt about succeeding in sales?
I have learnt that at the end of the day it comes down to this: how much do you want to achieve your dreams and goals? No matter how many ideas or tips you get from books and audio programs, the reality is that it is you, and only you, who will ultimately decide how much success you achieve.
For the most part, I have found that family and friends will support you, but even they can’t really understand what drives a salesperson to achieve. Only you know. Only you can inspire yourself to reach new goals. Only you can break through the obstacles placed in your way to determine how much success you achieve.
Sales success is all about perseverance. It’s about never letting go of your dreams, no matter how many times you fall over. It’s about never giving up when everyone around you is telling you to. More than anything else, I have learnt that you will achieve success in sales the moment you convince yourself that you can sell!
Why do you believe that pushy sales techniques do not work in Australia?
Simply because Australians don’t warm to the pushy sales techniques that stereotypically define the American sales industry. Yes, we might like American movies and television shows but Australians are not as upfront when it comes to purchasing, nor do they like the hype that some salespeople carry on with. I am not having a go at American sales trainers here, it’s just that Australians are different. We watch the nightly news at 6pm; Americans watch it at 9pm. We drive on the left side of the road; they drive on the right. We sit on the right-hand side of the car; they sit on the left. We all still get to the same destination, but in Australia we like to do things differently.
I think the one thing that really differentiates Australians from people of other cultures is the way we view aggressive salespeople. When I used to work in the travel industry, one of the toughest parts of my job was to escort Australian travel agents overseas on familiarisation trips. These trips were designed to allow agents to grasp a sight, feel, smell and touch for the city first-hand. As part of their itinerary, I would always include a city tour. No matter how many times I did this, I was constantly amazed at how intimidated the travel agents would get when market vendors hustled them for a sale. No matter where we were – Hong Kong, Rome, San Francisco or Bali – Australians really didn’t like being pushed.
I found that it was the Japanese who were the most successful in selling to Australians. Despite the language barrier, the Japanese were always willing to spend a little more time with their Aussie prospects. The lesson I learnt here was that if you really want to bring in the dollars and make more sales, you need to do what the Japanese do – present the product or service at an extremely high standard, be courteous and patient when demonstrating it, and charge a bit more than your competitors because of the perceived higher value.
What are the most common mistakes new salespeople make?
A common mistake made, not only by new salespeople but all of them, is failure to involve their customer. Involvement is a tool that will help you overcome your fears, relax and win over customers. The best way to create involvement is by asking questions.
Take Maria and Fred for example. Maria is meeting with Fred, a senior buyer from a large Australian retailer. She knows that quality is the ‘hot button’ and wants to focus on this in an effort to make a quick sale. Maria has two options. She could make a statement, such as, ‘You mentioned on the phone that quality is important to your organisation, Fred. Well, our widget is the best quality on the market and leaves our competitors for dead’. Or she could structure the conversation like this:
Maria: Fred, during our phone discussion yesterday you mentioned that quality is the number one feature you’re after – is that correct?
Fred: Yes, that’s right.
Maria: Well, Fred, I was looking back at our last two years’ orders and noticed that after more than 20,000 deliveries of our widgets, there have been no recalls. Is that the kind of quality you’re after?
Fred: Absolutely.
Maria: Fred, if I can guarantee a level of quality 20 per cent better than what you have been accepting over the last two years, would this further assist your company’s goals?
Fred: You bet.
After involving the customer with questions, Mary would then go into her presentation, continuing to ask as many questions as possible.
In this example Maria’s questions created involvement and got Fred emotionally involved in the product. By asking him to look at the history of her company, Maria planted in his mind that it was a company of terrific quality – she didn’t have to say it, she let Fred say it.
Objections are an inevitable part of selling. What is the best way to handle objections from customers?
An objection is a request for more information. When customers make an objection they are really saying that they do want your product or service, but they need to overcome some issues before they can proceed. Objections are the customer’s way of removing any doubt they might have about purchasing your product or service.
