Sales Tips Blog by Scott R. Sheaffer

The Voodoo Of Selling Added Value

Scott Sheaffer — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:26:54 +0000

I’m sick of hearing about “added value.” So are customers. We have to start giving our customers and prospects something real instead of spouting off intangible and meaningless phrases we’ve gotten from marketing.

Believe me, much of the “added value” we spew on our customers lands on deaf ears.

Voodoo Added Value
Voodoo Added Value is my term for the embellished, intangible and baseless added value we hurl at customers. Want some examples?

“We have the best trained account managers.” Name one of your competitors that doesn’t claim the same thing.

“We can provide any product or service for you, even if it’s not in our product line.” Really? Can you? Think the customer believes that? Does your employer believe that?

“We are an honest company.” Oh please! Companies aren’t honest, people are.

“We’re the Mercedes of the business.” Again, name one of your competitors that you think might say something like, “Oh yes, we’re not that great at what we do, but we have great looking account managers.”

“We provide the fastest service/product delivery/response times/etc.” Quick, how many of your competitors say this? Answer: all of them.

The Great Contradiction
Given that your competitors are repeating these same kinds of Voodoo Added Values, actually not saying them becomes a real added value. This is counterintuitive.

Think about it. Authenticity, credibility, factuality, legitimacy and originality are valued by customers. They respond positively to these qualities. No hollow marketing chatter required.

Sales Blog Epilogue
Rules to sell by – and to avoid the trap of Voodoo Added Value:

Anytime you feel it necessary to start machine-gunning your customers with added value statements, ask yourself, “Is this the least bit original or has this customer heard this from all of my competitors?” If it fails this test, it’s Voodoo Added Value. Your customer isn’t listening.
Am I making legitimate and factual claims as to the added benefits my company brings to the table? If the answer is no – Voodoo Added Value.
If what you’re saying is not credible, or if you don’t sound credible, you guessed it, Voodoo Added Value.
Am I being authentic or am I being a phony? Don’t forget that buying from you is not your customers’ first rodeo. They can sniff out an imposter in about three nanoseconds.

Further reading:
What Value Do We Need To Be Selling In A Recession?
Rise Above Commodity Style Selling

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>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

Are you satisfied with your sales results?
Kay Ray can show you and your team how to reach
your objectives and unlock the door to success.
thekayray.com

The Forgotten People Who Help Us Grow In Our Sales Career

Scott Sheaffer — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:34:34 +0000

Find a list of your network of friends and business associates (e.g. LinkedIn, Outlook, Twitter, Facebook, SFA, ERP, etc.) and do the following exercise. You might be a little surprised by the results.

The Network Exercise
This will take more than a few minutes. Do this in an environment where you don’t feel rushed. Be honest with yourself too. Go through all of the people on your list and identify people with all of the following attributes:

They challenge you.
They hold you accountable.
They push you past your fears.
They are a confidential sounding board.
They aren’t judgmental about you.
They are open to discussing any subject.
They make you feel safe.
They see your faults for what they are but accept you anyway.
They are blunt with you when necessary.
They will always be a listener when that’s all you need.
They remind you of the promises you made to yourself.
They don’t praise you when it’s not truly earned, but will flood you with praise when deserved.
They will always be on your side, no matter what the cost may be to them.
They don’t keep score in the relationship.

Let’s Analyze The Results
If you’re a man, you will find two or three people who fit the above criteria. Don’t be alarmed. This is normal. If you’re a woman, you’ll identify about seven individuals who fit the description above. Women are better at maintaining these kinds of relationships than men. But that’s for another sales blog post.

Who Are The People On This List?
Some of these people will be close friends, some will be customers, some will be fellow employees, some will be family, some will be a combination. No matter what classification they happen to fall in, they will help you grow in your sales career.

A few people in our lives who actually care about our success can make all the difference in our sales career. They prop us up, set us straight and give us a push. And they seem to intuitively know when we need these things.

Companies can throw sales managers and sales training and sales seminars and sales mentors and sales coaches at us all week long (some do). However, we are a social species of animal; we need other people who take a real interest in us in order to survive and thrive. Just ask Abraham Maslow.

Sales Blog Epilogue
We may have hundreds or even thousands of Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn “friends,” but buried in those numbers are just a few diamonds who not only help us with our sales career, but also help us with life. And we all know that in a sales career, it’s difficult to separate the two.

Further reading:
Life’s 3 Priorities, Part 1 of 3
Life’s 3 Priorities, Part 2 of 3
Life’s 3 Priorities, Part 3 of 3

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>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

Are you satisfied with your sales results?
Kay Ray can show you and your team how to reach
your objectives and unlock the door to success.
thekayray.com

Are You Convinced Sales Is The Right Profession For You?

