Leigh Ashton
sales training in london
A Great Sales Strategy for Improving your Pitches and Presentations!
In my role I get exposed to lots of presentations and pitches – so I thought I’d offer you some pointers for when you next present. Some of these tips seem obvious (but sadly not practiced enough) and others less so. So, whether it’s a one minute presentation at a networking event, or a 1 hour pitch for a life-changing contract, pick out the ones that will help you personally.
Preparation
Prepare – and early! Never leave it until the last minute. Never ‘wing it’ – it shows! Research your facts, stats, case studies – anything that will help make your pitch more engaging and informative.
Practice
When was the last time you practised? Did you film yourself? How was your timing? Who do you respect that could watch you? What habits should you eliminate? What should you do more of? How can you make your style more engaging? Train your brain!
Get in state
Nerves are natural but you can take steps to minimise them. Ask yourself…
How much value can I give today? If you can, talk to the audience informally before the start of the presentation – it will help you relax. Remind yourself you’re there to give them the benefit of your experience, knowledge and expertise. And remember – although these might be hardened professionals, no-one will be thinking “I hope this guy is rubbish”. They may not buy from you, but they want you to succeed on a personal level.
Non verbal communication
It’s true that most of your communication will not be with your words. Your audience will notice how you’re dressed. They will notice how your facial expressions reflect or not the words you’re speaking. They will notice your body language. So yes, no folded arms and keep hands away from pockets! Use a range of voice tones to keep your content fresh.
Content
A one way sales pitch is likely to work less and less nowadays. It really is better if you’re NOT doing most of the talking – it’s just not engaging enough. So, even if the meeting is billed as a presentation by you, open up a two way dialogue early…”before I start if it’s alright with everyone I’d like to ask you a few questions, is that OK?” The less they expect this, the more impact you will have – providing you carefully craft those early open questions to give you exactly what you need.
Structure
You’ll need to manage the presentation so that you include the following…
1. Clarity – who you are and what you do
2. Credibility – set out why you’re worth listening to (“you’ll benefit from 18 years experience in the xyz sector”)
3. Their pains – home in on the problems they have
4. Your solutions – what you are bringing to the table
5. Pre-empt their objections
6. The next step – How do they want to go forward
Be sure to talk in “You” language – for example avoid “we do this”, instead “you will get”
Questions and answers
Many presenters ask for Q & A’s right before the end. This leaves them vulnerable as, if someone asks something distracting or even damaging, this might be the lasting impression your audience has. Put your Q & A’s near to, but not at the end of the session – then you can answer them and go on to conclude the presentation by hitting them with your powerful closing message.
Hope this helps!
Happy selling!
Until next time,
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“Optimise Your Business!” Very Special One-Day Event.
Hello!
There’s a very special one-day event going on June 13th in London that I recommend you take a look at to help your business.
It’s being run by two very good friends of mine, Shaa Wasmund and Mark Attwood and I will be making a guest appearance!
Shaa, as you probably already know, is the founder of Smarta.com and the best-selling author of “Stop Talking, Start Doing”.
Shaa is a truly inspirational entrepreneur and speaker and knows exactly what businesses need, from start ups to companies like Dyson!
Mark has generated nearly £40 million for his own business, PAL Hire, using his own internet marketing techniques.
He’s been working online since 1996, and really knows his onions.
But, the best thing about Mark is his ability to explain something technical in a really down to earth way that cuts through all the bull.
Shaa and Mark did a webinar recently called “Top 6 Tips to Optimise Your Business”, which is available for a short time to listen to here:
www.shaa.com/optimise-your-business
I highly recommend you take a listen to the webinar and consider attending the event on the 13th – it’s a one-off, a great chance to network and I know the knowledge and insights you will gain will benefit your business including sales success!
As my gift to you, enter the discount code ‘leigh’ and you will receive your tickets for £67 instead of £197!
For more details about the event click here
I look forward to seeing you there!
Leigh
020 7903 5426
Y + M = Success
I’ve just got back from meeting with my business mentor – and just had to share my enthusiasm for the brilliant support a fabulous mentor can provide!
I’m fully confident that, through my mentor, I’m getting the advice, insight and unbiased support I need to realise the business goals we’ve set.
How much help do you get in your business?
We all need help now and again. Those who say they don’t need it probably need it the most!!
