Your mind is like a pump. Prime it with positive thoughts.

As an advertising guy, I'm always talking to clients about 'brand association'. I'm like to place my clients in high profile sporting events so that their brand is associated with the brand of the sports team and league. There is nothing like putting YOUR BRAND NAME next to a brand like the NFL or NHL to really 'anchor' it in the minds of consumers.

Another by-product of anchoring or 'aligning' is priming. By priming we mean putting a positive thought or 'aligning' your mind with a positive thought our positive positioning statement.

When we open a sales meeting with an 'ice breaker' we are priming the conversation and sending it in a positive direction.

Last year a new video and book called The Secret hit the market and created excitement. Here is a visualization tool from The Secret that can be used to PRIME your brain each day and 'anchor' your mental brand up against success.



Mitch Drew
PITCHMAN
mitchdrew@dccnet.com

Here's to a great 2008!

One of the best things about starting a New Year is that it gives us all the ability to set new goals and start a fresh page.

Make sure you've got a plan for 2008 that will make it one of your best years yet!

Clearly define specific things that you would like to accomplish. From how much actual money you will make to other things like personal goals.

I like to specifically target how many new clients I will secure, how much repeat business I will hold onto etc. Include goals or changes in routine similar to the ones that I plan on:

- Spend more time with my kids
- spend more time at the cottage this summer
- Read 6 business books and 6 non-business books
- Loose some weight (ongoing)
- Organize the software on my home computer
- Post at least 4 new post to PITCHMAN each month
- Work from home at least one day per week
- Post at least one comment a month on another BLOG

This is the rough list, I'm sure I'll think of more!

Have a great year...and keep PITCHING!

Mitch Drew
mitchdrew@dccnet.com

The “I Work For You” Sales Technique

Would you buy a car from this man? Maybe and maybe not!

In a recent survey asking people what occupations are trusted, the last three on the list were Lawyers, Advertising Practitioners and Car Salesman, in that order. As an Advertising Practitioner myself, it’s always a challenge building credibility with new contacts as well as maintaining trusted relationships with existing customers.

It’s assumed that customers want a high level or professionalism from their salespeople. They demand superior product knowledge and a high degree of integrity. That being said, some of your customers may simply be looking for a GOOD DEAL or what they perceive to be a good deal. You could be the most polished and professional sales person and still not get the order if the client thinks you are working for YOUR interests not for THEIR interests.

Success on the Car Lot

Successful new and used car salesman sell more cars when they convince potential customers that they are doing whatever it is possible to get the customer a good deal or the BEST DEAL.

We’ll call this the “I work for you” technique.

We’ve all seen ads where the store announces proudly ‘our salespeople are NOT on commission’ or ‘no pushy salespeople’. The basic strategy behind the idea of “I work for you” is the direct opposite.

Here’s how it works.

The first thing to do is let the prospect know that you are on commission and any business transaction you do is important and directly effects how much money you take home each week.

Second, once you’ve identified yourself as someone who has a vested interest in the transaction, make sure the prospect knows the YOU KNOW how business gets done. You are their ‘agent’ and will be looking out for them during the negotiation. You plan to help them navigate the waters of the transaction and it’s your job to kick the crap out of the supplier (your company) and get your customer the best deal possible.

You must convince the customer you are:

- Extremely knowledgeable about the details of the transaction including how price, delivery, credit and discounts are negotiated

- A master at negotiating with your Sales Manager or whoever you need to talk to and ‘clear the deal’

- Somewhat ‘crafty’ in your ability to work the numbers and constantly come back with solutions

- A 100% bonified ‘killer in their corner’

- Telling the truth even when the news is bad. For example, what you perceive as deal breaker information like ‘this car was in an accident’ might be something that your prospect recognizes as an opportunity. The may want to do the deal more! Remember, prospects and customers are not looking for perfection from their suppliers, they are looking for people who will keep their best interests (getting a good deal) in mind.

If a customers truly believes that you are acting in their best interest, they will be more flexible and often more agreeable to you. If you have demonstrated to the prospect that you are willing to go back in ‘round after round’ and keep slugging until the deal is done, the may be less likely to walk when you come back to the corner saying ‘no mas’.

So the next time you are up against a tough prospect, try dropping some of the sophistication and applying a little hair gel…you might be surprised how they react when they know they have someone just as crafty as they are doing the deal for them!

Mitch Drew


Just for fun, visit my favourite car saleman Josh Towbin aka THE KING OF CARS.

How Do Your Customers Make Money?

Why asking simple questions can help you close more business.


