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One Piece of Advice for Selling?

LittleMissFancy

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Hi,

I have recently identified what I believe is a void in the B2B world and thus have created a business to address this void. Initially, I will be acting as the one and only salesperson, something I have never done before but I am ready to jump in. I know that getting that first sale is the hardest and that I will have to stay focused and determined and not succumb to doubts or let "no" stop me from forging on.

What is the one (or two!) piece(s) of advice you would bestow upon someone entering B2B sales?

I look forward to hearing your thoughts!
 
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Bekit

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  • Know your audience
  • Start with their pain points
  • Match the value of what you offer to the pain points they've told you
  • Recap what you've covered and ask if it sounds good
  • Ask for the sale
  • Handle objections that arise
  • Circle back around, recap, and ask for the sale again
  • Have a few back pocket offers available (such as a guarantee or a discount) for the people on the fence
  • Listen more than you talk
  • Get good at reading their buying signals
  • Don't take it personally when someone behaves like a jerk
  • Be persistent
  • Follow up
  • Document every step of your process so that you can hone, adjust, and refine your system
Every one of these points is a whole world in itself, so if you are new to sales, you might want to pick up a few books on selling. Once you can sell, a sale is a sale is a sale. You'll be able to sell any item at any price. You will do yourself a huge favor for the rest of your life to develop this skill.

All the best!
 

LittleMissFancy

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  • Know your audience
  • Start with their pain points
  • Match the value of what you offer to the pain points they've told you
  • Recap what you've covered and ask if it sounds good
  • Ask for the sale
  • Handle objections that arise
  • Circle back around, recap, and ask for the sale again
  • Have a few back pocket offers available (such as a guarantee or a discount) for the people on the fence
  • Listen more than you talk
  • Get good at reading their buying signals
  • Don't take it personally when someone behaves like a jerk
  • Be persistent
  • Follow up
  • Document every step of your process so that you can hone, adjust, and refine your system
Every one of these points is a whole world in itself, so if you are new to sales, you might want to pick up a few books on selling. Once you can sell, a sale is a sale is a sale. You'll be able to sell any item at any price. You will do yourself a huge favor for the rest of your life to develop this skill.

All the best!

This is amazing, thank you for taking the time to list this out bullet-point style! I'm picking up some sales books that have been recommended on the forum and hitting them hard.
 

richstone.io

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@Bekit thanks for this checklist!
What I could add to this:
1. think through many possible sales conversations. Have an answer for many possible objections
2. Train your speaking/rhetorical skills


Have a few back pocket offers available (such as a guarantee or a discount) for the people on the fence

I really liked a piece of advice to explicitly not give a discount. This could impact your credibility and may look like you tried to sell your product for a higher price than its actual value.
Instead, have a strategy that allows removing value/features from your product in favor of a lower price.
Check out this podcast to check the details and other great nuggets of selling advice:
631 – Lead Nurturing And Handling Objections – The Get Clients Series

Can someone recommend other great sales podcasts at this occasion?

This is amazing, thank you for taking the time to list this out bullet-point style! I'm picking up some sales books that have been recommended on the forum and hitting them hard.

Which books have you decided for and what kind of a product do you sell if I may ask?
(I saw Bryan Tracey's stuff often recommended in the realm of selling books)
 
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richstone.io

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Show in you pitch how they profit from buying (makes/saves more money than it costs)

Apropos pitching, there is probably a no better book for understanding a great pitch than "Pitch Anything"
 

LittleMissFancy

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Check out this podcast to check the details and other great nuggets of selling advice: [URL='https://www.superfastbusiness.com/business/631-lead-nurturing-and-handling-objections-the-get-clients-series/' said:
631 – Lead Nurturing And Handling Objections – The Get Clients Series[/URL]

Can someone recommend other great sales podcasts at this occasion?

