Influencing people is far less challenging when you can see things from their perspective.

Empathy, of course, is a magical human feature that helps us to connect with others to feel and share their emotions. This is a true gift. Imagine living in a world without it?

Along with empathy, there’s another potent quality that influential people possess. I’m talking about, fighting for a worthy cause. Some of History’s greatest thought leaders and innovators believed in a cause with such conviction, they died fighting for it.

This fight is innate and lurks deep inside us all. To deny the fight is to deny the essence of the human spirit. Not to harm or kill, but to stand up, shout, be heard and fight for what you truly believe in. Only a minority of courageous people are prepared to fight, but to paraphrase the late great Steve Jobs, the ones who do, will…“make a dent in the universe.”

Paul Watson is making a monumental dent. The Canadian environmental activist is the founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society. He and his crew dance with danger to traverse the earth’s seas on a mission to rid the world of ruthless whale hunters. Sea Shepherd has been the most aggressive and most successful whale-saving organization in the world.

Paul’s story began with a chance encounter with a wounded sperm whale. Starring into the whale’s eyes only moments from its death, he felt a deep pain and this experience has inspired and driven him to become one of the most passionate defenders of whales in history. Today, decades on, Paul is fighting as fierce as ever to save these beautiful mammoths of the sea. Read more of his story and the cause he fights for at: www.seashepherd.org

In stark contrast to the early days, though still controversial, Paul now has some of the world’s most influential people behind him, helping to fund his missions with the latest technology and maritime resources. He is a testament to when you commit to a worthy cause and you truly believe in it for long enough, the act of fighting for it, sells it to others. What a profound way of being and an inspiring way to sell.

What are you fighting for? Fighting for your customers is a noble cause and smart place to start.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

“Is the customer always right?” is an age old question that still baffles salespeople.

I’m all for carefully challenging a customer and re-framing the way they see things. In doing so taking them beyond their comfort zone, provided of course, it serves them; this is the mark of a truly virtuous salesperson. What I won’t swallow are people damaging their employer’s brand by dismissing a customer’s problem or worse turning it into a confrontation.

“The customer is always right!” Translation: The customer and their unique needs matter.

Does that mean you obey all that a customer demands and let them lead your process? Of course not, try telling that to a world class heart surgeon. But it does mean you start with the customer’s view in mind, empathise with it—dont dismiss it, you then add colour and shade by introducing new insights and perspectives to help them see things differently.

Negatively pushing back at a customer is called ignorance. In contrast, taking a client’s dissatisfaction and channelling it towards a positive outcome is a sign of genuine wisdom. When you understand the customer’s feelings are primary and you remove your ego from a confronting conversation —you shift from ignorance to a place of clarity and confidence.

Fighting small meaningless battles every day is not only emotionally draining, it’s unendearing. It also suggests you’re missing profound opportunities to learn about and strengthen your customer relationships. When you really listen, particularly when a customer laments their frustrations—you become humble, and a willingness to take onboard constructive feedback shows you care. There’s no better gesture you can offer a customer.

Your most demanding customers are nearly always your greatest teachers. They will draw attention to your flaws and misgivings in fine detail. If you fail to lower your guard and integrate their relevant input you will limit your ability to expand your skills and capabilities.

“All buyers are liars” is another old-school sales maxim. Translation: Customers will do and say anything to get the best deal for them. And rightly so, so dont make it too hard for them.

Some customers will bend the truth, but usually because there’s a valid reason. To counter this, design a transparent process that provides all parties with the right information to make the right decision and move forward. If customers are still demonstrating deceptive behaviour, take that as a “cue” to rethink your strategy or tweak your communication style.

Customers are not the enemy; your success relies on them. Consider your customers’ part of your extended family, in that, you may not agree with them from time to time, but you always care about their best interests.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

Tim is an IT consultant.

Every week enthusiastic potential customers seek him out with a range of problems he can solve and of course the money to help him solve it. Today’s meeting is no different, they finish and shake hands. Tim parts ways with a fervent, “I’ll start our process and get a proposal to you by the end of the week!”

