Leaders of nations first did it. Military generals do it. Even high powered CEOs now do it.

When they need something of critical importance actioned, they pick-up the Red Phone and make a direct call to the person who can most influence what they need to achieve.

Our world is now vastly more connected than ever before thanks to the internet. Yet, cutting-through to decision makers and getting them to take you seriously is harder than ever. We are all far too busy and well informed to indulge a stranger blatantly trying to sell us something over the phone. Countless past negative experiences have trained us to know better.

The phone is still a powerful tool if you know how to utilise its qualities correctly.

While a cold-call typically requires minimal effort and talent by simply collating a database and hitting the phone until your self-conscious catches up with you. A Red Phone call requires thorough planning, structure, investing time to determine why you are calling, having a depth of knowledge about whom you are calling, and knowing how your call will inspire the recipient to action.

Cold-calling is a numbers game, and an exhausting one at that. In contrast, applying the Red Phone is about quality not quantity calls. One successful Red Phone call can be a game changer and set off a cascading effect that transforms your year or maybe even your career.

Red Phone calls are big, bold calls to people that can genuinely help you in a big way and dramatically impact your business. For my business, Red Phone calls are made to specific critical influencers in large companies. In reality, if I do this right, I only need to make 50 Red Phone calls a year. The common garden variety cold-caller can achieve this volume in as little as an hour. Demonstrating the bulk of a cold-caller’s time is indeed a waste of time.

Most telephone tactics are little more than carelessly disguised pleas for help from desperate salespeople who haven’t worked out a meaningful approach to engage new customers:

Here are 8 steps to help you master the Red Phone principle:

1. Never cold call a decision maker. They are too busy and once they say no, you will rarely get another chance to pitch;
2. Understand your customers by establishing who really influences the decision to buy from you and why (map and define your critical influencers and decision makers and their emotive drivers in fine detail);
3. Tap into your network of connections, and utilise relevant media and social networks to source insights and intelligence about your critical influencers;
4. Who influences your critical influencer. Taking an indirect approach, before going direct can be a smart approach and pay dividends;
5. Dont be intimidated when calling, instead be prepared. Do your research, this could take not only hours, but weeks;
6. Make each call with at least one piece of ‘critical information’ that empowers and educates your influencer in new or innovative way;
7. Be credible and communicate from a place of commonality and expertise;
8. Clearly communicate the outcome, in doing so map out a path, establish buy-in and gain the right to proceed;

These are some of the key elements to making a successful Red Phone call. Apply only a few of these methods and you’ll be miles ahead of your average cold-caller.

For more information on this liberating new telephone technique visit: http://tiny.cc/f1oti

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training —  Customer Service Training

“$1,200” Lily snapped. “No way, too much” I retorted.

The four feet two pocket-rocket then snatched the calculator from me and punched in a counter offer… $1,000?! “No, no still too expensive” I scoffed. Back and forth went the calculator like a tennis ball fizzing over the net in a grand slam final.

Deep into the fifth set, Lily’s frustration became obvious, her friendly eyes morphing into a glare. I had barely moved in our negotiations, while she had discounted to 10% of her initial asking price.  But that’s how the game is played in downtown Shanghai, China.  This bustling market scaling up multiple stories high — replete with all the delights and junk a discount hungry tourist can buy.

Lily and I grinded to an agreement, she sneered, “you a tough man.” With a chuckle, I said goodbye, knowing I had still left money on the table. But, to spend another five minutes squabbling over what was essentially a few Aussie dollars seemed counterproductive. It was my last day in China and I was on a mission to buy as much cheap crap as I could in the least amount of time.

In every stall I observed salespeople working to a similar sales process. They always request a ridiculously high price. Rejected by the customer, the salesperson asks what the customer desires to spend. Incremental counter offers then move the customer towards a price that both agree on. In Australia, this is called haggling; an art frowned upon. In Asian, it’s simply part of a commonly respected and tested sales process.

While the traditional Asian method for negotiating is unlikely to meet with approval in Australia, there are still many elements to this method that can be applied here. If you look closer you may even find some real genius in this seemingly ancient dark art.

