Selling can be brutal. Especially if you’re using old, outdated strategies based on what barely worked in the 70’s and 80’s–much less today. There's a belief that sales are all about going harder, making more calls, being more dominant. Trouble is, the numbers prove that doesn’t actually work and it’s simply the wrong way to treat another human being. It’s also why 99% of people will fail when attempting to sell. But as you’ll hear in this episode, it doesn’t have to be a grind.
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For most people, selling sucks.
It seems hard. Uncomfortable. And completely unnatural.
So, they either grit their teeth and struggle through. Or, they avoid selling altogether.
In fact, much of the online entrepreneurial business model caters to people who don’t want to sell. Or, think they can’t sell. Maybe they even failed at selling in the past.
Blogging, e-books, launches, and more are all attempts to get a new customer without really having to sell.
And here’s the problem…
If you want to consistently sell your program or service for $3,000 — $85,000 (or more), then you can’t hide behind a shopping cart.
If you want clients to pay you what you’re REALLY worth, then you must have a sales conversation. On the phone. Voice to voice.
And if all you know is the old way of selling, then you’ll be one of the 99% who fail online. Because the old way simply doesn’t work.
Sure, you can sell something. As the old saying goes, even a blind squirrel can find a nut from time to time. If he doesn’t starve to death. Or get eaten by a predator first.
However, if you understand the new way of selling, then you’ll discover sales can actually become something you look forward to doing.
Hard to believe? I get it. And yet, it’s true.
On our team at Clients on Demand, we have introverts with no previous sales training outperforming nearly every other “pro” trying to sell a high-ticket service.
Case in point: one of our top “sales” guys is a red-headed, introverted, cheese farmer from Canada. You can get much LESS of an ideal sales person than that.
And yet, he outperforms the industry month in and month out. And LOVES his job. He actually looks forward to his calls.
That’s the power of the new way of selling.
Stil, many of the biggest names in sales training are selling and teaching the old way. They simply took what barely worked offline, in the 80’s, and applied it to the online world.
And, as you’ll see below, there are clear reasons why it’s even less effective today.
So how do YOU, as someone who wants to sell your product or service for what it’s really worth, spot the old way?
How do you make sure you aren’t trying to apply old selling techniques and tactics in a new world?
And what are the big problems that virtually guarantee 99% of people will fail when trying to sell?
There are three…
#1 — OUTDATED SYNTAX
For the purpose of sales we use syntax to mean a recipe for a sales conversation.
Sometimes that means the words (the ingredients) themselves are outdated.
Other times it means the order in which the words are arranged are not right for today’s market.
Either way, an outdated syntax makes the buyer feel uncomfortable. Worse, it sets up an adversarial tone to the whole conversation. It creates a 50’ high wall between salesperson and potential client.
Worse, that wall is surrounded by a moat full of aligators. And topped with razor wire. If anyone does get over by brute force, they’ll be exhausted and bloody.
In fact, when using outdated syntax, the sales will be low — around 6–8%. And the cancellations will be high — around 30%.
It’s nearly impossible for most sales people to survive, much less thrive, with those kinds of numbers. It’s why salespeople fail. It’s why they burn out of one sales job and look for the next.
But it’s also why so many business owners stop selling altogether. It’s why coaches and consultants start looking for other ways to sell. It’s why the idea of selling e-books and low-ticket courses is so appealing.
Because no one, not the buyer and not the seller, want to be involved in a conversational battle based on outdated syntax.
Sane people do not like to be trapped by their own words. And honorable business owners don’t want to trap someone into a product or service just because they can. They do not want to have to convince and cajole people into buying.
It doesn’t feel right because the strategy is outdated. It’s like trying to drive a horse and buggy down the interstate. It slows everyone down and leaves a piles of shit all over the road.
But an outdated syntax is just one of the three reasons why 99% of people will fail at sales.
