Lessons

Lesson Info

Stages of Sales process

So what I want to dio is this to give credit where credit is due this this seven staff these seven steps are part of the sandler sale system which sounds cheesy already right? A very dear friend of mine who I met at the luxury marketing counsel he used to sell private jets to ceos and celebrities and he's a heck of a salesman and he was obviously very skilled at dealing with big personality ceos and celebrities the luxury market and so he turned me onto the sandler sale system and how to actually I sell to that particular market I mean it's what we're actually doesn't thiss actually this process actually applies to any market but it's particularly effective for people who are members of the luxury market so that's why I'm presenting it there's lots of different sales schools of sales but I think it's really it is just having a conversation it's having specifically a guided conversation so if you can remember to have a conversation about thes topics then you will have had a guided conve...

rsation it's really just that simple but I'm going to give you some techniques and some tactics so that you can do this and feel natural and feel relaxed the sandler sale system is really very corporate e so you could buy them you can buy their books or there but it's a little bit corporate and actually I had some resistance to what I said to my friend simon simon helmet, I can't relate to this, this is just so, he said, don't don't judge the book by its cover, understand the philosophy behind it and used the methodology, and I promise you it's, the most effective sales process I've ever used, and he'd studied many of them, and it was also the most genuine and it get gets you to no quicker. Does anyone mean, know what I mean by getting to know sooner rather than later? Exactly you want to get to know sooner rather than later so you can get to next. Hey, if it's not a fit, you don't need to force it. You just need thio move on, keep it moving to the next prospect. So when someone says no, I'm not interested. It's a gift when someone says I'll think about it it's torture has anyone been tortured? Our founder, craig, told the most interesting story recently when he used to be in sales world, and he was finished his presentation by saying, if you'd like to learn mohr, write on your card. Yes, no or maybe on they don't do it, they said, and all of you who just wrote, maybe priest cross that out right now, I really meant no. It did absolute that's brilliant yeah, so he just dealt with the yeses so I'm going to actually teach you something to get to that sooner rather than later because that's what you want right? You want to just you just want to know if they are interested or not I mean we don't we don't need torture each other takes a lot of time tio you know have conversation. So would you rather be back in your studio right or processing your web orders so let's talk about this um bonding and report all it is is just like naturally getting to know people and doing it away that's authentic and one on one there's like there's no there's, no manipulating here you just have a conversation and you're just getting a vibe off of one another I mean, really, we're just kind of checking each other out this point and you know, if you're confident and if your authentic this first step goes really easily and so don't you don't need to try to be anyone you're not and people will sense it anyway if you're a nervous and uncomfortable that's okay, people are fine number two is my favorite thing tha this is very much in line with the strategy we just heard the upfront contract does anyone have any idea what about about to talk about as anyone heard of this okay here's the upfront contract so vernon can I just world pay with you with sitting there so we we built report we still like each other we're still interested in talking great that's the most important part to invest in to see if you actually are a member of my tribe that's really what I'm doing up here on number one figuring out if you are you a member of my tribe and my a member of your tribe do you share my values do I share your values I'm looking at your shoes I'm looking at your hair looking at your manicure your you know what I really cute it's really very intuitive right so here's what you say hey vernon thank you so much for taking time to talk to me today really appreciate it but I'd like to do is you know just if I could ask you a few questions if you don't mind could I take a few notes and then you know you ask me whatever questions you want to ask me and then at the end of this meeting if you would just agree let's just decide if it's a good fit for it's not a good fit and if it is a good fit what would be our next best step then we just figure that out at the end of this meeting are you are you cool with that it's huge do you know why it's huge well, do you know why that's so important? It's a front you get everything let's get on with it I'm not here to socialize with you and at the end of this if it's not a good fit for me or for you you know you can weaken we can say that way don't say maybe maybe is what we say, what they say when they really are not that interested in what you have to offer or they don't actually have the authority to make the decision because they don't own the purse strings so just let's just dispense with this nonsense let's just here's the other thing that it does it's critically important that people d'oh if I say if I'm not interested at the end of this, I could just say I'm not interested in what you're saying oh great, good, I can relax and you know what? You could relax too because you may find this is not a good fit, you know, it may be that they want teo hand you a photograph and you and ask you to paint a painting from it. I don't do that not gonna do that not an illustrator that doesn't inspire me, I know that up front now I