Value is in the eye of the buyer, and because assessing value is not as simple as it sounds, companies often get this wrong.
Ken Rutsky specializes in helping companies tell their story in a way that connects it to the customer. He says that value is all connected to the stories we tell.
Defining value
We're trying to sell something. Essentially what we're doing is making a trade of the two things they value the most in order of least to more. Money is the thing everybody values, but often buyers value their time even more. They value the time they spend understanding, evaluating, and implementing a solution or a product.
We're asking our buyers for two rare commodities, so we have to deliver something that is equal to or hopefully greater in value.
As a result, the simple definition of value is what will the customer open his wallet and pay for?
Many sales reps perceive that they are creating value but that may not be the case because assessing value is not as simple as it seems.
Perceived value
Ken said that the biggest mistake sales reps make is overvaluing value. Seems strange to say in a discussion all about value, but it's true.
If we're sitting next to each other on an airplane and I'm showing you pictures of my four kids, by the third kid you've probably seen enough. We tend to get excited about our goods and services just like we do about our kids. Many times, we want to show the client thousands of pictures of it. We overvalue what they'll see in it.
Instead, we really need to relate our product to our customers.
Sales doesn't work the way it once did. Your customer doesn't need you to tell him about your product. They'll go to your website and find out everything they ever wanted to know. 
In the book Launching to Leading, Ken talks about how salespeople should succeed today. Start by creating that shared context with the customer. Realize, too, that it's the customer's context, not yours. 
Viewpoint
You have to start the conversation about your customer's world. Come in educated about how you can transform your customer's world. 
In a recent survey of B2B buyers, business buyers ranked product knowledge as the 8th most important factor in the process. They ranked the seller's ability to understand the buyer's business as the number one priority. 
Number 2 was the ability to teach the customer something he didn't already know. Don't enter the relationship with the intent to sell something. Instead, have a conversation about their business, and then teach them something. 
Teaching is critical to establishing your value as a salesperson. If the customer isn't learning from you, he could just as easily go to your website instead. In fact, most customers are 60 percent through the process before they ever want to speak to a salesperson.
Find a teaching opportunity. 
Stories 
Realistically, it is marketing's job to create the stories, but the sellers are the ones who must deliver them and create context around them. 
Marketing is a one-to-many art. Great sales reps show up and contextualize the stories. Understand the story of your product and how it transforms your customers' business. 
You have to do the hard work of understanding all these things. There is no magic shortcut. 
Empathy
Sales leaders must operate with a sense of empathy. Understand that marketing is working hard to provide the stories and the materials. If marketing feels like they aren't getting the things they need, there's a shared responsibility to make that connection. 
Marketers must have empathy for the pressures and difficulties of selling. Great marketers have empathy for sellers. They understand the need to work as a team. 
Leaders must create that environment of empathy across the organization. 
Confidence
Sales reps have to be competent and courageous enough to show the product very early in the sales cycle. Whether it's a true demonstration or a case study, sellers have to demonstrate value if they want customers to believe it. 
Don't wait six weeks into the sales cycle. Demonstrate early and often. Sellers must have the ability to create and demonstrate their own contexts. 
Teach your customer something and then show them how the product can enable the thing you taught him. It can happen in the first call and then it should happen again and again through the process. 
The teaching diminishes as the process goes along because the customer already understands the possibility.
Your competition may be showing the products sooner because prospects don't have the patience they used to have.
[Tweet "You can lose the sales you don't even know if you're shy about your value. Your customers may assume you're hiding something. #Value"]
Do the homework and understand your customer and everything follows from there. Assessing value is not as simple as it sounds.
"Assessing Value is Not As Simple As It Sounds" episode resources
You can connect with Ken at kenrutsky.com. You can find information about him and his clients, and grab a copy of his book, Launching to Leading. 
Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.
Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.
This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.
TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.
If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.
Tools for sellers
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

During our time at the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council's expo, we've met a number of people who understand the secrets behind growing your business and creating value.
Felix Bratslavsky works at Tampa General Hospital, a very large level-one trauma center that is number one in Florida for transplants. The organization has more than 8,000 employees but they still contract out much of their workload.
Gilda Rosenberg started a vending machine company 35 years ago in Miami and she slowly grew it to include major clients like universities, schools, and hospitals. She calls her relationship with  the NMSDC a love affair that resulted in referrals, connections, and mentorship that helped her to grow her business.
Partnerships
Tampa General has a minority business program that breaks out the four procurement categories from construction and professional services to general goods and services, and medical services and supplies. The hospital has a lot of contracting opportunities and a lot of partners within the state of Florida and even nationwide.
The Minority Business Enterprise program administered by the NMSDC recognizes for-profit businesses in the U.S. that are 51 percent owned, operated, capitalized, and controlled by minorities.
Felix says that MBEs that want to stand out should strive to be a partner. Add value, be cost-efficient, and know about the customer. Understand the customers' goals, their missions, and where they're headed. Bring the solution to wherever your prospective customer is going.
In the case of Tampa General, the hospital recently got a new CEO that is leading the organization down a different path. MBEs that want to engage should recognize that the business has changed paths and they should offer solutions that relate to the path the company is on.
Be an expert in your own business. Instead of coming to the prospect with a variety of items, they should know the situation well enough to narrow the solution down the best possible option and lead with that one.
Homework
MBEs must do their homework and focus on preparation if they that want to get noticed. Organizations receive hundreds of emails every day, so generic outreach will generally get deleted.
Learn the process to get on the vendor application and then build a relationship. Finally, come with solutions. Understand your business and their business well enough that you can have meaningful conversations about each.
If you want to be the next partner, you should already know who your competitors are, and who your prospect is currently using and why they are using that company. You should know whether a contract exists, and whether it's up for renewal.
Companies that do those things win opportunities.
Differentiate
Differentiate yourself by being prepared. When there are so many companies doing the same thing and offering the same service, you have to stand out.
Maybe you stand out on price or on value or even additional services. Whatever it is, make sure that the corporations you're pursuing know what sets you apart.
Finding the right people
Gilda recalls asking a bank for a $5 million loan for vending machines and being treated as though she was crazy. She said that her connections through NMSDC helped her learn how to negotiate the loan process as she interacted with banking people and how to create bids from connecting with hospital CEOs.
Her biggest challenge in the vending industry has been the labor force. Her first route driver stole from her, so she learned that she had to control inventories differently. As the industry grew into a technological one, she had to bring in geek squads.
She also learned how to find the human resources that support your mission and your vision. She said that finding the right manpower still poses one of her greatest challenges even today. The company struggles to find loyal employees who stick around because small companies struggle to sustain high turnover. The cost of training is simply too high.
NMSDC
She experienced a huge lift when she was introduced to the minority certification program. Then, she slowly grew her network and interacted with larger organizations where she landed contracts.
You must prove yourself to the client. She says the most incredible satisfaction comes from helping minorities nationwide. Her suppliers and equipment originate from minorities. And now newer companies want her to introduce them to other contacts.
Gilda calls her mission a mission to help other minorities. She also calls NMSDC the best college she ever went to. Although she studied economics in college, she grew professionally among the members of the NMSDC. She learned to nurture others.
[Tweet "The product and service aren't so important anymore. It's your personality and how you take care of your clients that matter most. #Differentiate"]
Don't think twice about joining the council because there's nowhere better to network. The council's handholding helps businesses by taking extra steps to get you to the right people. And knowing the right people can be the key to growing your business and creating value.
"Growing Your Business and Creating Value" episode resources
You can connect with Felix at (813) 844-3474 or at fbratslavsky@tgh.org or go to the hospital website. You can connect with Gilda at gilda@gillyvending.com. Learn more about the National Minority Supplier Development Council and its offerings at the website, nmsdc.org. If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.
You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.
You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.
If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

The same secret scale up success strategies that help entrepreneurs grow their businesses to the next level will benefit individual sellers who recognize their territories as their own business.
Lauren Cohen works with foreign investors to find the right business opportunities, make the right investments, and get and keep their visas. She discovered along the way that many of these people didn't pay a lot of attention to their business structures and that the same was true of American business people.
7 Steps Scale Up Success Strategy
Lauren characterizes her role as creating a GPS for your business, but you have to have a destination. You can't tell your GPS that you don't know where you're going.
These 7 areas of a business' foundation can result in disaster if they are overlooked.

1. Funding in capitalization. Without the right capital, or if you're under-funded or under-capitalized, it doesn't matter how great your business idea is, you're going to fall apart.
2.  Business planning. If you don't have a business plan and an exit strategy, you don't begin with the end in mind.
3. Branding and marketing. Building your brand is part of your foundation but it doesn't exist independent of all these other elements, and marketing is part of branding.
4. Legal and compliance. Without a legal structure in place, which so many business owners don't have, you're risking your family and everything you have.
5. Financial and taxes. Everyone knows what that is all about.
6. Operations and systems. Without systems, you can't repeat your success.
7. Insurance and licensing. If you don't have insurance and someone sues you, you've got nothing to protect you. Without the right licenses, you can be shut down.

Know your area
You cannot be an expert in every area, so Lauren's number one tip is to stay in your lane. You don't know what you don't know. Figure out where your gaps are and then allow someone who is an expert to oversee the process.
She suggests a 3-step process to assess your company.

• Assess
• Diagnose
• Deliver

Diagnose the issues and then fill the gaps you identified in the process.
Exit strategy
Lauren related the story of a client who wanted to exit her business within five years so she needed an exit strategy. She needed a strategy to get from where she is to where she needs to be.
She wants to sell to one of four parties but she doesn't want to sell at a discount on her dollar. Rather, she wants to sell at the highest possible dollar amount. In order to do that, she needs to increase the profits.
That's where the various elements of branding, compliance, taxes, operations, and all these other components become important because they will help the business owner get more value at the time of exit.
[Tweet "Begin with the end in mind when developing your business plan. Develop an end game and then create a strategic plan to ultimately get you there. #BusinessPlan"]
Funding and capitalization
It sounds crazy, but if you ask someone to invest $100,000 in your business, they are going to laugh at you. If, on the other hand, you ask for $5 million, they'll suddenly believe that you're serious. The problem is that there's no ROI for $100K.
The cost of obtaining the money is so high that it's not even worth it for them to pursue it.
Financial and taxes
This one is easy. If the IRS is after you because you haven't paid your taxes, get them filed. You may pay penalties but at least you'll be up-to-date.
Legal and compliance
Legal and compliance include your corporate record books, which everyone should have. Some companies don't even have the corporate entity which is a whole other story.
Make sure you have a corporate record book that's affiliated or associated with that entity. Hold a meeting each year and record the minutes in that record book.
Reflect all the changes to shareholders and bank accounts in your records.
She estimates that 70 percent of businesses don't keep their record books up to date. If you try to sell your business or you end up in litigation, you'll need that book.
Building and scaling
It's vitally important to have all of these considerations in mind as you're building and scaling your business. If you find a potential strategic partner who wants to help you build your business but he discovers that you don't have all your contracts in place, the deal will fall apart.
If you have the wrong documents, you're potentially setting yourself up for liability.
Don't try to do this alone. Consult with a professional. Everybody avoids hiring a lawyer or a professional for fear of getting the bill at the end. But it's better to get the bill now than to get a larger bill later.
"Scale UP Success Strategies" episode resources
Grab a copy of Lauren's book Finding Your Silver Lining In the Business Immigration.
You can take a copy of her quiz at showmethemoneyquiz.com. It's quick, free, and fun and it will give you access to schedule a call with her. You can also find her on Facebook @scaleupcheckup or on LinkedIn @scaleupcheckup. You can also reach her directly at (866) 724-0085 or info@scaleupcheckup.com.
Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.
Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.
This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.
TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.
If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.
Tools for sellers
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Every seller should create good content as a tool to gain leads, grow their business, and increase overall success. 
Kyle Burt first heard The Sales Evangelist podcast two years ago when we interviewed Alex Berman about using video in sales. Kyle, who once chose business school over film school, went home and started making videos. 
Massive success
Kyle quickly turned his video capability into massive success for himself. Before video, he was using cold calls, email, and "screaming from the tops of mountains," knocking on every door and delivering cookies. When you're starting out, you have to be willing to do whatever it takes. 
He realized that video provided a good strategy to get leads. But he shifted his focus to making videos because he wanted to make videos. He realized he had a level of value and a perspective that wasn't being shared. 
Kyle recognized, too, that only the people in his bubble would understand the content he was posting because it was niche content. 
Coca-Cola
He established a weekly schedule because he knew he had to post consistently, and he introduced Whiteboard Wednesdays. It was a chance to introduce different technologies.
Maybe 20 videos later, he was on vacation in Cancun in 2017 when he got a LinkedIn message from the VP of technology for Coca-Cola. He assumed someone was pranking him, but in fact, the gig turned into a consulting opportunity with the company.
When Kyle realized the VP had seen the very first video he ever posted, the most awkward of the bunch, he knew that he was on to something with video. 
Objections 
In the case of objections, sellers often face their own objections to appearing in or creating videos. 

