Business Growth

The Ultimate Sales Machine

sales-machine

By Chet Holmes.

Let’s summarize the book The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes. We will find there the 12 principles to improve a company strategy, sales and productivity.

The-Ulltimate-Sales-Machine
The-Ulltimate-Sales-Machine

You can find the full size MindMap here.

0- INTRODUCTION

  • Average to get a client: 100usd => 300usd in 15 yrs
  • Sales machine: not learning 4000 moves but 12 and doing 4000 times each
  • Implementation, not ideas, is the key to real success
  • Working Smarter not Harder
  • HAVE PIGHEAD DISCIPLINE & DETERMINATION
  • Market Data should be well chosen
  • Find the issues and tell prospects they have a lot of problems (losing money): motivate to action

1- MAXIMIZE PRODUCTIVITY

1. Be Proactive, not Reactive!

2. Brake the company down into “Impact areas” and help 1 hr meeting/week for each

  • Keep one pad for each to track progress and ideas

3. 6 steps to a great time Mngt

1- Touch it once

  • “Can I deal with this now ?” If not put in the todo list
  • Concentrate on what you are doing

2- Make lists

  • 6 most important tasks/day
  • Have a side list for the others (plan for a next day)

3- Estimate time for each of the 6 task

  • If one takes more than 6 hr: split it

4- Plan the (tmrw) day

  • Include reactive periods: 6h pro & 2h rea

5- Prioritize

  • Most important first
  • Salesperson: min 2.5h/d if mng clients 4h otherwise
  • Even reactive must do proactive tasks (less: think abt ideas etc.)
  • Examine how employees prioritize and plan their days
  • Group reactive tasks

6- “Will it hurt me to throw this away ?”

  • Throw what is no more necessary

4. Change email subject when the subject change & very descriptive

2- HIGH STANDARDS & REGULAR TRAINING

1. ONLY 10% has “the learning mindset”

  • Make it required & regular!

2. TAKE time to sharpen your skills, tools & resources: more predictive

  • ex Woodcutter
  • ex call back 3 times if rejection

3. 2 METHODS (ex banks)

  • Person to person: word of mouth
  • Structured training then go look at the person

4. STANDARDS

  • All employees perform each aspect of their job
  • Results are somewhat predictable because training and skills are consistent
  • Each supervisor would give a similar answer for each pb
  • Each employee would give the same answer for each pb
  • Client treatment is similar no matter department
  • All members know what is considered good perf

5. TRAINING

  • Sets standards
  • Makes money
  • Boost confidence and reduce stress
  • No training = guessing & training = confidence
  • Add block by block to reach greatness (follow up)
  • Repetition is the key
  • Improve moral: all the same spirit
  • Improve communication in the team
  • Must be practical

6. Standardize client interaction and follow-up procedures: more money

7. How to run training

  • What will be covered
  • How long it will take
  • How info will be covered
  • The objective of the session
  • Obtained skill or knowledge they will gain
  • Make it fun!
  • METHODS:
    1. Lecture Format
    2. Group questions: ccl you want them to make
    3. Demonstration
    4. Role-playing
    5. Hot seats!
    6. Group discussion
    7. Case studies
    8. Test before and after
    9. Spot quiz
    10. Workshop

3- IMPROVE THE COMPANY: WORKSHOPS TRAINING

1. On a weekly basis (and for any area)

2. The 3 Ps

  1. Planning
  2. Procedures
  3. Policies

3. Think like a big company even if you are little to become big

  • Act like you will hire 50 people/week
  • Document everything

4. Make employees debate about procedures they will then use

  • Everyone must participate

5. If you have a good staff you only need to bring your judgement

6. Unite employees: create a powerful vision at every level

7. Ask every person: 3 ex of how to improve some aspect of the company

  • Rank them
  • Each problem need to be discussed on a singular WS: Once solved make it a procedure => policy (document it)
  • Assign to-do’s for a specific person