don't have to go back and forth and do these follow up calls and have another meeting and meet the wife you know all that I'm done so this is critical the reason I said do you mind if I take some notes is because when you first start doing this you're going to forget the seven steps so what you dio is you have notes that you could actually take and you'll be glancing down at the seven steps I had a lot of building a reported I make the upfront contract yet we'll be looking down at your notes and then because you're gonna be nervous I don't know how to do this yet and it's really good at it but I don't know what to do and you look down and you say, oh, by the way and that's how you'll do it jane you had a question what's this setting for this that somebody coming to your studio you it's wherever it's wherever you sell you know it's wherever you sell you know if you have it if you have a meeting then it's there you know I mean typically if you're just meeting someone for the first time you're not you're not here, you know, you know, if you're meeting someone first time at a networking event, you know, you're just really it's bonding and report you're just trying to find out if you're a member of your tribe and you're a member of theirs that's really this is where you're going to talk turkey you talk about you're going to talk about the sale at this point so this is where this comes out pain I love this part remember I said the businesses right? You either alleviate pain are you solve a problem? Tara what pain do you alleviate? Uh, not having a story we're not having a sense of belonging is that pain? Was that painful for you? Very do you think it's painful for other people were going to talk about it and step three? Uh, yeah, and get them to feel it have them talk about it and you'll ask them leading questions like columbo remember that guy you believe that you asked them questions to lead them towards the answer that you know is the right answer. Yes, that was very painful when I was adopted and I didn't know my family when I searched for years and then I found them yes, it wass and then hopefully I'll start crying and feeling my emotions. You know, using this is a manipulation you're obviously you're goingto find, you know, this is this truly is a fit, right? This is the question, you know, is this a fit? I wasn't adopted, so I'm probably not gonna start crying when I talk about my family background, right, but you either you have to make it your offering has to be very clear not I paint fluffy clouds and it's from my spiritualist operation I don't know what you're talking about I don't know what you're talking about remember when kate held up her avatar and she said, remember this? Lauren doesn't know what you're talking about when you talk about your creative process when you talk about your techniques in photo shop, she doesn't know what you're talking about she doesn't care tell me what? What are you giving me a value? How do I know you're giving me something of value? You are solving a problem? I have my collector's need a fantastic wedding anniversary gift one of my collector said thank you and you helped save my marriage he let actually said that because he needed do something that would really deliver for the anniversary, so you have to know what problem are you solving if you're not solving a problem for them? If you're really what you do really doesn't solve a problem for them, then it's not a good fit and you should say so, but I find it find out where the pain is budget let's talk about money here's how you talk about money so, cheryl what's your budget for this experience of art let them talk about it with your budget I don't have a black american express card, you know I've never even seen what I'm seeing they're wonderful um however I do have five thousand dollars that I could spend okay, so the experience of art it's probably not a good fit for you because it's actually a bit more expensive than that but here's some other options tryingto manipulate her into program that she doesn't want to spend the money on I'll say here are the options with five thousand dollars range she may say you know what I wanted anyway and find another five thousand dollars or she might not but I'm not going you want to spend five thousand dollars okay? I'm not gonna try to put you in this program that you can't you know you don't maybe would send a matter of what you can or can't afford that's not in your budget right? Okay, so it makes sense that's why it's always good to have a range of price point lower higher okay, so you can actually help people it can actually I would still want to be of service to you I still want to offer you something but this is going to be this is going to fit your budget. Not this. Okay um decision this is important so here's how you hey you're so you find out if they actually have the power to make the decision so if you're working with this treated partner, for example or if you're working with a collector, our producer whomever we'll just say simply this so will you be the one making this decision or is there somebody else I need to talk? Tio don't forget to ask that because what you could find out is it's, not their decision to make there just like what you d'oh, but they need to ask their boss or they need to ask their wife they need to ask for the husband and, you know, you never know they may may not be in power to make the decision see you glance down at your notes where you'll have this and you'll say, okay forgot to ask that question about decision so I would make sure I asked that question fulfillment is actually just when you deliver it and, you know, make that a beautiful experience and a wonderful exchange, and they'll and the post cell is asking for referrals, you know, I really enjoyed working with you. Can you think of one or two people is one way to ask for a referral? Can you think of one or two people