Sales Caffeine Issue 420
November 24th, 2009

Publisher: Jeffrey Gitomer
Contact at: salesman@gitomer.com

Producer: Gill Kilcoyne
Contact at: gill@gitomer.com

FRESH BREW FOR YOUR BRAIN
by: Jeffrey Gitomer

Don't just thank. Remember the lessons and stories.

It's likely you will be with family over the holidays.

Great times. Reunions. Happiness. Tears of sadness and joy. Great food. Gifts. People you love. People you kind of love. And did I mention great food?

Most people (not you of course) celebrate by adding to their waistline during these times. But I'm going to share a major strategy that will fatten your wallet.

Whether it's Thanksgiving or Christmas, families will gather and talk about old times. Growing up, vacations, past holidays. They all start out, "Remember the time that..." and they go on to tell a funny or poignant story. THESE STORIES ARE GOLD.

In your presentations and informal meetings, telling and exchanging stories are at the core of rapport, relationship building, and creating a buying atmosphere.

These golden lessons and stories are all around you, and many of them fit your selling situations, and relationship-building process. Real stories authenticate you. They make you more human, more approachable, more relatable, and even (if the story is right) more trustworthy.

Now that I have whet your holiday appetite, let me give you the strategies and details of story collecting.

First get the stories rolling:
* Start by asking everyone to tell their most memorable story.
* Then ask about best times or best lessons learned. Request that people jog their memories for stories where they learned lessons from mistakes, embarrassing moments, funny responses, and successes.

Listen with the intent to understand (this means don't interrupt):
* Listen for incidents where a lesson was learned.
* Listen for funny events or responses that are yours to retell at the appropriate time.
* At the end of the story, ask questions or request the person to elaborate or fill in missing details.
* Look for the reaction of others. It's a hint as to how your customers may be impacted.
* Take notes. Don't let the lessons, the lines, the humor, or the any of stories get lost in the heat of the moment. You will NEVER remember everything without taking notes.

As the stories are being told, listen for the lessons behind the endings:
* Lessons from parents, teachers, siblings.
* Lessons you learned as a child. Playing with others, school, winning, losing, getting hurt.

Often the lessons are the result of something extreme:
* The time you got into major trouble.
* The game winning score.
* The fire, the illness, loss of a friend.

Once you have the story, and can see how it can fit into your style and delivery, then it's time to convert it to your sales presentation.

Get the story to fit into your presentation:
* To overcome an objection ("The same thing happened to my mother").
* To create common ground ("The same thing happened to me").
* To justify price ("My uncle told me a story about his dealings with...").

When retelling the story, keep it short and sweet:
* One to two minutes if you're telling it to a customer one-on-one.
* Two to three minutes if you're telling it to a group.
* Don't set it up, just tell it. (Not "Here's a hilarious story" - you set yourself up for failure, and the other person may completely miss the point.)
* Tell it at the right moment - you'll know - don't force it.
* Put passion into it.
* Have your lesson or point at the end, not at the beginning.

IT'S ORIGINAL: For years I have preached against telling jokes. Stories are yours - no one else can tell them. You're assured the customer or prospect hasn't heard it before. And it can have long-lasting effect.

I have told stories about chasing my dog, where I grew up, how I dropped out of college, going to sporting events, big sales, lost sales, flying, traveling, hotels, and restaurants. I have featured my parents, brother, children, grandchildren, teachers, mentors, servers, sports heroes, doctors, customers, close friends, and past wives.

When I am in a sales presentation, or giving a seminar, every story I tell has impact.
Every story I tell conveys a lesson or makes a point. Many of the stories I tell make people laugh. Many have been collected from holiday gatherings. All of my stories are personal to me. They are original.

The secret to storytelling is your enthusiasm. If you're talking to one, or one hundred and one, each person must feel like you're telling it for the first time, even though you may have told it 100 times before. The passion of your conveyance will lead to the emotion of their purchase.

