May 2, 2013

Hate selling? Think it stinks? Find out what’s really going on [part 1]

By JaneFrankland | Mindset, Sales, Selling | No Comments

Love or hate selling?

Here's the truth. There are TOO many people who think they don't like sales or even hate selling. They think it's icky and sleazy, and regularly come out with statements like “I don't like asking for the money.”

Sound familiar?

Now until recently I used to think that if I can just teach these people that sales is a caring profession – it's about helping people (by solving problems or matching needs to wants), and then show them how to sell, all will be fine.

How wrong was I?

You see so many people don't actually have a problem with sales or selling. So many people don't actually hate selling. The problem they have is actually their relationship with money. And it gets worse. It's usually deep rooted.

Now here's a strange thing. You can do very well in sales and still have this problem! However, here's the sting…If you don't address this, no matter how much money you make or how many times money comes into your life, you'll LOSE it.

I speak from experience…

Here's my story [I'll keep it brief]

Once upon a time I was a designer. I loved my work with a passion. I'd been nominated as a Young British Designer, had an agent and was selling my work globally to Hong Kong, Tokyo, LA, New York, Paris and London.

Sounds a bit glam doesn't it?

Sadly it wasn't. I was eating my son's left over scraps, unable to pay the utility bills and I was making next to nothing.

Bummer!

So I struck a deal with the universe when someone advised me to go and get a ‘proper' job!

I said, “I'll give up my passion if in return you reward me with lots of money.” And, that's exactly what happened. I retrained, got head-hunted for a corporate job with great prospects, and then left it to to build a 7-figure business (with the man whom I thought was my soul mate).

The universe was serving me well.

Or was it?

Cue the roller coaster of life! It was early 2002 and the dot com bubble burst was in full flow. My business partner and I were caught out. We'd had the business for 5 years and were faced with a choice – to liquidate or to recover. We chose the latter and then worked like there was no tomorrow. We remodelled the company almost overnight and 2 years later it was more profitable than it had ever been. We'd had a close shave but this was not the worst that was to come (for me).

Several years later my partner called time on our relationship and then decided he wanted the company all for himself. [Muhaha!] I was forced out of my own company in ways that I won't disclose. All I'll say is it was unpleasant!

And this is where the moral of the story kicks in.

Surprisingly it's not on choosing your business partner! That's definitely a subject for another post! 😉

The moral of the story is always to do what you love. Don't chase the dollar. Find a way to make it work. Then you will do great work.

So now for some key points on getting over the mantra of so many entrepreneurs and start-ups: “I hate selling” [but I like making sales!]

By the way I'm only going to concentrate here on your relationship to money (not self worth or rejection issues, which might also be going on.)

The first point I want to make is that when it comes to money you are the economist of you, so you need to decide what you want money for. Do you want it for ‘stuff' to own or for ‘stuff' to experience, or both? There's no right or wrong answer here. It's a personal choice. However, once you get clear on the purpose for your money you have a rudder to guide your purchases, savings, investments and donations. And you get motivated!

A word of caution. You can only get clear on your purpose for money when you get clear on your desired life. And, your desired life is driven by the way you want to feel.

In my case I wanted to feel happy. I knew that being a designer would fulfil this. However, I knew that I couldn't make enough money to support my family as a designer. [I'd tried.] As a result, I chose to find a 6-figure job and build a 7-figure business. The purpose for my money became financial stability.

So if money enables so many of our wants to be manifested, get clear on the purpose, and…

[box]”Let the money follow the thinking but let the thinking follow the feeling” ~ Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]

The second point I want to make is that “money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish but it will not replace you as the driver.” – Ayn Rand.

Video break

For me I'd let the money control me. When I'd struck that deal with the universe I'd sold my soul. I'd relinquished my passion. Money was not serving me. It was controlling me. Money was the one in the driving seat, not me. How did I truly know this? Well the result revealed itself recently.

I bet you're wondering how?

