The Winner's Sales Strategy Blog

Use This Dating Tip to Get Fast Sales

How to Get Easy Sales – from a Dating Tip?

This past Saturday I was reading an old issue of Men’s Health I found laying around the house.

One article was about how empowered women have become, and in particular, how it’s now just as common for a woman to approach a man and ask him out as it is for a man to approach a woman.

This wasn’t the big news, though….

What really stood out in the article was this little tidbit:

Not only are women asking men out nowadays, but more importantly, women report that they’re far more attracted to a man they approach, versus a man who approaches them!

This flies in the face of traditional opinion on the subject of dating, but nevertheless, it’s true.

And that begs the question: WHY is it true?

The answer is simple: People want what is difficult to get.

More importantly, the thing in question doesn’t actually have to be hard to get. It only has to seem that way.

The reality is that when a woman goes up to a man and asks for his phone number, he may have been just as ready to approach her – but because she approached him, he seems hard to get even if he’s not.

In other words, it’s all about perception. The reality of the situation doesn’t really matter.

How To Use This Principle To Get Easy Sales

Now to the point of this email: How you can use this dynamic to get easy sales – and perhaps more importantly, how you’ve unknowingly let this dynamic workagainst you, and why it’s cost you sales.

We’ve established the fact that the person who must make the initial approach ends up wanting the desired object more than if things had happened the other way around.

This means you must take a serious look at how you’re initiating your sales processes.

If you are approaching your prospects to begin the sales interaction, whether it’s through cold calling or some other method of contact, you set into motion a dynamic where you become less desirable than if the prospect was forced to approach you.

When a prospect approaches you for a sale, regardless of how they find you, they immediately place a higher value on you and your product or service, than they would on a salesperson who cold called them.

I explained this dynamic last month when I wrote about why referrals are such good leads – it’s because the prospect is calling you, as the result of being given your name by a friend or colleague, rather than you having to call them.

The bottom line here is that if you’re cold calling, you’re putting yourself in a position where you’re instantly of less value than those who are getting prospects to call them.

Even though you’re selling the same product or service at the same exact price when cold calling, as you are when someone calls you, the hard truth is that those who call you are going to put a lot more value into what you’re selling and will be far more likely to buy right now.

You need to stop cold calling if you want to watch your sales and your closing rates go up dramatically!

If you're not up to speed on modern, Information Age lead-generation methods, learn how you can stop cold calling forever and become a sales rock star by downloading a 37-page PDF preview of the Never Cold Call Again System here.

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the creator of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Influential People. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com

Sales Tip: Are You A "Superb" Salesperson?

Well, are you superb?

What on earth am I talking about? Ok, let me tell you a story...

My First Real Sales Experience

My first real hand-on sales experience began in my teens. My best friend and I used to go to ham radio swap meets on the weekends. We soon discovered that we could make a lot of money buying old, antique radios for as little as $5, fix them up and put a fresh coat of paint on the chassis, and resell it the following weekend for as much as $100.

This was serious money to a kid - especially when our friends were working miserable summer jobs for $5 an hour. Flipping a few radios a week added up to big money!

I mentioned that we fixed the radios up first. We'd diagnose what was wrong with them, go down to Radio Shack for components (back when it was still an electronics store and not a cell phone store), and repair them.

We figured this would be good enough. And it was to an extent.

But then we took it a step further...

We began hammering any dents out of the radios' chassis, give it a fresh coat of paint, and then polish it to a nice finish. Or if it was in pretty good shape to begin with, we'd buff out the scratches and marks.

A Lesson In Perception

We began to fetch even more money for the radios at this point. Always the aggressive marketer, I was trying to come up with more ways to make the radios attractive and improve sales.

That's when I began making up nice-looking price tags and informational flyers that I taped onto the table beneath the radios. They certainly helped.

But then I added some serious marketing "copy" to them.

I started them out with the words: "This SUPERB radio has these features..." and so on.

And sales went through the roof!

We were able to sell the radios so quickly with that kind of sales copy on the flyers that we even began bringing our repair equipment out to the swap meets and would flip the same radio on the same day!

Perception Is Everything

Yesterday I wrote about the principle of power in negotiation. Here's what Herb Cohen, one of the leading experts on negotiation, has to say: "When it comes to power, perception is everything. If you think you have power, even if you don't, you have it. And if you have power, but don't think you have it, you don't have it."

