by Kirby Hasseman
If you have never been shopping in Mexico, the experience can be initially jarring. As you walk down a street (in a tourist area) you have person after person after person come up to you and beg you to come into their store. They might entice you by telling you their merchandise is totally different (which at a glance you can see is not true). They sometimes compliment you and tell you how their items will match your beauty. My favorite is the juke where they pretend that you know each other (they will notice your armband and say they work at the resort you are staying). You have to admire the hustle. On the other hand, after 50 people come up to you saying the same exact thing, you get really good at tuning them out. You get really good at saying no. You might even get a little more comfortable being rude. They have trained you to mistrust them. And by hustling through the marketplace, you might really miss some good things. It’s a shame, really. But it’s just too much. Though we might think that this is just “the culture,” I think all of us do this a lot in sales. We engage with prospects on a very crowded street (of competitors) and try to convince them why we are different, or better. We might make claims about our goods and service. We might pretend to be impressed with them. Heck, we might even pretend we know them. But we don’t spend nearly enough time trying to make our offering be better, or different or more valuable. On that very same street, a small bar and restaurant has an acoustic band. They are playing cover songs, but playing them really well. They have live music. And on street where there is activity galore, they are the only ones offering this value for free. Here are two questions: As a shopper, where are you most likely to stop? And as a business, how can you add that real value to make you stand out on a very crowded street? To make sure you never miss an update, please sign up for our VIP list here!
by Kirby Hasseman
I was looking into the eyes of a frustrated young lady. She was in the middle of a situation where someone she used to be close to was disparaging her on social media. She was angry. She was emotional. And she looked at me and said “I want some advice. What do you think I should do?” It’s a tough spot. But I said, “What I am about to say is simple…but it’s not easy.” I told her that she needed to ignore it. She needed to rise above it. She should not respond in kind. The fact is, what she needed to do was simple from my perspective. It was simple because I was not emotionally attached to it. But simple is not the same as easy. The same is true for nearly everything we want to accomplish in life. We “know” what to do. You want to lose 10 pounds? You need to eat better and work out more. Simple. You want to increase your sales? You need to reach out and talk to more potential customers. You need to ask them to buy from you. Simple. Oh, you want to have a better relationship with your significant other? You need to listen more, give more, love them more. Simple. That’s why it’s really easy to look at other people’s lives and diagnose what “they” need to do. When we look at other people’s situations, we have no emotional attachment to the issues. So we can look objectively and easily prescribe a solution. What does this mean for you? It means we all struggle with the same challenge. We know what to do. We just need to do it. So grant yourself some grace if you have not done it in the past. You can only do something about today. The solution is likely simple…it’s just not easy. Today, do the thing you know you need to do. Then do it again. Make sure you never miss an update! Join our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
The “secret to successful selling” is something that sales professionals and entrepreneurs search for like the holy grail. There are thousands of books about the subject. White papers and blogs are shared to help you find this elusive “white whale.” Videos are produced all the time to help you “fill the funnel” and “close the sale.” But here is the secret I have found about sales. There is no secret. The process to growing your sales is simple…not easy. Are you ready for it? Want to hear it? Here goes… 1. Make more sales calls (to real potential buyers).2. Ask for the order. I know that’s not sexy and not detailed. But I find in most cases (including my own), when sales are trailing, these two things can help. Let’s dig deeper though. Here are some more tips on growing your sales in nearly any market. 1. Be a Learner Not an Interrogator: If you have been in sales for more than 3 minutes, you have heard people tell you that you need to “ask questions” and you need to “listen.” There are all kinds of memes that will tell you that you have two ears and one mouth and to use them accordingly. But one trap you can fall into is to ask questions in a sequential order. You have a script (even if it is of questions) and you follow that. You want to get to the answers so you can qualify this prospect. In this instance, you are asking questions, but not really listening. Take on the role of a “learner.” Listen to their answers and ask follow up questions with things like, “Tell me more about that.” This will allow you to learn more about the problem you are trying to solve, but also the person who you are meeting with. 2. Provide Value: One of the best ways to connect with a person (buyer) is to listen to them honestly (see above). The next is to sincerely try to help them. Obviously we are all in business, and we want to make the sale and make money. But if you listen, you might find a way you can provide them value outside of the transaction. Do you have an article you can share with them? Are they new to town? Can you help them find a place to shop? Whatever. Listen to them and provide value up front and you will create a person that wants to do business with you when the time is right. 3. Ask For Next Steps: I said above that we need to “ask for the order” and that’s often true. But sometimes that’s jumping the gun. What I like to consider is “what is the logical next step?” Ask for that. Sometimes sales professionals are reticent to do this because it might seem pushy. To be honest, I think it’s weird if you have just spent time with a client and don’t ask. You have just wasted their time and yours. Maybe the next step is to put another appointment on the calendar. Maybe it’s to ask for the order. Maybe it’s step where the client needs to provide you information. Whatever it is, ask for that. The fact is, there are many subtle steps to the sales cycle. But if you take these 3 steps you will start to see progress in your sales journey! Don’t ever miss a post from Hasseman Marketing! Sign up for our VIP newsletter here.