• "I don't look good enough for the camera." 
• "I don't have the right equipment." 
• "There isn't enough time to create videos."

The important parts of the content are good audio and good content. 
[Tweet "When you see something that looks like a commercial, smells like a commercial, and feels like a commercial, most people run. Instead, be relatable in your videos and focus on the message. #VideoContent"]
Fear of the comments
In my own case, I've been slow to take advantage of YouTube because I'm a little bit afraid of the comments I might get. People can be nasty sometimes. 
The point is that there will always be the possibility of those comments. Someone once told Kyle he sounded like a little baby. He wasn't even entirely sure what they meant by it, but he had to let it roll right off. 
You have to be ready to take it on the chin when you put yourself out there. You're going to get some good and some bad. 
Internalize the fact that nobody has it all figured out, and then realize that people are genuinely good. Most people don't want to tear you down, so don't spend your time on the small number of people who have something negative to say. 
It's worth noting, too, that stories only survive for 24 hours, so they won't live forever. If you create a bad one, it won't be around for long. Even with LinkedIn, the feed algorithm means that it might technically always be there, but it will be harder to find. 
Persistence
We spent two years trying to get Kyle on the show but we couldn't make it work out because of different schedules. Our recording day is Monday because it's what works best for my team, and sometimes we have to bypass opportunities if they don't fit with that schedule.
In Kyle's case, he was persistent. He got early access to LinkedIn Live, which as of this writing is only available to a few people, and he invited me to connect with him. After 18 months of no real interaction, he reconnected with me and we made it work. He grabbed my attention and we ended up recording with him on a day outside of our normal schedule. 
Disrupt the norm. Create good content that stands out. 
LinkedIn reach
My good friend Stephen A. Hart from the Trailblazers Podcast pointed out recently that there are 9 billion impressions on LinkedIn every week, which amounts to 468 billion impressions annually. Of those, only about 3 million users are creating content. That means there is a lot of space to create more free content. 
You can't find that kind of visibility on YouTube, Facebook, or any other platform. Basically, there are a small number of creators and a huge number of impressions, so it behooves you to grab a piece of the video market. 
I happened to get into podcasting early when there were only a few sales podcasts. Now I'm a grandfather in the podcasting world. 
Much innovation seems to happen with consumers first. The business world moves more slowly because there are more considerations to think about. 
The marketplace dictates what it wants. 
Coffee With Kyles
Kyle previously collaborated with another guy named Kyle to launch a video podcast called Coffee With Kyles. Now he's working on a solo style show that will primarily involve live video. It will allow him to eliminate a lot of the editing and create more interactive experiences. 
In the case of this podcast interview, our audience can't interact with us right now as the interview is happening. When they are finally able to, it will change the game. 
The goal is to get more people engaged and online. When you go live, you can't stop the show because something goes wrong. Kyle said he has gone live five times and has broken the system five times. 
Because of his persistence, he was one of the few to beta test LinkedIn Live, and it allowed him to connect with people and build relationships.
If you try to be known, you'll miss the mark. If you create good content, you will be known. It's all about who knows you. 
If you aren't creating some form of content or interacting with content on social media, you are irrelevant. Figure it out quick. If you're a writer, write. If you can do video, do that. If you can do audio, do audio. Figure out your lane and experiment. Every seller should create good content.
[Tweet "In the end, the middle is just noise. #Noise"]
"Every Seller Should Create Good Content" episode resources
You can connect with Kyle on LinkedIn or at his website, www.catchcloud.com. 
If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.
You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.
You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.
If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

It can be frustrating for prospects to ask to speak to your current customers, and it can leave you wondering, "Should I Give Client References?"
It can be tricky to balance this need, because you don't want your current customers, the ones you've developed into raving fans, to be constantly bombarded by prospects.
Root cause
Throughout the process, your prospects are trying to determine whether you're a good fit and whether you can truly help solve their problem. I recommend that you develop a wide base of people that can give you good support.
But let's address the root cause of how your prospects got to this point. In my experience, it's because they don't have confidence in you as an organization, so they are seeking third-party validation. They don't want to make a bad decision.
Put yourself in your buyer's shoes. His job or his reputation may be on the line. His company may not have a lot of money, so they can't waste it on buying the wrong product or service.
Diffuse risk
This issue usually traces back to a fear of risk, so you must diffuse this fear.
[Tweet "If you're getting the request for references early on in your sales process, somehow you're failing to address their fears. #Objections"]
It's not bad to give customer references, but client testimonials might work better. You can collect them in video form or as case studies.
In last week's episode, we discussed the importance of leave-behinds, and testimonials might be a great option for you, especially if you're in a high-risk industry. Leave behind video testimonials of your current customers addressing some of the common questions or the challenging objections you routinely hear.
You can leave them information about your past customers' pain and how you've addressed it. You can also indicate that you'll discuss these topics more on your next interaction.
Your prospects simply don't want to be guinea pigs.
Value
You know your product or service is fantastic, but your prospects don't know that yet. Give value in order to help them understand.
Use videos, case studies, and client testimonials on your website to communicate value. You can also create YouTube videos to help your client when he does the research you know he's planning to do. They'll establish a level of comfort with your product or service.
If I'm your customer, I've got my own business to run. I'm too busy to answer all your customers' questions and to do all your selling for you. Referral phone calls interrupt my day.
Compromise
Perhaps the best option, then, is to offer to provide testimonials and case studies first to see if they can address the most frequent questions. Then, if the customer still has a level of uncertainty, you can consider providing referrals.
You can even explain that you're trying to be considerate of your current customers just as you would do for this prospect someday when they've become your customer, too.
Make sure you minimize the prospects' risk. Give them an opportunity to alleviate. Use leave-behind to help you accomplish that. Tell stories of clients that had similar challenges.
 "Should I Give Client References?" episode resources
You can connect with Ebony at her website, www.ebenumequationcoaching.com, or on LinkedIn @EbonySmithCoach.
You can connect with Abdullah at tharooa@paykoncept.com.
Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.
Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.
This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.
TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.
If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.
Tools for sellers
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Your brand tells your story when you're not in the room, and today Lindsay Pedersen shares tips for forging an ironclad brand with sales reps, entrepreneurs, and other business professionals. 
Lindsay is a brand strategist who helps professionals identify the single idea that their business stands for. She's passionate about working with leaders to harness the power of brand every day. 
Branding
Brand is what you stand for in the mind of your audience. If your audience is a group of customers, it's the thing you mean to your customers. If it's future employers, it's what you mean to them. It's a crystallized meaning of what you uniquely bring to your audience. 
[Tweet "When you stand for one idea, it's easier for your audience to grasp it than if you stand for multiple ideas. It's easier for a person to let one idea in. #branding"]
When you spray a bunch of ideas out, it's harder for your audience to understand. It's in our interest for our audience to be able to understand because they'll be more like to remember us, like us, and talk about us. 
It's up to us to make it easy by distilling it for them.
Empathy
We want to empathize and understand what it's like to be our customer. You and your company are not the center of the universe for that customer. They have many other things going on besides your value proposition. 
When you crystallize it into something specific, it uses their worldview rather than their worldview. It makes it easier for them to buy what you're selling.
Sometimes as businesses, we forget that we're not selling to a machine or an inanimate object. We're selling to humans with joys, sorrows, scarcities, worries, and pride. When they feel seen they are more likely to bond with you and want to do business with you. 
Deconstructing brand
One of Lindsay's motives for writing her book was people's widely varying definitions of brand. For some people, it's the name of the business. For others, it's the logo. Others assume it's related to marketing budget or television advertising.
 She concluded that the concept was becoming problematic, and she wanted to demystify it. 
There's some merit to all of those ideas, but she needed to bust the myths about what brand isn't. Otherwise, we'll keep having puzzling conversations where people aren't speaking the same language. 
9 Criteria of ironclad brand
Not all brand is created equally. You have a brand whether you deliberately created it or allowed it to be passively created. 
If you aren't actively choosing the meaning, you won't have the brand position you want to have.

1. A brand needs to be big enough to matter to your customer.
2. A brand must be narrow enough that you own it. 
3. Your brand must be asymmetrical so it uses your lopsided advantage to position you with your customer. 
4.  Your brand must be empathetic enough to address a deeply relevant human need. 
5. It must be optimally distinct so it strikes a balance between being a familiar promise while also being novel. 
6. It's a balance between functional and emotional so that it's rationally meaningful to your customer but also emotionally resonant. 
7. Your brand must be a sharp-edged promise that is simple and singular. 
8. It must have teeth and be demonstrably true. 
9. Your brand must deliver on time, consistently, every time. 

