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How to Use a Pen to Sell On the Telephone

Bill Guertin — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 13:00:26 +0000

With cell phones, call forwarding, and the death of the land-line in the home, most often we have no idea where our prospects might be when we’re calling them about our sports ticket opportunities. They could be in the car, the supermarket, out on a date, or anywhere else you could imagine.

Wherever your prospect happens to be, chances are they’re near a piece of paper and a writing instrument of some kind. It’s your chance to engage them in your conversation – IF you’re good enough with using information that can lead to a sale.

While you have someone engaged on the phone, try this: ask them if they’re near a pen and paper, and ask them to write down a few things you’re going to dictate to them. This subconsciously gets them to begin thinking creatively and positively in your direction, because they’re writing down something about you, keeping an informal “record” of your conversation, and they have a pen in their hand… which is a close cousin to signing a deal. (Many people also think better when they have a pen in hand and are writing!)

Here’s how this might flow in an actual sales conversation:

“Do you happen to have a pen and a piece of paper in front of you? Why don’t you grab it for a moment, because I’d like to share some numbers with you.”

“What would be an average amount of money you might spend to go out to eat with your family? OK… write that down.”

“OK… how about a movie? What would that cost for your family to go to a movie together? Write that down too.”

“Is there anything else you often do together with the family? Attend Little League games, go bowling, anything like that? Often, that also involves going out to eat, too, doesn’t it? OK… put that down too, and what it might cost you on average each time you go.”

“OK… so how many times would you say you might do those things over the course of, say, six months? Put that down next to each one… now let’s add that up, and see what we come up with.” (Get a number from them)

“Very good. So, let’s take that big number, and put it alongside the amount we’re talking about here for these tickets… which is $_____. Understand, now, that some of that big number will be absorbed into the season tickets, now that you’ll be spending time there instead of these other places… so what we’re really doing is replacing or re-distributing the way you and your family spend your recreation dollars rather than increasing them.”

“When you look at it in black and white, the extra expense really doesn’t seem to be that much, does it?”

This is just one scenario. Business-to-business prospects can also enter into “pen-and-paper” conversations about things like:

Their top 3 clients, and how much revenue they bring to the bottom line (compared to the investment your tickets would be in keeping that revenue coming in)

How much their current sales contest prizes are costing

The number of salespeople they have, and how often each of them gets a chance to spend quality time with their clients

Their current employee incentive programs, and how much is budgeted vs. their turnover rate, etc.

Email me with PEN AND PAPER in the subject line, and I’ll share a few other potential scenarios with you.

You can turn any telephone presentation into a multi-media sales opportunity by turning your client on to the high-tech world of pen and paper as a means of engaging them more fully. Try it and see!

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About Bill Guertin

Bill Guertin is CEO (Chief Enthusiasm Officer) of The 800-Pound Gorilla, a dynamic sales training and consulting company whose list of blue-chip clients includes the ticket sales departments of dozens of teams from the NBA, NFL, NHL, Major League Baseball, and Major League Soccer. He is the author of the Gold Medal-award-winning book Reality Sells, and The 800-Pound Gorilla of Sales: How to Dominate Your Market. Subscribe to his Sports Ticket Sales Newsletter at www.The800PoundGorilla.com, or follow Bill on Twitter at www.twitter.com/800poundgorilla.

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Get Out of a Sports Ticket Sales Slump

Bill Guertin — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:23:06 +0000

So you’re not having the kind of success you’d like. Your calls are more difficult, you’re not closing as many sales as you’d planned, your manager is supportive but insists on results. Your check isn’t enough to do the things you want to do.

This sports thing wasn’t what you thought it would be. This is way too stressful. Where’s all that fun and excitement you thought would be coming your way? This is more like…a JOB!

If you’re feeling this way, here are several things to consider:

Look at how you’re spending your time each day. Do you talk a lot with your co-workers about how bad things are? It’s a natural thing to do, but it’s not doing anything to move you forward. In fact, psychologists say that peer group reinforcement of a particular negative belief can actually hold you back. Is it worth feeling good for a few moments just to stay where you are?

Look at the number of calls you’re making. An obvious measure of your effort is your call volume, but some reps choose to make fewer calls in a slump. They put them off, thinking it’ll be better to call them at a later time, an earlier time, etc. FACT: The more calls you don’t make today, the fewer sales and appointments you’ll make today. It’s that simple.

