I want to be your "Sales Mentor Online in the Philippines". It doesn't matter if you want mentoring in handling objections, sales process, types of sales close. I will be your sales mentor online.
Well it seems kinda weird for me as your sales mentor to make an article about today's wedding of the century, but honestly there's a sales lesson on this wedding as well. Actually it's more of a group of lessons as well.
First sales lesson and probably the most important is that how the royal family has "pre-sold" the wedding of a royal blood. Let's be totally honest with all of us, there just human beings. Hey they maybe of "royal" blood but aren't we all are? Jesus Christ died for us all, and only for princesses and princes of the world. In other words, this plain marketing and sales. This was hyped up by the previous royals that a prince being married is a dream come true for any woman. In other words, it has been embedded in the human brain that is really a "dream come true". The world has already been programmed to think this way. With only proves more, that this is a marketing issue.
Hi everyone, welcome back to your sales basics techniques and strategies. Again, for this series we will continuously focus on sales closing techniques that will help you in your sales career.
So for this week’s sales mentor lesson on closing skills, we will talk about the “ultimate pause”. Honestly the “ultimate pause” closing technique is just a name I made myself. You can’t find it in technical sales books from Zig Ziglar or any sales book for that matter.
I call this technique ultimate because even with its simplicity, the result that it gives me has always been a surprise.
This sales closing technique is so simple, I believe that this should be the beginning strategies used by first time salespersons. So here’s the simple process of this sales closing technique:
Congrats to us! This is the first year anniversary of your very own Sales Mentor Online!
Thank you so much for all the people who visited my website. Thank you also for the people who gave their honest comments about my theories in Sales and Marketing. I really appreciate your comments whether it is positive or negative.
Thank you also for my followers. I also acknowledge that there are actually many followers for sales mentor online, they did not just officially click the follow button.
Mr. Trumph Greeting the Ms. Universe 2010 Contestants
I know that I promised you a new set of sales mentor lessons for my coming post but I couldn't help but talk about the winner of Ms. Universe 2010 - Ms. Mexico.
While everybody would say that Ms. Mexico won because of her beauty and gorgeous smile (so gorgeous that it makes me melt) but I would disagree.
It would be better to say that Ms. Mexico went there to sell her way to the hearts of the judges and the entire Ms. Universe crowd.
What did Ms. Mexico do? She followed a basic sales process to close the deal with the judges of Ms. Universe 2010.
First, Ms. Mexico went through rigorous training before she could get to the international competition in the Ms. Universe 2010 pageant.
As always, I am amazed at the effectiveness of being able to understand the concept of selling and being able to use it in any situation necessary.
Just a while ago, I arrived late for my trip to Cebu City. To top it off, I didn't have a ticket and the boat was full. Actually, there were several of us who was under the same predicament. Most of them gave up and went back to the other ticketing office to buy tickets for the next trip.
Left there alone, I knew I could convince the crew and the guard to sell me an "extra" ticket so that I could go along with the trip. Besides what's the use of being a sales mentor if I couldn't convince a guard to sell me a ticket.
Of course, I was able to get one ticket by using simple sales and negotiation techniques. So here's how I did it.
First, I made casual conversations with the guard: like how hot the weather was, the people in his job, and many other stuff that made him comfortable.
Next, I then proceeded to ask him questions about the trip : why there was only one trip instead of two, why the boat was smaller, and the most important question, what would I need to do to get him to sell me another ticket.
I further explained why I needed to get to Cebu City at a specific time and the consequences. At that, he already showed non-verbal signs of "buying my sales pitch".
He then asked me if I could wait since he will ask for the Coast Guard's approval. I also made my "sales pitch" to the head coast guard and was so happy when he gave me the ticket. I paid for the ticket and gave the first guard a tip and profusely thanked the coast guard.
Actually since the sales process is so inherent in me, it is quite normal for me to sell anything. Specially if it's an idea with a sense of urgency.
Well, you would think that there's not much of a sales mentor lesson here right? WRONG. The story I just told you above shows a brief process of how effective a salesperson can be by using what I call the "Power of Negotiations". This will be our next set of sales mentor lessons for the coming weeks.
Actually this will be a very long series of lessons but I promise you this will be all worth your patience. This will help you to double your closing success.
Probably this is one of the most exciting benefits in learning how to sell - it can grow your income.
