Category: Sales

Don’t Assume You’ll Be Paid Commissions

A loved one had two HUGE deals
out for signing.
He expected them back
on the same day.

First thing
in that day,
he was laid off
with cause.

What was the cause?

The company wouldn’t say.
But I suspect
it was landing
those large deals.

The company,
a FORCEful presence
in SALES,
has used the same tactic
in the past,
f*cking salespeople
out of six figure plus commissions.

To get those commissions,
the salespeople would have
to take the company to court
and rulings have been very favorable
to big business lately.

Don’t assume
you’ll ever be paid commission.

Negotiate for higher
base salaries.

And prepare to be fired
when you land a big dollar deal.

Moving Clients From Free To Paid

I was using the free version
of a social media
scheduling program.

I would have happily moved
from that free version
except…

The lowest paid level
was $99 US/month.

I schedule 3 posts a day.
I couldn’t justify
spending $1 US a post.

Or going from $0 a month
to $99 US a month.

That is too big a jump.

If you’re not seeing
the conversion
you want
from free trials
to paid versions,
it might be
because the jump in pricing
is too much
for your target audience.

Consider offering
another pricing tier.

Can You Sell This?

I pitched a story idea
to my agent.

An agent,
in the publishing industry,
is a salesperson

She sells stories
or ideas for stories
to publishers,
movie studios,
other interested parties.

And that is
the feedback
I truly want from her.

I don’t need to know
if the idea is ‘good.’
I have an editor
for that purpose.

I want to know
if she can sell my idea,
if there is an interest
or a market
for that type of story.

If the answer is…
maybe,
I then want to know
how I can turn
the maybe into a yes.

What do I have to change
in the pitch to do that?

If the answer is no,
I discard the idea
and I work on another one.

Great salespeople are the experts
on what sells or doesn’t sell.

Business builders need their advice.
And we should listen to it.

Dealing With Mansplainers

Dealing with mansplaining
is simply part of navigating
the world
for women,
especially for female business builders.

On social media,
I usually block the mansplainer
and move on.
My time is precious
and he’s not my target audience.

One of my buddies,
however,
has developed a hilarious way
of dealing with mansplainers.

She treats them
as she would treat a toddler.

Toddlers often tell adults
things
these same adults told them
days or hours or seconds previously.
That is how they learn
and retain
new ideas.

We usually listen to these toddlers
and we praise them
for having learned something new.

My friend responses
in a similar way
to mansplainers.

“That’s correct.
You’ve grasped the concept.”
Etc.

This confuses the mansplainer.
They don’t usually know
how to respond.

And it sends the signal
to the rest of the group
that my friend is the person
in the position of authority.

Learn how to deal
with mansplainers.

Don’t allow them
to derail
your presentations or your pitches.

How To Close Deals And Keep Projects On Schedule

A top salesperson
I know
contacts prospects
at least once a day
while
he is pushing a deal forward.

THIS is how
he closes deals.
He makes contact every day
and ensures
his deal is top of mind
for the prospect.

I contact key people
every day
while I’m managing projects
also.
If I don’t ‘sit on them’,
nothing is done.

This is especially true
now,
when SO many people
are dealing with
COVID brain.
Their memories are sh*t.
They are scattered.
They need someone
to keep them focused.

That someone is us.

Contact prospects,
customers,
key partners
every d@mn day.

How To Follow Up With Prospective Customers

A loved one,
a skilled salesperson,
is waiting for a huge deal
to close.

He follows up
with this prospective client
EVERY day.
His goal is to ensure
his deal
is their priority.

How does he do this
without coming across
as pain in the a$$?

He asks them
variations of
“How can I help you?”

He positions himself
as their assistant,
as an extra person
on the task.

Follow up
with prospective customers
today.

Salespeople Work For Their Customers

The current business environment
for skilled salespeople
involves moving companies,
on average,
every three years.

Quotas usually increase
every year
until
they are no longer achievable.
At that point,
the salesperson either moves
voluntarily
because their commissions have dropped
or
they are let go.

Experienced salespeople
know this.
They know their employer
will change every few years.

They also know
that the big value
they bring to a new employer
is their customer/client relationships.

The customer/client is the constant.
They give salespeople career security.
They bring salespeople commission income.

Skilled salespeople work
for their customers/clients.

As a business builder,
as their possible employer,
embrace this truth.

Ensure what is best for your business
is also best for the client/customer.

And don’t ever make
salespeople choose.

Because, if they are intelligent,
salespeople WILL choose
their clients/customers.
Every d@mn time.

If They’re Not Interested In A Sample

Every year,
I give away a free short story
to newsletter subscribers.
This is exclusive
to them.

I wait for a couple months
and then I archive
any subscriber
who didn’t open
the past 6 newsletters
or
click on any of the links.

If they’re not interested
enough
to click on a free story,
they likely aren’t interested
enough
to buy any of my stories.

I pay per subscriber.
It saves money
if I move them
off my list.

The people
who refuse your sample
aren’t your customers.

Focus on the other people.

Skip The End Of Shift Gatherings

It is tempting
to reward employees
today
with an end of shift
gathering
– drinks or food
or something similar.

Resist that urge.

Employees have been
working long hours.
They’re tired.
They want to go home
to sleep
and/or spend time
with their loved ones.

A better thank you
would be to send them
home
with a small gift
– maybe a sleep mask
and soothing foot cream
or
a board game
they could play
with their families
or
a mug
with a hot chocolate mix.

An after hours
work event
isn’t a reward
when we’ve been working
long hours.

Reward employees
in another way.

The Last Minute Shoppers

Customers who have left
their shopping
until today or tomorrow
for December 25th gift exchanges
are a different type
of customer.

Last minute shoppers
often struggle
to find the ‘perfect gift.’

They need someone,
a scapegoat
if the gift goes wrong,
to tell them
they HAVE found
the perfect gift.

This could be customer reviews.
“Sally says this is the perfect gift
for all the Moms in your life.”

Or it could be a celebrity endorsement.
“Does your loved one watch
The Kardashian?
Because Kim Kardashian loves
this product.”

Or it could be the salesperson’s views.
“I used this face cream
and I loved it.”

Give those last minute shoppers
the confidence
they need
to finally make their purchases.