The Importance of Sales

Different Ways to Generate More Leads

May 27, 2021 by sycreed

In all the years I’ve travelled the world and spoken on stage, audiences ask me the same question:

Blair, how do I find people with money and a need?

Those are the leads that you want. But, it may be a struggle for you to pinpoint which way works best.

I can take you through different ways to generate more leads.

Pick out the one that works best for you and your target audience:

Serving First
I’ve used this method in every business I’ve ever been with.It works like this…I find a customer or a few customers that I could work for. I do it for free if it’s a service or at cost if it was a product. This helped me get established and also get a testimonial.This is a powerful strategy to use to get yourself started. You get a testimonial, referrals, and that free customer could be a better paying customer later.
Cold Calling
I have friends in the business that still maintain that cold calling is the most efficient way to generate leads, in terms of time and money.There are a few caveats to make this work, though.You need to:
- - Organize
  - Know what you’re doing
  - Practice what to say
  - Understand your selling cycle
  Also, remember that the purpose of cold calling isn’t necessarily to sell. It’s to get an appointment if your business lends itself to that.
Poodle Strategy
You may be familiar with our SalesDog personalities. If you are, you know that the poodle type schmoozes and networks.Just remember that introductions from someone else lend more credibility. So, get someone you know to introduce you to the other person.
Retriever Approach
Following the dog selling personalities, another strategy you can take is the golden retriever. With this strategy, you find leads by association. That means your network, any group you belong to, whether it’s a parent-teacher group or the Chamber of Commerce.

Also, you can join groups associated with big international business networking organizations. These groups are there specifically to network with other professionals.

There are a variety of ways to approach lead generation. The key is to choose the one that works best for your business and your target audience.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

How to Get the Money You need when I Close?

May 25, 2021 by sycreed

I’ve been on countless stages and one question I hear a lot is:

Blair, how do I get the money I need when I close?

The answer is simple if you’ve followed my techniques so far.

You got through the basic elements to close a deal. Now it’s time to deliver.

If you asked trial close questions throughout your conversations, your client may already be on board. But, now you need to arrange the delivery and payment part.

First, you’re going to talk about pricing. Especially if you haven’t worked out a deal beforehand.

Your business or product costs money. And, this is where a lot of salespeople get hung up.

I always bring up two prices when closing a deal. The first price is your competitor’s pricing or pricing that’s not yours. Choose a price that’s more expensive than yours and bring it up first.

For example, I did a deal with an airline company a few years back for some team development training and a little bit of sales training. I knew that they used a very big global consulting firm at the time.

The firm was very good and very professional. And they were also very expensive.

So, when I got around to pricing, I broached the $100,000 per month they were paying for the firm’s consulting service. I also brought up the value of my training, but I wasn’t charging $100,000 per month.

When I mentioned my pricing, it looked cheaper in comparison.

What happens if you just throw a number out there without the comparison?

Many people don’t understand the value of what you have in a monetary sense. So, it’s a good idea to offer a comparison price before you tell them what your prices are. Otherwise, your pricing looks expensive without the comparison.

Sometimes you may have a third price or discounted price. If you have the ability to give a discounted price, offer it last. Don’t say it upfront, though.

Talk about the discounted price at the very end once they’re already sold on the whole deal.

Also, give a limitation on the deal by quantity or by time. If you don’t put limitations on it, the deal has no validity. Plus, it sounds like you’re just trying to schmooze people.

Remember, it’s all about how you frame it.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

Ask Questions to Close

May 21, 2021 by sycreed

I used to be in your shoes. A long time ago, I struggled with closing. I had a little voice telling me all the reasons why I couldn’t do it.

But you know what?

I found that if you lay down the proper foundation, closing is a natural end to a conversation.

Let me tell you what I mean by that…

There are certain basic elements that must be in place in order to close a deal. If you have these basics down, closing is more like arranging to deliver goods than closing.

Why is that?

Because if you’re laying down the basics correctly, you’re priming your customer for closing.

Here’s a breakdown of what it should look like:

Assess Needs Accurately

First, you need to show an understanding of where they’re at in their world. You do this by restating their problem.

Why is this step necessary if the client told you their problems?

Restating the problem helps both you and the client to focus.

The person you’re talking to has a million other things going on in their life. But when you articulate the problem you bring the focus back to you. It also helps you focus as well.

Ask Question to Close

All of your conversations with the prospect should set you up for closing. And that includes the questions you ask.

So, it’s not enough to state a problem. Follow it up with a question like, “Do you recognize this as being a problem in your business?”

The prospect’s response may be something along the lines of, “Yeah, Of course.”

You can also ask questions like:

Is there anything you’d like to say about that?

Does this make sense to you?

These are trial close questions. They get the person to start saying yes and agreeing with you. But, that’s not all.

The questions also allow you to see if you’re on track.

Solution or WIIFM (What Is In If For Me)

After all that, it’s time for the solution you have configured for them. But don’t stop there.

Try framing the solution in two parts: feature and benefit.

The feature may include creating metrics and understanding where the numbers come from. But the value or benefit comes from maximizing the areas they’re already good at and coaching them in the weak areas.

Take these basic, but necessary steps and closing is just a matter of delivering the goods. With your trial close questions, they’re already saying yes.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

What’s your selling personality?

May 18, 2021 by sycreed

If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that I like to talk about different sales personalities. I don’t believe that one size fits all molds for success.

