Sales Babble

Supple Selling for Sales Success  #464 Today we investigate flexible selling. For example, we don't let little kids drink out of glass. Why? Because if they drop it, it will shatter in a million pieces. But what happens when a child drops a plastic sippy cup?  It bounces!  They're soft and supple and last forever. In fact your child will outgrow it before it wears out.   But what's this got to do...

How To Do First Things First When Selling #463 Have you ever been in a situation where a small mistake in the beginning messed up a deal at the end? This happens when you get impatient and try  to skip steps and push a little too hard. I just learned this the other day that impatience  is really entitlement. It's thinking "how dare that prospect not sign on the dotted line ".  So it begs the quest...

Master Selling is NOT a Numbers Game #462 Have you heard the idea that the more no's you get the more yeses you will hear? This notion is based on the idea that sales is a numbers game. It teaches that the path to success is getting comfortable with constant rejection and hitting on everybody you meet hoping you'll bump into a qualified lead. So it begs the question. When it comes to sales, is thi...

How to Take the Good with the Bad When Selling #461 Have you ever tried to bend a deal to your will only to have it break? This is something humans do all the time, thinking that we can will nature to do our bidding. This is not the case. Savvy sellers know that winter follows fall, fall follows summer and summer follows spring. Like farmers, they understand their sale cycles like phases of the mo...

Selling With No Assumptions #460 Have you ever tried to sell a prospect something they really don't want? Did you do it because it's the only thing you have that's remotely close to what the buyer needs?  This is a terrible position to be in, right?  Lao Tzu teaches that the Master has no mind of their own, only the mind of the people. We do this by not assuming and adopting a helpful attitude. Ho...

How to Unstuck Stuck Deals #459 Ever have a deal that won't move forward and you're not sure what to do? You don't want to call it a lost deal. It's not exactly dead but it's frustrating, right? You're working with an advocate in the organization and they're onboard.  But that's not true for everyone in the organization. You don't have to be Lao Tzu to know that failing to adapt has profound conse...

2023 Sales Planning and Goals Show #458 Welcome to the Sales Babble annual Sales Planning and Goals Show. I'm a strong proponent for yearly goal setting. Some laugh at New Year's resolutions.  They think they are silly or something that you should do at other times of the year and I agree it's an ongoing process. But January 1st is a good chance to take a moment, give pause and to  reflect on what...

Top 10 Sales and Marketing Tips for 2023 with Neil Kristianson In this episode returning guest Neil Kristianson joins for our 8th or 9th (we're not sure)  babbling conversation on the top 10 sales and marketing tips for the upcoming new year. Pat Talked About These Sales and Marketing Tips - branding IS differentiation - the most persuasive sellers are the buyers - AI is a car wreck, I can't look...

Why Value is Key for All Decisions #456 The market doesn't take sides It prefers neither you nor your competition. The buyer doesn't takes sides They regard all vendors as a commodities The space between the market and sellers Is an open doorway Empty, yet Sellers can enter Opening and closing it produces opportunities. Assuming hastens failure Check your ego Awake to the value you provide   Sales...

How to Overcome The Gatekeeper #455 When B2B selling you're often calling on large organizations that, make it hard to connect with an executive, or figure out who's the right person to talk to. Sometimes these companies have administrative assistants tasked as gatekeepers who do everything in their power to stop sales people from talking to their boss. What's a seller to do? Taoism teaches that t...

How a Great Presentation is Like a Fine Meal #454 The Tao Te Ching says that in order to be light on your feet you need a steady mind. That's what it takes to entertain guests during this holiday season. Right? A lot can go wrong, but it can be dealt with when you expect problems.  The same is true during a sales call.  Adept sellers are proficient at  juggling a number of balls at once. Each pres...

Lessons To Be Learned From Lost Deals #453 Every conversation, every relationship, every prospect, client and customer is your tutor. Everyone has something to teach you: how to be a better sales professional or at the very least what not to do. In chapter 48 the Tao Te Ching it says "In pursuit of knowledge, every day something is added. In the practice of the Tao, every day something is dropped....

