by Mike Brunel | Aug 22, 2022 | Strategy, Uncategorized
This week’s blog talks about the importance of product knowledge or Insight.
In the context of sales, Insight means understanding your product. It also means understanding your own business’s strengths and weaknesses.
London Black Cabs.
For example, London’s traditional black cab drivers rely on “The Knowledge” to set them apart from other transportation services.
Pay a visit to London, and a black mini cab will probably be one the first things you will see. London taxi drivers are almost as famous as the black cabs they drive.
Their fame stems from their incredibly comprehensive knowledge of the city. Hail down a black cab in London, and you can be assured that the driver will find the shortest route to your destination without the aid of any technology.
Is it better than Uber?
London taxi drivers go through stringent training to obtain their licenses. They need to pass “The Knowledge” test; studying for it is often likened to having an atlas of London implanted into your brain.
To become an All-London taxi driver, you need to master no fewer than 320 basic routes, all of the 25,000 streets scattered within the basic routes, and approximately 20,000 landmarks and places of public interest within a six-mile radius of Charing Cross.
It takes the average person between two and four years to learn “The Knowledge”. This education is a big investment, but the training sets this service apart from the competition, whether GPS gadgets or Uber drivers.
In fact, on the ground, a black cab driver will always out-perform the Uber driver. Their extensive, specific knowledge offers an opportunity to reposition themselves as the ultimate experts.
Pay for what you want!
Customers are willing to pay for this good service, and the only way to make it this good is to have true insight into your product.
The question for your business, then, is how do you know what you—and your salespeople—don’t know?
This is where sales training and sales coaching comes in.
One way to develop insight into your own company is to use a SWOT analysis of your products and services.
The SWOT framework comes from Albert Humphrey, who tested the approach in the 1960s and 1970s at the Stanford Research Institute. Developed for business and based on data from Fortune 500 companies, the SWOT analysis has been adopted by organisations of all types as a decision-making tool.
As its acronym implies, a SWOT analysis examines four elements:
- Strengths: Internal attributes and resources that support a successful outcome.
- Weaknesses: Internal attributes and resources that work against a successful outcome.
- Opportunities: External factors the project can use to its advantage.
- Threats: External factors that could jeopardise the project.
Next week’s blog will give you some practical tools and ideas that you can use in your business using this SWOT model.
Until then, 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 brainstorming call with me by clicking here.
Mike
Image courtesy of Anna Vital.
P.S
Coming soon Changing Your Sales Mindset- 7 Day Challenge
by Mike Brunel | Jul 25, 2022 | Sales, Strategy
When I owned NRS Media, Michael Botta was one of the best sales guys.
Michael was one of our longest-standing staff members at NRS Media and was based in our Long Beach office in good ‘ole’ USA.
He was in front of thousands of media salespeople each year and travelled for weeks on end with our NRS Media message.
He understands the importance of work. Here is his definition of W-O-R-K:
W: Weighing
O: Opportunities
R: Repeatedly
(with)
K: Knowledge
We come to work, and what makes it frustrating for many of us at times is that we are challenged to continually Weigh (consider, ponder, create) the Opportunities (challenges, problems, setbacks) that are Repeatedly uncovered during our day, which then causes us to tap into our Knowledge (experience, success, etc.) to fix the problem.
This is a never-ending process.
Is work a gift?
Work should be viewed as an incredible gift that makes us more helpful to others. Businesses all over the world are happy to compensate you for your WORK.
Work is the giving of yourself to help another. Work is the best thing for us because, by its very nature, it brings out our best qualities, intentions, and solutions.
What work isn’t:
If, on the other hand, one views’ W-O-R-K’ as: Wanting Others to Replace my Knowhow, then that individual is essentially holding back their unique gift and perspective and not giving of themselves to help another.
Work for some people is merely something they have to do and not something that provides them with an open the door to use their creativity – or is not viewed as a unique opportunity to share their creative insight for the benefit of another.
