The Most Important First Step in a Sales Process

The best client meetings I have ever had always started with a closed laptop and and an open notebook with pen in hand, ready to take notes. 'So tell me a bit about your company and your objectives with xyz (related to discussion). I know we briefly touched on this on the phone, and I also researched your website, but it would be great to recap.'

And that helps to identify what Mark Suster coined  the most important first step in a sales process, or as he coined it 'pain'. Or in other literature often called as Need, or Client's Need.

"It’s a reminder that unless your prospect has a need to solve a problem they are not going to buy a product. Customers sometimes buy things spontaneously without thinking through what their actual need is. But often there is an underlying reason for a purchase even if the buyer doesn’t bring it to the surface." (Suster)

And if you can identify that, you are more likely to have a successful meeting outcome - for both sides of the table.

More at The Most Important First Step in a Sales Process | LinkedIn

Magic & the sales pitch

Magic. Why do we love it, and why do we fall for it?

Why do we love it?
Because we know and expect deceit, but still miss it… and we are left with childlike wonder & awe.

Why do we fall for it?
Because magicians have a talent to convince their audience to see only their version of events. They know that humans have a finite capacity for information intake and if they fill this up with clever narration, fast movements, and focussed body language, the rest (the trick) will be missed.

What’s the moral of the story for selling?
- Focus your pitch and fill up people’s capacity with the right information – otherwise they’ll miss your key points.
- Realise that you have the power to guide people’s attention. So do it.
- Challenge people’s (client’s) thinking.
- Leave an impression – a good one. Make them remember your key points.

The magic of the red brick – the World’s Greatest Salesperson

When times are hard (recession), a good salesperson is one of the most important assets a company can have. So to bring the precious skills back in the limelight at this year’s Cannes Lions 2010 Advertising Awards, OgilvyOne posed a challenge to the young and brave media professionals: sell us a brick. (post here)

And here is the winning entry by Todd Herman, a young Canadian who takes us on a 2 minute journey and ticks all the boxes of a great sell. Persuasion, emotional connection, case study, product knowledge and passion. He uses sound effects and visuals really well, and seem to take cost out of the equation - you want it before you know how much. Brilliant work, enjoy.

Furthermore, this clever chap created the buytheredbrick.com 
website, which is only a click away from the eBay auction site, where you could purchase the original brick itself (auction ended on the 9th April with proceeds going to help rebuilding Haiti).
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Search for the World’s greatest salesperson

When times are hard (recession), a good salesperson is one of the most important assets a company can have. So to bring the precious skills back in the limelight at this year’s Cannes Lions 2010 Advertising Awards, OgilvyOne posed a challenge to the young and brave media professionals: sell us a brick.
Watch their call for entries below – brilliant work, as you’d expect from Ogilvy.

More on the equally brilliant winning entry in a little while!


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What do marketers want?

After receiving another client brief recently I caught myself reminiscing on all the different type of media I have sold and managed campaigns on over the past few years. Radio, promotions and events, magazines, direct marketing, metro print, and digital. The briefs can vary quite a lot in campaign objective, duration, budget, just to mention a few; but there is one thing that never changes: what marketers want.
Sure, sometimes the objective is to improve unprompted brand awareness in a certain market, generate audience engagement, or increase people’s trust in the brand. However all these will eventually contribute to the bottom line, and in the end, that is exactly what marketers want. Sales, conversions, acquisitions.
And the way to get that brief in the first place is to convince them about how your media outlet can assist in increasing their numbers.

Two Power Sales Questions - Nicholas Bate

Always remember to ask these two questions…
Two Power Sales Questions - Nicholas Bate

‘Threat marketing’ – bad marketing

Two young men set up a stall in the mall the other day to promote their newly opened natural therapy centre in the city. I stopped, chatted, and after only a few minutes I made an appointment for the next day.
Upon arriving to the building’s lobby, at first I hesitated, as there was no signage at the downstairs elevator. I ventured upstairs eventually, found the place, but there were still no signs anywhere in sight. White walls, reception area. I must have been surprised, as the apologetic therapist explained they just opened up this second centre in the city and are using all their signage at the promotion at the mall.
We went through some routine checks and my therapist eyes grew larger by the minute telling me how important it was for me to sign up to their programme to avoid any further damage…
Ten minutes later the chat was over, and I couldn’t have been out the door faster.

How is that for bad marketing and sales tactics?

First impressions matter.
Be ready before you open for business.
Build trust with potential clients before the sell.
Don’t use intimidating sales tactics, they seldom work.
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