Now that's something to celebrate.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Sales Bible and The Little Red Book of Selling. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on selling and customer loyalty at www.trainone.com. He can be reached at 704/333-1112 or e-mail to salesman@gitomer.com

(c) 2009 All Rights Reserved - Don't even think about reproducing this document without written permission from Jeffrey H. Gitomer and Buy Gitomer, Inc. * 704/333-1112



SELF TEST FOR SUCCESS
 
A prospective customer asked you to put together a proposal for your product/service. You should immediately:

1. Clarify what needs to be in the proposal in order to make a decision.
2. Try to get the customer to change some of the proposal requirements in favor of you.
3. Ask if they are the person making the decision.
4. Tell them thank you and that they will not be disappointed.

One of the least known and least employed tactics in negotiation is changing the terms of the proposal in favor of you or your company.  The number of years in business, net worth, geographic limitations are all conditions you can add to a proposal to favor you.  Clarifying what needs to be in the proposal is only a small portion of the sales proposal process.  And asking if they are the decision maker will not help you if the terms and conditions are not correct.  But being Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. Puppy Dog, or Mr. Okay-Anything-You-Want will lead you to the side of the road with one of those cardboard signs that say, "Will work for sales".  If you are asked to submit a proposal, your first responsibility is to determine how you can make yourself the most likely candidate to win.

 -JEFFREY GITOMER, excerpted from his Little Red Book of Sales Answers





BLEND OF THE WEEK

Please join me, and other master presenters, on December 10th for a 4-day intensive learning event in St. Pete Beach, Florida.  

This isn't a weekend getaway to the beach. It's a boot camp like only I know how to give. There is no down time. Instead I will ask you to present, you will be given an assignment before you arrive, and I will ask you to work.
 
This is your opportunity to invest in YOU. In YOUR success, YOUR business and YOUR future.  

The speakers who will present are experts in their fields.  They will educate, coach, and share their experiences with you.  

The size of the audience will be small in comparison to what you may have experienced at my other seminars. We will be together from day one. We will eat together, present together, and learn together.  

You will have the opportunity to interact with me and the other presenters.

Go to this website http://www.gitomer.com/bootcamp2009 and purchase your tickets AND take advantage of the Early-Bird Special that is running for a limited time.

If you are concerned with the state of THE economy don't be. Instead you need to be concerned and focused on the state of YOUR economy. My boot camp is the first step of your re-education.


Central New Jersey Managers: Develop your personal plan to find and keep a winning, loyal, well-trained, and self-directed sales team. This seminar will provide strategies and techniques about real-world sales leadership, plus self-evaluation to measure your present level of achievement.

Jeffrey Gitomer LIVE! – Central New Jersey: Join the global authority on sales, Jeffrey Gitomer for a seminar on SALES ATTITUDE. Learn how to uncover buying motives, double your sales, get your price without sacrificing profit, and establish a YES! Attitude for a lifetime of success.



Want to reach my public seminar audiences of 500+ LOCAL business people in your community? Would you like your company to receive additional sales training from me while I'm in your city? Contact Sara or Heather at 800-242-5388 or email publicseminars@gitomer.com for information.





A SHOT IN THE WALLET

Jeffrey,
 
I'm a starting salesman, and I'm trying to use the tips laid out in your Little Red Book of Selling (which is great by the way). You mention free speech as a great tool for publicity, as people get to know you and get familiar with you, and it opens lots of opportunity for networking. I am currently 19 years old and I'm afraid I won't be taken seriously if I give free speeches, or speeches in general, since the men and women attending are a lot older. Have you any suggestions?

Dmitrij

Dmitrij

Suggestion 1: Stop creating a self-defeating prophecy. If you have something interesting to say, everyone will listen. Boring speeches can occur at any age.
Suggestion 2: Join Toastmasters and film yourself giving a talk before you give one to a group. Your fellow Toastmasters will tell you when it's time to go, when it's time to venture out into the civic speaking world.
Suggestion 2.5: Have something of value to say - and every person will be all ears.
 