Fear, disappointment, rejection, anger, and blame keep one from doing their best WORK.
How we view WORK significantly impacts ourselves, our families, and the benefit of others. By doing our best WORK, we can change lives for the better.
A great reason to get up and work every day, make sure you do something you love.
Thanks, Mr Botta!
Whatever career you choose in sales, getting help is always good.
That’s why you can get FREE in your inbox every morning for 7 days; the 7 Day Sale Challenge.
Hop on over here and subscribe.
For more content like this, please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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.
by Mike Brunel | Jul 18, 2022 | Sales, Strategy
In Dan Kennedy’s book ‘No BS Sales Success’, he talks about a real estate agent called Pebby B.
Here is an abridged version…
“Peggy B gets 70% of her listings from referrals and 30% from advertising. When someone wants to list with Peggy, they get put onto one of her three assistants. The assistants vet the clients to see if they fulfil Peggy’s requirements for listing. If they do not, they are passed on to other real estate agents.
If they do, a DVD on Peggy’s successes is sent directly that day to the potential listed property owner.
An appointment is made, but the assistant arrives first (Peggy comes 20 minutes later). While the assistant is there, they go over the data of similar sales in the area, how long sales have taken, price expectations, etc.
Peggy then calls to let the client know she is on the way, arrives, and listens to her assistant’s overview of the property. Next, while they talk, Peggy asks if it is okay for the assistant to take a few photos of the house. (This is a trial close)
Why would they let her go ahead if they were not interested in listing the house?
Peggy then uses her flip book and goes over the ten steps they will operate together to get the best price for the house. An agreement is produced that has been partially completed by the assistant from the information obtained over the phone.
Last year Peggy listed 92% of the homes where she presented this listing immediately, without delay.”
I highly recommend you buy this book to get hundreds of ideas for your sales presentations. I fight for every referral I can get; I have a system in my book to tease up clients before you present your offering.
Any agent in real estate can execute this process with some planning and understanding of what and how essential referrals and structured presentations are.
Please share your ideas on what you do when you first meet a client.
Good selling.
Mike
Whatever career you choose in sales, getting help is always good.
That’s why you can get FREE in your inbox every morning for seven days; the 7 Day Sale Challenge.
Hop on over here and subscribe.
For more content like this, please subscribe to my YouTube channel.
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 is based on 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.
by Mike Brunel | Jul 11, 2022 | Sales, Strategy, Uncategorized
I am always being asked what makes good sales training and coaching? Here are five tips I hope can help you make the right decision when it comes to hiring any sales trainer or sales coach.
1. The sales team don’t see the sales training as relevant to them.
Usually what happens is that a salesperson will be sent on a sales training course and they get there and it’s straight out of a manual. Taught to them by rote and disappointing.
2. The ‘one size fits all approach doesn’t suit their business situation.
The trainer has not spent the time to evaluate the sales persons’ needs. Tailor making specific programmes work better. Before any training ask the sales trainer to work with you on YOUR outcomes for the training programme.
3. Lack of Outcomes once at the course.
This is similar to point two, salespeople have different needs, just like their clients, many times salespeople arrive at the course and at are never asked what their specific outcomes today for this course.
4. Sales trainer, not a salesperson.
In this case, it’s more about creditability, if the trainer has no experience selling in any form, it’s difficult to build rapport with the audience you are training. The theory is fine, but not realistic. Sales experience is a must for a trainer.
5. Learning as you go.
If the training is not carried out in an environment of learning and facilitation it’s seen as boring and lacking in depth. In the ever-increasing world of soft skills training involving your participants in ‘learning by doing is a must.
These tips have certainly helped my clients and may help you.
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. Every month you get access to an exclusive coaching session with me as well as full access to my sales programme. 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 get started in 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 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
- Work with me one-on-one. If you’re a business owner, small or large or in the professional services you might just be 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 | Mar 28, 2022 | 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 in relation to Australia has had one of the best summers for several years.
