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Fear of Rejection

I’ve been doing this for a long time. And if there’s one thing I’ve noticed it’s that the word “sales” tends to freeze people up.

I hear a lot of people say that they don’t like sales. 

They say stuff like, “I don’t like to sell” or “ You know, Blair, I’m not made for sales.”

The main reason why people say all these crazy things is…

That’s right. Fear of rejection.

But in reality, it’s not so much “rejection” that you get in sales. It’s “objection.”

In sales, you may get people who object to certain things. But, your mind turns those objections into rejections.

It’s what the little voice in your head thinks.

The real issue in rejection, objections, and all that stuff has very little to do with the content of what you’re trying to sell. Or what they’re objecting to…

The real issue is what’s going on between your right ear and left ear.

If you can get past those little voices, you can turn those “nos” into “yeses.”

Imagine if you could just turn 20% more. That’s 20% more income without doing any extra work.

But you’re like many businesses, you’re leaving a lot of money sitting right on the table. 

Why?

Your conversions aren’t where they need to be.

Whether you’re going from call to appointment or presentation to close, you’re leaving money behind.

It’s the same thing online.

The only difference with handling objections online is that you have to anticipate what the objection would be. Then you can address it upfront in your marketing copy or your video.

But, the game starts with you.

If you’re afraid that you can’t deliver. Or, you have reservations about overpromising, you have a couple of big problems.

The first involves you going back to your business. Fix whatever it is that bothers you and gives you reservations so it’s not a problem anymore. You need confidence in your business.

More importantly, though, you have to get rid of that little voice, because the objection starts with you. And, you project it onto your customers.

It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Your fear is something of your own making. And, one of the main ways to combat that fear is to address that little voice in your head.

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Build Confidence and Ask Questions

You know that I’m a big advocate for quieting that little voice in your head. It stands in the way of so many things in life.

And, that includes your sales deals.

So, I have two words for you: role play.

You need to role-play. One of the ways to get over it, is through it.

I’ve worked with seasoned veterans. I got them to role-play handling the toughest objections until they have it down cold. 

And, then I watched their conversions go up by 30% to 40%.

Why?

Not because they had snappy answers, because it’s not about the answers. It’s because their confidence level was so high, the person at the other end had a level of confidence in them as well.

Nobody’s going to give you $100,000 if they think you’re a shaky individual. So, you need to build up that confidence with role-playing.

It’s essential that you cover these components in your role-play:

  1. Build Confidence

First, the old rule of thumb is, the person who asks the question is always in control. So, when you hear the objection, the first thing you do is acknowledge it.

“Thank you. I appreciate what you’re saying.”

Do this to create a point of agreement before you handle the objection. 

  • Ask Questions

Next, it’s time for you to ask a question:

“Why do you think it’s too expensive?”

“What are you comparing it to?”

Of course, you can ask any question you want. But, the point is to ask a series of intelligent questions to get to the truth. Many times, the first objection is not the real objection.

It’s a bit like the first volley to get you out of the way or put you off. Practice countering it with your own questions.

  • Bring the Little Voice in Your Head Down and Confidence Up

Lastly, when role-playing, focus on getting past that little voice between your ears. When faced with an objection, you can’t falter. If you do, stop the role-play and start again.

Why isn’t it okay to hesitate? We hesitate in real life, right?

But remember, this drill isn’t about you handling a prospect. It’s about you killing that damaging, debilitating little voice. So, you need to learn to override it.

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Business Skills 2021 The Importance of Sales

Are you up to date with how to sell in 2021? Last time, you gained insight about sales, building a team and how to teach your team how to sell. We are going to start with sales! Why? Because sales equals income. This is not just for you, this is also about teaching those who sell for you or your team. There are three key things to look at for sales. The first is who is your customer. Then, what is the psychology of your market or your sales team.  Thirdly, it is about your mindset.  What does your “little voice” tell you about what you can or can’t do? Your results will never exceed your mindset.  After 2020, all three of these things have changed significantly.

