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- Herausgeber: John Wiley & Sons
- Kategorie: Fachliteratur
- Sprache: Englisch
Every sale is made or lost in 60 seconds--make them count Cold calling and pushing your way into an office or a living room creates an atmosphere of adversity and distrust you must overcome before you close the deal. With those tired tactics, you're swimming upstream, against a strong current, with a bag of rocks tied to your waist. Sales has changed. Legacy sales gimmicks destroy relationships right from the first minute. The 60 Second Sale is a turnkey system for building profitable, lifelong relationships. Whether you work with affluent consumers or sell to senior executives in FORTUNE 500 companies, this step-by-step guide will help you open doors, close deals, and make more money in a way that leverages your natural strengths. That's the magnificence of the 60 second sale system. You get to be yourself and build your business. In this book you will discover: * How to start a sales conversation in 60 seconds * Who to target for immediate income * A powerful yet easy-to-use system to generate relationship revenue * Five ways to initiate new relationships * What to say to make sure your business meetings result in money in the bank * The secret to getting a "yes" every time, even in the most competitive sales environment * The winning mindset that removes the stress, uncertainty, and fear from income generation * And so many other effective business growth strategies, your competition won't know what hit them Business relationships are built one minute at a time. From introduction to closing, every 60 seconds you have an opportunity to strengthen your relationship or destroy it. Isn't it time you started leveraging your expertise, demonstrating your value, and building trust with your clients? When you do, they buy into who you are and how you can help them - right from the first minute. The 60 Second Sale is a fail-proof system for succeeding in today's relationship-focused sales environment.
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Seitenzahl: 365
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018
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Table of Contents
Cover
How to Use This Book
Introduction: Who Is This Guy? Why Should I Read This Book?
How This Whole Thing Got Started
Selling Is Helping, and I Love to Help People
The Wake‐Up Call
Chapter 1: It Was Never about the Pen
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
The Dumbest Sales Interview Question in History
Office Supplies by Referral Only
External Orientation: Relationships, Not Transactions
Somebody Call Security
Why Relationship‐Based Sales? Five Reasons
Four Types of Income
You Need a System
60 Second Actions
Chapter 2: The First 60 Seconds Sets the Tone for a Lifetime
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
The Old Way: Show Up and Throw Up
Clarity of Purpose: Start a Relationship
How to Start a Sales Conversation in 60 Seconds
Five Million Reasons to Be a Resource
Every Interaction Is an Opportunity of a Lifetime
How to Track and Forecast Relationship Growth
Measurement and Forecasting
Relationship Report Card™
60 Second Actions
Chapter 3: The RaporMax® System
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
Can Your Grandma Describe What You Do?
Your Natural Network
The Natural Network Memory Jogger
Reaching Out to Your Network
When You Need Money Right Now
RaporMax® System for Generating Business While You Sleep
60 Second Actions
Chapter 4: Get MAD, Get Clients, Get Money
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
Match the Message to the Audience
How to Find People Who Will Say YES to a Deal
IRT 21
Delivery System
60 Second Actions
Chapter 5: Forget the Frat Boy Approach – Convert with a Honeypot
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
Know the People in Your Database
Round Up the Suspects and Convert Them
Using a Honeypot to Convert Suspects to Prospects
A Word about Your Natural Network and Continuing Communication
60 Second Actions
Chapter 6: Put Your Mouth Where the Money Is
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
One Speech, Two‐Dozen Relationships, and a Lifetime of Value
Credibility, Visibility, and Differentiation
How to Handle Questions
How to Attract Speaking Engagements
Be Clear on Your Purpose
60 Second Actions
Chapter 7: Premier Positioning through Publishing
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
Publish and Smell the Money
Five Steps to Attracting New Prospects through Publishing
Advanced Publishing Strategy
60 Second Actions
Chapter 8: A Place for Your Stuff: Primary Internet Presence
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
You Need a Website
Primary Internet Presence
Frank Rodriguez: Website Case Study
60 Second Actions
Chapter 9: Anti‐Social Media
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
Is This How We Make Friends Now?
