What is the Value?

Whether you are selling, motivating, leading, parenting, exercising, marketing or just making things happen, you HAVE to know, what is the value.  What is the value of what you are trying to achieve for you, your team, your family, your friends, whoever is on your side.


Why would someone want to buy your product or service? What problem will it solve for them or what benefit will it give them?
Why would your team member want to exhibit the behaviour you want? What do they get for it or what do they avoid?


Sales and motivation is all about value.  Show them the value and you can't help but be a success.


So what is the Value?

Selling is Not Smart

Selling is Not Smart

I have done many sales courses over the years.  I have read many sales books, blogs and newsletters.  I have listened to many sales CD's and tapes.  I have come to the conclusion that Selling is Not Smart.

What I mean by that is that there is no super smart magic special formula, sentence, statement, or approach that is guaranteed to work every time.  There is no secret that you are missing and the super stars know.

The foundation of sales is this.  

How can you solve your customer's problem?  

To get to ask this question you need to build rapport in a way that is comfortable to you and that doesn't alienate your prospect.  Basically, be you and have a conversation. The best way to find out how is to practice having an engaging conversation and listen for the issue or problem they have.

Practice on your partner, your kids, your friends, your work colleagues, your clients, your prospects and all of a sudden you will find that you are a legendary sales person - simply by finding out how to solve your customer's problems.

Like I said, selling is not smart, it's an effortless conversation.

Image: Clairity 

Sales Tips from a 10 Year Old Sri Lankan

It is amazing what you can learn in the strangest of places.

On the road from Colombo to Yala I learnt a valuable sales tip that is applicable to any sales situation but particularly to exhibitors.  All across Sri Lanka there are huts on the side of the road where the locals sell their produce.  Here is one we stopped at that had a lot of different beans, peas, grains and chillies.

Some of the more humble huts are staffed by children.  (Hut is a bit generous. It is more a simple table!)  As you got closer they were smiling, holding high what they had to sell and inviting you to stop and look at their produce.  Originally I just dismissed them as kids selling vegetables but then I noticed something.  After we went past, they were still smiling and simply tried to engage the next passer by.  It got me thinking and comparing this young boy to many of the exhibitors I have seen and worked with.

Here is what that 10 year old Sri Lankan taught me: 

• Smile! It helps to engage with the passers by.
• Make sure the prospect knows exactly what you are offering - even if this means waving around your product.
• Use some kind of pick up line to engage the passer by.
• If they don't stop, don't take it personally. Keep smiling and look for the next person.

Such simple things that so many in sales, and particularly those exhibiting at Trade Shows or Expos, forget to do.

Enjoy!

What is Most Important?

I have just come back from three days hosting an Expo/Trade Show. There was a great array of brands, products and services all displayed and promoted in different ways.  It struck me that the most important thing was most over looked.

It wasn't the booth set up, some of the simplest booths were extremely busy.
It wasn't the give aways, samples or bowl of lollies on the table.
It wasn't the price of the product or service as items of all prices were selling.

It was the "Engagement" process, how the exhibitor captured the attention of the visitor.  Many of the expensive corporate booths had people walk past because the people on the booth were not focussed on attracting the people.  Some smaller business owners were a bit shy and waited until people came to them. Yet there were some star performers who ALWAYS had someone at their booth, and nothing attracts a crowd like a crowd.

The same can be said no matter what you sell.  The first step is to get the prospect's attention, to get them engaged with you so they can discover what you are selling.

So no matter what you are selling, it could be a new idea to colleagues or a the idea of taking a holiday to your partner or selling the concept of staying off drugs to your kids or selling an actual product to your prospects, how will you engage with them? How can you put yourself aside and appeal to what is important or interesting to them?

That's what is most important!