By calling the radio SUPERB, I created a strong perception that this was so!

And it made people buy!

So you have to ask yourself, are you being superb, and more importantly, are you creating the perception that you are superb? By acting the part, dressing the part, and doing things that create the image of being superb? And avoiding activities like cold calling that destroy that image?

When you cold call, you can't be superb. Prospects wonder what's wrong with you that you have to resort to cold calling to get leads. They think, "Why don't you have referrals - are you giving your customers bad service?" Or, "Is your company so broke that they can't afford marketing to generate leads? Will you still be in business in a few years to stand behind your product?"

Don't cold call. Be superb instead. Think the part and act the part, and you will soon be the part. And your sales will explode as a result.

Here's to your success!
Frank Rumbauskas

Learn how you can stop cold calling forever and become a sales rock star by downloading a free 37-page PDF preview of the Never Cold Call Again System.

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s top 30 most influential people. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com

And Then She Said "This Is NOT A Sales Pitch!"

For my birthday a few years ago - my 40th - my wife bought me the NASCAR Experience package - the opportunity to drive a real race car on a real track, Texas Motor Speedway!

I'm not a huge NASCAR fan and couldn't even name most of the drivers, but even still, just knowing that I was driving Jeff Gordon's #24 car on a real superspeedway where he himself has raced that car was surreal. 

And the experience was exhilarating

But something else happened that day...

An Unexpected Lesson in Sales

The way the Experience works is that you can buy one, two, or three 8-minute racing sessions.

We scheduled mine on a Friday to avoid the weekend crowds, and sure enough, it wasn't busy at all.

In the mandatory one-hour driver's class that takes place before going out on the track, the facilitator said that because it's a slow day, anyone who wants to could upgrade to a second or third 8-minute session for half price.

Then he followed with this line:

"This is NOT a sales pitch!"

Umm, yeah, right... in our business we call it an upsell or a one-time offer!

BUT...

People believe it!

Just by saying, "This is not a sales pitch, it's only because we're not fully booked today," people believed him and bought the upsell.

In other words, he made sales by NOT appearing to be SELLING!

And if you're not a total rockstar at sales, rolling in cash every month when you get your commission check and living large, there's a reason: because you come across as someone who is SELLING!!!

The very best salespeople - the six figure earners - never sell. Instead, they create the circumstances for buying to take place, and sit back and simply let people buy.

How To Succeed in Sales

Of all the varieties of selling, from rookie mistakes all the way to sleazy dishonest tactics and high-pressure "closes," the worst of all is cold calling.

If you look at my definition of "selling", cold calling definitely takes the cake. It makes it practically impossible to let people buy.

If you want to succeed in sales, and become a top-performing salesperson almost immediately, there are two steps you must take to make that happen:

1. Stop selling, and start creating circumstances where people buy.

2. The first step to that is to stop cold calling - it's the worst form of selling.

Take those steps, and watch your sales numbers explode and your stress disappear!

Learn how you can stop cold calling forever and become a sales rock star by downloading a free 37-page PDF preview of the Never Cold Call Again System.

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s top 30 most influential people. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com

 

And Then She Said "This Is NOT A Sales Pitch!"

For my birthday a few years ago - my 40th - my wife bought me the NASCAR Experience package - the opportunity to drive a real race car on a real track, Texas Motor Speedway!

I'm not a huge NASCAR fan and couldn't even name most of the drivers, but even still, just knowing that I was driving Jeff Gordon's #24 car on a real superspeedway where he himself has raced that car was surreal. 

And the experience was exhilarating

But something else happened that day...

An Unexpected Lesson in Sales

The way the Experience works is that you can buy one, two, or three 8-minute racing sessions.

We scheduled mine on a Friday to avoid the weekend crowds, and sure enough, it wasn't busy at all.

In the mandatory one-hour driver's class that takes place before going out on the track, the facilitator said that because it's a slow day, anyone who wants to could upgrade to a second or third 8-minute session for half price.

Then he followed with this line:

"This is NOT a sales pitch!"

Umm, yeah, right... in our business we call it an upsell or a one-time offer!

BUT...

People believe it!

Just by saying, "This is not a sales pitch, it's only because we're not fully booked today," people believed him and bought the upsell.

In other words, he made sales by NOT appearing to be SELLING!