The salespeople I encountered weren’t that savvy or polished, yet when they applied their process and believed in it, it rarely failed them. They always begin by asking what you want to pay, successfully gauging the customer’s expectations. They proceed to explain all the benefits of the product to position it in its most valuable light. The salesperson then makes an outrageously high offer, the customer’s counter offer then establishes their level of buy-in. And so the process moves forward.

The salesperson understands the more time a customer spends in dialogue with them; the more likely they are to buy. Should a considerable amount of time pass in negotiations, and the customer then walk, I frequently observed salespeople mutating from broad smiling, amiable creatures into spitting vipers disgusted by the customer refusing to engage the process until the final agreement.

Clearly the methods that Chinese salespeople employ with the locals are different. This denotes they understand who their most profitable customers are, namely; bright eyed tourists, who will pay more and engage willingly in their process, so they structure their time and approach accordingly.

Last but not least, each salesperson demonstrated the most vital element of success in any field: persistence. Incredibly relentless in their pursuit of the sale, they work with a methodology, which frankly, most Western salespeople couldn’t be bothered with. This type of process is indeed gruelling, with every customer being engaged in a structured and patient way. This approach takes discipline, persistence and patience, the cornerstone of any successful salesperson no matter what part of the world you do business in.

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training Customer Service Training

Tis the season alright!

That time of year when everyone temporarily puts aside their faculties of logic to indulge in mindless spending. We even spend money we don’t have, but hey, that’s ok, it’s all in the name of … hmmm … I’m not quite sure what it really means anymore.

Whatever the case may be, Christmas is a time for sharing and a time to spend with family. It’s also a period that retailers should be cashing in with a beaming grin.

However, and to my surprise, experiencing jolly sales staff is not easy to find. This week I’ve made many purchases and nearly every person who expediently swiped my card ―failed to offer even the slightest of festive cheer. Not even a, “goodbye and have a Merry Christmas!”

Seriously retailers, is it any wonder online dominates now?  You only have yourselves to blame really. So dont complain about dismal retail figures once the rush is over, I’d be looking more closely at management and their strategy for hiring and motivating the right floor staff. This stuff is not hard. In fact its common sense and common courtesy, though, as it appears, thoughtful floor staff have fast become a declining commodity.

There are staff out there who really embrace the Christmas spirit, and good on you!  But I say, why wouldn’t you? It’s a sublime time of year that we all look forward to. As for our kids, well they struggle to contain themselves at the remotest thought of tearing into their pressies.Oh to be a child again on Christmas morn. Such joy and magic!

Try giving a little bit of magic to your customers this Christmas. Give them a big smile and maybe a gentle touch on the shoulder, but at the very least a big warm…

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Let your customers know how much you appreciate them and their business. Many are doing it tough, so to spend is a big deal. Understanding this will go a long way to giving your customers something special that cost you nothing other than a little bit of effort, but it will come back to you I promise in more ways than one.

Merry Christmas everyone, enjoy this special time with your loved ones. Have a booming new year! I’ll see you again late Jan 2012.

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Customer Service  Training

In 1988 I watched in horror as my childhood hero Carl Lewis was blown away by Ben Johnson in the men’s 100m final at the Seoul Olympic Games.

The ripped and bulging Canadian sprinter launched out of the blocks to blaze to a new world record time of 9.79 seconds. To my relief, three days later, Johnson was stripped of his gold medal and banned for testing positive to steroids. Lewis was then unceremoniously anointed as the Olympic champion, and faith was restored to my little world.

Not many records can endure the vacillation of time. Johnson’s drug assisted time was considered only possible because he used a banned substance. His time has since been broken on several occasions. Usain Bolt is the reigning Olympic champion and world recorder holder, clocking in a 9.58 seconds. May I be so bold as to suggest that one day a man of freakish ability will run it in eight seconds?

Each generation strives to be more than their ancestors. More opulent, more enlightened, more successful. Smarter, faster! To achieve this we must overcome ignorance, abolish inhibiting beliefs, and embrace change. This path is risky, but ultimately, it serves by moving us all forward. To evolve, records need to be broken and new rules set. We live in a world of flux and ceaseless movement. If you’re standing still, in reality, you are moving backwards.

