Category: Sales

I send large print books
to my Mom
via Amazon.

The courier company
that often delivers them
is now sending my Mom
delivery updates
using super large font.

Someone at the company
noticed what was being delivered
and cared enough
to suggest a change
to the account.

That small change
made a big difference
to the quality of service.
My Mom and I
were both touched by it.

The next time
I have to send a package
within the country,
I will use them.
I will also recommend them
to others.

Details matter.
Small changes matter.
Take the time and care
to implement them.

A reader contacted me yesterday.
She told me
she’d read every book
I’ve ever published.
She claimed to be
one of my most dedicated fans.

She only mentioned,
in detail,
my free books,
however.

And she asked
if X character would get
his own story.
X character died
in Book 3.
The next couple books
dealt with that death.

The reader lied.
I suspect she’d only read
the free books.

Why did she lie?
Who the f*ck knows?
Maybe she lied
to make herself
and her opinion
sound more important.

The key lesson is…

People lie.
Remember that
when you receive
potentially dream-killing
and/or cruel feedback
from prospects,
‘customers’,
‘superfans.’
It could be complete bull sh*t.

Evaluate the feedback you receive.
Ask for details
only a true customer would know.

Amazon is the world’s biggest bookstore.
They are the biggest source
of most writers’ incomes.

They are also our greatest competitor.
Whenever a niche does well,
Amazon develops and releases
their own products in that niche
and drives much of the traffic
on their site
to those listings.

They do this again and again.

Which is one of the many reasons
I tell other writers
to convert readers
as quickly as possible
to newsletter subscribers.

As Seth Godin
shares

“Some organizations exist
to satisfy market demand.

Some work hard
to create market demand.

And some are focused on
capturing demand
and then eliminating
the market itself.”

If your product or service
becomes successful,
a large company
will duplicate it
and tried to block you
from the market you developed.

Plan for that.
Ensure you have
direct contact
with your customers.

Fear is one of the
most common reasons
a prospect
won’t buy.

My natural reaction,
when someone tells me,
they’re scared,
is to bombard them
with facts,
with information.

This rarely works
as
Seth Godin
shares

“When dealing with
someone who’s afraid,
when they’re objecting
to something that’s important,
it’s tempting to imagine
that more evidence
will make a difference
–that it’s the objections
that matter.
But more studies of efficacy
or public health
or performance
aren’t going to address
the real objection.”

Logic doesn’t dissipate emotion.
Emotion dissipates emotion.

A certain former US leader,
for example,
saw his followers’ fear
and turned it into anger.
That anger pushed them
to act.

(He could have turned
that fear into kinder
more beneficial to the world
emotions
but he chose anger.)

Emotion combats emotion.

Some of my eBooks
are priced at $0.99
yet I’ll hear from a few prospects
that they are too expensive.

But when I drop the price
to free,
they still won’t read it.

That’s because
their true objection wasn’t the price.
It was fear.

They’re afraid of making
a mistake
or
afraid of telling me
they aren’t interested in the book
or
afraid of something else
I haven’t yet uncovered.

Seth Godin
shares
“…if new information
overcomes a previous objection,
it’s often followed by
a new objection.
“The safety issue
you said you were worried about
is addressed
in this peer-reviewed study…”
And then there’s another objection,
and another…

What’s actually happening is
the person is saying,
“I’m afraid.””

Until we address the real objection
– fear –
we won’t secure the sale.

Uncover your prospect’s fear.

A buddy, a skilled salesperson,
usually starts a sales pitch
to a new prospect
by stating that
the situation has changed.
Today is the beginning
of a new world.
It is different
and requires different solutions.

(Which is the truth.
Every day is different
from yesterday.)

Why does he do this?

Because it encourages the prospect
to look at her problems
in a new light.

Changing her stance,
her vendors,
her solutions
now
doesn’t require
an admission that
she made a mistake
in the past,
was wrong previously.
No one wants to admit that.

The circumstances have merely changed.

As Seth Godin
shares

“…we don’t like to admit
we were wrong.

If we’re going to go forward,
it’s because
something has changed.
It might be
that our situation
is different,
that the story we tell ourselves
is different,
that the times
have changed
or that your offering has.
It might be that
we trust you more.”

Today is a new day.
Times are different.
Remind your prospect
of that truth.

I went on an international trip
last week,
was only gone four days.
I took five COVID tests.

The cost of COVID tests
has greatly decreased.
Availability has increased.

It gives many people
peace of mind
knowing everyone around them
has been tested.
Secure people linger longer,
spend more.

Expect to see more and more
COVID testing
as the cost decreases.

Accept this will be the future.
Don’t waste time and energy
fighting it.

Think how YOU might use
COVID testing
in the business you’re building.

I see the headlines
about parents being under
a lot of stress
and kids being under
a lot of stress
and medical staff being under
a lot of stress
and…

We are ALL under
a lot of stress.

Many of us
believed once we had a vaccine,
everything would get better.
The dying would stop.
Life would return
to whatever we believed
was normal.

We have the vaccine.
The situation has now become worse.
And we don’t yet know
what will reverse that horrible trend.

That’s stressful.

Do what you can do
to reduce your stress
and the stress of others.

Consider making deadlines
more flexible.
Designate mental health days.
Allow yourself
and others
to walk away from work
on days off.
Send employees donuts.
Give them fun themed masks.

It is okay to be step back
right now.
There will be time
for world domination
when this pandemic is over.

A salesperson loved one
was offered a job.
The pay was VERY good,
was much more than he expected.

He asked for more.

Why?

Because he was being hired
in a negotiator role.
His new employer would expect him
to negotiate,
to not take the first offer.

Most roles are negotiator roles.
The cashier at the grocery store,
for example,
negotiates with unhappy or difficult customers
every day.

So negotiate with prospective employers.
Ask for a bit more money
or a bit more flexibility
or a better job title.

The prospective employer
might say no
but there’s a very real possibility
she’ll say yes.

And yes, my loved one’s prospective employer
increased the offer.
They had expected some negotiations.
I suspect they would have had second thoughts
about hiring him
if he hadn’t asked for more.

The denialist or skeptic
is often loud.
It is tempting to try
to sell to them,
to try to woo
that loudness
to our sides.

That’s a lot of effort
for very little payoff.
The believer
is much easier to sell to
and is often happier
with what we’ve sold her.

And, if the target
is a denialist,
it is almost impossible
to change her mind.

As Seth Godin
shares

“The skeptic offers
an open mind
and is clear about
what would be necessary
to earn enthusiastic support.

The denialist,
on the other hand,
is sure.
Now and forever.”

Denialists are rarely swayed.

If someone says
they’re certain
about their decision,
believe them.

Allocate your efforts
elsewhere.