THE BEST SALESPERSON DOES THIS......

23 replies
In my VERY HUMBLE OPINION......I see most people who are turned off by sales think of the used car or timeshare salesman that wont take NO for an answer.

However....that is not necessarily what sales have to be. Let me explain further.

In my VERY HUMBLE OPINION.....ONE OF THE WORLD'S BEST SALESPERSONS IS..............OPRAH WINFREY....

Sounds like a joke doesn't it???? But let's look at what she's been able to do....

ANY PRODUCT, BOOK or SERVICE she RECOMMENDS ends up on the BEST SELLER LISTS.....makes millionaires virtually overnight.......

AND WHY????

Is she pushy? NO

Does she come across as someone who can sell ice to an Eskimo? NO

Let's face it....most consumers TRUST HER and she has a great "brand"

BUT TO ME, that's not what makes her a GREAT SALESPERSON...

What makes OPRAH a great salesperson is that most people who buy the products that she recommends, DON'T EVEN know she's selling anything!

I'm not saying that she makes money from the products that she recommends,etc.....

But what I'm saying is that people LET THEIR GUARDS down when they don't know you're selling anything.....


HOW DOES THAT TRANSLATE TO YOU????


An awesome mentor of mine who really believes in cold-calling....taught me

one simple little secret that allows people to let their guards down.


THE INTERVIEW METHOD


If you know your customer, then you don't NEED to SELL THEM on ANYTHING....you simply provide what they TELL YOU they NEED.

So...by interviewing them, they have no clue that you're selling them by gaining information about their preferences, choices, problems, hopeful solutions,etc.


Now, studies show that there are only a few people who like being "sold" to....so that means that the rest of us don't like or feel uncomfortable when people approach us to sell us something.

Some approaches that some of you are taking have been known to cause a PHYSICAL REACTION (negative) to people on the other end of the phone.

One thing I know about people....is that we are EGO CENTRIC.....no it doesn't mean that we are all about ourselves....but, if we look at a group picture we tend to look at ourselves.....therefore...most people LOVE to talk about themselves, their business, their beliefs,etc.

Use that to your advantage and try instead of doing "sales" calls try to do some research calls.

(I wont get into exact techniques here, but hopefully you get the gist)


So, if your selling a website upgrade to a potential customer, find out...

How many sales are they currently getting from their website
How many sales do they feel they should be getting?
What's the biggest obstacle to them getting more sales online?
What portion of their marketing budget is geared towards internet sales?

Literally, the possibilities are ENDLESS.

You can tailor your questions to fit your overall "pitch".

Once you know what they have, want, and need, you can suggest

simple solutions and explain the benefits catering to that...


This is simply my opinion on my experiences with this....

I'M OPEN FOR ANY COMMENTS, THOUGHTS, REBUTTALS,ETC. (Doesn't mean I'll respond )

GODSPEED

BRIK
#salesperson
  • Profile picture of the author biz2mob
    Yeah, we do takeaway selling, which essentially removes the selling if you're good enough at talking to make them understand that what you do is valuable and they have to "qualify" to become one of your clients, if your script is right, they will feel privileged to be your client. I hate push sales, it's ugly, I don't want a power struggle!
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    • Profile picture of the author brik2500
      Originally Posted by biz2mob View Post

      Yeah, we do takeaway selling, which essentially removes the selling if you're good enough at talking to make them understand that what you do is valuable and they have to "qualify" to become one of your clients, if your script is right, they will feel privileged to be your client. I hate push sales, it's ugly, I don't want a power struggle!
      I like what you said, "Qualify" that shows that you positioned yourself correctly in the conversation.....and that you gave them enough information to show your value or the value of what you do!
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  • Profile picture of the author Tsnyder
    Oprah is not a salesperson... she's an influencer... big difference.

    She has great influence because she's not a salesperson... she has
    the credibility that comes with making a sincere recommendation while
    not personally profiting from it.
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    If you knew what I know you'd be doing what I do...
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    • Profile picture of the author SlfMastery
      Thanks your your very humble opinion, Brik.

      "Tsnyder" says:
      Oprah is not a salesperson... she's an influencer... big difference.

      She has great influence because she's not a salesperson... she has

      the credibility that comes with making a sincere recommendation while
      not personally profiting from it.


      So, this is directed to "Tsnyder"

      Obviously Oprah IS profiting by getting free [name of product she endorses] for ALL her audience members (and herself) and people love to pay to go to her live shows for that reason. So, she does get revenues indirectly.