Who have you got to bounce ideas off that doesn’t bring their own baggage into the equation? And do you seriously believe that someone, somewhere hasn’t had the same challenges you’re experiencing right now?
If you listed your top three current challenges, I would bet that these are issues that most business owners, business leaders, sales professionals have experienced in the past. Whether you’re running a small business, managing within a larger organisation or intending to do any of these in the future, seriously consider getting yourself a mentor. It could mean the result of reaching another level of your sales success.
What’s a Mentor?
- Someone who you feel can help you in your pursuit of your career objectives, whatever they are more sales, a promotion, improved leadership skills, more self control, better networking techniques etc.
- Someone who can give you a neutral take on your latest challenges – they should have no axe to grind.
- Someone with a vast bank of knowledge that you can tap into – who’s been there, done that…and collected a few T shirts along the way.
- Someone you check in with now and again to bounce your latest ideas.
- Someone you trust to challenge you, to prod you, to ask you searching questions.
A good mentor…
…will use a variety of different approaches and move seamlessly between them – coaching, counselling, mentoring, advising, training, guiding, whatever you need. Critically, you can learn from their mistakes! Get to know the pitfalls and how to avoid them. Getting yourself a mentor isn’t a sign of weakness. On the contrary it’s a sign of strength, a sign that you are willing to garner all the resources you can in your pursuit of your goals. It’s not about copying them, it’s about using their experience and advice and adopting it in a way that works for you.
How does mentoring work?
Any way you want it to! You can go the formal route – regular scheduled sessions with a paid professional coach or mentor who can offer you the level and breadth of experience you need to tap into. More informally you might find someone in your organisation that can help (bear in mind it can’t be someone you report to). Ask them if they would be available as a mentor and offer to take them for lunch now and again in return for picking their brains.
You’d be surprised…
…how experienced achievers like to be asked about how they have achieved success – they will be impressed by your drive and initiative! You and your mentor need to get on well. Choose someone you have good rapport with. Get away from your normal place of work. No phones, no interruptions, it all helps. Look upon it as an investment of time and money in YOU.
How long should you and your mentor spend together?
Anything from an hour a month upwards. You may need more time at first then top up mentoring sessions further down the line.
So – don’t plough that lone furrow. And let me know how you get on.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: Your Sales Accelerator Programme – details here
“I have learnt far more in these three sessions than any other training course I’ve been on (and I’ve been on many!)
Leanne Regan, Holiday Extras
020 7903 5426
How to answer “It’s all about price – and you’re too expensive”
In last week’s “Tricks of The Trade” I explored the practical and psychological dimensions that impact on how small business owners price their products and services.
And I promised that this week I would share with you a little-known tactic you can use when, as often is the case, buyers tell you “it’s only about the price”.
It’s never just about the price – you just have to make them aware of that!
This is a fabulous tip that you can share with your team to achieve sales success…
Here’s the scenario…
You’re in a meeting with the buyer/potential customer. You’ve got good levels of rapport. Your product or service seems to entirely match their requirements. And then that’s when they hit you with the words… “I like it, but for me the price is crucial and you’re not the cheapest” (or words to that effect).
Your response is…
I suggest you say something like “I totally understand that the price is important to you and that you need to secure the best deal you can” (change the words to suit your style). You then go on to say “Just to be clear, as well as price, what else is important to you with this product/service?”
Elicit a list of the other factors that they decide are important. These will usually be things like reliability, quality, speed of delivery, after-sales service, and responsiveness to issues. If they stall, ask “what else?” until you get a decent list.
You’ve got them thinking
Great! So far you’ve elicited a list of important factors to go alongside price. There’s a good chance you’re already well on the way to destabilising their attachment to price!
Be sure to write the list down (you’ll see why later).
By the way, if you particularly excel at something that they haven’t yet mentioned, ask them “how important is xxxxx” (your specific strength) to nicely bring this into their consciousness – and onto your list.
Compare and contrast
The next stage is to help them compare and contrast price alongside those other elements you’ve just elicited. So, pick the first thing they mentioned after price – for this example let’s choose speed of delivery – and say something like “let’s take speed of delivery, what’s more important to you, price, or speed of delivery?”
This really starts to bring home to them the importance of those alternative criteria and further destabilises their attachment to price as the all-important factor in their buying decision.
Repeat and demonstrate
Repeat this with the other criteria. What generally happens is price goes down their importance list – and your proposition comes back into favour! You might want to use your written list of important criteria at this stage – show it to them and let them see their ‘league table’ of attributes – and how it is changing before their eyes!