Don't Start Fights on Social Media
How to Develop Relationships with Social Media
What about Everything Else?
60 Second Actions
Chapter 10: ACTION Speaks Louder Than Words
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
The Best Ad Is What They Say About You
Branding Is Expensive
ACTION
TM
Advertising
Types of Ads
How to Pay for Ads
Natural ACTION
TM
Ads – Testimonials
The Secret to Getting Great Testimonials
Client Evaluation
You Are the Real Product
60 Second Actions
Chapter 11: How to Be Great at Networking Even If You Hate People
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
Speed Networking: A Fast Trip to Nowhere
The Ultimate Guide to Networking
Give the Way You Want to Receive
How to Select the Best Groups for Business Networking
Client Trade Associations
How to Make Business Networking Groups Productive
60 Second Actions
Chapter 12: Qualified Prospects Become Quality Clients
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
“Everyone” Is Not Your Client
Who Else Loves to Buy a Car?
Money, Money, Money
Qualifying Process
The Qualifying Script That Will Change Your Business Forever
60 Second Actions
Chapter 13: Open a Door and Close the Deal
60 Second Summary
What's in This Chapter for You?
WNABE
TM
Time to Talk about Money
60 Second Actions
Chapter 14: The End of the Beginning
Harsh Reality
Action Checklist
Just Do One Thing
Confused, Stuck, or Have an Idea?
Parting Shots: Seven Mistakes Sales Leaders Make
An Open Letter to a Sales Manager
Seven Mistakes Sales Leaders Make That Screw Everything Up
Glossary
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Index
End User License Agreement
List of Illustrations
Chapter 1
FIGURE 1.1 Four Types of Income
FIGURE 1.2 The 60 Second Sale System
Chapter 3
FIGURE 3.1 The RaporMax® System
Chapter 5
FIGURE 5.1 Conversion Actions
FIGURE 5.2 A Honeypot Converts Suspects into Prospects
FIGURE 5.3 Evangelist Relationships Deliver High‐Trust Prospects
Chapter 6
FIGURE 6.1 Speaking Engagements Attract Engaged Prospects
Chapter 7
FIGURE 7.1 Publishing Produces Prospects
Chapter 8
FIGURE 8.1 Primary Internet Presence Builds Visibility and Credibility
Chapter 9
FIGURE 9.1 Social Media Creates Curiosity
Chapter 10
FIGURE 10.1 ACTION
TM
Makes Advertising Work
Chapter 11
FIGURE 11.1 Networking Leads to Great Relationships
Guide
Cover
Table of Contents
Begin Reading
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E1
THE ULTIMATE SYSTEM FOR BUILDING LIFELONG CLIENT RELATIONSHIPS IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE
THE 60 SECOND SALE
DAVID V. LORENZO
Copyright © 2018 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. All rights reserved.
Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per‐copy fee to the Copyright Clearance Center, Inc., 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, (978) 750‐8400, fax (978) 646‐8600, or on the Web at www.copyright.com. Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Permissions Department, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 111 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030, (201) 748‐6011, fax (201) 748‐6008, or online at www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Limit of Liability/Disclaimer of Warranty: While the publisher and author have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations or warranties with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. No warranty may be created or extended by sales representatives or written sales materials. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult with a professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor author shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.
For general information on our other products and services or for technical support, please contact our Customer Care Department within the United States at (800) 762‐2974, outside the United States at (317) 572‐3993, or fax (317) 572‐4002.
Wiley publishes in a variety of print and electronic formats and by print‐on‐demand. Some material included with standard print versions of this book may not be included in e‐books or in print‐on‐demand. If this book refers to media such as a CD or DVD that is not included in the version you purchased, you may download this material at http://booksupport.wiley.com. For more information about Wiley products, visit www.wiley.com.
Library of Congress Cataloging‐in‐Publication Data
Names: Lorenzo, David V., author.
