The Sales Evangelist

Categories

general
Being Authentic
Framing
Relationships
Risk
Business Growth
Customized Solutions
Bryan Hendrick
Objections
Account Executive
B2C
Differentiate
C-Suite
Company Culture
Give Value
Seek to Understand
Email
Conversations
Collaboration
Brian Margolis
Cold Calling
Barbara Giamanco
Account Management
Content Marketing
Jay Gibb
Business Development
Outbound
Empathy
Coaching
Fear
Jimmy Burgess
Education Based Marketing
Keywords
Prospecting
Pipeline
Dennis Brown
LinkedIn
Facebook
Clarence Butts
leads
Dale Dupree
Michael Sardina
Cadence
Jack Kosakowski
Qualifying
Social Selling
Connection
John Antonacci
Branding
Ethics
Bob Burg
John Barrows
Credibility
Audience Engagement
Ericka Eller
Confidence
Jim Jacobus
Building Rapport
Communication
Douglas Vigliotti
Entrepreneur
Humor
Champion
Jared Easley
Commission Sales
Chris Dayley
Building Value
Building Trust
Sales Team
Ask for the sale
Sales Training
Relationship Selling
Ideal Customer
Leadership
Prospecting System
Hiring
Goals
Sales Plan
Referrals
Value
Lead Generation
Asking Thought Provoking Questions
Client Management
sales Management
Success
Asking for Referrals
Sales Strategies
Sales Habits
Sales Culture
Motivation
Door to Door Sales
Sales Coaching
Group Coaching
Selling Success
Accountability
Crowdfunding
Mindset
Sales Enterprise
Sales Process
Closing
Sales Leader
Following Up
Digital Marketing
Sales Opportunities
Sales Mindset
Sales
Email Marketing
Online Marketing
Rejection
Habits
Start with Why
Profitability
Fear of Rejection
Marketing and Sales
Scarcity
Videos
Questions
Business Conversation
Value Conversation
Customer Experience
Negotiation
Demo
Customer Service
Competition
Sales Compensation Plan
Unique Way To Sell
Sales Conversations
Discovery Meeting
Reciprocity
Messaging
Sales and Marketing
Sales Tools
Buyer Persona
Pricing
Joe Carlen
GAP Method
Pre Call Planning
Warm Leads
New Hire
Time Management
Reading Prospects
Numbers Game
Goals Setting
Q and A
Rapport
Customer Evangelist
Humility
Medical Sales
Upselling
Speaking With Executives
Networking
Meeting With Executives
Scaling your sales team
Sales Growth
High Ticket Selling
ROI
Focusing
AI
Bad Customers
Creative Prospecting
Top Performer
Phone Prospecting
Presentation
Affliate Marketing
Research
Delegate
Sales Develop Representative
Theater and Sales
Additive Behaviors
Email Selling
Hard Work and Determination
Hard Work
Common Sales Challenges
First Impression
Meeting with Customers
Interview
Dedication
Administrative Tasks
Sales Enablement
Promotional Materials
Finishing
Story Selling
Revenue
Proposals
Course
Top Performance
Current Customers
Podcast
Planning
Value Driven Conversation
Processes
Twitter
Wealth
Field Sales Rep
Local Advertising
Increase Revenue
Upfront Agreement
Lead Magnet
Message
Experience
Change
Direct Response Marketing
Inbound
Sales Vs. Marketing
Phone Sales
Community
New Sales Professional
PAIN
Influence
Mastermind
Cross Selling
Sales Travel
Team Motivation
Sell Yourself
Image
Values Based Marketing
Promotional Product
Bold
Sales Metric
Sales 2.0
Timing
Sales processes
Value Pricing
Proposal
Copywriting
Network Marketing
Budget
Appointment
Sales Commitment
Building Quick Relationships
Passion
Consultative Selling
Foundation
Everyday Sales
Selling Intangibles
Work-life balance
Inside sales
Mental tougness
Fear of being salesy
Free Trial
Web Leads
Sales Leadership
Vacation
Sales Job Interview
Podcasting
Positive
Live Events
Decision Makers
Sales jobs
Public Relations
Website Sales
Newsletters
entrepreneurs
Commission
Webinar Sales
Sales Experience
Sales Proposals
New Sellers
Daily Planning
Rapid Growth
Lead with Value
Finding Your Voice
New Sales Training
Sales From The Street
The Sales Whisperer
Sales Funnels
Listening
Sales Prospecting
 Guy Kawasaki
Taking action
Positive Thinking
Increasing Sales
Winning Vendor
Being Selfless
Positive Attitude
Selling to women
Sales Stigma
Sales Slump
Persistence
Agenda
Job Interview
Sales Vision
Forecasting
Close Rate
Deeper Discussion
Linked Seller
High Performance Habits
DISCOVER Questions™
Rory Vaden
Donald Kelly
Curtis McHale
Anthony Tran
Case Study
Advanced Sellers
Contract Hell
Bob Rickert
Reluctant Buyers
Inbound Marketing
Google Alerts
Game Changer
Close.io
Honesty
Finding
Calendar Invite
Eveline Pierre
Josh turner
Joanne Black
Matt Hallisy
Mace Horoff
Amy Porterfield
