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Under Pressure, You Don’t Rise to the Occasion. You Fall to the Level of Your Training.

Aug 1, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #603 From The Sales Doctor
Under Pressure, You Don’t Rise to the Occasion. You Fall to the Level of Your Training.
Sound familiar?

Although frequently credited to an anonymous Navy Seal, this quote is originally attributed to the Greek lyrical poet, Archilochus.

He is credited with being among the earliest Greek writers of iambic, elegiac, and personal lyric poetry.

This quote speaks to my 5 P’s – Preparation & Practice Provide Peak Performance.

How prepared are you for the pressures that come at you daily?

The way you practice is the way you play!

Preparation & Practice are the keys to success.
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

Your Persistence Will Overcome Their Resistance

Jul 25, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #602 From The Sales Doctor
Your Persistence Will Overcome Their Resistance
There is a fine line between persistence and pushy especially when it comes to follow-up.

Instead of guessing when you should call back, determine when and how the follow-up should take place before you end the meeting.

Unfortunately, most people will give up after the first line of resistance because they are hearing “no” instead of “not now.”

Scheduling the next step before you end the call will allow you to become pleasantly persistent and not pushy with your follow-up.
 
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

Failure Can Hold You Back or Help You Succeed

Jul 18, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #601 From The Sales Doctor
Failure Can Hold You Back or Help You Succeed
What is holding you back?
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

Stop Assuming!

Jul 11, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #600 From The Sales Doctor
Stop Assuming!
I walked into an auto parts store (no names, please) to purchase an air compressor that would be powerful enough to inflate a car tire.

After being greeted with the proverbial, “Can I help you?” I asked where I would find the air compressors. He immediately told me they were all out.

As I began to leave, a young man behind the desk asked me what I needed it for, and I told him just to inflate a car tire.

He responded, “at the end of aisle three, on the right.” As I walked down the aisle, the other gentlemen said, “I thought you were looking for the larger air compressors.”

We all know what happens when we assume.

Stop reacting to what I refer to as customer sound bites. It still boils down to active listening and asking questions!
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

Facts Tell, But Stories Sell

Jun 27, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #598 From The Sales Doctor
Facts Tell, But Stories Sell
Bryan Eisenberg, Professional Marketing Speaker, says storytelling is the art of engaging, educating, and getting your customer excited enough to listen to you in a chaotic environment with a wide variety to choose from.

It is not used to just cut through the noise of the extensive competition but also to connect to your target audience and evoke a bond of trust.

Here is a list of reasons why storytelling should be inculcated into your business right away to boost more sales:

1. Better Retention
The time span of human attention is around 8-10 seconds, and according to a Stanford study, stories are up to 22X more memorable than facts and figures alone. Thus, telling a story instead of the basic one-liner tagline leaves you with better chances of the customer remembering you. 

2. Invokes Emotions
Stories invoke emotions and connect human beings at an emotional level. A salesperson should be more than a person just selling the great features the product has to offer. He/she should connect to the customer on a personal matter and make them feel that they understand and relate to their daily problems. The story isn’t what matters… it’s what the story creates that matters – emotion. A sales rep using storytelling to engage is more likely to close the deal by invoking the emotional connect. 

3. Builds Trust
The most powerful stories come from having a deep understanding of your customer. Once you create an environment for your customer which captivates on more than the need to close the deal, the customer opens up and begins to trust you. This helps you to strengthen your relationship with your customers.

4. Makes the Boring Stuff Compelling
We all have the case study versions where we explain how we have helped a particular customer. But the truth of the matter is no one really reads those boring case studies with some industrial stats. However, if you take the same content and build a story around it, it suddenly becomes much more compelling to your target audience.

5. Influences Decisions
The main aim of any salesperson is to close. Positioning your product in your stories relevant to their situation can help influence their buying decision to a great extent. Keep the stories straight to the point, making it about how the product will benefit them. Paint an image in their mind using your storytelling skills.

Work on your story and increase customer engagement, create lasting relationships, and boost your sales.
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

Mind Your Mind!

Jun 6, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #595 From The Sales Doctor
Mind Your Mind
Here is some wise counsel that applies to all of life. Six principles to live by when it comes to your thinking.
1. Your thoughts determine your character.
2. Don’t waste your thoughts on people who don’t value them.
3. The first person you must learn to lead is yourself.
4. Be sure your role models are people of principle and integrity.
5. Remain confident that the vision you have for yourself will come to pass.
6. Remain steadfast in what you know is right.
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again

May 31, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #594 From The Sales Doctor
If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again
I’m sure all of you have heard this saying at one time or another.

“If At First You Don’t Succeed, Try, Try Again” is a fantasy short story by Zen Cho but it also can be applied to closing the sale.

The minimum of attempts is 3-5 and that’s not counting follow-up. Unfortunately, many salespeople give up after the first or second attempt.

Don’t be afraid to be pleasantly persistent once you have identified a customized solution for your prospect.

Continue to Try, Try again.
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

Be More Curious Than Cautious!

May 16, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #592 From The Sales Doctor
Be More Curious Than Cautious
When it’s time for you to conduct your Needs Analysis, Qualifying or Discovery, throw caution to the wind.

Don’t hold back on your questions.

There is information that needs to be extracted that will help you determine if there is a need for your product or service. I call it, “What’s your need to know before you start talking?”

Remember that it’s never the first question that provides you with all the necessary information. It’s usually the third, fourth, or even fifth follow-up question so maintain a curious mindset.

Ask yourself the question – do I have all of the information that I need to provide a customized solution?

Usually, the answer is no so continue to be curious until you do.
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

The Value is in the Details

May 9, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #591 From The Sales Doctor
The Value is in the Details
Every company that I do training for has to sell value and not price.

The value of your product or service is in the details so when you are being compared to someone else, you better be able to point out and then thoroughly explain the difference.

There is a difference that’s not reflected in the quoted price. It’s in the details!

Sell value and not price.
Filed Under: Tips & Advice

Expand Your Focus!

Feb 22, 2022 by Leave a Comment
Updates from Marvin Montgomery
Sales Tip #580 From The Sales Doctor
Expand Your Focus!
When your customer says your price is too high, do you immediately begin focusing on discount options?

If so, it’s time to Expand Your Focus to determine the real reason they feel your price is too high by just asking.

How come you feel the price is too high? Then be silent and wait for their response.

As long as you continue to focus on price, you will never have the opportunity to provide the customer with a customized value your product or service provides.

Don’t forget that your outlook will impact the outcome!
Filed Under: Tips & Advice
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