Title: The 60 second sale : the ultimate system for building lifelong client relationships in the blink of an eye / by David V. Lorenzo.
Other titles: Sixty second sale
Description: Hoboken, New Jersey : John Wiley & Sons, Inc., [2018] | Includes index. |
Identifiers: LCCN 2018014787 (print) | LCCN 2018015990 (ebook) | ISBN 9781119499787 (epub) | ISBN 9781119499817 (pdf) | ISBN 9781119499763 (cloth)
Subjects: LCSH: Selling. | Customer relations. | Sales management.
Classification: LCC HF5438.25 (ebook) | LCC HF5438.25 .L67 2018 (print) | DDC 658.85—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2018014787
Cover Design: Wiley
To Mr. Ralph
You were right.
How to Use This Book
This book is written as if I am sitting across the table from you, giving you advice. This is the same way I've advised my clients and mentored members of my own sales teams over the years. The guidance dispensed is the same strategy, the same tactics, and the same tools I use each day in my own business. Everything in here works.
If you are skeptical, that's fine. I understand.
Pick out one thing from this program and give it a try. Put it into practice and give it maximum effort. When it works, try something else. Eventually, the system will win you over.
There are two types of people on Planet Earth.
Type 1: People who believe that selling is pushing yourself and your product/service on someone who doesn't need it.
These people hate engaging in the process of selecting a big‐ticket item – like buying a car or a diamond ring. They hate it because they fear they will be forced into a bad decision by a fast‐talking, slick salesperson.
They can never imagine themselves selling anything to anyone because the concept of asking strangers for money is unbelievably uncomfortable for them. Besides, they hate lying to people and they believe that's the only way to get someone to buy something – by telling the prospective client what they want to hear.
Type 2: People who believe selling is helping people.
These folks develop relationships with everyone. They learn their prospective clients' desires. They learn what their prospective clients want to achieve for their family. They learn what their prospective clients hate and what they fear.
Type 2 people focus on relationships. When you have a relationship with someone and they need help, you feel compelled to help them.
I have three objectives for this book:
To give you a step‐by‐step guide you can follow to open doors, deepen relationships, and make more money.
To help get you home on time for dinner every night. I want you to make a great living and live a great life®. This system will help you use the awesome power of leverage to open doors and deepen relationships. That means you don't have to be personally involved in every little detail.
To convert as many people as possible from Type 1 to Type 2. It is more personally rewarding to take a relationship‐based approach toward sales. Helping people feels good. Helping people in exchange for financial compensation feels good and helps you enjoy life.
Why 60 Seconds?
This book helps you create the atmosphere that allows you to close deals in 60 seconds.
Many people, upon hearing the title of this book, remark that they've never sold anything in 60 seconds. People who say that are wrong. When you have a relationship with someone, a relationship based on trust, people buy from you in 60 seconds. You'll recognize this as you work through this system.
But wait, there's more…
I've included scripts to help you along the way. One of those scripts will help you start a conversation that will lead to a relationship in 60 seconds.
I've also provided email and letter templates to help you engage people, so they will reach out to you and ask you to do business with them. Using these templates and sending them out takes 60 seconds.
Also included is a 21‐question interview to help you get inside the mind of your ideal client. It will help you find out what they read, what groups they belong to, and why they do what they do. If you want to meet them and sell to them, you can go where they go, write what they read, and enable them to do what they do. If you do those things, they will buy from you in 60 seconds.
But wait, there's still more…
You will be introduced to a system that drives clients to you while you sleep. That doesn't even take 60 seconds – it takes none of your time!
You will discover my proprietary tool for converting every speaking engagement, article, and advertisement into leads. Deploying that tool takes only 60 seconds.
You will also uncover one change that will stop people cold from saying no to you and get them to say yes. That change takes only 60 seconds to implement.
But wait, here's the most important thing....
Each chapter has actions you should take immediately upon its completion. Chapter 14, “The End of the Beginning,” is a guide to making more money based on the principles included in this book. Follow this guide and you will get off to a fast start implementing the information you've discovered. I've even included a video course that corresponds to the book. Visit: http://DoThisSellMore.com to enroll for FREE.
