Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Red Book of Selling: 12.5 Principles fo sales greatness: How to make sales FOREVER (Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Book Series)

by Jeffrey Gitomer

Studying creativity. The more you read, the more you will understand how others have learned and taught creativity. If you have not read the classic Michael Michalko's book Thinkertoys, or his new book Cracking Creativity, or any Edward de Bono book, Six Thinking Hats, Lateral Thinking, or a compilation of his thoughts entitled Serious Creativity. I recommend you start from there and immediately progress to Dr. Seuss, the champion of creativity for both adults and children.

The ridicule factor. Whatever your great idea is, there will always be someone ready to throw cold water on it. IGNORE those people. They are jealous because they have no ideas of their own.

Now, for those of you that think all the good ideas are taken, look at the sport of ice hockey. It's more than 150 years old. The hockey (goalie) MASK is only 30 years old. Wouldn't you think that someone could have come up with it in the first 120 years? Finally one guy (Jacques Plante) got tired of getting hit in the face with the puck! Hello. And once again, necessity became the mother of invention. And he created the first hockey mask.

Your opening question on a sales call. Most salespeople start out with sales-puke. A bunch of info about their company and their product. Yuck. ASK A SMART QUESTION IMMEDIATELY, AND THEY'LL IMMEDIATELY THINK YOU'RE SMART. For example ... How much is your image worth? Do you have a specific game plan for image this year? How much does one lost hour of productivity cost the company? How much does it cost to lose an employee? If you were paying 20% more for your _________ than you had to, how would you know it?

Leads are expensive and hard to come by. Your voicemail is a key to getting new customers and creating word-of-mouth advertising. 1. A short message about value or profit point of your product. A hint or tip -- for example tell me one thing I can do to profit from the use of your product -- number them and change the message weekly 2. A thoughtful quote. The Internet will give you millions. This must be changed daily. 3. Celebrity impersonation. Find someone who does voices – or do a bad one yourself. Rodney Dangerfield "I can't get no respect – but you can get a returned phone call!" 4. Your kid. "Hi, I'm Dave's costly accident, Jason. He's out earning my college tuition. You can help by leaving a message that includes an order." 5. Something funny in general. Say this in a somewhat weary voice: "I'm just one man, and it's a big world." 6. Something funny about your product or your business: "Hi, you've reached Tom. I am out saving the world one box at a time. Please leave a message and I'll try to find a cardboard carton to save your world." 7. A testimonial from a customer. Can you imagine one of your best customers saying something like "Hi, I'm Dave Smith from ABC Plumbing. Joe is over here right now taking care of our account like he has for the past ten years. Please let him take care of yours." 7.5 Something off the wall -- The reason I'm saving this for the end is that many people are uncomfortable to go off the wall and many bosses are uncomfortable by off the wa...

Make the message short. Thirty-five words maximum. Script it. Rehearse it. Then record it. Change the message often. Weekly is best. Listen to the comments carefully -- they will tell you how good your message is or isn't.

Creativity is a science that you can learn. If I ask you on a scale of 1-10, how important is creativity in sales and service? You'll answer "10." If I ask you on a scale of 1-10, how creative YOU are, that's a different, and much lower answer. Have you ever read a book on creativity? Probably not! It amazes me how many people have never read a book on creativity. Well, here's the good news: there are plenty of them at the bookstore. The best is, Thinkertoys by Michael Michalko. Buy it, read it, study it.

The biggest barrier to a sale is the unspoken risk that a prospect perceives. If you eliminate risk, they will buy.

How much risk am I asking my prospects to take when they make a purchase?

Financial risk. Is it affordable? Am I spending too much? Is this a budget violation or will I lack the ability to pay? I don't really need it. What if I get it and never use it? Do I really NEED this? Am I risking regret? I may be able to get the same thing cheaper someplace else. I don't want to get it now. I want to shop around, I may be risking overpayment. Not what I pictured in my mind. This isn't what I really want. I'm risking getting something I really don't want. Not what I perceived or thought at first. This isn't how I pictured it. (This is also known as second guessing judgment.) I'm risking getting the wrong thing.

Service after the sale won't be there. Will it be what I expect? Will it be there when I need it? Do I want to risk poor service? Product won't perform as I expected. The function or utilization of product is in doubt. I am risking poor performance. Something better exists. The risk that there might be a better mousetrap if I just look around a bit longer. Obsolete soon after I get it. The risk that a new model will come out the day I make my purchase (computers do this all the time). Looking foolish. The risk of making a bad/dumb choice in your own mind and in the minds of others. The risk of ridicule. Salesman is lying. The risk of non-delivery, or overstated ("not-what-he-claims-it-to-be") promises. I don't trust this guy. Will someone be mad at me? Will I get in trouble? Obvious thought patterns of buyers having trouble making a decision on their own. Do I want to risk getting yelled at for this purchase?

