Mark Hunter's Blog, page 68

Sales Motivation Video: Are You Leveraging Your Success?

Today and all week long you’re going to have success. Will you leverage it to the fullest?

After a successful call, make another call.  Don’t derail your momentum by celebrating, but rather leverage your success into more customer contact.

Check out the video to see what I mean:

 

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Ethics in Sales. Do the Two Words Even Go Together?

Think about the number of times you’ve been faced with a difficult decision and the stress of having to reach a decision.  One of the things you struggled with is your ethics and how they impact your thinking.

Bruce Weinstein is known as “The Ethics Guy,” and I say he really is “the ethics guy” — not just because he has a trademark on the name, but because I’ve known him for several years and have watched him live out his ethics.

You see, ethics is not just something you say. It is something you live.  Anyone can say they’re ethical. It’s another thing to live it in the midst of an issue that has financial or moral implications.

Watch this short video interview I had with Bruce on this subject:

 

Where does ethics fall in the list of characteristics a salesperson should have?  For that matter, what is the role ethics should play in everyone?

In this interview, Bruce Weinstein brings up a key point that caring is the soul of ethics.  Think about what that means to you and how you deal with customers.  Ethics is something a lot of people talk about, but it is much harder to live out, especially in difficult situations.

As a sales leader, you’re tasked with impacting others, but what does that really mean?  Whether it is a meeting with a customer, another department in your company or a person who works for you, the need to care for them is essential.

Leadership is under attack on all fronts. As a leader, you have those around you looking to tear you down. The same is said of a salesperson. There are numerous competitors always looking to discredit you.

When you’re in front of people, your ethics will be challenged.  I’ve found in my own life numerous times where I’ve been faced with critical decisions that call into question my ethics.

Anyone can stand up when everyone around them is standing up.  It’s an entirely different situation to stand up when you’re the only one.  This is the game changer I use to measure my ethics. For me ethics is not what others would do in a situation; it’s what I would do in a situation.

I do believe the words “ethics” and “sales” can be spoken together in the same sentence.  To me the only salesperson who will be successful long term is the salesperson who demonstrates strong ethics.  In the words of Bruce Weinstein, it begins by caring.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

How Effective is Your Sales Process?

Maybe I should be asking if you even have one, but then you might think that’s harsh. I’m guessing, though, that deep down inside you’ll admit to yourself what you’re doing is more fiction than fact… more a dream than a reality.

Before you panic, take a deep breath and get your heart rate back down to 72 and know many of the things you’re doing are working, even if you don’t think so.  What’s happening is you do have a few things that are not working and they’re overpowering what is working.

I’m excited to be part of an upcoming webinar you won’t want to miss. It’s all about this very topic — fixing what’s broken and leveraging what works in your prospecting process.  You can find out more at this link or click on the below image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have to realize whether you’re in a team of 20 salespeople or selling on your own, there are two fundamentals that have to be right and they are your mind and a system you can follow.  Could you imagine flying an airplane without a system or process you could follow?  No, there’s no way you could. Same goes for your mind. Would you want fly on a plane piloted by a 2-year old?  No, they simply don’t have the mind to fly.  Same with sales — as big as getting the mind right is, an even bigger part is the getting the process right.

Your customers have changed far more than you realize, and worse yet, the sales process you’re using was built for a different era.  Back to my airplane analogy — the process you’re using was built for a Boeing 727, but you’re dealing in a world of Boeing 787s.  It is simply not going to work.

Fixing what’s broken and leveraging what works starts with first analyzing 2 key measurements. They are:

What is the % of leads that ultimately turn into customers?

How long does it take for a lead to become a customer?

Don’t overcomplicate things. When you know the answers to these two questions and you can answer the following five questions, you’ll then be able to determine the mechanics that will make your process work.

Why do customers buy from me?

Why do customers choose to not buy from me?

Where do my leads come from?

Who is my best customer and why?

What are the outcomes I provide my customers?

You can fix what’s broken and leverage what works in your prospecting process.  To find out more, be sure to sign up for the upcoming webinar at this link or by clicking the below image.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Prospecting: Are You Asking for Referrals?

The very best prospectors — and for that matter, the very best sales leaders over all — consistently and persistently ask for referrals.

In my book, “High-Profit Prospecting,” I offer you some specific techniques and situations by which to ask for referrals.  Yes, I know some salespeople are hesitant, but my experience has shown that most people want to help someone who has helped them.

As you excel at providing value to your customers, you already have a foundation on which to ask for referrals. Grab a copy of my book, and you’ll be on your way to mastering the prospecting skills to strengthen your success and ability to serve more customers.

And don’t forget how a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Motivation Video: What New Insights Will You Share Today?

You want to be seen as a leader.  One of the ways you do that is by sharing insights with your customers — insights that go way beyond what you sell.

Check out the video to see what I mean:

 

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Forbes Article Highlights What it Really Takes to Succeed in Sales

I am pleased to be featured on Forbes.com, where I share what it really takes to succeed in sales. Bruce Weinstein and I had a great discussion, and I don’t want you to miss even one of the insights.

To see the full article, go to the link Want to Close More Sales? It Takes More than Charisma.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Leaders Focus on Others

Real leaders focus on others. They don’t focus on themselves.

