Dealing With Sales Trauma | Sales Influence #599

Victor Antonio explains that there are three distinct types of buyers a salesperson will encounter, and each requires a different sales approach. The first type is the unaware customer, who needs to be made aware of a problem they are experiencing. The second type is aware but apathetic, necessitating a shift in the sales conversation to emphasize pain points and urgency to make them care about the issue. Finally, the third type of buyer is aware and cares but is scared of the risk involved, so the salesperson's job is to mitigate anxiety and increase certainty to facilitate the purchase.

Victor Antonio explains that there are three distinct types of buyers a salesperson will encounter, and each requires a different sales approach. The first type is the unaware customer, who needs to be made aware of a problem they are experiencing. The second type is aware but apathetic, necessitating a shift in the sales conversation to emphasize pain points and urgency to make them care about the issue. Finally, the third type of buyer is aware and cares but is scared of the risk involved, so the salesperson's job is to mitigate anxiety and increase certainty to facilitate the purchase.

Customer Loyalty Metrics Customer loyalty can be measured through three key indicators: repurchase intent, increased spend, and word of mouth (net promoter score). The intersection of repurchase intent, increased spend, and word of mouth provides a comprehensive indication of customer loyalty. Effortless Experience A frictionless buying experience is crucial for customer loyalty, as customers prefer an effortless interaction with companies. The book "The Effortless Experience" by Dixon, Tomen, and Delisia offers empirical data and insights on customer loyalty, particularly valuable for small to medium-sized businesses. Business Impact Focusing on creating an effortless experience can lead to improved customer retention, increased sales velocity, and overall business stickiness.

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.