Golden Sales Group, LLC

12/29/2021

Stay Tuned in the New Year! I'll reveal my 3 Sales Tricks.

Why only 3? Because a simple, well-executed, rock-solid process is all it takes.

Copyright © 2021 Golden Sales Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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12/15/2021

How hard do you push before you back off?

Here’s a story for you:

I founded a company that helped businesses qualify for a BP spill claim settlement. With an average payout of well over $250k, the stakes are big for companies that successfully navigate the claim process. Many businesses missed out because they did not know they qualified, did not understand the process, and therefore never filed a claim.

I found out that when businesses did not understand the process, they were reluctant to discuss filing a claim and even more reluctant to share the financial information required to qualify. To most prospects, the opportunity seemed too good to be true. They didn’t understand, didn’t listen, didn’t trust, and tuned me out. BUT, because the settlement dollars were so big, they sometimes went and did research privately and on their own time. Their reaction from my initial “Crush Sell,” led them to do business elsewhere. In this case, my prospect (a personal friend) found someone else to file their claim, costing my company at least $75,000 in net revenue, and paid a fee that was significantly higher than the legal maximum. Our friendship, while damaged, survived.

Hard selling requires you to believe in your product or service and know that it will help your prospect accomplish their goals. Crush Selling is when YOU are likely to derive the most benefit from a sale. You are pushing hard without regard for what is right for your prospect. To be effective, you must believe in your product or service enough to be willing to sell very hard and not easily take “no” for an answer, but your goals MUST be aligned with your prospects’, otherwise trust and the relationship are compromised.

Copyright © 2021 Golden Sales Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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12/08/2021

In a previous episode, we addressed some outdated phrases that should be “Gone for Good,” but what about Phrases that Pay? Knowing just what to say will keep the conversation moving, and while there are NO PERFECT scripted responses, being prepared and knowing what usually works greatly increases the likelihood your communication will continue. More importantly, by asking these types of open-ended questions (RATHER THAN “no” or “yes” questions which are conversation/communication killers) you stand a good likelihood to keep gathering information.

These examples are contextual, so, where they occur in a communication cycle determines their true meaning.

Incoming Lead – email, call, text:
“What are you trying to accomplish?” Provides a break so that you can ask sequential questions and prevent a data dump and

When you learn a decision is being made by someone other than the person you are working with:
“How do you think they’ll feel about this?” This gives you the opportunity to learn how the person you are working with really feels.

You are asked a REALLY tough question; one you did not want to face - yet:
“That’s a great question, I’m glad you asked.”
Acts as a circuit breaker to give you the time you need to regroup and formulate a good response to a question you may not have been ready to answer.

Communication has been broken down/ended for some time and you really want to re-establish communication:
“I’ve been thinking about you and have some great ideas to share…” demonstrates you are a real and genuine person who has your prospect’s or former customer's best interests at heart and that you think about them often, which separates you from all the rest.

Copyright © 2021 Golden Sales Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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12/01/2021

91% of customers say they’d happily give referrals…..only 11% of salespeople actually ask for them”
- Dale Carnegie

With the proliferation of remote work, prospecting and making new contacts is harder than ever. Add in all the filters like Caller ID, and it’s easier than ever for prospects, customers, and contacts to simply not respond.

New contacts are the most valuable commodity a salesperson can have, and finding contacts who might be a good fit is vital to managing our time well and staying targeted.

The solution we all know but often forget about is: REFERRALS.

We and everyone we deal with are part of a like-minded business community, and if asked properly – our peers will provide a list of referrals with contact information that works in today’s business climate. If the relationship is good enough, we can even ask for an introduction, increasing the likelihood of 2-way communication with our new contact.

