SELL MORE MAKE MORE: The Best Sales Systems Ever!

Introduction

If you were to ask 5 master chefs, What is the best way to make a chocolate cake? You would probably get 5 different answers. Yet I bet their chocolate cakes would be amazing. I also know that each chef would have a system of making it, their recipe, and any other staff member would have to follow that recipe exactly. Why? Because systems work. Having a recipe or system makes their life easier, and it does in sales too.

Now, let’s talk about vinegar, lemons, or limes. I love hot chips (French fries) with vinegar on them. Or freshly grilled fish and chips with vinegar or some squeezed lemon. So good. Or a citrus cocktail with lemon or lime in it. I bet right now your tongue is starting to salivate. For many, the simple mention of vinegar is enough for that to happen. It is for me. And this is why sales systems work. Because, as humans, we are predictable. Every human action has a reaction. And that is why a well-planned sales system works, because, just like talking about vinegar, you can plan actions that achieve desirable reactions.

For example, I was on a road trip recently; this day, it was cool, and it was early (6:20 am), and I felt like a morning coffee, so I drove to a local cafe. I pulled up across the road, and as I got out of my car and started walking towards it, a lovely young lady looked at me and, with a smile, asked, Are you coming in here? I thought, wow, how nice. So I said, Sure are! Then she continued, Oh, we don’t open for another 10 minutes. And again, she was very nice about it, not nasty at all. So I reacted by returning to my car, going to another cafe instead, and spending my $15 on two coffees and a muffin.

A cafe's system should always be to retain clients and keep them from leaving and spending their money elsewhere, true? Their actions should be about getting potential clients in the door and keeping them comfortable so they enjoy spending as much as possible. You and I agree that their system or actions should not be to push people away. With training on what to say, do, and when, they may have said, Take a seat, relax, and we’ll get the coffee machine started soon.

While $15 that morning may seem insignificant, what if my wife would join me, or I would spend $40 on a big breakfast? And what if their actions sent that $40 away in different circumstances five times a day? That’s $200 a day, $1400 a week, or $72,800 a year. Even worse, that $72,800 goes to competition instead, yet the money was on their table and theirs to make. So a better system for retaining clients would make a massive difference to their profit. Now scale it by a business that turns over 10x or 100x that. It’s a huge amount of money going to the competition, right?

Now, I know you don’t do that. But, even so, let's work on systems that keep that money, better yet, make even more money. After all, if someone has the money and wants our products and services, then why

not spend it with us?

Selling, It’s a Trade.

But Scotty, I am advertising on social media, so why am I not getting more sales?

"Scotty, I’m talking to lots of people but not making any money!

Scotty, I have a great product, but I need more sales?

I hear these all the time. These are the motivation for this book.

So what made ReNet a successful software company? Sales systems and paying clients. My trade was to have positive sales conversations with leads who were happy to buy and keep buying. What I am saying is that people bought and stayed in my environment. And as the CEO of ReNet, people would often ask me, My son or daughter loves computers. What should they learn? I always said sales. Why? Because there are many more educated people out there than me, but they struggle to sell themselves and get paid what they are worth. That’s because they don’t know the sales trade.

With so much social media marketing, people believe that social media is their sales system. But that's not really selling. Social media is excellent, and people may buy from social media marketing, which is great, but selling is a professional trade. It’s a conversation that sells and is more than a sales transaction.

If we think back, years ago, sales knowledge was in every household. When I grew up, we had door-to-door salespeople that sold everything from the encyclopaedia to Tupperware and vacuum cleaners. Everyone knew someone who did selling as a full or part-time job or purchased something from them. Multi-Level Marketing has replaced a lot of door-to-door, but traditional door-to-door meant that sales knowledge was being taught everywhere. Uncle John and Aunt Mary knew their stuff because they were taught sales.

Before the internet, someone entered a retail shop to buy products, meaning store owners had to learn how to sell to that lead and the captive audience immediately. They understood the value of someone walking into their buying environment and serving their customers. People had to learn to sell right then and there. Almost all selling was people-to-people and face-to-face, in a physical and personal environment. But today, this is not the case, which is why I believe sales is a forgotten trade.

True Stories

You will enjoy the sales stories (none are made up) and the experiences I share. They are so that you relate to each of the systems. I am sure you have your own stories and experiences, so combine them with mine, and the systems will relate better to you.

I pick on car salespeople in this book because they should know better, and almost all of us have gone into a car dealership before to buy a car. Plus, car salespeople should be regularly trained in sales systems and know how to use them. So they are perfect as very few careers still call themselves salespeople, and car salespeople are one of them. But they seem to have forgotten the trade too.

Here are two true stories about car dealers, which is why I often pick on them. Car salespeople are supposed to be experts and trained professionals in sales, aren’t they?

