by Mike Brunel | Apr 3, 2023 | Leadership, Sales
A Valuable Lesson.
I learned many valuable lessons throughout my 30 years of selling advertising to companies of all sizes. I began as a door-to-door stationary salesperson in Sydney, selling everything from pencils to exercise books.
I then started selling carpet services in London, utilizing promotional brochures to generate leads. It was during this time that I realized the importance of face-to-face sales.
Direct media selling was my next endeavour, where I discovered the challenge of selling something invisible – a service rather than a physical product.
Selling the Invisible
Advertising is intangible, existing as airtime or a gap in a TV program. Building trust became critical to my success, and I quickly learned the value of meeting clients in person to establish a relationship.
As my career progressed, I discovered the power of selling to many.
When I started NRS Media, my partner Doug Gold introduced me to the concept of a “membership program.” Advertisers could purchase advertising time at a discounted rate, but only if they committed to a 12-month automatic debit payment plan.
This approach generated over $1 million in advertising commitment before the media company launched.
I developed a sales system around this model, generating over $1 billion in revenue for our media partners worldwide.
Using a “one-to-many” presentation model, our seminars boasted attendance rates of 70-80%, with closing rates as high as 50%.
The key to success lies in developing a process for your product, which can be easily accomplished digitally. Many companies are already excellently utilizing the one-to-many approach to distributing their information.
In conclusion, while face-to-face sales remain essential, selling to many through a free seminar or digital process has become increasingly crucial.
I encourage you to have fun selling your products this week, utilizing the power of technology and personal relationships to build lasting connections with your clients.
Mike
Mike Brunel started mikebrunel.com after being a successful entrepreneur and founder of NRS Media. He co-founded NRS Media in Wellington, New Zealand, and expanded it into a global media sales and training powerhouse. He was eventually responsible for opening offices in London, Atlanta, Toronto, Sydney, Capetown, and Bogota. His products and services are now sold in 23 countries and 11 languages, generating $350 million annually in sales for his clients. Mike sold the company in 2015 and now spends his time following his passions, including rugby and travel. His promise: “I can find thousands of dollars in your business within minutes – GUARANTEED” TRY ME
by Mike Brunel | Mar 7, 2023 | Leadership, Sales, Strategy
If you’ve read my last few posts. You’ll see that I’ve been discussing the mistakes business owners make ( I have made every one of them- no kidding!) when it comes to getting the right salesperson on your team.
I want to give you as much value as possible, so here are three essential hoops (as I call them) that you might want to consider when it comes to employing new salespeople.
Structure Not Gut
Hoop 1- Company Culture Fit
Company Culture– While we believe that fitting in with the company culture is essential, as demonstrated in the graph on our FREE report, it makes up only 10%.
Don’t get too caught up in ensuring this is a significant part of recruiting.
Create a good job description.
This is a critical factor in hiring good salespeople. When you advertise for a salesperson, what do you ask?
How do you define the role? What are you looking for? What is the remuneration?
*Chet Holmes, one of my early mentors, always did this exercise when advertising for super salespeople.
Write down three initiatives that you would love to hire someone to do in your business.
Three only. Next to each one, do this:
What would it mean to your business?
How would it change your business?
Now list what you could afford to pay such people if they performed.
Do the exercise. This forms the foundation of a good job description.
Hoop 2- Structuring an interview – History of Success.
Once you get the CV’s for the position, look for a history of success. Somewhere, you can see a challenge, a life experience they overcame.
Structuring an interview- A structured interview process makes up 30% or a third of the process (FREE report). That’s a lot. In your structured interview, you should have some questions to ask after reading the CV. Here are a few to start with.
How do you function as a team?
How do you feel about operating in a team environment?
Do you like working on your outside of that team?
Can you tell me when you were asked to do a project independently? What was it?
These questions might get the process moving.
Challenge the candidate– You are hiring salespeople to do a specific job. Human beings inherently will do anything to avoid pain. However, in the business of selling, rejection is part of what selling is, and it can be painful.
If everyone got 100% of the business every time they presented a product, the salesperson would be out of business.
If you are hiring a salesperson to sell your product and prospecting is part of that, would you not at least ask them, “What happens when you get a ‘ No!’ – How do you react?”
Ask them this, and see what happens: “ You know what, I’m not convinced you are the right person for this job.” Observe their reaction. Do they sit there? Or do they do something that indicates they might do the same with a client?
Hoop 3- Assessment Tools
This also makes up 30% of the job evaluation- We take a lot of guidance from these types of assessments and go into more detail here: Download my FREE report. We used to call these the B.S. detector.
We carried these assessments out in my company specifically for the roles we were looking for, in salary and performance-based positions.
Our salespeople had to work alone. We had salespeople sprinkled worldwide, usually unmanaged, working in an unstructured environment.
We had to be clear on what we were looking for. That’s where traits/ behaviours come into play. We knew we had to hire for the task, not just the attitude.
In my next post, I explain what I look for in a salesperson and how I came to that.