For example, one of the many objections I receive during the process of selling my services to major corporations is: ‘Paul, we don’t have any training facilities like McDonald’s or Westpac or Toyota. Where are we supposed to conduct your seminars?’ Having been in business for more than a decade I have heard this objection over and over. Just like you, I hear the same objections time after time, however, I know that to be a success I have to make sure that every objection or concern is handled with care and respect. My response is: ‘I understand completely, Bob. In fact, my seminars are usually held off-site, away from the office, because every company wants to make the experience very special. Even clients such as Toyota and McDonald’s have used quality venues, such as a hotel or cinema, to make a real impact. Have you considered having your seminar in a movie cinema, Bob? A cinema can hold 500 staff easily and has a good feel to it. People associate cinemas with fun, not boring learning, so holding the seminar there can really create a great start to the day’.
Is it true that it takes eight objections before you get a ‘yes’ answer from a client?
Well, I had never taken any notice of the number of objections I received during a meeting with a client until I heard this statement. Not every sales transaction takes exactly eight objections to get to the first yes, but the number is fairly accurate. It’s also a scary reminder of how quickly many people give up after they are confronted with their first objection. The eight concerns might only be small ones tossed in along the way, but they are objections nonetheless and need to be prepared for and handled if you are to achieve your full potential as a salesperson.
Can you explain the ‘bring it down to the ridiculous’ technique?
This technique involves breaking down the cost of a product or service into bitesized pieces in a way that will allow your customers to see that their investment is not such a big risk.
“Objections are the customer’s way of removing any doubt they might have...”
A friend of mine works for a leading travel organisation in Australia. One question she is constantly asked by her clients is whether there is really a difference between business class and economy class. She told me, ‘If I focused on price alone, I would never get anyone to purchase a business-class ticket’. So she uses the ‘bring it down to the ridiculous’ technique. Instead of saying, ‘This is going to cost you about $900 extra’, she breaks the cost down so the client can see what great value it is. She points out the benefits – no lining up at check-in; airport lounges with showers; more leg space on the plane; better food with more choices; bigger seats that recline. After she has listed all of the benefits, she then ‘brings it down to the ridiculous’. If a client will be flying for a total of 18 hours on their return journey and the upgrade costs only $900 return, she divides $900 by 18 hours. The client can now see that their upgrade to all those benefits – including the very best French champagne – will only cost an extra $50 per hour.
What is sales leadership and what are some of the ways to close a sale?
Top sales professionals take accountability for closing a deal and never wait for the customer to ask for the product. This is called sales leadership. The following closes are used by sales leaders all over the world.
The assumption close – as its name suggests, the assumption close is all about assuming your customer is ready to buy and that they just need your leadership to cross the line. For example, ‘So, Mr Jones, will you be using our direct debit system to pay for the monthly deductions, or would you prefer to send us a cheque every six months?’ or ‘So which day of the week would better suit you for delivery – Monday or Thursday?’
The deadline close – this is a common close used especially at electrical stores. Even though there might be 100 yellow toasters out the back, the sales assistant will come back to you with: ‘Wow, this is the last one. You’re so lucky’, which creates a sense of urgency for you to complete the deal. Another example is, ‘This is the last PC we have in stock that has the built-in DVD player. After this one goes, there will be a two-month wait’.
The Benjamin Franklin close – this close is designed to set out all the facts in a simple format that makes the right decision virtually leap out at you off the page. It is a close often used after you have handled every objection with diligence and patience and yet the customer still remains undecided. So what you do is you pull out a piece of paper and ask the customer to write ‘for’ and ‘against’ lists, providing reasons why they should or should not proceed with the purchase. This is actually the process that I use when making tough decisions, and I tell the customer this too. You often find that they will struggle with one or two reasons why they should not purchase your product or service.
The paperwork close – this is a great close to be used after the Benjamin Franklin close and requires choosing your words very carefully. For example, ‘Susan, which state would you like to start delivery of the phones in – New South Wales or Victoria?’ After she replies ask a very powerful closing question: ‘Susan, could you please okay this paperwork down here?’ Don’t say, ‘Could you please sign the contract now?’ The word ‘contract’ implies long commitment, big dollars and legal obligations. In contrast the word ‘paperwork’ is harmless and doesn’t scare anyone.
