I’m constantly championing and fighting the corner of sales people.

The fact is, a lot of sales people get a bad name in the press and society as a whole and this is mainly down to the consumer having had a bad experience themselves or reading about a sales horror story.

Yes, there are some awful sales people out there who will take the shirt off your back if you’ll let them, yes there are some sales people out there who are more like conmen who will trick and hard sell you to sign on the dotted line but the majority of sales people are hard working and HONEST people who are trying to make a living.

How do I know this?

Well, here at MTD Sales Training we’ve trained over 10,000 people so we’ve been up close and personal with them and to me I get sick and tired of hearing people slag off sales people. What about the managers out there who manipulate their staff? What about the nurses out there who do enough just to get by? What about the school teacher who couldn’t remember my name and I had been in her class for 2 years?!

Yes, these are all exceptions to the rule. But it’s the same point.

There are good and bad in all industries so lay off sales people!

And who do you think will help companies to survive and thrive through this economic slump?

The politicians? Nope

The bankers? Yeah right!

Nope – it will be the quality of sales people. With lay offs and hundreds of companies closing their doors every single day the only way that a business can survive (apart from the availablility of credit) will be the quality and effectiveness of their sales people.

And please remember nothing EVER happens without a sale. Don’t believe me?

What about that chair you’re sitting on? The keyboard you’re typing on? The clothes you are wearing?

Sales is the starting point for everything.

“But someone like surgeons don’t rely on sales people” said one delegate to me a couple of weeks ago. But oh yes they do. Who do you think sold them their operating utensils and equipment to use? What about the scanning equipment? There’s not one sole supplier out there you know!

Surgeons rely on the very latest equipment available to save lives and guess who made this possible? Yes, sales people.

So please help me in my quest for fighting the corner of the sales person. We need to make a stand against the public’s perception of sales people.

Please make a comment below to show your support so we can make a stand!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

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I was watching Derren Brown’s Evening Of Wonders the other night and I was amused, entertained and amazed at some of his tricks. Correction – I was amazed by ALL of his tricks.

He confesses not to be a psychic or a medium so all of his stunts and tricks are based upon:

* Suggestion
* Hypnosis
* Slight of hand
* Misdirection
* Psychology
* Showmanship

I then got to wondering!

How effective would Derren Brown be if he were a salesman?

Now I’m not suggesting that you should EVER EVER trick your prospects into buying but there are certain techniques that you can use to “get on their wavelength” and to “read them” more effectively.

You can also use hypnotic language, use certain elements of NLP and you can just use the good old fashion laws of life!

To be an outstanding sales person in the 21st Century you need to master techniques that the bog standard Jo Smith sales person would not even dream of. When you look at the list above of what Derren Brown actually uses, I’ve highlighted the areas that I recommend that you look further into to give you the sales edge.

Remember, sales is not about manipulation. i.e getting them to do something that is not in their best interestd. You have to believe that your product or service is right for them. Then and only then should you use techniques such as these to connect with your prospects and clients to close the deal.

Happy Selling!

Sean

PS – Do you think Derren Brown would make a good sales person? Leave me a comment below

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training International

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

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As Barack Obama becomes the most powerful man in the world, there are a number of lessons that sales people and marketers worldwide can take from this modern day, new school leader.

Barack Obama is an awesome role model of just what you can do with the right belief, strategy and a hard working ethic.

So here are 5 lessons that you can take from Barack Obama and put them into your sales efforts.

1. Activity, Activity, Activity

If you take a look at how many and how frequently Obama and his team visited and canvassed the different states around the US you’ll see that he did much more than McCain.

This activity was done DAY IN and DAY OUT with no restbite.

Lesson - Get out there and generate the activity on a CONSISTENT basis

2. Make A Connection

Obama made a connection with the people. He can step into their shoes and understand what they are going through and can communicate in a language that they can understand.

Lesson - What can you do before, during and after the sale to make a connection with your prospects and clients?

3. Obama Is Selling Hope

If you line up 10 people and ask them what Obama’s policies are, I’d bet you’d be hard pressed to get any specifics from them. Obama tapped into the emotional sell. He used statements like "If you’re a mom and you’re son is in Iraq, you’re tired of those sleepless nights fearing that phone might ring" – "You’re worried about how you’re going to make that mortgage payment"

What Obama is selling is a bright new future and hope for the US.