He struts back to his cubicle and nonchalantly invests his employer’s precious resources into another opportunity. He fills his sales pipe and adds the details onto his whiteboard. The potential gross sales figure is then inserted into his nifty little spread sheet. Life is good.

However there’s one catch… this is the twentieth proposal he’s written in the last six months and not one of them have dropped. Moreover, Tim’s spent so much time chasing these irresistible opportunities he’s neglected his own outbound sales and marketing activities. His sales pipe projects almost a six zero figure, however the real figure is closer to zero.

Tim’s now forced to chase hard, but he soon realises there’s a common theme beginning to fester: no one is returning his calls. His sales manger starts to apply the blow torch! Now Tim can’t seem to get a break and is forced to retreat. He concludes this isn’t the right company for him and with that thought he tenders his resignation. Ego intact but with his credibility  cracked.

Tim’s story is a common tale of turmoil, especially for those who rely solely on inbound enquiries for their success. All of Tim’s “opportunities” were being facilitated by the client i.e. the client controlled the process. Despite this approach appearing easier than outbound marketing, in reality he had no way of replicating success even if he’d stumbled upon it.

What he needed was leverage. A balance of proven relationship development activities and methods for manoeuvring inbound leads would have been a smarter approach. He could have charged a fee for his IP at the front end of his sales process to filter out time wasters, likewise chunked his process down to ensure each step established buy-in and reduced risk.

Tim fell into the trap of treating all clients as equal, in doing so he failed to apply quick techniques to determine their validity. He also responded to the client’s stated needs without first having imparted a new piece of critical information to move the process forward.

There are countless people within your market that genuinely need your help, right now! Dont be like Tim and waste your precious time and energy concocting indecent proposals. Protect your time and valuable IP and maximise your resources with a tested and structured sales process.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

“Let there be light…” boomed the bold voice from deep within the darkness.

Silence ensued for what seemed like an eternity, until… a careful voice echoed back from the dark shadows… “Why do we need light?”

God pondered the careful voice for some time before offering a reply. And it was from this enlightening exchange that the first ever sales pitch was born. Light soon followed.

Not even “God” gets things done without selling it first. We all sell something whether we acknowledge it or not.  Sometimes the sell is subconscious and other times it’s more lucid.

This could mean selling yourself on why something or someone is truly important to you? Perhaps its selling your kids on the perils of drug use before the local drug dealer sells them first? Or maybe it’s selling yourself on why you shouldn’t raid the fridge late at night?

In any case, we are always selling or being influenced by something. How we persuade ourselves and enrol others in our vision or values determines the mark we leave on the world.

We truly sell when our words and actions are aligned. Think of some of the world’s most influential people; Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King Jr, John Lennon, Charles Darwin, Nelson Mandela, even mythical character Jesus Christ, all sold their vision and inspired others through their words and actions.

You may not be here to change the world, nor desire to, and that’s ok. But you better know how to get what you want or you’ll forever be forced to live in a state of need.

Every day great salespeople sell themselves on:

Why they need to get out of bed with a spring in their step.

Why they won’t let challenges and setbacks consume them.

Why their customers will buy from them and not their competitors.

Why they will ultimately succeed, no matter what, at what they do.

The sell should always start with a meaningful, why? Be mindful that without a strong why, no one will buy. Similarly, if you can’t sell yourself first why should anyone else buy from you?

It was said that we were all created in the likeness of God. Well, he was and still is without a doubt the world’s greatest ever salesman… so go forth, sell and multiply!

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

You’ve taken on a new venture and things aren’t quite going to plan.

You push forward with greater intensity hoping this will move you faster towards your goals. This approach soon stalls, so you tweak your strategy and refocus, but still no traction. You persist regardless. Finally you have a win… validation! Things are now looking up, taking your spirit with it.

Two months pass, another lag… “Damn it!” Cash flow is depleted, so too your morale. “This is crazy! I need help and can’t do it alone!” you proclaim, so you bring in a partner and raise money to get things really rolling. You invest part of the funds in a paid business mentor.

Twelve months fly by. You now have support, but your financial hole is inflamed and getting more excruciating by the day. To your dismay you realise you’re in the same place you were twelve months ago, but now deeper in debt. To add insult, you’re questioning your partner’s motives and being harassed by demanding investors. All seems lost, but is it really?

