We live in a truly unprecedented time in selling,
for so many reasons.
But one of the biggest reasons
is because we finally have so much, really, really
really good science and data out there,
that actually tells us what is working
and what isn't working.
I can't emphasize how important this is,
because basically up until just a couple of years ago,
most sales training and sales ideas
were basically some gurus ideas of what worked
and they could only anecdotally tell
if it was actually working or not.
But now we live in a time where we know truly what works.
So in this video, I'm going to show you
the seven killer sales techniques backed
by science and data.
Check it out.
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Number One- The whiteboard pitch.
Now some recent data from Steve Martin tells us
that only 31% of salespeople converse effectively
with senior executives.
And the whiteboard pitch solves this challenge.
Put yourself in the shoes of a senior executive.
Think of how many salespeople
are hounding you every single day.
And they're typically starting with one of two ways
of trying to engage in the conversation.
One is, is to open up their jacket pocket
and talk about all the amazing things
that are in their product or service.
Or two is to open up with something really weak like,
I'd love to learn more about your business
and understand what's keeping you up at night.
And both of those approaches are deeply problematic
with senior executives.
That's not how they want to be engaged.
Senior executives want insight.
They want to engage with people who are going to demonstrate
that they know what they are really talking about.
We teach a concept called the whiteboard pitch
which is simply that you at the beginning
of an interaction with a senior executive can demonstrate
that you understand some of the key challenges
that they're likely facing,
and can actually share that on a quick whiteboard
or on the back of an envelope or on a Zoom screen share.
But making sure that you can really demonstrate
that you know what's going on in their world
and that you can back up those ideas
with either your own data or data that supports those ideas.
Number Two- Disqualify.
This data actually comes from the sales insights lab,
which shows that the majority of salespeople find
that around only 50% or fewer
of their initial prospects turn out to be a fit.
So basically what this means is that 50%
of people that you're going to come into contact with
are really not likely to be a good fit for what you offer.
And so what you want to do is use an approach
that is early on in the sales conversation,
weeding out the 50% that are not a good fit,
and you want to isolate them and move on,
and never think about them again.
There are so many reasons that a prospect might not
be a good fit today for what you offer.
You want to use a systematic set
of questions to really determine whether someone's a fit.
And if they're not, move on.
If they are, that's the only time that you would take it
to a next step.
Number Three- Be next step obsessed.
Some recent data from Gong tells us
that close rates actually decline by about 71%
when next steps aren't discussed on the first call.
If there has ever been a stronger piece
of data to support the fact
that we need to be always scheduling next steps
in every interaction with a prospect,
I don't know what's going to persuade us.
We must be constantly focused on scheduling that next step
when we're in front of a prospect.
So many salespeople come up to me and say,
I tried to follow up with this prospect
and they never got back to me,
or they never answered the phone.
And I always say,
well why the hell are you following up in the first place?
You always want to have a scheduled next step
with a prospect at every stage of the sale.
And so top reps are consistently taking time,
particularly at the end of any prospect engagement
to always schedule a next step.
That means a calendar invite goes out from you
and it goes in to their calendar
and they hopefully accepted.
Number Four- A quick two-way conversation.
So another awesome piece of data from Gong tells us
that top producers don't dilute their message.
They spend about 39% less time pitching product features.
And so what this tells us is really two things.
One is that their presentations are actually shorter.
They're physically shorter presentation.
So they're spending less time
of the sales process actually pitching
or presenting their offering.
And two is that it's not just a one-way monologue.
They're not just throwing up all
of their information all over the prospects.
Instead, they're engaging their prospects
in two-way conversations.
In fact, other data shows us that top performers
are having much more two way conversation back
and forth to ensure that the prospect is really engaged.
So you want your prospects during particularly
the presentation phase to be asking you lots of questions.
That shows that they're actually engaged
and that is where we want to be when we're actually
in that presentation.
Number Five- Slow down objections.
Another great piece of data from Steve Martin tells us
that two thirds of buyers avoid revealing the truth
about their intent to salespeople.
And so what this means is that when prospects hit us
with objections, very rarely are those objections
the actual concern that they have.
So you want to think of it almost as an iceberg,
and at the tip of the iceberg is the initial objection
that they throw at us.
And so what we want to do though is get below the surface
to understand what's really going on.
And that's why we always want to slow down objections.
That means don't immediately respond to an objection
with some way to overcome it,
but instead to dig in, understand what's going on,
understand why they mentioned
that objection in the first place.
That is what top performers are doing on a consistent basis.
And as a result, they ultimately deal with the real issue
that the prospect is facing,
thus significantly increasing the likelihood
of actually closing that sale.
Number Six- Use a prospecting campaign blueprint.
Now some incredible data from TOPO tells us
that it takes an average of 18 calls
to actually connect with a buyer,
and only 24% of sales emails are actually even opened.
So what this tells us is that most salespeople
who send a couple of emails or make one or two calls
to a prospect are giving up way too early.
And that's why we always suggest
that salespeople use a prospecting campaign blueprint.
That means mapping out your entire prospecting process
that you're going to take each prospect through.
So it almost becomes like a factory line
where it's going to be consisting of different steps.
So maybe that first step is that you send an email,
then the next step is that you follow up
with a phone call, and then you leave a voicemail,
and then you send a LinkedIn connection request,
and then you send them another email,
and then you make another call,
and then you send them a package,
and then you make another call, right?
So you map the whole process out.
That's what a prospect and campaign blueprint is all about.
This shouldn't be haphazard.
This should be structured,
but it should also have a lot of steps
because ultimately prospects often aren't responding
to you because they don't want or need what you have,
it's simply that they're super busy
and they've got a lot going on.
And so ultimately you've got to get the right message
in front of the right prospect at the right time.
Number Seven- Challenge your fears.
Some incredible scientific data
from Emory University tells us
that we are born with only two innate fears.
And that is the fear of falling and the fear of loud noises.
And so every time you have fear
as a result of something to do with sales,
you need to challenge that fear,
because that is not a real fear that you were born with.
Instead, that is some type of fear that you have learned
over the course of your life.
And so we need to remember that when we're afraid
to pick up that phone and make that dial,
or we're afraid to ask that last question
that we know we should be asking,
or afraid to ask about that budget, or whatever it is.
We need to recognize that we were not born inherently
with the fears that would lead us to be weaker
in a sales situation.
We should always be challenging our fears
and pushing through, that is what separates the average rep
from the top rep is the recognition
that they can push through those fears and that discomfort.
So there are the seven killer sales techniques backed
by science and data.
And if you enjoyed this video
then I have an awesome free training
on the data-driven approach to closing more sales
in today's marketplace.
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