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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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Losing the Audience

Losing the Audience

There are mistakes that nearly every presenter makes. If you understand these mistakes and handle them beforehand, you have the ability to be a powerful presenter everytime that you step onto that stage. This is the idea! When you are prepared, you are powerful! My goal is to train you so that you can train the world. In order to train the world, you need to be able to speak to your audience in a way that keeps them engaged while still being upfront and giving them the information they need. Do not fall into the pattern of giving them the information they want to try to keep them in front of you and failing to give them the information that they actually need. 

There are two ways that you can “lose the room,” whether it is online or offline. The first way is the silent way that we have gone over in the past as well. This is when you have an audience that is bored or not engaged at all. If your audience is not engaged, then they are not paying attention to what you are saying at all. All that they care about is the time the clock strikes so that they can leave. They may be physically in the room but they are not present with you.  Every presenter is at least aware on some level when this happens. They get a sinking feeling in the pit of their stomach and they try all the wrong ways to re-engage the room. Some people choose to get louder to try to grab their attention. If they are already disengaged, then this will simply drive them further away. 

The second way that you will lose the audience is the non-silent way. This is when people in the room may simply just not like what you have to say. Some of the audience may even decide to simply burst out and take their stance against you in front of the entire room. They tell you that you do not know what you are talking about or that what you are saying does not apply to them. For most presenters, this is one of the scariest situations that can occur. Most people have an innate fear of public humiliation. This is natural but there is a better way to handle the situation. If you lose the room this way, you can end up with chaos. 

This can be a contagion that can ripple through the audience. One person can disagree and spread that negativity through the room. This can be very devastating and they can go into lecture mode where they only deliver without giving the opportunity to engage. Most speakers will avoid or ask to take the conversation online. One of the big mistakes that people make in this scenario is to argue. Even if you are right, do not argue. Instead, ask them questions. Even if you are right, do not argue. All this does is make them angry. Try to understand the point of view they are coming from. Arguing has nothing to do with your role as a presenter.

Do not try to ignore it or roll over and shut it down. Watch other presenters, find new ways to condition yourselves to be calm if the situation arises. These are things that you can actually practice. Another wrong way to react is to let the participants off of the hook. Ask them questions and get other people involved in the conversation. They may not be happy, but they are engaged. You acknowledge the engagement and create a conversation. When people ask questions, I hardly answer any questions. I can answer most questions in ten seconds, but I do not because this lets them off the hook. If you give them all of the answers, this robs them of the opportunity to find the answer. Ask them questions so that they think and engage and become an active participant in the presentation. 

There is a time to give answers. For the most part, when I train people, I teach them to solicit the answers from the room. In virtual conversations, set them up in breakout rooms so they can discuss the questions. During the presentation, make sure that you are asking them questions. Keep your audience engaged. Why do we do this? This is to engage the brain. When you engage the brain, it thinks. Your job as a teacher, trainer and facilitator is to make people learn while making learning fun. It is their excitement around the material that allows them to produce results. 

Do not let them off of the hook! Resist the temptation to show your knowledge. Get them to discover the answer themselves. This is how you bring them on the road to discovery. They will remember a lot more about what they discover rather than what you simply tell them. Assume that they are able to find the answer, acknowledge everything that they are engaging with you. Remember this, there is not a problem in the world that cannot be solved by people that engage together. 

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It’s All About Discipline

In my last post, I reemphasized my position that sales equals income.

And now is a good time to dig deeper and discuss how it’s possible to sell more in the face of the coronavirus chaos.

Believe me when I say that this IS possible.

I have clients who are absolutely making a killing out there! They’re doubling their conversions, quadrupling the reach on social media, and closing 20-30% more sales!

These clients are not looking at the pandemic as an obstacle. Instead, they’re turning it around and making the most out of it.

But of course, there are also those who don’t know how they’re going to make ends meet. They have to worry about money, on top of the fear and uncertainty.

But, what separates those who are doing well and the paralyzed? How can you also use this period to increase your conversions and deals?

There are three things that you’re going to need:

The first is the right mindset. Start with your mind and that’s going to lead to everything else.

And then the second component is the skills.

And perhaps most importantly, you’re going to need discipline! 

Without discipline, your mindset and skills may be for naught.

Much like you need the discipline to stay fit and healthy, you also need discipline to grow sales. It means that you must have the discipline to keep going, despite what’s going on around you.

Your customers haven’t disappeared, pandemic or not. They’re still there and it’s a case of whether you know how to find them or not. You won’t be able to do this if you don’t have the discipline.

What can you do if your selling skills aren’t up to snuff?

Now is a great opportunity to learn. You might as well make use of this social distancing to grow your income, right?

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.

This can be an opportune time if you know how to use it to your gain.

Don’t use the coronavirus as an excuse to slow down. Take advantage of this tough time to build your sales muscle. When things lighten up, this is going to catapult your business ahead of others.

Stay Strong,

Blair Singer