The puppy dog close – this is one of the all-time favourite closes, and for good reason – it works brilliantly! Let’s say your five-year-old son decides he wants a puppy dog for his birthday. You take him to the pet shop and he finds a labrador pup that is just like the one he wanted. The pet shop owner knows all about the puppy dog close and encourages you to take it home for a couple of days to see how it fits in with the rest of the family. You know where this is going! As soon as that puppy gets into your home, it’s never going back to the shop. Its big eyes and cuddliness have your son hooked. And guess who else will be too? The person with the money.
The ‘no-rush’ close – this is a great close to use when your customers are feeling a bit of pressure, either from your push to close the deal or internal pressures from their company to make a decision, any decision. When you say, ‘There’s no rush – whenever you’re ready’, the customer feels totally in control. If you’ve been a bit impatient and perhaps a bit pushy, this kind of statement is a brilliant way of tipping control back to the side of your client.
“... as soon as a gift basket arrives, everyone in the office gathers around...”
What are your top ten tips for building referrals?
1. Set a target – you have to set a goal or target first before you can achieve it. So to build referrals, work out how many you’re going to ask for each week, because then you’ll be able to give yourself feedback on how you’re doing and you’ll know how much more you need to do to achieve your end result.
2. Birds of a feather flock together – people mix with the people they feel comfortable with. If you want to grow your business quickly, focus on people who are already customers of yours and already think you are terrific!
3. Take responsibility for getting the referral – it’s no use handing out hundreds of business cards if you’re not going to take responsibility for getting the referrals to happen. If you want to move to the next level of achievement, you must start asking for names and phone numbers.
4. Send an ‘advance party’ – if possible have a current client who thinks highly of you phone ahead to a prospective client before you meet them. All the existing client has to say is, ‘You’ll really like her – she’s very professional and calls a spade a spade’, and bingo, you’re in.
5. Nothing succeeds like success – one of my clients, Wade, who is in the home loan business, said he has obtained some of his greatest referrals after he has sent a gift basket to a client on the completion of their loan. However, he made a further leap in referrals after he started sending the baskets to the clients’ workplace instead of home. This was a stroke of genius because now, as soon as a gift basket arrives, everyone in the office gathers around to find out where it came from.
6. Follow up with a thank you call – it may not be as grand as a gift basket, but a thank you call always impresses clients because most salespeople forget to make them. While you’re on the phone, why not ask your client for at least one person they think could use your product or service. One of the ways to phrase this question is, ‘Eve, have you told anyone about your home loan being approved? Did anyone say they could use my assistance?’ One word of advice: make sure you get the person’s name and number before you hang up.
7. Non-buyers also know people who are ready to purchase – I once had an enquiry from a small business owner, who wanted to have his five people attend my seminar but couldn’t afford my fee. I didn’t have any public seminars coming up in his area, so he faced a challenge. How could he get his people to attend one of my seminars and, at the same time, spread the costs a bit? I asked him whether he had any business associates who would be interested in having their people attend with his people, and who could share the cost. Two days later, this gentleman rang back and booked a seminar with a partner, after following this advice. Since then, I have had more than 2,000 staff members from the partner attend my seminar.
8. Ask your clients to send a letter or email of introduction – in the early days, whenever I completed a successful series of seminars for an organisation, I would draft a letter that my satisfied client could send to their associates. The letter was written in a way that praised me and my seminars and spoke of the positive feedback and, more importantly, the benefits my client had received.
9. Centres of influence referrals – centres of influence are people who are well regarded among a group of people. For example, the head of your local Lions Club or Rotary chapter, or the leader of a local networking group that meets once a week for breakfast. Knowing a centre of influence could result in an avalanche of sales for you because instead of wasting your time seeing each person individually, a centre of influence can invite you to present your product or service to the whole group.
10. Manage your database for big results – without doubt one of your biggest opportunities is your humble database of past and current clients. If you haven’t started a database, or if your current one is in poor condition, make a commitment now to contact a public relations or marketing firm as soon as possible to assist you to work this goldmine of opportunities.
How important is it for salespeople to learn how to up-sell?