      But, besides that, are you SURE Oprah does not get any revenues from future sales of all the products that make her show? If I was a product owner I would offer a percentage of sales in exchange for massive exposure.

      If on the other hand she does NOT make any money from sales of a recommended product, the it seems like one cannot be a great influencer if they make money from their recommendations.

      Can you be a great influencer AND make money from recommendations?

      Thanks for your opinion, "Tsnyder."

      And, Brik, thanks again for sharing Oprah's method of garnering millions of sales. There is Gold in your post!
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    • Profile picture of the author brik2500
      Originally Posted by Tsnyder View Post

      Oprah is not a salesperson... she's an influencer... big difference.

      She has great influence because she's not a salesperson... she has
      the credibility that comes with making a sincere recommendation while
      not personally profiting from it.
      In some way...isn't that what a great sales person does? Influence people to believe that their life, business,etc would need a product or service?

      I'm just adding a little fuel to that fire...I welcome retort.

      But also, if we are REALLY talking about profits....the simple fact that OPRAH

      gave so much away in products..since she owned her show, there were

      TONS of companies willing to pay to get on her show...


      But that leads me astray to another fascinating principle...."giving in order to receive," and she happened to get more than she could have ever given...
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    The people who make the most money on the forum with their sigs dont sell either, or solicit anything, or ask you to PM them.... They just GIVE , good content...

    This has been taught on the Warrior forum for years.

    Selling online is about giving good content and not trying to sell at all, just trying to deliver good content, and you never have to sell at all.

    If you educate people, they will naturally want to know more- or NOT.

    Never try to point to your offer, never solicit a pm, never ask for a thanks...just put your link in your sig and concentrate 100% on giving. Forget selling...and you will sell.

    On the phone, forget selling....

    Focus on telling people about your offer.

    Dont sell- just introduce yourself and your service, be nice, and find out if they need help. Thats all- if they dont then move on.

    You dont have to sell a person who already has interest.

    Your goal on the phone is to be nice to as many people as humanly possible, say hello, introduce yourself, ask them how they are doing, and let them know you have a service if they are interested.

    If you do that you will come across people who are interested, and you dont have to sell them into being interested, they will be interested because they need the service and because they like you.

    Its as easy as that.

    Dial a hundred numbers

    You will only say hi to about 50 people, and most of them will politely turn you away and say "good luck with your calls today": and encourage you if you are nice.

    About 10 or 15 of them will listen to what you have to offer, and one or two will say "Yeah, I need that, I'd like to hear more".

    That takes about two hours or less.

    If one of the people who says "Yeah I'd like to hear more" buys, and you make a grand per sale, then you made a grand in two hours.

    If it takes 200 numbers, then you made a grand in 4 hours.

    Thats $250 per hour. My lawyer doesnt even make that much, and he has to give sales consultations to everyone who walks in the door, on TOP of having to advertise out the ying yang to get them in the door in the first place...and his closing ratio is probably about one out of four presentations (free consultations) where he actually gets the retainer, and makes $2500 bucks.

    Yeah, lawyers have to sell too!

    A cold caller could easily make that much in 20 hours per week max, and not have to deal with all the BS a lawyer does.

    For most offliners, 2-3 sales per week would be $2500 just on the front end, not to mention any monthly fees.

    So is it really that hard of work?

    Nope, and its not rocket science.

    Not really.
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    • Profile picture of the author brik2500
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      The people who make the most money on the forum with their sigs dont sell either, or solicit anything, or ask you to PM them.... They just GIVE , good content...

      This has been taught on the Warrior forum for years.

      Selling online is about giving good content and not trying to sell at all, just trying to deliver good content, and you never have to sell at all.

      If you educate people, they will naturally want to know more- or NOT.

      Never try to point to your offer, never solicit a pm, never ask for a thanks...just put your link in your sig and concentrate 100% on giving. Forget selling...and you will sell.

      On the phone, forget selling....

      Focus on telling people about your offer.

      Dont sell- just introduce yourself and your service, be nice, and find out if they need help. Thats all- if they dont then move on.

      You dont have to sell a person who already has interest.

      Your goal on the phone is to be nice to as many people as humanly possible, say hello, introduce yourself, ask them how they are doing, and let them know you have a service if they are interested.

