The Golden Bookshelf - Sales Influence Podcast - SIP 592

Sales Process Complexity B2B sales processes are inherently chaotic and non-linear due to changing decision makers, reference points, and company types, requiring salespeople to be highly adaptable. Key Sales Skills Effective salespeople must possess high levels of empathy quotient, product quotient, and persuasion quotient to navigate complex sales environments successfully. Salespeople need to multitask between empathy, education, and persuasion in a circular pattern, adapting to buyers' needs and preferences throughout the sales process. Sales Approach The ability to jump between three cues (empathy, education, persuasion) in response to buyer needs is crucial for success in chaotic sales environments. Customer Understanding A high empathy quotient enables salespeople to understand buyer needs, while a strong product quotient allows for effective education about offerings, and a developed persuasion quotient helps in framing offers and gaining commitment.

Positive Framing Positive questions like "What do you like best?" can shift customer focus to favorable aspects of a product or service, increasing the likelihood of positive feedback. Using loaded questions strategically can guide customers to consider the benefits and strengths of a product, potentially leading to more favorable responses. Customer Engagement Open-ended questions encourage customers to provide detailed, qualitative feedback, offering deeper insights into their preferences and experiences. Implementing follow-up questions helps narrow down responses to the most significant positive aspects, providing more targeted and actionable feedback. Feedback Utilization Customer testimonials derived from positive feedback can be repurposed into effective sales pitches, highlighting real-world benefits and user satisfaction to potential clients.

Cost and Impact of Channel Switching Channel switching can lead to significant financial losses, with an insurance company saving $141,000 per 500,000 calls by getting just 2 out of 10 customers to self-serve on their website. A conservative estimate suggests that a company with an average deal size of $10,000 could lose $120,000 per year in revenue due to a website that's difficult to navigate. Customer Experience and Behavior Customers switching between multiple channels (website, chat, phone, email, Skype) to find information or resolve issues leads to increased frustration and lost business. Funneling customers quickly to the information they need on a website, making it easy to find and quick to access, can reduce channel switching and increase sales. Sales Strategy Reducing customer effort in finding information increases the likelihood of them reaching out to buy, potentially boosting conversion rates and revenue.

Compensation Strategy 💰 Compensation plans directly influence salesperson behavior, with effective plans tying quotas to pocketbook to motivate salespeople to hit numbers and grow the company. 📊 Quota-based commission plans can be designed to provide a bonus for exceeding quota, motivating salespeople to push beyond their targets. Psychological Factors 🧠 Commission plans should be designed with psychological considerations in mind, as they significantly impact salesperson behavior and motivation. Performance Drivers 📈 Commission tied to quota motivates salespeople to hit their numbers, offering a higher percentage of sales revenue when meeting or exceeding quota. 🎯 When salespeople aren't meeting quotas, the primary issue is often the compensation plan, not sales training, as it fails to provide adequate motivation.

Reading Strategies 📚 Only 8% of people read non-fiction business books, while the remaining 92% miss out on introducing new ideas and insights. 🏆 Implement the "100-page rule" to overcome reading hurdles: read the first 100 pages and decide whether to continue or donate the book to Goodwill. Information Extraction 🖊️ Mark up books with tags, underlines, and circles to highlight key information, then rescan to capture an additional 5-10% retention. Book Management 🧹 Maintain a "Golden Bookshelf" by regularly purging books and keeping only the best of the best. Categorization 📊 Organize books into three categories: sales, influence and persuasion, and AI for efficient reference and learning.

Customer Decision-Making 🛒 Guiding customers through choices rather than telling them what to buy leads to a more effective sales experience and increased likelihood of purchase. 🧠 Paralysis by analysis occurs when customers face too many options, as demonstrated by a Stanford study showing only 3% approached a table with 24 flavors versus 30% for 6 flavors. Sales Techniques 🎯 Funneling choices from many to few (e.g., 24 to 6, then to 2-3) helps customers make decisions more easily and reduces buyer's regret. ❓ Asking qualifying questions to understand customer needs and providing 2-3 tailored options creates a more personalized and effective selling approach. Customer-Centric Approach 🤝 Validating customer preferences through targeted questions and narrowing choices based on their responses enhances the overall customer experience and increases sales success.

Performance Management 🎯 Measure output to manage results and avoid micromanaging, but switch to measuring activities when not hitting numbers to guarantee output, as per Dr. Michael Lebau's "The Greatest Management Principle in the World" (1985). 📊 To ensure output, focus on key metrics introduced by Frank B. Kern in the 1940s-50s: cold calls, call-to-meeting ratio, pipeline size, average deal size, close rate, and sales cycle length. Diagnostic Approach 🔍 When performance lags, zoom in on specific activities while maintaining oversight of high-level dashboard metrics like sales, new clients, and revenue. Motivation and Rewards 🏆 Recognize and reward desired activities through both monetary and non-monetary means (e.g., encouragement) to motivate people and drive the right behaviors. Strategic Shift 🔄 Flip the equation from output measurement to activity measurement when targets are missed, ensuring that the right activities are being performed to achieve desired outcomes.

The Cycle of Success 🔄 Attitude leads to activity, which leads to achievement, which reinforces attitude in the "wheel of success" cycle. 🎯 Results guarantee a good attitude, not vice versa, as achieving goals validates one's approach and boosts self-esteem. Overcoming Procrastination 🏋️ Jordan Peterson's strategy of "lowering the bar" involves breaking goals into smaller, manageable sub-goals to build momentum and confidence. 📚 Example: To read more books, start with one page a day and gradually increase, creating a habit and overcoming procrastination. Momentum and Motivation 🚀 Getting results drives a good attitude, creating a positive feedback loop where small achievements lead to greater goals and motivation. 💪 The "Peterson principle" of breaking down activities into achievable sub-goals is a powerful strategy for overcoming procrastination and achieving success.

There are three customer buying situations that dictate the approach a salesperson should take. First, for clients not currently using any solution, the presentation must create a sense of need and urgency for the product. Second, when customers are using a do-it-yourself or in-house solution, the sales strategy shifts to an advantage presentation, highlighting the superior benefits of the offered product. Finally, for clients already utilizing a competitor's product, the focus becomes a switchover presentation, emphasizing the positive outcomes and ease of transitioning to the new system. Understanding these states allows salespeople to tailor their presentations effectively, moving beyond generic pitches to address specific customer contexts.

Compensation and Motivation 🏆 The most motivated salespeople achieve a great balance between loving their product and feeling financially appreciated by their company through an effective compensation plan. 💰 Salespeople require monetary compensation, not just gratitude and joy, to pay bills and stay motivated in delivering value-centric, customer-focused service. Sales Performance Framework 📊 The "left side of the ledger" in sales represents what salespeople do for customers, while the "right side" reflects their financial rewards, forming a holistic performance framework. Management Strategy 👔 Managers should prioritize creating a compensation plan that excites and motivates salespeople to provide value-centric, customer-centric service on behalf of the company. Employee Appreciation 🌟 Companies can demonstrate appreciation for salespeople by implementing a compensation structure that aligns with their efforts in delivering customer value and achieving sales targets.