Genuine innovation is challenging to achieve, because initially only you trust it. And without others buying-in to your vision, who will fund it and run with it?  Not many, which usually spells the death of a great idea. True innovators live on the edge, blazing away with new ideas and brazen beliefs. To break a long held record or tradition set by others, you’ll need a stomach full of courage, thick skin and unyielding commitment to the cause.

Never be the one to succumb to other people’s ignorance or take unconstructive feedback as a reason to give up your dream. You are unstoppable when your vision sings to your determination and inspires you to work through adversity. Sticking your neck out is never easy, especially if what you believe in runs contrary to the majority.

Ben Johnson broke both the rules and world record in Seoul, however, in an unethical way, and that will always meet with penalty. At some point, much of what you believe in today will evolve or change, so be open to it. What shouldn’t change are your self-belief and desire to be better. Keep on striving. And if you genuinely believe a rule should be broken… smash it!

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training

Sales is a game. Though not a numbers game as some would suggest, it’s more a mental game.

Every year, I work with hundreds of sales and service people across industries. What strikes me most is the chasm between the high and low performers. This distinction is always a matter of mindset.

If you haven’t made a sale in weeks, or hit a target in months, you should be anxious. That state should transcend to frustration, and if that persists, then raw anger! By anger, I dont mean, slapping customers in the face until they sign the contract. I refer to a deep sense of injustice for not succeeding at what you do. This sensation is essential to all creatures that compete for survival in any jungle.

Despite modern advances human beings are still primitive creatures. Just tune into the six o’clock news of an evening and you’ll get a taste of reality. We live in a ruthless world and occasionally things dont go our way. Understand this, and then swiftly get over it. When your back is to the wall… slowly stretch your fingers and flare your claws …get angry!

I observe business people blaming their lack of performance on external forces, such as; market conditions, ineffective marketing, too many time wasters, or a crack pot manager. They curse, bicker and spit at others with resentment. These people are angry all right, but their energy is directed at everyone but themselves. In this instance, the first person you need to confront is you! Look yourself dead in the eye and demand answers! And it’s the answers you’re most reluctant to hear and acknowledge that move you forward.

Are you lazy? Fearful of rejection? Do you lack passion? Not willing to do the hard yards? Are you too focused on money? Does your ego need a stroke? Are you caught-up in internal politics? Is your confidence shot? Are you exhausted? Do you feel unloved? …Ok. So what?

Dont fall into the trap of putting “your own” story above the need to get the job done. Turn your anger into action! Do the most challenging tasks first, as they often bring the juiciest rewards. Cold call that CEO! She won’t bite. Get up at the crack of dawn and knock on doors! In that big presentation today, take control, be assertive and ask for the business! Stop fluffing around the edges and cut-through to the outcome. Making mistakes is ok, just keep learning and keep going! You may be down now, but the animal is never down for long.

If you’re in sales, you’re paid to sell. If you can’t and won’t do that, then move on and find a role more aligned with your natural skills and cerebral capacity. When push comes to shove, you’re the only person that can change your reality. Yes, at times, it’s a nasty, scary and unforgiving jungle out there, so start channelling your inner animal. Dont get eaten… get angry!

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training

There I stood three deep in a queue that seemed to be moving backwards compared to the other isles.

At the head of the line was an elderly woman laughing and conversing with the checkout chick. They appeared to be having a gay old time. I on the other hand was decomposing in my own anxiety, hot and noticeably bothered. Just let me pay for my stuff and get out of here, I scoffed under my breath.

The ash haired lady eventually paid for her groceries. She waved goodbye and then gleefully snatched her bags and wandered off. Finally we were moving. I quickly twitched my toes to make sure they were still there. I then skimmed through my iPhone, something I tend to do neurotically when I’m bored. With nowhere else to look, I slowly peered up… oh great…

The checkout chick was now chewing the ears off the forty something man just ahead of me. Chatting and giggling, never losing eye contact while she nodded with an empathic rhythm and leisurely scanned his groceries one at a time. What is this, happy hour? I pursed my lips and shook my head in distress. Their conversation dragged on, until the man paid and then scooted off with a smile.

