20 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
20 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

The Best Way To Make A Sale...

by Preeti
16 replies
To keep myself evolving with my sales skills..I really enjoy reading books/articles/watching videos about the topic..and I think it's definitely required for anybody in offline..without sales, you don't have a business!

I follow Jeffrey Gitomer and really liked this article so wanted to share this:

Buy Gitomer: Column Archive

Key takeaway: Selling is NOT manipulating. Selling is harmonizing.
#make #sale
  • Profile picture of the author jimbo13
    Well according to him if you are:

    1. Cold calling
    2. Finding the pain
    3. Selling an upfront contract
    4. Closing the sale

    you are toast.

    Well this person sold cars did he not?

    1. I read that he used to throw hundreds of business cards in the air at Football matches. An intrusive cold throwing litter lout is okay then?

    2. I bet he asked people something like 'So what brings you here today?' to open the dialogue on the reason for them wanting a new car with which to use later.

    3. Once he had them wanting a car he probably explained they could pay in cash all upfront or use finance which is still him getting all the money upfront.

    4. Once he had done that he probably assumed the sale by filling in the paperwork, asking them if that was everything covered to their satisfaction and then asking them to sign.

    So really these people may change the terminology but they know they are still doing the same thing as always.

    Same but different. That is all. Just like my TV is same but different from 20 years ago.

    Dan
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6415557].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author af7850
    I don't know anything about this guy, so I cannot speak to his experience or history. I thought that the article was very good.


    Posted from Warriorforum.com App for Android
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6415634].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Prashant_W
    Originally Posted by Preeti View Post

    Key takeaway: Selling is NOT manipulating. Selling is harmonizing.
    THIS.

    NOTE: Anyone who wants to sell anything at all should read Joe Girard's books.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6416204].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
      Originally Posted by Prashant_W View Post

      THIS.

      NOTE: Anyone who wants to sell anything at all should read Joe Girard's books.

      listen guys, this is one of the major problems with the internet,,,

      any body that has the appearance of being more skilled then you
      in any field appears to be "in the know", or better, or a genius
      or guru, or whatever pedestal lifting name you want to give them

      But the fact of the matter is, in most cases its just not true,
      but if you have less knowledge then the presenter, they seam like gods
      and in most cases you yourself don't have even enough knowledge
      to know BS when you hear it....

      Someone wrights a book or a few articles, people who don't know any better
      read them, think they are awesome, provide the social proof the guy
      is awesome, and a crowd gathers, and it self perpetuates itself.

      Books on sales and how to sell, as well as articles are some of the worse
      offenders.

      IN some of that stuff you see miracle sales tatics, that really good sounding in theory, but suck ass in real life, and a lot of times are illegal....

      but, you read try it, fail at it... and then are told you yourself
      are to blame, because you did not do it properly, or you did not stick
      with it enough...

      So there is no accountability....

      There is ONLY one REAL way to get good at sales
      there is ONLY one real way to learn technique
      There is ONLY one REAL way to become a master closer.

      That is PRACTICE, PRACTICE , PRACTICE !

      Stop trying to learn everyone else s game,

      create your own.

      You will save a lot of time and money

      and if you insist on reading all that crap, just remember 90% of it is bull*hit
      Signature

      Selling Ain't for Sissies!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6416608].message }}
      • Profile picture of the author Prashant_W
        Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

        listen guys, this is one of the major problems with the internet... Blah. Blah. Blah.
        Problem? Do you even know who Joe Girard is? I've read his books. I can relate to the stuff he teaches because it's very congruent with other marketing books/material I've read from marketers I trust.

        Besides, he comes with a recommendation from Joe Sugarman.

        Girard has sold more cars than anyone else. Ever. Sugarman is one of the most successful copywriters of all time (and what they teach isn't theoretical crap. It's based off decades of practice.).

        Basically, what you're doing is slamming the idea of a need for education.

        I'm not suggesting that you should read every book available. But you should read the good ones if you want to develop a strong foundation. Nobody is born with business acumen. This comes with practice. But before you can practice, you need to know what hell you ought to do in the first place.

        Hence, you read books (that aren't even expensive, for Pete's sake) to develop this foundation.

        Then you put this knowledge into practice.

        PS: You need to do your research before making statements.
        {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6418783].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author kenmichaels
          Originally Posted by Prashant_W View Post

          Problem? Do you even know who Joe Girard is? I've read his books. I can relate to the stuff he teaches because it's very congruent with other marketing books/material I've read from marketers I trust.

          Besides, he comes with a recommendation from Joe Sugarman.

          Girard has sold more cars than anyone else. Ever. Sugarman is one of the most successful copywriters of all time (and what they teach isn't theoretical crap. It's based off decades of practice.).

          Basically, what you're doing is slamming the idea of a need for education.