Look at the way you’re conducting your calls. How are you opening your conversations? Is it the best it could be, or are you just going through the motions? If you’re frustrated, desperate, or robotic, your prospect will pick up on it. Freshen up your opening so that you’ll deliver it with a renewed sense of enthusiasm and sincerity.

Look at the way you’re prepared to answer objections. What are the top 3-4 objections you’re faced with each day? Are you prepared to answer them with clarity and logic? The best reps mentally prepare to answer each of their prospects’ most common objections, followed by a closing question.

Look at the way you’re leaving voice mails. More than 70% of your calls are directed to a voice mail system of some kind. Do your voice mails sound interesting, compelling, and time-sensitive? Are they too long, too predictable, or just plain boring to listen to? Spend a few moments preparing a voice mail that gives people a compelling, intriguing reason to call you back.

Look at the time you spend in-between appointments. Many new reps will schedule appointments in the northern part of the city at 10:00, and another in the south at 11:30. That’s unrealistic. Think about the time you’ll spend getting from one appointment to another, and schedule them accordingly. Make your Tuesday appointments in one section of town, and your Wednesdays in another. It isn’t always possible, but if you don’t ask your prospect if they’re more flexible, you may be stressing yourself out needlessly, and saving yourself precious hours in non-selling commuting time.

Look inside. Can you be honest with yourself? What you signed up for is a SALES job. All sales reps are experiencing challenging times, so you’re not alone. Sales professionals have several choices when faced with a challenge; they can keep doing what they’re doing, change what they’re doing to be more successful, or look elsewhere for something that suits them better. Decide which course of action you’ll take.

There are people who want what you sell. If you choose to improve on at least one or two of the points above, you will see a change in your results. Now get on the phone and start selling!

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How to Get More Callbacks from Prospects

Bill Guertin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 13:10:25 +0000

When someone has decided to call us back before making a buying decision, there’s a good chance (despite all their good intentions) they won’t follow through. It doesn’t make them liars or bad people. It’s just the law of averages. We know people get busy and have other priorities come up in their lives.

Are you kidding? Something else is more important than getting back to you about their awesome seats? C’mon! You don’t have to take that crap! Push the odds in your favor!

The next time someone tells you, “I’ll have to call you back,” try one of these responses:

- “Sure, we can do that. Do you have your BlackBerry with you? Let’s go ahead and both put a callback day and time into our calendars, so we’ll have a time frame to work with. We don’t want to let it go for too long!”

- “Great! Should I work with your assistant to set up a day and time, or do you keep your own calendar?”

- “OK. Let’s pick a day and time, and I’ll send you an E-mail reminder, just to keep us both on track. What E-mail should I use?”

Another option is to attempt to sew up the deal right then and there, eliminating the need for a callback at all:

- “If you need to run this past someone, I don’t have a problem getting someone else on a three-way call. Do you happen to know where they are right now?”

- “Here’s the thing. The problem is I can’t guarantee that these seats we’re looking at right now will be available once I let them go. Is there any way we could put a small deposit on them? If for some reason these seats aren’t what you’re looking for, we can just transfer your deposit to another location. Does that work for you?”

- Does your partner usually trust your judgment? OK… then why don’t we just lock in these seats right now while we can, and I’ll be glad to help you go over the details with your partner later?”

Want more suggestions on how to generate a higher percentage of callbacks? Just e-mail me with the subject word CALLBACKS, and I’ll send you another hot idea on how to help move your phone number straight to the top of your prospects’ “To Do” list.

We have enough to do and can’t worry about people getting back to us. Take control, people! Help make it easy for others respond to you, and you’ll be taking callbacks left and right… and cashing a few more checks in the process.

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Welcome Back…Now Get Selling!

Bill Guertin — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 17:52:43 +0000

The holidays have passed us by, it’s 2010, and for those of us who hibernated for several days, it means it’s time to get back to work. Over the years I’ve seen an inordinate number of people give me excuses why it’s not the “right time” to sell someone right after the holidays:

“Everyone’s hung over.”
“People are hitting the ground running, and they’re too busy to talk to me.”
“Their budgets have just been set for the year, and there’s no money for me.”
“People have more important things to do, and I’m the last person they want to talk to right now.”

You can come up with a hundred excuses for every day of the year about why it’s not ‘the right time’ to sell. (In fact, my friend Lee Salz has a hilarious list of sales excuses for each month. If you’d like a copy, just e-mail me and put the word “EXCUSES” in the subject line. I’ll be glad to share it).