who all this would also be benefit, too? I would say one or two people, because it's easier it will click in their brain one or two people will actually popped into their head, but if I ask it like this, if I say, do you know anybody who would like this to their brain dulls have given them a very specific assignment. What was that? Hair, hair, hair, shampoo, commercial with heather locklear, faberge faberge? I told to friend and she told two friends, she told two friends, given that it was brilliant actually, I wrote a blogger post on that on artists to thrive because I thought it was so brilliant and you have to tell everybody, just tell two friends, okay? So hopefully this will give you some context for how to handle the conversation. You just be natural, but just blacks, the more rapport you build and the more you are truly in alignment with them that more natural this way. C'mon, just get practice doing it. Yes, in the post cell do do generally does the person who's referring you contact them and then they those people contact you. It depends entirely on the relationship. I just come out and ask. So let's say, for example, you knew someone who would really enjoy an experience of art, I'll say, well, what do you think the best way is? What's the best way for us, tio connect. How would you like to introduce me? And they'll say, well, introduce you via email, or I'm having a dinner party next week or I'll give you just give me their phone you know who knows? So let let them tell you how they're most comfortable making this introduction don't forget to ask or they won't do it they'll forget we'll get caught up in the moment and then they'll forget to actually make that introduction and what's the number one source of business that's right so you don't want to let that one go and then the post cell is all you know like one of things that I do is I'll send them a package of note cards that features they're painting as a surprise I never tell them that it's coming they just get this package in the mail it's stealth advertising for may they're going to brag about their paintings about the note cards set to do that I've given them a tool to brag they're thrilled they weren't expecting this present and it just finishes things off nicely and it helps me get the word out right? So if you delight people and you just you know, just means really small kindnesses you don't have to spend a lot of money to do this now what we're going to dio is um to check this we're gonna do a little bit of practice selling or what having conversation who has who here in the studio audience has a pending sale or has our heads have had some difficulty with who wants a volunteer basically from you too much today would you be prepared to volunteer and no is a perfectly acceptable answer do you have a project that's going on right now you have someone you're selling to now it's not it's okay, you don't have someone I'm selling to I am I have made sales and I'm working on changing my I'm back here enjoying my big fat mistakes okay good and your big fat failures I'm not fat failures yeah, yeah you see big fat failure juicy big fat failures uh in a number of areas and good thinking about my target audience and rethinking my entire value proposition so you're selling actively now I am okay. I know you're do it would be useful if you knew very you're really solid on your how you notice yourself because I think it would be a better example. Um so who wants you you know what? Well, you know what you're doing you know you're doing your value proposition so who wants to go but I'll come get you if you don't volunteer you wanna volunteer? Okay, come on. Hot seat again. All right. So you can actually let me go back to so that so that vernon um you could remember this part what can you see this clearly? Okay, so this pretend that's your notes and I'm a woman who's very thin and lives in and I meditate and go to gloves and I've been to sl in at least three times I've got some buddhist prayer beads on my khushi is got some buddhist prayer beads on my um my wrist right um my shoes are comfortable they're a little weird looking my overall look is natural but make no mistake I've been a little bit of proofing before I might be a vegan my gettin er I know her um I am retired I have a lot of money it's a blast but I would never use that because I would be associated with one percent I don't want to be because I'm embarrassed about how rich I am k planchet play you're in a movie I love her actually she's my favorite actress all right so do you know who I am? Maybe not, but this sushi is because I already know where right I've been to your gospel thing I've seen you thinking glide and you made me cry all right so I got the setup that's who you're talking teo alright so high high so um let's give me a name I name thee quick oh that would be good yes, but remember yeah and amber I'm from the bay area grew up in cleveland like an all right hi hello okay, so amber I hear that you want to have a voice lessons d'oh I can't sing I mean, I have horrible voice it's just horrible and uh what do you why do you why do you feel like your voice is horrible? My mother told me it was horrible it stuck with me and do you have any would you say you have you have confidence when you think I'm saying you don't sing at all no, I don't even want I don't know if I want to sing but I think I think I want some of the joy that you have so I'm going to try it it was fun and gospel sing along but that's because I was drowned out by the other the other voices okay um so you want basically what joy you wantto do you want to find how you confined joy within yourself? Whatever you have when you're on stage at clyde memorial church I want some of that, okay, so, um I just want to let you know that when we're we're talking about this process of wanting to have a voice lessons okay, let me stop you so I waited builds amore report