The Salesman.com Podcast

The average length of a successful cold call that ends in a meeting is just 5:14. That’s it! For unsuccessful ones, it’s around 3:14. But as brief as these encounters usually are, it’s actually the first three seconds that make or break a call. This video covers the rejection-proof cold call one-liner that’s guaranteed to help you book more calls, all in just three seconds. Now for most cold callers, even experienced ones like you, the problem isn’t talking about your value proposition. Or convincing prospects to book an official call with you. Instead, it’s that initial line. That first three seconds. Because a whopping 98% of cold calls end in hangups right off the bat. And if you can get your prospects to listen to you after that, then you’re home free. But you’ve got to choose your words carefully. You’ve got to pique interest, interrupt their thought pattern, and set expectations. And that’s exactly what this opener is so great at doing. 1. The Opener The word-for-word opener you can start using right away. So this one actually comes from my friend, Josh Baun. Josh is an expert when it comes to sales and trains teams on how to beef up their numbers and close more deals. I actually interviewed him on The Salesman Podcast where he talked about this very opener, which he both uses and teaches to his clients. So first up, let’s just take a look at the opener, and then we’ll break it down… Expert Note: “Hey, Will. My name is Josh. We’ve never spoken before. You have no idea who I am; complete stranger here, but I was hoping you could help me out for a moment. Do you have two minutes?”  Josh Braun Salesman Podcast Simple as that. Now, 70 or 80% of the time, you’re going to get a yes. And here’s why… A) Pattern Interrupt First, a pattern interrupt. Most sales reps try to come off too familiar so they can start building rapport. But what this opener openly calls out is the fact that the prospect doesn’t know who you are. In fact, you’re a complete stranger! And that simple tweak lets you stand out from the other cold callers and keep prospects from hanging up. Next… B) Time Commitment Time commitment. You’re setting boundaries here. This isn’t going to be an hour-long conversation. It isn’t even going to be 10 minutes. So when they say yes, they know they aren’t getting roped into a major time waster. Who doesn’t have two minutes? Next up… C) A Favor A favor. You’re asking for help because people are wired to help others. We WANT to help other people. And in fact, when someone does a favor for you, they’re actually more likely to help you in the future! It’s called the Benjamin Franklin Effect, and it’s an amazing sales tool to add to your toolbelt. D) Tone Tone. We’re using a tonality that’s not, “Hey, Will, this is JOSHHHHH! Can YOUUUU help me out for a moment?” You’re calm. Because when you’re calm, you’re less aggressive. You aren’t a threat to run away from. And that makes you more inviting. Again, this simple opener will keep people on the line with you 70 to 80% of the time. But you’re job’s not done yet. Then you have to move on to… 2. The Follow-Up Steps Step one kept them on the line. Now we have to move on to steps two and three. These are simple. See If They’re The Right Person To see if the prospect is even the right person that you need to be speaking with. That looks a little something like this… Expert Note: “Will, are you still the person that’s involved with getting sponsors for your podcasts? Or is that someone else since you’ve gotten so big?”  Josh Braun Salesman Podcast As you can see, this implies that you’ve done a little research—a must for rapport building. Now, one of two things is going to happen there. You’re either going to get a positive or negative response here. “Yes, I’m in charge of that,” or “No, I’m retired.” And don’t you want to know that at the beginning of the call rather than going all the way through your pitch? So once you’ve made sure you’re talking to the right person, it’s time for step number 3… Poke & Peel The poke and peel. You’re going to be poking around a little bit to see how the prospect is currently getting the job done, and you’re going to peel the onion a little bit. The exact wording of this last step will of course depend on your industry. But if you were talking about the podcast sponsorship industry like Josh and I were, the poke and peel might look something like this… Expert Note: “So Will, how are you currently going about getting sponsors today? Are you like reaching out via cold email? Are people mostly coming to you, or is it a combination of both?”  Josh Braun Salesman Podcast Here you’re well into the conversation and things are moving smoothly. Very very few people will full-on reject you at this point in the process since the tone is so calm and conversational. And it’s at this point you can start to gather information, continue to build rapport, and nudge your prospect closer to booking a proper sales call. 3. Psychology The right psychology. And there are two things in particular I mean by that. Let Go of Assumptions You need to let go of assumptions. This is a tough pill to swallow for some reps, but the truth is your product isn’t going to be right for a lot of prospects you talk to. But if you assume everyone is a perfect customer, you’re not only going to push buyers away. You’re also going to waste a lot of time with ones that just aren’t a fit. Josh put it nicely in our interview: Expert Note: “When you assume that everyone’s a fit for what you have, what ends up happening is people go into the zone of resistance because you’re going to try to be talking people into things, and pitching everyone, and thinking that you’re a fit for everyone. So instead, shift away from that and discover if the person has a problem that you could potentially help with, rather than assuming.”  Josh Braun Salesman Podcast And the next psychology exercise you can do to get the most out of this opener is… Get Natural Get natural. The calmer you are, the calmer the prospect will be. So don’t go full over excited as that screams that you’re a salesperson just trying to get something from the prospect. Now to do that, you’ve got to put in a little work upfront. You’ve got to practice. And not just once, two times, or even three times. Nope, you’ve got to practice a lot. You can start by standing in front of the mirror and repeating the lines until it comes out nice and relaxed. As if you’re chatting with a colleague about how their weekend went. But eventually you’ll want to practice on a real person. Now you can do that by enlisting the help of some friends or coworkers. OR you can just jump in headfirst and go for real-life prospects. What you choose is up to you. But remember, the more natural and calm you sound, the better you’re going to fare on your cold calls. So, cold calling can be tough. But if you nail the first 3 seconds, you’re well on your way to closing.