There are always products and services that can be offered to your clients in addition to what they originally decide to purchase. You need to do some homework before you start offering them, but the rewards are many – including bigger sales and happier clients.
What are some examples of places to up-sell?
In my experience I have found that you can up-sell in any industry. For example, in a music store the assistant behind the counter can offer you a 12-CD carry-all to protect your CDs in your car when you purchase a new CD. In petrol stations, you can be offered the ‘manager’s special’, which is usually a chocolate, soft drink or food combo to go with your fuel. And what about the checkout at the supermarket? Trust me, it is no coincidence that at every supermarket checkout there is a rack of lollies and chewing gum or a selection of magazines.
Having worked with numerous clients, can you share a successful client story about up-selling?
Lori, who worked in a coffee shop in the lobby of a hotel, said she noticed an increase in business when she started to anticipate what her clients would like. ‘If I saw two people having a business meeting followed by a dinner, the last thing I would offer was the dessert menu. Instead, I found that many of my senior businesspeople responded with great enthusiasm when I asked if they would like to see the dessert wine menu. On the other hand, if there was a couple having an intimate dinner, I never hesitated to offer dessert, which always got a big smile.’
When Lori was promoted from coffee shop manager to restaurant manager, she noticed that dessert orders were in a big decline. Instead of accepting this as the way it would be in the future, Lori decided to do something a little different. ‘Before, customers would always say they were full and didn’t want any dessert, but I knew otherwise. I trimmed the number of dessert offerings from ten to five and placed them on a moving trolley that could be brought right up to the tables. Now, as soon as they catch a glimpse of the trolley, it’s all over bar the shouting. I wait for at least ten minutes after a main course is cleared and then I offer my version of “Would you like fries with that?” –in my case it’s “Would you like a New York cheesecake with chocolate sauce and fresh strawberries?” Yum!
What was your original motivation for starting a career in training others?
Well, my motivation for starting in sales was... motivation! I have always had a passion for helping people to achieve their full potential and while I was working at Qantas I was exposed to some amazing training seminars that allowed me to achieve so much. As my journey continued and I travelled the world, I realised that this was my passion.
“In my experience I have found that you can up-sell in any industry.”
On one return flight to Australia, I was sitting next to an American businessman. During the long flight we got into a discussion about what I was currently doing and what I would really like to be doing, which was conducting self-help seminars. He just looked at me and said, ‘What are you waiting for? Why don’t you just resign when you get back and start doing it?’ It was such a simple statement, but it provoked me enough to resign when the plane landed.
In 2002, you experienced an accident that could have left you in a wheelchair for life. Can you explain what happened?
One of my favourite sayings has always been, ‘You can’t control the direction of the wind, but you can adjust your sails’. Well, on February 19, 2002, life threw a major test at me to see if I had really grasped this brilliant lesson. Following a successful speaking engagement in New Zealand I decided to take a week off at home in Sydney and just hang around the wonderful beaches with friends. One of them suggested that we all go bushwalking and take in the awesome sight of the corporate yacht races that are a feature on Sydney Harbour during the summer.
The afternoon was brilliant, with that very ‘Sydney’ combination of humidity, heat and summer breezes relaxing everyone and delivering the perfect platform for chilling out. But just when life looked like it couldn’t get any better, a nightmare was about to begin. As the yachts did their dance on the blue waters of Sydney Harbour, we decided to move around the cliff top to get a better view. I took just a few steps to the left of where I was standing, because I thought this angle would improve my view. As I walked sideways along the cliff top, I suddenly started falling. What I thought was rock was actually brush between two cliff faces, with three storeys of empty space below. As I fell I started to hear the screams of friends and onlookers. This sound, combined with the slow motion of falling, made for an amazing cocktail of horror.
As I fell, smashing into ledges, I could hear break after break inside my body. By the time I hit the bottom, I had broken my back in three places and suffered internal injuries. As I lay unconscious on the water’s edge with the waves threatening to drown me, everyone rushed to my aid. When I awoke, I felt like a player in a Hollywood movie. There were ambulance, police and rescue workers all over me, and a giant yellow rescue helicopter hovering above. I was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital, which thankfully was only a ten-minute flight away. As I was being unloaded from the chopper, I heard a voice in the distance ask a chilling question that I will always remember: ‘Is he going to be a para or a quad?’ Was I going to be a paraplegic or a quadriplegic? Just when life looked like it was on track, a new journey had begun for me and it would be a journey that the best scriptwriter could not have imagined!