Better still, use ‘post-its’. Write one criteria, including price, on each post-it and move them around their desk (or even a nearby wall) to create a very visible league table!
Back in business yet?
By now, you’ve demonstrated to the buyer that when it comes down to it, price is just one of several important factors in the buying decision. By bringing other criteria back into play you’re much more likely to get the business than you were 20 minutes earlier. You can then go on to have rational discussion centred around the fact that, all things considered, your offering is the right one for them after all!
Try it. Depending on your specific circumstances you may need to tweak the process slightly but if my experiences are anything to go by you’ll start to win much more business than would otherwise have been the case.
It’s all about the psychology of selling.
Until next time.
Leigh
Leigh really wants you to succeed!
020 7903 5426
The ten things that dictate your results
I’m beginning to think that our sports stars have cracked this psychology thing. First we have last year’s Olympic tales of success. Then Andy Murray finally wins at Wimbledon. The England cricket team secure the Ashes.
Now, Mo and co are doing their stuff at the world athletics championships.
Do they expect to win? Well I’m a big believer in you get what you expect, not what you hope for. So yes I believe they did. Do they work on building their positivity before a performance? Definitely.
How do you put yourself in a positive state? What about your team?
It could be photo’s of loved ones, pictures of beautiful places you want to visit…or stuff you’ll buy with your bonus, it may be a piece of music or a speech that inspires you, or it may be your cuddly teddy bear! I don’t know what these things are for you but YOU do and that’s what counts.
Why not make a list now of all the things you already know put you in a positive state of mind. Be sure to write things that you have control over. I know 14 hours of sunshine a day works for many people but there’s not too much chance of that in the winter months! You need things that help you at any time…regardless of what’s going on in the world!
What TEN THINGS put you in a positive state (keep it clean, then again maybe not!)
Go on…write ten things down, before you read on.
Whatever these things are for you, have them close at hand so you have access to them whenever you need to ‘buzz up’ – or sense your state dropping.
There are also some physical things you can do when you’re feeling unresourceful. A great tip is to stand up and look upwards…smiling. It’s impossible to feel down when you do this. Go on try it now. Stand up; look at the ceiling with the biggest smile you can manage. Now without moving a muscle, pretend to be depressed!
Told you…it always works. You may get some odd looks but who cares when you feel this good!
A sales person I once worked with…
…had a huge insight when I covered this topic in a training session. He told me he always arrived for work positive and ready for action. Except on a Monday. Monday was different. It took him ages to get in a good state of mind and in the meantime his Monday performances declined. He’s just put it down to the fact it was Monday…you may relate to this 🙂
What he realised during this exercise is that every day, apart from Monday, he travelled to work listening to upbeat music on his iPod. It really set him up for the day. On Friday he went out for a beer with his work colleagues and left his iPod at the office. Being without his iPod on the Monday morning had taken his motivating and uplifting music out of his routine!
He solved the problem by buying another iPod so he always had access to his music.
So whether it’s to get you buzzed up each morning, or to get you back up to a positive state when you’re flagging, make sure you always have some of those top ten tools right by you and watch them increase your sales success.
And what does your team need to do to ensure they’re ready for action?
It’s all part of The Psychology of Selling
Until next time
Leigh
020 7903 5426
Referrals: Are you asking?
Of your most satisfied customers of 2013, how many of those customers have you asked for a referral?
Most sales and business people never ask for referrals. Those that do often ask when it’s too late – and make a fatal mistake when asking for them (more on that later). Yet referrals are just about the easiest, quickest and least expensive way of increasing sales and building your business.
But you must ask!
Most businesses never ask for referrals – ever. Maybe this is because they think asking for a referral is too close to ‘selling’. If you’re nervous about asking for a referral, remember that people usually like to tell others about good things that have happened to them, so why wouldn’t they want to share how great you are with their friends or colleagues?
Secondly, if you’re good at what you do, how sad would it be if you weren’t able to help more people and businesses simply because you were shy about asking for referrals?
Ask early
Don’t wait until after you’ve finished what you were hired for. On no account should you ask a few weeks later either. In both situations ‘the moment’ has already passed. You may indeed have done a brilliant job, but memories fade fast and it’s likely you won’t be as well thought of after a lapse of time.