Vision
When you think of sharp objects as they relate to your vision, those things are easier to see. Your eyes have to do less work. 
Ease is good because when you ask less of your audience they are more likely to learn and remember. An example of this is the fact that people around the world associate the Volvo brand with safety. Same thing with Prius, because people think of fuel-efficient cars. 
Buick doesn't have this sharp edge in its branding. If you're the CEO of Buick, how do you feel when your audience doesn't know what your brand means? Who even is the audience?
The Buick salespeople have to do much more work than the Volvo or Prius salespeople. 
Wide net
We assume that if we can keep the door open without narrowing our message to a target customer that we'll appeal to everyone. The reality is that it's an illusion of an opportunity. 
The more an entity puts a stake in the ground, the more authentic they are perceived to be. Customers won't trust companies who won't take a stand on anything. 
People respect you more when you demonstrate what you're optimizing for. 
The other thing is that developing a specific message might turn away the people you shouldn't be serving anyway, but that's ok because it's time and money you could devote to the people who are your target customers. 
Mystique
Remove the mystique of branding. You don't have to have a good handle on branding in order to intentionally craft your own brand. 
Choose with crystal clarity who your target customer is, but don't just rely on demographic observations. What are they like? What keeps them up at night? What do they value in life? 
This doesn't mean you don't sell to other people. It just means that you optimize with humility on your way to forging an ironclad brand. 
"Forging An Ironclad Brand" episode resources
Grab a copy of Lindsay's book Forging An Ironclad Brand. She also has a free giveaway on www.ironcladbrandstrategy.com. You can grab the workbook that Lindsay adapted from her book. It's a supplement that provides a step-by-step workbook-style guide to building your own brand strategy. 
If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.
You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.
You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.
If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Growing a small business requires you to think like an entrepreneur, and we can avoid reinventing the wheel if we engage with experienced entrepreneurs to learn more about hyper-growing small businesses.
The Florida State Minority Supply Development Council connects us with successful entrepreneurs from a variety of industries, and many of them are using the council to grow their businesses. Every business, regardless of size, struggles with some kind of difficulty.
Today, we'll hear from Ebony and Abdullah about how they've overcome the big challenges of entrepreneurship.
Accidental entrepreneur
Ebony started her career in oil and gas until she found herself facing an ultimatum from her management team. She was being moved to an office that she didn't want to occupy.
She took it as a sign to take time for herself. And because of a non-compete clause built into her contract, she took a year off from work and went to coaching school to improve herself and become a better leader.
She quickly realized that the idea of coaching had some legs when a friend of hers called her in need of a coach. Although she only had a weekend of training under her belt, the friend recognized that Ebony had more coaching experience than she did.
She helped her friend return to the workforce after maternity leave and then moved forward from there.
The transition was difficult but she made the decision to invest in herself. She had great savings and knew how to be frugal. She also sold her house in a hot market, which gave her a cushion and time to learn her new profession.
Next level
She found herself at a business development conference trying to figure out how to get to the next level. Ebony knew that she wouldn't make the same money she had made in her trading career until she became a great coach.
She focused on becoming a good practitioner rather than scaling the business. She said she needed to know what she didn't know.
She wanted to become the coach that she needed when she was in corporate America.
She and other women at the conference decided to create a mastermind, and through that relationship, she discovered the value of certifications for coaches. Ebony also discovered that there were corporations out there that wanted to spend more than a billion dollars annually with small business.
Since then, she acquired all the necessary certifications for coaching and she said that people recognize her at events now.
The key is to tell people what you do. And then tell them again and again. Eventually, they'll hire you for a small contract and then they'll get bigger.
Community
Ebony points to her mastermind as one of the drivers of her growth and success. She also said that her four years with the NMSDC have helped her learn things she didn't know she didn't know.
[Tweet "Business owners are resourced beyond their imaginations, and it's up to them to have a seat at the table with other people who want to share knowledge. #BuildCommunity"]
Change of trade
Abdullah Tharoo operates in the credit card payment processing technology industry and he helps companies protect against the credit card breaches that often occur.
People often assume that companies like his gained their success overnight. He said he doesn't have a scientific answer to explain his growth, but rather he keeps things simple.
About four years ago, he discovered a need to move into a different trade that would allow him to spend more time with his kids and his wife. He stepped back from the family business operating high-end jewelry stores.
He had previously thought that he wanted to really find a way to make a difference in people's lives and save them money and help them grow. Abdullah recognized that technology was where everything was headed.
Great support
He knew he wanted to be involved in technology, so he did research and he engaged mentors. His family's support played a huge role in his move forward, as did the mentors.
You need intelligent people outside your situation who can guide you to where you want to go.
He said that although he has been attending the NMSDC since he launched his business, there are some deals he hasn't been able to close. Despite that, many of those companies have referred him to other people.
Your network decides your net worth. You must have a strong network because the people you walk with are the ones you're going to become.
NMSDC
Abdullah said he continually returns to the NMSDC to do community service because he meets people there. He meets people who may not be able to directly give him business but who can guide him to the companies that need his service.
Warm introductions are so much better than cold calls. He said he doesn't make cold calls anymore because he doesn't have to.
He consciously makes the decision to give something back to the community that gives so much to him. He said people go out of their way to help each other.
A lot of people don't want to join the NMSDC because they think they can't reach these big corporations like Disney, NBA, NFL. But if you don't aim high, you'll never get where you're trying to be. The NMSDC is the perfect instrument to get in front of these companies.
Network
He invests most of his time building relationships. Every day, he sets out to meet 10 new people before he goes to bed. On days when he's behind in his meetings, he'll sit on the sidewalk and shake hands with people because he hasn't yet met the 10. 
Then, he decides who he wants to keep in touch with. 
Make friends who can help you grow emotionally, spiritually, and financially. 
"Hyper-Growing Small Businesses" episode resources
You can connect with Ebony at her website, www.ebenumequationcoaching.com, or on LinkedIn @EbonySmithCoach.
You can connect with Abdullah at tharooa@paykoncept.com.
Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.
Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.
This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.
TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.
If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.
Tools for sellers
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Business owners and sales reps who try to sell to everyone will struggle to succeed until they decide to focus their efforts on the ideal customer.
Today, Dr. Frances Richards, whose company helps people reclaim their wealth by transforming their health, talks about the journey of finding her ideal customer. Sales From The Street allows us to connect with a sales professional and hear about the biggest professional struggles that person faced. Dr. Frances is the host of a podcast called Black Entrepreneur Experience, where she interviews CEOs, innovative thinkers, thought leaders, and black entrepreneurs across the globe.
Finding a tribe
Her biggest struggle was finding her ideal customer, and connecting with the people that her message would resonate with. When you're building an internet business, there are so many different ways to connect with people that it can sometimes be overwhelming for businesses that are trying to find their tribe. She points to the fact that there are plenty of people telling you what you should do to connect with your ideal client, so it's tough to know what to do. She said that people told her, "It's all in the email list," or "It's all in social media," or "It's all in Facebook advertising," or "It's all in the messaging."
Changing landscape
The hardest part, she said, is trying to determine what's really relevant. And with the internet constantly changing things, the way you build a company in 2019 is different than the steps you might have taken in 2014. The steps to find your ideal customer have changed. And when you talk about sales, certain steps are appropriate whether you're online or offline. Building rapport, and building quality relationships, matters in every situation.
Authenticity
Dr. Frances said that in order to find her ideal customer, she had to block out all the noise and focus on authenticity. She started by deprogramming herself from the idea of working for someone else. She said she had to adjust to the idea of working for herself and to lose all of the things she was accustomed to, like listening to the bosses tell her what she needed to do. Because she had done many different kinds of sales, she was able to change her mindset from employee mode to employer mode. Then she had to be true to who she really wanted to serve. When she was an employee, she had to serve anyone. Once she started to define who to serve, then she started to attract her ideal customer as opposed to just doing cold calling.
To-do lists
She had an extensive to-do list of doing 10 posts a day, doing a Facebook live, doing a Periscope, posting on LinkedIn, and all of those other things. She was busy working on the business instead of in the business, which actually brings in income. Once she prioritized how she would get sales and how she would bring value, she got out of the mode of being desperate. She was listening to her clients' pain points and she set out to serve them. She went into the mode of serving and helping her clients, her fan base, her tribe. Dr. Frances has turned down consulting contracts because she wanted to make it a win-win for all parties involved. She operates from a position of making sure both parties are a good fit.
Qualified clients
The shift to serving her clients resulted in more qualified clients. Previously she connected with clients who really couldn't afford her service so it would have been a disservice to try to work together. She started asking her prospects what they hoped to accomplish and if someone said, "I want to lose 50 pounds in 5 days," she wouldn't even try to convince the person to work with her since the goals were unrealistic. She has found that when she gets qualified, bonafide clients, the two enjoy working together. The clients are getting results and she is building testimonies. [Tweet "Avoid the temptation to work with everyone because everyone is not your ideal client. #IdealCustomer"]
Ideal client
Just serve the people who really need what you have to offer. Be who you authentically are. There will be plenty of voices telling you what you should do. Instead of following them, dig deep into yourself and discover what you're really passionate about. What makes you sing? What makes you get out of bed every morning? That's half the battle because your attitude dictates your altitude. If you love what you do, you'll do what you love. Dr. Frances uses the acronym DANCE to remind her to be authentic: Determine Action Now Creates Energy. Dancers dance because they want to, not because someone forces them to. Instead of doing things you don't like, do the things you authentically enjoy. Find your passion.
"Ideal Customer" episode resources
You can connect with Frances at drfrancesrichards.com and you can find her on Facebook and Instagram as Dr. Frances Richards. You can also find her podcast at Black Entrepreneur Experience. If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.
You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.
You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.
If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

I often learn from entrepreneurs and I discovered a lot about storytelling and leadership recently during the Florida State Minority Development Council's expo. On today's episode of The Sales Evangelist, we'll hear from two of the entrepreneurs I met there.
The best leaders learn from past leaders, whether the leadership was good or bad. CJ Latimore and Gustavo Hermida work in two different industries, but the things they share here apply no matter what industry you're selling in.
Urban development
CJ Latimore is a public art specialist who characterizes his work as "telling stories through architecture and urban development. He says it's about hanging on to cultural icons even after certain buildings have been torn down.
He boils it down to adding a soul to buildings. It's one thing to have a building that's structurally sound but CJ believes it's vital to track the communities and demographics that existed in the building before it was torn down. Very often, when a building is torn down to make way for something new, the previous demographic is forgotten. So is their story.
Storytelling
CJ says it's possible to tell a story without saying a single word, and he points to art as the mechanism.
[Tweet "The art of your legacy is bringing people together. #StoryArt"]
We must bring people together more efficiently and create a sense of timelessness along the way. Begin by getting people to hear your story.
Sales reps often try to add value to the company without even knowing anything about you or developing rapport with you.
Business etiquette
Consider this situation from a business etiquette perspective. If you don't know me and you don't know what my story is about, how can you act to help me? How can you add value?
CJ's mission is to build images to help people get what they want in a prestigious way. When he shares that with people, they often ask to hear more. And when you can get people to say they want to hear more, they're ready for your story.
Survival thinking
He said his biggest challenge was lack of awareness. Because the human brain is hard-wired to think about food, shelter, and clothing, stories that don't incorporate those ideas can get lost.
The answer, he said, is to be creative. Tell a story that will make people focus on something else even briefly.
In this case, many people don't readily know what they can do with art. Perhaps it doesn't make sense to them. They don't go to shows or museums.
The trick is to incorporate your uniqueness and associate it with food, shelter, and clothing.
Survival and storytelling
Everyone has pain and the quickest way to get someone to listen to you is to provide a solution to help their pain go away. You'll have their immediate attention because no one wants to be in pain.
If you can share a way to save money, save time, or educate your prospect about saving money or time, that's what everyone wants.
People want more time with their family and more time for vacation. Your job is to stop people in their tracks with the solutions you offer.
People will remember you more if you're unique and if there's something about you that's meaningful.
If it's true that the brain has as many as 300 impulses per minute, you have to find a way to engage three or four of those with your story.
Other people telling your story
When you can get other people to tell your story for you, that's an indication that you have a great story and that you've told your story well. People love to spread a good story.
Since the beginning of time, people have shared the greatest historical events through story.
Start with your story and turn it into a community story. Own your story. Compile multiple stories that work and make them your own. Make them exceptional. Give people the results that they need.
Company values
Gustavo Hermida said that his biggest struggle has always been aligning his company with the right people who will carry the company's values forward. His goal is to find people with integrity who make a promise and then deliver on it. It's important because people often distrust salespeople automatically.
But people are people, and buying people are people.
He has built a career on putting himself in other people's shoes to understand what will help the other person feel comfortable making a decision or able to move a partnership forward.
Finding the right people
He expanded his search to include looking elsewhere for the right people. Although previous experience was a welcome factor, it wasn't the main qualifier he was looking for.
He discovered that he preferred hiring the right person and then forming that person.
[Tweet "You hire people with character, not characters. #HireWell"]
Company growth
Gustavo started the company with zero base and limited financial resources. Over the last two years, the company has made the Inc. 5000 list of fastest growing companies in America.
He caters to small startup companies because when it comes to multifunction equipment, sometimes leasing companies won't offer financing to companies until they're fully established.
He helps those companies build their own credit, which has catapulted his company in terms of growth.
Gustavo advises being very careful about the people that are working for you. Ensure that they share your company values. Build a team of different ages and different backgrounds.
Motivation comes in many different forms, but find people who are self-motivated. Build a team you're proud to work with.
"Storytelling and Leadership" episode resources
You can connect with CJ at www.myuniqueawards.com.
Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.
Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.
This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.
TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.
If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.
Tools for sellers
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

If you find that your deals are falling through the cracks or you're losing your prospects to your competition, perhaps the problem is that you're not leaving anything behind. 
You might be thinking of brochures and other leave-behinds, but that's not what we're talking about here. Instead, we're talking about the things you should be leaving behind any why these things are so critical to moving your deal forward. 
Research phase
Unless you're dealing with a referral, when you're dealing with a prospect, that person is probably considering other people as well. Even if the prospect reached out to you and seems completely interested, that person is ultimately looking for the best deal. 

You must stay top of mind. Ensure that you stay relevant and always present without being annoying. You must give the prospect something valuable. 
Content
Consider leaving content behind that ties directly to what you've already discussed. Or leave content that helps the prospect prepare for the next scheduled meeting. 
Once you've done this a time or two, you'll understand why it's so important. 
Imagine IT companies in this situation that are evaluating service companies. You won't be the only company they are considering, but you want them to forget those other companies and focus on yours. 
One option is to determine which other companies the prospect is considering.
Create landmines
Create landmines for the competitor. 
For instance, when I sold document management services, I had a competitor whose services were only good for one department. The competitor served that department very well, but the other departments hated their services. 
I planted the idea in our prospects' minds that a tool that only benefits one department isn't really a valuable tool for the entire company. My leave-behind was the idea that the competitor would only benefit a small portion of the company.
If it wasn't a good fit, certain departments wouldn't use it, which would result in wasted money because no one used the software. 
I suggested to the prospect that a solution that benefits everyone would be a better fit.
Format
In the past, that kind of content might have appeared in the form of a white paper. Now, however, your prospects are busy and many things are grabbing at their attention.
Instead, consider a LinkedIn post or article, or a podcast, or a video addressing the issue. Identify the top things that make your company a favorable choice. Highlight the challenges that your company can solve better than the competition. 
Educate your buyer before you return for the next meeting or demonstration. That way, when the prospect meets with the competition, they'll know what issues to ask questions about. 
If you're not leaving anything behind, the prospect may simply respond to the flashy, cool presentation. 
Notifications
Make this tool even more powerful by using tools that notify you when the prospect opens the message or clicks on the video. 
Consider, for example, that you send a video for your prospect to watch prior to the next meeting. Maybe it answers questions that frequently occur during the second meeting. 
If you send it with BombBomb, you'll know when the prospect watched it, and whether they watched the entire video. It helps you know when and how the prospect is engaging with your content. 
Do something different
Everyone is leaving a business card, so you must do something that helps you stand out from the crowd. Make your company the obvious choice.
Position yourself as the trusted advisor and the one who is helping the prospect understand all the important considerations before making a decision. 
If you're not leaving anything behind, your promising deal may disappear. 
"You’re Not Leaving Anything Behind" episode resources
If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.
You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.
You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.
If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.
This episode is also brought to you in part by Mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Sometimes we lose out on promising deals because our prospects are giving us indications that all is not well but we're failing to listen to what the prospect isn't saying.
Oscar Trimboli is a deep listening expert who is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the world, and he starts by helping us understand what we should be listening for when we interact with our prospects.
Taught to speak
We all learned to speak, to do math, and to study literature, but none of us can remember our listening teacher. As sales reps, we spend a minimum of 55 percent of our day listening, but only about 2 percent of us have been taught how to listen.
[Tweet "The productivity hack for the sales rep of the 21st century is learning how to listen. #ListenToLearn"]
Remember these two bits of statistics as you listen to the information in today's podcast.

