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Sales Influence - Why People Buy!

I came from the world of selling as an account manager and moved up the ranks to Director of Sales, then VP of International Sales and eventually President of Sales and Marketing. I know what it takes to sell and how to manage and motivate your sales team. I didn't read a book on selling; I LIVED IT! Selling has become tougher! It isn't what it use to be! Show up, do the dog-and-pony and close the deal! Not any more! Today's buyer has changed given access to more information. This means buyers are more informed and more skeptical when it comes to buying. In this podcast, we'll discuss "Finding the Why in How People Buy"! Using the latest studies in consumer behavior and neuromarketing, you'll learn new ways to sell more effectively!
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Sales Influence - Why People Buy!
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Now displaying: Category: Sales - Selling
Feb 11, 2025

In this episode of the Sales Influence podcast, Victor talks about upsell conversation starters to use during sales pitches. 

Feb 7, 2025

Upselling Techniques

πŸ” "Will that be enough?" creates artificial scarcity, prompting clients to question their initial purchase and potentially buy more.

πŸ’‘ Casually mentioning additional products with "By the way" serves as an effective upsell conversation starter for complementary items.

πŸ—£οΈ "Now that you mentioned that" allows for immediate response to client statements, introducing relevant upsell opportunities they may not have considered.

Effective Implementation

πŸ€” Upsell phrases should always be accompanied by a "reason why" to provide value justification and facilitate informed decision-making.

πŸ”„ Upsell techniques can be applied beyond capacity-limited products, extending to various situations and unrelated items to increase average order value.

Feb 4, 2025

Credibility and Trust

🎯 Presenting rounded numbers instead of precise figures can trigger skepticism and damage the credibility of the entire presentation.

πŸ” A single instance of inaccurate data can lead audiences to question the truthfulness of everything else said, creating a cascade effect of lost trust.

Data Integrity

πŸ“Š Using "lazy math" or presenting numbers without proper backing from studies risks being caught in falsehoods, jeopardizing the presenter's overall message.

Effective Communication

πŸ’Ό Salespeople must ensure their presented numbers are accurate and backed by data, avoiding the temptation to round for convenience (e.g., presenting 31% instead of 25%).

Impact of Misinformation

⚠️ Even if 99% of a presentation is truthful, a single incorrect point can significantly impact the presenter's credibility, potentially killing their credibility entirely.

Jan 31, 2025

Closing Strategy

  1. 🎯 To "stick the landing" in sales presentations, conclude with your three strongest points and a clear call to action, such as asking when to begin based on the presented data.

  2. πŸ’Ό Focus on tangible, quantifiable benefits like time savings, increased conversion rates, and larger deal sizes rather than generic statements about service quality.

Presentation Technique

  1. πŸ–ΌοΈ Visualize the final slide containing three key data points summarizing main benefits, then deliver a powerful closing statement reinforcing these points before transitioning to the call to action.

  2. 🀐 After presenting the three strong closing statements, go silent to allow the audience to absorb the information and consider the call to action, which should request a commitment or next step.

Effective Communication

  1. πŸ“Š Create a strong landing by providing tangible benefits, quantifying them with specific numbers, and then asking for the order or next step to advance the sale.
Jan 24, 2025

Uncovering Decision-Making Processes

πŸ” To level up sales questions, ask "who else is involved" in the decision-making process and walk through the approval steps, including timeframes and sign-offs, to gain valuable insights and manage expectations effectively.

🏒 In B2B sales scenarios, typically 6-9 people are involved in decision-making, making it crucial to uncover the entire approval chain to avoid miscommunication and set realistic expectations.

Improving Question Quality

πŸ’‘ The quality of questions asked during sales conversations is critical for gaining valuable information and selling effectively, requiring salespeople to constantly evaluate if they're asking the best questions to close deals.

