Bruce, Author at The Caveman's Guide to Selling Page

Do People Know, Like, and Trust You?

March 28, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

You’ve heard it before: people do business with those they know, like, and trust.

Do you have all three of these covered?

Chances are you do if you’re authentic and vulnerable.

Knowing people and becoming known is the simplest of the three. It boils down to how involved you are in the community; the more you put yourself out there, the greater the likelihood of making a connection.

But simply putting yourself out there isn’t enough. This is where trust and likability come into play.

One of the best ways to master likability is to treat everyone you interact with as you would a long time friend. By doing this you let your guard down, and people are more likely to view you as approachable. You can take this idea a bit further by regarding others as not only long time friends, but as those you haven’t seen in awhile. From this perspective, you will be more eager to “catch up” with your “friend” and will naturally want to ask questions to learn about what they have been up to. People love to talk about themselves, as studies have shown, and by facilitating this your presence is likely to be positively correlated with their enjoyment.

As an added bonus, when you regard those around you as a friend, the likelihood of doing anything that would violate their trust is reduced. I’m not saying you have to be perfect, but if you’ve developed and deepened the relationship, the odds of recovering from a mistake or error in judgment and maintaining the connection is greatly improved. As a rule of thumb, if you have to stop and think about whether or not you should or shouldn’t do something in terms of behavior, don’t do it. If it’s questionable and you find yourself starting to rationalize and justify doing it, don’t.

At the end of the day, trust comes down to your reputation, which can take years to build and only moments to destroy.

Training the competition

March 14, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

I was having a conversation with a top selling agent in my office and the topic of interns came up. When asked if I was still working with them in my practice, I responded with an ardent “yes”! My colleague, on the other hand, told me that they didn’t believe in the idea of training the competition. This person explained that it wouldn’t be a good use of their time and energy to put into someone that would eventually leave and ultimately fight for the same prospects in the marketplace.

How disappointing.

Young people and those new to our industry are our future. As advocates for our craft and industry, we should lend a hand to shaping that future.

Most of us, at some point in our lives, have come into contact with someone that had a powerful influence on us, someone who contributed to who and where we are today. They may have given us a hand up in one way or another. There comes a time when we need to pay it forward; to improve the lives of others, our industry, and ultimately our entire community (this includes our interns too).

Train the competition.

Presenting Proposals

February 29, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

Presenting proposals to outline the costs involved with your products and services is a necessary evil. What’s more important than sending them though, is what you do before and afterwards.

The keys are to:

Understand their needs and price your product or service accordingly. If they like you and trust you, they’ll either pay a little more or let you know where you need to be in order to earn their business.

Always speak with your prospect (ideally in person) when sending the proposal and walk them through it. Otherwise, you are just a number. If meeting in person or over the phone isn’t an option, make sure your delivery email clearly guides your client through the proposal, just as you would in person.

After submitting the proposal, be responsive and elicit any kind of feedback. Even if you lose the business, it’s another chance to build the relationship by deepening your understanding of your client’s perspective. Sometimes “no” can be converted into “not now”, but you’ll never know without feedback.

“But what about price?”, I’m often asked. “Is it better to be the most expensive or the least expensive option?”

My response is always the same. I would take the former all day long. Here’s why:

If you have an actual relationship with the prospect, they will help guide you to where you need to be cost-wise. It’s far easier for them to curb back a few things and keep the quality and service high than it is to take a chance with a lowball offer, especially if quality and service could suffer.

As Benjamin Franklin once said:

“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.”

In the event that your client counters with a price that is less than you had presented, you get to decide whether you’re willing to lower that price, accept less, or just say “no thank you” and walk away.

Always keep in mind that if price is their sole or primary consideration, they’re not a good fit anyway! You are not a number and you never want to be one. You are the difference in any proposal. Believe it and don’t ever forget it.

Business Cards

February 22, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

I was knocking on a few doors one day introducing myself to various people at an office center, when I came across a portion of the building that had not yet been built out. The door handles were buried under cobwebs and dirt, and showed signs of a bout with the outside elements. It was clear the site hadn’t seen attention in months.

It wasn’t the unfinished space that caught my attention though. In passing, I noticed something stuck in the door jam. As I moved closer, I realized it was a business card; one that was weathered, tattered and looked as if it had been through three wars.

What struck me was the mindset of the salesperson who had come before me and had left it.

The thought might have been that somehow merely the card’s presence would create business. Maybe it would jump up and down and fly into the front pocket of a viable prospect?

This situation reminded me that business cards, like other forms of advertising and media, are often relied on too heavily to do our job for us. Instead, they should be regarded merely as extraneous tools, tokens of remembrance left behind after a connection has been made. We are the ones that need to do the work, not our business cards.

Learn from lost business

February 15, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

When you find out that you didn’t win business you had planned to win, or your client suddenly goes silent and all you hear are crickets, what do you do?

Do you disappear or, even worse, blame the client for being indecisive, disloyal, or less than intelligent?

What if, instead, you could learn from lost business? Maybe even sidestep the frustration by way of curiosity?

