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Kindle Notes & Highlights
by
Jeb Blount
Read between
August 30, 2022 - February 26, 2023
Targeted bridges are bridges that are common to a large group of similar prospects—decision-maker roles, industry vertical, product or service application, and so on. Targeted bridges are most appropriate when you have little information about a specific prospect and the cost/benefit of doing reams of research is not worth it.
Strategic bridges are unique to a single high-value prospect and specific individual (decision-maker role) at that prospect.
Defining your objective in advance, so you know what you are asking for, will help you develop a bridge that gives your prospect a reason to take that step.
People make decisions based on emotion first and then justify with logic.
Analyze your product and service delivery strengths and weaknesses. Review or define your competitive advantages and the value you bring to the marketplace. Look for commonalities among your best customers. Analyze the deals you are closing and gain a deeper understanding of trigger events that open buying windows.
The most important element of any prospecting touch is the ask—what you are asking the prospect to do or give up.
Here is the brutal truth: There is only one technique that really works for getting what you want on a prospecting touch. Ask. That's it. Just ask. Ask for the appointment, ask for information, ask for the decision maker, ask for the next step, ask for the sale. Ask for what you want. Ask.
The phone is your most powerful sales tool. Period, end of story.
Nobody really likes telephone prospecting. No matter what I teach you, you are probably going to still hate the phone. That doesn't negate the fact that to reach peak sales performance, you must master telephone prospecting.
Fanatical prospectors set up daily telephone phone blocks of one to two hours. During this time they remove all distractions—shutting off e-mail and mobile devices, and letting those around them know that they are not to be disturbed. They set clear goals for how many calls they will make. This call block is a booked appointment on their schedule and it is sacred. Nothing interferes.
Get their attention by using their name: “Hi, Julie.” Identify yourself: “My name is Jeb Blount and I'm with Sales Gravy.” Tell them why you are calling: “The reason I'm calling is to set up an appointment with you.” Bridge—give them a because: “I just read an article online that said your company is going to add 200 new sales positions over the next year. Several companies in your industry are already using Sales Gravy exclusively for sourcing sales candidates and they are very happy with the results we are delivering.” Ask for what you want, and shut up: “I thought the best place to start is
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As soon as my prospect answers the phone, I walk through the five-step framework without stopping. My goal is to respect their time by getting to the point and getting an answer—yes, no, or maybe—fast.
Telephone prospecting should be professional and straight to the point.
The person you are calling could not care less about your product, service, or features. They don't care about what you want or what you would “love” or “like” to do.
Using the bridging and messaging frameworks from the “Message Matters” chapter, craft a short, compelling message that connects emotionally with what is important to your prospect. Use phrases and emotional words like: Learn more about you and your business Share some insights that have helped my other clients Share some best practices that other companies in your industry are using to… Gain an understanding of your unique situation See how we might fit
Be confident, direct, and smooth—and don't pause. Get to the point. Ask and assume. Then shut up. The single biggest mistake salespeople make on prospecting calls is they keep talking instead of giving their prospect the opportunity to respond to their request. This increases resistance, creates objections, and gives your prospect an easy way out.
“Hi, Rick, this is Jeb Blount from Sales Gravy. My phone number is 1-888-360-2249, that's 1-888-360-2249. The reason I am calling is you downloaded our white paper on cold calling and I want to learn more about your situation and what triggered you to seek out this information. I also have some additional resources on voice mail messages and phone prospecting I thought you might be curious to learn about. Let's get together this week. Give me a call back at 1-888-360-2249, that's 1-888-360-2249.”
A great analogy for timing your calls is investing. The investor who attempts to time the market has historically failed to beat the investor who uses a dollar-cost-averaging strategy—making incremental investments on a regular schedule over time.
This is why you should block your first two hours every day for telephone activity. Set the appointment with yourself and keep it. Your energy level, confidence, and enthusiasm will be at their peak at the beginning of the day.
Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face. —Mike Tyson
This is why so many salespeople hate prospecting. They cannot control the situation and therefore feel vulnerable and uncomfortable. The feeling of rejection happens the moment you get a reflex response, brush-off, or objection (RBO).
One of the most cogent explanations I've heard comes from Seth Godin.1 He says that prospects lie because salespeople have trained them to, and “because they're afraid.” They have learned that when they tell the truth, “the salesperson responds by questioning the judgment of the prospect. In exchange for telling the truth, the prospect is disrespected. Of course we [prospects] don't tell the truth—if we do, we're often bullied or berated or made to feel dumb.
You cannot argue another person into believing that they are wrong. The more you push another person, the more they dig their heels in and resist you.
Three elements of the RBO Turnaround Framework are: Anchor. Disrupt. Ask.
The purpose of the anchor statement, sometimes called a ledge, is to give yourself an anchor or something to hold on to until your logical brain catches up, takes over, and manages the disruptive emotions generated by rejection. That's how you regain your poise and control of the conversation.