As a young student at an expensive University in the Philippines, I had to be more creative in my studies wherein I had to earn money and study at the same time. Luckily, I was blessed by the Lord with a great talent of being friendly and being talkative.
During that time, I started to sell mangoes to earn money for my allowance. It was very difficult at the start, and since I did not have any sales mentor at the time, I made many mistakes. After a month, I started to become better at selling and have already started to learn a basic sales theory, "sales is not sales unless paid and collected".
"We can all sell if we choose to, but for most people it is one of the most difficult
things to do because they afraid of loosing their self." - Robert Allen
Based on our last sales mentor lesson, the first benefit from learning to sell is that it lowers our invisible-self-defenses.
I think most of us will agree that as people, we all have our own invisible walls. No matter how sociable we are, there will always be certain areas in our lives that we prefer to leave it a secret.
I remember my first day as a salesperson. I was hired by one of the biggest Ice Cream companies in the Philippines as an Account Specialist (AS). I remember being excited for my first ever sales job and anxious at the same time.
Before we did our selling, we first had a 5-day classroom training, with my very first sales mentor Mr. Rusky. He was a bright person with superb communication skills.
We started with the background of the product lines that we were going to sell. The company's policies and history. The organizational structure and where we were at the structure.
This is the start of a new series of sales mentor lessons. Since we already got through the needed mindset and basic definitions, we will now discuss on the actual selling process.
How to start selling.
In a formal sales program, often, the sales training begins directly with the discussion on what is sales flow, persuasive selling, closing techniques, but for me this is all useless unless you start with this mindset - "Believe in what you sell".
Being a sales mentor and a salesperson myself, I've seen many salespeople directly jump start without really understanding their own product and more importantly, believing in their own product.
Believe me, being a "loyal customer" alone of what you sell improves 50% of your average closing. When you believe and also use what you sell, there's no objection strong enough for you.
Based on our last lesson, we talked about Opening an online sales store, and what is needed to succeed in that kind of sales based business.
And that is Integrity....
Integrity to deliver the promises you are making about your product.
Integrity to actually deliver the product on the committed time and date.
Integrity to walk the talk.
Today's Lesson Involves Products Being sold on Ebay and how it has changed the trend in selling indirectly or in an "automated way".
Since the start of operations of Ebay, there has been a move on the opening of many online stores in the Philippines like Ayosdito, Sulit.com, Istorya.net and Ebay Philippines.
Selling in an "automated way" has really made a distinct change in the market but I have to remind you, it also has many flaws. Although I urge you as your sales mentor to start trying selling online to improve and grow your sales but please also make sure that you do not abuse this kind of advantage in technology.
Everyone loves to tell a good story. Stories teach, they inspire laughter and the bring about change. As consumers, we love to tell stories about the people we buy from -- good, bad or ugly.
If I stopped 10 of your clients/customers today and asked them to tell me a story about your company's customer service -- what story would they tell?
Kill the competition is the only way to think about your business and especially your competition. Most people do not desire competition in business but then do little or nothing to eliminate it. You wouldn't tolerate fleas on your dog or termites in your house, you would eliminate them.
In all my years as a salesperson, I have finally heard of all the reasons why a prospect won't buy and it would be safe to say that it can be summarized in five (5) basic reasons, namely: - No Need - No Money - No Hurry - No Desire - And No Trust
This question was asked to me recently in an interview, "with the dominance of the internet is the salesperson even needed anymore?" It might surprise you to hear my answer. Understand I have worked as a 'sales expert' for over twenty years, rewritten sales processes for entire industries, licensed customized sales processes for organizations, and written three books on selling.
Super Investor, Billionaire and Master Sales Person Warren Buffett sanely states on his recent CNBC interview, "During times like these the most valuable asset you have is your skills and abilities." If you haven't seen the interview watch it because it will give you a sane approach and solution to how to survive and prosper.
Mr. Buffett thinks in futures not in the havoc of the moment and takes every opportunity to "sell" the products, services and enhance the value of the companies he owns. He is the perfect example of someone that doesn't see selling as something you do as much as something that has to happen. Watch the interview and you will see what I mean. He is not a frantic, high-pressure fast-talking sales guy, but he does take every opportunity to promote his products and add value to the companies he invests in.