REALITY: If there's a need, if there's an ability to buy, if there's not a hidden agenda (existing relationship, friend in the business, not the real decider) -- then the person who hesitates is doing so for one of the following reasons ... 1. Cold feet 2. Their "gut" says no 3. Fear of the unknown 4. Not enough information 4.5 Lack of confidence or trust in salesperson, company, or product. In short -- the potential risk of purchase outweighs the reward of ownership.

SUCCESS STRATEGY: Find out their tolerance for taking a risk. Some people take more risks than others. Ask about gambling. Ask about entrepreneurial risks taken before. Ask about previous purchases. Measure their tolerance and their previous experiences. Look for causes.

SUCCESS STRATEGY: Know your risks of purchase. There are less than ten. List them and have "risk removing" answers for them. List what your prospect has to lose if they buy. List the corresponding (or canceling) gains if they buy. Ask your prospect to weigh the total package -- not just the weaknesses or risks.

SUCCESS STRATEGY: Identify and eliminate (or outweigh). Ask your prospect: "What's the risk?" Then ask "What's the reward?" If the risk is low, and the reward is high, then the decision is obvious.

You're closing in on the purchase. You feel like you've qualified the prospect, you know you're nearly there, great presentation if you don't say so yourself, but something is still missing. There's a hesitancy and you can't quite define it. Let me help you. The prospect feels the RISK of purchase outweighs the REWARD of ownership. You start to hear the usual stalls like, "I'll think about it, call me back later," (The kiss of death to a teetering transaction) or the ever popular, "I have to talk this over with..." Rats. So, what do you do? Keep selling? Not exactly -- the simple answer is: Just find out where the risk is, and remove it.

I'll buy it, then find out if I had looked around I could have bought it for less. I'll buy it, and never use it.

RED SELLING RESPONSE ... "No one wants to risk but everyone wants the reward that risk brings. You can get them off the fence, you can eliminate the board from deciding, and you can make them more comfortable by identifying and eliminating the risk elements of purchasing from you."

If the risk is price, then the compensation is value.

1. Identify your risks. 2. Create GREAT corresponding risk removers or even preventers. 3. Try them out on prospects who resist for no stated reason. 4. Master them so that your prospects buy more often. 4.5 Teach them to everyone.

The strategy is called: What's the risk? What's the reward? When a prospect hesitates, you simply ask him or her to list the risks of purchase. Actually write them down. Prompt others. If the prospect says "I'm not sure," you ask, "Could it be ..." After you feel the list is complete, ask the prospect to list the rewards. Write them down, and embellish as much as possible without puking on the prospect. Then eliminate the risks one by one with lead in phrases like: Suppose we could ... did you know that ... I think we can ... Then you simply ask, "can you see any other reasons not to proceed?"

The biggest barrier to a sale is the unspoken risk that a prospect perceives. Every time you say a word or take an action in the selling process, the prospect passes a judgment: on you and your product or service. Should I buy or should I pass? Do I like this guy? Trust this guy? Believe this guy? The prospect is weighing several factors, but the primary one is: What's the risk of buying vs. what's the reward of ownership? The secondary factor is: what's the need vs. what's the value? If the reward is high and the risk is low, if the need is high and the value is high, then the order is almost certain. The problem is that the buyer keeps this information to himself. His "hole-cards" if you play poker. And he's not gonna show them unless you "call." You put in your chips to see his cards. Once these factors are uncovered. Once he shows his cards, he has revealed his "motive to buy," the single strongest piece of sales information you can obtain. It's also the single hardest information to obtain. Keep reading ... If you eliminate risk, they will buy. If you don't eliminate it, they will not buy, and you will not know why. So you have to ask the prospect, just like you ask for the sale. What's the risk vs. what's the reward? The secondary question to ask is: what's the need vs. what's the value? The difference (and the power) in these questions is when you ask about risk/reward, and need/value, you'll get better, more intelligent, more honest answers. They're higher level sa...

Take more chances than you dare. You'll make more sales than you expect. That's the formula.

One of the late great John Patterson's principles of selling was, "Advertising brings awareness, testimonial advertising brings customers." What he meant was an ad will brand you, but a testimonial ad can create action toward you.

A written testimonial should be phrased in a way that takes away a risk or neutralizes a fear. It should be phrased in a way that shows a value benefit or a specific enhancement. A testimonial should show action and make a call to action. "I used to use a competitor, I switched to ABC, so should you." A testimonial should overcome an objection. "I thought their price was too high, bought it anyway, came to realize they had the best value."