          I'm not suggesting that you should read every book available. But you should read the good ones if you want to develop a strong foundation. Nobody is born with business acumen. This comes with practice. But before you can practice, you need to know what hell you ought to do in the first place.

          Hence, you read books (that aren't even expensive, for Pete's sake) to develop this foundation.

          Then you put this knowledge into practice.

          PS: You need to do your research before making statements.
          You pretty much proved my point for me, thank you.
          Signature

          Selling Ain't for Sissies!
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6418888].message }}
          • Profile picture of the author Prashant_W
            Originally Posted by kenmichaels View Post

            You pretty much proved my point for me, thank you.
            Yeah? Humor me.
            {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6419103].message }}
        • Profile picture of the author IMguy123
          Originally Posted by Prashant_W View Post

          Problem? Do you even know who Joe Girard is? I've read his books. I can relate to the stuff he teaches because it's very congruent with other marketing books/material I've read from marketers I trust.

          Besides, he comes with a recommendation from Joe Sugarman.

          Girard has sold more cars than anyone else. Ever. Sugarman is one of the most successful copywriters of all time (and what they teach isn't theoretical crap. It's based off decades of practice.).

          Basically, what you're doing is slamming the idea of a need for education.

          I'm not suggesting that you should read every book available. But you should read the good ones if you want to develop a strong foundation. Nobody is born with business acumen. This comes with practice. But before you can practice, you need to know what hell you ought to do in the first place.

          Hence, you read books (that aren't even expensive, for Pete's sake) to develop this foundation.

          Then you put this knowledge into practice.

          PS: You need to do your research before making statements.
          I personally did not know who this guy is so I googled his name plus "cold call" to find this article 10.5 Reasons Why Jeffrey Gitomer is a Sales Sellout | BlueGrace Logistics Blog

          An interesting read also... I personally don't believe cold calling is dead like he does now. Apparently he has done a 180 in his direction from what he taught in the past. he has this article on his website Buy Gitomer: Column Archive

          ...yet he still tries to sell his cold calling strategies CD on his website also. Buy Gitomer: Cold Calling CD

          Anyway, I can see he really does have alot experience but he also has had at least 30 years of experience to build his name, rep, etc. in order to get the referrals he talks about. I do absorb alot of what he says in his article of the OP post but I think he a little off base saying cold calling is dead.

          So thanks for your post Preeti because it does have info one can definitely use.
          {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6431663].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Preeti
    Okayyyy...where is the love?!?! LOL

    Let's just squash whatever beef there's going on this thread..

    I originally posted this because I really liked the article and felt that I took something positive away from it. But of course, I agree..the only way you truly get better at sales is by practicing, talking to people, finding out about their problems and positioning yourself in the best way possible.

    I'm not promoting becoming a groupie of Gitomer, or any other sales trainer for that matter of fact, just when I read things I like..I like to share them in the hopes that it'll help somebody else out there

    Also, sometimes we're so caught up in the grind that it's important to remember that we need to always sharpen and work on our sales skills. Sometimes it does take an article, book, course, workshop, conference to give ourselves that time to be reminded again about how we can improve our sales skills.

    Our business depends on it!
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6430297].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author link82
    Ahem, people.... anyways, Preeti, thanks for the resource, will give it a read over the weekend.
    Signature
    Quietly Selling Powerful Links. Just a handful on clean domains, PM me for inquiry :D
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6430448].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author bob ross
    I'm confused, I didn't see anything about Joe Girard in there. I've read "close every sale" by girard at least 5 times when I started working in direct sales and used a lot of his stuff with success in the b2c field.
    Signature
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6431776].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author maxpine11
    Do not make sales calls on Monday! Mondays are tough enough for people; do not bother them when they are just getting their week started — if you want to be successful.
    Make sales calls on Tues. Wed. Thurs. and never make sales calls before 10am or after 3pm.The prime calling hours for sales calls are 10-noon and 1-3pm. People do not like sales calls generally. Do not be a bother to a potential client before they get their morning coffee. After 3pm people on deadline do not have time for your call. Give yourself the best possible path to success by respecting your prospect’s time.
    Always ask if your contact has time to speak with you. And if they are busy, ask when would be a best time to give them a call back. Then you’ll have a scheduled appointment which is even better.
    Make sure you can remind your contact how you know them.
    Research whether or not the contact is really a potential customer. It’s always best to know what products and services your customer purchases – and when they make these decisions to do so. If you really know your target market, you’ll know this information.
    Make sure you have the correct name of the person you want to speak with on the call. When you do get a potential customer on the phone, be ready. You only have 7 seconds to make an impression. Stammering over someone’s name is not the way to make a good first impression.
    Do not leave a voicemail if you do not reach your sales target. Connections are only made with real people. Your message will be deleted anyway.
    Use contact management software. You need to track your calls and when it’s time to make follow-up calls.
    Never make a sales call on a Friday! No one wants someone selling them something when they are trying to wrap up their week and get out the door to start their weekend.
    Use a target list for potential customers. Make sure you contact you target list at least once a month by phone, email or direct mail.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6439501].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author iAmNameLess
      Originally Posted by maxpine11 View Post