Chris Rollins
Deb Calvert
Closed File
Dino Dogan
Katherine Kotaw
Bryan Daley
Dave Delany
Linda Yates
Jim Cathcart
Happy Someone
Chirag Gupta
Personalize
Jeffrey Gitomer
Cold Outreach
Growth
Sales Pitch
Carissa Hill
Account-Based Marketing
Preparation
Alice Heiman
Imposter syndrome
Buyer's Journey
Drip campaign
Outreach
Influencers
Prospect.io
Don Barden
Acquisition
Barth Getto
Joe Pardo
Data
Preconceived Notions
Sales Process, Sales Podcast
CRM
Selling Your Company
Gen Z
Mastermind, Group Learning
Chat
Partnering, New Leads
Hiring, New Hire
Instagram, New Leads
Failure
Grit
Emotional Intelligence
Client Success
Client Onboarding
Price
SDR
Small Businesses
Asking Questions
Decision Maker
Poor Sales
Account Mapping
Remote Worker
Stories
Selling
Video
Script
Money
Discovery Questions
Marketing
Solving problems
Staying Top of Mind
References
Content
Scaling
Authenticity
Incentives
Curiosity
Market
Omnichannel outreach
Building Relationship
Scale
Video Conference
Traveling Seller
SEO
Scheduling
Cause Marketing
Overcoming obstacles
personal branding
Sales Leaders
Course correction
Sales Meetings
Activities
Problem Solving
Sales Success
BDR
Inbound Leads
Business Proposals
Selling to Friends
Product Demo
Transformational Selling
Profits
Nurturing
Teamwork
Podcast changes
Sales Strategy
Contact Marketing
Firing
New Products
Social Dynamic Selling
Accidental Seller
Accidental Sellers
Repeat Business
Accidental Series
Closing deals
Increasing Sales, Technology
Sales, Effective Sales
Cold Emails
Closing revenue
LinkedIn sales
The Accidental Seller Series
Sales Hiring
Accidental Seller Series
Hiring, Successful hiring
Sales Contracts
Best Sellers In History Series 1
Best sellers in History
Sales Planning
Sales Events
sales 2020
Best Sellers in History Series
Best Seller in History Series
DISC Assessment Profile
Best Seller in History
Psychology of Sales, Sales Mindset
Sales Effectiveness
women in sales, best sellers in history
Sales Script, Target Customer, Niche
Best seller in history, Salesman
Sales Story
Sales Women, Sales Force
Reginald F Lewis
Sales Wealth, Sales Prosperity
Personal Brand, Stephen Hart
Donald Kelly, The Sales Evangelist
SaaS, Software Sales
Leads, Qualifying Leads
ROI, Leads, Inbound Leads, External and Internal Triggers
Women in Sales, Sales Success Story
Stuck sellers
Sales Value
Building trust, Entrepreneurs
Sales Automation
Government, Sales
Sales Videos, Closing Deals
Sales Process, Sales Planning
Sales restructuring, Sales Messaging
Sales Performance
Sales Performance, Sales Process
Sales Promotion
Sales, Rapport
SDR, Sales Job
SDR, BDR
SDR/BDR
BDR/SDR
Sales Rewards, Sales Incentives
Healing, Grief
Sales Profile, Ideal Sales Profile
Sales Manager, Training, Coaching
Sales approach
Sales Experience, PreSales
Sales Fears
Sales Talk
CRM, Leads, Crmble
Sales Skills
Sales, Career, Leadership
Sales Career, Sales Path
Sales success, mental toughness, sales story
TSE, Sales Podcast, Sales Principles
Sales Coaching, Improving Skills
Sales Journey, Reselling, Sales Culture
Sales Process, Networking
sales prospect, sales opportunity
Sales habits, Sales professionals
BDR, SDR, Personalization
cold-calling, prospecting
Sales Language, Authentic Identity
Demonstration, Negotiations
Lost customers, Perseverance
Social Selling, Omnichannel, Sales Leads
Prospecting, Limiting Beliefs, Fear
Cold Outreach, Sales Mindset
Linkedin, Cold Calling, Automation
LinkedIn, LinkedIn Voice Messaging, Donald Kelly
Testimonials, Referrals
Cold prospects, Reaching out
Prospecting, Mindset, Sales Goals
Lead Generation, Video, Sales Video
Successful Salesman, Great Salesman
Successful Sales, Sales Training
Sales Prospecting, Video Sales
Power Dilaer, Sales Automation
Sales Prospecting, Sales Principles
Sales productivity, Trello
Virtual Sales, Virtual Tools for Sales
Sales Success, Sales Training
Building credibility, Sales credibility
mindset training
outreach message
Productivity
unproductive
sales productivity
Sales Goals
future of selling
Favorite Sales Stack Tools
special edition
Modern Selling Strategies
Modernizing Your Sales
Creating A Great Work Enviroment for Sellers
Using LinkedIn
Personal Image and Selfcare
Better sales emails
BDR & SDR Skills
AE Skills
Preparing For 2023
Kicking Off The Year Right
Sales Success Stories
Women in Sales
Better Selling
building sales pipeline
Closing Sales Pipeline