Best regards,
Jeffrey


Jeffrey,

We  (manufacturer) sell our product through a distribution network, so our customer base is always the same. They buy our product for us at a discount and resell it to end users, contractors, businesses, etc. In your sales bible you mention that if somebody asks for a discount, you have to take something away from them. Give and take. In the scenario I just described, how can we do this? What can we "take away"? We have a high quality product and are usually more expensive than the rest (with good reason) and customers know and acknowledge this. However, from time to time, a discount is requested on special or big jobs. I know about the value selling and selling the product in a way that they can benefit from....however, I am a little puzzled about what can I take away if a discount is offered.

JJ

JJ

When a discount is requested, you have to decide financially, "Is this worth it?" Ask yourself what is the short-term gain and what is the long-term value. Sometimes you can add something to the relationship rather than add something to the price. For example, you could offer sales training to their sales force in exchange for no discount. This way, both parties benefit. I know it sounds a little self-serving, but in this case it fits.

Best regards,
Jeffrey





SHOT IN THE BUCK
The Importance of Saying No
by Ed Brodow

Salespeople hate to say no. We tend to feel a lot better if we agree to satisfy the customer's every wish. Because we're afraid that if we don't, the customer will be angry, won't like us, and will decide not to give us the order. In spite of this insidious fear, my belief is that if we learn how to say no, the customer is more likely to be satisfied than if we say yes.

This conclusion, which may seem counterintuitive, was reinforced this afternoon by my friend Matt, who used to be a California prison guard. "In prison," Matt explained, "if you say yes and then it turns out that you have to say no, you could wind up with a knife in the back of your head. That's why you always start out by saying no. Then if you say yes, you're a hero." Makes sense to me.

Chapter Six of my book, Negotiation Boot Camp, is the chapter on how to make concessions, and it opens with a story about Matt that, to my amusement, has spawned a series of magazine and Internet articles written by people who have been intrigued by his approach to negotiation. Matt, you see, owns the health club where I play handball. As described in Negotiation Boot Camp, when Matt took over the club, he announced that he was going to convert all four of our handball/racquetball courts into weight training areas. Well you can imagine the uproar from the cadre of ball players. We were up in arms.

After some heated negotiating sessions, Matt agreed to keep two of the courts. The handball players were delighted. We felt we had won the negotiation. Yours truly, however, suspected that Matt was smarter than we were. Something told me that he never intended to eliminate all the courts. When I asked him about it, he confessed that my suspicion was correct.

"If I said at the beginning that I'm taking out two of the four courts," Matt acknowledged, "you guys would have been bitching and moaning for years. Instead, I threatened to take out all the courts and then appeared to relent under pressure." Matt's experience with all those prisoners was paying off.

Consider how this reflects the typical sales situation. The buyer wants a lower price, quicker delivery, better terms, etc. If we give in to all of these demands, it will only (a) serve to raise the buyer's expectations and (b) lower the buyer's perception of value. "I should have asked for more," the buyer will complain and, bingo, you have a dissatisfied customer on your hands. The buyer now perceives your product is not as good as you said it was. If it was that good, why would you be giving in? But when you say no, I'm sorry but we can't do that, the buyer's perception is that he pushed you as far as you would go. He thinks he got a great deal.

In my sales career spanning several decades, I can say without reservation that my best customers have been the ones who paid top dollar. They were the ones who were told no. They appreciated the value of their investment and they respected me because I stuck to my guns. And conversely, the most disagreeable, aggravating, and least satisfied customers have been the ones who received yes as the answer to their demands. Giving in is not the answer after all. As Matt learned in prison, when someone asks for a concession, the best strategy is to start out by saying no. In Negotiation Boot Camp, the advice I give is to make the other negotiator work for their concessions. Saying yes right away only leads to disaster. Say no at first and then perhaps later you can say yes. The buyer will be more satisfied simply because you had the courage to say no.

Ed Brodow is negotiating consultant to some of the world's most prominent companies, a popular keynote speaker, and the bestselling author of Negotiation Boot Camp: How to Resolve Conflict, Satisfy Customers, and Make Better Deals (Doubleday). His website is www.brodow.com and his email is ed@brodow.com.





