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This morning I was doing some research and came across a blog post called, “Are you sabotaging your sales?” It’s the true story of a business owner that was recently phone-pitched from a radio sales rep. Read below to see how this business owner perceived the pitch and consider her recommendations.
Just the other day I had an interesting experience with someone selling me advertising time. I want to begin by saying that I WANTED to buy what he was selling but he wouldn’t let me. Let me tell you this very common story.
Fred called just when I was running out the door to an appointment. He wanted my company to buy radio-advertising time. It was an interesting campaign that married my company to one of my favorite charities. I was sold! The price was right. The cause was right and my company could show support for something I value. Win. Win. Win. Only one problem –Fred.
Let me describe what I saw as a business intuitive when I interacted with Fred. Everyone is intuitive including our potential customers so I am sure everyone he called that morning had the same experienced though they may not have been conscious of it.
When Fred called it was clear that I was the one hundredth person he had called in the last 10 minutes. He spoke fast. He was not communicating with me. I was just there to listen to his pitch. Because I wanted what he was selling I tried to engage him in a real communication. He was in the energy of giving his pitch, waiting for a yes or no and moving on. I felt that. I saw that. Most people would have been turned off by this and never really “heard” about his offer.
But let’s take it further because I did want to buy what he was selling. I was on the way out the door so I asked Fred to email me the information, contract, schedule for ads, etc. His energy immediately changed to “She is not going to buy this ad time.” He was done with me. Politely he took my email address and hung up. In the end he did not email me the information. He lost a sale and I lost a good advertising option.
In this situation, Fred was putting out the energy and the pictures of failure. He was going through the motions but his thoughts (“pictures” in his aura) were like neon signs to anyone he called, “I don’t expect you to buy what I am selling.” The potential client “sees” these pictures intuitively but maybe not consciously. Fred’s energy and his pictures create an unconscious and automatic reaction in the space (aura) of the person he is talking to, “I’m not buying what you are selling.” This happens all the time! We sabotage our own sales!
Let me give you an intuitive exercise you can use so that you increase your sales rather than sabotage your sales. After you do this exercise look intuitively at the people who do sales for you. Notice the pictures they have in their aura that supports or interferes with their sales.
Intuitive Exercise: To be done before you make a call, meet with a potential customer, etc.
Take the time to stop. Sit down in a quiet place if possible. Take a deep breath and relax. Begin to quiet your space. Imagine calling back all your energy, attention and awareness from everywhere – last week, this morning’s meeting, tomorrow’s trip, etc. Bring your attention into present time, the present moment.
When you feel quiet and present bring your attention into the center of your head and behind your eyes. Notice yourself. How are you doing? What will the person you talk to experience from you? The rush of your day? Your resistance to making this contact? The disappointment of your last contact? Begin to change your space. Be conscious and aware of how you want your customer to experience you intuitively. If you had a fight with someone, clear that and any other energy that is “hanging” in your space (aura). You know what you are going to say but what are they going to experience intuitively from you.
Begin to imagine and see in your minds eye (your eyes closed) the sales call or meeting you are about to conduct. Notice your thoughts about this. Begin to release or let go of any competing thoughts, ideas, emotions, etc. Let go of any past time experiences that interfere with you imagining or seeing successful contacts.
Do not make a call or meet with potential clients until YOU can see clearly the possibility of making the sale. Your clients or customers are intuitive. They will pick up on any doubt or thoughts that you have. Make sure they are picking up on thoughts that support a sale versus thoughts that would sabotage your sale.
When you have set your space (aura) the way you want your customer to experience you and you can see a successful sale in your minds eye exactly as you would like it to happen then you are ready to meet with your potential customer.
There are more intuitive steps but this is a good start. Have a great day and let me know how your sales go!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
This is great. Actually something I already do know but sometimes need reinforcement on. Nice to read this in full and get the concept better.
Aura? Mind’s eye? Come on. Any salesman worth his salt KNOWS this, but not in these terms. Successful salespeople know that when you sell something just to get a check, It’s the last check you’ll ever get from that client. Successful salespeople see things from the clients point of view, and have the ability to take that information and apply it to what he/she is selling in a way that will benefit the client or acheive the desired results. Empathy, real or false, is one of the most important traits a salesperson can have. If you don’t respect their time and vision, how are you going to help them? Wheelers and Dealers went out with the 80′s. Unfortunately, “Corporate Radio” is attempting to turn their salespeople into telemarketers. Cold call quotas, and “package selling” works for a short time, only because of the number of people reached, but how many of those clients repeat? When the “Package of the Week” doesn’t acheive the desired results, they will not repeat. That is what this client experienced… A salesperson that was trying to make his cold call quota, selling a “Package of the Week”. If his/her Manager spent time educating this salesperson about how to recognize a buying signal, and how to treat the client like a fellow human being, the sale would have been made, and the client would have probably repeated. Just my opinion. It’s real simple… No need to cloud the issue with auras and mind’s eye talk. It’s all about people and mutual respect.
A valuable reminder -especially for newer sellers. When managers give sellers a push towards a “quantity of calls”- these guidelines reinforce what is necessary to succeed- although vets know what they need to do. But even the seasoned sellers may need a reminder that it isnt only about seeing enough people, it’s truly about the value of the call. In these tough economic times,we have more of an opportunty than ever to really help our clients- yet some sellers panic and try making a zillion phone calls and assume that a request for more info is a brush off. I’ll use this with my sellers to remind them and keep them focused.
Sweet blog. I never know what I am going to come across next. I think you should do more posting as you have some pretty intelligent stuff to say.
I’ll be watching you . :)
Thank you for sharing this, I’ve leared a lot from it. hope to hear more stories.
God bless!