What Now?
The first time you go through this book, read it from beginning to end. Pick out one thing and give it a try.
The second time, go through the book and take the recommended actions at the end of each chapter. Be methodical.
Afterward, use this book as a guide to keep you on track throughout your sales career. It is both a reference and an operations manual. They can drop you into any city, no money in your pocket, with just this book and the clothes on your back, and in 24 hours you'll sell enough to put a roof over your head and food in your belly.
25 Actionable Items from The 60 Second Sale
Below is a quick reference guide to the actionable information contained in these pages. You will use this information throughout your career to open doors, deepen relationships, and make more money.
Three guidelines for connecting with people in 60 seconds –
Chapter 1
Script for starting a relationship‐based sales conversation –
Chapter 2
Relationship Report Card
TM
: A forecasting tool to predict your financial future –
Chapter 2
Memory jogger with seven categories of people who can expand your natural network –
Chapter 2
Email, direct mail, telephone, and voice mail scripts to initiate contact with people with whom you've lost touch –
Chapter 3
Template for content calendar to be used for email and print newsletters as well as website content –
Chapter 3
Interview questions to help you identify your ideal client, ideal message, and the ideal way to deliver that message –
Chapter 4
Seven‐step guide to creating an engagement device called a “honeypot” designed to get people to reach out to you to start a relationship –
Chapter 5
Eleven‐step process for attracting new clients through public speaking –
Chapter 6
Five‐step guide to creating articles that will help you connect with new clients through publishing –
Chapter 7
Four types of content you must have on your website and how to use them –
Chapter 8
Five formulas for great advertising headlines and great email subject lines –
Chapter 10
Six steps for writing an advertisement that motivates people to call you –
Chapter 10
Five types of testimonials and how to get them from your clients every time you ask –
Chapter 10
Script for starting a conversation at a networking event –
Chapter 11
Five‐step process for follow‐up after an introduction at a networking event –
Chapter 11
Script for an email introduction between two of your contacts –
Chapter 11
Guide to selecting appropriate networking groups –
Chapter 11
Five steps to making networking groups more productive –
Chapter 11
The step‐by‐step process for qualifying new clients and making sure they can pay –
Chapter 12
The qualifying script that will change your business forever –
Chapter 12
The five things that you must include in an orientation packet to pre‐sell your client –
Chapter 12
Three ways to communicate the value you provide to your client –
Chapter 13
Two sample proposal templates offering options to ensure you get a “yes” every time –
Chapter 13
A checklist for starting an action‐oriented sales program today –
Chapter 14
If you have any questions or you need help, reach out to me:
Website:
DaveLorenzo.com
YouTube:
YouTube.com/DaveLorenzo
Facebook:
@TheDaveLorenzo
Twitter:
@TheDaveLorenzo
Instagram:
@TheDaveLorenzo
Phone:
888.444.5150
If you'd like to put your business growth on the fast track, here are some ways I can help:
Sales Team Training:
I develop customized programs for sales teams of all sizes. Together we assess your team's strengths and employ a blend of technology and hands‐on instruction to enable sustainable, organic growth.
One‐on‐one Executive Coaching:
Business leaders turn to me for strategic guidance on revenue growth or entering a new market. We also discuss other leadership challenges such as managing a team of high‐performing professionals, building strategic alliance partnerships, and other issues that require confidential guidance.
Dave Lorenzo's Strategic Sales Academy:
This is my exclusive program for entrepreneurs and sales professionals from all over the world. In this comprehensive session we cover both strategy and tactics that will help you open doors, deepen relationships, and make more money.
Information about these opportunities is available at: DaveLorenzo.com or by calling 888.444.5150
Introduction: Who Is This Guy? Why Should I Read This Book?
Cold calling and pushing your way into an office or a living room creates an atmosphere of adversity and distrust you must overcome before you close the deal. With those tired tactics, you're swimming upstream, against a strong current, with a bag of rocks tied to your waist.