1. The 125/400 rule. I can speak 125 words per minute, but you can listen at 400 words per minute. You're programmed to be distracted and filling in 300 words. You're contemplating what to have for dinner or what to do over the weekend when you realize you have to get back into the conversations.
2. The 125/900 rule. Your prospect can speak at 125 words per minute but you can think at 900 words per minute. The likelihood that the first thing your prospect says is actually the thing he means is about 1 in 9 or 11 percent. If you had 11 percent chance of a successful surgery, you probably wouldn't proceed without a second opinion.

Most likely, your prospect is well-rehearsed and is speaking like a well-oiled machine. The most powerful thing we can do is explore the other 800 words per minute that are stuck in their heads.
Unblocking pipeline
When we grab on to those unspoken words, we can unblock pipeline and begin to understand our prospects.
We must be mindful to ask our prospects what they are thinking and to listen for the things the prospects aren't saying. Oscar spends his days teaching people to be obsessed about the cost of not listening.
We often don't do this because we assume our competition is those people we normally compete against. Many of us are listening for code words that a prospect might say that would link to a product or benefit.
The really skillful sales reps focus on the customer's customer's problem. Instead of thinking about the person in front of you, think about the customer that this person must go speak to.
The pipeline becomes shorter and more qualified, and you avoid unexpected surprises.
Change the question
We should consider the power of asking the question, "How does a business case like this get approved in your organization?" We're good at asking who approves deals without asking how they get approved. Once we ask how it gets approved we will understand who else we're being compared against.
Many large organizations have a project management office that filters the funding for all new projects. If you don't know when that group meets or who participates or what other projects you're being evaluated against, you may find your deal slipping away.

1. Understand the 125/900 rule.
2. Help the prospect sell the business case rather than what you're actually selling.
3. Help your prospect orient on the customer rather than on your offering.

If you do these things, your pipeline will look very different.
Help your team
Build some muscle around listening for what isn't said.
Find the organization's website and determine what matters to them. Use the words the company uses in your selling process. Don't use your language rather than their language.
If the CFO can't read and understand the first page of your proposal, you've failed.
Help your reps become fixated on their customers' customers' problems. It's the difference between good and great.
Teach in a way that can't be misunderstood and figure out how your clients make money.
Listen in color
Many of us listen in black and white. Oscar is trying to teach the world to listen in color. How do we notice the energy of the person across from us?
Oscar also asks his client, "If this organization was a movie or an actor or a book, which one would it be?" Many people listening might call it Titanic.
The question gives them a permission slip to tell the truth in a different way. Use a metaphor to figure out what the prospect is thinking in a different way.
You can carry the metaphor forward and discover who the villain of the movie is.
If we talk in this colorful metaphorical language we can quickly get much more from our prospects. Listen to what your prospect isn't saying.
Get to the truth
Your prospects will tell you as many lies as you think they will. They aren't doing it intentionally. It's just that your questioning isn't helping them get to the truth.
You can help them bring their truth to life using these techniques. Make it as conversational as possible.
If the person you're talking to is a jock, ask which sporting team the organization would be. If he's a nerd, ask him what character on The Big Bang Theory the company would be. They won't suspect where you're headed with that question.
The art of selling is your ability to be in the moment.
Ping pong questions
Don't go into the room asking, "What keeps you awake at night?" Oscar calls it a disrespectful question and says that if you ask it, you haven't even earned the right to be in the room.
Try to ask more how- and what-based questions rather than why-based questions. People may perceive your why-based questions as judgemental. People often feel more defensive with why-based questions.
Instead of "Why is this project being funded," mention that you're curious how projects like this are funded. Just by changing the language, you make it more comfortable for them to explain.
How-based questions
How-based questions move conversations along more quickly. This truth emerged with suicide counselors who discovered that why-based questions slow a conversation down and buy them time with people who are in danger of making poor decisions.
Hostage negotiators also stick to when, how, and what-based questions.
Listen for what's unsaid and remember the difference between how quickly the prospect can think and how quickly he can speak.
Help them explore their thinking rather than helping them explore what you're selling. You'll become a trusted advisor.
"Listen To What The Prospect Isn't Saying" episode resources
Connect with Oscar at his website, and if you visit oscartrimboli.com/listeningmyths, you can find a hack sheet with five tips that explore the things we've discussed here. It will help you listen beyond the words.
Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.
Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.
This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.
TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.
If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.
Tools for sellers
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.
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Jordan Ray has endured more challenge in her 21 years than most people experience in a lifetime, so when she goes into a large hospital to share the product she has developed, many people believe that she is too young and they fail to understand that she is making a difference and helping others.

It's a common challenge that many people face, and I faced it in the early days of The Sales Evangelist when I was 30 years old and advising people who were twice my age.

Generations

When Jordan's health failed at 17, she discovered a need for patients with chronic health conditions to accurately track their pain and symptoms. The log helps patients track their own experiences as a way to improve their treatment plans.

Jordan isn't offended when people discount her because she's young. As a softball coach for 15- to 18-year-old girls, she recognizes that she's only three years older than her players, and she remembers what it's like to be immature.

She said she doesn't get frustrated by the fact that people assume she'll waste their time because she's too young. In fact, she attributes some of it to the fact that people make assumptions about her generation.

First impression

Though you only get one chance at a first impression, it's possible to change the impression people have. Jordan points to the story and relationships as the keys to overcoming people's assumptions about her.

She's very big on building relationships because she understands that people who aren't sold on her product won't buy it no matter how hard she pushes. If they aren't interested in her product after she shares her story and the value she offers, pushing won't change that.

[Tweet "Focus on building relationships instead of selling because even if people don't buy, they might refer you to someone who will buy. #BuildingRelationships"]

She considers herself good with people and she said that's key to owning a sales company.

Building relationships

Jordan goes to a breakfast networking event every Tuesday where she's the youngest person by about 25 years. She estimates that she has shared a sit-down with all 50 members of the group despite being too young.

Many of them like her story because she only shares a 30-second brief. She tells them enough of her story to leave them intrigued so that they want to have a follow-on meeting with her.

She begins the relationship by looking for ways to refer business to her prospects. Her goal is to serve them by helping them.

Biggest challenge

She admits that sometimes she feels like she doesn't have enough to offer in terms of referrals because she has only been doing this for seven months. Compared to people who have been working for 40 years, her connections don't feel very significant.

Jordan said that her years playing sports taught her to have very high expectations for herself so she struggles when she can't match the referrals that others can.

While other people are helping her and giving referrals, she finds herself wishing she could do more to return the favor.

Business friends

Jordan laughs about the fact that her personal friends are in their 20s and her business friends are in their 50s. She said she loves keeping up with those people.

Though the sales are obviously nice, she understands that the relationships are going to last beyond one sale or one year. If she makes one sale, that can't compare to a relationship with someone at a nonprofit who knows countless people and who will support her even as she supports them.

Persistence

She calls herself big on persistence. She got lots of no's before she launched the company. Many people were convinced she should stay in school.

She recommends staying persistent and refusing to give up on your vision. You'll get a hundred no's, but you'll get that one yes.

"Too Young" episode resources

You can connect with Jordan at www.limitlessmedicallogs.com.

You can also email her at jordan@limitlessmedicallogs.com and share your story with her or you can find her on social media @JordanRay.

If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.

You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.

You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.

If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Sellers have built up tension and fears which prevent us from reaching our true potential, but if we create a replacement picture of what success will look like, we'll move toward positive change.
Mark Panciera is a third-generation funeral director, so he says he has a caregiver's heart, but he has grown into being a sales maven. He's a partner of the Pacific Institute, a performance consulting firm with an international footprint, where he helps leaders tap into their potential to drive greater personal and professional performance.
Meaningful change
All meaningful, lasting change starts within ourselves and then works its way out. That equates to mindset or habits, attitudes, beliefs, and expectations. It's focusing on the beliefs that are propelling us to our greater good or our higher purpose.
It's about the pictures that we hold in our mind.
Sometimes as sales reps we get focused only on closing the deal. Even before that, we may routinely tell ourselves garbage that keeps us from reaching our potential.
What grows naturally
Think about what grows naturally in a garden: weeds. Likewise, we have a natural inclination. We've got this chatterbox in our minds that acts as a little committee telling us what we can and can't accomplish.

• Don't try new things.
• Don't leave your comfort zone.
• You'll be ridiculed if you fail. 

Mark was full of trepidation when he moved from the caregiving role to transacting business with leaders around the globe. He realized that his self-talk was holding him back.
Mark couldn't imagine that he could teach them anything that they didn't already know.
He had to feel the fear and then move anyway. Mark needed to run toward the roar. It's more easily said than done, but he realized that he had a choice to become more transactionally oriented or to stay where he was. He could either do it or not.
Adult choices have adult consequences. You will have consequences to your choice to make a solicitation or do an outreach or dial just one more time despite a bunch of "no" answers.
Higher purpose
Mark knows that ultimately his higher purpose is served because he will be a caregiver to a larger audience when he transacts business.
He chooses to say yes to that purpose because beyond the fear or resistance or limiting beliefs or self-talk is the replacement picture that emerges when he serves his higher purpose.
[Tweet "We move toward and become like the things we think about. So replace the negative self-talk with positivity and focus on what it's going to look like, smell like, or taste like when you succeed. #Success"]
When you're helping people and giving them the tools to think and perform differently, create a "want to" mentality instead of a "have to" mentality. When people are forced to do something, they subconsciously push back on those efforts. It's even true when you're forcing yourself to do something.
So don't push yourself. Create a "want to" mentality. Have some fun doing it. Most importantly, move toward that replacement picture of what success is going to look like.
Burning the boats
If Mark hadn't moved toward a replacement picture, he wouldn't have a new career. He stretched himself out of a major comfort zone. His replacement picture was stronger in this new realm.
He had to rebrand himself to do outreach because in funeral services people come to you. Performance consulting was a different story. He had to create a "want to" mentality for himself so he could create a different mindset. Mark had to recast his habits and attitudes toward selling.
He had to feel the fear of something he had never done before and run toward the roar.
Imposter syndrome
Mark wrestled with imposter syndrome because he moved from caring for the dead to breathing life into leaders around the globe. He felt like a poser.
He worked feverishly once he painted the replacement picture to garner the knowledge necessary to built a skill set of competency in this realm. Mark surrounded himself with the right consultants, coaches, and leaders and poured himself into reading, listening, and going to conferences.
Because we think in pictures, he had to see himself in a new picture and then move toward it.
Armor
Make sure you've got your armor around you and don't take it personally when you hear a "no." Even if the people around you like family or friends don't understand what you're doing, be convicted based upon your own mindset.
You're going to deal with cognitive dissonance which will cause you to feel like you're out of order.
But just as your muscles will feel fatigued and tired when you exercise, you're going to feel fatigued if you move to a higher level of performance.
Moving through fear
Imagine going to a networking event. Some folks have resistance in their minds to interacting with strangers and possibly being rejected. We worry about forgetting people's names or not being invited in. We might be a little clunky with our conversations.
If you think about the negative things, that's where you'll end up. It's like a kid learning to ride a bike. If you tell them to watch out for cracks they'll become so worried about the cracks they'll end up there.
So now take that same concept to a networking event and realize that if you focus solely on the things you don't want to happen, you'll manifest them because the brain doesn't know the difference between something vividly imagined and an actual experience.
Instead, replace those pictures with how you want things to actually go.