Lesson - What can you do to stress the benefits of your product and service beyond what it does?

4. Obsolete Products

Of course, the citizens of the US had been using a product (i.e Bush) that they had become tired of. The company that sold the product (i.e Republicans) was also tarred with the same brush.

Obama had some ammunition to work with but had to be careful not to slag the competition off.

He positioned himself against the old, obselete product as something new and up to date and this resonated with the marketplace.

Lesson - Don’t tear down the competition but position yourself against them based upon their strengths and weaknesses

5. Sell Yourself

The way that Obama speaks really moves people.

Not I’m not saying that you need to move your prospects to tears but you need to stir up their emotions and come across as someone who is sincere and knows their stuff.

Gordon Brown said that Obama ran an "inspirational campaign, energising politics with his progressive values and his vision for the future".

Conservative leader David Cameron hailed Obama as the "first of a new generation of world leaders"

Lesson - Think about what you stand for as a sales person. How can you come across as visionary in your field? What can you do to make your prospect and clients say "Wow, he/she was just awesome – we’ve got to use them"

Having stopped up very late and on into the morning I was moved by the whole occassion.

If only one of our leaders had such charisma and vision to see us through these rocky waters!

Happy Selling

Sean

Sean McPheat – The UK’s #1 Authority In Sales Success

MTD Sales Training – http://www.mtdsalestraining.com

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Lehman Bros Files For Bankruptcy….

….what does this mean for you as a sales person?

With the sad news that Leham Bros’ headquarters had been corndoned off as staff left carrying cardboard boxes with their personal belongings it got me thinking as to:

A. What the UK media will make of this
and
B. What it will mean to you as a salesperson

Well, we all know what the answer to A will be. The UK media will lap it up. They love bad news because bad news travels quicker than good and it will sell more papers. And because of the media coverage business owners and corporations alike will most likely take a more conservative stance when it comes to spending money so they can “see what happens” with the fall out from the Leham Bros collapse.

So what does this mean to the salesperson?

Well, in my view you now need to work harder than ever before. Not in terms of the number of appointments you make or the way you churn your numbers. When I say work harder I mean that you need to work harder on improving and honing your skills and you need to formuate a response to the objectives that you know are going to come – PRICE and ALL EXPENDITURE IS ON HOLD

The business will be out there for you.

Let me repeat that – the business and the money is out there for you even if it has been reduced.

You just need to make sure that when they open their purse strings that they give you the money instead of to your competitor.

Here are 4 questions for you to look at and answer:

- What makes you, your company and your products/services stand out from the rest?

- Why should I use you instead of your competitor?

- “You are too expensive and we cannot commit to that amount in the current climate?” How will you respond to that question?

- “Everything is on hold at the moment” How will you respond to that question?

So, it’s time to regroup and to evaluate where you are now and where you need to be.

No matter what the Lehman Bros fall out will be there will still be the money out their for what you offer – just make sure it comes to you!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone:
0800 849 6732

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Peter Thomson made it into the 2008 Internet Marketing Ryder Cup even if Monty didn’t!

Peter Thomson has always been a favourite of mine when it comes to public speaking and business growth. So much so that I added him the 2008 Internet Marketing Ryder Cup!

Now whilst he is not an internet marketer through and through he would play an important role in the strategic direction of any internet marketing strategy and hence that’s why I’ve put in him!

Do you like the photo of Peter Thomson above? He’s third from the right – back row.

Can you also spot me holding the cup?!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone:
0800 849 6732

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A maven is someone who dominates their marketplace or industry.

A maven is the “go to” person for a particular product or service.

A maven is the leading authority in ABC or XYZ.

The truth is, mavens are well respected and trusted so if you can build up your reputation to maven status and as the “go to” person then selling becomes a lot easier.

I’m humbled when companies and the media call me a maven in the sales industry. I think the term is a little over the top to be honest but I’ll take it nonetheless!

Here are a couple of things to become a maven:

- Send your prospects and clients reports and information that positions you and your company as the leading authority. Send lots of info without asking for anything in return. Prove yourself as the expert.