Sales has changed.
Legacy sales gimmicks destroy relationships right from the first minute.
This book offers you a turnkey system for building profitable, lifelong relationships. Whether you work with affluent consumers or sell to senior executives in FORTUNE 500 companies, this step‐by‐step guide will help you open doors, close deals, and make more money in a way that leverages your natural strengths. That's the magnificence of the 60 Second Sale system. You get to be yourself and build your business.
The relationships you develop using the system outlined in this book create the atmosphere that allows you to sell in 60 seconds.
When I take the stage to speak to an enthusiastic audience of business executives, or when I walk into a room to train 50 high‐achieving sales professionals, or when I enter a boardroom to meet with a CEO and the company's leadership team, two questions go through the mind of each person staring at me:
Who is this guy?
Why should I listen to him?
I've got 60 seconds to answer that question or I'm done.
My name is Dave Lorenzo, and the information I'm going to share with you is going to help you make more money and get home, on time, for dinner every night.
If you like money, and you like having control of your life, invest a couple of additional minutes reading this introduction.
How This Whole Thing Got Started
In 2003, I was a partner at The Gallup Organization, an international management consulting company. One day, my boss walked into my office, sat down in the chair across from me, and said, “Dave, listen. I have something I want you to do, and it's something really personal to me.”
I sat up, leaned forward, and listened intently as he described a situation in which his ex‐brother‐in‐law, the guy who had divorced his sister, had stolen one of his most prized accounts, a national clothing retailer. He described the pain he felt when his brother‐in‐law not only humiliated his sister by divorcing her but also stole his account.
He said, “I need you to do me this favor. I need you to drop what you're doing and go after this account as hard as you possibly can. I want you to land this account, and if you do it in the next 60 days, I'm going to give you a $50,000 bonus.”
You and I both know that money is a huge motivator for successful sales people, so I sat up in my chair and said, “Boss, you can count on me. I'm on it.”
Keep in mind, this was a massive industry. Big ticket, business‐to‐business consulting is uber‐competitive and normally, each deal requires an 18‐month (or longer) sales cycle. The minimum size account our company would even consider had to be worth at least $1 million in revenue to us on an annual basis.
I just promised my boss I was going to do this in 60 days.
I slowly looked around the room and I said to myself, “How am I going to make this happen?”
I went into my computer and looked through my contacts file. I searched for people who had been to my speaking engagements who might be able to connect me with someone at the target company. I saw there was one person from this company who had seen me speak and subscribed to our email newsletter. I picked up the phone, gave her a call, and set an appointment to meet her.
At that meeting, I used the techniques we discuss in this book. I created a personal connection with her: I took an interest in her career – in the success she personally desired. In the weeks that followed, I made a genuine effort to help her become successful and, in doing so, closed a deal that produced over $5 million in annual revenue for my company, successfully wrestling the business away from our rival.
The best part?
Because of the trust she developed in me, we cut through all the bureaucracy and reduced an 18‐month sales cycle down to close the deal in 60 days. Through this whole process, nothing was more important than the first 60 seconds. The bond between us occurred in that first minute when I demonstrated an external orientation and offered to help her become personally successful.
The 60 Second Sale is all about creating a lifelong bond with your clients – a bond that allows you to become successful by enabling their success.
Selling Is Helping, and I Love to Help People
My career has taken a lot of twists and turns. I started working at the absolute bottom. I was a dishwasher out of high school at a small Italian restaurant and then I became the guy that made the salads. I thought this was my calling, so I went to culinary school. That was an absolute disaster – I hated it.
So, I switched gears and I went to college to pursue a degree in hospitality business and administration while working as a bellhop at Marriott. I worked my way up to manager and eventually managed the Marriott ExecuStay team in New York when it started. In just three years, we went from nothing to $50 million in revenue. After 12 years there and the 9/11 devastation that led to loss of colleagues and clients, it was time move on. I went back to school and got a couple of master's degrees – an MBA from Pace University and a master's degree in strategic communications from Columbia University in New York City.