DEAL OF THE WEEK

9 Autographed! BOOKS for $99

The Perfect Gift - 9 signed copies of Jeffrey's Little Platinum Book of Cha-Ching The 32.5 Timeless Business & Selling Strategies ...and shipped for only $9.99 per bundle! A Great Gift for Customers & Co-workers.
 
All orders placed by December 16 will be delivered by December 23.





Jeffrey Gitomer's SUCCESS Challenge

Have you seen my new video lesson on my SUCCESS Sales Challenge?

Over the next two-and-a-half months I will be overseeing the SUCCESS Sales Challenge and coaching you on how to connect with your customers and, ultimately, increase revenue. The challenge began October 12th and will continue for 10-weeks through December 14th. I will be posting video, audio, text, and other resources every Monday to offer guidance, respond to your comments, answer your questions, and share about your successes as you implement key points and meet the challenges I set for you--and that you set for yourselves.

Register by visiting blog.success.com/category/experts/gitomer-experts/ today and I'll keep you updated with tips and other resources to help spur you on.





QUOTE OF THE WEEK

"Every day I either get on the airplane, talk to an audience, type on my Macintosh, make a sale, make a deal, or all of the above. Life is full. And in full bloom. I'm doing what I love to do, and I'm having a blast at it every second. I learned something new yesterday, today is a wonderful day, and I can't wait for tomorrow. All days are the same -- Holidays."

-Jeffrey Gitomer, Customer Satisfaction is WORTHLESS Customer Loyalty is Priceless





RECOMMENDED READING
Negotiation Boot Camp
by Ed Brodow

"There have been volumes written about the art and science of negotiation. If you're looking for real-world, practical strategies and answers, look no further than this book. Ed Brodow is a master in the negotiation process and has created an easy-to-follow guidebook so that you will come out on the winning end of the process. Buy it, study it, implement it, and win."

 Jeffrey Gitomer, Author of The Little Red  Book of Selling





HOUSE BLEND
Your Success Strategy.
I just finished reading your article MUSIC SOOTHES THE SOUL, LIFTS THE SPIRIT, AND FILLS THE WALLET. I've been singing in clubs and doing concert work and recordings for more that 40 years. Since 2003, I sing mostly in nursing homes, senior centers, and Alzheimer units. Wanted to let you know that the points you made in your article could not have been more correct. I do my program seven days a week. Every day the comments are amazing. A woman who is 92 said to me last week, "I just wanted to tell you that when you sang that song, it reminded me of the time I was standing on my father's shoes in our kitchen, and we were dancing. I haven't thought of that in many, many years." I've seen residents in Alzheimer units, who are talking out loud to themselves, YET, are keeping perfect time with the music tapping their feet - that always amazes me. Music will bring tears to their eyes, but I am often told, it's "happy tears." Songs that make residents think of their brothers or sisters when they were young. The War, school, first loves, and when they had their first dates or when they first married. I could go on and on. The point is, the emotions that it touches, the memories, are never ending. Your article was dead on, more than you know, especially with our seniors. Thanks, I really enjoyed reading it. You can take a look at what I do at www.memoriesinmusic.net. I will keep my eyes open for your writings.
- Brian




TrainOne

Introducing TrainOne CUSTOM COURSEWARE Equipped with self-assessments to enable tailored training, interactive selling situations and simulations, and pre and post tests to monitor improvement, the objective of this process is simple; build stronger relationships with your customers, better prepare you to make productive sales calls, and help you make more sales to new and existing customers. Tailored to fit your specific issues and needs!

"We are really beginning to use the TrainOne sales ideas. Our weekly meetings and group discussions are working very well. This week, I have used 3-4 ideas that have worked very well. I continue to be very excited about the training, as others have as well. I have heard their pitches and they are actively using the ideas - more confidence appearing, good sales occurring - all good stuff."
Annette





Higher Grounds
Sales Mindset 2010
by Justin Gittleman

Those who understand and master their brain's power are the ones who are going to succeed in 2010 and beyond.