I believe you can and absolutely should.

The best approach when faced with losing business is to engage your curiosity by exploring why you lost it. No matter how uncomfortable it may be, you’ve got to get to the crux of the matter with your former client. This is the only way you will be able to spot and prepare for similar situations in the future.

Keep in mind exploring a loss is not the same thing as dwelling on it. The former presents an opportunity for growth and development, while the latter acts as a breeding ground for stagnation.

Of course you’ll never know if the information you’re given is in fact the real reason you’ve lost, but I can assure you, it’s a heck of a lot more productive (and helpful) than not asking at all! It also sends the message that you are a professional and that you care about continuing to improve and being the best you can be. Not a bad thing.

The Cold-Calling Argument

February 8, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

I’ve noticed a polarization of views in regards to cold-calling (speaking with people you don’t know yet, whether in person or over the phone) recently through various books and articles written on the subject.

Some claim it’s going the way of the dinosaur (or should); that only “old-timers” are using it because they can’t let go of the past.

Others say this way of prospecting is essential; a necessary part of the life of a salesperson. Proponents on this side of the argument insist on taking a proactive approach to prospecting, as opposed to a reactionary one (waiting for clients to come to you).

I hate to be politically correct, but the truth lies somewhere in the middle.

There are all kinds of ways to reach out and connect with people (as there should be). Rather than arguing over the minutiae of the topic, what’s more effective is choosing to engage in whatever it is that you’re comfortable with and that you’ll actually do!

I won’t deny there are efficiencies with marketing and selling via the web, emails, and social media, but this is not the only way to go. While there are other effective ways to reach people and develop relationships, being face-to-face and belly-to-belly with someone and the opportunity for them to become your client is definitely tried and true and serves a purpose: feedback.

The best way to get feedback on your prospect’s position is to interact with them personally. This enables you to not only hear their words, but also to pick up on the subtleties of their message through inflection, tone, or body language. These can all help you better understand their feelings and position. Cold-calling allows this dynamic to take place.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it’s important not to become a victim of analysis paralysis. While there are many ways to reach out and contact people, the means by which you do it doesn’t much matter. just as long as you actually do it! What matters is that you listen and find ways to help them. Only then can you move them in some way.

Follow Up! Otherwise, why even start the process?

February 1, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

One of the most critical parts of the sales process is the follow up. This isn’t just about leaving a voicemail message and updating your call sheet, noting that you’ve “followed up” on such and such date. Following up means actually touching base and re-connecting with the client to find out the next course of action.

It’s truly amazing how many times this doesn’t happen or is handled poorly.

Assuming you have met the client’s need and solved a problem for them, you should always ask for the sale. At the very least, you should establish whether or not the prospect has further interest in your product or service. Many times, they are still uncertain and require further steps, time, or information before determining whether or not to move forward.

Follow up not only propels the sales process forward by keeping the lines of communication open, but it shows your ability (or a lack thereof) to do what you say you’re going to do. It shows you’re going to be around to help and that you’re reliable. This speaks to the area of trust and credibility. Without these two components paired with your ability of being present, the odds of continuing and deepening the relationship are low. In other words, your continued engagement via follow up greatly improves the likelihood of maintaining a relationship, which is really what it’s all about!

Are you a natural?

January 25, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

“Show me a natural .300 hitter in baseball and I’ll show you someone who’s showing up early for batting practice each and every day hitting ground balls until their hands bleed.” – Harvey Mackay

In business, like in sports there is no shortage of people with “natural” gifts and strengths. While these characteristics may allow them to be better at certain things, a true professional knows that natural abilities will only take them so far. This understanding is typically what motivates them to put in the extra time and energy necessary to continue to master their craft.

Professionals are committed to honing their craft and hammering down on the fundamentals. They believe that being good isn’t good enough!

Professionals may be mistaken for naturals but please, don’t be fooled. Instead, do the work.

Get out there and meet people

January 18, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

Thinking about what networking group to join? Torturing yourself over the best meeting or mixer to attend? I hate to tell you, but you’re wasting your time!

As psychologist Barry Schwartz argues is his book, The Paradox of Choice, when we are presented with too many choices, we end up not choosing at all. In other words, we end up experiencing analysis paralysis.

Don’t let this happen to you.

The truth is, there isn’t a scientific formula as to the best one to join and it’s almost always the opposite of what you think. For all intents and purposes, it doesn’t really matter which one you join. Go where there are a bunch of people and genuinely get to know as many of them as possible. You’ll be amazed by how many are connected to someone you already know or may want to know. The people you meet may even be your future clients themselves!

Stop analyzing – just get out there and meet people!

A rising tide lifts all boats

January 11, 2016 by Bruce Leave a Comment

Instead of battling over commission or business or putting others down in your industry, why not evangelize the need for your product or service? Why not elevate the entire industry?

Instead of becoming distracted by those who offer similar products or services, focus your attention on serving as an ambassador for the business and industry you operate within. Try to help make it as strong and reputable as possible. As the public’s perceived value of your industry expands, so too will your place within it.