What a team!
I just spent a whole day with the sales and marketing team of Go Sunny Solar.
This is a high-performing team. They are setting national standards.
Interestingly:
- They are fast in turnaround. Residential sales usually happen within 48 hours.
- Several team players feature nationally in the top 10 of highest numbers of sales.
- Most of the sales happen over the phone and via email. We are talking deals north of $10,000 each.
- Specialised appointment setters prequalify leads and handball them to sales pros when ready.
- A dedicated commercial consultant puts more complex business deals together. They are easily worth $250,000 each.
Where am I going with this?
They are already on top of the charts and yet, they still take time out of their busy day and invest money to raise their game.
They are thirsty for more.
They don't rest on their laurels.
They keep raising the bar.
They compete with... themselves.
The National Sales Manager (and others) said afterwards "This is the bes...
Nail your business development process
Can you relate?
I am an emotional guy and yet, business is a numbers game.
What's beautiful about business is that it unifies the human experience with numerical mastery.
Think about it for a moment, using McDonald's as an example:
There is a perfect time to cook a burger 🍔.
A perfect time to deep fry fries 🍟.
A perfect location with the desired traffic to build the store.
My point is: the right process with the right numbers ensures success 🏦, but you also need a fool proof formula to engage people wholeheartedly 💓
They are two sides of the same coin.
Sometimes, we overdo the numbers and underestimate the human connection.
Sometimes, we overdo the human connection and stuff up the numbers.
Whether we are too emotional or too focused on numbers, both are lethal for the business' long term prospects.
In my latest video, I walk you through how important it is to nail your business development process to cover both sides.
Have you McDonaldized your sales process?
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Make It Count
Back in the days that I attended trade expos with a multinational manufacturer as a Regional European Sales Manager, it was clear to me that some of the best moments to pick up new business was close to the end of the day or the end of the expo full stop.
Reason: most exhibitors had already mentally switched off. They were 'busy' talking over the phone, packing up, or typing on their laptops.
I always saw this as a moment to shine. A moment to delight customers with a warmhearted welcome when everyone else was unavailable.
We picked up lots of new clients. Excellent clients in fact!
As we are going into the final days before the Christmas break: make it count!
Don't slack off. Keep your head and your heart 100% in the game until the end.
Once you're there, you go 100% into holiday mode with a big smile on your face knowing that you made it count.
Helping you WIN in sales
It's been a prolific two weeks in terms of content creation...
I've created 12 training videos and 2 member spotlights to be specific.
You will say "wow" when the latter two are released!
One is an interview with a former soldier in Iraq who turned his adversity into personal development and inspires people now with breath work, yoga, meditation and fire spinning to enter a state of flow.
The second interview is with a former drug dealer who became a corporate healer!? What a story he shared with me that you will soon access too.
Until then, below are the first 6 short episodes out of 11 to help you create winning sales proposals, quote templates, or tenders.
Success tip 1: Do qualifying and presenting in two separate meetings
Success tip 2: Read your audience so that you can cater your approach
Success tip 3: SHOW it, don’t email!
Success tip 4: Start off the right way; manage their expectations
Join us in Penang!
Would you like to create a one-of-a-kind business that makes a big difference and brings true freedom?
Join me and a group of growth-minded people in Penang next year.
The Edge retreat for entrepreneurs, innovative CEOs and legacy builders is only held once a year and capacity is capped at 15 people.
It will be my very first time in Malaysia and the program is looking really good!
A time to work hard in the boardroom while relaxing and reenergising in the company of wonderful people. We will also explore local life and culture.
Our purpose is simple: to create a one-of-a-kind business that makes a big difference and brings true freedom.
Keen to explore the opportunity?
To your success,
--Bram
I learned this the hard way
People judge others and that is their downfall.
Three years into running my own business, I realised that there was a group of people that I easily related to and did business with.
Simultaneously, there was another group of people that I didn't understand or got along with.
Because I was spinning my wheels with the latter, I called them "tire kickers", "time wasters", "bean counters", etc.
What I didn't realise at the time was that I was setting myself up for failure in advance. I shut my heart to them, which caused a disconnect.
Think of two people being on different radio frequencies. They aren't tuning in with one another.
I wasn't getting anywhere with them and made them wrong for it.
What a coward I was.
We fail to relate to someone and blame them for our inability and lack of skills.
It is the easy way out to make someone else be "the bad one" so that we can feel better about ourselves.
How often do you point a finger at someone else like I did?
Every time you do, yo...
Does the one fit all?
If you live in an Anglo Saxon country, would you start speaking French in a store and expect people to understand?
Equally, imagine going into an Anglo Saxon boardroom to pitch your "grand idea" or solution and do it in Japanese?
My point of the analogy is this: people speak 4 different languages in terms of DISC and yet we keep forcing our native language (D, I, S or C) on others even though we get push back, misunderstandings, fallouts and resistance.
Even worse: we all heard about the definition of madness, which is doing the same old thing and expect a different result.
Is that smart?
Let's bring it back to business now.
Closing ratios depend on our ability to speak the 4 DISC languages fluently.
Moreover, our sales process is not a simple "one size fits all approach" as so many gurus wrongfully claim.
In fact, you want to cater for the differences as you read into each situation.
Here are three proven ways to do so:
- Adapt your approach by matching their PACE. Exampl ...
"We always pay our tuition fees", said grandpa
My grandpa (may he RIP) used to say that we always pay our tuition fees.
There are 3 ways we do so:
- Through mistakes we make while doing something new,
- By not taking action and thus missing out, OR
- By investing in shortcuts.
In terms of the first one, it takes courage to undertake something new and failure is inevitably part of the journey to success.
Seen this way, 'failure' really is testing and improving until we succeed. It can take years.
The second one is a hefty price to pay though. The one of regret.
Not taking action because of analysis paralysis, fear of making a mistake, a scarcity mindset, etc.
We can surrender to our logical, analytical mind where the ego lives, OR fuel our intuitive voice of inspiration, passion and purpose.
Which one rules in your world when push comes to shove?
I ask because the more I study the science and art of success in any field, the more evident it is that success follows a predictable pathway.
A pathway that harmoniously links ...
How much do you FEEL you are worth?
It's relevant when you seek new employment and try to land the dream job with the right pay.
It's equally relevant when you trade time for money as a consultant, coach, freelancer or business advisor. Your hourly rate shows how much (or little) you value yourself.
It's applicable for business owners who are ready to exit their business and communicate with interested parties for the right exit fee.
And finally, it definitely is relevant when you are in BD or sales and negotiate favourable terms, volume and profit margins.
The point is: almost everything can be captured with a financial number, which then begs the question:
How comfortable are you in asking for and receiving the number you want, time and time again?
If you are 100% comfortable talking about money, terrific! Well done 👍
There still is one golden gate which is potentially locked for you.
I call this gate the science and art of effective communication.
The word that matters most is "effective". It means that you ...