Want to make it big in sales? Step #1—stop procrastinating. I used to have a huge problem with putting off my tough tasks till later. And my career suffered because of it. But then I learned how to stop procrastinating for good. And today, I’ve built a 7-figure sales training business, run two YouTube channels, and am now more productive than ever. How’d I do it? I killed my lizard brain. The Lizard Brain What is it? Well, this is the part of your brain that’s leftover from your pre-human ancestors. It’s focused only on the now. It doesn’t understand the future or the past. And it just reacts according to your most basic needs. On the other side of things, you’ve also got your “Human” brain. This is the rational side of you. It can use the past to predict the future. It can plan. And it can choose to avoid pleasure now in exchange for greater gains in the future. But for as advanced as the human side is, it doesn’t deal well with abstraction. If it can’t find a clear pathway to completing a task, it gives up control to the lizard brain. And the lizard brain’s go-to method for dealing with a problem is good ol’ fight or flight. The problem is you can’t fight abstract goals like “increase revenue this quarter” or “boost commissions by 10%.” So the lizard brain chooses flight. It runs. It procrastinates. And your human brain finally swoops in to justify all the reasons not to start in the first place. The good news is you aren’t trapped in this cycle. Because… You can kill your lizard brain and stop procrastinating for good. You’ve just got to do a bit of brain hacking to get the job done. And there are four techniques to do just that. 1. Goal Priming When you’re faced with a daunting task like spending hour after hour prospecting, it’s hard to find the motivation to get started. But that’s because you’re focused on the difficulty of the task. So instead, focus on the end result. How will your work pay off? What will your life look like after you’ve achieved your goals? If you’re focused on boosting your commissions but hate cold calling, think about what that extra money will mean for you. What will having an extra $50K a year do for you and your family? What about the career opportunities that will open up as a result? The more you think about the rewards, the less you’ll think about the costs. 2. Overload Reduction Technique two, overload reduction. There is such a thing as having too much choice. It’s called “Choice Overload Bias” And it’s the documented phenomenon of people having a harder time deciding when they have more options. Worth noting is that they’re also less satisfied with their choice when all is said and done. If you find yourself struggling to get a task started, take a step back for a minute. Are you deciding between 3, 4, 5 ways of doing the task? That’s your problem. Instead, limit your options. Cut down your choices. And just get started. Don’t worry too much about making the right choice. You can always pivot later on. What matters here is moving forward. 3. Deconstruction The bigger the goal, the more intimidating it’s going to be. When you’re dealing with something as huge as earning $50K more this year in commissions, it can seem like there’s no way to start making headway. That of course kicks your lizard brain into high gear. And it makes you 10X less likely to ever get started.But here’s a trick. Break your giant goals down into smaller, more achievable milestones. Shooting for $50K extra this year? Okay, that boils down to $12,500 a quarter or about $4,200 extra a month. How many sales does that mean you have to make in a month? And given your current success rate, how many cold emails do you have to send or cold calls do you have to make to get there? Then you can start chipping away at that larger goal day by day. Instead of earning $50K more this year, you just have to spend an extra 30 mins prospecting each day. And that’s a lot easier to swallow. 4. The 5 Minute Rule The last technique we’re talking about is the Five Minute Rule. And it might be the most immediately powerful. See, the hardest part of most tasks is getting started—the initial hump. But if you can get past that, the momentum you build along the way will usually be enough to carry you through to the end. So instead of avoiding that task that takes you 30 minutes to do, commit yourself to just five minutes. Hate cold calling but need it done? Just do five minutes. Can’t stand updating your CRM? Give it five. Always miserable while learning product specs? Cinco minutos mi amigo. Five minutes is all it takes. So at the next sign of procrastination, just commit to five minutes. You’ll be surprised at how quickly you get the motivation to keep it going

Want to get better at selling in two seconds? Easy peasy. Ask potential buyers, “What's stopping you solving this problem for yourself?”  You’ll eliminate objections AND set yourself up for an easier close with just one phrase. But hold on—asking the question is only half the battle. To get the right effect, you need to know how to get to the point of asking it. That’s where the real magic happens and that’s what we’re covering in this video. Now, buyers often give objections because they think they can solve whatever problem they have by themselves. They don’t need your help. So why would they buy your solution? But the truth of the matter is, if they could solve their problem on their own, wouldn’t they have done it by now? Instead, something’s missing. Something’s holding them back from solving their own pain points. This, my friends, is what’s known as leverage. If you can get prospects to realize they can’t do it on their own, you’re in a fantastic selling position. AND you’ve also eliminated a slew of sales objections that you would’ve had to deal with later on. But before you can drop this bombshell of a sales question, you’ve got to start by… 1. Properly Qualifying a Prospect Lead qualification is one of the greatest challenges for sales reps. HubSpot found that 34%, over one-third, of reps said lead qualification is the biggest obstacle to hitting their numbers. With the right leads, closing is easier. Prospects are more enthusiastic. And the chances of a busted deal are far slimmer. Now, there are plenty of acronyms for qualifying frameworks out there. Each more complicated and confusing than the last. But when you get down to brass tacks, each focuses on three major questions: What Do They Want? What’s Stopping Them From Achieving This? Can We Help Them Get There? That’s it. Three questions. But how do you get that information out of prospects in the first place? The Selling Made Simple Academy’s Diagnose Framework does a fantastic job of guiding you through how to get those answers. This eight-step model includes everything you need to ask on a discovery call. And whether you’ve gotten a verbal commitment that’ll lock buyers into the deal. The info you learn through this framework ensures you’ll only be working with qualified prospects that are itching to buy. Once you’ve done that, THEN it’s time to move on to step two… 2. Popping The Question The most common objection most reps face is that buyers think they can solve their own business issues themselves. It’s especially common among small to medium-sized businesses because they believe they can save some serious dough by handling it themselves. Once we’ve qualified the prospect, the best way around this objection is to ask them to their face… “You know the issue, you know where you want to go, what’s stopping you from solving this yourself?” The prospect will look you blankly in the face and say one of three things is holding them back… Time Expertise Motivation It all comes down to one or more of those three. That’s it. What’s important here isn’t necessarily that you know which of these three is stopping them. Though as we’ll see in the next step, that knowledge is incredibly useful in closing later on. Instead, the magic here is that the buyer admits they need help. They’re making the need real. Because they’ve stopped, thought about it, and said out loud why they can’t do it themselves. That shift in mindset is powerful. It turns you from a greedy salesperson into someone who’s offering real, true value. You instantly change from a predator—somebody trying to steal their money—to an asset that can solve their problem. And that my friends is huge. So, the prospect has mentally and verbally agreed they need help via time, expertise, or motivation. Now what? Now you have everything you need to close the deal by… 3. Leveraging the Answer Depending on what your prospect said was holding them back—time, expertise, or motivation—you can now structure the rest of your process and closing strategy around that answer.All you have to do is continually circle back to this pain point as you nurture and close on the deal. Don’t have the time to do it yourself? No problem, we can do all the time-intensive work for you. Is expertise the hangup here? We’ve been doing this for decades. Motivation holding you back? Let’s look at the risks of not dealing with the problem. See how that works? The best way you can incorporate this info into your closing strategy is by using the Selling Made Simple Academy’s Storytelling Framework. Let’s take a quick look at what that entails. This framework uses the power of storytelling. People are moved by stories, entranced by them even. And when you weave some skillful storytelling into your closing process, it unites both the logical and emotional sides of the prospect’s brain. Let’s look at the framework. 1. Describe Their Current Reality Describe the buyer’s current reality by pointing to a past client you’ve helped. One that was suffering the same pain points your current buyer is going through. Growth stalling, inefficient teams, whatever. What matters here is that they’re pain points that resonate with the buyer. It’s what they are experiencing too. 2. Dig Into the Unresolved Pain Dig into the unresolved pain. Now is when you “twist the knife”. Your goal here is to make the current prospect really feel what your past client was going through. As a result, they’ll also feel what they are going through more deeply too. You can do that by adding more detail. What are the consequences of this pain? Who does the prospect look stupid in front of because of it? Who’s judging them? And what’s on the line here? 3. Hitting the Success Blockers Hitting the success blockers. What held your past customer back from fixing their problem? HERE is where you incorporate your buyer’s response to the magic question. Was it time? Was it expertise? Was it motivation? This is where we really connect the dots and drive the similarities home. Once you do that, you can move on to step four… 4. Illuminating the Future Reality Illuminating the future reality. How was your customer’s life different after they overcame the success blocker? How was it better? Were they able to achieve or even outperform their professional goals? Did their stress levels drop? Did the higher-ups recognize all the hard work the hero went through to achieve these results? The rosier the future, the more it’ll drive enthusiasm for the buyer. 5. Building the Reality Bridge Building the reality bridge. It’s time to tie everything together. It’s time to explain that you are the guide/mentor that took the hero from their current reality to their better future reality. It was you that let them bridge the gap across their success blockers. It was you that has the time, expertise, and motivation to get the prospect from where they are now to where they want to be. You are the Gandalf to their Frodo. And of course, you can do the same thing for the prospect too. You can make them the hero in their own story. All they have to do is say, “yes.”