And if you're not a total rockstar at sales, rolling in cash every month when you get your commission check and living large, there's a reason: because you come across as someone who is SELLING!!!

The very best salespeople - the six figure earners - never sell. Instead, they create the circumstances for buying to take place, and sit back and simply let people buy.

How To Succeed in Sales

Of all the varieties of selling, from rookie mistakes all the way to sleazy dishonest tactics and high-pressure "closes," the worst of all is cold calling.

If you look at my definition of "selling", cold calling definitely takes the cake. It makes it practically impossible to let people buy.

If you want to succeed in sales, and become a top-performing salesperson almost immediately, there are two steps you must take to make that happen:

1. Stop selling, and start creating circumstances where people buy.

2. The first step to that is to stop cold calling - it's the worst form of selling.

Take those steps, and watch your sales numbers explode and your stress disappear!

Learn how you can stop cold calling forever and become a sales rock star by downloading a free 37-page PDF preview of the Never Cold Call Again System.

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s top 30 most influential people. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com

 

Why Most Salespeople Hate Selling

It never ceases to amaze me how few salespeople I meet who actually love selling, like I do. Worse yet, it appears that a huge number literally hate it - but keep on only because they need a job!

Ask anyone outside the sales profession why they don't like to sell, and they'll tell you, "I hate selling."

There is one reason, and one reason only, why anyone hates selling:

It's because they are inept at it.

They've failed at it.

They can't do it.

This is true in any profession, or any activity in the world, for that matter. People who tell you they hate playing golf - myself included - hate it because they suck at it. (My grass allergy doesn't help either!)

Want To Be Successful? Love What You Do!

It was Socrates who first said it, and it's been repeated by dozens of authors and success philosophers down the centuries: "The only unsuccessful men are those who have not yet found the work they like best."

It's a plain and simple fact that when one is doing the work one likes best, that person is happy, successful, and prosperous.

Work is no longer work. It becomes a labor of love, a joy, to perform.

When I was asked to give an presentation recently on what the #1 cause of sales turnover is, since sales turnover is EXTREMELY expensive for organizations, I had a research assistant find out, and pages and pages of research and case studies all gave the same answer:

Salespeople quit their jobs when they don't like them.

Going deeper into the research, the #1 reason why salespeople don't like their jobs is cold calling. In fact a surprisingly large majority said they'd rather have a root canal than make 100 cold calls.

The #1 reason why salespeople don't like their jobs is cold calling

Is it any wonder, then, that so many salespeople are failures, when they literally HATE what they're doing for a living? When they'd rather have a freaking ROOT CANAL than go to work?

On the other side of the coin, the report contained numerous surveys of business owners & senior executives. When asked what they dislike most about their work, the answer was consistently the same: Receiving cold calls.

The Shortcut to Sales Success

It's well-known to everyone that, no matter how cliche it may sound, the first requirement of success is a positive mental attitude. And you can never have that in your work if you hate your work!

Simply having that positive attitude, and the upbeat enthusiasm that goes with it, makes you magnetically attractive to prospects. They can't resist wanting to BUY from you.

And knowing that cold calling, above everything else combined, is the #1 reason that makes salespeople hate their jobs and destroys positive attitude, the shortcut to sales success is very plain and simple: STOP COLD CALLING! NOW! TODAY!

Learn how you can stop cold calling forever and become a sales rock star by downloading a free 37-page PDF preview of the Never Cold Call Again System.

The Two Most Common Sales Traps and Mistakes

Are You Complacent? Or A Genius?

There are two major traps that salespeople and entrepreneurs alike fall into. I've fallen into both myself, first as a salesperson, and then again as an entrepreneur, in the initial years after I started NeverColdCall.com.

The "Genius" Problem

When I was selling in late 1999/early 2000, my specific territory was an area of town that was very business-dense, so there were a huge quantity of B2B prospects there, but that area was also notorious for the arrogant and so-called "fake" people who both lived and worked there.

During that time, I repeatedly came across the "genius" problem: People who had the attitude that if they didn't already know about something, then it must not exist; therefore it was very difficult to get appointments with these people. (Eventually I realized that I DID NOT WANT appointments with these people - they weren't worth my time.)

Never mind the fact that I was selling a brand-new, cutting-edge technology that they absolutely didn't know about. But in their minds, they already knew everything!