Here’s the reality: For everyone that isn’t quite ready to buy today, there are plenty of others who are ready to say “yes” to you. That’s right; TODAY. Now. This moment. Your job as a professional sales rep is to find them.

That’s what sales is. It’s not excuses about the lousy conditions, the time of year, the time of day, the weather, or any number of things that others use to justify their decision not to call someone today.

While there might be ‘better’ days to reach a majority of prospects than others, every day represents an opportunity to sell someone on the benefits of your team’s product. Right now, someone needs to hear about the relationship-building, the fellowship, the family time, the motivation, and all the other benefits your team brings to young and old.

Even on a day like today.

The holidays are over. It’s time to get back to work. Put a spring in your voice, an extra measure of enthusiasm in your presentation, and make 2010 your best year ever.

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Reach out in New and Creative Ways for Ticket Sales

Tyler Johnson — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 07:23:38 +0000

I always take the opportunity to reach out to a customer and show off a brand I represent. I won’t lie, I had a college professor that pounded this into my head for a semester. Working in ticket sales a few years later, I searched for ways to capitalize on this point.

In today’s ticket selling environment some of the most frequent “reaching” out to customers is often through an e-mail blast or annual phone call of some sort. These customers receive the same treatment from companies across all industries, not just ticket sales people. I search for new ways to build rapport and trust with current and hopefully future customers. I’m trying to differentiate myself along with the brand I represent!

Maybe it’s the season, but one of my favorite activities is sending out our Holiday cards. Year round I still love (almost as much as the customer does receiving them) sending hand written notes. It’s rare to receive something personal from a company just to say hello. I continue to come across people that I may not remember sending a card or a few ticket vouchers, but they always remember me. Some return as customers, others refer their friends while some just acknowledge a well done hello from their favorite team. I’ve even been called out as the “White Sox Networking guy!” at the bar. Either way when I call, they feel my purpose is not simply to “sell them” but to find out what I can do for them. They know I’ll be there whether they buy what I have to offer or not, and as a serious fan they don’t wander too far off.

As the online world continues to grow, I’ve found ways to let my customers know they’re not just on my radar come payment time in the digital world. The social media window of opportunity has come! Adding this new avenue in reaching out to customers or leads that way has gone a long way for me. Whether it’s Twitter, Facebook or LinkedIn it is more personal than an e-mail blast. Even better, those pages provide great information that help build rapport and provide even more information about the person whom I’m trying to sell. I myself have my Twitter and LinkedIn links in my company signature. It excites me when I see a new Sox fan or customer following me because the window of opportunity just opened a little further.

The referral factor gets multiplied with the use of social media. The more people who know where to find me and look for the answers to their White Sox related questions, the better. Utilizing this area over the past year has allowed the quality and quantity of my leads to rise.

Finding the right mix is always crucial and depends on the customer, as they are each different and unique in their own way. Seek to find ways that people will remember you and reach out to them with a few marketing touch points.

I’d love to hear any ideas others have or have used themselves!

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About Tyler Johnson

Tyler Johnson is an innovative thinker inspired by the likes of Bill Veeck, Jon Spoelstra, Pat Williams & Brooks Boyer. Currently working for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment as a Group Sales Account Executive for the Denver Nuggets. Prior he worked as the New Business Development Executive with the Chicago White Sox. Tyler has also worked directly with the inventor and creator of Arena football and also for Mike Ditka’s former Chicago AFL franchise. As a former collegiate athlete and business sensed individual Tyler ventured to combine his passions to get into the business side of sports.

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Top 100 Pieces of Advice for Sports Ticket Sales Reps

Bill Guertin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:09:58 +0000

1. Ask yourself, “Why do I want to be in sports ticket sales?” If it’s because you’ve always wanted to work for a sports team, consider that you may have wanted the job for the wrong reasons.

2. Be in love with success as much as you are in love with the job. Don’t take the job simply because you wanted to see your name next to the team logo on a business card.

3. Understand that you’ll have all kinds of people you’ll need to interact with effectively, including some that you wouldn’t want to necessarily hang out with. Look past your own personal bias, and treat everyone the same: Like Gold.

4. Learn just enough about the team’s packages to be dangerous, then start selling. You’ll learn more in those first 100 calls about what you need to study further than anything your literature will ever tell you.