Giving up at the critical stage will always limit your potential. In doing so, this weakens your personal resilience and enhances your reliance on others. This transmutes into a hazardous mindset that teaches you little more than to lean on others when times are tough.

Raising money can work. Similarly taking on a business partner or paying a mentor can be a clever strategy. But these are exceptions not the rule. Especially when your business model is fundamentally lacking in substance or you lack a genuine passion and commitment to see your business goals through to the end.

If your business is struggling to gain traction, turning to the people you trust is your first option. Put your ego aside for a moment and be real and vulnerable. It’s essential you get candid advice here to assess your options. In contrast, when you pay for this type of advice you can often meet people who are pushing their own agendas. At this stage of the game trusting your intuition or making the hardest decision first can be your smartest option.

I say, steer clear of paid mentors. The best mentors I know dont need to charge a fee, they simply get a buzz from helping people. You must know someone that is successful or well credentialed, a request to bend their ear will rarely meet with disapproval. Just be sure you’re seeking wisdom rather a desperate plea for help or money, this is a turn off for anyone.

Bring in a business partner with caution as most partnerships fail. To succeed the commercial fits must be logical and allow each party to uniquely contribute. When evaluating a partner there’s a courting process that is frequently misleading, it’s important to reveal your scars and true intentions, as the truth will come out eventually. Values must always be aligned.

Also consider who is really saving whom in the relationship? Or do both parties need to be saved? Overlook these critical pieces of insight and you’ll all go down with the ship.

Business partners will come and go. Paid mentors will move on. Money will be raised and then churned through. Before you consider being saved—invest more in your self-development and be willing to really push through.  The best person to save you, is always you.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

Not all of us are comfortable with taking risks, but some people really thrive on it.

For the most part taking risks is a tense experience for a customer. Each client will have a varying threshold measured by a level of “perceived” risk they are willing to move towards but never cross over. Getting them to redefine their risk threshold can be challenging.

Customers by nature are cautious creatures. This mindset is frustrating for both the vendor and customer. The customer laments, “I really want to buy, but I just dont trust my ability to pay or the vendor’s capacity to deliver.” At the same time the salesperson grumbles, “I know you need my help, but what else do I need to bloody do to gain your trust?!”

These stalemates play-out habitually in tough markets. The best way to cut-through the customer’s fear is to reduce if not remove all traces of “perceived” risk. In addition provide them with new critical information that takes them to a place of clarity & confidence. This can be tricky to achieve but when you apply the right de-risk strategy the customer then has the confidence to transform from being immobile and confused to willing and motivated.

Here are some quick tips to reduce risk and help your customers see more value:

• Sell your value for free (Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter are the benchmarks here);
• Acknowledge the customer’s risks and then probe to evaluate the importance of each risk;
• Identify the most serious risk and then introduce a new critical piece of information that helps them to overcome the risk and confidently move forward;
• Put some skin in the game if you need to.  Lower the perceived risk and build confidence by reducing commissions or giving them more of your valuable time and expertise.
• Add more value by introducing a high perceived value and low cost complimentary product or service at the appropriate time;
• Share relevant case studies and personal stories about how you helped your customers successfully overcome similar risks and the related payoffs;
• Offer longer payment terms that activate/transfer your value and benefits immediately;
• Always be empathic, keeping in mind it’s much easier to give “risk advice” than to live it;
• Be willing to say “no” if you genuinely feel the risk outweighs the value for the customer (trade the short term sale for long term gain and credibility);

Assuming the risk is only attached to the customer’s wallet is folly. The investment side is always important, but it’s seldom the most significant risk. Be sure to consider how getting the purchase wrong can impact your customer’s reputation and their higher goals and aspirations. Similarly, how a past negative buying experience may now be impacting their behaviour and confidence. Probing with thoughtful questions is essential.

Risk is a powerful thing when you harness it and help your customers move through it.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

Small, frequent and pleasant interactions with your salespeople that fail to engage and guide customers towards your value proposition are hazardous for your business health.

Seemingly innocuous, when a customer initiates contact with your business and receives little more than a pleasant smile and welcome, you can be sure your business is drastically underperforming.