Thanks for this suggestion, I'm going to listen on my drive today.
Which books have you decided for and what kind of a product do you sell if I may ask?
(I saw Bryan Tracey's stuff often recommended in the realm of selling books)

I have decided to read:
How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling-Frank Bettger
Sell or Be Sold-Grant Cardone

As for the product I sell, I'm not going to disclose at this time.[/QUOTE]
 
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Charnell

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Just know that your first few conversations are going to be rocky. You'll be hit with an objection you never thought of and blow a deal. BUT the next time that objection comes up, you already know how to explain your value to overcome it.

Super high highs, super low lows.

EDIT: I would add Predictable Revenue if you want another book, and at the same time I would recommend not reading so much to learn as I would recommend watching videos. Reading a script is a lot different than watching a performance which is a lot different than roleplaying.

I don't know if you plan on cold calling or having that first encounter on the phone, but what helped me relax when "smiling and dialing" was to kick my feet up on my desk and talk like that. Anecdotal evidence proves you can't sound nervous when your feet are on your desk and hands are behind your head.
 
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richstone.io

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Just know that your first few conversations are going to be rocky. You'll be hit with an objection you never thought of and blow a deal. BUT the next time that objection comes up, you already know how to explain your value to overcome it.

Super high highs, super low lows.

true, exactly like job interviews. You always learn something new.
 

GoodluckChuck

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It's funny. You asked for one piece of advice and immediately got 200.

While I agree there is a lot that goes into a highly skilled salesperson, I think it's too easy to get buried in technical mumbo jumbo, especially early on when you have no experience.

Your original premise was perfect for the stage you're at.

"What is the one piece of advice..."

This is a great place to start and take action on before you get too deep. You should talk to 200 people before you start reading sales books.

The only thing you need to be thinking about is "what are this person's problems and how can I solve them?"

The rest will work itself out.

If you get caught up in all the millions of pieces of sales advice out there, you'll likely forget the point of what you're doing in the first place which is helping the person you're talking to.
 
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LittleMissFancy

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Just know that your first few conversations are going to be rocky. You'll be hit with an objection you never thought of and blow a deal. BUT the next time that objection comes up, you already know how to explain your value to overcome it.

Super high highs, super low lows.

I really appreciate this and it's especially true for someone like myself because I tend to be a person in which I lose steam and have trouble continuing on the path when I'm not immediately good at something or when I'm met with a tough obstacle. Sprinkle in some self doubt and wham-bam the perfect storm of giving up and moving onto something else. I am NOT letting that happen this time, this idea is too good and too beneficial to others to give up.

EDIT: I would add Predictable Revenue if you want another book, and at the same time I would recommend not reading so much to learn as I would recommend watching videos. Reading a script is a lot different than watching a performance which is a lot different than roleplaying.

I don't know if you plan on cold calling or having that first encounter on the phone, but what helped me relax when "smiling and dialing" was to kick my feet up on my desk and talk like that. Anecdotal evidence proves you can't sound nervous when your feet are on your desk and hands are behind your head.

I like your idea of watching videos instead of solely reading books especially considering that I need to hit the pavement and get going. Maybe I'll do an audible sales book for when I'm in the car and then watching videos to get the most bang for my time (is that a phrase?:oops:)[/QUOTE]
 

LittleMissFancy

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It's funny. You asked for one piece of advice and immediately got 200.

While I agree there is a lot that goes into a highly skilled salesperson, I think it's too easy to get buried in technical mumbo jumbo, especially early on when you have no experience.

Your original premise was perfect for the stage you're at.

"What is the one piece of advice..."

This is a great place to start and take action on before you get too deep. You should talk to 200 people before you start reading sales books.

The only thing you need to be thinking about is "what are this person's problems and how can I solve them?"

The rest will work itself out.

If you get caught up in all the millions of pieces of sales advice out there, you'll likely forget the point of what you're doing in the first place which is helping the person you're talking to.

This is great, thanks!

How does this benefit the customer and can I effectively communicate that quickly and succinctly?

The resounding advice I've received both on the forum and outside the forum cab be distilled down to: Don't get too caught up in the preparation/how-to, it can quickly become all consuming. Just get out there and do it, learn, adjust, repeat. Each time you will learn something and be able to apply that to the next pitch. Your sentiments exactly!
 

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