- Send press releases and articles to media publications within your industry. If and when you get published it automatically positions you as someone who knows what they are talking about.

- Build an email list of prospects and clients and send them info, tips and know how each week or bi-weekly. By keeping in front of your prospects and clients you’ll be building up trust.

In short, prove that you are the best in your industry.

Become a maven and you will overcome one of the biggest objections know to mankind “lack of trust”

Go for it!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

Telephone:
0800 849 6732

Have you downloaded my latest report yet? “The Sales Person’s Crisis” has been downloaded by over 10,000 sales pros and entrepreneurs. Don’t miss this unique report that lifts the lid on modern day selling!

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Wednesday of this week I came out with a kool idea for a postcard marketing campaign and we needed to move fast…

Our designers got the postcards designed within hours and we called up our suppliers who we’ve been with for 4 years to see if they could print them quickly ready for Monday – “No problem they respond with”

I just got a call form them saying that all 16,000 of the cards are printed and ready to be dispatched.

Great job I say. Then they say “We need payment in full before we send them to you”

“But I need them for Monday as agreed” I said

“No payment, no cards” they replied with

Now, my accounts team are actually on an away day today. I’ve bit the bullet and paid for them to go rock climbing and all that stuff! So we can’t make any payments until Monday.

“I’ve been a customer of yours for 4 years and spent thousands with you” I said. “Can’t you just send them and we’ll pay you on Monday when they are back in”

“No” and then came those lovely 3 words that goes against everything I believe in:

“It’s company policy”

So was it company policy 2 years ago when they cocked up big time but I gave them a second chance? Was it company policy when they couldn’t grasp a design due to a new member of staff starting on our designs and there was a 2 week delay in the output?

I hate that term. Sure, there have to be rules and I appreciate that but whatever happended to trust?

I’ve paid them thousands over the years and now I will most likely move the MTD account. You see it’s MTD’s company policy to work with like minded suppliers!

So what are the lessons about my Friday rant?

Trust can go a long way to help you to cement building relationships. Why? Well, because there is none out there that’s why!

Trust means a lot to me and it means a lot to your clients too. They’ll love you for it if you can demonstrate it.

You need to pick who to trust though. The way that I was treated was as though I was going to do a runner!

Well, after I receive this lot of postcards I am….straight to one of their competitors!

Okay, rant over.

Just make it easy for your customers to so business with you!

Sean (I’m getting off my soap box) McPheat

Managing Director
MTD Sales Training International

Telephone:
0800 849 6732

Website:
www.mtdsalestraining.com

Have you downloaded my latest report yet? “The Sales Person’s Crisis” has been downloaded by over 10,000 sales pros and entrepreneurs. Don’t miss this unique report that lifts the lid on modern day selling!

Click on the image below to find out why you’re very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

Sales techniques need to change to reflect the new age buyer!

The world of the modern day buyer has changed!

First understand that the modern-day consumer is within him or herself, a technologically advanced, well educated sales person.

We live in the age of an information explosion. Information technology has seen more advancement in the last few years than at any time in history and for all intents and purposes—today—right now–is the future.

Along with these technological and scientific breakthroughs, comes the easy access to worldwide information. The Internet and its development offers instantaneous access to a global knowledge-base and details on almost any subject matter at any time. What this means to you as a sales person is that your customer has access to anything they wish to know—right at their fingertips.

Your prospective customer can look up, verify, confirm or refute almost anything you say within a few seconds. In the past, consumers were left with the need to have to rely almost solely on the words of the sales person. The sales person was the expert and the customer had no way to verify if the sales person’s advice and assessments were accurate. In the past, when a sales person made a claim as to the effectiveness of their product or the reliability of their service or their company’s position in the market place, the customer had no way to prove otherwise.

Not so, today.

Pick up the telephone today to make a cold call to set an appointment with a prospective customer and that customer can have everything there is to know about you, your company, your competition and your company’s performance history, displayed on their desktop before you even get off of the telephone.

Give a savvy consumer a few more seconds, and they can produce a credit report on your company, they can run off your turnover figures, profit and loss and can find out all about your competitors and what they offer along the same lines as you and play you off against one another!

So my question to you is this: “How well are you preparing yourself to match the requirements of the modern day buyer?”