So here's how we can ask for referrals, or better still, introductions:

Towards the end of the communication…
• Address the person you’re with by name and say, “Like you, my business grows best by word of mouth. As you know, just holding our own is very tough. Now that we’ve had the opportunity to speak, do you know one or two people that might benefit from working with me?”
• Wait – silence is very powerful. The person will think for a moment. When they mention a name, write it down.
• Do you have contact information that is working for them right now? Phone, email? Write it down.
• “Can I use your name when I call?” They should say, “Yes.”
• And if you’re really feeling your mojo…ask if they would reach out with an introduction.
• Thank them profusely and offer to reciprocate!

A new working contact is worth its weight in gold with all that has occurred the last 24 months.

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11/24/2021

I am amazed at what folks say when the topic of “biggest competitor” is raised. This is all before we know much of anything about what our target prospect is really doing, who they are doing it with and why they are working with whomever.

Our mind goes into overdrive. We come up with ridiculous (and untrue!) excuses, “our prices are too high,” “our delivery is too slow,” “our inventory isn’t big enough,” and so many more. I have heard them all.

It is human nature to overcomplicate things, especially when it involves the unknown. In reality, the answer is simple:

Our biggest competitor is inertia/the status quo.

I'll say it again:
OUR BIGGEST COMPETITOR IS THE STATUS QUO

OR - our biggest competitor is what your prospect is currently doing.

People you are going to meet with today, next week, next month or next year, are all doing something, and you were not part of their plans. It may not be what you want them to be doing, it may not be the way you want them to do it, but they are doing something, and have been, long before they met you.

It makes sense to them to keep doing things how they are, now. They did not start their day looking to change suppliers. In today’s economic climate, they are in survival mode, hanging on to whatever seems stable, even if it’s not the best, cheapest, or most efficient.

What does this mean? We need to become an Agent of Change – really get to know what our prospect is trying to accomplish and then make a compelling case that we can help them do it better.

Yes – the status quo is our biggest competitor – not some unknown supplier with capabilities that surpass ours.

Copyright © 2021 Golden Sales Group, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Stay Tuned for NEXT WEEK’S Special Bonus Episode: The Most Compelling Sales Question I have EVER been asked. Intrigued? I’ll give you a preview! Schedule your FREE ½ hour consultation ($100 value) TODAY! (promo ends 11/30/21)

11/10/2021

In this week's edition of Larry's Laws, consider these Four Conversation Killers:

Once you think about them and what is likely to happen when they come out, you probably will try hard to not use them again.

We try so hard to communicate effectively while staying polite and not offending anyone, trying to be liked, because... human nature. Then, we’re so surprised when someone we call actually answers the phone, that we're caught off guard and at a loss for words. It happens to all of us.

Combine being polite with human nature and throw in some shock and the result is, we say the darnedest things.

Four Conversation Killers:
1) Is now a good time?
Think about it, they answered the phone, or responded to a text or chat, so the answer is obviously YES. Asking this useless question gives them every opportunity to end the conversation cold.

2) Do you have a few minutes?
If you start by asking this question you are inviting a “no”, “call me back sometime else”. Instead keep in mind why you called/reached out, stay on track, stay focused.

3) Are you interested in...?
Whoever you are calling/communicating with probably did not spend much time thinking about whatever you are selling and quite likely has little or no interest at that moment. You come across as either flippant at best, or way too "salesy" at worst. They can easily say, “no, not interested, goodbye”.

4) Can I send you something?
Do you really need someone’s permission to send something or anything? And exactly what are you sending without getting to know your prospect?

Remember, these 4 questions do not move your conversation forward, but instead, run the risk of ending the conversation right then and there. We all know how hard it is to reach a prospect today by any type of communication. Take any opportunity you must speak/chat/Zoom with a prospect as a gift and make the very most of it.

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10/21/2021

Resuming Wednesday 10/27 Larry’s Laws are back. Weekly Wisdom for Winning your Sales Game from a time-tested leader and educator.

Here is what you can expect for the next 5 weeks – one Larry’s Law per week.