It’s a chance to reflect as well on what makes this part of the world a special place.
And why I think that us Kiwis are a clever bunch of people when it comes to innovation and following our dreams.
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 of course Bruno the dog.
Part of summer holidays is reading, usually for me 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 gone by and I came across this one, £25 and a Dream.
It’s important 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.
To the post, one of the books I read on my summer holiday 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 Australasia’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 get to 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 had such an impact on 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 am going to explore a few with you with a couple of 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. Every month you get access to an exclusive coaching session with me as well as full access to my sales programme. 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 get started in 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 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
- Work with me one-on-one.If you’re a business owner, small or large or in the professional services you might just be 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.
Good Selling
Mike Brunel
by Mike Brunel | Mar 14, 2022 | Sales, Strategy
Ask yourself these Powerful Questions.
In my training I talk about the importance of asking yourself powerful questions when it comes to conditioning your mindset.
To finish off that discussion here are some business questions you might want to think about as you move into another week of selling.
• What am I most happy/excited about in my business?
• What am I most proud of in my business?
• How does it make me feel to employ other people?
• What am I committed to doing to improve sales
systems?
• How/why do I value my customers?
Set up Systems
With all of these questions, you are asking yourself about your business is it not the time to set up systems to routinize these questions for your sales team so their conversations with customers flow more naturally? Efficiency is especially important with today’s shorter buying cycles and your clients are considering several competitive offers at any one time; there is little time to waste.
What does a quality question look like in practice? A quality question is one that cannot be answered with a simple “No.” Can I help you is the wrong question, because “No, just looking” is not the answer you want? Where can you go from there? Nowhere.
The phrase that you thought was helpful has just shut down the conversation you were hoping to have with a potential client. Is it hard to come back from a dead end? You bet.
The Other Guy’s Shoes
How do you get your sales team to open up the conversation? Get them to think about the customer’s experience. Many salespeople are concerned about coming across as nosy. In reality, there are few topics that are truly off-limits. Obviously, you wouldn’t ask anything too personal, but if you genuinely indicate your desire to help, people are quite willing to talk about themselves.
Keep in mind that the customer’s most urgent need at the moment he or she walks in your door may not be to buy your
product.
It may be something much more basic, like a need to be understood. Before they buy anything, they may want to know that you appreciate them.
The importance of considering the customer’s current circumstances is succinctly told in a famous sales story, called The Man in the Desert.* It goes like this: A man comes into a store after living in the desert for months. The store sells best quality food and clothing, but those are not the first things the customer needs.
What he needs is water. The best conversation starter for this man is a glass of water. Maybe after his thirst is quenched, you will learn that he also needs lunch or a new jacket. He might need other things to help him feel better.
If you sell those things, you are in business. You have opened a dialogue that would never have taken place if you had not recognised the customer’s most basic need.
So many people stop at the glass of water. You almost always have to ask more than one question to find out what the client wants. If that person says, “I’m just looking,” you can respect that, but you know they must have come in for a reason. Have the courage to ask another question.
For example, if someone is looking at a product, ask them what they like about it. Get them talking. The only questions that don’t work are questions that close the conversation.
Of course, for a salesperson to be willing to let the conversation wander, he or she must be prepared with the things we talked about earlier, including sufficient knowledge of the product to confidently answer any questions that come back from the customer.
If you know your product well enough, the answers come intuitively, which makes a sales interaction feel more like a friendly chat.
Have a good week selling your stuff.
Mike
ABOUT THE AUTHOR.
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.
- Want to become a Sales Mindset Blueprint Member. Every month you get access to an exclusive coaching session with me as well as full access to my sales programme. 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 get started in 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 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.
- Work with me one-on-one. If you’re a business owner, small or large or in the professional services you might just be 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.
*KipTindall. The Container Store.