Accessing more of your brain's abilities, harnessing this power, and aligning your thoughts are the key to your success. And odds are you are using only a very small percentage of your brain's mighty ability. I am so certain of this that I have developed an entire body of knowledge around it. It's more than knowledge; actually, it's an action-step process that I call - The Whole Mind Theory. It starts with showing you how to develop your whole mind, using whole mind thinking. This will enable you to create breakthrough after breakthrough, starting right now.

I advise you to acknowledge that we are going through several major shifts right now:

In the global economy, in how we relate to one another and in how we make sense of the world.  Say goodbye to the old structure, because it's gone. It's as though the earth's landscape has been peeled back a few inches and what's left are the rich nutrients that existed beneath that old surface. Those rich nutrients are your business, your thoughts, your ideas and your vision of success. It's time to redesign the life and business you've always wanted to achieve.

As you prepare to make changes and capitalize on the opportunities 2010 will bring, here are a few things you want to be thinking about:

1) INNOVATION - Are your old ways of generating revenue still working? It's time to generate new pathways. Find ways to use your existing resources in a more meaningful and positive way. Anyone heard of the Internet? Well guess what, it's not going anywhere. It's just barely begun. Have you staked your claim? Do you own your domain names? What are you waiting for? Your competition is already out there, optimizing their presence, Pay per Clicking--new lead generation, and creating their presence on the information super highway.
2) CREATIVITY - Welcome to the 21st century; we're almost 10% of the way into these next hundred years. The old structure and old way of thinking has changed. There's a whole new period emerging right in front of your eyes. A GOLDEN AGE OF OPPORTUNITY. You have a choice, a new more insightful way to be in harmony with ideas and concepts. Away from just an age of information, and into the age of bridging together new concepts and abilities, ideas, cultures, languages, methodology and higher studies.
3) ADAPTATION - It's still survival of the fittest and prosperity for those who really get it. Find a way to provide a resourceful benefit to your clients, right now. What are you waiting for? Jeffrey Gitomer says, "Become a value provider." Spend time with your existing customers. The top 20% of your customers will bring in 80% of your revenues. Find a way to show and deliver value to them right now, in this economy. Gain market share now. The tide will rise, and who do you think is going to rise with it?

Justin Gittleman, a "sales mastermind" with Jeffrey Gitomer's TrainOne is also a Gitomer-Certified Speaker. To book Justin for your next event, please visit www.GitomerCertified.com or contact the friendly folks at Buy Gitomer at 704-333-1112.




Napoleon Hill
Yesterday and Today.

Success requires no explanation; failures must be doctored with alibis.

The surest way to achieve acceptance in any organization or in any line of work is to be successful. Unfortunately, life doesn't work that way. No matter how carefully you study a subject, no matter how rationally you make decisions, no matter how well prepared you are, you will occasionally make mistakes. Human beings always do. The important thing is to realize that temporary setbacks are not permanent failures. Successful people recognize that we all experience temporary setbacks that require us to reevaluate our performance and take corrective action to achieve success. They know that adversity is never permanent.

To subscribe to Napoleon Hill Yesterday and Today weekly email magazine please visit http://www.napoleon-hill-news.com





Jeffrey's Upcoming Public Seminar Schedule

Central Jersey Managers - 12/03/09
Central Jersey - 12/04/09
Tampa Bay Managers - 12/09/09
Tampa Bay, FL - 12/10/09
Jeffrey Gitomer's Sales Boot Camp - 12/10/09 - 12/13/09
Oklahoma City, OK - 01/15/10
West Palm Beach Managers - 01/21/10
West Palm Beach, FL - 01/22/10
Atlanta, GA Sales Revival - 02/10/10
Atlanta Managers - 02/11/10
Atlanta, GA - 02/12/10
Charleston Managers - 03/11/10
Charleston, WV - 03/12/10
Pittsburgh Managers - 03/18/10
Pittsburgh, PA - 03/19/10
Sacramento Managers - 03/31/10
Sacramento, CA - 04/01/10

To learn more about any of these seminars, visit our Web site at: http://www.gitomer.com/index.cfm?GitAction=Seminars.Public

Sales Caffeine is a weekly email distributed by TrainOne.com and Buy Gitomer, Inc.

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