I was recruited by The Gallup Organization to head up its newly formed Manhattan consulting team. Well, at the time, the team was just me. I worked there for six years, and during my tenure, I developed relationships that produced hundreds of millions in revenue, closed the two largest single consulting contracts in the company's history, and helped keep a huge team of consultants, researchers, and administrative people gainfully employed. My team went from just me with zero revenue to a massive consulting portfolio, generating enormous value for our Fortune 500 clients. I was successful in all the standard ways. And then everything changed…
The Wake‐Up Call
Are you in control of your business, your career, and your future?
One cold winter morning, I was not focused on the answer to that question. I was not focused on anything. I was flat on my back, strapped to a wooden board on a gurney. I stared at the ceiling, counting the tiles that passed by as the paramedics and doctors pushed me faster and faster down a seemingly endless hallway. Everything below my shoulders was numb. My mind was making up for the lack of motion in my body. It was racing with blistering speed. I was not thinking about the things I would not be able to do if the feeling did not return. I was thinking about my priorities. I was thinking specifically about all the family things, all the life things I had put off because I thought my work and my life could not coexist.
It is amazing how your life can change in a split second.
Earlier that morning, I was at my office at Gallup and I made a choice to drop off a file at a client's office instead of meeting my wife for lunch. I could have sent a messenger with the file. I could have emailed the documents. I could have done several different things, but the client demanded I bring the file personally so he could review the work and give me immediate feedback.
I walked at a brisk pace as I stepped off the curb with the rest of the pedestrians crossing with the light, in the crosswalk. I was not on my mobile phone. I was not distracted. I was thinking about crossing the street.
When the Yellow Cab hit me, time stood still. I could see the horror on the faces of the other pedestrians as I flew 24 feet, 7 inches and hit the ground with a sickening thud. I remember hearing the commotion as a group of good Samaritans chased down the cab driver and pulled him out of the cab. I also remember the kind woman who asked me if she could call someone as they loaded me into the ambulance.
Back in the hospital, my focus changed when the ceiling tiles gave way to a long metal tube into which I was carefully loaded by four hospital staffers. The only thing louder than the annoying hum of the equipment was the sound of my thoughts. Thoughts of things I had yet to do. Things I had put off. Quality time I had not spent with people in my life who really mattered.
Don't worry – things worked out for me after that day…in more ways than one.
By the grace of God, I suffered no lasting injuries from that accident, but it served as a wake‐up call. I made the decision that from that day forward, my work was going to be something that enabled my life. I was going to be passionate about every aspect of my work and I was going to delegate things I did not enjoy. I was only going to accept clients who energized me, and I was not going to let anyone dictate the terms under which I would operate. I would take time to do things that were important both for my clients and my family. And I would make those two previously competing forces live in harmony in my life.
Over a decade later, life is still a work in progress, but it is a process I am enjoying, each and every single day.
Not long after that accident, I went out on my own. Again, I started from scratch. I had no accounts. No prospects – my noncompete agreement prohibited me from even talking to clients and prospects I had worked with or called on while at Gallup. The only thing I had was a burning desire to help people take control of their future through relationship‐based sales, something that I was innately good at.
These days, I define success a little differently. Success to me today isn't only about the biggest client I can get or the biggest sale I can make. It's about doing those things on my own terms. It's about controlling my own destiny and my own time – what I want to do, when I want to do it.
That's the value I provide. That's what this system does. It helps people make lots of money without compromising their beliefs. It helps people take control of their lives.
Ask yourself these three questions:
Are you delivering maximum value to each of your clients?
Are you proud of the impact you have on others each day while you are at work?
Are you in control of your business, your career, and your future?
If you answered no to any of those questions, this is the most important book you'll read this year.
I was able to answer yes to those first two questions but not to the third. It took getting run down by a taxicab for me to realize how important the answer to that question really is.
Your life can change in 60 seconds.
