This Motivational Sales Training Will Get You Pumped Up! By Marc Wayshak

Be sure to register for my free training on, "The 7-Step Formula to Closing More Deals without the Price Pushback, 'Think-It-Overs' or Ghosting" https://salesinsightslab.com/training/

KEY MOMENTS:
3:04 1. What is the key to success in sales?
3:53 2. The “Hide, Cheat, Steal” system of buying
5:40 3. Ditching the “ShamWow” approach
8:24 4. Talk less, listen more
10:13 5. Have a process and schedule next steps
12:09 6. What separates the winners in sales

1. What is the key to success in sales?

At my firm, we’ve taken some key data across all industries and found that average reps are seeing their numbers go down. Overall quota attainment in sales has gone down, too, but what's interesting is that top-performing reps are actually seeing their numbers go way up. That’s right—top-performing reps are becoming more successful in this marketplace while the average rep is going down.

So whatever those top-performing reps are doing is enabling them to rise way above the competition. Later on, we’ll take a look at the data to show exactly what is setting them apart.

2. The “Hide, Cheat, Steal” system of buying

How do prospects hide from us? They literally, physically hide. How do they cheat? They say they're going to do one thing and they do something else. And how do they steal from us? They steal our time and our information.

3. Ditching the “ShamWow” approach

Most reps are using the ShamWow approach to selling right now. And the data is unequivocal on this approach: it doesn’t work.

Highly enthusiastic, salesy, pushy selling simply doesn’t work in face-to-face sales because we are in the business of building relationships, of having conversations like real people. The ShamWow guy is at BJ's just trying to get people's attention, so it’s an effective approach for him. But for everyone else in sales, it’s a waste of time and energy.

4. Talk less, listen more

The most profound piece of data in this motivational sales training has to do with the talk-to-listen ratio of top reps versus average and bottom-performing reps. What's interesting is that average reps and bottom reps are pretty similar in the amount they talk in a sales interaction. But top-performing reps are doing a lot more listening. In fact, they're doing way less talking and way more listening.

The data is unequivocal on this. Top-performing reps ask about twice as many business-related questions as their less-successful sales counterparts.

5. Have a process and schedule next steps

One of the keys to sales in today’s current marketplace is having a real process, like an accountant, attorney, or investigator would. There are tools we use to be more effective at getting people to open up. If you've ever been to a psychologist, or maybe you just have one in your family, then you know what I’m talking about. Salespeople can benefit from following a systematic process just like a good psychologist or doctor would.

Next steps are a critical part of any proven sales process. My research has found that top performers are obsessive about establishing next steps. They're always scheduling that next meeting right when they're in front of the customer. They're not checking back in two months and saying, "Hey, maybe can I drop by?" They're actually getting it in the calendar.

Having a process in place and scheduling next steps can empower you to overcome any fears or anxieties you might have about selling. Just knowing exactly what you need to do at every step of the sale can take a tremendous amount of weight off any salesperson’s shoulders.

6. What separates the winners in sales

“Nothing happens until something moves.” When Albert Einstein said this, he obviously wasn’t talking about sales. But it’s so relevant to selling—nothing happens until we make something move. So what are you going to make move?

I’ll close out on a great quote by Michael Jordan, who was one of my favorite athletes to watch growing up. He famously said, "Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, but others make it happen." What this means to me from a sales perspective is this: There are two categories of people in sales. There are those who talk a big game, and there are those who play a big game. And every single day, it's on us to decide which category we want to be in.