In their minds, they already knew everything!

I did the same thing for a while after initially enjoying financial independence, which unfortunately didn't last all too long because I also fell into "genius" mode. I was doing so well with so little work that I closed my mind to further learning and had fun instead. Then eventually I came to my senses and gave up the "I don't work anymore" routine - as you can tell from these emails, I now work - a lot!

Salespeople do it too. I fell into the trap, which was particularly dangerous at a time when the Internet was just beginning to take over, and it began to make older, albeit proven, lead-generation methods less and less effective.

The "Complacency" Problem

This is the more dangerous of the two. I know I did it, first in sales when the leads and commission checks were pouring in with little effort. When 9/11 hit, the economy crashed - and I was forced to reinvent FAST - I gave up my complacency in a hurry.

I did it again after starting NeverColdCall.com, at the same time I had considered myself a "genius." I was fat and happy, as the saying goes, and let things run on autopilot for a while.

I was fat and happy, as the saying goes.

Of course, it didn't last, because in today's economy, businesses are forced to reinvent themselves an average of every two years - a far cry from the Industrial Age of the 20th Century when a business could chug along for decades with few major changes.

Complacency in Sales

I can always tell when I'm dealing with a complacent salesperson. It's a dead giveaway when they say, "I don't need your stuff because cold calling works for me!"

When I hear that, I immediately know I'm talking with someone who is happy with mediocrity - happy to earn just enough to keep the bills paid, stay employed for another few months, and maybe even put a few away into the savings account.

When I hear that, I immediately know I'm talking with someone who is happy with mediocrity.

However, complacent people never, ever achieve noteworthy success. Never, ever.

That's the reason I stopped being complacent. Now I never stop thinking of and working on new idea, new businesses, and I never stop learning - last night I read chapters from two different books while listening to a third in the car today. Not to mention the fact that I have a short list of books I regularly re-read, to be sure I stay sharp on fundamentals. (Hint: It takes a minimum of three readings of a book before you really "get it.")

The bottom line is that if you want to achieve noteworthy success, and attain your goals and dreams, you must never fall into the complacency trap.

And if there's one huge red flag that a salesperson has become complacent, it's that they're still cold calling in the 21st Century, when cold calling simply doesn't find enough qualified leads anymore to make it worth your time.

So do yourself a big favor: STOP cold calling, and START using effective, intelligent, Information Age methods to start bringing qualified prospects to YOU!

Learn how you can stop cold calling forever and become a sales rock star by downloading a free 37-page PDF preview of the Never Cold Call Again System.

Learn How To Avoid This Common Sales Trap

A conversation with a friend earlier this week revealed the fact that we share the same common disdain for a certain, yet popular, time management book.

The issue is this: The time management system the book details is so overly complicated that just setting it up and maintaining it takes up way too much time!

Curious, I googled the book title to see what others think of it, and what I found really concerned me - I certainly hope YOU are not one of these people!

Here's what most who also disliked the book wrote:

"I didn't like this time management system. I also tried System X and System Y and finally settled on System Z - that one is great!"

WHOA!!! This is total insanity - people are not only wasting endless hours by using overly complicated time management systems that do nothing but WASTE time, on top of that they're going through system after system...

And they're wondering why they can't seem to get anything done!

The obsession with time management systems reminds me a lot of the "lead sorting" ritual I used to see happening in sales offices in the early 1990s (this was when leads were on those 3x5 cards, before laptops and CRM software became the norm).

Other reps I worked with would arrive in the morning, make a cup of coffee, and then proceed to waste a full hour or more "sorting" their leads - they'd keep going through the pile of cards, separating them out into categories of who they'd call first, and so on.

Huh?

Yep, they "sorted" their leads all morning, instead of just getting to selling and contacting people!

Of course now everything is digital and CRM-based; however, the same nonsense continues today, just on a computer screen instead of a 3x5 index card.

Messing around with endless time management systems and lead-sorting are both symptoms of the same malady: PROCRASTINATION!

"You may be shocked if you keep accurate account of the TIME you waste in a single day." -Napoleon Hill

I've looked at time management systems in the past myself, and I decided on a very simple one: When I come into my office, I grab a blank sheet of paper and a Sharpie, I make a list of things to do that day, and I go down the list and cross each off as I complete it.