Let’s look at the customer. Your customers are changing and you have to be vigilant. The days of securely knowing your customers is over. It is important to continually take a poll of who are your best customers. Who are they? What do they want? Those who had ideals before, may now just be wondering how to survive. Understanding what they want will change your language with them because their wants are different. Why are customers different? The psychology is different.

Fear is a major thing in the market right now. Fear of shut downs and losing sales. You need to understand and access the space. This is why the language in sales is changing. People are not just looking for value anymore, they are looking for safety. A customer needs to feel that you are their best insurance possible. People want to feel safe in a time when nearly everything is a greater risk. You have to be able to put yourself in a position to secure them. There are many little voices going on talking about fear and worry.  And, you need to be able to assess these things without going in as a doom and gloom person. Everyone is struggling, but you have to remember that when things collapse, something new will emerge. We know that we are going through a cycle and acknowledge that to your customer and tell them to stick with you for the next cycle that is coming.

The process breaks down into a selling cycle. There are three areas, we want to attract, convert and we want to retain. This has not changed, but how we do it has changed. We have to be able to attract clients one to many. This is a given part of the entire idea. You have to learn, adapt and change to where your clients are now. You have to be vigilant because things are picking up speed. The flow of money may slow down, but the speed of things happen faster at lower prices. So, what do you do? Who are the people that you are going to attract? What is the process there? There are many different processes in which you can attract new customers. You have to know where you need to be to find them. You have to build the right team that understands how the new psychology works. If you’re going to be a successful entrepreneur, you need a team that supports you.

When it comes to conversion, that has changed too. Based on psychology, we have to promote safety as a part of what we are doing. There needs to be deep value involved in what you are selling. The old ways of selling are not relevant anymore. People want straight information. Your job is to give value to the customer that the customer is not even thinking about. What is the deep value that you provide that even the customer is not thinking about? This needs to be part of your conversation.

Let’s take a look at retention and how that has changed. Maintaining your customers requires more communication with them. Talking to existing customers is always easier than bringing in new clients. Give your current customers more value and a higher level of communication. My team started meeting every single week during covid, checking in with one another. Now, we are at once a month, but frequency is a big part of retention. Value also has to go up, give them more. The big secret is that your customers become your team. You have a code of honor with them, you meet with them and support them. You create more than just customers, you create a movement. Do you provide a level of service that you provide to your own team and to your customers as well? You need awareness, direction and effort.

Your number one asset is your community. In order to succeed in sales, it’s the process, the customer and the psychology. Until then, remember sales equals income. Income equals your team. Be awesome.

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Business Success Series

Big business or little business does not matter. If you are going to be a leader and you want to have success over the next 12 months, there are several things that you have to know. We have tested this for over 25 years in countries all over the world. Today, we are giving you an overview. There are three primary skills that apply to everything in business and in life. Anywhere I have ever gone, this is the system that works. There is no replacement for the key strategies that lead to success in any business no matter your demographic,nor your skillset. This is for business success and will help you utilize the right plan and goals for 2021.

The most important thing is sales. If there are no sales, there is no income.  If there is no income, there is no business.  And, without a business, there is no team. Sales is critical. Sales is not just products and services. Sales is about creating a trust with your clients and staff as well. This is what gets you out of bed each and every morning. This is the first key skill you need in order to have business success. This is still only one of the critical skills that we are going to discuss in the overview.

The second critical skill that you need for business success is your team. You need a great team! What do I mean by that? I don’t care if your team is 22 people or 22,000 people, many of the rules for building teams are the same. A lot of people end up taking on too much themselves because they have the skills. Due to this, most people end up taking on too much and wind up burning out. This is why you have to gain the ability to hire and train a team that can manage everything without you burning out on top of it all. Your team is your number one asset. This is what will bail you out when you run out of ideas.