ACT NOW: List the ten customers who love you the most. Call them now, tell them what you need, and figure out a way to meet them for breakfast or lunch so that you can provide them some kind of value (an idea or lead), and at the same time earn your testimonial prize. If you feel in any way awkward about asking your customer for this favor, I challenge you that your relationship with them is weak. So weak that your competition could earn the business. Testimonials are power and proof you are what you say you are. Lack of testimonials is weakness and proof that you aren't what you say you are.

Who is the most powerful member of your sales team? A satisfied customer. They can out-sell, out-brag, and out-prove anyone in your company including the CEO. Why? They're your testimonial. They are living proof your product or service is the best.

Want to take your best customers with you on a sales call? You can if you video tape their satisfaction. Sound too simple to be true? Well, there is a small hitch. It has to be a quality video. One that reflects your image, and one that tells your story in a scripted and meaningful way.

You've heard the expression "It's the next best thing to being there." Well, a sales video may be the best thing to being there. Here's why -- videos don't forget -- videos never have a bad day -- and, videos always ask for the sale (if you tell them to). BUT -- the video is the message -- the salesperson is the messenger. Both must be present for maximum results.

Selected production tips for making your video: High quality is worth it. Spend the money to make it right. The video is what you put in it. You can create any message you want. Less is more. 5-8 minutes is optimum run time. Before you begin yours, watch other people's videos -- several. Get an idea of what you want and what you don't want. Make your video real. Be relaxed and animated. Pre-select which parts (sales segments) you want to include, and write a script before you start.

And the biggest secret -- What is said about you is ten thousand times more powerful than you saying it. Let your satisfied customers ...

Author's note: I made my first sales video two years ago. It cost more money than I had. Over the last 24 months it has helped me make more sales than I could count. This year I'm making a new one, and spending four times more than I spent on the first one, that I couldn't afford. And (thanks to my first video) this year, I can afford it.

Who is better at selling your product, you or your customer's testimonial? Not even close. Your customer can outsell you one hundred to one. And even though you intuitively know this, you still think you have to "sell" and "educate" the prospect. Nothing could be more powerful than the words of one customer who loves you, telling a customer thinking about doing business with you to DO IT! Are you going to believe your next door neighbor who just bought a car like the one you want, or a car salesman? Neighbor of course. Same with your business baby.

The most powerful person on your sales team is your customer. Knowing that, why don't you take your customer with you on sales calls? They're better than you at closing the sale.

Asking a customer to tell you their reasons for purchasing from you will get you hundreds more sales of the same type.

Buying motives are 1,000 times more powerful than selling skills. Make that 10,000.

Here are the 6 positive sales senses: 1. The sense of confidence -- The air you have about you that's bred by preparation and previous wins. The best part about confidence is that it's contagious. You can give it to your prospect. (Don't confuse confidence with its evil twin -- arrogance.) 2. The sense of positive anticipation -- Everyone has read the best book on the subject before the age of five -- The Little Engine That Could. I think I can, I think I can. Thinking you can is 50% of the outcome. (So is thinking you can't.) 3. The sense of determination -- The sense of hanging in there no matter what. Determination is having the prospect tell you "no," and you hear it as, "not yet." 4. The sense of achievement -- Everyone subconsciously strives for their goals. Sensing achievement comes from a replay of the satisfaction you gained from making your last sale. Remember how good it felt? 5. The sense of winning -- Everyone wants to win, but only a few actually do. That's because the will to prepare to win must exceed the will to win. 6. The sense of success -- This is the hardest sense to master, because you must sense it before you actually achieve it. That calm feeling of money in the bank. An "I can do it" attitude. And a well-lit path in front of you. The sense of positive purpose.

Pretty easy so far. But -- the plot thickens. There are 8.5 negative senses that the subconscious mind presents and projects when selling: 1. The sense of fear. 2. The sense of nervousness. 3. The sense of rejection. 4. The sense of procrastination or reluctance. 5. The sense of justification/rationale. 6. The sense of self-doubt. 7. The sense of uncertainty. 8. The sense of doom. 8.5. The sense of "I'm unlucky." Beware of these negative senses -- they're mental blockers and will prevent the success (sale) from taking place.

Earl Nightingale, in his legendary tape, "The Strangest Secret," says, "You become what you think about." Truer words have never been spoken. But the secret to "The Strangest Secret," is -- It's a dedicated self-discipline that must be practiced every day. How close to "every day" are you? The most interesting aspect of "The Strangest Secret," is that it contains the counter balance to turn all your destructive senses into constructive senses by employing the strongest sense of them all -- common sense.

If you convert the time that you are currently spending in someone else's universe to your own universe, in less than five years you can be king of your universe.

"I finally got rid of everything with the word lousy in it, including the people attached to it. Now I'm concentrating on making my life perfect (and boy do I have a long way to go)."

The less time you spend in other people's business, other people's problems, and other people's drama, the more time you'll have for your own success.