What you really need to tap into is your individual sales personality.

What’s your selling personality?

You may say that your business’ selling protocol involves XYZ, but that’s not what I’m talking about.

Each member of your sales team has a different sales personality. If you’re not playing to their strengths, you’re not utilizing them properly.

In my book, SalesDogs, I talk more in-depth about the different personalities and strengths you may encounter on your sales team.

Do any of these types sound familiar?

Pit Bull
This is the stereotypical attack dog. These salespeople never take no for an answer and are very aggressive. All they need is a cuff to latch onto and they’ll never let go.
Poodle
This type of dog is charming and loves to be the center of attention. They’re the life of the party and always look good. Poodle salespeople know how to present well and how to get in front of people.

They’re great networkers and make sales based on that networking skill, not cold calling.
Chihuahua
The chihuahua sales member is a data freak.

If you google everything and are constantly on YouTube to gather data, you are a chihuahua personality. These people love the bits and bytes about competition. And, they’re the go-to person when you have questions about the ingredients of a product or the tech of a service.
Golden Retriever
On the other hand, if you have someone who loves doing things for people, you have a golden retriever on your hands. They’re out there doing favors and taking clients to lunch. They operate on the Law of Reciprocity… If you give, then you shall receive.

Golden retrievers love the interaction and make great teachers.
Basset Hound
Lastly, you have the basset hound personality. These salespeople have the natural ability to build instant rapport. Clients naturally trust them. This type really gets where you’re coming from.

If you have one on your team or you’re one yourself, you should focus on one-on-one deals. Basset hounds are really good at that.

So, the point of these personality types isn’t to pick the best one. It’s to get you to play to your team’s strengths.

Find out which personality types are in your kennel and coach them accordingly.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

Being your Authentic Self

May 16, 2021 by sycreed

I’ve been doing this for a long time. And, in my nearly 30 years of experience, there were many people that modelled me.

That’s okay if you’re new to the game. But, when it comes down to it, you need to be you.

Have you ever heard that you need to be like somebody else in order to be successful in your life?

You know, I’m a big advocate of modelling certain behaviors in order to learn something new. But, only to a certain extent. When you don’t know anything, modelling is not a bad strategy.

But at the end of the day, the secret to being able to make a lot of money in sales or in business is being your authentic self.

Now, I know that may sound trite to you. However, there’s one thing that I’ve found out after working with thousands of people all over the world.

There’s still a belief out there that, “I’m not good enough,” and “I have to be like somebody else in order to be successful.” This is true particularly when it comes to sales.

On the other side of the argument are the sales managers and business owners that believe that everybody on their team has to be just like them.

And you know, in my experience, that’s just not true.

Think about the famous basketball player Shaquille O’Neal. This guy was a seven-foot 300-pound center in the NBA. And, he was great at it!

But, imagine if all of a sudden he decided he wanted to be a horse jockey.

What’s going to happen?

The poor horse is going to die for one thing. And, he’ll never be competitive.

Being a jockey isn’t playing to his authentic self.

Is that any better or different than you trying to be somebody you’re not?

You need to play to your strengths.

Think about all those diagnostics and review programs that give you your strengths and weaknesses. Once you get the analysis, what does the coaching team normally say?

They tell you what you need to work on your weaknesses. But, I’m telling you right now that is a colossal waste of time.

Why in the world would you try to improve something you’re not designed to do?

The key in business is to play to your strengths based on what you’re good at. Don’t try to fix something that’s not fixable.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

Call a Timeout and Create a List of Goals

May 15, 2021 by sycreed

In my over 30 years of helping people and being on stage, there’s one thing that holds true. You may very well be your worst enemy.

Do you ever wonder how to tackle income limitations in your business?

I tell clients all the time that the problem isn’t your marketing strategy or sales team. It isn’t any of the usual suspects at all.

It may surprise you to learn that the biggest limitation on your income is you.

That’s right.

The hardest sale you’ll ever have is selling … to you.

Especially on days when your confidence levels are low, and you just don’t feel like getting out of bed. But, if you manufacture a positive mood and attitude, you can turn that around.

So, the next time you’re in a slump here are a couple of ways to give your attitude a positive boost:

#1 – Call a Timeout

Try doing jumping jacks, running around the block, or even standing up where you are. Just do something that allows you to change your physical state. This, in turn, automatically unlocks your mental and emotional state.

Are you or your team feeling a little sluggish?

Maybe you’re upset that the team is not doing so well?

Take a page out of my son’s football coach’s book – call a timeout.

Bring everyone together. Get the team jumping up and down, chant, or give each other high fives. Change their physical state to impact their mood and attitude.

#2 – Create a List of Goals

There are some days when you wake up and wonder why you’re doing all of this.

Why go through the pain and the stress? Why not curl up in bed and forget about everything?

If you’re just having one of those days, it’s time to come up with your list. This list includes all the compelling reasons why you want that goal.

Because I …

Want to provide for my family.

Want my parents to be proud of me.

Want to prove to myself that I can accomplish this.

Whatever your reasons, it’s your motivation to get out and work at your goal. So, pull the list out whenever you feel your drive taking a dip. Remind yourself why you get out and do the things you do each day.

#blairsinger #salesdogs #TeamCodeofHonor #RichDadAdvisors #Entrepreneurship #Leadership #Sales #PersonalDevelopment #Management

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