Download my FREE report to learn more, or email me… mike@mikebrunel.com
Mike Brunel started mikebrunel.com after being a successful entrepreneur and founder of NRS Media. He co-founded NRS Media in Wellington, New Zealand, and expanded it into a global media sales and training powerhouse. He was eventually responsible for opening offices in London, Atlanta, Toronto, Sydney, Capetown, and Bogota. His products and services are now sold in 23 countries and 11 languages, generating $350 million annually in sales for his clients. Mike sold the company in 2015 and now spends his time following his passions, including rugby and travel. His promise: “I can find thousands of dollars in your business within minutes – GUARANTEED” TRY ME!
by Mike Brunel | Feb 14, 2023 | Leadership, Strategy
£25 and a Dream
Down under the under, a term I used to tell my American clients to describe where New Zealand was to Australia.
This time of year is a chance to reflect on the year thus far.
It’s a chance to reflect on what makes this part of the world special.
And why I think that we Kiwis are a clever bunch of people regarding innovation and following our dreams. (Even if I say so myself)
Every year down under the under, most of us get to take a few weeks away to enjoy our summer. I get to go to a family beach house I have been going to for 20 odd years.
Most of my partner’s family have been going to this part of the world much longer, probably three generations.
The beach is a five-minute walk; it’s a daily ritual with two children and Maude, the dog.
Part of the summer holidays is reading; I usually find fiction an easy read about not much.
Kind of takes your minds off things if you can sprinkle that with the odd nonfiction; it gives you some balance.
Those that have read some of my thoughts on goal setting know that I am not big on doing these in the New Year… I tend to set them at different times of the year, so they overlap.
I was looking through some of my posts from years ago, and I came across this one, £25 and a Dream.
I always look at and add some more thoughts to the story around this time of year.
It’s essential, I think, in this day and age when our young folk think that they are the only pioneers of entrepreneurship, that we did have trailblazers paving the way, with as much passion and determination dating back a year or two.
Over the last two years, Covid has taken away our young ones yearning for travel; this story is a good reminder to dust off the travel bug and explore again.
To the post, one of the books I read on my summer holiday a few years back was: “Only Two Seats Left”, the story about Contiki.
Its author and Contiki founder, John Anderson, blends his autobiography and tales of travel into a great read its New Zealand’s great untold business stories.
A story about a company that started on just £25 pounds and became a worldwide travel company.
For those that do not know about Contiki, it’s a travel company for the 18-35-year-olds.
You can explore Europe and other parts of the world with other young people your age. Many friendships are formed that have lasted years. He says that he thinks the company is responsible for over 5000 marriages.
It impacted so many young people, and these are told in this great read.
There are also some great lessons we could all take note of if we are in sales,
I will explore a few with you with a few revamped posts and lessons I learned from John’s book.
PLUS: WHENEVER YOU’RE READY…
- Here are 4 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – whether your business is big or small.1. Want to become a Sales Mindset Blueprint Member? You get access to an exclusive coaching session with me and full access to my sales programme every month. Get the deets here.
- Try the new ‘7 Days to Sales Success’ framework. Make more sales in 7 days. The framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework is based on a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to find out how you can grow your business by increasing sales.
- Join our private Facebook group – The Sales Mindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up to date sales ideas. Every week we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here
- Work with me one-on-one. If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Jump on a FREE 15-minute brainstorming call with me by clicking here.
Good Selling
Mike Brunel
by Mike Brunel | Dec 12, 2022 | Leadership
This secret or tip has worked almost every time I try it.
Imagine this is your first call to your client; you have just inherited a client list from your sales manager; you know the one…
“It’s gold coated and will bring you thousands and thousands of dollars.” Or so the sales manager thinks.
When you make your first appointment with a new client, say to them just before you get off the phone, “I’m looking forward to meeting you; how many staff do you have because I have a surprise for you.”
Pick up morning tea
On the way to the call, pop into your local bakery and “pick up morning tea”.
When you get to the appointment, leave everything in the car except your business card, walk in and present your surprise… It will work, I can guarantee it…why… it breaks the ice; the client sees no briefcase, no salesman talk, they relax,
Some of the staff are won over straight away, and you get to learn more about your client more relaxedly. If your client says no thanks, then they are not worth having.
Have a great week, and have fun selling your stuff.
Mike
Good selling
PLUS: WHENEVER YOU’RE READY…
Here are 3 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – whether your business is big or small.
1. Try the new 7 Days to Sales Success Framework.
Make More Sales in 7 days. The framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework is based on a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to find out how you can grow your business by increasing sales.
2. Join our Private Facebook Group – The Salesmindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up-to-date sales ideas.
Every week we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here.
3. Work with me One-on-One.
If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Jump on a FREE 15-minute Brainstorm call with me by clicking here.
by Mike Brunel | Oct 10, 2022 | Leadership
This week I want to share a story about a father and son and the importance of having an open mind.*
The Newspaper story
A man is busy working at home when his young 5-year-old child comes into his study, and with the enthusiasm that children have in abundance, he asks his Dad if they can go to the park.