Well despite being a top sales person and being responsible for building a 7-figure business, I suffered (for the first time ever) an inability to do fee-paying work. I'd work for free, but if money were to cross my palms I'd literally run a mile. This meant I wasn't charging for work, sending invoices once work was done and not even quoting when asked. As a hard-core salesperson this still makes me twitch! I clearly had a dire relationship issue with money!

The good news is, help arrived to resolve this and I'll be sharing exactly how in part 2.

If you can't wait until then, check out T.Harv Eker. He first introduced me to the concept of winning the money game and how it relates to why people can hate selling.

Now I want to hear from you…

Do you love or hate selling? What selling techniques can you recommend if you hate selling? What part of my story resonates with you? Have you tackled it at all? If so please leave me a comment in the box below.

P.S. If you know anyone who could benefit from this insight, take a second and send them a link to this post. You’ll be helping me… and THEM!

With love and gratitude – as always,

Craft a 30 second sales pitch like a pro in 3 easy steps

By JaneFrankland | Established business, Sales, Selling | One Comment

Saying ‘no' to a sleazey sales pitch!

As a small business owner, you’ve got opportunities waiting for you every single day. However, how you handle them means the difference between business that’s won or lost. As someone who’s been in business development for nearly two decades, the most common (and avoidable) mistake I see over and over again is the inability to quickly and effectively communicate what your company does. i.e. a sales pitch. And then following that swiftly, is the sleazey sales pitch! Urgh!

Having a short sleek sales pitch is therefore an essential marketing tool for your business. Sometimes referred to as an elevator pitch, the term came about following the idea of explaining who you are and what you do in the time it takes to ride an elevator from the ground floor to the top floor. Classy!

Even though the way we do business today has matured, there are always times when you’ll need to use a sales pitch. For a start, every person you meet is a potential client, and a business opportunity can and often does present itself anywhere. So it's vital to be prepared with your short sales pitch.

Here are the key elements for a successful sales pitch

The core elements of your sales pitch are simple:

1. The Who i.e. the name of your company and NOT the tagline. There’s a time and a place for taglines and it’s not here.
2. The What i.e. what products or services does your company provide?
3. The WIIFM i.e. what’s in it for me or your key differentiator or USP (unique selling proposition). Disclose what sets you apart from your competition and describe yourself in terms of the benefits you provide to your prospect.

How to craft your sales pitch

As a rough estimate, a 30 second sales pitch is ample time to communicate what you do. Whilst you may be tempted to go over that, don’t. Research verifies that most people form a lasting impression in as little as 3 seconds, and the average attention span starts to wane after 15-20 seconds. To be completely blunt, you’ve got 30 seconds (about 125-150 words) to make your point or you’ve missed your opportunity!

Craft your sales pitch by writing down what you want to say and refining it until it answers the questions above. Always remember WIIFM, as using that is the difference between making a personal connection with your prospect OR boring them to tears. Always communicate to them too and don’t use jargon.

Delivering your sales pitch

Once your sales pitch is written, make sure it sounds natural and conversational rather than learnt and robotic. The best way to do this is by practising. The more you practice, the more comfortable you'll be. Don't worry too much if it sounds clunky to begin with. We all start somewhere and it will improve as you gain confidence and get feedback. Adopt the attitude of continual improvement. As you give your sales pitch to more and more prospects, you’ll hear different questions and reactions. Listen to the response and use that feedback to make your pitch stronger. Be confident too. Visual cues are just as important as the words you are saying. Remember even though your sales pitch is 30 seconds, people can form their opinion in as little as three seconds. Stand up tall, make eye contact. Your words and body language work together to make your 30 second sales pitch as effective as possible. When done successfully, you’ll know you made the most of every opportunity.

So I wish you well with this. Please let me know how you get on with your sales pitch and please share your experiences and feedback in the comments below as I’d love to hear. Finally, thank you, as always for reading and contributing here. If you found this useful, please share it with your friends!