Cold calling’s dead? I don’t think so. 82% of buyers say they accept meetings with reps who cold called. And 57% of C-suite execs preferred way to be contacted. So don’t fall for the hype—cold calling is alive and well. And if you’ve already seen some success with it, here are just a few small tweaks you can make to take things from paying the bills to early retirement. Now before we get started, I want to point out this is not a video for beginners. There are plenty of tutorials on how to get started with cold calling. And this is not one of them. Instead, it’s built for reps who have already built a semi-successful process, but you can’t quite seem to make any progress. You’ve plateaued. And despite your best efforts, your numbers never seem to get better. Sound familiar? Well if so, I’ve got your back with these three strategies. So let’s jump in. 1. Tone Tone. Your tone is a critical part of what types of feelings you’re eliciting in your prospect. From pitch and volume to speed and your own attitude—yes, people can hear smiles—your tone of voice says a lot about you as a person. And one big problem reps face is learning how to hone their voices when cold calling so that buyers aren’t scared off in the first second or two. As it turns out, most buyers don’t respond well to an overexcited sales rep on the line. Their over-enthusiasm comes off as suspicious. And no matter how great your product is, you’re going to scare off prospects when you come in hot with the stereotypical sales rep approach. Instead, try taking a calmer, more relaxed approach. And to do that, you need to… Shift Your Self-Worth Let me tell you what I mean by that. According to sales expert and professional trainer Josh Braun, the tendency to sound overexcited on a call comes from reps wanting the sale too much. And you might be saying, “Will, isn’t wanting the sale a good thing?” And on one level, it is. But what needs to take precedence over wanting the sale is wanting the right buyer. Because truth be told, every prospect isn’t going to be a fit for what you’re selling. Some buyers are going to say no. And that’s okay. Expert Note: “The trouble salespeople get into is when they attach their self-worth to the outcome. No, one’s rejecting you as a person, they’re just rejecting what you’re saying. And so when you do that, it’s almost like I feel like I’m on a golf course, and I’m calm and I’m swinging the club, and I’m going to the next hole. And there’s a bunch of holes.” Josh Braun Salesman Podcast There are plenty of other prospects out there. And when you find the right one—the one that’s actually a fit for what you’re selling—that’s when the magic really happens. So remember, stay calm. Stay collected. And try to sound as natural on the phone as possible. Now the second tweak involves… 2. Mindset Mindset. And this one isn’t about your mindset like the last one was. Instead, it’s about the prospect’s mindset. What they are thinking. How they are viewing the world. And most importantly, how they are thinking about you. So first of all, most people don’t like to be cold called. Shocker, right? Because they’re busy. They’re managing their staff, they’re on the hunt for new clients, they’re blah blah blah. They’re doing stuff! And your call is an interruption for getting that work done. Now, most sales reps try to ignore that fact. They try to lure prospects into forgetting about it by being personable, by being likeable, and by demonstrating that they have value. But I’ve got news for you here—your prospect will not forget. They may move past it at some point. But the vast majority of people who pick up a cold call are going to be annoyed. And the more you try to schmooze your way into their good graces, the more they’re going to think of you as just another skeezy salesman. So what’s the solution here? How do you break down that stereotype and shift their mindset? Acknowledge the Interruption Call it out. Tell them you understand you’re being an inconvenience rather than trying to push that inconvenience under the rug. This tip comes from Chris Beall, Founder, CEO, and sales psychology expert. Here’s what he says: Expert Note: “The reason that cold calling actually can be allowed to work 100% of the time is you can show the other person you see the world through their eyes. And all you have to do is say this phrase correctly, with the right heart, then it works. You say, “I know I'm an interruption.” Not something soft like, “Oh, I do believe I might well be interrupting your day.” Or any of the crap that people want to say. Take full accountability for being the ambusher, see the world through their eyes.“ Chris Beall Salesman Podcast When you do that, you’re showing prospects that you understand them. And you’re helping shift their mindset away from seeing you as an inconvenience. And towards being receptive to hearing what you’ve got to say. 3. Structure Structure. There’s a place for freewheeling conversations and meandering discussions. But cold calling is not it. To take your results to a new level of success, you need to follow a general outline of how to get from point A to point B. To turn your prospect from, “Who the hell is this?” to “I want what they’re selling.” So the first thing to remember when it comes to structure is that on cold calls, you’re not selling the product… You’re Selling The Meeting This again comes from the mind of Chris Beall. He told me… Expert Note: “The product you're selling is the meeting, not the product. So you have to believe in the potential value of the meeting for this individual, even in the downside case where you never do business together. So you have to know what's on offer in the meeting. What are they going to learn? That's the product. And I think the biggest mistake that most people make is they sell past the meeting. They sell the product as though the product is going to draw somebody into the meeting. It's not. Curiosity is going to draw somebody into a meeting.“ Chris Beall Salesman Podcast With that in mind, you now have to follow a structure that takes them from the initial stage to booking a call. And that process looks like this… Fear > Trust > Curiosity > Commitment > Action At the initial stage, prospects are in fear. And surprisingly enough, that prospect is afraid of you. Because you’re the interruption. And right now the only thing they’re thinking of is getting off the phone with their self-image intact. So what can you do to move them from fear to trust? Well that’s where the previous tweak comes in—calling out the interruption. Like we said, this is showing the prospect that you’re not like every other sales rep. And in fact, you even know what that prospect is thinking and going through. And alakazam, you’ve built a solid foundation of trust. Only once you’ve built that trust can you then start piquing their curiosity with what they’re going to learn at the meeting. And after you’ve stoked that curiosity, you can bring in the verbal commitment and get them to take action by booking a call.