“Everybody needs money. That's why they call it money” Danny Devito as the character Mickey Bergman in HEIST (1991)


One of the first things I teach a new salesperson is to ask questions and in my 25 years of selling advertising, one of questions I’ve frequently asked is ‘how do you make money’.

Now a seasoned salesperson might react to this as being something only a novice or junior salesperson might ask. It would ‘expose’ the fact that you didn’t do your research before the call. I’ve found the exact opposite. Asking an owner ‘how do you make money’ empowers that prospect to tell you exactly what they focus on most of their business lives.

An example, is when I called on a store that sold crafts supplies. I saw many customers in the store buying dried flowers, ribbons, buttons and assumed that the bread and butter, the ’money’ was made in the selling these various products.

I asked the owner a direct question ’how do you make money’ and the answer surprised me. They went on to tell me that the secret to making money in the craft business was education! Teaching people how to do things like make home Christmas decorations and other home item. The second step is to sell them the supplies they need to make these crafts. The next step is to teach them to make more things sell they buy more supplies and so on!

By asking this simple and direct question, I started crafting my sales pitch to include a more ’edu-adver-torial’ style of advertising strategy focused around bringing customers into the store to ’learn’ and not necessarily to ’buy’.

Asking a simple question that day saved time and separated me from the pack of other advertising sales people who may have thought they had all the answers.

Help a prospect find ways to make more money and you will make more money.

Everybody needs money, that’s why they call it money!

Mitch Drew

What Would General George Patton do if he was your VP of Sales?

When a German senior officer was captured toward the end of World War II, he said, “General Patton is the most feared general on all fronts. The tactics of the general are daring and unpredictable. General Patton is always the main topic of conversation. Where is he? When will he attack? Where? How? With what?”

In sales, just as in war, there can be only one winner, and today’s conqueror can quickly become tomorrow’s vanquished. In this article, we examine what one of the greatest military minds in history has to teach us about defeating our enemies on the battlefield of business sales. What would U.S. Army General George C. Patton do if he was your vice president of sales?

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ARTICLE ONLINE

Visit Heavyhitterselling.com

Donald Trump on Success

If you've ever attended a sale training meeting hosted by ME you will know how much I like Donald Trump. I quote him, refer to him, show videos of The Apprentice and often talk about the importance of creating excitement around the products you sell.

I've read 5 of his books and consider him to be the KING of self promotion. I don't always agree with everything he says or does but I have always thought that a 'good offence' is better than defense when it comes to pushing new ideas forward.

Here are a couple of 'Donald-isms' for you to ponder.

Mitch Drew

_______________________________________________


“Anyone who thinks my story is anywhere near over is sadly mistaken.” - Donald Trump

Currently famous for the phrase, “You're Fired,” Donald John Trump, Sr. is an American business executive, founder and CEO of Trump Organization, mainly involved in the premium New York real estate business.

“As long as your going to be thinking anyway, think big.”

“Experience taught me a few things. One is to listen to your gut, no matter how good something sounds on paper. The second is that you're generally better off sticking with what you know. And the third is that sometimes your best investments are the ones you don't make.”

“It's tangible, it's solid, it's beautiful. It's artistic, from my standpoint, and I just love real estate.”

“Part of being a winner is knowing when enough is enough. Sometimes you have to give up the fight and walk away, and move on to something that's more productive.”

“What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate.”

“When I build something for somebody, I always add $50 million or $60 million onto the price. My guys come in, they say it's going to cost $75 million. I say it's going to cost $125 million, and I build it for $100 million. Basically, I did a lousy job. But they think I did a great job.”

Magic Carpet Ride

From this months Palm Springs Life comes a review of the new Maserati GranSport V8.

Alive with Italian color and character, the Maserati GranSport V8 competes with the Porsche 911 and Aston Martin V8 Vantage on its own terms and in its own special ways. In the same manner that the Porsche 911 is unquestionably German and mechanically focused and the Aston Martin is quintessentially British in its design and execution, the Maserati couldn’t have been created or built in any country but Italy.

CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE

The Assumptive Closing Technique

“A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing”
Alec Baldwin as Blake in Glengarry Glen Ross

As professional salespeople we all learn at an early stage that the key to making money is to close deals. Many sales people fall into the trap of asking for the order to soon or in many cases NOT asking for the order at all. My personal selling style is based around one of the most popular closing techniques, the Assumptive Close.

The basic technique is for the sales person to “act as if” the other person has already made the decision to buy and with this in mind, the conversation can focus toward the next level of questions.

