Sales Babble Sales Podcast | Sales Training | Sales Consulting |sales Coaching

How To Sell When Nobody Knows You #517 What do you do when your business is the best-kept secret in town? How do you get people to know about you? How do you create awareness and most importantly, how can you get buyers to trust in you, your company, and its products?  This is a situation for all startups. It's also the case for established businesses creating new products or entering new markets. If this is your case, you're in for a treat. In today's episode, we share the idea that water, though soft and gentle, can overcome resistance and erode even the hardest of substances through its persistent and patient action. The same is true when it comes to a skeptical marketplace. In time, a persistent yet patient Master Seller can bring a new product or service to market.  Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See h

How To Compete from Behind #516 Does it irritate you when you're talking to a new prospect and the first thing they mention is that their vendor is your archrival? Does it seem like that competitor is superior to you; faster, cheaper, better and there is nothing you can do to overcome that clear advantage? Or maybe you can’t fathom why people buy from them other than they've been around for a long time. It can be frustrating and begs the question, what can you do to compete from behind? Today we discuss a competitive strategy on how business is a game,  not a war, and businesses with compassion eventually end up on the winning side. If you're a startup in an industry with longtime competitors, this is the episode for you. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sa

How To Overcome Your Fear of Rejection #515 We all hate robocalls. Those are cold calls of the worst kind. But in B2B sales, cold calling is often the only way to efficiently connect to a new prospect. Often the prospects don't realize a solution to their problem is available. A well-constructed and executed cold call can create an opportunity for the prospects to eradicate their problems. Yet too often sellers fear rejection and this impedes their cold-calling success. There are things you can do to overcome that fear. How to overcome the fear of rejection, that's the topic for today. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals,

How To Recover from a Sideways Deal #514 Ever been in a situation where just as you thought the deal was won, and then the rug got pulled out from under you? It’s beyond irritating, right? Especially given the fact that you may have invested significant time and energy in the deal, just to see it go up in smoke. What are you to do when your deals go sideways? That’s the topic for today. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. This is a production of Habanero Media https://ha

To Get More You Need To Let Go #513 Today I would like to do an experiment and try something different. This is something that I've been noodling about the last few weeks and since The Tao Te Ching is founded on change and as we know change is the only constant in life it feels right to make a change. Today I;d like to read chapter 46 of the Tao Te Ching, share a story about Pat and Chris, and then review how the chapter applies to sales. I think it will be fun to share with readers an actual chapter in the Tao Te Ching, of course in English and not Chinese. I don;t want to go too far. You might find it interesting to see how the actual text applies to selling, and life. Let's give this a try and see how it goes. Today's topic is how knowledge is gained by learning new things, yet master selling is about letting go of learning and being the flow. A paradox right? Taoism is filled with them.  Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning i

The Dark Side of Winning Confidence When Selling #512 This may sound surprising but did you know that closing a deal may carry negative consequences akin to losing a deal? And did you know that excessive confidence can be as problematic as fear? The assertion that winning is always good raises questions that suggest success may not always be advantageous. Whether facing a shortfall or exceeding quotas, setting aside worry and prioritizing prospects is always the right thing to do. The warning about winning confidence underscores the importance of honesty, humility, and understanding one's limits in professional interactions. In this episode, we explore what happens when you assume or consider the extremes as good or bad. Today we're going to center on what's important, the center.  Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and y

How To Sell With Compassion #511 Ever hesitated to pick up the phone and cold call? Don't worry; we've all been there. We grew up fearing strangers, and now, as adults, the idea of making a call and potentially bothering someone is as scary as finding a spider in your shoe. But hey, when it comes to calling family, speed dial is practically a reflex. Now, the challenge: how can we find the courage to prospect and reach out to strangers? Curiously, the answer can be found in compassion. This doesn't make sense at first. But that's how Taoism works. It's filled with paradox.  In this episode, we discuss how to sell with compassion and how to treat strangers like family. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting,

How to Let the Sale Sell Itself #510 Do you struggle with closing prospects? Unsure what to say to advance the sale? Sellers often face the challenge of knowing when and how to close a deal. You may have no problem demonstrating the product or describing the service. But when it comes to asking for the sale and doing so elegantly and not sounding pushy, that takes skill. But does it? What if we could get buyers to sell themselves? How can you let the sale unfold itself, that's the topic for today.  Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most importa

Top 10 Sales and Marketing Tips for 2024 with Neil Kristianson In this episode returning guest Neil Kristianson joins for our 10th anniversary of babbling conversation on the top 10 sales and marketing tips for the upcoming 2024 new year. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling mindset. Stop fearing sales and embrace it. This is a production of Habanero Media https://habaneromedia.net  

How To Unmask Authentic Selling #508 When I was new to selling I read a number of books on closing techniques and objection handling. I took their advice to craft scripts to memorize them like an actor in the theatre. It was a weak approach. The buyers never said the lines I expected and often I was dumbfounded about what to say. In this week's Tao of Sales Babble we cast off the scripts and unmask to discover our authentic you, the person buyers want to meet, trust, and do business with.  Authentic selling is the topic for today.  Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generat

Why We Treat Buyers Like Family #507 Each January I travel to a small island at the southernmost tip of the United States. Key West has a motto: “All people are equal members of One Human Family”. Not only do I agree with this, but apply this to prospective buyers.  In this episode, we investigate the power of building rapport and how viewing perfect strangers as Family can erase skepticism and cultivate trust, which is the foundation of any successful selling opportunity. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and most important the right selling minds