      Do not make sales calls on Monday! Mondays are tough enough for people; do not bother them when they are just getting their week started -- if you want to be successful.
      Make sales calls on Tues. Wed. Thurs. and never make sales calls before 10am or after 3pm.The prime calling hours for sales calls are 10-noon and 1-3pm. People do not like sales calls generally. Do not be a bother to a potential client before they get their morning coffee. After 3pm people on deadline do not have time for your call. Give yourself the best possible path to success by respecting your prospect's time.
      Always ask if your contact has time to speak with you. And if they are busy, ask when would be a best time to give them a call back. Then you'll have a scheduled appointment which is even better.
      Make sure you can remind your contact how you know them.
      Research whether or not the contact is really a potential customer. It's always best to know what products and services your customer purchases - and when they make these decisions to do so. If you really know your target market, you'll know this information.
      Make sure you have the correct name of the person you want to speak with on the call. When you do get a potential customer on the phone, be ready. You only have 7 seconds to make an impression. Stammering over someone's name is not the way to make a good first impression.
      Do not leave a voicemail if you do not reach your sales target. Connections are only made with real people. Your message will be deleted anyway.
      Use contact management software. You need to track your calls and when it's time to make follow-up calls.
      Never make a sales call on a Friday! No one wants someone selling them something when they are trying to wrap up their week and get out the door to start their weekend.
      Use a target list for potential customers. Make sure you contact you target list at least once a month by phone, email or direct mail.
      You give some of the worst advice on here.... so while you're busy 3 days during the week, for 4 hours each day, I'll be making sales every day, 8 or more hours a day.
      Signature
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6440108].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author beeswarn
      Originally Posted by maxpine11 View Post

      Do not make sales calls on Monday! Mondays are tough enough for people; do not bother them when they are just getting their week started — if you want to be successful.
      Make sales calls on Tues. Wed. Thurs. and never make sales calls before 10am or after 3pm.The prime calling hours for sales calls are 10-noon and 1-3pm. People do not like sales calls generally. Do not be a bother to a potential client before they get their morning coffee. After 3pm people on deadline do not have time for your call. Give yourself the best possible path to success by respecting your prospect’s time.
      Always ask if your contact has time to speak with you. And if they are busy, ask when would be a best time to give them a call back. Then you’ll have a scheduled appointment which is even better.
      Make sure you can remind your contact how you know them.
      Research whether or not the contact is really a potential customer. It’s always best to know what products and services your customer purchases – and when they make these decisions to do so. If you really know your target market, you’ll know this information.
      Make sure you have the correct name of the person you want to speak with on the call. When you do get a potential customer on the phone, be ready. You only have 7 seconds to make an impression. Stammering over someone’s name is not the way to make a good first impression.
      Do not leave a voicemail if you do not reach your sales target. Connections are only made with real people. Your message will be deleted anyway.
      Use contact management software. You need to track your calls and when it’s time to make follow-up calls.
      Never make a sales call on a Friday! No one wants someone selling them something when they are trying to wrap up their week and get out the door to start their weekend.
      Use a target list for potential customers. Make sure you contact you target list at least once a month by phone, email or direct mail.
      This advice is so fundamentally retarded that it's almost poetic.

      I set out to highlight each single piece that is 100% wrong and I ended up putting all but one sentence in bold text. I mean it's so wrong-headed it must be an e-mail prank about calling bureaucrats.

      All I can say now is that, if you are competing with me, I hope you follow this advice to the letter and never deviate from it in any way.
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6440188].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author af7850
    Maxpine, if your house catches fire next Monday, I won't worry about interrupting your "hectic day" when I call you.

    The best advice is to only call on days ending in "y". If you truly believe that your service is helping people, then withholding yourself from them is unethical. If you do not hold this conviction then it's time to find a new service.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6440058].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author af7850
    Originally Posted by beeswarn

    Quote:

    All I can say now is that, if you are competing with me, I hope you follow this advice to the letter and never deviate from it in any way.
    Along this line of thought... You can dominate your competition without doing any real work, so why bother getting your hands dirty? Cold calling is just bad anyway. After all, if there are only 10 hours a week when calling works, and 90% of leads aren't with calling anyways, why do it at all?

    Just concentrate on reading this forum, buy some wso's and build a really big website for yourself. You'll be rich in no time. Actual work is for suckers.





    Posted from Warriorforum.com App for Android
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[6440323].message }}

Trending Topics