Structuring Sales Conversations

πŸ”’ To enhance question quality, start with a simple yes/no question, then ask "who else is involved," and finally walk through the approval process to uncover the entire decision-making chain and gain crucial insights.

Leveraging Insights for Sales Success

πŸ“Š By understanding the client's approval chain, including steps, timeframes, and sign-offs, sales professionals can use this information to manage expectations and close deals more effectively.

Jan 20, 2025

Value-Driven Motivation

🎯 Reminding yourself of the value you provide to clients and the motivation it brings can help regain energy and enthusiasm for sales activities, even when feeling unmotivated.

πŸ’‘ Focus on the impact and benefits your offering delivers to clients, companies, and their employees, rather than just the product itself, to maintain motivation and drive.

Client-Centric Perspective

🀝 When struggling with motivation, consider how your product or service helps individuals, entrepreneurs, small businesses, large companies, and their employees, focusing on positive outcomes and results.

🌟 Understanding the default human tendency to help others and the value you provide in return can help maintain motivation and purpose in sales activities.

Resilience in Sales

πŸ’ͺ Focusing on the value you provide to clients can help maintain motivation and drive in sales activities, even when faced with rejection, disappointment, doubt, and the temptation to dodge responsibilities.

Jan 15, 2025

Strategic Targeting

  1. 🎯 Target high-level executives like directors, VPs, and CEOs as they are typically more open to new ideas and willing to listen, despite being harder to reach.

  2. 🧠 Create an ideal client persona based on specific roles (e.g., VP of Sales) and their motivations and pain points to tailor your approach effectively.

Empathy and Alignment

  1. 🀝 Empathize with executive challenges, such as a VP of Sales needing to generate an additional $5 million while hitting a $50 million target, to build rapport and address concerns.

  2. πŸ“Š Understand the pressures and thought processes of executives, like a VP of Sales analyzing pipeline and forecast to achieve a 10% revenue increase, to align your product or service with their goals.

Decision-Making Focus

  1. πŸ”‘ Connect with the right decision-maker who has the authority to make high-level decisions, enabling you to bypass gatekeepers and have more impactful conversations.
Jan 14, 2025

Post-Mortem Analysis

πŸ” Conducting a post-mortem analysis after losing a deal is crucial for understanding the root cause of the loss and taking full responsibility, even if it's painful.

πŸ“Š Gathering insights from the customer through post-mortem questions helps improve future sales strategies and builds a foundation for continuous improvement.

Addressing Incumbent Competitors

πŸ”„ Incorporating a switching strategy into sales presentations is essential when facing an incumbent competitor to address the customer's psychological fear of change.

Customer Decision-Making

😌 Customers often choose incumbent competitors due to their comfort level with existing relationships, even when new products exceed expectations in multiple areas.

Sales Confidence and Improvement

πŸ’ͺ Overconfidence in winning deals can lead to painful explanations to managers, but post-mortem analyses help rebuild confidence and proactively address customer concerns in future presentations.

 

Jan 12, 2025

Strategic Perspective Shift

  1. πŸ”„ Detach emotionally from sunk costs and imagine starting over today with new technologies and perspectives to gain fresh insights on struggling projects or businesses.

  2. 🧠 "Reset your mindset" by mentally walking away from failing endeavors, taking a step back, and reassessing your approach to get unstuck and find new solutions.

Objective Decision-Making

  1. πŸ‘οΈ People with no emotional stake can make more rational decisions and identify necessary actions sooner, unhindered by personal investment.

Corporate Transformation

  1. πŸ’Ό Intel's transformation from memory chips to microprocessors in the 1980s demonstrates how companies can thrive by radically shifting direction, even when it requires monumental changes.

Overcoming Sunk Cost Fallacy

  1. 🎣 Sunk costs act as a psychological hook, keeping individuals trapped in negative paths due to the brain's reluctance to abandon previous investments.
Jan 9, 2025

Coaching and Training

🎯 50-60% of salespeople not achieving quota is frustrating companies, yet managers fail to properly train their reports, resulting in lost opportunities.