8. HTD (ex: what else we can sell to the buyer at the point of sale ?)

  1. Appoint the person to lead the group
  2. Write the question on a whiteboard
  3. Each one writes them ideas on a pad
  4. Ask them ideas
  5. Ask people to Prioritize
  6. Rank them
  7. Implement:
    1. Get everyone to feel the pain
    2. Hold a WS to generate solutions
    3. Develop a conceptual solution or procedure
    4. Leader or top talent perform the procedure task
    5. Set a deadline to test the procedure
    6. Document step by step procedure process
    7. Have show and tell & role-playing
    8. Have another WS on how to improve
    9. Monitor the procedure
    10. Measure & Reward the Outcome: recognition more than money

8. Everyone will know how to react in each situation

4- BECOME A STRATEGIST

1. Tactic: method or technique used to achieve an immediate short-term gain

  • Ads, direct mail

2. Strategy: carefully defined and detailed plan to achieve a long-term goal

  • Overall impact, ultimate position to achieve

3. A brilliant strategist (1%): design and combine tactics with the long-term strategy in mind

  • “How many strategic obj can we accomplish with each tactic?

4. Strategies: ex magazine ads: chg name of salesperson & build rapport with leads

  • Education based marketing: setting the market’s buying criteria – ex furniture store: sell the store more than the product

5.

  • 1. ex: spitch stadium – “The Five Ways You’re Wasting Money in Your Operations and Administration”: title spitch – “The Five Reasons ALl Retailers Fail”
  • 2. Offering an education (build rapport) -> You are repositioned like an expert -> Weave to ultimately sell your product
  • 3. Reach all of them with education based marketing – ex: hospital art
    • Market data more motivational that product data

6. Smoking gun: hide competitors

  • example: hospital art

5- HIRING SUPERSTARS

1. Understand the personality profile of top producers

  • Rare
  • Look for them everywhere you go
  • Never say no to them: let them innovate
  • Challenge them & compliment

2. Put the highest possible number that a top person can make in your ads

  1. Reject them telling why you don’t think they can do the job
  2. Interview: relax, probe, attack!
    • Ask about childhood
    • Look book for more details
    • Ask them about self-improvement
    • Ask to rate them skills (according to the job)

3. Personality profiling is the key to finding superstars

  • Behavioural assessment or personality profiling
  • DISC personality profile
    • Salesperson: dominance & influence (ego too)
    • www.chetholmes.com
  • Write down the personality profile you think would make succeed in the job and search for him

4. Age and background are not relevant

6- GETTING THE BEST BUYERS

1. 8.4 rejections to get a meeting

  • Educate salesperson to that

2. “There’s always a smaller number of best buyers than there are all buyers”

  • Focus on them (ex ad newspaper 167 dream buyers)
  • Dream 100 effort (100 or more)
    • I’ve never heard of this company
    • What is this company I keep hearing about
    • I think I’ve heard of that company
    • Yes, I’ve heard of that company
    • Yes, I do business with that company

3. Best buyers buy more, buy faster and buy more often than other buyers

4. Use fear motivator & social proof

  • ex lawfirms

5. ex computers firm: call to qualify leads

6. Continue to market with great vigor (ex Hollywood) => PIGHEAD DETERMINATION

  • Not knowing you
  • Be annoyed that you won’t go away
  • Knowing exactly who you are
  • Respect you because market with force
  • Feel obligated to buy (reciprocity)
  • FOLLOW-UP

7. B2C: best neighbourhood strategy (ex agence immo): best buyers

  • Send continuously to build top-of-mind awareness

8. DREAM AFFILIATE

  • Affiliate marketing
  • Sell to the same customers but have not your product
  • Ex author course to another author

9. SPECIAL CLIENTS MUST BE TREATED SPECIAL

  • Offer them special things in order to make them feel special

10. REFERRALS: offer incentives to your current buyers when they refer others to you

7- TURBOCHARGE MARKETING

COORDINATE – ex: PR and salespersons

Internet

  • Capture Leads
  • Build relationship
  • Interact as much as possible
  • Offer a webinar
  • Convert traffic to sales
  • SHY YES: newsletter (ex chet 2 websites)
    • Make people share your articles 
    • Make your website a community
  • Must look very much like your other supports (market data etc)
    • Offer valuable data to your leads