Just as importantly, you can help change the life of someone else in 60 seconds. Make them matter. My mission is to enable sales executives, business leaders, and independent professionals in all industries make a great living and live a great life.
My 60 Second Sale process makes each minute a profit opportunity for you.
In the pages that follow, I will lay out an entire system for you and give you the step‐by‐step activities to help you open doors, deepen relationships, and make more money.
Here is a sneak peek at what you are about to discover:
How to start a sales conversation in 60 seconds
Who to target for immediate income
A powerful yet easy‐to‐use system to generate relationship revenue
Five ways to initiate new relationships
What to say to make sure your business meetings result in money in the bank
The secret to getting a “yes” every time, even in the most competitive sales environment
The winning mind‐set that removes the stress, uncertainty, and fear from income generation
And so many other effective business growth strategies, your competition won't know what hit them
Chapter 1It Was Never about the Pen
60 Second Summary
Sales has changed.
Once upon a time, you walked into an office and knocked on a door and offered something to potential buyers. If they said they wanted what you had to offer, you negotiated a price. Once they paid, you moved on to the next office or knocked on the next door.
Sales is no longer transactional. It's now about relationships. You can't even get to the door upon which to knock without a relationship. You can't get into the office without a relationship.
If you want to sell now, you must start by selling yourself and selling your interest in helping the prospective client succeed.
What's in This Chapter for You?
This chapter will help change your thinking about sales and selling. You will begin to focus on relationships not transactions. When you do, you'll be in the minority: people leading a relationship‐based business today. This gives you an advantage.
Imagine that.
Your competitive advantage is the way you look at the world of business and the way you approach each person with whom you come into contact.
In 60 seconds, you'll open doors, deepen relationships, and make more money because you think differently.
The key concept you will discover in this chapter is called external orientation. That means focusing on meeting the needs of the other person before asking them to take action on your behalf. Understand them and seek to help them achieve a goal or relieve some pain before you sell to them.
This type of thinking is the ultimate competitive advantage.
The Dumbest Sales Interview Question in History
“Can you sell me this pen?”
One of the dumbest things I've seen is a sales executive, in an interview, use this hackneyed question to determine if someone is qualified as a sales professional.
You see it in the movies. You see it on talk shows. It's used everyday in sales interviews. The idea behind the question is, if you can sell the pen to the person sitting across the desk, under pressure, you can sell anything to anyone.
The problem: Before you get to have a conversation about the pen, you need to know the answers to a whole host of other questions, like:
Why is this person buying pens?
Does the person's success in a pen purchase advance his or her career?
What can you do, beyond providing this pen, to advance that person's career? How can you help the pen buyer succeed?
So what do you do? What's the correct answer?
The correct answer is to say: “Mr. Buyer, I want to help you with more than just the pen. I'm in this for the long term. Take the pen and use it for as long as you'd like. Now tell me a little about what you do here and how your success is measured.”
You're not in the business of giving away things you'd normally be able to make money selling, but if forced into a situation that makes you choose between a transaction and a relationship, you should choose the relationship every time.
Selling a pen to someone on the spot is a transaction. Helping the guy who buys the pens grow his business and advance his career is developing a relationship.
Office Supplies by Referral Only
Can you imagine a waiting list to have lunch with an office supply salesperson? Well, it actually happened to a man named Ralph Liparulo. “Mr. Ralph,” as he was known, spent the last decade of his 56‐year career selling office supplies. He wasn't focused on selling pens. He was focused on helping people make money.
How can the guy who sells office supplies become the person who influences careers?
Mr. Ralph was in and out of offices all day long. While he stopped in an office, he talked with the business owner or manager about what they did, who their clients were, and the value they provided.
One day, he stopped by a customer's office and found it was flooded. The carpet was soaked. Mr. Ralph jumped on the phone and called a carpet cleaning company, who also happened to be his customer. The timing was excellent, and they had water extractors on the scene within the hour. Both the carpet company and the customer with the flood were thrilled.
