Now, what most of you DON'T know, is I get most of my ability to work and sell from my mother, Carla. My mother decided to end her sales career to stay at home with me and my two older brothers when we were very young. My father will say his big regret is letting her do that because if she was still working, we would be living in a beach front mansion in Newport Beach, CA. She was always working, though. Because wasn't busy enough with three kids, she was constantly developing profitable side projects, In the past 5 years, she has created a successful business, all while being the day time caregiver for my two young sons.
My mom is a rock star. If you get the privilege to get to know to know her, you will find she is sharp, funny, confident and completely unorthodox in her thinking. She's a spit fire and a blast to banter with. This is what has set her apart and made her who she is today. Lucky for me, she LOVES to share her sales advice with me. And today, my friends, I am going to share some of her advice with you.
1. They won't buy anything from you if they don't give you anything.
This advice was very helpful for me to understand the effectiveness of my cold calls. My mom told me if they don't give you anything (a business card, a layout of their facility) they won't buy anything. I kept practicing this, even asking for "pre-sale" gifts, and noting where I was successful and where I wasn't. This advice stood true.
2. Always say "YES" when offered water/cookie/item from a client.
One of my favorites and goes along a bit with the first word of advice. Often times, before a meeting starts, the client will ask "do you want any water?" And almost always, our answer is "no." We do this because we don't want to feel like we are making our prospect go out of the way for us. But Carla suggests always saying, "Yes." First, it makes you different from the four other sales people that have walked in. Second, it goes along with the first bit of advice, and that is "They wont buy anything from you if they don't give you anything." She explains, "Its your first transaction, make it easy for them."
3. Only bring issues up internally if your ability to sell is being affected.
Internal politics and issues can be the death of a salesperson. Bosses being unfair, promotions seem undeserved, a fellow employee is being a bit obnoxious... we have heard them all. Well, Carla thinks if it isn't directly affecting your ability to sell, then you need to forget about it and move on. She explain that my job is to go out, connect with clients, and create a book of business. If I am doing that correctly, very little outside influence should affect my ability. I was not hired to improve processes. And shes right. So when issues arise, I work hard to channel that energy into a productive work flow.
4. Don't go to lunch with anyone who can't buy anything from you.
This one is hard for me, but really it makes sense. We all love to go to lunch with co-workers. We enjoy debriefing on the morning and talking about how our families are doing. An hour or more with co-workers can be spent with a client, reading about the latest technology impacting your business, with a vendor who can help you further your business relationships, or just in your own silence. Use that time wisely.
5. Bring your own water to the office.
"Water-cooler" talk drives Carla nuts. She's not much for small talk in the first place, but when it comes to work, she absolutely despises extended time when getting up for a quick break. She explains that if I have time to sit and talk to friends, I can do one of two things:
1. Go Prospecting
2. Go home and take care of your kids
We all say we are busy, and I know most of us are. But if we can take some of the small talk that we dabble through the day, we may have extra time for completing tasks or to balance work and life.
6. Give them something to buy
After a sales meeting, I stopped by my moms house and told her about a sales person that didn't sell anything for that one. He put up a goose egg. A big fat zero. I said, "Its easy to point, but how can I ensure that never happens to me?" She advised, "Always give them something to buy." This seems silly, but I have given this advice to our young business development reps. Whenever you cold call for months and no one has bought anything from you, you have to think, "Did I quote anything?" I tell them to give quotes even if the client doesn't ask for quotes. The client probably wont buy what you quoted, but they always have something else for your efforts. My mom expressed, if you have to put a pallet jack in the back of a pick up truck and go door to door, then that is what you are going to do. That may not get your salesman of the month, but you sure as hell wont have a goose egg by your name!
My mom has provided years of valuable advice. Most of it is sound, lots of it is delightfully crazy and some of it is not appropriate to publish on a professional blog post.
So get out there, say yes to the water offered and get your clients to buy something!