A Good Seller is a Good Teacher #506 Have you ever had a difficult customer that tested your patience? You want to do a good job, but it seems that all the prospect wants to do is to make it harder on themselves. Sure you want to help, but they don't want to be helped. And now you can't help but wonder why are they even talking to you. You know something is there, you think you think you can teach them a few things that would be good for their business. You might even be able to address their issues. But they're not the good student. There is a part of you that doesn't want to let it go and in the words of the Clash, you wonder "Should I stay or should I go now?" What does it mean to be a good teacher, that's the topic for today. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 10

How to Sell by Not Selling #505 In the timeless dance of commerce I'd like to reflect a bit on the business aspects of selling, the topic this podcast babbles about weekly. When you consider the profession of sales, what comes to mind? Is it a realm where one must assume the guise of a rapid-talking predator? Do you still hear at times the notion that selling requires you to be the elusive shark in the marketplace? It's a pervasive belief, and indeed, a hurtful one. So let's consider this: that the art of selling isn't a slam dance to the rhythm of forceful persuasion. In fact, the most profound selling arises not from the act of selling itself. Rather, it emerges from a subtler dance—a waltz of not selling. Yes, this is a paradox. Fathom a sales process that flows like a river, effortlessly shaping its course without the turbulent eddies of aggressive pitches. This is our exploration and the topic of today's episode, how to sell by not selling. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful

How to Own Your  Mistakes #504 So, you like being right? But what about when you’re wrong? Nobody likes being called out for making a mistake or screwing up. And let me tell you, it’s even worse when you have to apologize for your mistake or, worse yet, your company’s mistake. It’s like going to the dentist for a root canal. Unfortunately, once in a while, this situation pops up and it’s extremely uncomfortable for the sales professional. It’s not the end of the world. You just have to own up to it and move on. That’s what separates the men from the boys. Or the women from the girls. Or the sales professionals from the amateurs. You get the idea. Look, if you’ve made a mistake, don’t worry. Just apologize, learn from it, and move on. It’s not rocket science. It’s just common sense. That’s why we’re talking about it today. How to own your mistakes. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and he

How To Advance the Sale - Step by Step #503 Ever notice how after a sales call, it feels like the deal is moving at the speed of a glacier melt? I mean, who knew closing deals was like waiting for paint to dry? In today's episode, we're diving into the thrilling world of why deals move slower than a tortoise with a GPS glitch. Let's crack the code on the sales process, the buying process, and the intricate dance of advancing the sale, all with the ultimate goal of closing – well, maybe not today but someday Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presentations, demos, closing, generating referrals, earning references, upselling, marketing, lead generation, copywriting, and mos

How to Give Control to Take Control When Selling #502 My wife says I worry too much. I think I don't worry enough.  I'm always on the lookout for trouble and control what I can to avoid drama. Control is my secret power, and it's also my greatest weakness. Bringing a control attitude into the sales profession was a turn-off to many prospects. By trying to control the sales process and wrangling the prospect's actions it had the opposite effect and killed deals. It was by studying the Tao I got the idea of taking control the sale by giving control to the prospects. It was a brilliant albeit belated idea I had because works amazingly well. Today's topic is how to give control to take control when selling.  Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and di

Why Sellers Need to Recognize the Elephant in the Room #501 Have you ever skirted the truth when talking to a prospect? Have you ever redirected the conversation to put your offering in the best light? Have you ever wondered why a prospect stops taking your calls when at first you thought everything was going well? Maybe the prospects saw through your avoidance. Maybe they sensed there was something wrong with your product or service. Maybe you lost their trust. In this week's episode, we talk about the elephant in the room, those big issues that salespeople are afraid to bring up with hopes they will just go away. But they don't! Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qualifying, value propositions, presen

Sales Babble 500th Anniversary Special #500 In March 2014 the first episode of the Sales Babble podcast was published, dedicated to sharing selling secrets for non-sellers. After years of working at a start-up as the VP of Sales, I was ready to share my experience with a broader audience and grow my selling skills. "Sales Babble" was the solution and my next adventure. Now it's October in 2023 and we've reached the 500th episode and it's a miracle that I'm still at the microphone, babbling about sales and how to do it better. Today my guest is my co-founder and wife Denise Helmers. We turn the tables and we discuss the journey of the podcast, where it came from, where it's been, and what aspirations we have for the future.   Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of

How to Discover the Buyer Using Compassionate Listening #499 I have a point of view on selling that may catch you off guard. Just like social work, nursing, or counseling, I see selling as a helping profession.  The way I see it, as sellers, it's our responsibility to relieve the suffering of our customers and clients. Each prospect you meet has some unfulfilled need or desire that greatly pains both them and their organizations. The way master sellers can assuage this suffering is to listen and to listen with compassion. Instead of guessing what's troubling them, ask and they will tell you what it is they want and they need. Too often sellers are quick to jump the gun and talk about their stuff when it would make more sense to shut up and let them talk.  How to discover the buyer with compassionate listening. That's the topic for today. Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them

How To Stay Innovative in an Emerging Market #498 There is an old saying in tech that there are only two kinds of technologies: the out-of-date and the "it's not yet available." Products loved and admired by customers will someday be considered antiques. Few products or services are considered modern forever. Instead, the marketplace is constantly birthing a rebirthing, innovation after innovation. Salespeople play a tremendous role in guiding their companies to stay competitive. They are the canaries in the coal mine and the first to discern what's the next big thing.  So what can sellers do to stay innovative in an emerging market? That's the topic for today.    Sales Babble shares selling secrets for non-sellers.  Masterful selling is understanding what buyers want, discerning if you can help,  showing what you have and helping them to make a decision that is good for their business and yours. See https://salesbabble.com I’ve interviewed 100s of sales experts and discuss all things sales: prospecting, qual