Watch this space because shortly I will be releasing a revolutionary sales training CD programme that will cover just that!

Happy Selling

Sean Mc

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The Curry Lounge was a 110 seater, all glitz and no taste curry house based in Nottingham.

This was the latest installment in Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares and the restaurant was losing £3k per week.

A “DIY” restaurant – on the face of it a nice customer orientated idea but practically a nightmare! The DIY part was that the customers could “create their own curry”. There were over 100 variations of dishes that they could possibly have – madness!

In the Curry Lounge the customer was truly the king! So much so that they could have whatever the liked! Now, I am all for giving the customer what they need but you can’t sell the business when doing so!

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Raz, the owner and former salesman himself was trying to please everyone with fancy dishes that had lost it’s authenticity by trying to be too smart.

Calling all Sales Directors! Don’t think that just because you are in charge of the sales in your company that you could just drop that and become a successful restaurant owner! Raz, the owner of The Curry lounge was an ex Sales Director but was found wanting.

Many people try to over complicate things – my advice? Keep things simple!

That means…

Simple food.

Simple service.

Simple systems.

Simple concepts.

People are easily confused!

One part made me really laugh when Ramsay made Raz take down their BEST CURRY HOUSE (runner up) sign in the shop window. I came second in the British Business Awards in 2007 as young entrepreneur of the year and I would never dine out on that forever.

There was a lack of teamwork between the kitchen and the front of house – remember this with your salespeople and their admin staff – everyone is important.

Ramsay took a step back and “niched” the offering going back to simple authentic indian cuisine with just 8/9 starters and 10/11 main courses.

The results? Well, they took £3k in one night!

The Curry Lounge has a lot of promise if they keep things simple, work as a team and understand what their customers really want.

These are valid sales lessons for you and your sales teams.

So please keep things simple, listen to your customers, work hard and the results will come.

Sean Mc

Have you downloaded my latest report yet? “The Sales Person’s Crisis” has been downloaded by over 10,000 sales pros and entrepreneurs. Don’t miss this unique report that lifts the lid on modern day selling!

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The Fish and Anchor – Another Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmare.

This was a restaurant based in Lampeter, rural West Wales run by ex-boxer Mike and his wife Caron.

The kitchen was like a war zone and so was the dining room!

The Fish and Anchor was very slow at turning around orders due to the menu – Gordon wanted to turn this around with the emphasis on speed.

Food that can be prepared in advanced and served up quickly.

Caron has a bad attitude for a restaurant owner. She had sloppy standards especially when smoking outside when guests were arriving.

The slanging match between husband and wife outside was comical. The shouting and screaming could be heard by the customers.

Just please tell me that your business is not like the Fish and Anchor!

In any business the customer is always king. I was gobsmacked by the way that they spoke to some of the customers. Having said that I was gobsmacked when Mike wrote bogus reviews on the web!

Unbelievable!

The locals did not have a good word to say about the Fish and Anchor restaurant - bad experiences spread like wildfire! The Fish and Anchor’s reputation was awful.

The first thing to address were the arguments between the owners and to give it a new identity i.e open up as an Italian restaurant

The new menu enabled speed and the food could now fly out of the door – i.e the system was now set up for successful selling.

The dining room staff needed to work on their people skills so they set up some role plays – never be scared to practice like this. Make the service friendlier!

Everything was set. It was now time to drum up business.

Remember, marketing and sales are two different animals but they need to work hand in hand. Marketing generates the leads – sales close them down!

With the new launch and lots of customers – the kitchen at the Fish and Anchor could not cope when the chips were down. Added to a waitress slipping on the floor and collapsing – it turned into a real nightmare.

When Gordon came back to revisit they had painted the outside a clean white colour. Their customers had doubled! Gordon then called up their customers to get some feedback. It is vital that you get feedback from your customers too.

With a bit of passion, planning and refocussing – it can make a huge difference.

Happy selling

Sean Mc

Have you downloaded my latest report yet? “The Sales Person’s Crisis” has been downloaded by over 10,000 sales pros and entrepreneurs. Don’t miss this unique report that lifts the lid on modern day selling!

Click on the image below to find out why you’re very existence as a sales person is in doubt…