I don't sort things by priority or do anything else other than simply getting to work; however, I have made a habit of doing the most unpleasant tasks first. Then the rest of my day is a lot easier and I can focus on fun activities like writing and selling. The most fun is hand writing thank-you cards to new customers. It takes a lot of time but I love doing it.

My recommendation to you is to give up the "time management" nonsense and simply get to work each day. Make a list - keep it SIMPLE like I do - whether that list is on paper, on a whiteboard, or in a blank text document on your laptop. You'll not only find your life getting easier and your checks getting bigger, but you'll find yourself working fewer hours and going home earlier every day, which is probably the best benefit of all!

Here's to your continued success, prosperity, and wealth!

Stop cold calling forever and become a sales rock star by downloading a FREE 37-page PDF "sneak peek" into the Never Cold Call Again System here.

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the creator of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s Most Influential People. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com

The ULTIMATE Sales Call

I belong to a Master Mind group here in Dallas consisting of a few other business owners. We meet once a month for a half-day, and in the true Master Mind format as introduced to the world by Napoleon Hill, we each describe our current greatest challenge, and the other members discuss it and provide input and suggestions.

The results are frequently astounding.

At yesterday's monthly meeting, one business owner explained that she was having a tremendous problem with keeping her sales reps motivated.

And that's when someone came up with a BRILLIANT solution to the problem, one that he's used with great success in his own business.

We all know that the absolute best time to go out and sell is immediately after you close a big sale and are on that natural high that follows! That's how salespeople "get on a roll" - they ride the emotional high of closing a large sale, or difficult sale, or one they've been after for a long time.

I'm sure you've experienced this yourself!

The suggestion given to that particular business owner's problem was simple:

Record ALL of your sales calls (meaning appointments).

When you have one of those REALLY great ones, hang onto that recording, save it to your computer, put it on your iPad or on a CD in the car, whatever.

Then, each and every morning before going out to sell for the day, LISTEN TO IT!

Even if your best sales call happened months or even years ago, listening to it in the morning, before going to work, will create the effect of being back on that emotional high you experienced after closing that sale!

The Psychology of Sales Success

I've explained "rolls" and "ruts" before. You "get on a roll" after experiencing a great success, as I've just described.

The emotions carry over, and your body language, vocal intonation, and other sub-communication transmit your enthusiasm and confidence to the prospect, and it makes them want to BUY from you. No hard selling required!

On the other hand, when you get into a "rut," you may have noticed how difficult it is to get out of, and you seem to get deeper and deeper into it.

I discovered the reason why while studying the science of social dynamics.

Most people seem to believe that repeated failure and rejection will "steel you against it" to where you eventually become immune to it.

But, the reality is different. The truth is that repeated rejection beats you down subconsciously until your enthusiasm is destroyed. This comes across to prospects via your sub-communication, and it repels them. It makes them not want to buy from you, or even be around you, for that matter.

The biggest culprit of all when it comes to this problem is cold calling.

When you're rejected 98 out of every 100 times, your subconscious mind gets beaten down fast. So if you want to EXPLODE your sales - FAST - then follow these two steps:

1. Record your sales calls until you find that "best" sales call. Then listen to it every morning before you begin your selling day!

2. Stop cold calling immediately. As the science of social dynamics explains, the repeated rejection of cold calling will put you into a sales rut, one that's nearly impossible to get out of... and you DON'T want that.

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s top 30 most influential people online. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com

Frank has been developing and improving company sales processes and marketing strategies for countless clients since 2003, and thousands have attended his sales workshops and seminars. When you’re ready to massively increase your revenue and greatly reduce sales force turnover, send Frank a message on LinkedIn.

Who Cares If The Glass is Half Empty or Half Full? There's A Third Option

We've all heard that saying about the proverbial glass of water a million times. It's a cheesy way of telling optimists apart from pessimists.

Pessimists see the glass as half empty, while optimists see the glass as half full.

But, is any of this really true?

Optimism vs. Pessimism vs. POWER

It's no secret that POWER holds the key to success in many ways. I talk a lot about having power over your prospect in selling. Napoleon Hill wrote about gaining power through the Master Mind principle nearly a hundred years ago.

And last night, I came across this powerful quote (no pun intended!) in Mark Cuban's excellent book, How To Win At The Sport Of Business, as it relates to that eternal glass of water:

"It's not whether the glass is half empty or half full, it's who is pouring the water that counts."