by Kirby Hasseman
It’s hard to keep track. In today’s cacophonous echo chamber of content and constant “news,” it’s hard to know what to listen to. It’s hard to know what is worth clicking on. So many of us default to the the latest trending topic or soundbite. It’s understandable, but it’s reactionary. I think it’s more important than ever to be intentional about the voices we allow into our head (on a regular basis). Just like we become more like the 5 people we hang out with the most, we start to parrot ideas we hear on a regular basis. So here are some voices that I seek out as I try to “fill my head with good ideas and thoughts.” Jeff Haden: If you are in sales or an entrepreneur and you are not reading Jeff Haden already, check him out now. He is a leading contributor for LinkedIn and Inc.com. He is a really good writer (and a good dude). Every time I see something that he has posted, I read it. Here is the latest. Bill Petrie: This one is a little self-serving since Bill and I collaborate a lot. But his Monday blog posts are great. Bill is a veteran of the Promo Industry and understands the idea that we are all “media companies.” Read his latest piece here. Gary Vaynerchuk: If you have not seen or heard of Gary, I am surprised. But he is a huge motivator for me. I can’t listen to all of his content (I have other stuff to do!) but it seems I get a nugget each time when I do. He is direct and foul-mouthed and awesome. He is best on Youtube and you can find that here. Bobby Lehew: If you are wanting thoughtful insights and wonderful interviewing, you need to listen to Skucast with Bobby Lehew. Bobby is with Commonsku and is their Chief Content Creator. He also often gets to interview Mark Graham…and you just won’t find two brighter minds in the Promo Industry. Listen to an example of Skucast here. Seth Godin: One of the leading minds in marketing, Seth Godin is a true thought leader. Want motivation and education every day? You need to read his blog. Yes he posts every day. I am also super proud to have had the chance to have him on Episode 100 of Delivering Marketing Joy! John Lee Dumas: I would be lying if I said I listened to all of his podcasts. That’s because JLD interviews a new entrepreneur EVERY SINGLE DAY! John is an inspiration on how to build an entire business around content. He is also a great person to help you blow your “don’t have time excuses!” Check his site out here. There are MANY other great content creators I read, watch and listen to…but this is a good start. Who have I forgotten? What other great content creators are out there that we should listen to? Let us know! And if you never want to miss our content, sign up for our VIP list! Each week we make sure you see our latest content and get some special offers too.
by Kirby Hasseman
If you get to a certain age, you will have made your fair share of mistakes. You will have said some dumb things. You will have done some dumb things. As the old saying goes “Good decisions come from experience. Experience comes from bad decisions.” On the other hand, in nearly every life, you will have made some good decisions too. You have had triumphs. You have had some wins. During some of those tougher times, you hopefully learned some lessons. I feel comfortable saying this, because this is the human experience. We have some good…and some bad. But which story are you telling yourself? Moving forward, each of us have the opportunity to tell ourselves a story. Is your highlight reel only showing you the defeats? We all have crashes. But you can sabotage yourself by reminding yourself of your failures every day. The thoughts you choose don’t have to be totally rosey (you want to learn from those mistakes) but it shouldn’t be all negative either. As you start the next phase of your journey (and yes, that starts today), make sure you are choosing thoughts that inspire you. Show yourself the highlight reel of the best of you. I am reminded of the old parable below.
A grandfather is talking with his grandson and he says there are two wolves inside of us which are always at war with each other.
One of them is a good wolf which represents things like kindness, bravery and love. The other is a bad wolf, which represents things like greed, hatred and fear.
The grandson stops and thinks about it for a second then he looks up at his grandfather and says, “Grandfather, which one wins?”
The grandfather quietly replies, the one you feed.
So today, ask yourself what story you are telling yourself. And remember, the story you tell yourself is the one you are telling the world too.
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