Why No Two Buyers Are Alike #452 Ever get in a situation where you think you have a handle on selling and then you meet a prospect who's 180 degrees out of sync with that strategy? Confusing right?  In today's episode we delve into the reality that no two  buyers are alike. Lao Tze wrote often about actionless-action of wu wei or what we commonly call being in the zone. In this state, there is no...

How To Get Lucky in Sales #451 How's your luck been lately? Have the winds of fate been in your favor?  Or is it the case that the only luck you have is bad luck? Well our Western culture poo poohs the notion of luck because luck has an element of randomness to it and Westerners don't like that. They love to be in control. The self-improvement industry beats the drum that hardwork is the sure path...

How to Find Success with Deliberate Selling #450   With Deliberate and measured growth  The sapling reaches  great heights.   Knowing it's not an absence of action, The Master Seller  sees Patience as power, They wait for the right time to act.   With steady follow-up they advance the sale, Guiding the close with a steady hand.   How to Connect with Pat Helmers at Sales Babble Sales Babble  shares...

How to Keep your Sales Focus #449 Are you distracted, bored and unfocused? Maybe you're not seeing how your sales job fits in with your greater purpose? Maybe it's starting to feel like it's all  a waste of time. This happens and you're not alone.  We all have these thoughts. So begs the question: how can I set this distraction aside and focus on work? But is that really the question? Maybe we sho...

Why Discipline is the Bridge to Sales Success #448   Despite what many think, in discipline there is freedom. Building a structure to your life, and bringing that in the workplace is liberating. It's a paradox, right? How can that be you might think. But this is a fact, when you put less energy into one place, it leaves more energy for other places. Instead of putting energy into deciding what to...

How To Grow Your Sales Confidence #447 Each time we accept our failures we gain strength, courage, and confidence in the doing.  Lao Tzu wrote "Because one believes in oneself, one doesn't try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn't need others' approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her." Sales is not an easy gig, but with coffee in one...

Empathy is the Key to Sales #446 Sometimes it's dangerous to have a hunter mentality where you think of prospects as game and you the hunter. This kind of competitiveness may get in the way of empathy. Once upon a time, a sales guy may have gotten away with bullying a prospect into buying. But those days are gone, the internet destroyed that. Customers have choices. There is more competition  and...

Empathy is the Key to Sales #446 Sometimes it's dangerous to have a hunter mentality where you think of prospects as game and you the hunter. This kind of competitiveness may get in the way of empathy. Once upon a time, a sales guy may have gotten away with bullying a prospect into buying. But those days are gone, the internet destroyed that. Customers have choices. There is more competition  and...

How to Use Humor to Win at Sales #445 Yesterday I cut my finger chopping cheese, but I think that I may have greater problems. That's a pun, a play on words.  When it comes to selling, a little bit of humor can go a long way building rapport with your prospects. But humor is touchy. If you say the wrong thing, it's like stepping on the third rail. It can kill a deal. This is the topic for today. H...

Sales Assumptions That are Just Plain Wrong #444 I'm assuming you've decided to listen to this episode to grow your sales skills. I'm also assuming it's  based on my babbling and some musings I have on an ancient Chinese philosopher. But I shouldn't make that assumption. We should  never over assume because we're often wrong! Let's explore this idea today on the folly of making sales assumptions. ...

How To Learn the Buyers Secret Language #443 Each industry has a secret language. There is a vernacular, nomenclature and acronyms everyone in the industry uses. To be a successful seller, you need to know that language too. How to learn the language of the buyer, that's the topic for today.     

Where to Look for Leads #442 Great Source of all Leads Stay awake to the news Keep up on social Seek referrals from clients Attend networks coffee and tea   At the conference greet old friends At the social, introductions Referrals from client Resource library and network events Leads are to be found all around   Knowing there are no prospects without leads Listen  Look All is a well that never go...

How To Overcome the Fear of Cold Calling #441 Do you experience call reluctance? That's the phenomena where you avoid picking up the phone and cold calling a prospect? Many people too. But this is the thing.  Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. In this episode we take a moment to understand the root of our fears and embrace a wu-wei approach of allowing the callin...