• I'm going to connect with someone with a cool story.
• I'll hear a great speaker.
• I'm going to learn something wonderful.

And in the end, even if none of that happens, you're going to celebrate the fact that you actually acted. That success will give you the energy to move forward the next time at the very least.
Faith and brain science
As a person of faith, I often pray, "Help me to be led to someone today who can benefit from my product or service." It puts me in the mindset to find someone who needs my help.
Whether you believe it's mysticism or something else, you can drive synaptic firings of your brain and create new neural pathways. You can manifest a morphing of your brain.
Changing habits
People often ask how long it takes to change a habit, but Mark believes it has to do with quantity of repetition rather than quantity of time.
All habits are based on behaviors which are based on beliefs. Go back to the core thinking that drove your beliefs, that drove your behaviors, that drove your habits.
Conduct a self-examination. Do you do a lot of creative avoidance? Do you do a lot of research?
Distal vs. proximal
You can't get 50 cold calls at once but you can start with the first one. Realize that there are proximal goals and distal goals. The 50 cold calls you need to make are distal goals that are in the distance.
At the end of the day, you need to have that 50 done, but look at the proximal goal to make sure you're accomplishing them, and then celebrate them once you do.
If you're looking at 50, how many do you need to make per hour? Game your own system. Create habits around that.
Stop with the creative avoidance and get after the first 10 because those first 10 will motivate you and move you toward the next cup of coffee or the walk around the office.
Build momentum
You only steal second base by getting your foot off of first.
Make the first call and commit within your first 10 minutes in the office in order to build momentum. Then jog around the block and keep your energy up.
Admiral William McRaven gave a commencement speech at the University of Texas in which he encouraged students to make their beds first thing in the morning. If you do, you can never look back on your day and fear that you didn't succeed at something.
Focus on your strongest picture and if you're compelled to believe that what you're selling can make people better then focus on that. Find your why or your north star.
Once you have that prize in mind, get after it.
"Replacement Picture" episode resources
You can connect with Mark at (844) 200-8649 or email him at mpanciera@thepacificinstitute.com or find him on LinkedIn.
Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.
Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.
This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.
TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.
If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Even if we have the right process or the best mindset, every seller is going to encounter difficulties, so we must figure out how we'll stick to our mission and achieve greatness in the face of adversity.
Weldon Long has plenty of personal experience dealing with adversity in the form of 13 years in the penitentiary, homelessness, and dropping out of high school. He had what he calls a dysfunctional life, but he learned the ability to thrive in the face of difficulty.
Difficulties are coming
The truth is that difficulties are coming. It's easy in personal life or in sales life to feel overwhelmed and tempted to wave the white flag of surrender.
Weldon was in federal prison when his dad died. He got a note to call home from one of the prison guards. He remembers realizing that his dad died with him in prison again.
He had a three-year-old son that he fathered while he was out on parole. He realized that he wasn't being a very good father or son.
He made the decision to change the course of his life but he had no idea where to start. He still had seven years left in prison, so he started reading.
Copy successful people
His master plan was to figure out what successful people were doing and copy that. Seven years later, he walked out of prison and lived in a homeless shelter at 39 years old.
He learned how to sell reading books and he started knocking on doors looking for a sales job. It took about six months to find a job because he was a convicted felon living in a homeless shelter.
He got a job selling air conditioners and had a great first year. The next year, he used his earnings to open his own air conditioning company. Though he knew nothing about air conditioning, he knew how to sell air conditioners.
He hired the operations people and grew the company to $20 million in five years. In 2009, his company was selected as one of America's fastest growing privately held companies.
His life has been a study in overcoming adversity, and the lessons are useful for anyone because everyone will eventually face challenges. Learning to face them is the key to achieving greatness in the face of adversity.
Sales process
Weldon points to the sales process as the secret to building a successful business.
The prospects are 100 percent in control of the result. They get to decide whether they will write us a check or not. The sellers are 100 percent in control of the process. Far too many sales professionals focus on the outcome rather than focusing on what they actually control, which is the process.
Weldon quickly learned all the difficulties of selling and he said he was amazed by the number of honest people who would promise to call him to follow up but who never did.
Buyers will say one thing and do something else, perhaps largely because they fear getting ripped off or misled. They put a lot of protective mechanisms in place.
Sales hallway
In his book Consistency Selling, Weldon introduces a concept he calls the sales hallway. He and the prospect are at the beginning of the hallway together. At the other end of the hallway is the door he's hoping to get the prospect through.
As they walk together, the prospects have a lot of questions about products, services, and guarantees. Most importantly, prospects have questions about price.
When they have all the information, they tend to want to postpone the decision. They try to leave little trap doors or escape routes along the hallway.

• "I'll think about it." 
• "I'll call you next Tuesday."
• "You're too expensive."

When Weldon learned to address those obstacles before they came up, it was the turning point in his sales career.
Influence and persuasion
Weldon read an article by Robert Cialdini, author of the book Influence. It was all about the consistency principle, which says that public declarations dictate future actions. The idea is that if you can get someone to make a public declaration, he becomes more likely to take actions that are consistent with that statement.
He determined which objections he was facing most often, and he structured his conversation so that the prospect didn't struggle with those fears. When he did that, he found way less resistance at the end of the sales process.
When he started selling, it was "kitchen-table selling." It was residential air conditioning to families who were mad that they were having to spend the money. He was on their turf and they had other bids that were half his price. Weldon learned to prosper in that situation.
Price objection
How do I deal with price objection?
The problem is that most people don't bring up price until the prospect does at the end of the process. Once the prospect brings it up, he's in a super defensive posture. They know you're going to try to sell them on why you're worth the extra price.
The heartbeat of his whole process is addressing those concerns. When he helped Farmer's Insurance address the price objection, he recommended looking on the Internet for considerations when purchasing insurance. He found a thousand different articles that all said that price isn't the most important consideration.
Now when he's sitting with a prospect, he'll address the fact that price is a valuable consideration when purchasing insurance. But then he'll ask the prospect whether he agrees or disagrees with the fact that there are other considerations that are equally as important as price.
Public declaration
Weldon shared the example of a company that canvassed a neighborhood by telephone to find out whether residents believed it was important to fund research for childhood disabilities. The following week, when the canvassers came to actually collect money, the donations doubled because the people had previously made a public declaration that it was important.
Weldon realized that if he could get his customers to acknowledge that price isn't the most important, and if he could get his customers to declare publicly that they would call him tonight with an answer, he was less likely to struggle against those objections.
Sellers tend to focus on the door at the end of the hallway and they try to close. The key is to prepare yourself as you're moving through the hallway.
[Tweet "The three most powerful words in sales are "Earlier you said..." When your prospect rec0gnizes a difference between what he said earlier and what he's doing now, it creates cognitive dissonance, which produces anxiety. #HandlingObjections"]
The way to help the prospect get back into resonance is to take action consistent with the words you said earlier.
Improving numbers
There are those who will point out that this approach won't work every time, and that's true.
But if you're closing four out of 10, my job is to show you how to get one or two out of the six you're losing. You're already getting the four. I'm going to help you get better margins.
Everyone loves the idea of making twice as much money but no one wants to work twice as many hours. The key is to increase your productivity with your raw materials. Your raw materials are time and leads. How do you produce more output with the materials you have?
Anticipate the objections
If you're selling air conditioners, it shouldn't surprise you to hear that your price is too high. You should anticipate that objection. Lay the groundwork so you can have the right conversation.
By the time you get to close, the time for debate and argument is over. Your only hope is to remind them what they said earlier about price.
If I say the price isn't the most important consideration, I'm a salesman. If they say it, it must be true.
[Tweet "Lead with your weakness. If you're a premium company with a premium price, hit that straight on. #PriceObjections"]
Create the prosperity mindset to prosper before you face adversity. Get clear on what you want so you can achieve greatness in the face of adversity.
Remember the FEAR acronym.

• Focus
• Emotional commitment
• Action
• Responsibility

Build a plan that anticipates objections and create a sales process that addresses those objections.
"Greatness In the Face of Adversity" episode resources
If you text the word "Videos" to 96000, you'll receive free content about how to create the prosperity mindset and how to deal with objections in the sales hallway.
Grab copies of Weldon's books:

• The Upside of Fear
• Consistency Selling
• The Power of Consistency

If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.
You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.
You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.
If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.
This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.
I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.
Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Sellers who discover how to be successful without a marketing department, in a crowded marketplace, and when the customer isn't even looking will be successful in almost any circumstances.

I got a question from a listener named Jon Billings who wanted to know how he could teach people who "don't know what they don't know." For instance, if the customer isn't looking because he doesn't know he has a problem, how do I communicate that?

Especially in the case of sellers who don't have access to a marketing department, how is that even possible?

Educate

Your goal is to educate your prospects so that they will look to you instead of your competition when they need help solving a problem.

Educating is the new sales. Regardless of the industry, you're in, your marketplace is likely crowded.

• How do you stand out from the competition?
• How do you help customers recognize you as a differentiator?

You have to challenge the status quo, especially when many of your prospects already have solutions or they don't realize the existence of a problem.

Build Community

[Tweet "You must create content consistently and then share it so that you build a community. That way, when someone is ready, they'll come to you first. #ContentCreation"]

Become a content producer.

Even if you have a marketing department, you should have your own individual brand. Take that brand with you wherever you go.

Even if you change industries, your brand goes with you.

Answer questions

Write down the top 10 questions that customers ask you or that prospects bring up in conversation. Whether they center around cost or service, answer those questions in the form of sharable content.

You can write a blog or produce a podcast. Even better, you can create a LinkedIn article or video.

Focus on the problem while you're answering the question.

For example, what other issues could your prospect focus on if he outsourced his IT services to your company? What opportunity costs exist?

Differentiate

My friend Kyle invited me to do a LinkedIn Live with him recently and we recorded an episode with him for our show as well.

Kyle told us about how he started sharing videos on YouTube answering questions, and though the videos weren't very fancy in his estimation, someone reached out to him from Coca Cola with an opportunity for him.

He's in the tech industry, and though there are countless other tech firms out there that are sending out RFPs. Kyle decided to be different, and it grabbed people's attention.

Tap into brains

You won't want to pitch your prospects right away. Instead, connect with them and ask for their assistance. Maybe you're looking to write a LinkedIn article about things that the directors of large companies dislike and you'd like input from people who are filling those roles.

Get one tip from 10 people, and then when you post the article, tag all of the people who contributed. They'll see your post, they'll likely see your profile, and they'll likely see your website.

Now, when you ask for a chance to introduce yourself in the future, they'll be more likely to at least give you a chance since you connected on LinkedIn.

Potential ideas

Even if you don't have the benefit of written case studies, you may have some client testimonials or some stories you can tell. Talk about the problems your clients once had and highlight how you helped them solve those problems.

Now that you've written an article about the 10 things that directors of large companies dislike, you could also pitch podcast hosts with the idea.

You'll be educating more people and becoming a thought leader. But you must create content around the things that people want to hear.

If you're doing the same things every week and you're seeing a diminishing return, put a little more effort in. You'll be on your way to building interest in something when the customer isn’t looking.

"When The Customer Isn’t Looking" episode resources

Connect with me at donald@thesalesevangelist.com.

Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.

This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.

TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.

If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

[smart_track_player url="http://traffic.libsyn.com/thesalesevangelist/TSE_1091.mp3" background="blurred_logo" ]

When you're looking to grow your business or your brand, it's important that you recognize the three things small businesses get wrong when marketing.

We're at the Florida State Minority Development Council expo visiting with my friend Stephen A. Hart. He's a brand alignment strategist who helps entrepreneurs grow an amazing brand that is authentic, relatable, and profitable.

Mistake #1: Overlooking messaging

Many people hear the word branding and they think of logos or designs. But pretty websites don't sell things. Words do.

People get unnecessarily caught up on design but what they need to focus on is clear messaging. You have to clarify your message so that customers will listen.

Be deliberate about articulating what you do. In order to do that, you must understand who you're serving.

Too many people think they are serving everyone with their product or service but that isn't the case.

If I'm speaking to grandma and I'm speaking to my niece, we're not having the same conversation. The language is different.

If you understand that you're speaking to a particular group of people, there is a language that connects to that person. When you understand their pain points and their demographics, you can communicate your message about how your product or service solves a problem.