5. Don’t get “Analysis Paralysis” – thinking that you have to study everything about the team, the packages, and every nuance of the sport before you can get out and sell it. Good is better than perfect.

6. Study successful people you admire in your office that have been there for a while. Listen to how they do what they do, and borrow what you can reasonably incorporate into your own style.

7. Read books and publications that give you a taste of others’ selling styles; try several things, and begin to create your own style based on the success of others. (For starters, go to www.The800PoundGorilla.com and click on Free Articles and Helpful Stuff.)

8. Do NOT take someone else’s entire selling style and try to force it into your body! Learn from others, then adapt it and make it your own.

9. Be confident that every phone call has the potential to result in a sale. There are no “throwaway” calls! Be at your best on every one, whether it’s the first or the fiftieth of the day.

10. Remember that every single phone call you make is to your next potential employer. If you’re any good at all, you’ll get a lot of job offers from your prospects. How many offers will you receive? The better you become at selling, the more you’ll get. (It’s a great barometer of how well you’re doing!)

11. Be nice and get along with as many people as possible in your office; you’ll need every one of them at one time or another in your career with the team.

12. Learn where the problem areas are in your arena or facility, so that you can talk intelligently with your customers about blind spots, handicapped access, the path of the sun and shade, and the other things they won’t learn online.

13. Learn the positives about every seat. Believe that “every seat is a good seat” in many ways, and be able to sell each location – the good as well as the bad.

14. Use positive language for each kind of seat. You should never refer to the upper deck as the “nosebleed seats” or other negative word, even if the customer refers to them as that. Know the words to use to describe each of the sections of your facility, and USE them with your prospects!

15. Don’t assume that just because you have contacts in a community, you can sell them without asking for the order. It’s great that others know you, but until and unless you ASK them to buy, they probably won’t.

16. Know what’s different about the team you represent compared to every other sports experience and leisure activity in town.

17. What qualifies you to be the #1 choice in your community? Learn and know what you’ve done in the past that makes you the prospect’s best choice to work with.

18. Sales is helping people get what they want, so that you can get what you want. Don’t complicate it any more than you have to!

19. People need salespeople in their lives, whether they like to admit it or not. Don’t let anyone talk you out of the profession. Nothing happens in this country – or ANY country – until a sale is made!

20. You’re going to have to help people make decisions about buying tickets to your sporting event. Don’t be afraid to tell them what you’d do if it were YOUR money!

21. Some people are going to beat you up before they buy. That’s part of your job; to absorb the negative, listen to what they have to say, acknowledge their concerns, and then ask them to buy.

22. People enjoy buying from someone they like. Be likeable!

23. Help others to feel as though they can count on you to stand behind their purchase. Let them know you’ll be there to help them every step of the way, both during the season and beyond.

24. Many of us secretly want someone to give us permission to buy. As a sales professional, you should constantly give your clients the satisfaction of knowing that their choice of your seats will be the right choice. Give them the permission they’re looking for to buy!

25. Think about this: Why should someone deal with you instead of your Website when buying tickets? What do you bring to the buying experience that your team’s Website can’t?

26. Companies don’t need any more vendors; what they really want today are those who are willing to become partners in their success. Find out what your customers are looking to achieve, and help them get there with the benefits of your product.

27. Habits are formed through constant repetition each day. Get into positive habits on the job from Day One — # of prospecting calls, paperwork accuracy, less time jawboning with co-workers, etc.

28. You have 10 seconds or less to impress someone enough to continue to want to listen to you. If you sound disinterested, unprepared, or wishy-washy, you won’t get past “Hello, my name is…”.

29. Read into an audio recorder as if you were on the first 10 seconds of a phone call, then play it back. You’ll never understand how good (or bad) you sound until you hear it for yourself.

30. Be as prepared to leave a great Voice Mail message as you would be prepared to discuss a potential sale with a prospect. Since over 70% of the phone calls we make result in a voice mail, shouldn’t you be EXTRA-prepared to leave a message that begs to be returned?

31. Here’s a test: Leave yourself a phone message on your voice mail at home at the beginning of the day, then listen to it when you return home. Would you return your own message?

32. If you have scripts or phrases you want to memorize, read them into a digital recorder and listen to them on your iPod as you jog around, work out, or drive to and from the office. If you memorize the phrases, they’ll come out of your mouth at just the right time, with just the right amount of conviction.