Mid last year, I walked into a commercial printer. I asked to speak with someone that could assist me with my regular printing requirements. The receptionist offered a pleasant greeting, but she couldn’t help me directly nor was there a person qualified in the office. I responded, that’s ok, I may call back in later. Her, response, “ok, thanks, have a great day.”  I then trotted up the road to another print company, and we’ve been doing regular business ever since.

There’s no excuse for small, frequent and pleasant customer interactions that go nowhere.

When you add these “seemingly” insignificant exchanges together over weeks, months and even years, you can see just how deadly these interactions really are to your business. And when you factor in the unrealised repeat business, relevant brand promotion and referrals, the mind really boggles.

Sales managers need to step it up! The buck starts and stops with you. Introductions from all team members (even the cleaner) need to be engaging and purposeful if no one else is on deck. Engaging the customer when they contact you or walk into your commercial setting is critical. The introduction should activate the first step of your sales process, and once qualified move forward.

If you dont have a sales team members on hand, be sure to capture key details and make a genuine effort to help the customer feel valued.  More significantly, ensure you instil confidence that someone with the appropriate capabilities will respond as a matter of importance within a specified timeframe.

They should then be followed up promptly and professionally. Given a sales person, was not unavailable when the customer initiated contact, ensure you acknowledge the importance of their time. What’s even more imperative is to expose them to a critical piece of information about their business problem or industry competitive advantage that gives them a burning reason to come back.

When you let a customer walk in and then out taking with them nothing but a pleasant greeting, all you’re successfully doing is sending them down the road to your competitor.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

When you’re passionate about what you do, you’re well within your rights to take it personally when someone lets you down.

I invest most of my time during the week into growing and developing my business, which often spills over into the wee hours and weekends.  If you’re anything like me, business is not just a job, it represents a significant part of who we are as individuals.

As salespeople we can meet customers who lack a genuine passion for what they do. They dont have a duty of care to honour vendor relationships and frankly couldn’t care less about you. Their core purpose every week is to simply grind it through with their sanity intact.

I take it personally when a customer lets me down or breaks their promise. I devote not just my time but a significant portion of me into every opportunity.

If a customer is willing to take your precious time in providing them with valuable insights or a customised proposal, and then can’t even take 30 seconds from their day to respond or cut you loose, this says a lot about their character. You’re probably better off without these types of customers.

I take it personally, and that’s exactly what I look for in high-performing salespeople. These people work with passion and sprinkle themselves into all of their activities. They work hard and expect high standards from others. There’s nothing wrong with that. Dont let a passionless customer impact your attitude and determine your behaviour. You’re better than that!

If you’re going to invest a hefty percentage of your life into a chosen field, for goodness sakes take it personally! And when a customer lets you down, dont fester in it, simply move on and contribute to someone else who deserves it.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

High-performing salespeople (hyper-salespeople) are on the edge, constantly pushing the boundaries to improve and gain an advantage.

Competitive by nature, they hate to lose. Every opportunity is a chance to express their skills and commitment to their cause. They value their time and take what they do seriously. To fail is to completely invalidate their efforts, and in ways, who they are as people.

For many hyper-salespeople their role is more than a job, they consider it a body of work. Insert just a few of these types of high performers into a sales team and you’ll see any business radically transform.  So how do you develop and support your core sales to team to evolve to super stars?

Every sales team should have critical insights and a clear view of what success looks like. Building a “success profile” is essential to determine a framework for what capabilities, skills and behaviours you need to nurture, encourage and replicate. This serves as a blueprint to grow and develop your team.  It forms a foundation from which to establish a proficiency pathway to achieve enhanced time to competence and aspired success.

I work with hundreds of salespeople every year. What’s strikes me most about hyper-salespeople is the way they operate. Their approach seems seldom rigid, rather more fluid and natural. They do however work to a trusted method that has room for adaption or tailoring where necessary.

Most have a natural creative flair that allows them to communicate the bigger picture and tell a compelling story. For others they are deeply analytical and walk to a structured beat. And there are of course, the instinctive entrepreneurs who embrace risk and see things through the prism of opportunity.