Money! We all love it. We all want it. And we all never seem to have enough of it. Sam here tried his hand at sales because of the earning potential. But he quickly dropped out due to the stress. But Walter knew that if you could push through the downsides, you could bring in a massive income. We’re talking MILLIONS. And he also learned the tricks to make earning beefy commissions easier than ever. And that’s what we’re covering today—the risks, the rewards, and the simple steps you can follow to become a sales millionaire. Now, working in sales is no picnic by any means. On the one hand, there’s the rejection. Which sorry to say, is typically a given. The better you get, the less of a problem it becomes, sure. But first starting out, you’re going to get some no’s. On top of that, the cold calling and cold emailing can be monotonous at times. But by and large, the toughest thing about sales is this—you are the one responsible for your pay. If you suck, you sink. And for some, that can be a terrifying prospect. Because if you slack off, you aren’t guaranteed the paycheck you’ve come to depend on. A sales career isn’t a cakewalk. That much is clear. But there are some serious benefits to it too. Benefits that no other career can offer. And today, that’s what we’re talking about. The upsides. The reason why sales is in my opinion, so special. So exciting. And so fulfilling. So let’s jump into it. A) Quickest Way to Make Money It’s the quickest way to make money. There are other careers that may get you to that 7-figure level at some point. But sales is without a doubt the fastest. So, why is that? 1. Product Development’s Done Already The hard work’s done. Your brand’s already spent the time, the money, and the effort to create a working product. And they’ve built connections with vendors, distributors, and regulatory agencies to handle all those sticky logistics. All you have to do is sell it! 2. You Can Stay Mobile You can stay mobile. Sales skills tend to transfer cleanly from one company, market, and even industry to another. If you were killing at company A, you’ll probably kill it at company B too. So once you’ve built up a proven success record, you can easily move on to a more profitable company. Working your way up and up until you’re at an employer and salary that’s a fit for your goals. There aren’t a lot of other positions that allow for this level of mobility. So take advantage. 3. Brand Leverage Brand leverage. One of the great things about sales is you can leverage the social proof of the brand you’re working for. If you’re working with one that’s established, they already have a customer base. They’ve got a market. And they’ve probably got case studies, success stories, and testimonials that you can distribute to potential buyers. If you were to say, start your own business, you’d have to toil away for years to make a name for yourself. But as a rep, that hard work’s already done for you. 4. Inbound Sales Leads Inbound sales leads. In all likelihood, your brand will have a marketing department. And that marketing department will literally feed you leads. That’s their entire purpose—to send qualified buyers to your doorstep. And if they do things right, that means you don’t have to work nearly as hard to get prospects knocking on your door. Alright so let’s get into the second reason sales can be such a great career. B) Least Risky Way to Make Money It’s the least risky way to make money. With other money-making ventures, risk is a serious factor. In many cases, the risks outweigh the earning potential. And if they don’t, it’s usually because the pay isn’t all that great to begin with. You Can Become Unsackable See, every business knows the value of a great sales rep. We are the lead moneymakers, the final step between selling and sold. And there is a direct and easily observable correlation between a bad rep and a good one—good ones bring in more money. That’s why a quality rep is such a secure position. There’s not an iota of confusion about your contribution to the company. So as a rep, you’re likely going to be one of the last employees to go on the chopping block. On top of all that though, your competitors will proactively try to poach you. That means if you do get fired, it’s an easy path to another job. Plus, you can leverage their offers for a raise at your own. It’s also the least risky way to make money because… The Alternative is to Start Your Own Business The alternative is to start your own business. When you boil it down to earning potential and speed of making your first million, creating a business for yourself is the only real alternative to a sales position. And there are some very real downsides here. First you’ve got to develop a product. That can take years and years of brainstorming, rigorous testing, partnering with the right vendors, blah blah blah. You see how this can take forever. But even when you do develop a product, you’ve still got to build awareness around it AND, surprise surprise, you have to be good at SELLING that product anyhow! It all comes back down to sales, doesn’t it? And finally, most importantly, most businesses just don’t make it that long. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that one out of five businesses go under in their first year. Only half make it to year five. And by year ten, 2 out of 3 are kaput. So when it comes to the best alternative to sales in order to make your millions, the odds are just stacked against you. Let’s move onto the third reason for sales being such a great moneymaker. C) Simplest Way to Make Money It’s the simplest way to make money… if you know what you’re doing that is. Here’s why. Once you get good at it, it actually becomes easier to make more money. For instance, once you make a name for yourself, you can start selling products that are… Well Known, Easy to Explain, High Value Well known products already have great marketing and inbound lead generation systems in place. Think of platforms like HubSpot CRM. Practically every business owner already knows about HubSpot. And that means selling prospects on its value doesn’t take much work at all, making your life 100% easier. Easy to explain products have strong messaging. And they’ve already broken through to the mainstream. There’s no question about what they do. Because everyone already understands it! Think DHL here with their tagline, “Excellence. Simply Delivered.” And last but not least, once you get good at sales, you can also work with products that have a high value. These are the products where it’s easy to show a strong ROI. And that means less squabbling over budget problems. The Selling Made Simple Academy, for example, has a very clear value proposition—find and close more sales in the next 30 days or your money back. It’s as easy as that. Strong, Proven, Repeatable Sales Process This is a process you can use every day that’ll consistently let you blow past quotas. And it’s a process that lets you scale your earning potential rather than keeping your income level set. For you, that means no more guesswork. No more struggling with meeting your numbers. And no more hoping this next call is the one. Instead, it’s a system you know works. And it’s giving you more financial freedom than ever. Now, there are plenty of sales methodologies out there. But obviously we recommend the Selling Made Simple Academy. This academy uses easy-to-follow yet highly actionable selling frameworks that, well, make selling simple. And it’s helped literally thousands of sales reps just like you up their game and earn more than they thought possible. So if you’re interested, I recommend having a look today over at Salesman.org. Summary Now I know, sales can be tough. There’s rejection, monotony on some days, and your pay largely depends on your own abilities. If you suck, you sink. And that can be scary for some. But the downsides come with a major upside—the opportunity for making serious bank. So don’t be fooled here—sales can suck. But when you know what you’re doing, it can hands down be the most lucrative and fulfilling career of your life. No question about it.                                  