πŸ† Top management should have one-on-one conversations with managers, asking how they learned to become great salespeople, inevitably leading to the answer of having a great mentor or coach.

Managerial Focus

πŸ’Ό Managers prioritize hitting sales numbers and focus on top performers, making coaching new salespeople low on their priority list.

Effective Communication

❓ The power is always in the question, guiding managers to conclude they need to coach new salespeople through a series of questions rather than being told what to do.

Unsuccessful Attempts

πŸ“Š Companies are trying various methods to encourage managers to coach their salespeople, including emails, conference calls, and meetings, but these efforts are largely ineffective.

Jan 8, 2025

Psychological Techniques for Sales

🧠 Acknowledging potential resistance with phrases like "I know you might not want to" can lower buyer resistance and increase agreement rates by up to 50%.

πŸ•°οΈ Offering flexible options and acknowledging time constraints (e.g., "Maybe now isn't a good time, but can we meet Monday for 30 minutes?") removes prospects from "reactance mode" and gives them a sense of freedom to choose.

Effective Communication Strategies

πŸ’¬ Using variations of "I know you might not want to" followed by a request (e.g., "would you be willing to start next week?") can effectively frame sacrifices and increase compliance.

🀝 Recognizing the potential sacrifice for the client while highlighting long-term benefits (e.g., "it will save you headaches and money") can improve the likelihood of closing a sale.

Time Management in Sales

⏱️ Proposing brief, specific time commitments (e.g., "5-10 minutes next week") when acknowledging a prospect's busy schedule can make requests seem more manageable and increase the chances of securing a meeting.

Jan 2, 2025

Customer Empowerment

πŸ” Provide options and agency instead of direct answers to give customers freedom to choose and a sense of control.

🀝 Frame questions as "A or B" choices rather than giving single answers to help customers feel less trapped.

Sales Technique

πŸ’‘ Use "sales agency" approach by offering alternatives and options when asked for opinions.

🎯 Avoid telling customers what to do, instead present multiple possibilities for consideration.

Customer Psychology

🧠 Giving options helps customers feel more in control of their decisions and less pressured in the sales process.

Dec 30, 2024

Understanding Non-Buyers

  1. 🧠 Three types of non-buyers exist: unaware, aware but uninterested, and aware and interested but scared, each requiring a tailored sales approach.

  2. πŸ’‘ Categorizing clients into these three buckets allows salespeople to effectively address specific barriers holding customers back from making a purchase.

Tailoring Sales Strategies

  1. 🎯 For unaware non-buyers, salespeople should focus on making them aware of their problems and the negative impact of not addressing them.
  2. πŸ’Ό With aware but uninterested non-buyers, the key is to make them care about the consequences of not improving their situation.

  3. πŸ› οΈ To convert aware and interested but scared non-buyers, salespeople must provide a clear blueprint or steps for change, addressing concerns about data integrity and sales process interruptions.

     

Dec 19, 2024

Effective Communication Strategies

  1. 🎧 

    To avoid arguments and foster enlightening discussions, slow down the conversation by asking for context and definition of terms, which helps understand the other person's perspective and may reveal their lack of clarity.

  2. 🧠 

    When disagreeing, pause and listen, then ask yourself three key questions: what is the context, what is the definition of the term being discussed, and what experiences are shaping their viewpoint.

Understanding Perspectives

  1. 🌍 

    Personal experiences and mindsets significantly impact how people approach discussions, so it's crucial to recognize that different perspectives are rooted in unique experiences and beliefs.

  2. 🎯 

    When discussing complex topics like success, agree on a shared definition before proceeding, as people may have different understandings of the term.