okay, so maybe you could talk about how we met and some things that we have in common and start there okay remember when I dent we're trying to identify she a member of the tribe that I thought that I serve, so how could we start there so um what did you what was the thing that you experience the most in the the gospel singer longs he said he took them had a great time I mean, friends I made some friends there and I found a sense of community that I but I don't experience in church kind of stiff in church so you don't have any do you have that report outside of trump? Do you have that report not like that I don't experience that kind of joy like I did their people were crying and stuff happens yeah, I don't get to do that I live in marin and I've been sorry this's the demographic I'm talking about is the damn it truly is a demographic profile um so build a rapport with me did you friended you like singing? Well I after a while I did so here's what here's a clue so you know so you might want to say something like so you're friends with so and so is that how we know each other? You I saw you on facebook. Okay? All right, so so you don't go right into the cell you know, he's trying to run you know that you're where you're at is your uncovering the pain that's good good job on uncovering the pain when I want you to do is back up and build and you were to spend more time here building report so be nice to me and make a friend like make a front just for you and you may be making a friend with me okay so how how did you find me? I found you through um what's my name amber uh think of the amber alert sunshine told me about you. Well so have your sunshine I know sunshine because we lived in a commune together back in the day and and that's where we used to smoke pot and stuff and you first well for sunshine, huh? I was married to her husband and then and then her husband married my sister. Okay, so you know her really well ideo yeah, um and has has sunshine never taken a class yeah, she got private voice lessons from you that's her shoe and she really said her could not only did her vocal ability increase but you know it really she felt more joy so you want more what she's gone yeah, she was really happy. Yeah. Okay, so you see what I'm saying? We're so we start with just what do we have in common? What were you even talking to each other? How do you find me? How did you find me is a good place like heads, right? How did you know about me? All right, so then after we've made friends we built some report we felt you said you feel relaxed and you sense that they're relaxed that's important your relax he filled their relax right and things are a little your conversation feels a bit more natural and flowing now what do you do next so um you called me for a reason you called me because you wanted to take voice lessons am I right right yeah so that's good he's checking in right I'm not here just hang out with him so I just want to let you know that you know I want to find a good fit between the two of us so by the end of the conversation and the end of this conversation if we find out that our ideals link up and that we that you won't take voice lessons and you're comfortable for me giving them to you a tte the end of this all of this you will be you'll be able to make a decision and say I really want to do this I'm in the position to do this or I don't want to do this I don't think this is for me okay so good you could give me you can stop there so that's great so I'm getting the and you know where you're gonna practice this so everybody home practice you got to see where you have to find a buddy to do this you can't do that you could do this in the mirror but it won't be as effective if you really have to practice this an old flow more naturally like just learning your lines in a way but in a way that enough that it feels authentic, right? But you said if it's a fit it's not fit so here's the thing here's what I'm suddenly what he suddenly telling amber is amber you're not necessarily a shoo in for my services I may not decide, you know, so he's not coming to beg for me, right? He doesn't need my business, it may or may not be a fit, right? Isn't that empowering? Take your power back? You're not you're not you're it may or may not work and it's a great way, tio pinpoint if somebody's just wants to be your friend and it was a really yeah, because you could just be a joy bleach you know you're absolutely right you are absolutely right, I believe you and you know, so you know it's a lot harder, harder up here because you're on the spot, but when I'm actually doing, I'm so relaxed when e feel very relaxed and I make the person feel very relaxed out, right asking the questions and you know, I it really goes a long way when the other person when you make the other person feel relaxed you make them feel it's almost like inviting somebody to your home to your party to your party and you're invited guests and the first thing the host wants to do is make the person feel comfortable that there in their house thanks so it's the same it's kind of the same thing it's like if you were a visit visited the tribe right they give what they do they usually serve you something to eat offer you the peace pipe right so yes oh amber's relax she's chilled you have now built report you've given me the upfront contract you started off with pain so we're gonna get that part because you were you actually do are asking good questions about how to arrive at the what her pain is does her pain fit your solution is your solution fit her pain it may be if she came to you and said I want to be a studio recording artist and cut my we need to send her grammy dan in austin that's not what that's not what you d'oh it's not what you d'oh okay maybe grammy dan consents um clients your way who knows we'll talk to him later alright so budget so how how do you arrive at that what do you say what do