HTSS106 - The selling in tough times game plan - Scott Sylvan Bell

The selling in tough times game plan 

There are multiple reasons why selling becomes tough over your lifetime. If you are in business for any length of time you will learn everything is cyclical.  This cycle can be local to you or extended to the world. You do need to be prepared for things like this to happen in life. You can have problems in your:

• Personal life
• Company
• Industry
• Local economy
• World economy

This is normal function of business and life. You get conditioned to the good times. Be prepared for the bottom drops out. When things get good most people get lazy and start taking short cuts.  

 

1. Be prepared for the mental game

Look to where you are for real and know where you want to go when there is a struggle.  You must have the real conversation about where you are and where you want to go.  Take inventory of what you have and what need. Fake it until you make it doesn’t work you mut be real about what is going on. Understand there will be dangers, you will need to plan and to act upon them.

Find someone to talk to about what is going on. Look to the people who have lived through the problems before. Pay for a coach, mentor trainer or therapist to help the situation.  You must do everything possible to get the poison out. Even if you just talk the problem out loud to yourself you must remove the words that are locked up in your body.

 

2. Look at the inputs and your health

Pay attention to your inputs and that can be the people you talk to, the articles or content that you read of the people you interact with.  Look to remove negative items. This doesn’t mean to not look and see what is going on. This means remove the negativity from your life if possible.  You are consuming a diet of knowledge. Lean out your diet.  It could the people around you and the problems they drag in.    

You may need some religious information to get ahold of in order for you to find the answers you are looking for. There is nothing wring with turning to religion in your times of need. This move may be very beneficial  

You can look to how many Millionaires that were created in the Great Depression and in Financial Downturn of 2008.  Look to those who have been there before and see what type of information you can glean.  

When you keep a journal of knowledge you have a roadmap for the next time there is a downturn or a change in your life.  This is going to happen again and it isn’t a matter of if it is a matter of when.

Stick to a schedule as much as possible to find how much more you can get done. Donate time money and effort to a charity to remind yourself how things could be.

There are items you need besides the ability to sell and that is your health. Look for being stressed and the inputs that cause it. Work out when you can with yoga or cardio.  Eat good food, get your sleep and drink plenty of water.

 

3. Set a baseline with your sales presentation

Where are you at right now and where are you going? Record your sales presentation to get more out of what you are doing. You are out of excuses when it comes to recording a presentation. You can use a cell phone or a video camera. If you need to buy a video camera on the secondary market or borrow one.  Take the same amount of time for real life as you do in video. Watch it the video and look for the holes. The video will hurt your feelings.

 

4. Look to where the buyer is

Your buyer is scared and you can cause problems by multiplying it. Sell from another emotion if they are scared use another emotion.  Remove the objections the buyer has and understand  nerves are raw since money is emotional.

Use the discovery phase and take really good notes. Look to objections that you are getting and where they are coming from. What emotion needs to be sold:

• Hope
• Strategy
• Success

Most salespeople sell fear and it causes them problems. This is because it amplifies what they are already facing and does not remove it.  

 

5. Slow down in order to speed up

One of the most counterintuitive things you can do is slow down your sales presentation.  Most salespeople will be in a rush.  When you slow down the presentation you can match the message to the buyer. Every other salesperson is trying to exclude the buyer.  Just because someone cant buy doesn’t mean they don’t know someone who can.  Take time with people and talk through their problems.  

 

6. Easy payments plans and financing

Lenders tighten up restrictions when there are financial problems. You will want to explain this to your buyer so they know it may take a few times to get their financing through.  Explain what hoops may need to be jumped through and this is normal to help reduce their fears or problems.

 

 

7. Salespeople sell from their dominant emotion

You will mirror the feeling you have internally for the most part. You need to pay attention to the emotion that is driving you and if it is negative you must find ways to replace it.  Let the other salespeople make this mistake of leading with negative feelings. Be calm and show certainty. If you are scared they will be scared.  Sales is leadership, look to the traits of a good leader.  Pay attention to the words and feeling you express in your presentation.  

 

8. Have a top notch and on point presentation

The competition is going to do the bare minimum, they will speed up the sale to get a discount and a price match. Desperation and fear freaks buyers out and there is nothing to sell.  Some buyers will be opportunistic when they buy and know this does happen.

Roll play as much as you can to keep your skills on top.  When things get tough salespeople go too far either direction negativity or positivity. You want to be more on the positive side but not too far.  

9. Mentally tough in sales

Be yourself in your sales presentation. You can be slightly nervous on the inside but you have to be happy on the outside.  Buyers may be scared of rejection and out of fear. You have to be willing to put in the work and the effort.  Stick in when others will not and know it may or may not net you a sale.  Talk about your stability in services, goods and your track record. People want a good product or service and know that the money they are spending is the right choice.

Paint the vision the buyer needs to see The picture can be a picture, through video or even through testimonials.

 

10. Ask for the sale

Plenty of salespeople make the mistake of trying to make a rapport sale. This could be from the buyer or the salesperson. Send me the information is a close from the buyer against you.  Be willing to go a few objections deep.  You may be tired after the presentation since you used up so much energy.  Be able to explain why purchasing now is better than waiting.  

 

11. Follow up skills are needed

You will need to work out your follow up skills. This means you will need to put in work and or effort that others would not.

The best thing to do is to take 3 hours right now and build out a swipe file.  

• Phone call scripting
• Text message scripting
• Email that can be used as a sequence

You can use otter.ai to transcribe your video or audio you have created.  You can also use Episode 35 of the How to sell show to get some direction.  Know your efforts will not be perfect the first time and there will need to be refinement.

 

12. Momentum is weird in sales

It will feel like nothing is happening and then it will feel like a rocket ship has taken off. You will benefit from the effort and it may take some time to see it. The people around you will try and drag you down and pull you back. You will replace your network over time This type of event will happen 4,5 or 6 times in your life. Be prepared for it next time.

Scott Sylvan Bell

@scottsbell

#sales #momentum #podcast #Howtosellshow #Sacramento

This episode was recorded in Sacramento California