Warren Buffett knows that selling is basic to business and survival. Without selling products and services the company value diminishes and the same holds true for individuals. Whether its American Express, Coca Cola, Wells Fargo, See's Candy, Wal Mart or GE if the company is unable to sell its products and its value it will diminish. Why does a billionaire continue to promote, market and sell the value of the companies he has major stakes in? Because even the richest man in the world knows that the financial solvency of a company or household is dependent upon selling the products, service and value of that company.
Every household in America needs to take heed of Mr. Buffett as he embraces selling as a survival skill for creating the future you want. From my book Sell to Survive, "Selling is as important as water, oxygen and food and is an innate ability to every person. Contrary to popular belief this skill is not limited to just some. This ability has only been lost because of the way we are educated and socialized and it can be easily rehabilitated."
Americans has developed a disdain for selling when this is the one single thing you cannot avoid if you want to have money in the bank! Every major problem people are having; from job loss to bankruptcy can be traced back to the inability to sell yourself, your products and your services. Show me a company or individual failing and I will show you someone having difficulty selling their products and services or their personal value to the marketplace. You cannot manage, organize, save or plan your way out of the current economy, you can only sell to survive this!
The tighter the economy gets the more this skill is needed. Remember what Buffet said, "During times like these the most valuable asset you have is your skills and abilities." The largest legal firm in the country just laid off 20% of their lawyers and I assure you those that got laid off had one thing in common; the inability to bring in revenue (sell).
Look at Buffett, he isn't sleazy, high pressure or a fast talking sales person, but he knows that selling is a natural action that should not be disdained but embraced in order to survive and prosper. Click here to see a great movie about this topic.
This time he talks about the greatest investor of all times, Warren Buffett. Apparently Mr. Buffet is not only an investor, he is also one of the greatest salesperson of all times. If a person like Mr. Buffett sees selling as a major tool in a successful business, how can we not?
It doesn't matter if you have a great system, a very organize admin staff, superb products and services, but at the end of the day your salespeople can't sell a single cent, your company will not survive in the long haul.
My Advice....
Learn the art and science of selling.
In this difficult times, we all have to learn new skills to survive. If in America Warren Buffett is telling his country men to "sell to survive" we to in the Philippines must follow as well. To ultimately improve our business or income, learning to sell will allow us to add-on to our income.
For example if you have a full-time job, you can join a multi-level marketing (commonly known as networking) company and sell to you warm prospect list. Having a learned ability in selling will definitely change your position in life wherein you will be able to start something in the side.
That's it for today. For any comments or questions please fill free to contact me at salesmentoronlinephilippines@gmail.com
Features and Benefits – What’s the big difference?
I remember my Sales Manager told me this before, “convert our product features into customer benefits and ultimately increase the number of productive calls you make in a day”.
Now I would like to rephrase what my Sales Manager said, “a product’s Feature can only describe or tell what the product is all about, but only custom-fit Benefits can convince the prospect to buy”. Of course, the features can certainly create a buyer’s interest but until a salesperson can convert that interest into custom-fit benefits, the buyer is still considered a prospect because he has not made up his mind into buying the product.
To make it simple, let’s define it this way – “Features only tell and custom-fit Benefits sell”.
Here are some examples
Features:
-has vitamins A & B
-automatic timer
-auto lock system
Translating this into benefits:
-Mr. Prospect our product is filled with vitamins A & B which will greatly make your kids stronger and healthier, therefore saving you cost for buying additional benefits (like vitamins or medicines).
-Mr. Prospect with the automatic timer settings in our air conditioner, you have the freedom to turn off the system by itself and then save electricity
-Mr. Prospect with our new auto lock system, you do not have to worry of leaving your car unlocked since you can choose a time delay for the automatic locking
Actually the great sales trainer Dick Gardner said it best, “features cost us money and benefits takes home the money”. While both are crucial for the sales process, the conversion of the features into benefits should be the main focus of a salesperson’s persuasion in the prospect’s mind.
Let me end this lesson by telling you a story.
Back when I was an Account Specialist for one of the biggest ice cream brands in the Philippines, I thought of getting a sideline to increase my monthly net earnings. During that early stage in my career, I already knew that being dependent in one income stream will not give me the kind of life I dreamed of.