Attitude and Behavior

  1. πŸ”„ Attitude controls behavior, which determines consequences, so maintain a positive attitude and focus on enlightening discussions rather than trying to win arguments.
Dec 19, 2024

Structured Sales Approach

🎯 The Presentation Power Model offers a 6-step structured approach for B2B and transactional sales presentations, focusing on product knowledge, strategic questioning, proof provision, objection management, pricing presentation, and success roadmapping.

Value Proposition

πŸ’‘ Crafting a compelling value proposition that prompts prospects to ask "How do you do that?" is crucial for capturing interest and initiating meaningful sales conversations.

Objection Handling

πŸ›‘οΈ Effectively anticipating and managing both stated objections and unstated concerns is key to addressing potential roadblocks in the sales process and building customer confidence.

Implementation Planning

πŸ—ΊοΈ Providing a detailed path to success with a step-by-step implementation plan demonstrates thoroughness and instills confidence in the customer about the product or service rollout process.

Adaptability

πŸ”„ While the Presentation Power Model is effective for B2B and transactional sales, it's important to recognize that it may not be suitable for all sales situations, highlighting the need for adaptability in sales strategies.

Sep 18, 2024

Creating and sharing valuable, targeted content that addresses customer needs and questions can establish authority, drive traffic, and enhance conversion rates for your website.

  • 00:00 πŸ“ˆ Create and share valuable content online to establish yourself as an authority and attract more traffic and leads to your website.
  • 01:07 πŸ” Understand your customers' common problems and questions to create targeted content that addresses their needs.
  • 01:41 πŸ“ Catchy title templates can enhance your content by addressing common customer questions and filling in the blanks for articles, blogs, or podcasts.
  • 02:31 πŸ“ Create engaging content by addressing customer comparisons, timing questions, handling inquiries, and problem-solving solutions related to your products or services.
  • 04:00 πŸ’‘ Generate engaging content ideas by addressing common questions and concerns about your product, such as effectiveness and key considerations before purchase.
  • 05:00 πŸ“ Commit to creating weekly content by addressing common client questions and solutions to enhance your online presence and attract customers.
  • 06:25 πŸ“ˆ Creating engaging content like articles and podcasts drives traffic to your website, significantly boosting conversion rates as visitors are already familiar with your brand.
  • 07:11 🎀 Great speakers prioritize their audience's needs and success over their own appearance or performance.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/h448vRCBImg 

Sep 5, 2024

Rich Niche - Define Your Buying Persona

Aug 29, 2024

To recharge your sales performance, you must first recharge your physical and mental energy through self-care habits, inspiration, and a client-centric approach.

  • ️ To recharge your sales, you must first recharge yourself, just like you would recharge a dead smartphone battery.
  • ️ Just like a phone, our mental energy can drain if we procrastinate on recharging it, leading to anxious moments and decreased performance.
  • ️ Recharge your sales by taking care of your physical and mental energy through simple habits like getting 6-8 hours of sleep and eating correctly.
  • To maintain energy levels, eat smaller, frequent meals throughout the day, saving automatic tasks for the morning and bigger meals for lunch.
  • ️ Plan your day, prioritize task-oriented activities after lunch, and dedicate 15 minutes daily to inspiration and self-recharge through content like podcasts, books, or videos.
  • Surrounding yourself with top performers in sales, even virtually, can help you recharge and stay motivated by sharing strategies and experiences.
  • To recharge your sales, prioritize self-care by getting enough sleep and nutrition, finding inspiration, taking time to be quiet and reflect, and redirecting your energy to improve your performance.
  • Recharge your sales by recharging your mindset and adopting a client-centric approach that prioritizes delivering value and inspiring others.
    • To recharge your sales, first recharge your mindset by consuming inspiring content, surrounding yourself with positive people, taking quiet time, reflecting on your approach, and redirecting your strategy.
    • A great speaker prioritizes making their client look good, not themselves, by delivering useful content, engaging the audience, and motivating them to discover new abilities.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/vaU0SErzvOM by Eightify

Aug 26, 2024

A well-structured sales compensation package should include a balanced mix of base salary, commission, and bonuses or special incentives, such as the 50/40/10 rule, to motivate salespeople and drive performance.