1. Prospect: “Look, Jeb, I'm busy.” “Nancy, that's exactly why I called.” (Anchor: This is a simple statement that gives my logical brain just a moment to take control of my emotional brain. By agreeing with her, I immediately disrupt her expectation that I will try to talk her out of being busy.) “I figured you would be, so I want to find a time that is more convenient for you.” (Disrupt: It also acknowledges that she is busy right now and disrupts that pattern by asking her to think about a more convenient time.) “How about we get together next Wednesday at 3:00 PM instead?” (Ask: This makes
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2. Prospect: “We're not interested.” “You know, that is what a lot of my current clients said the first time I called.” (Anchor) “Most people say they aren't interested before they see how much I can save them. I don't know if my service will be a good fit for you and your company, but doesn't it make sense for us to at least get together for a short meeting to find out?” (Disrupt) “How about Friday at 2:00 PM? (Ask)
3. Prospect: “We're really happy with our current provider.” “That's fantastic!” (Anchor) “Anytime you are getting great rates and great service, you should never think about changing. All I want to do is come by and get to know you a little better. And even if it doesn't make sense to do business with me at the moment, I can at least give you a competitive quote that will he...
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Courage is developed in the presence of fear, not in spite of it.
Beating a dead horse is self-destructive. Dead horses don't trot, they rot. Here's my advice: When the horse is dead, dismount.
When someone hurts you, your body, and mind fill with energy and adrenalin for revenge. Take advantage of that gift of energy to get better, because achievement is the ultimate revenge.
Some errors here
These schemes, regrettably, negative impact both parties, which is why so many gatekeepers, like my assistant, would rather have their teeth pulled than deal with a salesperson.
Negatively
In his book The Real Secrets of the Top 20 Percent, the author, Mike Brooks, advises that the “single most powerful technique” to get past gatekeepers is to use please twice.
The salespeople-help-salespeople hack is an awesome secret weapon. It has worked for me time and again when I've had a hard time getting to the right people in prospective accounts.
These hard-to-reach contacts always seem impossibly elusive. Welcome to the real world. It takes hard work and a whole lot of persistence to get to some contacts and decision makers. Just remember. In sales persistence always wins. Always.
“It may sound simple, but most sales people don't get it. They still believe that selling means talking at great length about their company, their product, or their service. However, truly effective salespeople understand that it is all about asking the prospect the right questions and demonstrating that you can help them solve a particular problem or issue. That means you need to direct all of your attention on their situation and resist the opportunity to talk about your company or your offering.”
Awareness without action is useless. Be fanatical.
For example, you might call and leave a voice mail, ping them on LinkedIn, and follow that up with an e-mail (or vice versa). This “triple threat” increases familiarity and leverages your persistence across multiple channels.
If you don't know what you want, you won't get what you want. If you fail to clearly define what you are asking your prospect to do or provide, they will be confused and your e-mail won't convert.
Hook: Get their attention with a compelling subject line and opening sentence/statement. Relate: Demonstrate that you get them and their problem. Show empathy and authenticity. Bridge: Connect the dots between their problem and how you can help them. Explain the WIIFM. Ask: Be clear and straightforward about the action you want them to take, and make it easy for them to do so.
Here is an example of an e-mail to a COO of a bank. It leverages the four-step framework: Subject: COO—The Toughest Job in the Bank Lawrence, Ernst & Young recently reported that the COO has the toughest role in the C-suite. The COOs I work with tell me that the increasing complexity of the banking environment has made their job harder and more stressful than ever. My team and I help COOs like you reduce complexity and stress with strategies to optimize growth and profit, mitigate credit risk, allocate resources effectively, and minimize regulatory surprises. While I don't know if we are a
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This is where your research pays off. When you know a specific issue that your prospect is facing in their business, you should bridge directly to that issue and how you might be able to solve it. When you are unsure of a specific issue, bridge to issues that are common to your prospect's role, situation, or industry.
Unlike pitching that pushes prospects away, disrupting expectations pulls prospects towards you.
Develop the habit of researching prospects and becoming aware of trigger events that are impacting them and opening up buying windows.
A trigger event is a disruption in the status quo that may compel your prospect to act.
This is why salespeople are the elite athletes of the business world. The employees of your company (even if they don't act like they understand this) count on you for their jobs and paychecks. The owners and executives need you to deliver on your numbers to keep the shareholders happy.
Like top athletes, you must train hard to deliver peak performance. What research1 tells us, though, is it takes more than training and conditioning to deliver peak performance day in and day out. All elite athletes—in sport and business—train hard and work hard. That is a given. Champions, however, gain their competitive edge from mental toughness.
James Loehr was one of the first experts to identify the “psychology of winning.” He described seven core dimensions of mental toughness:3 Self-confidence Attention control Minimizing negative energy Increasing positive energy Maintaining motivation levels Attitude control Visual and imagery control
In sales you can only control three things: your actions, your reactions, and your mindset.
Quitting is a choice. Most people when faced with challenges quit too soon—often right as they are on the cusp of success.