Dialing in

Stephen recalled a realtor who focused on selling to millennials and young couples. That's who she was serving, but her message didn't reach those people. She was trying to serve everyone.

Dial your message in. Understand who you're truly serving. When you do, your message doesn't have to be pitchy about your product or service. Your content can create a connection between you and your community.

Then your community will share it with others in the space.

Messaging isn't a static process. It's dynamic. You'll constantly be optimizing your message.

Your brain

We lack trust in those we connect and do business with.

Understand that your brain is trying to survive and thrive. Within that, there are three things it's trying to accomplish.

1. You want to make money or save money.
2. You want to gain status.
3. You want to associate with a tribe.

Your brain is also trying to conserve calories. So if your website or your collateral is too busy, your audience will tune it out.

For example, how many emails do you receive in a day? Most of them get deleted because the messaging didn't appeal to you.

It isn't a design or branding that gets your attention. It's the message.

Mistake #2: Neglecting web presence

Your website is your digital home, and first impressions last. It allows you to redirect traffic to your products or services or other online avenues.

Studies show that 57 percent of people are afraid to recommend a business because of its website.

Decisions are emotional so if your website doesn't inspire confidence, you won't be able to convert the people who show up there.

You must take care of your website, and specifically your home page. Get a good solid web design.

Mistake #3: Lacking content

You must have a presence on social media specifically for businesses. You also have to be on LinkedIn.

Sharing content on LinkedIn generates so much more organic traffic than other platforms. It's a business-related social channel. As a result, the income and quality of the people you're engaging with there.

There are more than 9 billion impressions on LinkedIn every week, which amounts to 468 billion impressions annually. Of those, only about 3 million users are actually sharing content, which means there's a lot of room available. And it's all free.

Don't worry as much about buying ads on Facebook. Worry about who your audience is. Realize, too, that about 98 percent of your leads will come from LinkedIn.

Video and long-form content are your friends on LinkedIn. Write longer posts. The sweet spot is 1,900.

Also, write how-to and list posts to bring awareness to your brand.

Be creative

If no one is looking at your business, you'll never thrive. You must create content of value and place it where the customers are. Put it in front of their eyeballs where they can't dismiss it.

Have a solid brand presence online. Avoid the three things small businesses get wrong when marketing.

Branding course

Stephen created an online course called Brand You Academy that allows him to serve people and help with branding. It's a 6-week online course that walks people through Stephen's 15-years experience in branding.

When people Google you in 2019, whatever appears in your result will either leave people more or less inclined to do business with you.

People who sign up for the course are getting lifetime access to the course.

You can also connect with Stephen on his website and everywhere on social at Stephen A. Hart.

Isolation

[Tweet "You cannot grow in business in isolation. You must network and connect with other like-minded professionals. #Network"]

The wisdom and the knowledge you gain from relationships is invaluable.

The Florida State Minority Development Council is here to help you grow your business. Your goal is to make money, so you must align yourself with other people who understand what you're trying to do.

"Three Things Small Businesses Get Wrong When Marketing" episode resources

You can connect with Stephen at his website and everywhere on social @Stephen A Hart. You can connect with the Florida State Minority Development Council for more information about the council and its offerings.

If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.

You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.

You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.

If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Hearing from other sellers can help us improve our own techniques, and today Troy Rackley shares his own killer message and how he communicates that he's selling more than water.

Troy grabbed my friend Steven Hart's attention and Steven told me I had to interview him. Big shoutout to the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council for connecting us with entrepreneurs like Troy.

Water problems

Troy's company, The Next Level of Performance, operates everywhere water flows: residential, commercial, or agricultural.

He always begins by asking people what problem they are having with their water. They usually say it tastes bad or smells like chlorine.

Troy customizes his solution for the problem the prospect is having.

He then asks, "Do you drink out of the tap?" to which most of his customers say no. Troy challenges that answer by pointing out that because our skin is the largest organ of our bodies, taking a 15-minute shower is the equivalent of drinking 8 glasses of water out of the tap. The water is absorbed into your skin.

So whatever you're avoiding out of your tap is being absorbed into your body anyway.

Educating customers

Troy educates his customers through a questioning process. It pulls the customer in and they naturally want to close the story loop. They want to know how they can fix this problem.

Troy starts by administering a third-party test to the customer's water. He insists on a third-party test for integrity purposes. He figures if he's the one providing the solution, he can't also be the one telling you what the problem is.

When water companies claim to have tested water for their clients, it's akin to the fox guarding the henhouse. They can literally tell you anything. Troy offers an independent, third-party assessment of what's wrong with the customer's water.

Custom filtration

Troy educates his customers about the undesirable things in their water and then describes the custom filtration system that will address those problems.

Troy calls it water math. The municipalities add all kinds of chemicals into the water to kill bacteria. Troy's company works to subtract those things so it doesn't get to the customer.

Troy personalizes the message. Unlike big box companies who want to push a single idea or product, Troy offers unique solutions to his customers. He's selling more than water.

Not only does it help the customers, it helps his business. He hasn't done any marketing in his business since he started. All of his growth has resulted from word-of-mouth growth. His attention to detail has built a great reputation for him.

Selling more than water

Troy's focus isn't simply on customer service; he strives for customer success. If he can make his customers more successful in their health and finances because they aren't having to buy bottled water, the service becomes secondary.

By making sure that the customer is educated moving forward, he distinguishes between customer service and customer success. Troy eliminates the number of problems that families have to worry about.

If, for example, a customer falls under a boil water advisory, the system eliminates the need to actually boil the water. The company designs the system to create minimal disruption because he says you never know what will happen with municipalities.

His ultimate goal is to make sure that your family never has a disruption to its water supply.

Company growth

Troy's company operates in about 15 states as well as Canada, Amsterdam, Sweden, and Australia, because water is a global issue.

Water touches everything in life.

The company installed its system in a fish farm it owns and they reduced the harvest time by three to five months. The water is so clean that the food is more bioavailable for the fish.

Troy is doing something the industry hasn't even seen. It's an example of disruptive technology.

They moved into residential work because the consumer must be educated. Municipalities will say that your water is clean when it leaves their plants. As a result, it's the customer's responsibility to address any water problems that exist.

Troy wants to help the customer make an educated decision.

Clear or clean

Troy is fond of the phrase, "Just because it's clear doesn't mean it's clean." There are things in water that you can't see that can hurt you. Often, the things you can't see are the greatest threat. Cruise ships are notoriously dealing with norovirus, which originates from the water.

Troy said they have answers to every water issue because they study it and design amazing solutions.

He points to the fact that only one man made minerals, and those are the natural minerals they leave in the water. He's selling more than water.

[Tweet "Understand what you're buying. Be educated in your decision. #EducatedBuyers"]

Sell on value, not expense.

"Selling More Than Water" episode resources

Connect with Troy at nlpaqua.com. There's a contact form you can use to initiate the water testing process on your way to restoring your water.

Learn more about the Florida State Minority Supplier Development Council.

Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.

This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.

TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.

If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

I get a lot of requests to appear on The Sales Evangelist, but Jason Bay set himself apart from the crowd by sending a video email and changing the email game.

Jason started his sales career while he was in college, and he and his wife now run a company called Blissful Prospecting, where they remove the stress of prospecting by doing it for their clients.

He quickly discovered that the smaller midsize business was overlooked in the existing offerings, and he wanted to provide a less robust service that still produced the same type of results.

Mom and pop

Jason discovered there weren't a whole lot of companies that were willing to work with smaller organizations. Those companies that don't really have any SDRs and maybe they don't even know the lingo.

Jason wanted to help those business owners who are already multitasking with some of their business development. They don't have time to list build and personalize emails.

We've discovered the same dynamic at The Sales Evangelist. Many of the companies that need help are smaller companies whose sales reps have no training and no real process. The company expects the rep to thrive but they have no basis for it.

It becomes a vicious cycle of reps who wash out or leave to go to another company. The business hires another rep with no real training or process, and the cycle begins again.

Video prospecting

Jason's company prospects for itself, too, so the company does what it sells. Part of prospecting and selling is explaining to people what you do.

People assume when he refers to video that it's YouTube and other content creation.

Video prospecting is similar to writing an email. It's common knowledge now that your emails must be personalized beyond a first name. You must actually include something in the email that's personal to the reader.

Many people take this approach:

Hey Donald, 

I listened to one of your recent podcasts about this topic and I discovered... (fill in the blank.)

While it's personalized, it's a little redundant. We have to work to empathize with the prospect, and they may prove to be a little more difficult for men.

Video allows you to put a face to an email. It allows the recipient to see a human being instead of reading an email, so you're changing the email game. You can still send an email or a LinkedIn message.

You can't fake video. Everything in prospecting demands that you do it the right way if you want to succeed. Think about the type and quality of clients you want to attract.

Changing the email game

If you're engaging in the "murder by numbers approach" of sending 1,000 emails in order to land 5 appointments, think about the quality of customer you're attracting. It won't be really good.

If you want to work with a specific group of customers, you must show them that you're their peer. You aren't a guy sending tons of spam and praying that it succeeds.

Video takes a little more work, but if it produces more responses, it's worth the investment of time. I'd rather my sales team spend a few minutes researching and sending out 10 to 15 videos if I'll get responses from eight of them. They'll be much richer opportunities.

Your numbers may not be as high with video, but the return will be better. It's the account-based approach. Instead of getting a big list of people, do research to come up with a list of companies that will be a good fit.

Think of it as going to the gym. If you go to the gym with a plan for the session, you'll be much more efficient than if you go in and just wing it. Without a plan, you'll take twice as long and be half as effective.

Do all the prospecting preparation on the front end so that you aren't spending your time with prospects who aren't a good fit. Focus your prospecting attention on companies you can actually help and serve.

Video tips

Many people avoid video because they worry about how they'll appear. You must work around that fear because there isn't a single scenario where video isn't a good option.

1. Make sure to look directly into the camera so the person on the other end feels as though he is actually talking to a person instead of a screen.
2. Use quality equipment. Most laptops and phones now have quality cameras. Video where you have good light.
3. Smile. Don't be so serious. Create the sense that working with you is enjoyable. If you're at a small company, you're likely the person that the prospect will be working with. You're a reflection of the business.
4. Limit your video to 30 seconds or less.
5. Prepare bullet points of what you'd like to say. Don't be too scripted but plan for what you'd like to say.

Your pitch shouldn't be more than 1-2 sentences.

Connecting with video

Video is easier to consume and it stands out in a crowded email inbox.

[Tweet "Don't prospect to make a sale. Prospect to start a conversation. #Prospecting"]

You're not going to sell a prospect over the phone or through email or LinkedIn. Your job is to simply sell them on the appointment.

Your call to action isn't, "We can help you." It's "We help businesses like yours and if you're having a specific challenge, we might be able to help you too."

Don't pretend like you know more than you actually do. And don't leave your prospect feeling like he has been insulted.

Video options

So many platforms have launched their own video capabilities that it's difficult to choose one over another. Be conscious of a couple of things, though.

• Consider tools that flow with the tools you're already using. If you're using Hubspot for CRM and they launch a video capability, it makes sense to use that one because they are built to go together.
• Make sure you can record the screen through video as well as the video of yourself. Make sure you have the flexibility you need.
• Don't spend too much money on video capability.

Jason likes Loom and Soapbox right now. Loom is a Google Chrome extension that's a little clunky but effective. Soapbox has a free version that is very capable and good quality, and its pro version has useful features as well.

AB test everything. Test your specific situation. Before you invest time and energy into video, try sending videos. Measure to see what happens.

Test different areas of the email sequence. Try it at the beginning of the message or maybe at the end to see what works best in terms of changing the email game.

Prioritize your prospecting based on who is the most engaged with the actual outreach. Use the software that shows you who is actually opening your messages and invest your extra effort into those people.

"Changing The Email Game" episode resources

You can connect with Jason at blissfulprospecting.com/Donald where he has put together some basic tools to help you get started in video prospecting. You'll find a PDF, a script, and the flow for recording that will move you toward changing the email game.

You'll find lots of good resources on the website as well.

Check out Loom, Soapbox, BombBomb, or Hubspot for video capability that meshes with your existing workflow.

If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.

You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.

You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.

If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

You may believe that social selling won't work for your company or industry, but if you take advantage of the 4 pillars to leveraging LinkedIn for business development, you'll be surprised at how it can help you expand your reach.