Question for you—what do a product demo and a candle-lit dinner have in common? As it turns out, more than you might think. See, sales is a lot like dating. If you jump into a sales call by bragging and boasting about your product, your buyer is going to immediately lose interest. But just like in the dating world, there are a few things you can do to make closing much more of a success. And today, we’re talking about three in particular. So we’ve all been out on a nightmare date before, right? Think back—what was so bad about it? In all likelihood, it was that the person on the other side of the table just wouldn’t stop blabbing about themselves. How much they make. What they can bench press. Who they’re friends with. It’s exhausting just talking about it. Or maybe that’s been YOU in the past? But the thing is if you can get the other person talking, feeling good, and sharing what they’re working towards, you’re one thousand percent more likely to build a deep connection. The same goes for saless. So, let’s start with maybe the most impactful step you can take to boost your chances of success, both in love and in sales… Ask, Don’t Tell To be perfectly honest, your buyers don’t really give a shit about your company or your product. They may eventually, sure. But in the initial stages of the sales cycle, the ones that focus on awareness, the key is to turn the focus on them. You’ll have plenty of time to point to all that juicy social proof when it comes to the decision stage. So instead of telling prospects about yourself, ask more questions. Now, there are three very real benefits to taking this approach. 1. You Better Understand Their Problem You better understand their problem. When you’re talking, you’re not listening. And that means you’re not taking in as much info as possible about the problems your prospect is facing. As a result, you’re missing a valuable opportunity to understand their pain points. And an opportunity to find the RIGHT solution for them. 2. You Qualify Them As Ideal Clients You qualify them as ideal clients. The more you learn about a prospect, the more info you can gather about them. What’s their budget? What kind of timeline do they have? Does their problem even match up with your solution? These are all critical questions you need answers to. Because these are the answers that let you know if this client is right for your business or, frankly, if they’re a waste of time. 3. You Connect Their Emotions You connect their emotions. Logic plays an enormous factor in B2B buying decisions. But that doesn’t mean emotion doesn’t come into play too. President and CEO of Whetstone Inc., Adrian Davis, put it to me like this: “Fundamentally, we make decisions emotionally, and if all we're doing is spouting features and benefits, we're really engaging the logical part of the brain. The logical part of the brain does not make decisions. But analyses and captures information to weigh pros and cons, but decisions are made emotionally.” When you get prospects talking about their problems, they get invested emotionally in solving those problems. And that means you’re engaging with them using both sides of the coin—logic and emotion. The #1 Turnoff The number one turnoff. And like I hinted before, this one overlaps pretty well with the dating world. So, what do you think it is? The top turnoff for both sales and dating? Bad Breath No kidding! Now while the worst lingering aroma on your breath while dating is garlic or onions, in sales the worst smell is—commission. Yep, commission breath. It’s sunk countless sales in the past. And if your buyer catches even a whiff of it, they’re bound to leave you high and dry. Commission breath is basically when you come off too needy, too desperate. You NEED that sale. And it’s showing. When a buyer sees that desperation, they’re way less likely to trust you. And they’re way less likely to buy from you. So, how do you kill commission breath? Well, there are three ways in particular. 1. Understand You’re Selling Value Understand you’re selling value. Your product isn’t some throwaway piece of trash. It isn’t some waste of money. And it does in fact have value for businesses. So don’t come into a sale hoping, begging to close. Because after all, the only thing you’re doing here is trading value. 2. Build Your Self-Respect Build your self-respect. Now this one isn’t a quick fix. And confidence doesn’t develop overnight. But what I can say is that we at the Selling Made Simple Academy have a framework dedicated specifically to helping reps like you be more confident and assertive on the job. So if you’re interested, I highly suggest checking that out. 3. Re-Evaluate Your Product Re-evaluate your product. This one’s a tough truth. But it can make the rest of your career far more successful. Ask yourself, is this solution something you can really get behind? Do you really, truly believe it has value? If not, it’s time to start asking yourself some hard questions like, “Do I really want to sell this?” If the answer is no, you may want to find another employer. Closing – Doing It Wrong? In the dating world, it’d be just plain weird to end a great date by saying, “Whelp, that was fantastic. Email me if you’re interested in getting together again!” Ridiculous, right? Instead, you want to seal the deal. Not like that. Get your head out of the gutter! But I’m talking setting up the next date. You want to close on the next steps. The next date. Same goes for sales. Rather than leaving the next steps up in the air, you want to close on your next meeting—a discovery call, a product demo, a tech spec deep-dive, whatever! And to do that, I have one little phrase for you… “Does It Make Sense To…” This is the ultimate closing phrase that’s perfect for any phase of the sales cycle. Does it make sense to draw up the paperwork, have a demo call, look at some case studies? It doesn’t matter what stage you’re in. If things aren’t quite right on your buyer’s end, they’ll say no and you can follow up questioning why. Simple! This is the perfect closing question because it keeps things mutual, it identifies any roadblocks, and it lets prospects know exactly where they’re at. So give it a try. And that, my friends, is a perfect recipe for winning your second date. As you can see, dating has a lot more in common with sales than most people realize.

The fate of your deal rests in the first four seconds of the sales call. That’s it. If you can nail the first 4 seconds, often the deal is as good as yours. Why is that? It’s because of the importance of first impressions… Sales rep Sam, for example, always botched his first impressions. So, even though he was selling a solid product, buyers never stayed interested long enough to hear about it. But Walter knew the importance of a strong first impression. He knew by immediately playing the three specific roles we’re talking about in this video, he’d always win over his prospects. And guess what? If you implement the 3 roles we’re going to cover, you can do the same too.  Now, first impressions. They set the foundation for the rest of your sales call. If you come off as a commission-hungry sleaze, good luck earning trust with your buyer. First impressions count. And they form almost instantly, as soon as 33 milliseconds according to some studies. For sales reps like you, they’re even more important than people in an average job. Because your buyers are busy. And in the short time they give you, you need to build up rapport especially quickly. So the question is, how do you do it? How can you win over prospects in the first four seconds of a sales call? It all comes down to playing three key roles. And the first role you need to play is that of… 1. Be the Expert The expert. If you’re coming off unprofessional or unknowledgeable right off the bat, a buyer isn’t going to waste their time listening to anything you have to say. And if they do, they’re probably just waiting for their chance to leave. So how do you prove to them that you do, in fact, know what you’re talking about here? Two words—Social. Proof. Social proof is key to demonstrating your expertise before you ever even get on the call. And there are three specific ways to show that social proof. A) LinkedIn First up is LinkedIn. The LinkedIn platform is fantastic for demoing social proof. Endorsements, testimonials, credentials—buyers can see all of it in just a few clicks. But beyond that, they can also get a look at the thought leadership content you should be creating. So be sure you’ve created a complete profile here. Ask for endorsements. Put out original content regularly. And check in once a day or so to stay active. It doesn’t have to take more than 15 minutes. Now if you’re social selling, buyers coming through the platform should see your page immediately. But if you’re not, I’ve got a tip coming up that’ll boost the odds of your prospects checking out your LinkedIn page. B) Network Network. Who you associate with says a lot about who you are. Are you connected with big names in the industry? Have you worked with top players before? What brands have you sold for and to? A smart buyer will do their homework before setting up a call with you. And they’re sure to check out who you’re connected with, most likely through LinkedIn. But if you’re especially savvy, you’ll have your own website set up that prospects can look through. Here you can house all your thought leadership content as well as your experience, testimonials from clients, and endorsements. So make sure you’re doing the work of collecting this kind of social proof from your clients. Because they can do wonders for trust-building before you hop on the sales call. C) Setup Email Setup Email. This is the sales call confirmation email that buyers will get after booking a time with you. Typically this email will include all the basic info. We’re talking time and date, agenda, and a few words on what else buyers can expect. But this email is the perfect place to include some pieces of social proof to start the trust-building process. A testimonial here. A success stat there. Nothing too over the top. You don’t want to come in too strong. Your signature line is also a great place to include links to your website, testimonials, and LinkedIn profile. And finally, you could even point them to a piece of content you created within the email. 2. Be the Equal The equal. A successful relationship is one that’s built on equality. Each member needs to give and take equally. And if your buyer is the one with all the power, they’ll never give you the respect and consideration you deserve. That’s why you need to be the equal here. A) You Are Serious You are serious. You aren’t some second-rate sales rep that’s pestering prospects into buying. And you aren’t sending hordes of desperate emails or calling five times a day. Nope, you’re a professional. And to make sure that comes through, there are a few things you can do. First, put some effort into your appearance. Clean, smart clothing. Impeccable hygiene—comb that hair. And equipment and a camera background that says, “Hey, I do this for a living. And I take this seriously.” Second, come prepared. Sending out an agenda beforehand is a must. And showing up on time, with all your necessary materials in-hand, is key. And finally, get to the point. A bit of small talk is fine. But don’t let things go on for too long. Your buyer’s time is valuable. And so is yours. 