Unconventional Sales Andrea Howe - November 2013

© 2013 Andrea P. Howe. All rights reserved. Portions of this material were developed in partnership with Charles H. Green

Unconventional Sales: 4 Ways to Stand Out in a Crowd

Andrea P. Howe

http://www.andreaphowe.com/

http://www.trustedadvisor.com/


Unconventional Sales: 4 Ways to Stand Out in a Crowd

Andrea P. Howe

Hello!

If you could be on vacation right now anywhere in the world, where would you be?

Enter your reply in the text chat box now.




That’s not me, that’s Robert Scoble

Photo courtesy of Thomas Hawk



http://www.flickr.com/photos/thomashawk/10915173765/sizes/k/in/photostream/


Scoble and Santa both knewhow to stand out in a crowd




How willing are you to refer your clients to your competitors?

A. Very willing

B. Somewhat willing, if I’m honest

C. Not particularly willing, if I’m really honest

D. I don’t have any competitors




We’ve all got hurdles to overcome

• Our own emotions

• Conventional wisdom

• A focus on delivery

• Widely-held stereotypes




The definition of “sell” isn’t pretty

Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sell




There’s good news in all of this

• <Superman in front of garage door or girl with dumbells: This backdrop gives us an opportunity to differentiate>

The good news: All this makes for a great backdrop




Today we’ll answer this question:

How can you stand out in the crowd?




Let’s make it real

Bring to mind a current client opportunity or challenge.




By the way, here’s what’s in your goodie bag

www.thegetrealproject.com/raintoday

• Chapter 1

• All worksheets

• “How to Build Trust … Fast!” eBook

• And more




And there’s a little something extrafor 3 random winners

The Trust Quotient Assessment (expanded)




Part I: A universal tool for sales success




Who’s your trusted advisor?

Close your eyes and bring to mind your own trusted advisor—someone you can talk to about a wide range of issues, professional as well as personal, sensitive and not.

Then type into the text chat box the first words that come to mind to describe this person.




When it comes to building trust …

… it helps to have a formula in your back pocket







Self-orientation is about focus

T trustworthiness S self-orientation

S

T =

Source: The Trusted Advisor by Maister, Green, and Galford, The Free Press, 2000




1. Get off your “S”

Slow down; avoid “premature solutions”

Stay open; let them steer the conversation

Manage your “stuff”

Make referrals when that’s what’s in their best interest




Intimacy relates to safety

T trustworthiness I intimacyS self-orientation

+ I

S

T =





2. Go soft

Listen deeply

Share something personal

Ask questions others would be afraid to

Tell your client something you really appreciate about him




Credibility has to do with words

T trustworthinessC credibility I intimacyS self-orientation

C + + I

S

T =





3. Tell the truth

• Say “I don’t know” when you don’t

• Admit it if you screwed something up

• Above all else, be genuine




Reliability is based on actions

T trustworthinessC credibilityR reliabilityI intimacyS self-orientation

C + R + I

S

T =





4. Mind the little things

Make lots of small promises

Communicate early and often

Adapt to their norms




Now we’ve identified4 ways to stand out in a crowd

T trustworthinessC credibilityR reliabilityI intimacyS self-orientation

C + R + IS

T =

1. “Get off your ‘S’”

2. Go soft3. Tell the

truth

4. Mind the little things




Where do you seean immediate action to take?

A. Get off your “S”

B. Go soft

C. Tell the truth

D. Mind the little things

E. All of the above




• Kid at chalkboard: The most important factor of selling

Part II: The most important factor of selling




Olympic athletes knowthe value of mental prep

“Although mentally strong athletes do not always win medals due to a variety of conditions, athletes with a weak ‘mental game’ virtually never win at the biggest competitions.”

From the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Top Ten Guiding Principles for Mental Training, as reported in Foundations of Sport and Exercise Psychology With Web Study Guide-5th Edition by Robert Weinberg and Daniel Gould




The single most importantfactor of selling is …




And more specifically …

… your mindset about:o Sellingo Your valueo Trust-building




Trust-based selling is about helping …

“The objective of trust-based selling is to help the buyer do the right thing—for the buyer. Period.”

… and helping isn’t smarmy.




Your value goes far beyond your expertise

Information-giver

Problem-solver

Idea-generator

Safe haven for tough

issues




Trust is paradoxical

• The thing we are most afraid to say …

• The key to being influential …

• The best way to close more deals …




In which area is your greatest opportunity to shift your mindset?

A. How you think about selling

B. How you think about your value

C. How you think about trust-building

D. Other




Your turn

Insights?

Points of view?

Questions?




@AndreaPHowe@ProjectGetReal

[email protected]

www.thegetrealproject.com/raintoday



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Unconventional Sales Andrea Howe - November 2013