If there's one thing most, if not all, entrepreneurs share, it's the goal to sell more, sell better, and sell more effectively.
And that's what today's episode is about, namely sales.
This week's podcast is hosted by the Business Dad, who will share one of the biggest mistakes most people make in sales and how to overcome it.
Perhaps you're one of them?
Listen on Apple: https://fastforwardamy.com/apple46
Listen on Spotify: https://fastforwardamy.com/spotify46
Listen on Google: https://fastforwardamy.com/google46
I realize that most reading this are entrepreneurs, but regardless of your official role or title – whether you're working for a boss or self-employed – being good at selling is one of the most important attributes to your success.
To reach your goals faster, you must be successful at sales.
But the road to getting there isn't always easy, especially if you're making any of the following mistakes.
Maybe you're also interested in this: How to Avoid Getting Distracted and Unlock your Full Potential with The Business Dad, Vincent Vandeputte.
Mistake #1: Lacking confidence
Confidence is about mindset and attitude, and critically important, not just in sales, but also in life. (I'll dive more into confidence in another episode, but in the meantime, check out 5 secrets to building your confidence).
Mistake #2: Focused on features
If you only focus on your product's features and specs, the measurable details, rather than the problem your product solves, you're making a crucial mistake. Perhaps the features you're highlighting aren't even important to the person you're speaking to? Maybe something else is driving his/her decisions?
Mistake #3: Not listening to prospects
When was the last time you really listened to your prospects to understand what's driving them and their decisions? If you can't remember, you're in trouble, because this is probably the ONE and most critical mistake that's costing you sales.
But now, what is it about these three that are making them vital to overcoming if you're going to rock your sales?
It has to do with the brain.
Your brain is a powerful twin
Our brains are divided into two parts: the left and right hemispheres.
- Left hemisphere: the logical side of your brain that loves detailed information, numbers, and hard facts.
- Right hemisphere: the emotional side of your brain is concerned with everything that has to do with romance, music, literature, imagination, and art.
Every important buying decision is an emotional decision to which we attach a logical explanation or rational reasoning.
And this is where it gets interesting from a sales perspective.
To sell successfully, you need to address both the left and right hemispheres.
If you found yourself making mistake #2 above, you're already speaking to prospects' left side of the brain. But you must take it one step further and address the right side, too. To do so, you must listen – listen empathetically.
Listening is your best weapon in the battle for sales
To create an emotional bond between you and your prospects, to build rapport and generate trust, listening is the absolute best weapon in the battle for sales.
But there's more to listening than you think.
- Pretend listening: you pretend to listen to what someone says, and you may hear a few words, but you aren't really present and not giving the speaker your full attention.
- Selective listening: you're listening to pick out what you can use to prove your point or win a discussion. Like pretend listening, this type won't get you far in sales.
- Attentive listening: you're so focused on the information you're gathering from the speaker that you don't make any eye contact nor pay any attention to him or her.
- Emphatic listening: also known as listening to learn, is the listening you need to do to get closer to addressing the right brain hemisphere and finally start selling. You need to listen to learn and understand what makes prospects tick, what drives them. This involves paying full attention to the speaker, listening between the lines, and listening with your eyes.
I posed this question earlier, but let me repeat it: when was the last time you really listened to your prospects? Not pretend listening, selective or attentive, but listened to learn.
If you've done your homework, you'll know what drives your prospects – you'll know their psychological drivers.
Examples of such psychological drivers include belonging, ambition, achievement, recognition, power, attention, and perfection. You can continue the list on your own when you start listening to learn because these are the drivers you need to address the right hemisphere of the brain.
Translate features to psychological drivers
Now, assuming you know the psychological driver of your prospects, the next step is to translate the features of your offering and state them in such a way that they address both the left and right brain hemisphere, the logical and the emotional side.
Even try translating the same feature to different psychological drivers to cater to a variety of prospects.
Use this tactic when you speak to prospects face to face, in your website and email copy, or any other marketing collateral.
The rest is up to you.
Let's recap the most important takeaways, so you're ready to get ahead of your competition and rock your sales.
- Address both the left and right brain hemisphere to sell more, better, and more effectively. Every important buying decision is an emotional decision to which we attach a logical explanation or rational reasoning.
- Practice empathic listening to understand the psychological drivers of your prospects.
- Translate the features of your offering into psychological drivers.
Do you want to listen to this podcast episode? Head to Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts, and search for episode 46 of The FastForwardAmy Show.
To supplement your new sales knowledge, go grab the Sales Framework for Sales Conversations. It's a 4-step framework you can use today to boost your sales and sell with confidence.
Can't wait to see you out there! Let me know what you think by tagging me in your Instagram stories.
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