How do you harness these innate characteristics and effectively incorporate them into the trusted method? It’s challenging and in ways counterintuitive. The most effective approach is to exploit these natural traits and ensure the model is fluid enough to accommodate them. The less successful will invariably underutilise their intrinsic talents, failing to identify what they can develop to align to the profile of success.

To get the best from your sales team, often means letting some of them go, and if you’re really honest, perhaps most of them. Take a blowtorch to your low performers! Particularly those who fail to demonstrate a willingness to grow. Let them fail somewhere else at someone else’s expense.

The middle-band under your hyper category has the highest growth potential. To develop these people means getting clear on your “success profile” and to identify any capability and experience gaps.  From there you can establish a clear proficiency pathway that develops these capabilities and provides experiences to ensure the opportunity for success is fast tracked. This development pathway is supported by ongoing coaching and relevant on the job opportunities to practice.

As for your current hyper-salespeople, keep challenging them! They will demand higher mountains to climb, so inspire them. They are often unique characters, be sure to acknowledge their capabilities and reward their unique contributions. They often see and approach things differently to most, and that’s what makes them so valuable. What may seem madness to others, works for them —harness it!

BOOM!

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training

Can politicians keep their promises? For the most part our history tells us the answer is, no.

Former Prime Minister, John Howard’s un-prophetic words, “There’s no way a GST will ever be part of our policy.” As well as incumbent Prime Minister, Julia Gillard’s more recent declaration, “There will be no carbon tax under the government I lead.” echoes this point.

The political end game is vastly more important than the substance of their campaign.  You can do more in power than you can without it. So whatever the game needs to be to gain office — will soon be replaced with whatever game needs to be played to retain it.

Politicians are true masters of manipulation. Almost everything they communicate is crafted, scripted, and designed to promote their party agenda or own self interests. Laced with subtle undercurrents and bolstered with overtones, you never hear anything the politician doesn’t want you to hear.

Listen to Julia Gillard speak and she’ll soon put you to sleep. Monotonic and measured, any hope of hearing what she truly believes is lost in the script. Tony Abbott’s not too dissimilar, albeit flying a flag that needs to be different to offer the punters a contrast.

Kevin Rudd has a tad more flair and is prepared to appear more human. But you get a sense that “wifey’’ is the person really pulling the strings. Kevin 07 had his shot and blew it. Politics is a ruthless game and a rare industry. Can you think of another industry that allows you to be sacked or resign and retain your employment?  What a certain and lucid way to build a toxic culture.

There’s a distinctive rigidity to the way politicians speak. Their expression feels unnatural, often awkward, and in ways unhuman; and that’s their first mistake. For someone to truly influence us, we must first relate to them.

Malcolm Turnbull springs to mind as someone who possesses a sturdy grasp of the English vernacular. Yet he relates to a minority; the silvertail, upper class. Indeed charming at times, he also omits a smugness that will limit his ability to gain any real broad influential traction.

In contrast, ex Prime Minister, Bob Hawk was as rough as guts! This emblematic Aussie larrikin connected with the Australian public at the right time. We’ve since evolved beyond the cowboy eighties. Today this type of bravado comes across as unpolished and ill-equipped to drive a system of governance that demands more than ever.

Barack Obama charmed the American public and indeed the world. Noticeably scripted in his dialogue and delivery, he carried the hopes and aspirations of millions. Despite his messiah like persona, he has still failed to live up to expectation. Keeping your word is a tough gig in a challenging economy an ever changing world.

The glaring distinction between politicians and salespeople is: a salesperson’s success is principally determined by their ability to keep their promises. This same mandate rarely applies to politicians.

The key to building trust is your ability to keep a promise. In addition, it requires toning down your commitments so they are sometimes ambitious, but always attainable. If your customers are demanding you set unrealistic goals and construct promises that are dubious (so they support you) then perhaps you need to consider; is this really the type of customer you want to be contributing to?

As a person of influence in any field, you gain genuine support by being real, adding tangible value, demonstrating empathy, and keeping your word, even if it hurts you. Until politicians and powerbrokers are willing to live by these virtues, we will all continue to be disenchanted and let down by them. With influence comes power and with power comes responsibility. Dont abuse it.

BOOM!
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training — Customer Service Training