  • Salary or commission compensation plans for salespeople depend on the individual and business, with a three-fold structure of salary, commission, and spiffs being a preferred approach.
  • A salesperson's total market compensation should be divided into 50% base salary, 40% commission, and 10% bonus or special incentives.
  • A sales commission structure can be broken down into a base salary, commission, and bonus, with a common ratio being 50% base, 40% commission, and 10% bonus.
  • Sales commissions can be structured as a percentage of sales or as a percentage of quota, with the goal of reaching a target income, such as $32,000.
  • A spiff is a special incentive or bonus that guides a salesperson's behavior by rewarding them for achieving specific goals or exceeding their quota.
  • Offering a spiff, a one-time bonus, can motivate salespeople to sell a new product or service, or reach a specific sales target, such as selling over 500 licenses to a large customer.
  • The 50/40/10 rule helps balance a salesperson's compensation by allocating 50% for base salary, 40% for commission, and 10% for bonuses or spiffs.
  • A well-structured sales compensation package should include a base salary, commission, and unexpected bonuses to motivate salespeople and drive performance.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/W2kAbCnVxDA by Eightify

Aug 22, 2024

 

  • Starting virtual meetings effectively is crucial for establishing positive connections and setting the tone for the entire interaction.
  • Start meetings by sharing your opinion first to encourage participation from small groups.
  • Engaging participants in virtual meetings by setting a structured format and leading by example encourages contributions and prevents awkward silences.
  • Encourage smooth virtual interactions by designating speaking turns to avoid awkward overlaps during discussions.
  • Keep meetings casual and fun to foster connection and encourage participation.
  • Engaging participants with a structured sharing approach enhances interaction in virtual settings.
  • Building virtual rapport is essential for encouraging participation and creating productive meetings in sales.
  • Great speakers prioritize making their clients shine rather than seeking personal recognition.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/00jaPwueWW4 

Aug 19, 2024

Engaging clients through thoughtful questions about their challenges, interests, and future predictions fosters meaningful conversations and builds strong rapport in sales.

  • Use Kickstart question starters to initiate engaging conversations with prospects or clients.
  • Engaging clients with prediction questions about market trends and future behaviors fosters meaningful conversations.
  • Engaging clients with questions about their business challenges, profitability, and personal opinions fosters meaningful conversations and shows genuine interest.
  • Asking clients about their passions and hobbies helps build rapport and deepen connections.
  • Finding common interests and personal connections enhances rapport in sales by starting with general questions and using verbal gifting to foster open dialogue.
    • Finding common interests and personal connections, such as family, can enhance rapport building in sales.
    • Building rapport with clients involves starting with general questions before moving to personal topics, using techniques like verbal gifting to encourage open dialogue.
  • Sharing your opinion encourages others to reciprocate, fostering a powerful strategy for building rapport in conversations.
  • Prepare and pre-store questions in five key categories to enhance natural conversation flow with clients.
  • Great speakers prioritize making their clients shine over seeking personal recognition.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/ZhnXj-p_txQ 

Aug 18, 2024

The traditional pressure-based approach to closing sales is ineffective in today's market, and salespeople need to adopt a more modern and client-focused approach, as outlined in "The Perfect Close" book, in order to be more successful.