1. Larry’s Laws #1 - 4 phrases that kill a conversation
2. Larry’s Laws #2 - 4 phrases that pay & our biggest competition
3. Larry’s Laws #3 - get a referral
4. Larry’s Laws #4 - Hard Sell v Crush Sell - My $75K lesson
5. Larry’s Laws #5 - My 3 sales tricks

Reach out to me if you need help winning your share of the sales game in these very challenging times. I work with sales teams and select individuals who are committed to success.

(813) 644-8596 • https://www.goldensalesgroup.com • [email protected]

This is how every sales leader wants to describe their sales organization. GOLDEN SALE GROUP lays the framework for a strong sales organization that can be described in this way, allowing sales management to reach their financial and strategic sales goals.

10/21/2021

Last week I wrote about “ghosting”. I defined “ghosting the complete lack of any response after asking someone to send information, answer questions, apply for a job or otherwise complete a communication cycle has become so commonplace that many of us tend to expect it.

Keep in mind, that I write this and every post from personal experience. If you have questions, comments or want to discuss further, reach out to me. I am available and will respond promptly.

Today I will focus on the single most important action a salesperson must take to make a sale. With nearly everyone working from home or alternate locations and the increased number of tasks keeping a sales cycle intact in more challenging than ever. However, if we are focused and prepared the task if very doable.

• What is a sale? A sale is a series of steps.

• The goal of each step is simply to get to the next step.

• What is a next step? It is an agreement between all parties to meet again…
o Whether in-person
o Online in a Google Hangout, Zoom etc.
o Phone
o Something brand new

Common to ALL next steps are 4 requirements –
1. day (Thursday)
2. date (October 21)
3. time (10:00AM, Eastern)
4. how (in-person, online, phone)

*****Without a true next step, you really have nothing. When your prospect says, “call me next week and we’ll set something up”, you must push back. Everyone has a device with a calendar. If they cannot schedule something with you, it likely means they do not want to meet again or will not meet again. *****

PROOF– In 4 recent cases dealing with prospects where I was highly recommended and personally introduced – 2 of them I allowed my prospect to get away with “I will call you/Call me in 10 days”, 3 months later, I am still waiting despite numerous reach-outs. And in 2 others where I explained why a next step really is necessary and didn’t waiver, our business relationship is on course, and we communicate regularly.

Keep in mind, that I write this and every post from personal experience. If you have questions, comments or want to discuss further, reach out to me. I am available and will respond promptly.

***Special offer*** if you want to learn how to ALWAYS get that next step with a day/date/time/how – reach out to me for a no-cost 15-minute chat. Offer good until Wednesday 11/4.

10/11/2021

The practice of “ghosting” seems to have reached epic proportions since onset of Covidlife.

Ghosting which I will define as the complete lack of any response after asking someone to send information, answer questions, apply for a job or otherwise complete a communication cycle has become so commonplace that many of us tend to expect it.

Having given this phenomenon considerable thought, largely born of frustration, ghosting will have implications on everyone.
• As a consultant I will be much less likely to provide meaningful or even useful information without an executed engagement agreement.
• As a consultant I will be much less likely to invest time in preparing an extensive and detailed recommendation (engagement agreement) – in phases yes, in one piece no.
• As a potential hire, I will probably no longer drop everything to respond to recruiters.

As this continues, we all will be disadvantaged by the lack of meaningful responses we receive to our business communication. Afterall how much does anyone want to invest in one-way communication?

My recommendation – let’s all be good responders and not ghost anyone. If we are not interested or have no intention of responding – lets be straightforward and let the other party know. And when we work with an engaged responder – lets reciprocate in kind and most important let them know how much we appreciate their response and enjoy working with them.

As for the ghosters, they know how they are, not much sense in calling them out, they will likely not respond anyway.

10/11/2021

Beginning today and for the foreseeable future – every Monday I will be posting my thoughts on sales, communications and general observations based on current experiences. The ones worth saving I will take the liberty of calling “Larry’s Laws” – why not, I’m Larry 😉. Today will be more of an observation.