With love and gratitude – as always,

August 13, 2012

Story tell like an expert in five easy steps

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, New business, Selling, Uncategorized | 3 Comments

Why it's vital to become a good storyteller

Storytelling is an age-old tradition that we have been brought up on since being children. It has been the centre of many celebratory and social events for centuries. Whilst a truly great storyteller is blessed with a unique gift, it is possible for anyone to gain these skills and become competent.

[box]“Everyone loves to hear a good story, but the story is only as good as the storyteller.” TWEET THIS[/box]

Being a good storyteller is a vital part of what we do as entrepreneurs. Why? Well, when we do it well we get people’s attention and we gain their trust. And, when we have this, we make more sales – simple! We all love stories and we can all relate to people through them. So whether you are writing, video blogging or speaking you need to know how to communicate through stories because it’s a better way to engage with your customers and pull them in.

Here are 5 tips for storytelling:

1.   Include dialogue. It’s the key to successful story telling as it far more engaging than just telling someone what to do.
2.   Act it out and become the person you are telling the story about. Take on their persona, their tone of voice or accent. Put some performance into it. You become more believable. Put yourself in the moment. It’s so powerful.
3.   Use your words and paint the scene so you can understand who it is that it’s being told about.
4.   Passion – when you’re passionate about something you have something to say and will be more engaging and therefore believable
5.   Practice – you know what they say – practice makes perfect so start by writing daily – 1000 words and even better still – video blogging!

In the comments below, let me know your top tips for telling stories. Let me know what action you'll take as a result of watching and reading this post too. I'd love to hear.

Thank you, as always for watching, reading and contributing here. If you found this useful, please share it with your friends!

With love and gratitude – as always,

July 8, 2012

Selling techniques: using fear and passion

By JaneFrankland | Selling | 2 Comments

How do you view selling?

How do you think of selling? The reason I ask is on account of the fact that so many people are quite ‘anti-sales.’ It’s a shame really as if it’s done professionally I think being a salesperson is really something to be proud of.

I was taught years ago to view sales and selling simply as a conversation. Furthermore, to think of it as a means to help someone by matching their needs to their wants and solving their problems. So if you're like me and like finding out about people and helping them, then ethical, professional selling could be for you.

There are so many ways to sell but in this post I’m only going to concentrate on selling on fear by using the FUD factor, and selling on passion. I’ll then leave it up to you as to which one you want to choose.

Selling with fear (FUD)

FUD actually stands for fear, uncertainty and doubt. It was a term popularized in the late 70s by Gene Amdahl to describe IBM – his former employer – and their sales strategy. At that time IBM’s strategy was to erode the confidence a prospect had for a competitor and their products. Their strategy was very successful.

I’ve seen FUD used in competitive situations, and also when no one else is involved – simply just to highlight a problem and get a sale. Here's how it works when a competitor is involved. A sales person plants seeds of doubt to get the customer worried about the other competitor who is looking likely for the work. They go through all the dire consequences of dealing with that competitor and usually ask some of the following questions:

How long have they been in business?
Will they be around next year?
Are they a homegrown company or an international?
How many offices do they have?
How many employees do they have?
What is their employee skill set?
Do they possess the required qualifications or accreditations?
What is their track record like for customer care?
What is their cash flow like?
What happens if the bank calls their line of credit?
What happens if the sole owner dies, gets divorced, sells up or goes to prison?

Questions like these make the other competitor's sales job much harder as the seeds of doubt have now been planted in the customers' mind. They have highlighted the risks. Of course, salespeople with more talent don't just ask questions, they provide misleading statements. Politicians do this regularly and it's an art form!

When it's used to highlight a problem, these questions can be used:

What will happen if you don't get this product or service?
Who will be in the firing line if things don't improve?
What will it cost your company?

Those taking the moral high ground say that bad mouthing your competitor or selling using FUD is not a successful message. Whilst I agree, it is still rife and does work so it’s important to be aware of it.