The third and most overlooked skill is learning how to teach. Teach your team how to sell. Teach your team how to touch the world with your mission. Now this is for you as the leader and the other skills that you will need to acquire. There are many systems that you have to acquire and document them as a system. If you do not have a system, then everything funnels though you and you will never be able to have downtime. Demand a high level of accountability from your team. Particularly, if you are going to make money you need to have accountability on money. I have worked with brands all over the world over the last 35 years and the formula that I am going over with you remains the same.

What holds all of this together is something that I have learned by studying great teams, cultures and governments. This is a set of internal rules that we refer to as the, “Team Code of Honor.” The code of honor is a simple set of rules based upon your core values. Look at the Ten Commandments, ten simple rules created several thousand years ago and are still in place today. It’s one thing to have the code of honor, it is another to hold people accountable to it. These rules will be a foundation when times are hard. In the absence of rules, people will make up their own. This will allow you to scale and as a leader you have to make an agreement with your team to follow your code of honor.

There is one problem with this formula. The number one liability, the number one thing that blows this up is subconscious thinking of the brain. Let’s say that ten percent is the conscious part of the brain, the rest is the subconscious. Have you ever had your heart broken, lost money or loaned money? We roll with these punches in our lives. We go into business and these unconscious memories affect our ability to do business. This has nothing to do with the other person or team members, this has to do with your subconscious mind. We call this our, “Little Voice.” Some of us have more than one “little voice” that causes a stir in our mind rather than making rational business decisions. Your “little voice” works to run the game.

In order to be a great leader or teacher, the business skills are important but you also have to address the personal development side. There are little voices going on for everyone shouting things like fear or depression as we go through these crazy volatile times. If you are looking at good leaders, they will understand this. You have to work with your team to help them and yourself gain control over the “Little Voice.” We revert back to old thinking that no longer works anymore. Group environments or team environments that most of us were not trained in unless we were in sports teams. I’ll share more about how to have a strong focus on Little Voice Mastery.

The tools I share will help you develop the techniques you need.  Techniques to not only teach you how to run your business and build systems, but also grow in your own personal development. My goal is to teach you to be a great leader and teacher. I will give you the tools to teach as you go, how to get your team to sell, and how to generate more income while everyone else is in panic mode.

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The Worst Combination for all Speakers

The Worst Combination for all Speakers

In one of the longer episodes in my series 20 Fatal Mistakes, I touch on something you don’t want to miss out on. In fact, for many, this may be one of the episodes in which you will want to watch over and over again just so you don’t miss out on a single bit of advice or lesson I’m bringing to you. This episode may be one of the most important in the series. 

Why is this episode so important? Because this episode describes the number one reason why people blow up their presentations. The number one reason why people never get their voice and their message out to the world. Above all else the number one reason why people don’t buy into what you have to say and don’t listen to you.

Question: When you give a presentation, whether it be online or off-line, when are you most nervous? 

Answer: The beginning right? 

Question: When is the group of people to whom you are speaking the most skeptical? 

Answer: The beginning right? Because people don’t know you so they don’t trust you yet. 

Last Question: How long does it take for people to get an impression of you? 

Answer: It only takes them seconds. Now if you think about these three conditions, you’ll have to agree it’s a horrible cocktail!

Horrible because you’re nervous, they’re skeptical, and they’re judging you all right in the beginning. If you blow it in the first couple seconds or first several minutes, well it’s downhill from there. Or worse yet, it’s an uphill battle from that point to get yourself out of the hole you just dug for yourself. Don’t worry people aren’t going to yell or throw stuff at you, no need to duck! They’ve just mentally checked out. Their minds are elsewhere while you’re up front trying to teach them what you know.

Engaging right out the gate in a way that makes you look your best, that enrolls them and gets them to trust and respect your results in them feeling good about it all. I’ve taught this to hundreds of thousands of presenters all over the world. Helping them keep their audience engaged along with not sabotaging their presentations.

This less than 33 minute episode is a must see! You get to dive in with me and make the most out of this learning experience. Don’t be shy and click the link below and Be Awesome!

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