WOW!

I couldn't have said it any better myself. It's not about how you see the glass, it's about who is IN CONTROL of the glass!

Are You In Control Of Your Life?

Are you in control of your life and your destiny, or do you leave that in the hands of others?

If you are, why? Your life and the direction that life is headed are the most important things in the world to you. But if you're not in control of it - if you're not the one "pouring the water," so to speak, you life will be out of control! And you'll land on whatever rocks the circumstances of life lead you to.

That reminds me of another quote. One of Napoleon Bonaparte's generals said, "Sir, the circumstances for the attack aren't quite right," to which Napoleon replied, "Circumstances? Hell, I make circumstances! ATTACK!"

Attacking The Circumstances of YOUR Life!

To win at the game of life, you need to be in control. You need to be "pouring the water" while everyone else sits around trying to decide if the glass if half empty or half full.

This isn't just about life - it's about winning at anything.

And that includes sales. Are you in control of the sales game? Or do you let others control YOU?

Guess what? Salespeople who are in control, who get power up front and keep it throughout all interactions with the prospect, get sales. They're the big winners in the sales game.

Guess what else? The fastest and easiest way to give away your power in sales is by cold calling. Cold calling sub-communicates to people that you are desperate, that you are in serious need of a sale, and the moment they pick up on that, they are in control!

They get to decide whether or not you get that sale. It gives them the power, and leaves you to their mercy. That's what so many cold calling salespeople don't understand: That all leads are NOT created equal, and that leads generated from cold calling have the absolute lowest closing rate of all!

Which leads have the highest close rate? The kind where people call YOU.

Stop fooling your time away cold calling, and instead, build a reputation. Learn how to use self-marketing strategies to get people calling you. When that happens, YOU are in control of the sale, and guess what, you’ll usually get the sale! 

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s top 30 most influential people online. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com

Frank has been developing and improving company sales processes and marketing strategies for countless clients since 2003, and thousands have attended his sales workshops and seminars. When you’re ready to massively increase your revenue and greatly reduce sales force turnover, send Frank a message on LinkedIn.

Why Most Sales Pitches Fall Flat

I hate to break the bad news, but it's true - sales pitches suck. Nearly all of them. Probably including yours.

Why?

Because following a "sales pitch" makes you seem FAKE.

We've all dealt with those kinds of sales calls. Most of us have done it as consumers - the phone rings and someone is on the other end obviously reading from a script. Whether they're pitching you to switch your phone service, get a new credit card or whatever, you can tell they're not sincere.

I get those calls as a business owner from business-to-business sales reps who spew a bunch of canned crap about improving my revenue, cutting my costs, and lots of other things I'm pretty sure they're clueless about since very few salespeople understand how business owners & executives think.

Then there are those few talented salespeople who admit (to themselves, mostly) that they may not know what they're talking about, but because they're genuine, they get my attention.

Once, I had a co-worker who learned absolutely nothing after 3 weeks of intensive sales and product training, but who proceeded to outsell all of us anyway because he had an attractive and pleasing personality.

BUT -

Had he attempted to go out and recite canned sales pitches, or to follow structured "steps to a sale," he would have come across as fake and not sold anywhere near as much!

My point is this: Yes, you need to know your product, and you need to know how to sell.

However -

You need to be GENUINE and be sure that those sales techniques you're using are mixed with a genuine personality and not recited or followed step-by-step like a robot!

But there's an even better way to make this happen: Meet only with prospects who are highly qualified and actually WANT your product or service!

When you're in this situation, you lose the urge to follow "steps of a sale" or recite a canned pitch. You become much more comfortable with your prospect, and they likewise become more comfortable with you. Combine this ideal sales situation with the fact that they ALREADY are a prime prospect, and a sale is practically inevitable!

So quit wasting time with people who aren't ready to buy and, for that reason, don't deserve your time, and above all else, drop the canned pitches and steps of a sale!

New York Times best-selling author Frank Rumbauskas is the author of the Never Cold Call Again® System and has won numerous accolades, such as Readers Choice for Business Book of the Year from 800-CEO-READ, and has been named one of Fast Company’s top 30 most influential people online. To learn more, and to download a free 37-page PDF preview of his Never Cold Call Again lead-generation system, visit NeverColdCall.com #SalesStrategies #Sales