Jorge Soto and Steli Efti at French Tech Hub in San Francisco, CA 2015

The Modern Sales Conversation

Jorge Soto and Steli Efti

Jorge Soto

12 years, Obsessed with SalesDoor-to-door to EnterpriseSerial Entrepreneur, Startup Sales Training (S4S)Always Startups

Steli Efti

Founder and Ceo at Close.ioYcombinator Alumni AuthorSpeaker

Best learning…

I was a bookman…

What is Sales?

What is Sales?

It’s a game of inches

A Process

Finding the buyers

Art of Effectively Dealing with Rejection

Managing Self Emotions

Art of Listening, Discipline, & Schedule

Finesse and Fight

Basic Funnel

Leads

Qualified Leads

Deals

The Effect of Cost and Decision Making

Short Sales Cycle

The Effect of Cost and Decision Making

Longer Sales Cycle

The Effect of Cost and Decision Making

Lower Cost:• Lower Risk• Less Stakeholders

Higher Cost:• Higher Risks• More Stakeholders*• B2B Buying

Sales Cycles – Short to Long

Retail SalesDoor-to-door SaleInsurance SaleCar SaleEnterprise, B2B Sales

Prospect

A potential customer, client, or purchaser

A candidate deemed likely to succeed.

Prospecting

Targeting of “prospects" and the initial communications with them in the hopes that these communications will eventually lead to a closed sale and a new client or customer.

Prospecting

The process of beginning conversations.

Some die and some live on.

Shorten the distance between steps

Prospecting

Pre-Approach

The Approach

• Objective: Begin Conversations!• Conversations have Structure• Inbound versus Outbound Messaging • NAMES!!! Use NAMES!!!• Low and Slow conversational talk

Prospecting

Prospecting – Email, Digital

• Ask a Question• Short and Sweet• Personalized• Call to Action• Not a Marketing Email!

Prospecting – Phone Approach

• Examples….

• Very Cold – No Names, No Validators, Don’t know decision maker.

• Cold – Use Names

Prospecting

Have GOAL in Mind!

Qualify and Move On!

Phone > In-Person or Next Call

Mental Framework

Always Follow StructureDon’t Cut Corners!Be in the Game!

Meeting Management

1. Rapport2. Intro

1. Thanks2. Your objective 3. Buying Atmosphere 4. Time5. Anything Else

3. Cover Objections4. Investigate 5. Recap6. Close

Selling Framework

Closing

Next Step!

Small Items versus large items

Buying Atmosphere

“All I ask”

“One way or the other I’m ok”

Expert at No!

Expert at Failure

Know the why

Know the when

Negative Selling

“Not sure is this makes sense”

Names, Names, Names!

“Our client XYZ likes this”

“This is something that XYZ found that didn’t work then tried this”

Best Practices

1: RECORD YOUR SALES CALLS

2: ROLE-PLAY

3: MENTORSHIP (Not manager)

Conquer Fears

Achieving

Crushing Mediocrity

Look in the mirror

This is about YOU