Market education

  • Tradeshows (Get noticed, Drive traffic, Capture leads)
  • ex Hawaiian shirts, Hawaiian drinks, take business cards fill a multiple-choice form
  • Organize parties (thematic)
  • Charity events
  • Market influencer sell (ex celebrities)
  • Award ceremony
  • Get your own trade association
  • Create a mass teleconference for your clients

Personal contact : salespeople & CS

  • Make people feel special
  • Huge impact

Public relations

  • Think about articles and List all magazines where you can be in (ex fruit images)
  • Start with a pain point
  • Don’t focus on you, mention big company if possible
  • Start regional and become national
  • Send the PR and phone call (PIGHEAD)
    • Once publicated use them as much as possible!

Corporate literature: brochures etc

  • Should be a miniature of the core story
  • Focus on customer (benefits for the customer)

Direct Mail

  • Education based (ex mite carpet – wow effect)
  • Use colours, put messages on the envelope
  • Focus on customers
  • Think about the way they sort their emails

Advertising

  • Top-of-mind awareness
    •  Must be Distinctive (ex velociraptor)
    • Capture attention: screaming headline (focus on customer)
    • Body copy: keep them reading (focus on customer & unfold the story)
    • Include a call to action (urgency, coupon)

8- ATTRACT AND CLOSE MORE BUYERS WITH VISUALS

1. Remember : 20%H, 30%S, 50%H&S

2. Selling with visual aids: sell more & higher price

3. Use colours!

  • RED: passion, danger, blood, being “in the red”
  • BLUE: tried, true, cool, refreshing
  • ORANGE: value
  • GREEN: money, fresh greens from the garden

4. Photo of people: very effective, very attractive because most familiar

  • 1st thing we see (before landscape)

5. Use bigger numbers at the end (increase)

6. Selling by phone: “Picture it like a triangle with the top cut off.”

7. EFFECTIVE PRESENTING

  1. K.I.S.S (max 3 bullets / slide)
  2. K.I.F.P (Keep It Fast-Paced) (new point every 15s)
  3. Use “Wow” Facts and Statistics (ppl will then talk abt it to friends)
    • Begin with “Wow” if possible
  4. Build in Opportunities for Stories (ex CEO buy 5 times the ad)
  5. The presentation should be curiosity Driven
    • “In next slides, I will show you this”
  6. Think of Each Headline as Valuable Real Estate (powerful titles)
  7. Be Confident but Not Obnoxious
    • Develop a rapport with the audience (ex stretch together)
    • Take control: ask them to do what you want to! (ex ask CEO to sit near you)
  8. Focus on them, not on you
    • You can ask questions at the beginning
  9. 3 Modes of Communication (WORDS, VOICE & BL)
    • Tonality more important than words over the phone
    • Speak with a voice of authority (sounds important)

8. 8 COMMON MISTAKES

  • Thanking or Apologize prospects for their time
  • Presenting with hands in the pocket
  • Presenting from a sitting position
  • Being led around by your nose (don’t let audience take cntrl)
  • Letting the materials upstage you or guide you
  • Keeping it totally serious
  • Falling to Practice the presentation each and every time before you give it
  • Having no idea what comes next in the presentation

9. End of presentation: “What to look if you need this product …”

10. Do not call it presentation but orientation

9- GETTING THE BEST BUYERS BIS

  1. Be organized, consistent and make a plan to win your customers
  2. Plan their rejections and don’t give up!
  3. Propose to prospects to educate them telling them that you do it for them as it is part of your industry
  4. ex OEM company several letters sent & Rubik’s cube
    1. Call back then
  5. SIX STEPS TO GET YOUR DREAM CLIENTS
    1. Choose your dream 100
    2. Choose the gifts
      • Can be sent before & after the presentation
    3. Create your dream 100 calendars
      • Every 2 weeks? – DO A PRECISE PLAN
    4. Create your dream 100 letters
      • Include a call to action in the end!
      • Can be PR too! More familiar with your name: better chance to win them
    5. Present the executive briefing
      • Use market data
      • Include your pitch product after education
      • Hit their pain points
      • Find the smoking gun
      • Set buying criteria in your favour
      • IF YOU CHOOSE WEB SEMINAR KEEP THE PROSPECT HOT (sending letters, worksheet with blank etc)
    6. Conduct dream 100 follow-up phone calls
      • The goal is to schedule an appointment to get your core story in front of them (LIVE) OR WEB SEMINAR
      • Don’t tell them first that’s it’s life!
    7. Must be consistent and don’t give up: long term investment