First true story! Lexus of Port Macquarie. In 2015 I wanted to buy my wife a new car. I was shopping around and enquired with this dealer. A couple of emails came back and forward and then stopped. Then six months later, the salesman phoned me and asked if I was still interested in a Lexus. That was a good thing, as at least he had a follow-up system, but he was five months too late! I’d already bought one.

Again, I tried to buy another Lexus in November 2021 from the same dealer and the same salesman, Jarad, believe it or not! But this time, it was different. I wasn’t shopping around, and COVID meant demand was high, supply was short and order only, with up to six months of wait times for delivery. So I thought I would buy through them. Nobody does deals to get our business when a market is that hot. We either want it, or they sell it to someone else.

I paid my $1,000 deposit, signed a contract, and scheduled delivery for April 2022. I said perfect, as I was travelling in Tasmania for six weeks at the start of 2022. But during the trip in February, he tried to phone me and emailed me a few times. I was out of range a fair bit and thought I would call him on our way home at the end of February. So I got on the ferry to return, and he emailed me two days ago with an ultimatum. I had to respond in 24 hours, or he would refund my deposit (cancel my order). So I missed his deadline, and he proceeded to cancel my order.

To be clear, the new car was yet to arrive. It was still scheduled to arrive in Australia in April, not February. I would get it if it had arrived early and sat at the dealership. But it wasn’t sitting at the dealership waiting for me to pick it up. I paid my deposit and signed the contract. So what was the rush anyway? I was locked in! But not to be. I guess he on-sold my order to someone else already. The market was that hot. Even so, he could have said, Let's order another one, or did another deal, anything! But no. So now he has missed another sale, again!

So I again phoned some dealers for the same car. The market was less hot. Things were changing fast. And I purchased from another dealer and saved $5,000. And it was now a September/October delivery, but all good. We didn’t need a car. It was a hot spot, a like, not a need.

Second true story. In 2015, when I was shopping around, I did decide on a small Mercedes Benz for my wife. I liked it the most out of everything I drove. And I drove many cars so I could choose. Then the Sydney salesman phoned me on a Saturday, and he was perfect with his follow-up. He must have listened to his training. He made me an offer, I counter-offered, and he accepted.

But I am loyal, and I like to buy locally. So I went to my local Mercedes Benz with a printout of the deal and invoice before I put down the $1000 deposit. When I walked into my local dealer, it was my lucky day, the actual owner met me. I showed him my invoice and said that I was buying it. I asked if he could supply one instead of buying one in Sydney. He responded, That sounds good. Buy it. I think he was calling my bluff.

So I went home, paid the deposit, and purchased the Merc from the other dealer. But then, on Monday, his sales manager phoned me and said, I am told you are interested in buying a car. I replied, Sure am, but I was told to buy in Sydney, so I did, and the silence in reply was deafening! Not my fault. I would much rather buy locally. The dealer had a hot buy-now buyer in his hands and then let them go. Can you imagine what the training is like at that dealer? Yet, I am certain car dealers have lots of sales training; it’s their profession, but even so, it seems to be a forgotten trade for them too.

I know you don’t treat people like some car dealers do. Sometimes it feels like they use a system of treating them mean. It keeps them keen! Doesn’t it? It’s not to say we are or need to be perfect. But effective systems help us retain more sales and clients when we have a bad or busy day. Your systems help fewer sales and clients fall through the cracks when you are distracted. So your sales systems must be trained, practised, and refined constantly, as in daily.

And regardless of what you trade, tangible, like cars or, as I did, non-tangible, like insurance and software. Or, you could deal in lots of small transactions daily, like coffee, or huge ones over time, like construction. These systems work. It’s only the length of your transaction time that is different. Your systems will give you an advantage over your competition, make you an expert and build your buying environment.

Your systems are so buyers don’t spend their money with your competition or someone else. Because you know what to say, do, and when.

SYSTEM 1

Environment

Most people think a NO answer is the worst we get in sales, but it’s

not. Instead, this is the worst outcome you can get.

That sucks! And it leaves us asking WHY. Doesn’t it?

I bought your products and services BUT with your competition!

Why? Why? Why?

Yep, the absolute worst outcome is when someone does buy your products and services BUT doesn’t spend their money with you. So they had the money and wanted yours, but they didn’t spend their money with you. Instead, they spent it with your competition. And that sucks big time!

Your Buying Environment

Recently I watched a documentary on art. The art expert explained that art is not bought. It’s sold! So let me explain the S Myth.

The S Myth (Sales Myth) is that you sell. We don’t sell. People buy! And we love buying, don’t we? Just like art buyers. So the number one rule of sales is that we don't sell anything. That’s a myth. People have to want to buy from us. And when do people buy? People buy when they are in an environment they know, like, and

trust, an environment that they feel comfortable buying in.

Remember, the art expert said that it was sold, not bought. So how is that different for art being sold, not bought? He is saying the same thing. To sell art, artists have exhibitions, openings, galleries and alike. That’s how artists sell their works to buyers, by creating an environment for art buyers to buy in. So when an artist creates a buying environment, there are buyers for their art. See how it works?