      If you do that you will come across people who are interested, and you dont have to sell them into being interested, they will be interested because they need the service and because they like you.

      Its as easy as that.

      Dial a hundred numbers

      You will only say hi to about 50 people, and most of them will politely turn you away and say "good luck with your calls today": and encourage you if you are nice.

      About 10 or 15 of them will listen to what you have to offer, and one or two will say "Yeah, I need that, I'd like to hear more".

      That takes about two hours or less.

      If one of the people who says "Yeah I'd like to hear more" buys, and you make a grand per sale, then you made a grand in two hours.

      If it takes 200 numbers, then you made a grand in 4 hours.

      Thats $250 per hour. My lawyer doesnt even make that much, and he has to give sales consultations to everyone who walks in the door, on TOP of having to advertise out the ying yang to get them in the door in the first place...and his closing ratio is probably about one out of four presentations (free consultations) where he actually gets the retainer, and makes $2500 bucks.

      Yeah, lawyers have to sell too!

      A cold caller could easily make that much in 20n hours per week max, and not have to deal with all the BS a lawyer does.

      So is it really that hard of work?

      Nope, and its not rocket science.

      Not really.

      I would say that like content....the value you are creating comes in the form of information, trust, and genuine admiration....those obviously (like you said)

      lead to great returns.
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    • Profile picture of the author JRampage
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      Selling online is about giving good content and not trying to sell at all, just trying to deliver good content, and you never have to sell at all.

      If you educate people, they will naturally want to know more

      And I totally Agree. Ive been taught that when you giveaway something that is worth the money - people will return. And they key thing is not about giving away ebooks etc but to care for your customers. I belief that is one of the most important aspects to building a successful business relationship.
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  • Profile picture of the author John Durham
    I think its how Oprah sells people into watching her "program", by her sharing, and Im sure thaat has its own benefits, even if she doesnt profit off the products. Obviously nobody works for free... they just have different angles. If you are confident in your system you dont sell, you just share and do what you do, and sales "happen".

    Ps. I dont think she focuses on selling, only sharing. Thats enough.
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    • Profile picture of the author brik2500
      Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

      I think its how Oprah sells people into watching her "program", by her sharing, and Im sure thaat has its opwn benefits, even if she doesnt profit off the products. Obviously nobody works for free... they just have different angles. If you are confident in your system you dont sell, you just share and do what you do, and sales "happen".

      Ps. I dont think she focuses on selling, only sharing. Thats enough.
      Hmm...interesting...so would you say that sharing what you do and selling are the same thing.....however, people who consider themselves "salespersons" are slightly missing the point?

      Just a side thought....
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      • Profile picture of the author John Durham
        Originally Posted by brik2500 View Post

        Hmm...interesting...so would you say that sharing what you do and selling are the same thing.....however, people who consider themselves "salespersons" are slightly missing the point?

        Just a side thought....
        I would say that when Im on the phone, I focus on GIVING positive energy, and people buy from me.

        I went for an entire year in a telemarketing room as the employee of the month, and secretly I was the only one in the room who had permission from my manager to not rebutt prospects. Everyone else was REQUIRED to deliver 3 rebuttals, because I could consistently exceed quota without rebutting.

        At the time I believed heavily in the law of "allowing" and I told him I would not rebutt if someone gave me resistance, but I would still make quota.

        When you call someone, they either feel a lift of love energy, or they feel energy sucked from them.

        I practiced these laws hundreds of times per day on the phone, and was able to do my job without rebutting.

        That is what I call (Humbly) for lack of a better word, being a phone "Jedi", when you do it by managing energy...,and not by sales techniques... The rest are "salespeople".

        As an experienced manager, I can teach people to sell, but thats not how I myself do it.
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        • Profile picture of the author brik2500
          Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

          I would say that when Im on the phone, I focus on GIVING positive energy, and people buy from me.

          I went for an entire year in a telemarketing room as the employee of the month, and secretly I was the only one in the room who had permission from my manager to not rebutt prospects. Everyone else was REQUIRED to deliver 3 rebuttals, because I could consistently exceed quota without rebutting.

          At the time I believed heavily in the law of "allowing" and I told him I would not rebutt if someone gave me resistance, but I would still make quota.

          When you call someone, they either feel a lift of love energy, or they feel energy sucked from them.

          I practiced these laws hundreds of times per day on the phone, and was able to do my job without rebutting.