10- SALES SKILLS

1. WORK AS A TEAM: SHARE BEST PRACTICES, IMPROVE & PROCEDURIZE

2. Establish Rapport

  1. Become friend with your prospects & clients
  2. Ask personal questions as fast as possible (must be part of the process)
  3. Establish trust: make them feel they are working with an expert
  4. Have sense of humour with them
  5. Commiserate / Be empathic and care about them
  6. Find the common ground / Mirror Body Language

3. Qualify the Buyer (Find the Need)

  • Gather their buying criteria and Reset them => your product becomes the most logical choice
  • Mandatory questions
    1. How cst find you?
    2. How long have you worked here?
    3. 3 biggest pain you have?
    4. Average sale?
    5. Most effective way gain clients?
    6. What are your buying criterias? How you choose your vehicle ad ?
    7. Goals for your company /personal?
    8. How’d you get started?

4. Build Value

  • Introduce education
    • Whether you do business with or not you should know this data to be successful in your marketplace
  • Workshop on building value around your product

5. Create Desire

  • Lead them through a series of questions to intensify their need from their perspectives
  • Present killer data that motivate the buyer to take action
    • Make his situation unacceptable
    • Combine problems and solutions
  • Tell them why they need it, picture their future NOT the product
  • What are their pain points

6. Overcome Objections

  • The better you qualify the fewer obstacles you will have to close
  • Isolate objections: Is the money the only thing…

7. Close the Sale

  • Most people need help in making decisions
  • It’s OK to make them feel a little pressure
  • Assume the sale
  • Add something to close the sale if needed

8. Follow Up

11- FOLLOW-UP & CLIENT BONDING

  1. It cost 6x to get a new client than sell to a current
  2. Keep in touch with your client or he will forget you
  3. Trust and respect are the keys for a sale
  4. Continue to push the hot buttons to close a new sale
  5. Your clients need to look forward to your calls, letters and emails
    • Keep things exciting with cards, jokes, gifts and education marketing
  6. Gather information during all the sale process
  7. FU step 1: Send the first FU letter
    • Start with sthg personal
    • Include a compliment
    • Push their hot buttons
    • Use a personal close
  8. FU step 2: Make the first FU Call
    • Something educational
  9. FU step 3: Share something amusing or of personal interest
    • FU step 4: Throw a party, share a meal and bond like crazy
    • FU step 5: Send another mail, letter, card
    • FU step 6: Plan sthg that can include family
    • FU step 7: Offer something to help their business
    • ETC ETC… and try to invite them at home or their…

12- SETTING GOALS, MEASURE & ACTIVATING MASTER PLAN

  1. What we think define who we are
  2. Find solution = change thinking from worrying to demanding solutions
  3. Focus on what you want don’t focus on what you don’t want
  4. Have the attitude as you already have success brain will follow
  5. Perception and attitude are the keys
  6. Any statement you make begins as a thread of an idea
  7. Tell it is a great day today rather than I will have a great day today
  8. Measure effectiveness is the key to success
    • Create performance worksheet
  9. Activate the master plan
    1. What is your best possible strategic position
    2. Once established position, customer know they need to buy from you
    3. Put all this is an educational orientation
    4. Mount a dream 100 customers and shot them hard
    5. Make the team stick with the procedure
    6. Work on time management with the team and ask to-do lists
    7. Train the team on 7 steps for every sale and do workshops
    8. Work on follow up procedures with team
    9. Do ceremonies and parties for your customer
    10. Give the customer more than they expect
    11. Set goals for all areas of performance
    12. Track and reward the best performers

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