On the weekends I joined an insurance company that sell investments, mutual funds, term-life insurance, health care, and death plans. I went there for three consecutive weekends to undergo training for different plan presentations. They taught us how to make a prospect’s list, how to get an appointment and etcetera. After that I was on my own to sell. Since I had a regular list of customers, thanks to my day job, I scheduled for an appointment with one of my closest customers who has an ice-cream shop (in the Philippines we call it a “suki customer”).
In my sales call, my presentation was superb. I was following what my sales insurance mentor taught me. I pushed for the higher benefit plans. I mentioned good examples and situations. I felt I had him in the palm of my hands but suddenly when I tried to close, he would not buy.
I got confused. He told me so many reasons why it was not good to buy, and one big reason he told me was “your products are good but I don’t think it can do anything for me”. When I heard those words, I immediately realized that I was not acting as a co-buyer to the customer.
It dawned on me that I was just presenting to him and mentioned only other people’s stories but I never really converted it to his personal Benefits. I knew then that I have to give him what he needs. Then I remembered this phrase “Features tell, Benefits sell”. So with that in mind, I immediately went back to the first stage of negotiation. I went through all the presentation again and this time I mentioned the features and custom-fit benefits that he would gain from it.
I ended up selling my first insurance sale, and gaining one important lesson that I will never forget.
Again it is this simple, “Features tell, Benefits Sell”.
Well that’s it for today. Join me again for my next coming post.
I'm not good at sitting idle. So if I am stuck waiting for some reason, I get antsy. To kill that time, I'll fire up my smart phone and play a game (or two) of Hearts. In the game, by default I am player south. (4 players sitting around a table, each designated by a direction.)
My arch nemesis is player north. He is the shrewdest of the computerized players and if anyone is going to beat me, it's him. (Stay with me, I promise there is a marketing message in here!)
I have played Hearts (usually with real people so don't feel too sorry for me!) for many years and I'm pretty good. I have a sound strategy that has been time tested so I rarely need to vary from it. But...the fact that north is good and is my most worthy opponent throws me off that track.
I find that I play differently when I am overly-conscious of trying to beat him in particular. And in fact, the more I purposely change the way I play to thwart him....the more I lose. If I stay disciplined enough to play my own game my own way -- I rarely lose.
(Did you notice the marketing message I snuck in there?)
We all run the same risk in running our businesses and planning our marketing. Way too many businesses invest too much time and energy worrying about what their competitor is doing. Then, they change their own game plan to chase after the other guy -- emulating or trying to outdo.
I found this great site which discusses practical marketing strategies that will definitely help us improve our sales carriers and future business.
This article is from Drew McLellan a top Dog McLellan Marketing Group. As a salesperson I have long understood that for us to improve we need to be completely open and aware of the new and current ideas that are available for us. Yet with this concept from Drew, we are reminded that we also need to "stick with our own guns" if we want to have our own cut of the total Marketshare.
To continue reading Drew's article please click here.
I assure you Drew will give you great advice on your marketing endeavors.
Future Plans on the Export Sector - A new Industry A new export plan that will guide public and private sector efforts to grow the sector will likely focus on maintaining the Philippines’ market share as the global economy exits the downturn, officials yesterday said.
The 2011-2013 Philippine Export Development Plan is up for drafting starting today in a workshop to be led by the Export Development Council (EDC).
"For now we will just have to find programs to continue. It won’t be overly ambitious and will be instead more for market holding," EDC Executive Director Senen M. Perlada said in a telephone interview.
"We will only be drafting the framework and will await the imprimatur of the next administration," Mr. Perlada added, noting that a change of leaders would be due in June following the May national elections.
The 2008-2010 plan, he said, was based on the broad Medium-Term Philippine Development Plan. As there is yet a new medium-term road map in place, the new export industry road map will have to use earlier plans as bases in the meantime.
Sought for comment, EDC Vice-Chairman Sergio R. Ortiz-Luis, Jr., who represents the private sector, similarly said the new plan would likely echo the 2008-2010 version.
"It will be more or less the same, focusing on the same markets and winners," Mr. Ortiz-Luis said in a separate telephone interview.
The previous plan aimed to emphasize the country’s competitive advantages, analyze value chains to strengthen production, and bolster public-private sector partnership for export promotion and development activities.
It tagged the following products as the sector’s revenue streams: electronics, textiles and apparel, automotive products and parts, food, home decor, organic products, and construction materials. The export of construction and information-technology enabled services was likewise eyed.