What impact did your accident have on your business and professional life?
It’s really hard to put into words the impact that my bushwalking accident had on my life. There was not one single area that was unaffected by it or the turmoil that was to follow. The obvious challenge was a medical one – I was facing life in a wheelchair, never to walk again. Then, as I started trying to deal with the physical and mental trauma, I realised that there was a business juggernaut that I had set in place 15 years before, which was totally dependent on me for financial sustenance. It was now screaming for support and it was getting nothing. Phone calls were not being answered, bills were not being paid and finance organisations were sending their usual form letters saying, ‘Pay up or else’. They had no idea that I was fighting to just breathe, let alone pay a bill. And of course, there were clients who had seminars and conferences booked that were wondering what the hell was happening. I had always prided myself on keeping in touch with clients and letting them know that everything was on track, and now even a basic phone call was not being returned.
As the weeks turned into months, I managed to get the word out about what had occurred, and the most amazing things started to happen. Gift baskets arrived from everywhere, clients were making the time to come to the hospital and see me, and offers of assistance were overwhelming. Many clients even offered their own personal assistants to do errands and return calls. It was just the beginning of how amazing life would become during what was obviously a very traumatic period.
“... clients were making the time to come to the hospital and see me...”
As I thought about how awesome every one had been I heard another of my favourite sayings pop into my head: ‘Only when it’s dark enough, can you see the stars’.
What lessons did you learn from your accident?
The accident happened five years ago and looking back now I realise that it was the best thing that ever happened to me. It taught me so many things about myself and those around me that I would never have learnt in a million years if everything had stayed okay.
The bottom line is that when things are okay in our lives, we don’t question anything. We just enjoy the ride. This is what makes us complacent and brings about boredom and selfishness. When life presents one of its challenges, this is when we reach out to others for help and assistance, and this is when they really shine.
For me, it was the amazing generosity of people whom I had only known in a business sense. Yes, these people enjoyed my books and seminars, but more than anything they enjoyed my company and wanted to express this now. Many had said to me that I had assisted them in so many ways that it was now their time to spoil me. The most amazing lesson that I will always remember was that the people around me shared their innermost thoughts and fears with me as I lay in my hospital bed. Many shared how I had helped them during their own crises, and how they knew that I would also come through this challenge.
Is there a significant quote or saying which you live your life by?
I have plenty!
• ‘Success in overcoming objections is what makes the difference between a ‘pretty good salesperson and a ‘sales star.’ – Me
• ‘We have two ears and only one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less.’ – Diogenes
• ‘Fall seven times, stand up eight.’ — Japanese proverb
• ‘There is only one boss – the customer. They can fire everybody in the company, from the chairman on down, simply by spending their money somewhere else.’ – Sam Walton from Wal-Mart
• ‘Small opportunities are often the beginning of great enterprises.’ – Demosthenes
• ‘I had no ambition to make a fortune. Mere moneymaking has never been my goal – I had an ambition to build.’ – John D Rockefeller
• ‘Early to bed, early to rise, work like hell and advertise.’ — Ted Turner
• ‘Catch a passion for helping others and a richer life will come back to you.’ — William H Danforth
• ‘A man’s success in handling people is the very yardstick by which the outcome of his whole life’s work is measured.’ — Dr Paul Parker
• ‘Entrepreneurs don’t sit on their haunches waiting for something to happen. They make things happen.’ — Victor Kiam
• ‘He liked to like people, therefore people like him.’ – Mark Twain
• ‘We don’t learn to know people through their coming to us. To find out what sort of people they are, we must go to them.’ – Goethe
Generation Gap
David Staughton
“By the time you have knocked on 100 doors or made 100 cold-calls on the phone, all your fears will be gone — you will no longer be shy or embarrassed and will have conquered your fears of selling.”