The time to ask is as soon as the customer is starting to get results. They will often be at their happiest fairly early into your work with them. That’s the prime time to ask for a referral. So pick a time when they are massively enthusiastic – and dive in!
Asking for referrals (the fatal error)
“Do you know anyone who would be interested in having similar work done?”
What’s wrong with this question? Well if you have been on any of my training courses you will already be shouting out “It’s a closed question”!!!. Correct. You can only have two answers to that question – yes, or no. And it’s more likely to be a no because that’s the easier answer to give – you’ll have directed their brain into shutdown mode.
So the question to ask (ensuring you have excellent levels of rapport beforehand) is …”Who else do you know that would be interested in achieving the sort of results you’re getting”. Although I changed the end of the question a little, the main difference is the “who else” bit at the start. This takes the customer’s brain down a whole different pathway. Instead of encouraging their brain to shut up shop, you’ve opened up the ‘search’ facility in their mind and they will therefore unconsciously search much more intently for a worthwhile answer. A subtle but crucial change.
Get them to introduce you
So it’s all gone swimmingly so far. You’re doing a great job. You’ve asked the perfectly worded question – and your customer has thought of someone who you could help. In a perfect world they will contact your next potential customer initially. Ask them to do that for you. It’s so much better if, when you contact the new customer, they’re already expecting your call.
Offer a reward
If you can, why not thank your customer with flowers, or maybe a bottle of bubbly, even just a thank you card? That shows how much you appreciate their help – and might just nudge them into introducing you to someone else!
So who can you ask in the next few days?
Until next time.
Leigh
Checking in with the basics
It’s great to hear more and more feedback from so many businesses that are really busy and thriving despite our sluggish economy. Yes there are challenges around – but lots of opportunities too, especially for small and medium sized businesses.
So, what have the successful businesses got right?
The basics…
Know what you’re great at
Focus on what you do best and be the best you can be. Keep learning, keep up to date with current trends and thinking and most of all…concentrate 100% on giving your customers a positive experience.
Give your customers what they really want
Really get to know who buys from you. What problems do they have? What do they want to achieve? This information is critical in order for you to match their needs and make them want to buy from you. Don’t guess. If you don’t know….ASK!
Tell them you have what they really want
When you know what your customers really want…you need to let them know that you have it. Communication is critical. Imagine having the perfect solution for your customers then keeping it a secret. Avoiding sales and marketing activity is like keeping yourself a secret. Use telephone, email, face to face, social media, post – whatever you need to do to reach wherever they are. Not just one thing either – a mix of activities will give you the best results.
Test and measure
Check the impact of all your customer interactions. You need to know what isn’t working…so you can stop it. Knowing what works means you can do more of it. Know what could work with a tweak here and there – then tweak away to make it more effective.
Be flexible
Keep trying different ways of connecting with your customers to keep them interested. You also need to be flexible to their needs. If you can deliver in a way that suits them even better….do it.
Quality, quality, quality
Hopefully you will already be going that extra mile to keep your customers happy and delivering a quality service or product. Keep checking in with yourself…what could I be doing better? Keep checking in with your customers too…they are the best source of feedback. Most customers won’t tell you when they’re unhappy…they will just go elsewhere to buy. So make sure you know what will make it better for them…guessing isn’t an option.
Attitude
The way you think will impact on the success you have. Half hearted efforts will give you half hearted results.
You know what you want and you know what you need to do to get it. Commit to it and get on with it. It’s easy to blame other people or the economy or anything other than yourself but at the end of the day your sales success is down to you and the ACTION you take.
Think about what motivates you and be sure to use these things to keep you in a positive state of mind.
These all fall into the “basic” category – but are worth checking in with. Are you doing all of these?
Until next time.
Leigh
PS; If you haven’t already, check out our 4 X DVD Programme “The Essential Sales System for Small Business”
6 explanations for not having more sales
When a company fails, the usual reasons get trotted out; “unfavourable market conditions” “the longest recession since xxxx” “fashions have changed” “the internet”. Maybe it’s the same if you don’t reach your sales targets?
In my book these all group together into one ‘not me guv’ excuse. Anyone hiding behind these reasons for a failing business or (closer to my specialist subject) lack of sales, is what’s called ‘in effect’. They are letting those external factors be an excuse for their own lack of achievement. They need to look somewhere else. And if you know me well you’ll probably know where I’m going with this.
