Power Sales Guru With Will Harris podcast

Power Sales Guru, Will Harris discusses concepts from his best selling book "Power Prospecting". In this episode he states: "What you do does not define who you are. But what you think does define who you are. And, many times it defines your amount of charisma."

What is charisma? You may not be able to define it. But you know it when you see it. At the heart of charisma are two things that make or break you.

This podcast will tell you both things and help you increase your charisma to win more sales!

How to get information that guarantees you close a cold call.

Anyone with the desire to grow and willingness to prepare must also accept the responsibility to take action. It is an established fact that the largest and most powerful train in the world can be held in place by a one-inch block of wood.

Placed in front of a huge train, a little 1 inch block of wood will hold it completely motionless. However, that same train, when in full speed motion, can crash through a steel-reinforced concrete wall. That shows the power of........ACTION! ACTION!

Taking action when others over look an opportunity is the biggest differentiator in sales. You know it and I know it. Every day we face a great opportunity but it can go unmissed as we take no ACTION. ON this podcast we are going to discuss the one resource that’s THE most critical source of information before you reach out to prospect.

This source is there every time but is not dressed up like a present under the Christmas tree...yet it is still a gift. WE are going to discuss what this gift is and how to unwrap it and claim your success.

What if you were able to know all your prospect’s business needs?

What if you knew their personality before you contacted them?

What if you could access EVEN what your prospect’s boss wishes?

All of this is available to you with ease...and 95% of other sales people don’t even consider this resource.

The key to GETTING critical information that guarantees you close a cold call is.....

The Receptionist Gatekeeper

In a previous podcast, we talked about from the mid-level gatekeeper, right...the person that has the power to say NO but not the power to say yes. Well now we come full circle we’re talking about the frontline receptionist gatekeeper. The sales tactics I discuss on this podcast is ideal for cold calling into a company.

Let me set the context.....You may have an idea of who to speak with at a midsize company (not too big, not to small...like goldie locks...just right). Maybe you researched them prior to your call. AND Now the phone is ringing

And the first thing you hear is: “Thank you for calling Harris Technologies, how can I direct your call?”

Remember it’s a cold call...so the normal your response would be: “Hi, I would like to speak to the person in charge of purchasing?”

The receptionist will respond: “That will be Jane, please hold and I will transfer you.” She could even transfer you without supplying the decision maker’s name or department.

And that concludes your interaction with the gatekeeper.

Let me share a personal story about my mother. My mother was that gatekeeper at a mid-size company for 15 years. After school, I would ride my bike to my mother’s job. I would stay there doing my homework for two hours until she got off of work.

Once she was off work we would throw my bike in the back of her blue Chevette and we would go home. My mother’s workspace was situated in the middle of the lobby at a traditional desk. I would go around the corner so she could see me doing my homework as she greeted visitors to the company.

I could see the large volume of calls my mother took at the front desk. I also observed people from the back come up and have conversations with my mother. Gatekeepers in this role do not get paid based on the volume of calls they receive or the number of people they talk to. Nor are they paid based on the efficiency in which they transfer a call.

During one ride home after work, I asked my mother if her job was boring. She replied that she had begun playing mental games to keep her mind sharp. It also helped her become more efficient at the skills needed to transfer calls.

My mother was extremely good at her job. As with most jobs, there were pros and cons. The cons were that my mother was the undeclared emotional garbage dump for anyone having a bad day. Employees would come up and scream at my mother when their day was not going correctly.

Sales people who were frustrated that their appointment was late for a meeting would make angry demands of my mother. Many times I wanted to get up and tell them you better stop yelling at my mother. I never did, though, because she told me that would get her fired and we needed her to keep that job. So I continued to sit around the corner and do my homework the best I could without letting anyone distract me.

My mother was the eyes and ears of that company.

She saw everything. It was amazing how few professionals treated my mother with respect. The sales people were especially rude. My pretty sure they didn’t think they were being rude.

Here is an example of how they would speak to my mom.

“Hi, my name is Ron and I’m looking for the person who deals with purchasing equipment. Could you get me in touch with them please?”

Now you may say, that doesn’t sound that b...

Episode 008 What to say in your Opening Statement

Hello, I’m Will Harris. Welcome to the Power Sales Guru podcast. The title of this episode is What to Say in Your Opening Statement.

I love the story of the high school basketball coach who was attempting to motivate his players to persevere through a difficult season. Halfway through the season he stood before his team and said, “Did Michael Jordan ever quit?” The team responded, “No!” “What about the Wright brothers? Did they ever give up?” “No!” the team responded. “Did Steve Jobs ever quit?” “Again the team yelled, “No!” “Did Elmer McAllister ever quit?”

There was a long silence. Finally one player was bold enough to ask, “Coach...who’s Elmer McAllister? We never heard of him.” The coach snapped back , “Of course you never heard of him....he quit!”

I love that story. In this podcast we are going to discuss the four parts of a great opening statement. And ensuring you never quit before you connect with a new customer.

Allow me to paint a picture for you. You made a call to speak with a potential client. You have built rapport with the gatekeeper, who was happy to supply helpful information.

When you are transferred to the Decision Maker,

He answers the call and says: “Hello. This is Tom.”

The clock begins....

You have ten seconds to generate interest before you lose them forever. The moment is here and the pressure is on. What you say next makes or breaks the call.

What do you do when the pressure is on?

What do you say to gain progress?

The desires of our heart often require unquenchable spirit, sweat, energy beyond what we think is possible, and an undying commitment. These prerequisites to success culminate in one overriding quality – Perseverance.

I’m a big fan of the great psychologist William James. Dr. James said “Fatigue gets worse up to a certain point, when gradually or suddenly, it passes away and we are fresher than before!”