33. If you’re not listening to yourself on an iPod or CD in your car, listen to something inspirational on the way in before work. The news won’t cut it. Choose something that will inspire you to be at your best that day.

34. Hang out with positive, successful people. If you have negative friends that bring you down with them, drop ‘em and get new ones. Your career is at stake.

35. Before you even pick up the phone, be sure you have all the information you need in front of you.

36. Make sure your mind is in a singular place when you’re calling. Daydreaming about that hot date later that night isn’t going to sell you any tickets right now.

37. When you finally reach your prospect, ask if it’s a good time to talk. Phrases like, “Did I catch you at a good time?” or “Do you have a moment?” are two examples. If you launch into your pitch right away, your tone screams “Salesperson” right away.

38. Open the conversation strong by asking a question that the dozens of salespeople before you aren’t asking.

39. Learn to vividly “paint the picture” of what the team experience is like for your prospect, in a way they’ll respond to favorably.

40. Some of the best “trigger words” you can use to begin to paint the picture are: “Imagine… How do you think…?” “Just think…” “Picture this…”, and “Here’s what I see…”.

41. Storytelling is a powerful means of selling ideas. Learn success stories of groups, individuals and businesses that have used your team’s product successfully, and tell those stories to others who are experiencing similar challenges.

42. Many prospects feel guilty, frightened, nervous, or any combination of emotions when making a buying decision; as a professional salesperson, learn how to help people say Yes to you by giving them “permission” to buy.

43. If your prospect begins to try to sell YOU something, politely tell them that you’d be happy to consider their offer, once you’ve been allowed to finish what you’re calling them about.

44. Gatekeepers can be your best friends, if you’re sincere about wanting to get to know them and prove it by taking good notes, asking questions that matter to them, and bringing up those conversation points each time you call.

45. Be prepared to answer the question, “Can I tell him/her what your call is regarding?” They’re listening for you to stumble, so that they have a reason to deny you access to the decision-maker.

46. If you communicate to the gatekeeper that you have something “new” to share with the decision-maker, she is more likely to let you through.

47. If you can’t get through the gatekeeper, try to find someone else at the company that can help you get you to him/her.

48. Have a list of questions or cheat sheet you can look at and refer to often when you finally have a prospect on the phone.

49. Best response to gatekeeper’s ‘What This Regarding?’: “It’s a business matter of a personal nature.”

50. Second-best response: “It’s about his/her Season Tickets with the (team). Are you a fan too?”

51. Get a mentor that isn’t afraid to tell you what you need to hear, rather than what you want to hear.

52. If you need a reason to get out of bed, make it for someone else other than you: the child that will attend their first sporting event because of your phone call, the business that will find a way to keep their best client because of a suggestion you made, etc.

53. If you’re not prepared with at least five solid answers to the “It’s not in the budget” objection, you’ll sell less than you’re capable of selling.

54. Best open-ended answer: “Does that mean you wouldn’t be open to a new idea?”

55. Second-best answer: “Which budget do you mean? Most companies have several.”

56. Thought-provoking answer: “Put the budget aside for a moment. If these seats were free, how would you choose to use them?”

57. Smart answer: “Most companies I work with are re-evaluating all their expenses, and figuring out what kind of REAL return they’re getting. What do you do for things like (employee incentives/sales incentives/client entertainment, etc.) right now?”

58. Best reason to keep tickets in the budget: Stress Reduction (employees, customers, suppliers, family, the prospect).

59. If a company just laid off people, they’re still a candidate for seats. Don’t give up too soon!

60. Always acknowledge their painful choice to lay off people before you get into the reasons why it may be the perfect time to get involved in a cost-effective product like your team.

61. Most companies still need to operate and do business, even if they’ve had layoffs recently. Ask if they plan on keeping the doors open, and if so, what their plans are for pleasing customers and motivating employees going forward.

62. Get wishy-washy people to tell you Yes or No sooner rather than later!

63. Suggest that phone tag is hard to play, and politely suggest that you’d rather have a Yes or No now, for the benefit of both of you.

64. It’s OK to get a No, because then you can move on – and so can your prospect!

65. Don’t criticize someone’s choice of buying tickets at the box office on the day of the game if they’re available; thank them for their support, compliment them on their choice of teams to see, and let them know what benefits they may be missing out on as a Season Ticket holder that they may not have known.

66. Too many games? Suggest that the prospect split ‘em with others, re-sell what you can’t use or give to charity – there are LOTS of ways around that objection.