This gave Mr. Ralph an idea. Each week, he began dedicating two hours to calling existing clients and referring them to each other. He'd schedule one breakfast and one lunch each week to introduce his customers to each other. He wouldn't sell any office products at these meetings. He'd simply introduce the two people and talk about what they did and the value they provided.
His clients viewed Mr. Ralph as someone who took a genuine interest in them and the growth of their business. He wasn't the guy selling pens. He was way more valuable than that.
Over time, Mr. Ralph was able to stop cold calling. He lived off the referrals these clients passed him. His weekly introduction meals became almost a daily routine. His clients not only rewarded him with more frequent orders, they also introduced him to their colleagues.
Office supplies were a commodity, but a relationship with Mr. Ralph was a unique opportunity to grow your business with every order of pens, copy paper, and legal pads. People would buy office supplies just to be introduced to Mr. Ralph's network.
External Orientation: Relationships, Not Transactions
What did Mr. Ralph discover that his competition, and almost every sales professional in the world, missed? He unlocked the awesome power of relationship‐based sales.
Everyone else in his industry was knocking on doors trying to sell pens. Mr. Ralph was trying to help people achieve their goals. He had what I call an external orientation. This means he placed the benefit of the other person ahead of his need to achieve his goal.
If you want to connect with people in 60 seconds, you have to show them you can help them achieve a goal or solve a problem.
Here are three guidelines to keep you focused:
For every conversation, 70% should be focused on the other person. Stop talking. People do not care about you until they believe you have their best interests in mind. This means you have to shut up and let them do the talking.
When people talk to you, they tell you their problems and their goals. People want help but they don't want to ask for help. Sometimes they are too embarrassed to ask. Sometimes their pride gets in the way of asking. But if you allow people to open up, they will tell you what they truly desire. That will give you the opportunity to help.
When you solve problems, you make money. Most sales professionals look for problems their product can solve. When that particular problem hits them in the face, they are great at matching the benefits of their product to the needs expressed by the customer. Where they fall short is when the customer expresses a problem outside the scope of their normal work. Usually, the salesperson will run away as fast as possible. But that is a true opportunity to build a relationship.
Somebody Call Security
There are so many preconceived ideas about how sales is supposed to be done, we all fall victim to some bad habits that are thought of as accepted sales practices.
I made this mistake when I first began my career as a consultant. Based in New York, I flew to Boston for three meetings with prospective clients. The three meetings were set by a team member, and the first two went well. At the first meeting with a large regional bank, I showed up, asked questions, and offered thoughts on how we could provide value. The second meeting was a follow‐up meeting, and I shared some information on a solution we previously presented.
After lunch, I was scheduled to go to the third meeting. While preparing for the meeting, I was told the CEO of this men's plus‐size clothing brand wanted a presentation of my company's capabilities, so I dragged a projector and a computer along with me on this trip, and to the previous meetings, so I could do the full dog‐and‐pony show.
I arrived 30 minutes early for the meeting. I set up the projector and computer and tested everything.
When the executive and his entourage arrived, I introduced myself to all of them and immediately began my presentation. About three slides into the show, the CEO interrupted me and said, “Dave, just tell us what you think you can do for our company.”
I smiled and said I was about to get to that part of the presentation.
And I pressed on.
I continued to talk about our offices in 14 different countries and our vast research capabilities – never once asking about the CEO's issues or the challenges facing the company with whom I was meeting.
The CEO stopped me again:
“Can you just get to the part where you tell us how you can help us?” he reiterated.
I nodded and moved on to the next slide and before I got halfway through the points related to it, I noticed the CEO get up and pick up a telephone in the corner of the room.
About three minutes later, two large men in suits appeared in the doorway and escorted me out of the room. They waited with me in the lobby as an assistant packed up my projector and computer and brought them to me.
I had been physically thrown out of the meeting for not building a relationship.
On the plane home that evening I reflected upon my day. I thought about what went well in the first two meetings and what went horribly wrong in the third. When I got to the office, I put the projector away and never brought it to a “sales meeting” again.