Recently, I was with Bob Burg, the author of the Go-Giver series of books.  (Yes, I strongly recommend you read every one of them.)  Bob personifies the leader who moves the focus away from himself.  Watch this 68-second video and you’ll quickly see what I mean:

 

Leadership is about helping others, and it’s about helping others in a way that lifts them up.  This is the same whether it be a person we manage or a customer to whom we are selling. The more we elevate the other person, the greater the receptivity of the message.  If you think this is nothing more than a “participation trophy” mentality, you’re mistaken.

It’s about finding the positive in what the other person is doing and building on it.

Sales and leadership are one in the same. You know I talk about the parallels between the two a lot, but as Bob says in the video, it’s about shifting the focus to how we can bring value to the other person.

When you get done talking to someone, can you clearly say you brought value to them?  Too many salespeople and managers leave this out and they make the conversation about themselves, whether it be an introductory prospecting call or a routine conversation.  The only conversation that will be seen as valuable will be the one where the other person walks away feeling they received value.

Sales does not have to be complicated when we put the focus 100% on the other person.  The prospect doesn’t care how great you and your company are. They don’t care what else you make; they care about themselves.

Be deliberate in your discussions, not with canned questions but with a keen interest in truly understanding them.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Even When Prospecting, You Must Create Value

Are you one of those salespeople who is timid when engaging a prospect with tough questions?  Are you one who tries to gently nurture a lead or a prospect, so you don’t lose them?

You can’t afford to nurture them. You don’t have time. They don’t have time. If you want to nurture something, then go visit a retirement center. You’ll find plenty of people there who you can nurture.

From the start we have to be focused on moving the lead forward, and that includes creating value as quickly as possible.  Check out this video where I share about a sales call where understanding the value the customer desired was essential if I wanted to close the deal.

 

 

You create value by asking questions early, and I mean very early in the process.  If you fail to have a plan as to how you tie value to the outcomes the prospect desires, then you run a major risk of the prospect never going anywhere.  This means you need to ask “value focused” questions sooner than you most likely have been doing.

“Value focused” questions are ones that get the other person discussing the real issues they’re facing.  They aren’t absolute questions regarding price, but rather they’re questions that help uncover the outcome the customer wants.

In the video, I share a conversation with a CEO regarding my fees.  If I had not known the critical issues the CEO and his company were facing, I would never have been able to close the deal.   The reason I new the issues the CEO was having is because of the questions I asked.

You can’t afford to not ask tough questions early in the process.  The questions you ask will vary based on what you do and who you’re working with, but here are just a couple to get you thinking:

What is the risk if you don’t do anything?

Why has this become a problem for you?

How will this impact other parts of your business?

You see the questions are designed to engage.  Don’t think you can’t ask questions like this during the first call.  If you don’t ask questions like this, you run the risk of having the other person focus the conversation on the features of what you sell and that you’re nothing more than a low-price vendor.

Today your job is to up your game with the questions you ask. Don’t hold back.  The faster you know the outcome the prospect is looking for, the sooner you will be able to equate it to value.  In the end your customers will only pay for value.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Sales Motivation Video: The Power of Referrals in Sales and Life

Want to feel better?  Connect one person to another — two people who can benefit from what each has to offer.

If you want to sell more, refer more.  Make it a goal to always be referring someone to someone else.

Check out the video to see what I mean:

 

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results

Resilience is a Sales Leadership Trait

How resilient are you? You most likely think you’re incredibly resilient and you face rejection and well.

I had a person tell me one time how they take rejection better than anyone and that is why they are a top performer in their company.  It wasn’t more than a few weeks later when I saw the same person face multiple rejections in the same day, and poof — they folded like a cheap suit.

Sales leadership is about being resilient.

It’s a trait that needs to be on full display at any time. You may be having an awesome quarter with everything going right and having to be resilient could easily be the furthest thing from your mind, but you can’t allow that to happen.

Resilience is typically viewed as being able to handle oneself in the face of rejection as I described earlier, but I think it’s more than that. Resilience is a driver of persistence when it comes to spending time prospecting even when things are good. Resilience is the activity you do to stay in touch with clients when you’re tired and want to shut things down.  Resilience is always being respectful and engaging with others, even when those around you are people you’ll never see again.

How resilient are you in light of what I described in the preceding paragraph?

I find myself having to challenge myself frequently with regard to my own resilience.  Those who are the most resilient are those who are the most even natured in not only how they respond to others, but also in how they handle their own time.  Show me a resilient person and I’ll show you a productive, results-oriented person.

Over the years, I’ve found the most resilient sales leaders are those who early in their career faced a lot of rejection from customers.  Looking back on my own career, I see now the numerous times I had leads or prospects reject me and how I became more resilient from it. Resilience in my life has been built out of the hundreds or thousands of times a proposal was rejected.

Your challenge is to see resilence as a trait you grow and as an attribute that will help you become a stronger sales leader.

And don’t forget that a coach can help you excel in your sales career! Invest in yourself by checking out my coaching program today!

Copyright 2018, Mark Hunter “The Sales Hunter.” Sales Motivation Blog. Mark Hunter is the author of High-Profit Prospecting: Powerful Strategies to Find the Best Leads and Drive Breakthrough Sales Results