67. If someone asks, ‘Are you trying to sell me something?’, they’re playing with you, and they probably expect you to play back if you’re to sell them anything.

68. Have at least 2-3 good responses to this objection. #1 suggestion: “Only if you’re buying!”

69. #2 suggestion: “Only if it makes sense for you.”

70. Warm and fuzzy response: “If you have a good reason to buy, then yes, I can set you up… but I promise not to sell you something you won’t absolutely love. Fair enough?”

71. Quick response: “Yes. Are you in sales too?”

72. Fun suggestion: “Only if you’re buying!”

73. Honest suggestion: “Selling you something is the LAST thing I’ll want to do in our conversation!”

74. If you have a lousy team, remind people that the media only covers the box score, not the fun and excitement that goes on in the stands.

75. Ask the fan, “Besides the wins and losses, what’s the most important thing to you when you come to a game?” Make 2-3 suggestions as to what it might be, and engage in THAT conversation.

76. Best short response to the ‘Lousy Team’ objection: “We’re not looking in the rear-view mirror, we’re looking ahead!”

77. Regardless of the team’s record, remind your prospect that every game is an unwritten script. No one can predict the outcome, which is why they play the game in the first place!

78. If someone already has season tickets elsewhere, be sure to compliment them on their choice, and the fact that they see the value of being a season ticket holder.

79. Remember that your value of money should be left at the door when you’re selling seats. You may not think that $250 is a price you would ever pay for a seat to a sporting event, no matter where it is – but that’s not up to YOU to decide! Lay it out for the customer, and allow him or her to make that decision for themselves.

80. #1 answer to ‘Your Seats are Too Expensive’: “Too expensive as compared to what?”

81. Thinking man’s response: “They’re only expensive if they’re not considered as an investment. I have clients that say that if advertising works, it’s an investment. If it doesn’t, it’s very expensive. Wouldn’t you agree?”

82. Once they have agreement to that statement, help them to see how you as their Account Executive can help them realize all the benefits of becoming a Season Ticket holder.

83. If someone says they need to talk it over with someone, ask if you can talk to them on a 3-way call right then and there.

84. If you hear, ‘I’m not interested’ right away, have 2-3 immediate questions ready to go in an attempt to continue the conversation. Most people are just making snap decisions, and really don’t know enough about what you have to offer to be ‘not interested’ yet!

85. Immediate Question Option #1 for ‘I’m Not Interested’: “I’m not sure if you were aware of this, but…” – and then fill in with something that’s positive that many people wouldn’t know about the product you’re selling (i.e., groups, seasons, etc.)

86. Immediate Question Option #2: “If you don’t mind me asking…” – and then ask something that gets them talking, like “Are you worried about what it might cost?” or “Is there something about our team that you don’t like?”

87. Option #3: “Before you go, can I ask you one more thing?”

88. If you’re lucky enough to get onto the rotation for incoming calls, understand that these are leads the company has spent a great deal of marketing dollars to attract. You must be at your BEST when answering these calls!

89. Look to gain some sort of commitment from your prospect on every call you make. Examples: a firm date and time to talk again, an agreement to do certain things in a period of time, the names and phone numbers of the other persons in the party, etc.

90. Remember that for outbound sales, most salespeople give up after the first two attempts to sell someone. If you stick with it after the second attempt and go on to a third, fourth, and so on, you’ve outlasted almost 75% of your competitors.

91. All top salespeople have goals beyond their current job that allows them to be their very best at the job they’re in today. Have a good number of your goals written out, and have them where you can refer to them often and measure your progress.

92. The majority of all sales are made between 8am and noon. Decide that you’ll devote as much time as possible to selling in the morning hours; your odds are far greater at that time of day.

93. Stay away from words and phrases like “Honestly”, “To tell you the truth”, “To be honest with you,” and others; it may leave the subconscious impression with your prospect that you’ve been dishonest with them up until that point.

94. In a challenging economy, Return On Investment (ROI) is king. Don’t present any proposal of yours until you find out what ROI means to your prospect, and how it’s being measured.

95. Get a few back issues of a trade publication of your best prospects’ industry; you’ll learn the language of their industry quickly, what their current concerns are, and the potential solutions that are being talked about among their peers.

96. Understand that people will be judging you, but you don’t have the right to judge them. This is the challenge of serving others greatly. Accept it with reverence, and do your best to be AT your best, regardless of what your opinion of your customer might be.