2. You Aren’t a Crook You aren’t a crook. And you don’t have to trick prospects into buying from you. That’s because you have real value to exchange here. A lot of the work being done here comes from the social proof you’ve shared before the call. But you can also tweak your language to build trust. Stay away from getting too personal or friendly early on in the relationship. Keep communication professional—no swears or inappropriate stories. And don’t badmouth your competition. It might be tempting to bring a competitor down to boost yourself up. But doing so makes your own business come off shady. And the third way to show you’re an equal is by proving… B) You Are Assertive You are assertive. You don’t let the prospect walk all over you. You can start by taking control of the call at the outset. Be the first to show up, the first to talk, and the one to set the agenda. Depending on the buyer, you may hit a bit of resistance. But don’t give up control here. For instance, when clients try to take hold of the conversation or steer away from the agenda, simply say, “This is the way these things normally work,” and redirect the conversation. If they do it again, pause, and then repeat. They’ll get the point. This is your show here. So act like it. Now, the final role you’ve got to play on calls is 3. Be of Value A rep that has value. You’re an expert so you’re not wasting their time. You’re an equal so you’re worth listening to. And you have value, so you have what it takes to make your buyer’s life easier. They just have to listen up. A) Your Product Is Solid Your product is solid. Testimonials, credentials, awards, referrals, and other social proof nuggets are powerful here. Your product works! And here’s the info to prove it. But you may want to take things a step further too. In the agenda confirmation email, try pointing them to a bit of light reading on your product before they jump on the call. It could be product details, case studies, even blog posts. Whatever it is, you want your buyer to come into the call confident that what you’re selling isn’t a sham. And in fact, it might be the exact solution they’re looking for. B) You Are Knowledgeable You are knowledgeable. The old “It practically sells itself!” saying is bull. Any sale, no matter how great the product, can be completely ruined by an unknowledgeable sales rep. Because even in the high-logic world of B2B sales, buyers still need to work with someone who knows what they’re talking about. And if they catch even a whiff of you fudging numbers, getting product details wrong, misunderstanding use cases, or generally not knowing what it is your product does, they’re going to head for the hills. And fast. So make sure you’re doing your due diligence beforehand. Or else you might end up looking like a fool. C) You’ve Done Your Research You’ve done your research. You need to show that you know you can specifically help the person you’re talking to. What problems is their business currently facing? What issues are cropping up across the industry? How are their competitors handling these changes? These are all must-knows here. Because the more specifically you can cater your product’s benefits to your buyer’s exact needs, the closer to closing you’ll be. LinkedIn is a great research tool here. Dive into what types of content the buyer’s been sharing, creating, and commenting on. Get a feel for what they’re focusing on before the call. And if you’ve helped a business like them in the past, send over case studies or some numbers beforehand. That way they’re getting on the call knowing you’ve helped someone similar in the past. Summary So, to win over your prospects in the first 4 seconds of your sales calls you need to – 1. Be the Expert First, be the expert. LinkedIn, networking, and including social proof in the call setup email are your friends here. 2. Be the Equal Be the equal. Remember, that one, you are not another pesky salesperson chasing and pestering the prospect. Two, you’ve made it clear you have value to exchange. And three, you aren’t some sort of pushover. 3. Be of Value Be of value. You’ve got a solid product. You’re knowledgeable. And you’ve done your research. And when you’re able to play all three roles the instant you step on your sales call, you’ll immediately be building rapport, earning trust, and boosting your odds of closing.

In sales, the general rule of thumb is, the more complex the product, the longer the sales cycle. And for some complex products, that might be true. But for others,  a single phone call is all it takes to get a deal done. I close complex training and consulting packages with some of the brightest companies in the world. And usually, I do it over a single conversation. Yep, I have one phone call with the prospect and then send the invoice. Most salespeople think this is impossible. But with the right step-by-step, single call structure, you too can start closing your deals quicker than ever before. So the business-winning phone call isn’t a sales myth. It isn’t sales folklore. And it isn’t an old wives’ tale. But it is misunderstood. See, you can’t get any old buyer on the phone and close them in a single conversation. No, they have to be the right buyer. And the real trouble, the thing that should take the most effort, the most thought, and the most time is qualification. A survey from HubSpot found that the number one challenge for one out of three sales reps is lead qualification. And it’s true, doing it right is tough. That’s why with the Diagnosis framework we’re going to first discover the pain that the prospect is in, qualify them to see if we should be doing business with them and then close them, in that order. Most salespeople do this over multiple calls, over multiple weeks. This framework will show you how to do this in just one call and then close the prospect at the end. The first step is to understand the buyers… 1. Pain Pain. Is this potential buyer actually in pain right now? Is their problem actually a problem at all? The buyers you want to work with are feeling the hurt from this problem. And as a result, they’re going to be highly motivated to find the right solution. Now, a few qualifying questions to ask that’ll get to the bottom of their pain are… “You booked this call with me today, what led to getting this call booked in?” and… “What’s stopping you from solving this issue yourself?” Both of these questions should help you get to how big this problem really is for the buyer. 2.  Time Time. Not all problem and solution timelines are going to line up. And one of your primary concerns when qualifying prospects is what their timeline is for when they need their problem solved. Are they thinking today? This quarter? Or in the next few years? If your buyer doesn’t have urgency, they won’t be compelled to act. And as a result, you’ll likely encounter plenty of feet dragging and time-wasting along the way. Best instead to say you’re not a fit early on. As for qualifying questions here, start with… “Do you have a deadline to solve this?” It’s straightforward, I know. But the answer will give you a clear, no-bullshit timeline that you can work with. 3. Fit Fit. Can you actually fix this buyer’s problem? The truth of the matter is there’s no perfect product or service for everyone. And saying otherwise is just playing into the public’s idea of sales reps being con men. Instead, it’s your job to think of yourself as someone who offers value. And you shouldn’t have to waste time with someone who doesn’t need what you’re selling. Qualifying questions here are for YOU this time, not the buyer. So ask yourself… “Do I have the solution for this buyer’s problem?” and… “Do they really need this solution?” 4. Return Return. There’s a downside to any solution. Buyers need to change vendors, hire new staff, train on novel systems, or fight for a change to the budget. The question is, is the value your solution provides worth that discomfort? How much will they have to change to accommodate it? And when all is said and done, will they look back on the investment as a good purchase or one that ate up too many resources? Going through this calculation upfront is a must during qualification of sales leads For qualifying questions here, try… “How would things be different if we solved this for you?” “What is your motivation to make this happen?” “If we took your business from $X to $X, how would that change things?” These three questions will help you parse out whether your buyer’s willing to put in the effort needed to make this a success. 5. Process Process. As an expert on your product, you know what it takes to make using it a success. But does the buyer know how things are purchased in their organization? Do they know who needs to be involved? What training needs to be done? What process did you need to follow to get the project implemented. You can uncover this by asking… “When your organization has done similar projects in the past, what paperwork process needed to happen?” This will give you a clearer idea of what lies ahead should the buyer be a reasonable fit. 6. Budget Budget. As touchy of a subject as budget can be, it’s absolutely essential that you get a feel for your buyer’s budget before you start working with them. Now, that doesn’t mean you have to lead the call with questions about money. And in fact, doing so may turn off the prospect from the outset, sinking any hopes of a deal. Instead, lead up to budgetary questions. Handle the subject professionally and use direct communication. Think of it as just another aspect of the qualification process. And use these questions to get the necessary details without scaring off the buyer. “How are projects like this funded?” “Is a project like this in this year’s budget?” “What financial scope do you have to solve this issue?” 7. Champion Champion. With sales, your buyer’s decision is often going to be influenced by other individuals in the business. It could be heads of other departments, higher-ups in the C-suite, or even influential team members below them. That’s why it’s important to figure out who these other individuals (or “champions”) are before you decide the buyer’s a fit. Doing so clues you into whether the buyer is the final decision maker and if there’s someone else you should be talking to instead. The main qualifying question here should be… “Who is the person that people look up to within your department on projects like this?” This subtle approach will help you uncover any other decision-makers that may influence the passing of the deal. 8. Agreement Agreement. As a sales professional, it’s up to you to get your buyer’s verbal commitment on the call. Otherwise, they’re liable to walk away after days or even weeks of your hard work, leaving you out weeks or even months of hard work. So when you’ve determined that a buyer is a solid lead, don’t hang up the phone before asking this discovery call question. “You’re a good fit to work with us. If we can solve X, will you commit to Y?” This time-tested formula has it all—validation, a hint of flattery, results anchoring. By asking this question, you’re tying your solution to a specific result. And equally importantly, you’re influencing the buyer to commit to that solution, provided you can achieve the results you promise. After that, the only thing left to do is nail down the specifics and sign the papers. Summary No matter how complex your product is, how many moving parts your solution may have, it is possible to win business on a single call. All it takes is asking the right questions and qualifying prospects according to the right structure.