Brynne Tillman is the CEO and "LinkedIn Whisperer" of Social Sales Link and the author of The LinkedInSales Playbook and she has spent more than a decade coaching people to unlock the power of the platform.

LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn has its own social selling index so if you visit getmyssiscore.com you get your personal score, out of 100, that will rate your social selling acumen. Your LinkedIn profile is where that lies.

Sellers make the mistake of using their LinkedIn profile as a resume when, in fact, it should be a resource.

Corporate Visions reports that 74 percent of buyers choose the sales rep that provided value and insight early in the buyer journey.

Your profile is their first impression of us, so do it right.

Value

Prospects don't care about your mission, your passion, or your years in business when they first visit your profile. That may matter down the road, but initially, they care about value. They care about how relevant you are.

Write your summary almost like a blog post. What kind of value can you bring from the first time they read about you?

Identify the challenges that your buyers are facing. Provide three to five insights that will make an immediate impact. Strive to make a "vendor agnostic" impact, meaning that you share insights they can use even if they never buy from you.

Sellers often create this as a pitch and we tell them how to buy from us. What we should do instead is attract them to us. We want them to ask themselves how they can work with us.

This level of value will increase your credibility and move you much more quickly through the sales cycle.

Challenges

If you sell office furniture, determine who your buyer is and what her biggest challenge is right now. Maybe many companies are expanding and the big challenge is the inability to trade in old furniture to get new stuff.

Determine what helps you stand out and then educate your buyer.

Teach your customer how to buy office furniture in a way that leans toward you as the solution, but provide insights that can help them make better decisions for the company as a whole.

Take advantage of the 4 pillars to leveraging LinkedIn for business development in order to move your prospects toward doing business with you.

Pillar 1: Establish your professional brand

Your professional brand is your profile.

By positioning your profile to provide insight and value to your buyers, you are gaining credibility and creating curiosity.

You're getting them excited to take your phone call. If they can learn something just by visiting your profile, they imagine that a conversation with you will be even more valuable.

Position yourself as the subject matter expert and thought leader.

Pillar 2: Find the right people

How are you leveraging LinkedIn to find your buyers and your influencers? If it's true that there are 6.8 people who are involved in every large buying decision, how are we identifying all the right people within an organization?

Instead of limiting our efforts to just the champion, who else do we want to touch? How are we finding these people and engaging them?

The prospecting piece and the relationship building piece are the same. It's a combination of providing great value and leveraging our network to get introductions to our targeted prospects and buyers.

Develop search strings which are literally the title of your buyers in whatever geographic location or industry you choose.

Pillar 3: Engage with insights

How are we sharing content, commenting, and engaging with content? How are we using hashtags to find the right content? Are we feeding our network with really valuable information that moves them closer to our solution?

It's more than just liking or sharing. LinkedIn wants to see you engaging and sharing and commenting.

Avoid "random acts of social." Anything we do without intention or purpose is rarely going to see success. Certainly, it won't succeed on a consistent basis.

Pillar 4: Build relationships

Connecting and forgetting is the equivalent of collecting business cards in a stack on the corner of your desk. How valuable is it? That's not a network.

There's more value in truly connecting with a few people at a networking event and having meaningful conversations than there is in collecting a business card from everyone present. Bring that same thoughtfulness online.

[Tweet "There's no reason to network differently online than you do in person. #SocialSelling"]

Start a conversation. Learn about people. Ask questions. Get to know people a little bit. When you do, LinkedIn will be your most valuable networking tool.

Strategy

Establish what your goals are for social selling. How will you measure success?

If your goal is to have one new client a month, you need four proposals a month. In order to have four proposals, you need to have eight conversations. In order to have eight conversations, you need to have 16 introductions to your targeted buyers.

That means I need four introductions to targeted buyers each week. I must look at my KPIs to see if my 16 is converging to become 8, and then whether my eight is becoming four.

If I need four introductions per week, I probably need to ask for 20. That probably means I need five a day, which could mean five from one person or one from five people.

I need a good network of referral sources and great relationships with my existing clients.

Reaching out

Once you've identified those clients who can connect you to other people, you can start this way:

Mr. Client,

It has been a couple of years since we worked together. I hope you're still loving your furniture. 

I noticed that you're connected to a few people on LinkedIn that I'm trying to get in front of. Would you mind setting up a 15-minute call where I can read names with you and get your thoughts on whether they might be a good fit?

Two things happen here. If your customer needs more furniture, this is a great way to re-engage without being salesy. You'll also talk through the list of connections to figure out a way forward.

You can either ask for an introduction or ask for permission to name-drop.

Building engagement

You must continually build engagement with your customers so that you maintain those connections even after the sale.

If you're looking for new contacts, start with your second-degree connections because at least you have some people in common.

It doesn't feel quite as cold that way and there are things you can do to warm them up before you actually reach out. Look at the profile. Click the "more" button on the profile and click the "follow" button. The person will get the notification that you followed him.

Look at his recent activity. Read it. Engage with it. If there is something there, begin a conversation by engaging with the information he shared.

Now you've engaged, followed, and the person keeps getting notifications about you. He'll likely be curious because your name keeps appearing.

It's a little bit like flirting.

Provide value

Don't jump in and pitch immediately. Provide value.

Build relationships. Get a consistent stream of great content that helps your prospect understand the importance of choosing the right office furniture.

Once you've developed a conversation, you can offer a pitch when appropriate.

Don't just build a network that doesn't know you. Create content, but realize that it doesn't have to be a blog post. Consider native video, podcasting, and interviews.

Don't just generate noise, though. Use the 4 pillars to leveraging LinkedIn for business development to make sure it's worth their click.

"4 Pillars to Leveraging LinkedIn for Business Development" episode resources

The best way to connect with Brynne is on LinkedIn. Let her know that you found her on The Sales Evangelist podcast and she'll send additional resources. You can also grab a copy of The LinkedInSales Playbook.

Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.

This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.

TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.

If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Sellers who interact with and provide value to prospects using social media must understand the characteristics that turn this into the kind of social selling your customers want.

We're tackling this topic all month, and even if you aren't a big social media person, we're providing an actionable plan to help you get in front of your prospects.

It isn't enough to "set it and forget it" or generate large amounts of content in hopes that people will click through to find you. It's thoughtful preparation that gives buyers what they want and need right now.

Trying to close

I discovered the idea of using social media to sell when I was in college. I was seeking an internship with people who were in Chicago and our college professor told us that we needed a LinkedIn profile. He told us that we had to maintain that profile because that's where business professionals interacted.

I thought it was a great idea because I was suddenly connected to millions of other professionals. I also thought it was great that I could pitch to all of those people.

My professor knew a woman in Chicago so he introduced us with the intention that I would seek insights from her. In my mind, though, she was going to provide me with an internship or connect me with someone who had one.

Instead of approaching it as an information-gathering phase, I was trying to close the deal. I think many of us make that mistake with social media.

Instant access

Sellers are often like kids in a candy store because social media gives them instant access to millions of potential customers. Why in the heck wouldn't we go ahead and pitch them all? Let's tell every single person what we're doing.

And then social media turns into a pitch-fest.

Because we can copy and share messages with groups of people quickly, we have access to millions of new prospects at our fingertips. Very quickly, though, prospects recognize that every seller is engaging in the same kind of social selling.

Prospects are overwhelmed with the same messages from multiple sellers, so we have quickly realized that we can't continue using the same methods.

Liking content

In response, we settled on thoughtful interactions with people. We settled on the idea of liking everything they posted on social media and commenting on their content, sometimes arbitrarily.

We didn't necessarily have a growth plan or a strategy. We just assumed that if we liked a bunch of their stuff now, when we eventually sent them a message, they would instantly want to work with us.

The idea might have worked well initially, but again, sellers adopted the same strategy across the board and failed to stand out from one another.

Curating content

Next, we moved to curating content. That meant sharing content that others were sharing, so if I found a good blog post about technology, I would share it with my prospects who were interested in that industry.

Our strategy was to be top-of-mind because of our content. We engaged with different platforms and pumped content everywhere, which ultimately became a bunch of junk floating around on the Internet. Again, every competitor was doing the same.

The platforms realized that the content was taking their users away to other sites and they took steps to prevent people from being diverted away.

Algorithms

Social media platforms don't want you to send their users to other sites. As a result, you must adjust your social selling efforts so that you're linking to content on that same platform.

LinkedIn wants its users to see the ads that its customers are paying to promote. If its users leave LinkedIn, they won't see the ads. The algorithm will penalize you for sharing content outside of LinkedIn.

Sellers responded with LinkedIn articles, long-form posts, and videos. We moved to original content in our next iteration of social selling, and within the next year, we'll likely move to something different.

Human interaction

Despite all this change, there is one takeaway. Be a person. Be human and care about other people.

The definition we shared from Hubspot is this: Social selling is when salespeople use social media to interact directly with their prospects. Salespeople will provide value by answering the prospect's questions and offering thoughtful content until the prospect is ready to buy.

Do things in moderation. Use direct messages. Set a goal to connect with five new prospects each day on LinkedIn. Try something like this:

Donald, 

It's always great to learn from sales leaders in the industry. Permission to connect?

Once we're connected, they'll see the content I've curated over time.

Aligned content

An article on PostFunnel reported that marketers who align their content with specific points in the buyer's journey yielded 73 percent higher conversion rates. Think about that. If you're able to produce content based on where your buyers are in that particular phase, it will be relevant to them.

Your buyers want posts that showcase your new products or services and they want to learn something along the way. Use social selling your customers want in order to help them throughout their journey.

Speak to the three stages of the buyer's journey:

1. Awareness: when buyers don't know about you and you want to raise their awareness.
2. Consideration: when buyers are evaluating and going deeper in their research.
3. Conversion: when buyers finalize decisions and make a purchase.

Sprout Social suggests weaving awareness- and consideration-stage content together. Those two stages are usually where people rely on social media.

[Tweet "With social selling, open the door with entertainment and inspiration. Use memes or videos to grab attention. Then carry them the rest of the way with educational content. #SocialSelling"]

Multiple approaches

This is one of the most effective ways to prospect. When you combine this with your other techniques like cold calling or emails or regular mail, you'll see great success.

Apply this today. Identify five people to connect with in your industry. If you do that every day for a week, you'll have 25 new connections by the end of the week.

Strive to create the social selling your customers want to increase your effectiveness and improve your outcomes.

"Social Selling Your Customers Want" episode resources

If you haven't connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I'm sharing there.

You've heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we're offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester.

You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.

If you and your team are interested in learning more, we'd love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

Social selling is the new sales because it utilizes all the techniques and tools that we've always enjoyed as sellers in order to help us build better relationships.

Although nothing will ever replace the face-to-face relationships that sellers have with their clients, social selling is a valuable tool. Today Carson Heady shares what he has learned over a 17-year sales career about prospecting and relationship building and how social selling helps with it.

Social selling

Social media can help you find the right person to talk to that can help you connect with the right people, get a meeting, and stay top of mind. It's a great compliment to the business relationships we should already be forming.

Social selling isn't a replacement for the things we're already doing. It's the application of the tools that enable us to get insights or see what customers and their organizations are thinking, doing, and talking about.

When I first started using social selling, I was guilty of blasting a bunch of messages on LinkedIn and pitching people there. I quickly realized that wasn't social selling.

Social selling equates to brokering relationships but you're doing it online. It isn't sending mass emails to people sharing everything that you have to offer.

Results

Salespeople are interested in results, and Carson said that after studying reports about social selling, he has determined that it amounts to standing apart, being unique, and finding a way to differentiate.

Social selling is a very targeted and specific effort to cast a wide wide net to reach maybe 30 people in a single organization in hopes that you'll land a single meeting. That effort resulted in one of the larger deals in Microsoft.

Relationships

Carson suggests following business journals and using Sales Navigator to help in your efforts. Following the trades to stay aware of new C-levels that join the organization.

Last year, Carson was the first to the table when a new C-level joined a company he was connected to and now Microsoft is helping to drive change within that organization because of the relationship.

The relationships drive the deals forward, and those relationships wouldn't exist without the strategic utilization of social selling.

Innovate

We're all just trying to do something different. We're trying to get a response or a meeting by setting ourselves apart from the others who came before us and failed. We aren't just sitting on the phone reaching out to people.

We have so much technology at our disposal that we have to be careful to be focused and tailor our efforts. If we don't, we'll likely suffer from diminishing returns.

Our past approach of "spray and pray" doesn't work anymore.

You have to embrace the probability of success. In the past, people were willing to send out hundreds of notes with the understanding that they wouldn't get a whole lot of reception.