#2 — TRANSACTION FOCUSED
If you’ve ever seen any sales movies that take place in the 80’s, then you’ve seen this in all it’s ugly glory. Boiler Room. The Wolf of Wall Street. Glengarry-Glen Ross.
These movies revealed the darkside of sales. The trouble was, it kind of worked. At least back then. Back then, you could get away with transactional selling. Today, you can’t.
What is a transaction focused sales strategy?
A transaction-focused sale happens TO the buyer. The sales person speaks AT the prospect.
The goal in a transaction focused sales process is to “close the deal.” Box them in. Make them buy. And feel like a loser if they don’t.
Who is on the phone is irrelevant. If they can fog a mirror, you get the credit card and make the sale. Hit your numbers. Move on. Next.
There’s nothing in the process that honors or respects the human being buying your product or service. That’s why it feels so bad. It IS bad.
An effective, updated strategy does the opposite. It honors the client. It happens WITH the client. And FOR the client. BIG difference.
Enough said. Let’s move on…
#3 — IGNORING CURRENT BUYER PSYCHOLOGY
Consumers today are bombarded with tens of thousands of ads. Their buyer defenses have evolved. They can spot a sales pitch coming from a mile away.
What worked pre internet doesn’t work now. When there was just TV, radio and print, it was easy to turn off the ads. To give yourself a break.
Since those “good ol’ days” of seeing around 500 ads in a day, it’s estimated we now see around 10,000 ads or marketing messages per day.
Ads in your Facebook feed. On instagram. In your favorite apps. On YouTube. In your email. On busses, trains, cabs. Even IN busses, trains and cabs.
It used to be a you could watch sports and not be bothered with ads until the commercials. Now the pre-game is “sponsored by”. As is the Stadium. And the timeout. And the starting line-up stats.
The point is, ads are everywhere. Marketing messages are finding MORE outlets. And they aren’t going away.
So, the consumer has developed sophisticated ways to avoid sales people. And if a salesperson DOES make it through the clutter, the buyer has adapted ways to get out of the conversation without ever having to actually say yes — or no.
In other words, buyers are more sophisticated than ever in their ability to outsmart the old way of selling. Which is why the old way is such a grind. So ineffective.
WHAT THE TOP 1% DO INSTEAD
Fortunately, there is a new way. A better way.
It’s a process the top 1% of coaches and consultants use to enroll their ideal clients at $3,000-$85,000 with ONE phone call — and have their clients THANK them for the conversation.
No follow-up. No high pressure. No kidding.
It’s pretty much the opposite of the above.
And if you’re interested in learning more about this new way of selling, I’ve put together a special Masterclass for Medium readers:
How We Consistently Sell $3,000-$85,000 Programs & services With ONE Phone Call
During this Masterclass you’ll discover…
The STEP-BY-STEP blueprint we use to close over $1 Million in Business each MONTH, ALL on the PHONE. (By the way, 95% of our sales happen on the VERY FIRST call…)
Why PRESSURE and BEING PUSHY are the WRONG way to go… And how to close EVEN MORE WITHOUT those outdated, sleazy tactics…
How to provide a VALUABLE, FUN EXPERIENCE to the buyer on every call… and STILL consistently close at $3,000 — $85,000 price points…
How to create a DEEP, LASTING CONNECTION in the first 2 minutes of EVERY call, so that potential clients will LIKE YOU, TRUST YOU and tell you the TRUTH…
Why it doesn’t take MONTHS of interaction with a new prospect to sell a premium-priced program or service! (94% of our clients have only known about us for 24 hours or less…)
How to overcome any objections BEFORE they’re ever made, so that the SALE happens SMOOTHLY, NATURALLY and feels great…
AND, how to do ALL of this while ENJOYING the experience and feeling GREAT about what you do.
If that sounds like a better way to you, then make sure you…
Register Now.
And I’ll see you soon,
Russ Ruffino
Founder, Clients on Demand
Creator, Sales on Demand