Invisibility, flight, laser eyes… NONE of these superpowers compare to the #1 superpower for sales reps—which is the ability to read minds… Because when you can read your prospect’s mind, you can give them exactly what they’re looking for. And that means more closed deals, better commissions, and a bank account even Bruce Wayne would be jealous of. Today I’m showing you how to become a sales superhero by learning how to read your prospect’s mind. In this video you’re going to learn 6 ways to understand exactly what your prospect is thinking. But before we get into the specifics, let’s talk about verbal language. Language is an amazing tool for connecting and communicating with others. It lets us share ideas, vent frustrations and, solve mutual problems, But even still, Words alone have limitations. And context, history, and individual experience all  can change a word’s meaning from one person to the next. Luckily, according to the research, around 70% of our communication doesn’t rely on words. And equally lucky, our brains are equipped with the ability to read nonverbal communication effectively .  we can use non verbal communication to understand what someone else is thinking without them ever saying a single word! So, what do you need to do to become a better mind reader? 3 Internal Tactics 1) Establish a Baseline Establish a baseline. This one has its roots deep in the world of science and evidence. Here’s why. When you’re creating an experiment, say you’re testing the effects of a new pain pill, you need to run at least two versions of that experiment. In one of the experiments you actually give the pain reliever to patients. Duh, right? How else could you tell if the drug worked or not? But you also have to run what’s called a “control experiment” too. This is where every variable of the experiment is the same. EXCEPT rather than giving the patients the drug, you don’t. You give them a placebo instead, Why do we also run a control experiment? Because you need something to compare the results of the pain pill against. You need to know how much of the effects are due to the drug itself and how much are due just to the experimental conditions. And when it comes to becoming a mind reader with your prospects, you need to do the same by establishing their baseline. Do they always have a sweaty brow, or just when they’re lying to you? Do they always speak fast, or only when they’re lying that they’re close to doing a deal with the competition and they’ve only come to you for pricing? To get a baseline of your prospect, you first need to get them relaxed. Get them talking about something friendly and unassuming, maybe a hobby or the weather. Then study how they’re acting. This is your baseline. From there, you can look out for changes from this state. Those changes indicate a shift in their mood Say for example you ask a prospect about a competitor, and they change their posture and start talking faster. That may indicate they’re already working with them. If on the other hand they maintain their baseline and casually say they’re not interested in your competition, then they’re probably telling the truth. See how that works? So first and foremost, always establish a baseline to help you spot changes in the emotions or actions of the prospect. 2) Ask Assertive Questions In sales, you need to be clear and assertive with your questions. For example, let’s take our old friends Sam and Walter the sales reps. Sam’s got a problem with assertiveness. And when he tries to close, he asks something like this… “Well, when… er… would you like to get started working with us? I mean if that’s what you choose to do?” What’s the problem here? A Lack of confidence. And importantly, asking TWO questions—are you choosing to work with us and when would you like to get started? There’s a lot to unpack for the prospect here. And it’s no wonder a question like this leads Sam’s buyers to give mixed signals, hedge on their promises, and ultimately back out of the deal. Walter on the other hand is assertive and clear. He asks…  “Does it make sense to sign the contracts today?” There’s only one way to go from here—yes or no. This reduces the mindreading that you have to do and it makes the buyers opinions clear for you to read. So take a page from Walter’s book. And last for the internal mind-reading tactics is… 3) Listening to Your Gut There is a lot of science around the truth behind “gut feelings”. In one study from the journal Nature Scientific Reports, Italian scientists filmed a series of short videos of a hand grasping a bottle and either pouring it out or drinking from it. Then, study participants were shown a short 1-second clip of the hand just before it touches the bottle. They were then asked to guess, using their gut feeling, whether the whole video showed the grasper pouring it out or drinking from the bottle. And guess what? Participants guessed right far above the level of mere chance. That shows, scientifically, that you should trust your gut feelings when reading your prospects. And there are countless other studies just like this one too. Our intuition is more powerful than most people give it credit for. This primal response has been honed over millions of years. It’s what kept your ancestors alive. And it’s just as effective in the corporate jungle as it has been in the past. So if you’re feeling like a prospect is confused, upset, excited, or disengaged but you can’t quite put your finger on why, listen to your gut. And more likely than not, your unconscious mind is picking up on signals your conscious one just can’t see. Alright let’s shift over to the external tactics. First up here is… 3 External Tactics 1) Studying the Environment When trying to read your prospects, be on the lookout for environmental cues that hint at  your prospects personality, hobbies or motivators . You can then use those cues to round out your idea of who your prospect is. . you can also use their environment  as a way to build rapport and open the door to even more friendly, open conversation. For instance, when I interviewed Andy White, author of MEDDIC for the first time, I noticed he had tons of racing helmets on his bookcase in the background. Now, I could have let that environmental cue go by. But instead, I brought it up. I also happen to like F1, so we had instant rapport because of it. And because of that rapport, I was able to get a better sense of what Andy was thinking and he was much more open with his thoughts and feelings as a result. And guess what, you can do the same thing. So be sure to take note of environmental cues. They could be the difference between closing and crashing. 2) Take Note of Their Appearance What are they wearing? How do they keep themselves? Are they clad in an expensive, jewel-encrusted watch? Wearing a Ferrari owners club T-shirt? Dressed down in a stained sweatshirt with unkempt hair? These are all valuable details. And they’re all hints that you can use to better read them. Now to be clear, we’re not looking to see if they “have money”. Lots of super-rich people wear tattered RL polo shirts, after all. But instead, what we’re looking for is their social status. Who are they compared to the people around them? If for example they’re more dressed down than everyone else in the room, then they are probably the real decision maker here. Best to focus in on them with your pitch. If they’re wearing a Rolex and everyone else looks like students with Apple watches, you should probably approach them differently than the rest. 3) Be Ultra-Aware of Distractions One of your top goals on a sales call is to command your prospect’s full attention. And if you don’t have it, that means they don’t care about what you’re saying. Distractions also make it very hard for you to read your prospects too. Because if they’re distracted and they move away from their baseline, you don’t know if it was something you said, or if it was because of whatever else is going on around them. There are three things you can do here. First, you can double down on your point to bring the attention back. Really hit on the reason your prospect will benefit personally from working with you here.  And hopefully, you can perk up their ears and get them interested. Second, you can stop and call them out on it. As you might imagine, this one is risky, especially if you haven’t built up a lot of rapport. But in some cases, that assertiveness is enough to make them realize you’re someone worth listening to. And last, you can reschedule. You can cut the meeting short and agree on a later date so your time isn’t wasted. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get a prospect in the right headspace to see the value in what you’re offering.  