As an television advertising sales person, I will often take the prospect to the next level by asking questions like:

- Do you have any concept ideas for your TV commercial?
- Would you want to run this into the Fall?
- Will the TV creative need to be updated on a regular basis?

At this point one of two things will happen. First and most often, the person will move with you to the next step. It’s natural for them to stay in a positive light and unless you are totally off base, the conversation will continue in a forward fashion.

Second and less often, the person will automatically put the breaks on and say something like “whoa…we aren’t ready to go to the next step yet”. This is an excellent opportunity for the sales person to ask a direct question like “what is holding you back from making a decision today”? The first thing out of the prospects mouth will likely be the most important barrier to a successful closing of the business. If they say something like “the timing is not right for us”…the next question from you would be something like “when would be a good time”? This will get you back on the Assumptive Close selling track.

The Assumption Principle

There’s more working for you when you use the Assumptive Close technique and this is why it is so popular. The Assumption Principle works on the basis that if you are a believable person and you act as if something is true…the person you are talking to will likely believe it as well! If you start acting as if something is true (the person will be buying your product) the person can either believe that you are telling the truth and agree with you OR they can NOT believe you. The later reaction is less likely to occur especially if the salesperson has invested the time in rapport and credibility building with the prospect.

If you believe the deal is already closed, it is likely you will spend your valuable time learning more about the clients needs.

It's as easy as A-B-C!

Mitch Drew

King Henry V: Motivational Speaker

Henry V of England was one of the worlds greatest pitchmen and I can prove it.

This young King was fiercely competitive and a guy who knew how important preparation and motivation is to achieving a goal.

In 1415 at the ripe old age of 28, he led England’s army into the Battle of Agincourt with not enough men against an opponent who was defending their home soil, better equipped, had fresh horses, better food and entire list of reasons that they would kick the crap out of the King and every man fighting for England that day. According to legend and William Shakespeare’s play Henry V, on the eve of the battle this King did some homework.

He dressed like a regular soldier and wandered around the camp listening to what the soldiers had to say about the ensuing battle. Each of the soldiers expected certain defeat. The were tired, hungry and away from home and most of the men thought the brave King had lost his marbles.

The next day was October 25th, Saint Crispin’s Day and as the King would have it, the day would no longer be remembered by the Saint it had been named after:.

According to Shakespeare, the King delivered this speech to the troops:

This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian:'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispin's day.'
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember'd.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember'd;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

King Henry and his army won the battle that day and defeated the French with a combination of skill, planning, preparation, motivation and some would say a little luck.

Remember that motivation is a strong force and if the task ahead of you was simple, there would be no glory in the success!

We few, we happy few, we band of brothers


Mitch Drew


This post was inspired by the book:

Shakespeare in Charge: The Bard's Guide to Leading and Succeeding on the Business Stage
by Normand R. Augustine, Kenneth L. Adelman

CLICK HERE TO BUY IT NOW

Never Say ‘No’ to a Person Holding Hostages

Hollywood actor Samuel L. Jackson delivers a great line in the 1998 movie The Negotiator. He plays a highly skilled police hostage negotiator who has been set up. In a reverse situation, Jackson's character is holding hostages in a New York city building. An inexperienced NY cop is on the phone talking to him and listening to the various demands.

Each time Jackson’s character makes a request of the inexperienced cop, the answer is NO! The professional negotiator says ‘the number one rule of hostage negotiation is to never say NO to a person holding hostages’. Makes sense to me!

Try this on for size. Let’s say that your money is being held hostage by a customer and you needed to negotiate to get it? How do your customers react when you say NO to them?

Can I get it delivered by Friday? No.
Can I get a discount? No.
Can I have it with a sunroof? No.
Can I have get credit and pay in 30 days? No.

If a prospect keeps getting NO’s out of a salesperson, they will likely become irritated and will soon be heading down a negative path. You money will remain ‘held hostage’ and you may never see those dollars in the future!

Try this:

Can I get it delivered by Friday?
Absolutely…we have a system set up that for a small fee, we can rush your order through the warehouse. Many of my customers feel it’s worth the investment.

Can I get a discount?
Certainly, we have a number of ways that the price goes down. Longer term contracts or increases in volume effect the unit price. Are comfortable with long term contracts?

Can I have it with a sunroof?
We have over 30 models in stock that come with sunroofs. Some of them are sliders and some tilt up. Let’ have a look at what would work for you.

Can I have get credit and pay in 30 days?
This is very possible. Let’s complete this credit application and see what comes back from our credit department. I’m sure we will be able to work something out.

Never say NO to a prospect or customer and watch the hostages come out of the building alive!

Mitch Drew