At that point we have tapped a new level of energy...There may be layer after layer of this experience, a third even fourth ‘wind.’ We find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength habitually not taxed, because habitually we never push through the obstruction right in front of us.

Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was rejected by 23 publishers. The twenty-fourth publisher sold six million copies and Dr. Seuss realized his perseverance resulted in challenging and educating millions of children.

After having been rejected by both Hewlett-Packard and Atari, Apple microcomputers had first-year sales of $2.5 million.

And Formula 409...got its name because 4 hundred and 8 times they submitted their compound and were rejected. But the 4 hundred and 9th time ................was accepted.

So how do you know when enough is enough?

When we achieve what we set out to do, that is when it is enough?

Are you willing to do enough?

To cold call, or to prospect within an account you need 4 parts in your opening statement. For a great opening statement 4 things are enough.

The four major parts to a powerful opening statement are:

1. Greeting
2. Attention Statement
3. Interest Statement
4. Opening Question

The opening statement creates a bridge from “I don’t know you” to “I need to know you.”

Different is the new great. The goal is to stand out amongst the sea of sales people fighting for your prospect’s interest.

Now let’s take a look at the first thing to say in your opening statement:

1. The Greeting

Some sales people whisper the name of their company as if they were passing notes to another student in class. Or they say it so quickly that it lacks the luster and power the name deserves. The greeting is where you acknowledge who you are and which company employs you. This should be said slowly and with pride.

“Hello. My name is Will Harris. I’m with Willpower Consultation.”

The Greeting quickly says: Hi, Me, & Us. A great opening statement quickly shifts focus from the salesperson onto the prospect. Avoid the trap of focusing on you during the call. Introduce yourself and your company, and then quickly move the conversation onto the prospect.

I have been asked whether to use first name only in your greeting....or should we use first and last name for ultimate professionalism. Whatever makes you feel comfortable...that’s what you should do.

If you have some super cool name like Alexander Fraiser III. Then you may use it in order to stand out and be different. But if your style is more laid back then you may say, “I’m Alex.”

You can phrase the greeting whichever way fits your style. Just remember, the greeting is simply “Hi, Me, & Us.” Done!

That was the first part to say in your opening statement.

The second...

How to close a sale in first 10 seconds of a Cold Call - Winning Sales Message

For this podcast, we are going to look at the most important part of your opening statement...the interest statement.

You never get a second chance to make a good first impression. When you are prospecting to a client there are no second takes. If you stammer the initial call, you cannot hang up and call right back to try again.

Regardless of the business or organization, everyone has the same problems all over the world. In order for you to achieve differentiation with your prospecting efforts, you need to mention one or more of these six needs in your WIIFM Statement. Take a look at an example for each:

Operations WIIFM – You operate better with me

Operations represent the biggest challenge for any business. This area has a dual focus on cost control and inventory management. Even for service companies, inventory is present in the form of human labor. Your WIIFM should focus on how you can have a direct impact on overseeing key areas of their inventory, or the way in which they conduct their business.

For your clients, differentiation of companies in your industry becomes tougher every day. Look for operational superiority in your offer if you cannot easily show product superiority. In the absence of product differentiation, focus your WIIFM on process differentiation. Most businesses interact with companies based on what works for the company and not their customer. Highlight this difference and you will stand out.

Operations: These ideas will gain you more control over your expenses.

Marketing WIIFM – You have more customers with me

Marketing focuses on generating revenue. Every company is in the business of making money. A strong WIIFM focuses on how your company can help them make more money. In some cases, you may be positioned to use Power Prospecting to contact organizations and not businesses. This includes non-profit organizations, like a city council or other government agencies. Not for Profit organizations have a reason for existing and that reason is the source for developing a strong WIIFM. Show how you can help them find new customers or reach their objectives quicker.

Marketing: I specialize in helping my customers find customers.

Financial WIIFM – You make money with me.

Financial needs involve a business’ ability to collect billed revenue. Getting business is good, but collecting money on business is great! All decision makers have a concern around ensuring that billing and collecting is a smooth process. It may require a creative WIIFM to connect your offering to this regard. However, that connection will immediately resonate with the decision maker during your prospecting call.

Productivity – You gain more resources with me

Productivity is the area where businesses look to accomplish more by using fewer resources. Using fewer resources could refer to things like money or time. Every business leader seeks ways to prevent over spending. Nothing frustrates a vested business professional more than spending too much time on administrative activities and not enough time on revenue generation.

Productivity: I will show you ways to spend more time on revenue-generating activities and less time on administrative activities.

Information – You stay ahead with me

Information empowers any business to make the right decisions to keep themselves in business. Company owners and leaders want to ensure that they are up to speed on the latest trends within their industry or market. No one wants to be behind the times. In addition, no one wants to be too far ahead which could result in not having any customers. For business leaders, having complete and correct information about the business environment makes for a compelling WIIFM.

Information: My company prides itself on supplying you with the most valuable resource in the market right now...information on the industry’s best practices.

Planning – You make the right decisions with me

Planning for the future, based on the past, is the cornerstone of business longevity. The fast pace of business finds management’s role changing each day. As business situations become more complex, most managers lack time to manage. Instead, they spend the majority of their time putting out fires. So much time is spent putting out fires that they lack time to build a better fire department. It is importation to mention your ability to help with strategic thinking and planning. This will showcase you as a Trusted Advisor.

Planning: You will be able to become more proactive than reactive through our strategic planning process.

Let me give you an example to explain my point of planning. There are beautiful Japanese fish named Koi. They can be found in little ponds and water gardens at the nicest hotels based on their decorative appearanc...