Sales reps have it rough. Besides the endless slog of cold outreach, when you actually do connect with a buyer, you’re told to suck up to them. Smile, dance, give-in—do anything to win the deal. But what most reps don’t know is that there’s a better way to get what you want from your selling conversations. And best of all, it doesn’t require you to leave your dignity at the door. “The customer is always right.” We’ve all heard the old saying. And unfortunately, a lot of sales professionals have moved through their careers believing that it was true. That the rep who charms, kowtows, and leaves buyers smiling 100% of the time is the one that kills it month after month. But what would you say if I told you this age-old rule was… ready? Shit. It’s shit! It’s just plain wrong. And in fact, bending to a buyer’s will in every single conversation is a surefire way to muck up any sale. Instead, the trick is to be assertive. And if you’re one of the many professionals out there that isn’t as assertive as they should be, never fear. Because today, we’re looking at how to be a more assertive sales rep. Now, before we get into the nitty-gritty of it all, let’s first hit on… Why Assertiveness Is a Must Why assertiveness is a must in sales. There are five main benefits to being assertive in this industry. First… A) It Closes More Deals (Duh) It closes more deals. You don’t get the sale if you don’t ask for the sale. When you lack assertiveness, you lack the confidence you need to push through the awkward yet entirely necessary stages of closing a sale. But as you become more assertive, you’ll find yourself closing more often. B) It Gives You More Authority It gives you more authority. The more authoritative you appear, the more likely buyers will be to listen, value your opinion, and look to you as a trusted expert. Consequently, you’ll find yourself having more influence over not just whether they buy. But also what they buy. C) Communication Improves.  Communication also improves. Tiptoeing around an issue may seem like a good way to soften a blow and keep on your buyer’s good side. But in B2B sales especially, being clear and to the point is a better way to communicate. Your buyers will appreciate you saying outright what you think. D) Higher Self-Esteem  Assertiveness leads to higher self-esteem. That, in turn, leads to greater job satisfaction, a higher earning potential, and ultimately a happier, healthier home life. Alright, so how do you become more assertive? The Assertiveness Training Framework The Assertiveness Training Framework comes in. Now, if you want to learn more about this framework, be sure to check out the Selling Made Simple Academy. But for today’s purposes, let’s quickly go over the core tenets of this proven framework.  1) Excuses You have the right to offer no reasons or excuses for your behavior. It’s true. Now, you might be tempted to give an excuse for your actions or beliefs. But doing so takes the control out of your own hands. Instead, get used to not giving excuses for your beliefs, actions, or decisions. Don’t get me wrong—you still need to take responsibility if you’re in the wrong. So take ownership and apologize. But if you’re being pressed to say sorry for something you were in the right for, you do not need to offer up any excuses. And in fact, you shouldn’t do so. 2) Choice You have the right to decide if you will (or won’t) find solutions to other people’s problems. You need to learn to say “No” to solving other people’s problems. You are ultimately responsible for your own psychological well-being, happiness, and success in life. And as much as we might want to do good things for one another, we are not responsible for other people and their problems. To master this step, you need to get comfortable with saying “no” more often. So to build this skill up, start saying “no” more. The more you do it, the easier it becomes. 3) Change You have the right to change your mind. We don’t have access to all the evidence, all of the time. And when new evidence comes to light, it’s natural—even more, it’s beneficial—to change your mind in light of that new evidence. This is especially important in a fast-paced business environment like sales. Variables change all the time. And what was a given about a deal or a lead will often flip, turning the knowns on their head. If you are rigid in your responses to these changes, you can’t react as well as you should. And that can lead to blown contracts, angry prospects, and poor performance overall. So don’t be afraid to change your mind. Your buyer might even respect you more for it. Alright so step four of the framework is… 4) Mistakes You have the right to make mistakes. No one is perfect. And no matter how smart, skilled, and charismatic you may be, you’re going to make mistakes. It’s important to remember, though, that everyone else is in the same boat. We all make mistakes. And since everyone does, you shouldn’t have to feel like you need to hide them. It is your assertive right to make those mistakes and not to tear yourself down (or let someone else tear you down) because of them. You are not uniquely terrible or especially flawed if you screw up. And in fact, making mistakes is often the only way you learn. So if you aren’t making mistakes, you aren’t trying hard enough to grow.  5) “I Don’t Know” You have the right to say, “I do not know” without embarrassment. This one is huge for salespeople. Especially salespeople that work with a particularly technical product or service. Despite what many in the public think, sales isn’t about bullshitting. It’s not about trickery or cons. Instead, it’s about problem-solving. And if you’re not providing the right information, your solution won’t fix the issue your buyer’s trying to solve, leading to low satisfaction, damaged trust, and zero loyalty (this is bad stuff). Rather than rattling off a white lie, it’s actually better to say you don’t know the answer to a question. If it’s a specific product detail, don’t fudge the numbers. Instead, say, “I don’t know” and then assure them you’ll find out the answer. If it’s an unrelated question, don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know” and then shutting up. But just because a prospect asked a question doesn’t mean you need to have the answer, especially if the question was downright stupid to begin with.  6) “I Don’t Care” You also have the right to say, “I don’t care.” Your needs, goals, and interests are your own. And just because someone else is worried about an issue doesn’t mean you have to be too. You tend to find this in the workplace a lot. Random people will tell you how you can become more efficient, or you can become more of a team player, for example. But when it comes down to it, your sales target is based on your actions and work alone. You should not be forced to care about the stresses, accomplishments, or methodologies of others. If you’re missing out on some real benefits from collaboration, then that’s on you. But if it’s all about feigning interest for the sake of “harmony,” you shouldn’t feel obligated to care. Now it’s time to put the framework into action. It’ll take a bit of work to make the shift, I know. But when you do, you’ll find yourself becoming more confident, more effective, and more successful as a sales professional in no time.