Scott Sheaffer — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:18:54 +0000

Do you ever ask yourself if you’re really cut out to be in sales? Ironically, the number one question I receive is from individuals who are currently not in sales. They ask some variation of, “Do you think I’m cut out to be a salesperson?”

Your non-sales buddies probably ask you the same question. Do you ask yourself the same question sometimes?

Sales is a soft science and I don’t ever want to say yes or no to that inquiry. The person asking the question could be the one out of 100 who, while breaking all sales rules, might be profoundly successful. I’ve seen it a number of times.

Sales Advice For The Undecided
Whether you’re contemplating a career as a sales professional or questioning if you should remain, the following quote will provide an answer. It’s a test. Read the words below and ask yourself, “Does this describe me?” If it doesn’t, sidestep sales as a career choice, because you will be unhappy and unfulfilled as a sales professional. You’ll feel like an imposter.

Sales can reward nicely. However, it can be a punishing daily existence for those who don’t have it in their blood.

Sales Tips From Niccolo Machiavelli
“All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of [laziness]. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.”
— Niccolo Machiavelli

Does This Resonate With You?
When you read these words, do they fill you with a sense of passion and motivation for action?

Do Machiavelli’s thoughts make you want to say, “That’s right!” as you read them?

Does this quote inspire you to think of personal opportunities where bold and assertive action is summarily called for?

It’s Your Decision
Not everyone is hardwired for sales. It’s okay not to follow a sales path.

I encourage you to be candid with yourself when taking the litmus test above. If you don’t pass, there is no shame. But find a career that inspires the same kind of fire in you that a sales professional finds in Machiavelli’s words above.

Further reading:

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>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

Are you satisfied with your sales results?
Kay Ray can show you and your team how to reach
your objectives and unlock the door to success.
thekayray.com

Stinkin’ Thinkin’ Is A Mental Illness In Sales

Scott Sheaffer — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:24:50 +0000

I had to strongly reprimand a nice young sales professional recently.

This occurred when I met my new account manager for the first time at a Fidelity office. We went to his office. He asked if I wanted something to drink. Everything was fine.

I had been seated in his office about 120 seconds when he made his blunder. Brace yourself. “Scott, when I first saw you I was worried you might think I was too young to help you. I have been through Fidelity’s rigorous training program…”

I stopped him in his tracks. In a most fatherly and firm way I leaned over his desk (I even think I pointed my finger at him…bad form on my part) and said, “The issue is not mine. The issue is yours. If you think you’re too young, you’ll project that belief on others and they will ultimately agree with you. Stop saying this kind of thing to your customers right here and right now.”

“Yes sir.”

For possibly the first time in my life, I didn’t tell someone not to call me “sir.” Sales tips and sales training can be a soft science at times. However, I knew I was right about this. No uncertainty. He needed some immediate and firm coaching. He got it and, frankly, I felt good about it. It helped that he was physically much smaller than I was.

But Scott, I Would Never Say Or Think Something Like That
It doesn’t matter whether you say it or think it (that’s Biblical I believe). If you think it, you’ve done it. Just thinking invalidating thoughts about yourself, your employer and your customers will hurt you. This kind of thinking takes all forms, by the way. There are a million variations; below are just a few examples.

Do You Ever Hear Any Of These In Your Head?

I’m too old.
This industry isn’t right for me.
I’ll never be able to sell in this recession.
Our product line is junk.
This is a loser company.
Our prices are too high.
I wish I worked for competitor X.
My customers never have the budget for anything.
I have the dumbest customers on the planet.
Our customer service is a joke.
The quality of our products and services is not even close to our competitors.
My sales manager is an idiot.
Our corporate management is lame.

Sales Tips For Real World Successful Thinking Habits

If you say or think invalidating ideas long enough, they will come true. You’re committing sales suicide and not even realizing it.
I’m not perfect. You’re not perfect. No one is. Get real. Quit minimizing your opportunities for success by creating a foundation of negative and baseless thoughts about your customers and yourself.
No surprise here, but your employer isn’t perfect. Never ever will be. Oh sure, you can change jobs, but you’ll find all the same dummy-ridden-management but with different names. Stop wasting energy bellyaching about something you’ll never be able to change, no matter where you work.

Sales Blog Epilogue
I’m going to recommend a book to you in further reading below that was not sent to me as a freebie to review. I recommend very few books in this sales blog, but this one is an exception. I bought this book myself and have no financial interest in promoting it. It is not a sales training book, but it will make you more successful in sales.

It covers in detail what I’ve written about above. You won’t be able to put it down. It will permanently change how you see yourself, your employer and your customers.

Further reading:

“The Power of Intention” by Dr. Wayne Dyer

My new book, “Comatose Management,” will be available from amazon.com and other distributors by mid-November.

>You can automatically receive Sales Tips Blog by Scott R. Sheaffer >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

Are you satisfied with your sales results?
Kay Ray can show you and your team how to reach
your objectives and unlock the door to success.
thekayray.com