Blair Singer

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:

  • 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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

Mishandling Upset And Losing The Room

Learning to handle upset is something we work on heavily in my facilitator programs. Why? Because it is the fear of possible upset that scares many would-be presenters. The inability to gain confidence in this area, will water your presentations into boring, unengaging sessions and ultimately will block whatever great material and change you have to offer. Many need help with this so let’s take a look at it.

How do you steer away from potential upset in the audience? The reason it is intimidating is because you’re in front of a lot of people whether it be in person or on zoom. Offline or online doesn’t make much of a difference. Someone can challenge or disagree with you either way. That alone strikes fear in so many while presenting.

Without understanding the basics of how to do this, you will be put into the category of those who do not know how to present. Making them terrible presenters because they cannot engage with their audience. If you do understand, you’ll generate more in sales and inspire a lot of change in people. So what do you want, A or B? If you’re still here then you’re wanting to change people’s lives and wanting to become better yourself in the process.

Question: What do you do when someone challenges you or disagrees with you?

Answer: Well first thing, the Little Voice within you may have a mini freak out moment. This could cause several things to happen. Your emotions may go up while your intelligence goes down. Your ego may want to defend itself. You might want to attack. You may want to run and hide. Or you may just want to ignore it. For the record… none of those are good options! 

What is a good option? On my YouTube video, we will dive deep into how to actually do this. Watching the rest of this episode on youtube learn everything you can on this subject. It will change you as a presenter and leader. Don’t forget to Be Awesome!  Click the link below to watch the episode in full.