Selling with passion

Simply put, passion sells and salespeople who have a passion for what they are selling sell more. Passionate salespeople have the ability to create sales, to overcome problems, and to create long-term customer relationships. Their passion is infectious and sweeps customers along with them. When it’s used in combination with a solution sale it’s very effective.

What is a solution sale?

Solution selling is a methodology. Rather than just promoting an existing product or service the salesperson focuses on the customer's pain and addresses the issue with their company’s offerings. The resolution of the pain is what constitutes a true solution sale.

When I contact a prospective customer, I give them my full focus. I want to find out as much as I can about them and understand their situation. As an ideal I want to find out what makes them tick and also what challenges they face so I can help them with my company’s offerings. If my offerings are not suitable, then I’ll still try to help by introducing them to another company who can. For your own sales success, it is imperative to realize that your offering is simply a tool.

In the comments below, tell me what you think about selling with fear and passion. Let me know your preferences and also what techniques or strategies you use. Let me know too what action you'll take as a result of watching this video and reading this post too. I'd love to hear.

Thank you, as always for reading, watching and contributing here. If you found this useful, please share it with your friends!

With love and gratitude,

July 3, 2012

Dealing with a time management objection

By JaneFrankland | business start ups, Established business, Lifestyle, New business, Selling | 7 Comments

Excuses: I'm time frazzled!

Excuses, excuses, excuses – I've heard my fair share of them and I have to say that time is often top of the list. So, how do you deal with this when someone gives it to you as a reason for not doing something? This short blog answers that question. I've written it with the aim of providing you with some useful tips and also to help you see things from the point of view of the time frazzled person that you're dealing with.

Understanding the time management problem

So, firstly, let’s get honest here about not having enough time. Who feels like there are never enough hours in the day to get it all done? I for one often do, and I know that I’m not alone. Most of us regularly feel overwhelmed as we’re increasingly leading hectic lives.

Whilst technology may have become our ally on many levels it’s also made things a lot worse. Being the ‘devil in disguise’ to a certain extent, mobile technology advancements have meant that we’re now expected to be contactable (and in some cases working) all the time, whether we’re in a job, running our own business or just being a parent.

The top reasons why things don’t get done

We procrastinate
We get distracted
We can’t say no
We don’t delegate or outsource
We can’t let go as we’re perfectionists
We take on too many commitments and spread ourselves too thin
We can’t accurately estimate how much time something is going to take
It's not important enough to us

How to reclaim control and deal with the no time objection

So what can you do to help yourself and combat this time management challenge? How can you reclaim control and deal professionally with the ‘I've got no time' objection?

Well, one of the first things you need to be aware of is that this is an excuse. Time is just a statement of priority. We all have 24 hours in the day to get done what we want/need to get done. I for one find this incredibly exciting as it really does put all of us on a level playing field. What this actually means is that what we do with our 24 hours is simply up to us! We have to own this and take responsibility for it!

Like everyone else, we prioritize. We choose to do whatever we want to do with our time. Time is like currency – we trade it – choosing to give something up in order to do something that is more of a priority to us, our business or our family. If something is important to us, we will always make time.

I'm hoping this is all making sense to you by now. The final thing I want to say on this subject is simply to encourage you to be honest with those that you’re speaking to. If they are struggling, or getting stressed be there to help. We all need it sometimes!

In the comments below, tell me how you deal with the ‘I've got no time' excuse. Let me know too how you prioritize your time and overcome your time management challenges. Is there anything that you regularly choose to give up or sacrifice in order to get something done that is more of a priority to you, your business or you family? And, finally let me know what action you'll take as a result of watching this video and reading this post too. I'd love to hear.

Thank you, as always for reading, watching and contributing here. If you found this useful, please share it with your friends!

With love and gratitude,

Category Archives: Selling

Hate selling? Think it stinks? Find out what’s really going on [part 1]

Love or hate selling?

Here's my story [I'll keep it brief]

And this is where the moral of the story kicks in.