  • Learn about the perfect close 2.0 and how it can help you sell more effectively.
  • The Perfect Close in James M's book is just two steps: engaging with clients before asking for the close, which can be either signing a contract or setting up the next meeting or step in the sales process.
  • Ask "Does it make sense?" and if the client says no, ask them what the next step should be to give them control in the sales process.
  • Pressure to close doesn't work in today's market, so a modern approach is needed for smarter clients.
  • Develop your own fill-in-the-blank phrases and be assertive in your call to action to make the close more effective.
    • Be more assertive and authoritative in your call to action by using a subtle twist to fit your style, and consider developing your own fill-in-the-blank phrases for a more natural and effective approach.
    • Learn and absorb new sales techniques, fill in the blanks, and ask for agreement to make the close more effective.
  • Salespeople often struggle with asking for the next step, but "The Perfect Close" book offers valuable guidance on how to do so effectively, emphasizing the importance of practicing and giving the client control.
    • Salespeople often fail to ask for the next step or call to action, but "The Perfect Close" book provides valuable guidance on how to do so effectively.
    • Practice your call to action so it sounds natural and flows smoothly, and give the client control if they say no.
  • Leave feedback on the podcast and check out the sales velocity academy for effective sales techniques.
  • A great speaker delivers real content, engages the audience, and motivates them, but the most important thing is to make the client look good, not oneself.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/WpBKj8AGq2k by Eightify

Aug 17, 2024

Building decision-making confidence in customers is crucial for sales success, and sales influence comes from clarifying the differences between products and helping customers build decision confidence.

  • Building decision-making confidence in customers is crucial for sales success.
  • Researching lighting systems online, found a helpful video comparing two options, which increased my confidence in making a buying decision.
  • One person did a side-by-side comparison of two lighting systems, visually showing the differences in brightness, pros and cons, and price.
  • The customer chose the cheaper option after considering the accessories and her specific needs.
  • Choose between cheaper and more expensive options based on your needs and priorities for managing cords and travel.
  • Customers need to feel confident in their decision-making process, and sales influence comes from clarifying the differences between products and helping customers build decision confidence.
  • B2B buyers with high decision confidence are more likely to choose a premium offering, but situational needs also play a significant role in the decision-making process.
  • Great speakers deliver real content, engage the audience, and motivate them, always making the client look good.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/LTt-qGcwq5w 

Aug 16, 2024

In sales and business, it is important to be adaptable, constantly learning, and to focus on the client's needs rather than the speaker's ego.

  • Connecting with others on a personal level, such as sharing interests, is an important aspect of building relationships in sales.
  • Miyamoto Musashi, a legendary samurai, wrote a book on the ideal qualities of a samurai, emphasizing the importance of exploring all crafts and trades to be the best warrior.
  • The book of Five Rings teaches martial arts principles that can be applied to business, such as understanding your industry and using your own style to defeat competitors.
  • Balance in business is like water, being fluid and adaptable, while execution requires decisiveness and intention to seize opportunities.
  • A business samurai must be alert of his surroundings, understand the market changes, and choose the best technique at every moment to achieve victory.
  • Let go of the past and be adaptable to new strategies and knowledge in business.
  • Let go of past ways of doing things to be successful in business today, and check out the article and sales velocity Academy for more tips.
  • A great speaker delivers real content, engages the audience, and motivates them, but it's never about the speaker, it's always about the client.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/aX77tccZ3n0 by Eightify

Aug 15, 2024

Addressing and highlighting negative features in a sales pitch can be used to pivot to the positive and ultimately increase credibility and sales.

  • Mentioning a negative feature can increase credibility and be used to bolster a product or service in sales.
  • Addressing product weaknesses proactively in sales conversations can help regain control and pivot to the positive.
  • Raise the negative features in a sales pitch, then pivot to highlight the positive outcomes.
  • Customers may initially see too many features as a negative, but they will realize the need for them as their business grows.
  • Training may seem too long, but for a sophisticated product like ours, it's essential for maximizing return on investment.
  • Turn negative features into positives by listing weaknesses, raising the negative, pivoting with "however", and concluding with a positive statement to control your presentation.
  • Check out the Sales Velocity Academy for fast courses to help you sell more, and remember to sell hard when you know how.
  • It's important for a speaker to focus on delivering real content, engaging the audience, and motivating them, with the main goal being to make the client look good.

 

Summary for: https://youtu.be/cD9pJtK8GAQ by Eightify

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