If you are not having the level of sales or business success you need right now, my question to you – and it’s a challenging question is…
How, by your actions or your non-actions have you contributed to your current situation?
For example…
Where have you procrastinated?
This is one of the most common causes of failure. Most of us are waiting for the “time to be right” to do those things that will make a big difference. Well the time will never be “just right”, so start where you stand, work with whatever tools you have, and find better tools as you go along.
Where have you shown lack of persistence?
Most of us are good “starters” but poor “finishers” of everything we begin. Many give up at the first sign of defeat. There is no substitute for persistence in sales.
How defined is your purpose in your job and your life?
The most successful people in sales and business that I’ve ever met knew exactly WHY they were on the path they were on. It wasn’t just for their professional success; it’s that they had a crystal clear vision of what they were going to do with that increased success. Many I meet who are struggling do not have that beautifully defined aim.
How are you developing your personality?
There is no hope of sales success for the person who repels people. When you reflect honestly, is your persona drawing people to you – or driving them away? If you’re driving them away, what adjustments can you make?
What do you believe about you?
What do you believe about your own sales ability? If you’re not achieving the sales you need it’s highly likely that your limiting beliefs are at play. You may be aware of some of them. Others are buried beneath the surface. Beliefs about yourself will massively impact on whether you hit your targets or not.
Where have you been over-cautious?
If you take no chances at all you’ll be left with whatever is left when others have finished choosing. Over-caution is as bad as under-caution and both should be guarded against. Remember though, life itself is filled with the element of choice, all day, every day.
Sales Success? It’s all about the psychology.
Until next time.
Leigh
020 7903 5426
In or On?
I’m writing this early Wednesday morning from a secret hotel location – OK, Didcot if you must know 🙂 By the time you read this I will be deep into day 2 of developing our company strategy for the next five years and beyond – all part of the fabulous business development mentoring programme we’re part of. I’m just so excited at the possibilities!
And you?
So my challenge to you this week is…
What are you doing to develop your business – and develop YOU?
It’s an old business cliché – but how often are you ensuring you’re working ON your business rather than IN it? How much of a plan do you have to resolve your current business challenges? What have you done so far? What will you do? What’s stopping you? Who can help you? How can they help you?
It’s often about time NOT money…
There’s so much stuff available now FOR NOTHING that you don’t have to break the bank. Let me remind you what help you can get from The Sales Consultancy – at NO CHARGE
Firstly, have you downloaded my report yet “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes”? This is a 20 page report that identifies the mistakes you could be making – and offers ways to easily eliminate these errors – and make sure they’re not repeated. Click on the Link below and you can be benefitting from this report within 15 minutes from NOW!
Next – let me point you to our newsletter archive. Here you get access to our weekly sales tips going way back. Here’s the link “Tricks of The Trade Archive”
Of course there’s lots of stuff you can buy – I should know, I’ve been selling for 29 years – but why not find out what’s out there for nothing. Which evermore results in something for you! Increasing Sales is just the beginning.
So what are you going to do today to develop your business – and develop YOU?
Here’s those links again
“The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes”
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: Don’t miss my March Workshop “Love Your Business…Hate Selling?” CLICK HERE
Power in The Feminine?
There’s been an uprising this year and it’s brought a smile to my face and a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart. What is this uprising I hear you ask? It’s the surge of feminine energy that is going for gold, success, power, the millionaire mindset…you name it and they are going for it.
Not only have I spoken at TWO big women-only events already this year, I’m also speaking at “International Women of Power” this weekend and attended my own ladies only event…The One Retreat that focused on us as women as well as the success of our business.
What I’ve found is that something very special happens when women come together…they nurture and help each other. They want other women to feel good about themselves and offer support and advice in a gentle way that is more easily received. They have a willingness to share contacts and an open heart to hear what is being said.
Now before you guys get up in arms about my observations…there are many men out there that would also do this. In my experience it’s not ever so obvious in a male only group. Maybe that’s the competitive edge in guys. The competitive edge is different in women…it’s more “we can all be successful…there’s enough to go round…together we are stronger”
So maybe we can all adopt a more open and collaborative approach regardless of what sex you are. One that is more curious, supportive and giving. I know that this approach works brilliantly for increasing sales. The more of these qualities you display when communicating with your customers, the more they want to buy from you. So let’s get feminine and show that there is power in that too!
Until next time.
Leigh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DO2Aa8DNco&feature=youtu.be
PS: Download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
Leigh Ashton 