you think you could what would you say to amber arrive at the budget question what would you say? Um I usually wait till the very end teo anymore. Okay so um here it is a lot of what their budget so what's your budget it's some two hundred fifty dollars per session or I might I might say that I don't know what my budget iss so are you at uh are you and you think decision making position too so you might say well if here's here's what isthe hears that years of just an idea you could say well it's two hundred fifty dollars an hour most of my students invest in a minimum of twelve sessions to really experience results so what I did there she could spend two hundred fifty dollars but I like her spend two hundred few dollars twelve times I made that up on the spot but you see what I'm saying you really you don't have to go talk to another amber maker do twelve and actually she will experience more benefit if she has twelve classes worse is one class right? So is that help handle the budget question I just asked what the budget is when you say what's your budget you know it's what is it? What is it that you're comfortable with? I'm not going to ram my price down your throat just tell me what you're comfortable spending okay and then um decision okay this could be a tricky one and this is why it has to be part of the process so how would you investigate or determine if amber actually I was in the in the decision making seat what kinds of what? How could you ask a question? What question could you ask um if she if she makes the decisions about about the money or it's going to be easier for you because if someone comes for a private voice lessons let's do this let's put this into context is probably more related because I think if someone comes to you for private voice lessons, they probably more than likely have the ability to decide whether or not they're going to commit to that financial because different situation maybe if however, if someone came to you with their children of their childhood I know he'd teach children it could be that maybe the mother is having this meeting with you and she is going to make the decision or it might be that she has to go and ask her husband were partner, right? So but let's just pretend for example that I am from google and I am, um our hr director and I want to hire you for a team building exercise and we have built report we got the upfront contract going on, you gotta look, we understand that there's pain and that some of the teams are not functioning in harmony and a lot of that's coming from people having a reluctance to express themselves in a lack of confidence which we know you're your singing lessons can actually help alleviate that pain we think google has the budget right where we've gotten past that process. So now what now what would you ask today h r director my instinct is to say uh are you ready? Teo, can you you okay? You're in the hot seat is harder. It is. I like what you see oh, help they're gonna help do you fill out the purchase orders or do I need to send it to someone else? So that's the way you asked the question in the context of a corporate environment if you're talking teo like if I was talking to one of my collectors it's so you know, I've gotten past this process. So are you the one mick, would you be the on ly one making this decision about booking an experience of art that's how I say it would you be the only one who will be involved in the decision about about my services? Yes or no? You will sometimes uncover no it's, not them their mother is going to pay for it or something else gonna happen a man and I'm gonna do this with the mom maybe might you might have to go so another person okay his questions that came in on line about budget specifically one of the guests in the chat room asked why ask their budget if you're if your price point is already online on your website or somewhere like that, what is the reasoning for asking them? Well, if you're so okay, so this is a great we'll secure selling online, you don't have to have this conversation at all, which is the beauty of the carvers they're going to make. They're gonna go through this process all on their own. So if you have just mean what if you have a website and it's there on your website, but you're also doing this this process right in front of people, say that it's varies from each person's circumstances, so vernon's prices are on his website, it's two fifty mon over misquoting you for on our for a singing lesson, but because I have got an opportunity to build a report in relationship here's what I threw into that conversation, what's your budget, you know, most of my clients to twelve sessions, great, or I make it a sense of that, her level of interest in enthusiasm and commitment and I may say, you know, you know, opportunity to sell her twelve sessions versace suit it's looking so vary depending on the circumstances. Yeah, I mean, if you have only one price and one offering and you don't really have to have this budget conversation. I'm bringing this up because the budget conversation or the money conversation, as we have seen evidence of it, is very difficult for people to have. And this is one really clear way to manage it. Okay, so I amber has she makes the decision, and so there is the ask, right? So how would you do that? I've said yes, I could make the decision. I want twelve sessions. Fantastic. So when let's get our calendars out let's, see let's mark out some time, we actually do twelve sessions, okay? And then what else? Um, the last thing he would ask, how would you like to thank you? How would you like to pay? I take credit cards. I take cash, I take checks. Which would you like my part? So fun. That's very inspiring. That part. Thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you for feeding again. It is not easy to be up here actually a little bit nerve racking. So I really appreciate that. Yeah.