Consistent

If you want to connect with a C-level at an organization, you don't just go after them. You've got to start a few levels below where you'd like to end up. Once you're able to talk to someone who is receptive, you can use that momentum internally to get in front of the right audience.

But you must be consistent in your approach. Prospecting never ends. You must revisit those prospects.

Not surprisingly, many clients don't reply immediately like you'd like them to. Be persistent and reach out to the same folks, but change your messaging.

Offer a compelling reason for your prospects to respond.

Be aware, too, that you may catch someone on an off day. The prospect may be sick or he may have missed the email. He may be busy.

Be adaptable with your process. There are a lot of things that we believe are good philosophies as sellers, but when we try them for a bit they don't work the way they want to. So we discard them. We tweak things a bit and we adapt.

Concise

Sometimes we send long elaborate emails in hopes that we'll get a reply. Truthfully, sometimes we get the best responses from emails with only one sentence. People are busy and they don't have time to read a 3-paragraph message. If you're specific and you offer a single task, they can more likely respond.

Emails are not intended to close the sale. It helps you grab attention. Don't try to sell an enterprise solution within a few sentences of an email.

Trying to sell in an email amounts to skipping steps in the sales process. You're jumping straight into the second or third date without wining and dining the prospect.

Connection

When you're seeking to connect with multiple people in an organization, your approach will depend on what you're looking to accomplish. It will also depend on your unique connection to that person.

If you're searching for a job, don't reach out with questions about a job or an opportunity within the organization. Instead, try this: "I saw that we have mutual synergies and I'm looking to parlay my experience into your industry. I'd love to sit down for 10 minutes to pick your brain and get some advice."

Determine your unique connection to that client and then approach using that angle.

[Tweet "If you work to provide support, lend service, and add value to the relationship, you have a much better probability of getting a reply to your outreach. #AddValue"]

When Carson reached out to 30 people in a single organization, he got replies from about 11 of them. Of those responses, he got one response that pointed him to a certain person in the company. He pursued it and landed one of Microsoft's larger deals.

Your chances of getting a reply are small to begin with. Make sure you put your best foot forward. Reach out to all of the people who have a vested interest in what you're doing.

Needs analysis

Our process exists for a reason. When it goes awry, and when we get overzealous, we skip steps and we put too much information out there initially.

Sometimes your connection can just be to share an article and engage in a real conversation rather than always sending a message about "following up." You can also share or retweet the other person's content as a way to engage.

There is no single bullet that fixes all. Be cognizant that there are a lot of tools that exist that will help you succeed.

The sales process is vital, just like it's vital that we only use social selling to get a meeting.

Stay top of mind so your connections continue to see you. If the prospect knows that he owes you some information, it may stimulate the conversation to continue. It's a non-threatening way to follow up.

Relationships are everything. If you lead with the goal of adding value you never have to worry about your sales numbers.

"Social Selling Is the New Selling" episode resources

You can connect with Carson on LinkedIn or Twitter, and you can grab a copy of his book, The Birth of a Salesman: The Transformation of Selling in America. You can also check out his blog, The Life and Times of Carson V. Heady.

Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.

This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.

TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.

If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

There’s a huge prospecting opportunity right under your nose, and it’s a LinkedIn gold rush that can help you generate more leads and connect with more people.

Even if you have been on LinkedIn since 2016 like I have, it’s possible that you aren’t even scratching the surface of what it’s capable of doing. LinkedIn isn’t paying me to say any of this. I’m telling you because I know how much you can do with LinkedIn and I want you to do big things.

STATISTICS

My friend Stephen Hart, host of the Trailblazers.FM podcast, shared some statistics with me that made my eyeballs pop. When he appeared on The Sales Evangelist, he shared with us the importance of creating content that connects with your audience. He also emphasized the need to incorporate social selling into your existing efforts.

LinkedIn is designed to be more than a host for your resume. It’s created to be a community where people interact.

CONTENT

The article 48 Eye-Opening LinkedIn Statistics for B2B Marketers in 2019 reports that there are 9 billion content impressions in the LinkedIn feed every week. Every single week, the content on LinkedIn is seen 9 billion times, which leads to about 36 billion impressions per month and 468 billion per year.

If you consistently take advantage of LinkedIn by producing content, you can take advantage of these statistics. You can even repurpose things you’ve previously created into LinkedIn content.

The article also reports that only 3 million people share content weekly. There are 500 million total LinkedIn users, and maybe half of those are active. Only 3 million of them share content weekly. That’s about 1 percent of the monthly users sharing content.

Three million users are getting 9 billion impressions per week on LinkedIn.

Try finding that kind of ratio on Instagram or Facebook.

PUBLISHING

As you contemplate what to create, think about this. LinkedIn doesn’t want you to publish an article that has a link going back to your website. Like any social platform, LinkedIn wants your eyeballs to stay on the platform so you’ll see more ads and they’ll get more money from advertisers.

Post your stuff natively on LinkedIn. Publish a LinkedIn article, and make sure to include a picture. Then share it.

Long-form content gets more shares on LinkedIn. Dennis Brown mentioned this when he was on the podcast based upon research that showed that 1,900-word articles get the most shares. Aim to publish between 1,900 and 2,100 words in order to get more traction.

CONSISTENCY

If you’re thinking that you can’t write 1,900 words, I understand. Neither can I.

Instead, dictate your thoughts and hire a virtual assistant or someone from Fiverr to do the work for you. Or, use Temi to transcribe your audio into a written transcript that you can tweak and publish.

Don’t include links away from LinkedIn. Instead, trust that your website appears on your profile and as you appear in their feed, you’ll become the subject-matter expert.

VIDEO

LinkedIn also has video capability now and I did my first LinkedIn Live last week with my friend Kyle who is involved in the Beta testing. Because it’s new, the engagement was amazing.

Many people will talk themselves out of using this tool because they don’t like the way they look on camera or they believe they won’t know what to say. But someone else in that 3 million will take advantage of it and they’ll see results.

Start. Right. Now.

You can record video directly to LinkedIn using the camera in the app. Our friend Tiffany Southerland who recently appeared on the podcast shared that she creates video content every week without doing any fancy editing using LinkedIn.

Nine billion impressions and 3 million people. It’s a gold rush.

“LINKEDIN GOLD RUSH” EPISODE RESOURCES

Check out the article 48 Eye-Opening LinkedIn Statistics for B2B Marketers in 2019.

If you haven’t connected with me on LinkedIn already, do that at Donald C. Kelly and watch the things I’m sharing there.

You’ve heard us talk about the TSE Certified Sales Training Program, and we’re offering the first module free as a gift to you. Preview it. Check it out. If it makes sense for you to join, you can be part of our upcoming semester in April.

You can take it on your own or as part of the semester group. The program includes 65 videos altogether, and we just completed a beta group that helped us improve the program and maximize the information in it.

If you and your team are interested in learning more, we’d love to have you join us. Call (561)578-1729 to speak directly to me or one of our team members about the program.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. You’ll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.

When we convince ourselves that we have nothing more to learn, we fail to ask enough questions and we sometimes even commit sales malpractice.

Brian Robinson has been in sales for more than 20 years, but he said that he only thought he knew how to sell while he was in corporate America. He calls his plunge into entrepreneurialism the hardest thing he has ever done, and while it was successful, he said his eyes were opened when he entered the world of "you don't sell, you don't eat."

Brian is the author of the book The Selling Formula, which codifies the steps he used to succeed in that venture.

Intentional questions

Many salespeople do the old "show up and throw up." We're so anxious to get to the presentation that we neglect to ask the very best questions we can ask to uncover the needs. We're seeking sincere engagement from our prospect, so this is the most critical component.

Brian noticed that the best physicians diagnose illness with a list of carefully-crafted questions. That information became especially important when he worked for Johnson and Johnson selling internal devices for laparoscopy. Though the device was clinically superior to anything on the market, he wasn't getting any responses for trial evaluations.

He knew the device was superior, so he combed through the features and benefits and put together a list of questions related to them. He structured them in a specific order and the wording of each was intentional as well.

Asking questions

He tested the questions, and within about 30 days his trial evaluations doubled because of that list of questions.

When word got out that he had produced those kinds of results, people started asking for his list of questions. He passed it along and found that when people followed the questions exactly, they got the exact same results: they doubled their results.

Brian grew fascinated with the whole idea of going deep on questions. He even developed a personal mantra that questions are the key to life.

Although it took several iterations for Brian to get the list and order of questions exactly right, he stuck with it and he achieved success. There's still an opportunity to make it even better, but it's working very consistently now.

Malpractice

Brian defines sales malpractice as providing a diagnosis before you really understand the underlying issues. You won't be able to give your prospect the best possible answer, and until you've uncovered a need, you won't be able to proceed to the sales conversation.

You have to earn the right to have that conversation. If you rush too quickly into the presentation, your sales presentation won't be nearly what it could have been.

The key to all of it is how you create your questions.

Get started

Begin by making a spreadsheet with three columns. The first is your features, the second is the benefits related to the feature, and in the third column write down every question you can think of related to those features.

Then take an 80/20 approach. Of the questions you've written, which 20% of questions will elicit 80% of the most critical benefits of your product? Start with general fact-finding questions and move into those 80/20 in the most appropriate order to identify the needs.

Imagine you're selling premade home-cooked meals. What are two benefits to that service?

One is that you're saving about 60 minutes per meal on grocery shopping, food prep, and cooking time. The other is simplicity. Now generate questions from those benefits.

• On a weekly basis, how many dinners do you cook for your family?
• How much time does it typically take you to make dinner?
• If all you had to do was move something from the freezer to the oven, how would that affect the frequency of your family meals?

Now order the questions from general fact-finding to more specific. Then place the most compelling ones at the top 20 percent of the questions you ask.

Emotional level

Get down to an emotional level. We, unfortunately, avoid this, often because we aren't comfortable going that deep into our conversations. We also tend to approach these conversations with a transactional mindset instead of realizing these are human beings with deep emotional and physical needs.

Go the levels that can motivate us to change. We're trying to make a difference as salespeople. Approach each situation with the mindset that you want to go deeper and ask heart-level questions.

Strive to be seen as a trusted advisor instead of as a sales rep. You'll have a connection at the human level.

Selling the concept

If someone is willing to grab this idea and test it in their own sales conversations, the proof is in the doing. People have been shocked at the effectiveness of this practice because, shockingly, people don't think this way.

Brian said he camped out on the questions because that's where the gold is.

Sometimes management and metrics prompt us to rush the sales process. That causes us to focus on the wrong things. As a result, we end up working twice as hard with less impressive results.

Instead of focusing on outcomes, focus on being so connected to the prospect that the outcome will take care of itself.

We get comfortable where we are, so we live in ignorance. We are amazingly connected to our comfort level. We're addicted to it. But in order to grow, you have to embrace struggle.

[Tweet "You could literally be one question away from doubling or tripling your sales outcomes. That's how important asking the right questions can be. #SolvingProblems"]

"Sales Malpractice" episode resources

You can get the first three chapters of Brian's book, The Selling Formula, by going to brianrobinsonbook.com. He also has content associated with the book available at thesellingformula.com.

Try the first module of the TSE Certified Sales Training Program for free.

This episode is brought to you by the TSE Certified Sales Training Program. I developed this training course because I struggled early on as a seller. Once I had the chance to go through my own training, I noticed a hockey-stick improvement in my performance.

TSE Certified Sales Training Program can help you out of your slump.

If you gave a lot of great presentations and did a lot of hard work, only to watch your prospects choose to work with your competitors, we can help you fix that. The new semester of TSE Certified Sales Training Program begins in April and it would be an absolute honor to have you join us.

This episode is also brought to you in part by mailtag.io, a Chrome browser extension for Gmail that allows you to track and schedule your emails. It's super easy, it's helpful, and I recommend that you try it out. You'll receive real-time alerts anyone opens an email or clicks a link.

Mailtag.io allows you to see around the corners. You can see when people open your email, or when they click on the link you sent. Mailtag.io will give you half-off your subscription for life when you use the Promo Code: Donald at check out.

I hope you enjoyed the show today as much as I did. If so, please consider leaving us a rating on Apple Podcast, Google Podcast, Stitcher, or wherever you consume this content and share it with someone else who might benefit from our message. It helps others find our message and improves our visibility.

If you haven't already done so, subscribe to the podcast so you won't miss a single episode. Share it with your friends who would benefit from learning more.

Audio provided by Free SFX and Bensound.