97. People will be judging you in many ways; by your physical appearance, your personal hygiene, your eye contact, the way you carry yourself, your tone of voice, and a dozen other measures. Do your best to represent your organization by paying close attention to the “basics”.

98. In today’s selling, there is no substitute for doing that needs to be done in order to succeed. Your good looks, your Ivy League Phi Beta Kappa, your charming wit, even your blue-chip Rolodex won’t bail you out. Do The Work.

99. Continually ask yourself this question throughout the day: “What’s the best use of my time right now to put myself in a position to succeed?”

100. When you get to the management level – and you WILL if you follow the 99 pieces of advice above — sales training experts from the outside can help your sales team accomplish more than you could ever do on your own. I consider it a privilege to help those in our industry to succeed, and you’re welcome to E-mail me anytime and ask about how I can help you at bill (at) The800PoundGorilla (dot) com

P.S. Which of these pieces of advice would you say has been most helpful to you? Let me know by clicking here and let your voice be heard!

image by Hryck

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The Best Ways to Start a Cold Call

Bill Guertin — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 11:15:30 +0000

We’re terrified of cold calls. Can we admit that?

There’s nothing that strikes fear in the hearts of men and women quite like the icy grip of the COLD CALL. Even the name sounds like a bad B-movie: “You never know who’s on the end… of a COLD CALL!” (Cue terrifying shriek, bad music) “Rated “R” for Run Toward Another Job Right Away.”

The reason we hate them so much is because we know how we feel when we RECEIVE them!

Think about your feelings when someone calls or visits you out of the blue looking for you to buy something. You’re thinking about all the negative words that people use to describe salespeople, and don’t want to be thrown into that same category. Right?

So here’s the secret… Don’t sound like a salesperson!

Ask yourself: What do salespeople say, do, and act like that turns you off? Jot down a few of those things. Then decide that you’re not going to do those things!

What can you do instead? Here are a few ideas specifically for sports ticket sales reps. Use these as idea-starters, inspiration, or read them right from the sheet (you ARE going to print this out, aren’t you?), but make sure you understand the intent, and when you customize them, keep the intent intact:

- “Hi… Sales department, please.” (This is an indication that you’re a revenue-producing call, and the receptionist is almost always instructed to route MONEY calls to the sales department. Be prepared to answer questions as to what you’re interested in ‘buying’, so the person can route you to the right desk!)

- “I have the weirdest question you’ve had all day.” (Choose your weird question from the several below, or make up your own)

If sales are down at your place, who’s the one that usually gets the most angry? That’s who I need to talk to.

Who’s the biggest baseball (or your sport) fan in your office? That’s who I need to talk to. (When you reach that person, say: “If you thought Season Tickets would be a good idea for your company, who would you have to convince in order to get them?”)

When was the last time your company went out and did something FUN as a group?

Who’s in charge of smiles at your place? The one who’s got to keep morale up, and keep employees happy. Would that be you?

- “Could you help out a starving salesperson today?” (gets receptionist/gatekeeper smiling and on your side!)

- “I have called all over, and I hope you finally have the answer I’m looking for. Do you know who would handle (sales incentives/group outings/etc.) at your place?”

- “Is the boss around?” (informal, non-threatening, familiar tone)

- “Hi… who’s in charge today?” (wait for response) “Good! Is he/she nearby?”

There are plenty more non-traditional ways to start a conversation, which I train in my 3-day Sales Dominance program for sports ticket sales teams. These should get you going in the right direction.

Always remember that cold calling is a game – a serious, results-oriented kind of game — and if you inject more FUN into it, your voice will reflect that fun, and you’ll be more successful as a result.

How do you currently tackle cold calls as a salesperson? Leave your comments below!

Picture Credits: Count 5 ; Blackberry

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Ticket Sales and Social Media: MLB Dilemma

Lewis Howes — Wed, 13 May 2009 15:05:08 +0000

Ticket Sales are tough to come by these days due to the economy and other excuses people seem to come up with. I was lucky enough to attend a Cubs game with Tyler Johnson (who happens work for the White Sox, but the team was out of town that weekend we watched the Cubs).

Tyler talked to me about the challenges he faces trying to integrate social media with the Sox, due to the stipulations MLB.com has on all of the teams. Watch this brief video below to hear his thoughts, feel free to add your own in the comments section, and tweet about this video on Twitter.

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