Finally, I was next, and it’s about bloody time, I thought. “Hi there, how’s your day going?” blurted the checkout chick. “Fine thanks.” I responded with a sigh. In a bubbly tone she then asked what I was doing on such a sunny Sunday. I told her I was on a business trip. With a raised eyebrow she then asked what I did for work. She probed deeper wanting to know the name of my company and what sort of clients I worked with. Taken aback and amused by this, I proceeded to respond to all her quizzes.

All the while I couldn’t help but gawk at the three small yellow flowers she had carefully intertwined into the side of her auburn locks. Before I knew it, I was immersed in a conversation. My agitation caused by a flight delay and a long hire car journey had vaporised.

I was so entertained by the flower lady’s demeanour and interest in me that I didn’t see her swipe my groceries, but they magically appeared in my shopping bag with a receipt. I had paid and now it was time to move on. With a smile now stretched across my face I thanked the flower lady, said goodbye and skipped out of the Woolworths store in Wollongong.

Truly exceptional service is very hard to find, but when you find it, you will know about it! So much so you’ll be inspired to tell others about your experience. When someone goes out of their way to recognize us and help us, it lights us up. All it takes is a keen ear and intent to learn about people and acknowledge who they really are. This is so simple to do that it’s often overlooked. To blossom in a competitive market, take a leaf from the flower lady. You won’t just illuminate your customer’s day ― it will light up yours also.

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training

Flash point!

A micro slice of space and time where our lives change, forever. This is either a painful moment that haunts us, or a place where our wildest dreams are so vivid they become real.

A photo finish decided the 2011 Melbourne Cup. Only the benefit of technology could confirm the faintest speck of light between first and second place. This year’s winner Dunaden and connections pocketed $3.6 Million in prize money for their efforts. As for second place, well, it’s only a few days on and the name of that horse already escapes me.

In business the difference between being remembered as a winner and not being recalled at all can be minuscule. A one percenter could be the difference. Perhaps something that is relatively easy to do yet easy to forget. Often the small stuff matters most. Most markets are saturated with competitors doing the same thing. There are not many that really stick their neck out. Frequently, contracts are won on minor details not necessary major points of difference.

Failure can be measured in millimetres. It’s these crushing blows to our confidence and self-esteem that either spurs us on to greater heights, or corrals us in defeat. Whether you win by the length of the Flemington straight or a flared nostril is irrelevant, the fact that you’ve won remains above all else. If you’ve lost, it’s what you do next that best defines you.

So next time you taste defeat take some time to reflect. Did you give it your all? If not, what areas can you develop and improve? If you are competing against a worthy foe, perhaps there are some things they do you can apply too. If you resign to defeat you will never grow. And it’s the pain and learning’s from your most monumental losses that become your best asset.

Much like the Melbourne Cup ― success is a race for stayers. Sprinters dont qualify. To win you need strength, endurance and most importantly the will to succeed. If you lost by a hair this year, will we see you again next year? It doesn’t matter where you are placed on the final turn it’s how you finish that matters most. And how you finish is how you’ll be remembered.

Inspire,
Trent Leyshan

Sales Training

Last week I made a reservation to stay at the Novotel hotel in Darling Harbour, Sydney.

The booking was for this coming Friday. However, to my surprise last Sunday morning I received a survey email from the hotel’s parent company Accor asking to rate my stay. Perplexed by this, I rang Accor and quoted my membership number. I proceeded to query why this email had been sent given I was due to stay the following week? The response stunned me.

The customer support person told me the booking was complete. I explained the booking was for the following Friday. He disagreed. The customer support person then put me on hold and came back a minute or so later. He scoffed, ‘the booking was for the previous day and that had now passed, I’m sorry but there is nothing we can do as your credit card has been processed. He then suggested I call the hotel directly to see if they could resolve the matter.

I rang the Novotel hotel only to receive the same robotic and emotionless response from their manager. I quizzed the manager; did he sincerely believe it was ok to take my money with no exchange of services? His response was a slight pause… followed by a shallow, ‘I’m sorry, but there is nothing we can do but offer you a small discount on a future stay.’ This irritated me particularly given I’m a loyalty club member and frequent visitor to their hotels.