In the middle of his work, the dad tries to resist his son’s requests, but the child persists, and with frustration, the Dad looks around him, lifts a newspaper, and opens it up to a double-page picture of a map of the world.
A Map with a secret
He then pulls out the map, tears it up into handfuls of small pieces and gives them to his son.
He then says, “after you put together this map of the world, then we will go to the park.” his son took the pieces of the newspaper in both hands and scurried eagerly over to the other side of the room, starting on his task without delay. The Dad knew that his son had no idea what a map of the world looked like, and he returned to his work thinking it would take him ages.
Five minutes later, his son ran across to his Dad, “I finished he said, can we go to the park now.”
It was Easy
The Dad thought his son was making it up, but on the floor was the finished makeshift world map jigsaw.
“How did you finish this so quickly?” he asked his son
“It was easy, Daddy, ” said the boy as he turned over the jigsaw pieces one at a time, and on the other side of the world map was a man’s photograph.
“You see, the whole world falls into place when you put the man back together.”
*The story’s moral is how you look at things.
You see what you want to see; sometimes, you have to open up (Growth Mindset).
I have to challenge myself daily to start thinking differently about this sales profession.
Have a great time selling your stuff.
*Chicken Soup for the Soul- Jack Canfield- Mark Victor Hansen
Mike
PS. Why not open your mind and take the 7 Day challenge?
by Mike Brunel | Aug 15, 2022 | Leadership, Sales
What makes great salespeople great? The common misconceptions about salespeople can be tough to overcome because they are ingrained in our culture. It helps to see what successful salespeople look like. Most great salespeople aren’t all that slick on the surface, but they are great at discovering and solving problems. What makes them different?
I think there are 12 traits that make a successful salesperson here, which are 4 from my book.
Beliefs, Traits, and Habits of the Best Salespeople:
Desire. The desire to be successful is the number one feature of excellent salespeople. Folks with a strong drive to succeed have built upon a history of success.
They may have been good at sports or bringing up a family.
They know what it means to care deeply about the goal and go for it.
Desire leads them to discover everything they can about their product and competitors’ products. Their knowledge is one of their strongest assets.
Motivated salespeople will compete against themselves, not others. They strive to beat their last target, cultivate additional clients, and achieve business.
2. Self Belief. Effective business people have a very strong self-belief. When they experience rejection, they understand that it is situational. A single loss does little or damages their core self-esteem.
Instead of getting down on themselves, people with high self-esteem draw on all their knowledge and past mistakes to correct their course and move on.
A salesperson can achieve strong self-belief by developing a passion for their product or service. If you can turn your passion for your business into a core belief, you can sell your product to anyone. That is a sales mindset guarantee.
3. Persistence. Persistent folks do not give up easily, if ever. They see problems not as dead ends but as surmountable obstacles. How many rejections can you weather?
Numbers coming out of the Dartnell Corp. in the United States show that a sale in today’s market often goes through only after the tenth “No.” You read that right. The tenth “No.” We are up against a tough economic environment, and unless we are persistent and believe in what we sell, we will give up after about the third time someone tells us “No.”
Learn when to back off and not overplay the persistence card, but do not ever roll over and give up. In this brave new world where the power is increasingly in the hands of the buyer, we must create marketing and sales strategies to overcome our reluctance to try one more time.
4. Purpose. Many great salespeople find greater purpose in their work than simply completing the job. They might want to help their clients, fellow workers, and teammates build a great business environment to work in, or they may find value in training others by passing on their knowledge to employees.
Motivations can be as basic as feeding the family, affording that extra vacation, or getting the kids through college.
To folks invested in these outcomes, money and success are by-products of their efforts.
This is an important distinction, for finding meaning in your work will keep you balanced in your business. Work cannot be your sole purpose.
We hear many stories about business people burning out by dedicating themselves solely to their businesses, day in and day out. In the long run, this approach provides diminishing returns. Remember why you are working so hard.
Take The Sales Mindset Challenge here and discover how you rate your sales mindset. You might be surprised. It’s a simple list of questions that rate your beliefs and traits. Have fun.
Good Selling.
PLUS: WHENEVER YOU’RE READY…
- Here are 4 ways I can help you make more sales in your business – whether your business is big or small.1. Want to become a Sales Mindset Blueprint Member? You get access to an exclusive coaching session with me and full access to my sales programme every month. Get the deets here.
- Try the new ‘7 Days to Sales Success’ framework. Make more sales in 7 days—the framework of everything you need to start making more sales in your business. The Sales Success Framework uses a simple 7-day challenge. Click here to find out how you can grow your business by making more sales.
- Join our private Facebook group – The Sales Mindset Inner Circle. Get all the latest up-to-date sales ideas. Every week we do Facebook Live updates on all things sales. Tips, ideas, free coaching, and much more. Join me by clicking here
- Could you work with me one-on-one? If you’re a small or large business owner or in professional services, you might have a few strategies, tactics and tools away from doubling your lead flow, revenue and impact. Please jump on a FREE 15-minute brainstorm call with me by clicking here.