          That is what I call (Humbly) for lack of a better word, being a phone "Jedi", when you do it by managing energy...,and not by sales techniques... The rest are "salespeople".

          As an experienced manager, I can teach people to sell, but thats not how I myself do it.

          I freakin LOVE IT!
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          • good thread.

            I hope people will take John's message to heart.

            there is a productive way to not get rebuttals.

            from the books on "Spin Selling" .

            1 of the few real researchers (written by Huthwaite), that actually went out and documented real sales pitches.

            he found that you can prevent objections, so no rebuttal needed.

            His definition of an objection was, to paraphrase, " if someone objected, then you offered a feature that didn't specifically benefit the prospect "

            you can change things up. don't see yourself as a salesperson.

            your there to help.

            find out their real needs and wants (interview them is another way of saying consultative selling - IMO)

            p.s. - maybe oprah's influence is what I've heard called "social proof" ???
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            • Profile picture of the author brik2500
              Originally Posted by kirbymarketingconcierge View Post

              good thread.

              p.s. - maybe oprah's influence is what I've heard called "social proof" ???

              Social proof is when one person looks at what the masses is doing and changes his/her behavior to follow the group.....

              Oprah seems to have switched it around when the masses look at what one person is doing and change their behavior,etc....

              If I had to dissect it some way.....

              I think that was a great observation.
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        • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
          Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

          When you call someone, they either feel a lift of love energy, or they feel energy sucked from them.

          That is what I call (Humbly) for lack of a better word, being a phone "Jedi", when you do it by managing energy...,and not by sales techniques... The rest are "salespeople".
          That's selling. Probably at the highest level. I say that because I haven't experienced anything more advanced.
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        • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
          Originally Posted by John Durham View Post

          Everyone else was REQUIRED to deliver 3 rebuttals
          Three ?? That's it ? Man you had a "soft" manger

          With my first sales job, if we only did three, we would get fired.

          lots of people did get fired to.

          I guess .. besides how to sell, one of the best things i learned from that
          company, was how to keep some one on the phone. ( cold calls )

          the premise was simple, the longer you keep them from hanging up
          on you... the better chance you had to sell them.

          I should also mention if i had to sell that way today.. i would cringe.
          and most likely NOT be in sales...

          I should also mention, once you get to a certain point..

          rebuttals, really aren't rebuttals any more, they more of a bonding experience.
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          • Profile picture of the author Claude Whitacre
            I love it. I see the name Ken Michaels or John Durham and BAM, it's something good.

            Personally, I'm very easy to get rid of up front. I mean the prospect should be more interested than I am for me to continue. But there is a "tipping point" in the conversation where I feel invested, and I don't want to let go. Then my "lizard brain" takes over and I direct everything to getting the sale...even if it sounds like regular conversation. And I'll keep at it until I feel them pulling away. Then it's done. To them, I just sound more interested in them the longer we are at it.

            I'm talking more about in person selling, but I can't see a difference.

            Guys?
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  • Profile picture of the author Rus Sells
    The best salesperson closes the deal clean. Makes no promises that the company isn't prepared to keep, doesn't give away things to get the sale thereby cutting profit margins and sets the ground rules for the relationship.

    If they aren't doing that it just causes problems for the company and the client. Everything else is just stuff.
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  • Profile picture of the author brik2500
    Hey, saw this thread and it stuck out to me about "disarming."

    It seems that she had questions to ask him first before she pitched him....

    Does anyone see the correlation?

    http://www.warriorforum.com/offline-...ting-call.html
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  • Profile picture of the author ARealBiz
    In my opinion, Oprah is an influencer and great sales person as well. Selling isn't her goal. Passionately help others with solutions fitting into their problems makes her name. Earn her credibility.
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  • Profile picture of the author 300SMG
    In my opinion, Oprah isn't a salesperson at all. She is the equivalent of an owner of a very targeted list with millions of 'opt-in' members. Oprah mentions a product, book, self-help, etc. and those millions of watchers/fans pick up on it. Much like we as IM'ers contact our list with offers and deals.
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  • Profile picture of the author BlackBetty
    This is right, if you know all the components that make a sales person good at his work, you'll see that the Oprah example is suitable.
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  • Profile picture of the author Hugh
    Rus,

    Until now I have never heard anyone speak of selling "clean".
    When anyone asks me what I do, I say "I help people find what they are looking for."
    And I have been saying for years that "I sell clean."

    Hugh
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