How to sell more and high fives!
Last week I wrote about how to sell more by leveraging off your internal team and/ suppliers – how to sell more: the sales pitch everyone misses. High five if you've implemented that already. This week I've got another group for you to leverage off and once again you won't have to incentivize them or pay them commission. Gosh it sounds like I'm about to make the sales team redundant, but that's not the case!
Before I tell you more, I’ve got two questions for you.
Here’s the first. If you could make one simple tweak to your company that would give you an immediate sales increase would you do it?
Of course you would! Who doesn’t want to make more sales?
Ok, next question. When a buyer is on your website what do they want? This answer is really going to surprise you.
They want to discount you. They’re looking for reasons not to buy from you. They’re making a short-list of suppliers, whether that’s at a conscious or subconscious level. They’re looking for signs that will put them off from buying from you.
And no one teaches you this! I go into all these buying behaviour patterns in my sales program which is coming soon.
So how do you stop them leaving your website without contacting you? Well, there are many ways, but in this post I’m only going to concentrate on just one of them.
Do it the sizzle and steak way (story time)
Imagine you’re in a restaurant. You’ve never been there before and you’re wondering whether it’s any good. You’re looking for some reassurance, so you ask the waiter some questions. To your surprise he responds with a question. He asks you, “If you were eating here tonight what would you pick from the menu?” He hands you the menu. You see the steak and answer, “I’d pick the steak.” He continues the conversation by telling you how wonderful their steak is, how it’s sourced, and how it really sizzles. You’re interested but still not convinced. He then says, “Look, let me show you.” He then calls over a waiter who's about to deliver a sizzling steak to a customer. You can see it now for yourself and it really does look good. He then introduces you to several regular customers who tell you at first hand their experience of the restaurant. By now you’re convinced so you ask for a table and the transaction is made.
The moral of the story is this:
[box]”If you want to sell more don’t just talk about the sizzle, show the whole steak” – Jane Frankland TWEET THIS[/box]
When a buyer lands on your website, you’re obviously not there, so you can’t help influence their buying decision. You can’t allay their fears or convince them that you're the right supplier. So, that means you’ve got to go the extra mile.
And, that's where testimonials come in. They back up what you say or as Robert B. Cialdini (noted psychologist) calls social proof. You see testimonials hold strong persuasive powers as they touch on both fact-based and emotion-based motivators that drive people to buy things. They reaffirm that your claims are credible and that your services are the real deal. They validate the feelings that a prospective buyer has for you too, and when done right, the message that typically comes across is authentic, sincere and extremely convincing.
5 tips to make sure your testimonials sell for you
Watch the video, or skip if you prefer to read the text below.
Tip #1. Get result-orientated testimonials. These are the most effective of all. When you help your clients or customers achieve something then you must show the value. Show numbers, currency, amounts and percentages. This will get your prospects attention and dramatically increase their response. Here’s are 2 examples: A) “The Daily Wins program is a great sales training program.” B) “Thanks to the powerful strategies I learnt on The Daily Wins sales program I made $15,000 in 2 days. I’ll easily quadruple my revenues this year. Thank you.” Which one do you think is more compelling and converts more sales?
Tip #2. Include full information on the client or customer who’s giving your testimonial. The more information you provide, the more believable the testimonials are.
Tip #3. Use photos, written responses, screen shots of emails or social media messages that you’ve been sent. Remember that saying, ‘a picture paints a thousand words?’ Well it’s true. We think in pictures so we retain information better if it’s presented this way. So paint the picture – literally.
Tip #4. Use audio and video to add even more credibility.
Tip #5. Story tell. This really steps social proof up a gear. You can do this through video or via case studies, success stories or interviews.
The 3 B rule for getting testimonials
If you’ve trouble getting testimonials don’t get mad. Instead, adopt the 3 B rule – bug, then brag, then bribe!
Make a list of clients who’ve got great results. Ask if they can write up a testimonial. 99% of the time they’ll be delighted to do this. Unfortunately though, they’ll probably forget or be so busy that they won’t have time to do it and as a result you’ll not receive it. If this happens simply offer to write the testimonial for them and then send it to them for approval.
Sometimes as a last resort you’ll have to make this exciting to them. One way to do this is by offering an ethical bribe. For example you could run a contest and offer a free prize or discount to whoever writes the best testimonial for you.
If you’re just starting out and don’t have any success stories, approach leaders in your industry and ask them for endorsements. Send them an example of your work and remember to include a WIIFM (a what’s in it for me) statement or plea in your email.
Finally as an ideal, have a mixture of testimonials – some from industry leaders and some regular Joes. Prospects buy from those who they can either relate to or aspire to being.
Now I want to hear from you…
Tell me your how to sell more stories. Do you use testimonials and case studies to increase your sales. What's working for you? Share your stories and experience here and if you've got a question, just pop it down here.
Thanks for participating!
With love and gratitude – as always,
P.S.
Finally, if you know someone who'd LOVE the insight from this post, please send them a link. You’ll find solo entrepreneurs, consultants and yes, even sales and marketing managers who manage people who'll be interested to hear about this.