What’s the moral of the story? Choose whom you give your loyalty to wisely and always look for evidence you’re truly valued as a member. I was loyal and demonstrated it by staying in their hotels regularly. Yet my commitment wasn’t honoured by them when it mattered most to me. Am I disappointed? Well, I may have parted with $200 on little more than an ear full of insincerity, but I’ve moved on and know someone else will appreciate my business.

Some words of warning to companies with loyalty programs ― if you print the word ‘loyalty’ on your membership cards, at the very least understand what the concept of developing and honouring a relationships means. Loyalty is a two way street. If you want your customers to be loyal to you ― give them a damn good reason to be.

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training

Unlike other performance athletes ― salespeople are expected to compete forty eight weeks or more every year.

Nearly all performance sports are structured in a way so that the athlete actually competes at a small fraction of their time in comparison to the time spent developing strategy, refining skills and training and recovering.

Sales managers for some bizarre reason believe their salespeople needn’t subscribe to the same approach. This false belief limits their sales people’s success and ultimately leads to fatigue and underperformance.

To be at their best salespeople need to be fresh in mind, body and spirit. When we are tired and under mental stress, not only does our performance suffer but the pleasures associated with what we do diminish, rapidly. I habitually ask salespeople with low motivation levels, ‘if they were succeeding more would they be more motivated?’ The overwhelming response is always a resounding, ‘yes!’

In many cases, it’s not the company nor the role a salesperson is unsatisfied with, it’s the fact they are not receiving validation for effort. As a sales manager, be sure to understand what is truly motivating your team (and individuals within it) as this could mean the difference between a salesperson becoming your best asset as opposed to leaving and becoming your competitor’s advantage.

It’s common for a CFO, or sales manager that possesses little or no relevant sales experience, to be the person who sets the annual sales budget and target. These figures are pulled from the ether and usually based on leveraging costs and profit percentage increases. In this case, there is scant regard for what constitutes a realistic target that also factors in changes in the economy. As a result targets rarely go down from year-to-year, instead they usually track north. Meaning, salespeople are forced to run themselves into the ground chasing shadows without regular timeouts to reflect, refine, and rejuvenate.

The old cliché; ‘people dont leave a company they leave a manager’ is correct. So too, salespeople leave a sales manager, particularly those that set pie in the sky expectations that stifle validation.

Give your best people the support they need with habitual training, realistic goals, related incentives, guiding processes, and most of all inspirational leadership. Let them take some space to rest and refine their strategy when they need it. This will result in greater stamina, enhanced performance and ultimately more sales.

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

Sales Training

One of the most valuable asset’s you can create in business is called a ‘friendship with benefits’.

Not the touchy and feeling kind, rather an enduring relationship between a customer and vendor that contributes to both in a meaningful way. Acquaintances, we can take or leave. Typically surface level, these relationships hold little lasting value. Unfortunately, the majority of customers are treated this way because staff are not empowered habitually with the right knowledge and skills.

Its vital businesses get this right: how you treat people in a commercial situation shouldn’t differ that much to a social setting. The same essentials apply, such as; empathy, common courtesy, respect, keeping our word, and above all a genuine interest in the other party’s best interests. Think about the people we consider friends. What behaviours do they demonstrate? How long have we known them? Why are they so important to us? What really attracts us to them?

More than anything else, we are attracted to friends because of how they make us feel.

We can share a laugh or divulge our deepest insecurities. We spend time getting to know who they really are and what’s really important to them. Friends dont try to blatantly profit from us, without of course, being swiftly removed from our social group. Friends, more often than not, are adept at listening to us. When you consider your best friend, they are exceptional at it.

As a customer, I prefer to buy from someone I like and trust. I hate being sold something, instead, I want to be empowered with information. I detest being smothered by self-focused communication and marketing jargon. I crave to be heard and understood. And if there’s a problem, I need to know someone is there for me, always. Yes, as vendor, your success is important to me too. I’m willing to pay fair value for my purchase and I dont mind you profiting, but never at my detriment.

Some say, you can measure a person by the quality of their friends. This is true. The principle applies profoundly to businesses too. Ironically ― being a true friend isn’t all that hard, but it does take effort. And customers aren’t really that complex to understand, you should know, as you’re one also. Good friends are hard to find, so never be a salesperson ― always be a friend with benefits.

Inspire,

Trent Leyshan

sales training