Archives

2024
March
February
January

2023
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2022
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2021
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2020
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2019
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2018
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2017
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2016
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2015
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2014
December
November
October
September
August
July
June
May
April
March
February
January

2013
December

March 2024
S M T W T F S
     
          1 2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9
10 11 12 13 14 15 16
17 18 19 20 21 22 23
24 25 26 27 28 29 30
31

Syndication

How a Steady Referral Rate Generated More Than 900 Authentic Testimonials

 

A great way to increase the longevity of any business or sales career is to have great referrals. In this episode, we’ll explore the evolution of referrals and the stages of you can move through to receive authentic and quality testimonials and referrals.

 

Amber Vilhauer is the owner of the company called NGNG Enterprises, which stands for No Guts, No Glory, a phrase that her mother used as she was growing up. It reminds Amber to face her fears as she navigates the online world. 

 

A large part of NGNG Enterprises’ work includes developing high-performance websites. Amber understands websites are the hub and heart of a business and her goal is for people to land on your website and to experience you. In order to do that, the video has become a big part of their marketing strategy so the connection is more personal. They also have a marketing division where they help influencers start creating videos and live streaming. Amber’s team teaches them how to optimize and repurpose their content for all major channels. Consistency is part of Amber’s approach because this greatly impacts sales. For authors, Amber’s team helps them launch their books. 

 

Defining referrals 

Referral in the traditional sense is the sharing of information from one person to another about a particular business or service. By word of mouth, people share information with colleagues, friends, and family about businesses they believe in and trust. Getting referrals is a great way to build a customer base through people who have already used your services or products so you want to make sure you ask for the referral while the memory is still fresh and they’re excited. 

 

Amber has a systematic approach she uses in asking for a testimonial. At the end of every website project, they celebrate their success with their clients. While they are celebrating and happy, Amber asks the clients if they would be willing to provide a written testimonial of their experience. The client invariably asks what she wants them to say but Amber lets them know she’d rather have them articulate their own experience with her company so the testimonials are 100% true and genuine. Over the years, she has found there are consistent keywords throughout the testimonials. 



Repurposing contents

For years, these written testimonials were the norm but now, videos have become popular. Amber started asking for video testimonials when she realized it was the best way to develop a personal connection in this digital world. Video is more authentic. With the rise of live-streaming, Amber has taught her team to invite their clients to their Zoom Room live-stream. It’s an opportunity where to celebrate a book launch and they can also interview their clients. This offers two great opportunities. On the one hand, they are giving their clients a platform to share their message and grow their business. On the other hand, part of the interview entails the client being asked to share their experience while working with Amber’s team. It’s a win-win situation. Regardless of which platform or how the information is developed, Amber then repurposes the content and optimizes it for YouTube or blog content. Working from multiple platforms is a way to show potential clients that they are active in the business and it elevates the whole experience. Most sales teams fail to take advantage of these kinds of opportunities and can miss a very effective system. Once you know how to organize the flow, the entire process becomes a little more automated. 