Growth for the sector would have been achieved through product diversification, market expansion and the optimum use of trade agreements, the plan stated.
"We will revise it slightly because of what happened, the crisis. But it is a rolling plan," Mr. Ortiz-Luis said.
Also up on the agenda at the two-day workshop is a review of the EDC’s operations, Mr. Perlada said.
"Part of the workshop will be to revisit the council itself," he said.
Amid the global economic crisis, merchandise export sales fell by a quarter to $35.004 billion from January to November, according to latest official data. This came after sales flattened in 2008 to $46.332 billion.
The EDC has been in charge of vetting export promotion and development project proposals that proponents want funded from a P1-billion facility. The council had released just P11.6 million by end-2009, or roughly 1% of the fund, even as exporters railed for more support amid the economic downturn. - BusinessWorld
Being practical, I think Mr. Ortiz should really take into consideration what products we will get our revenue streams from. Firstly. I do not think that the world economy is back on its feet. When we were born we start to crawl, then slowly we walk, then we walk well, then we run, then learn to ride a bike and so on. We should be doing the same thing in our approach to export sector. As a sales "evangelist", I have always taken in to heart to make realistic goals. We all know that improving the export gross yearly sales, will entail a lot of marketing and promotions. Just like in a sales recovering business, we look to our strengths to get back on our feet which is our cheap and quality labor, abundances in resources, and organic products (which is currently a great trend today in the world market). Secondly. EDC (Export Development Council) will not be able to handle this sector alone. With the presidential elections fast approaching, I implore all Filipinos to be vigilant in choosing a well economic oriented new president. Our new president will be one of the biggest keys (in the macroeconomic level) to improve our economy and hence improve the sales that many of us are trying to achieve.
In summary, I believe that the export sector will be the key source in which we will be able to grow the Philippines internal businesses and with no reason that is should be taken for granted. We as salespeople should also be aware of the current new trends in the market, and take advantage of it. As Warren Buffet says it - "the trend is you friend". Hence, it is within us to forecast on what we should improve in the future.
That's it for today. I hope you enjoyed my weekly Philippines sales update.
If you want to sell anything, it has to start with this basic lesson.
“Our prospects will only buy when they believe our product/service can provide for them a need, a desire, or a want that they have.”
If you are serious on earning money from a sales career, whether you are currently an employee for an international company, just starting to sell for a multi-level direct selling or maybe pursuing the entrepreneurial path, this should be the Mindset that you should be following and taking into heart. I believe that with this guideline alone, you as a salesperson already have a head start among others who just blankly follow what their managers tell them to do, which is just to sell.
Back when I was still a child, I remember I asked my father if he could buy me an acoustic guitar. His simple answer was “show me that you need it, and I will buy you one”. As an eleven year old, that didn’t really make sense to me but since I was really eager to learn to play music, I borrowed my friend's guitar and practice often until I could play a full-length song. Only then did my father surprised me and bought me new acoustic guitar. With that example alone, we can evaluate that once we have provided the prospects need (in this case my father is the prospect), selling is definitely easy.
Like what Robert Kiyosaki said in his book Sales Dogs, “find out what the person needs and getting him to buy will be easier”. A reminder to the corporate world:
I’ve seen many good companies in the Philippines that had superior products, yet they did not achieve their expectations with it because they were in the “wrong” market. They spend so much in marketing and promotions only to realize after a few years that they are positioning that product in an area where it has a weak affinity or appeal to the target market. Although I know that we learn best from our mistakes, yet corporate management should really take into consideration the feedback from the front liners who are the ones really marketing the product.
Going back with our selling lesson. You as a salesperson already have an overview and even before approaching a prospect, you should have asked the question "does this prospect have a need, want, desire for my product?". With that question alone, you can somehow foresee the possible objections that the prospect will throw at you. When we sell it is important that we have already started the selling process in our mind, with this we become persuasive in every level of the sales negotiation.
In a nutshell our job as a salesperson is to provide that need, that want, that desire. Or it can be to help the prospect to realize that they have that need, that want, and that desire. Jim Robbin says it well - "we become as a co-buyer for our prospect".
Now how do we do that? We show them the benefits and the features of what we are selling in which will be fit for their wants and needs.
This is what we will talk about on my next post.
That's it for today. Do not forget to leave your comments below.