 

Getting a constant referral rate

Amber is writing a book with the working title Elevate Every Experience: Develop Personal Connection to Scale your Influence. Amber believes that people should be focusing on developing personal connections with each person they’re attracting into their ecosystem. As mentioned earlier, you can draw people to you using video content. As they feel they’re getting to know you, there are things you can do to nurture that relationship and move this into the beginning of a sales experience. By the time you call, they feel like they’ve known you for a long time. 

 

You need to be intentional about their sales experience. Being transparent and honest in the video stages helps set you up to be liked and trusted. When you do that, you’ll be able to build that consistent experience and further deepen the relationship. 

 

As a sales rep, you control the experience for the people you work with. Depending on what you offer, they can start as a follower, then a prospect, then as a client. You can create a website but people will stay based on the way you make them feel. You need to have the desire to build a relationship with your customer. 

 

Existing customers vs New customers

Many salespeople are focused on looking for new clients and don’t realize the satisfaction, fulfillment, and profit in extending themselves to their existing customers. While it’s good to reach out and look for new clients, it’s also equally valuable to keep existing clients happy. You can’t get consistent testimonials if they are not genuinely happy by their experience. Take the time to evaluate your system and see if you are offering a good experience for your clients. 



Improve the experience 

This can be as simple as smiling more. Being engaging and being present as yourself are inviting to people and will feel more fulfilling to you. When we connect with people on a deeper level it’s typically reciprocated over time. Make their life more fun and you’ll find people happy to provide a referral.  

 

People move from follower to a prospect to a client by how we make them feel. #Salesjourney

 

Understanding your prospects 

Instead of thinking of your prospects as a lead, think of them as people. They are living, breathing people with families, and real-life problems. They are stressed with the current situation too and they are burdened with whatever they are facing on top of it all. Many people are broken and they are doing the best they can do. We certainly know how this can feel. The next time you get onto a call, remember the person you’re talking to and act with compassion. 

 

Getting the testimonials 

When to ask for a testimonial depends on the project.  For a website client, it’s at the end of the project when they are celebrating its launch. In contrast, Amber hosted a two-day live event called Author Up Live. It was a $3,500 event and as soon as people signed up for it, Amber sent them a personal message within minutes. In her email, she asked the clients to create a one minute video telling her why they’re excited about the event. She also told them she’ll share the video in the community to promote them up and get everyone else excited. In another instance, Amber worked with author Mike Michalowicz for his book Fix This Next and asked him for a testimonial halfway through the project. 

 

You can ask for testimonials at different stages but it depends on what you’re offering, and the natural moment of excitement for your customer, so that it’s almost natural for them.

 

There is no wrong path, says Amber. It depends on your business and if there are objections, don’t think of it as going through a bad patch. Rather, think of it as a time of alignment. No testimonial is a bad testimonial if you know how to look at it from a positive point-of-view. 

 

How a Steady Referral Rate Generated More Than 900 Authentic Testimonials” episode resources 

Visit Amber’s official website, LinkedIn,  and her official YouTube videos to learn more! 

If you are interested in more sales stories, you can talk to Donald directly. Reach him via these channels: LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook about any sales concerns. 

This episode is brought to you in part by Crmble, the easy-peasy CRM for Trello that helps you manage your contacts and leads without investing in complicated solutions, sync all your data, manage custom fields, and get powerful reporting on your sales. Try Crmble now for free at www.crmble.com/tse. This course is also brought to you in part by TSE Certified Sales Training Program. It’s a course designed to help new and struggling sellers to master the fundamentals of sales and close more deals. It will help them elevate their sales game. Sign up now and get the first two modules for free! You can go and visit www.thesalesevangelist.com/closemoredeals also call us at (561) 570-5077. 

We’d love for you to join us for our next episodes so tune in on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can also leave comments, suggestions, and ratings to every episode you listen to. 

You can also read more about sales or listen to audiobooks on Audible and explore this huge online library. Register now to get a free book and a 30-day free trial. 

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound. Other songs used in the episodes are as follows: The Organ Grinder written by Bradley Jay Hill, performed by Bright Seed, and Produced by Brightseed and Hill.

Direct download: TSE_1317.mp3
Category:Testimonials, Referrals -- posted at: 12:00am EDT