Your buying environment is also like a magnet (more on the magnetic effect later in the book); the goal is to attract, sell, and then have clients stick. We want clients to buy and become loyal believing customers. So always look at people as buyers, or better still, clients, and not sales, because we don’t actually sell anything. Everything you already know about being positive and selling creates your buying environment. And just like an artist, it’s your responsibility to create your selling environment regardless if you do inbound or outbound sales.

So yes, our buying environment is required for both inbound and outbound sales, in other words, when we go out prospecting or when someone comes to us. Although inbound sales to leads are much easier than outbound sales and prospecting for leads, but both need a positive buying environment. The good news is that All the systems in this book work concurrently and/or separately to build your buying environment, meaning you can let people buy and stop selling.

I say stop selling. Hard selling creates friction! Selling sets of a series of actions and reactions. Think of two magnets and bringing the two together. One method sticks them together, and then the other pushes them apart. And creating a positive buying environment is precisely the same. We want to pull leads and clients in rather than push them away. And every system in this book is so you can stop selling and not pitch slap leads while creating that positive pull effect and an environment for people to buy in. And that’s how you get sell more and make more money. Remember my cafe experience? They should have pulled me in.

Successful people have systems for creating their sales environment, knowing what to say, do, and when. You can call them habits, techniques, blueprints, or processes, but I prefer systems. First, understand that the most crucial aspect of a sales system is creating an effective environment for people to buy in, just like art. They sell art by creating buying environments. That means they can make more money and buyers don’t spend their money with someone else.

Buying Conversations.

My wife loves shopping, and when she buys new clothes, she loves to come home and display them all to me. And when I get a new surfboard, I show her with just as much enthusiasm. And when you buy things, you do the same, don’t you? And when people buy a house or car, they get that feeling of achievement and success, and rightly so. It feels great when we buy something we’ve set goals to achieve, bargain or not. Then when we tell our family and friends what we have purchased, we repeat everything the salesperson told us. Because we all love buying stuff, it’s fun!

Yet on the flip side, while we all love to buy, very few people will call themselves a salesperson, even if their career title says so, like real estate salespeople, car salespersons, business leaders, and business owners. To avoid being seen as a sleazy snake oil salesman, some people avoid selling as they are nervous about being labelled. The problem is that they end up with systems like show and hope. They show their products and services and hope someone buys. Even though that does happen, you want more of them to buy, and having a great conversation in a positive environment will lead to more people buying.

If selling scares you, stop it and replace the word ‘selling’ with ‘conversation’. Take the pressure off and only work on constructive and intentional conversations. Remember, people like buying, so let them. These systems avoid the show-and-hope system by intentionally using them to increase our chances that they buy more from you in the environment you create.

How Do I Create One?

But how do I create an environment, Scotty?

I get asked this a lot, especially for people who don’t have a physical business space, like a retail shop. Physical space or not, our environment is about how comfortable we make people feel. Remember the cafe? It wasn’t open yet, but they could have said, Sit down, relax, and our coffee machine will be on in 10 minutes, and we will get you one then. It’s more than a smile. It’s how we make people feel.

So all the systems in this book are about creating your buying environment, having comfortable conversations about products and services, and building up know, like and trust so they will want to spend their money with you and not spend it with the competition. So even with a physical environment, such as a retail store, the positive emotional connection people feel during and after the personal interaction creates an excellent buying environment. So the decorations on the wall in a shop or the view at a cafe may look fantastic, but it’s much more than decorations. For example, have you ever been to a cafe down in a back street with no views yet welcoming staff who had a relaxed vibe and treated you with respect, and you loved it? That’s the environment you purchased. So although the decorations were fantastic, they were more than their decorations on the wall, weren’t they?

In business and sales, it’s said that we should always be closing. Yet I will not teach anyone to be pushy in their environment! I also won’t teach anyone to sell on price or by discounting. So yes, have your unique selling proposition (USP) and your call to action. It would be best to create reasons why someone should buy now because if you don’t, you let people or sales go. And selling on price is sacrificing profit, and if people like buying, let's create a positive buying environment that allows people to buy at full price while satisfying their needs, meaning we get paid what we are worth.

So what’s the reason people will choose to buy from us? They become comfortable with the environment we create. A combination of our approach, personality, aura, etc. It’s how they feel before, during and after doing business with us. It’s how we interact, involve, transact and close. Our positive environment makes people feel comfortable with us and builds up know, like and trust. And creating our buying environment is arguably the most essential system of them all.

Honesty

Being honest sounds obvious, hey? But some people think that making things up to create a sense of urgency is good. It’s not. Dishonest selling is the fastest track to failure. Never tell lies or even little white lies. Always be honest to build up the know, like, and trust. The systems in this book allow you to be honest, build confidence and belief, and do it in a way that creates a positive environment for people to buy now and keep buying in the future.

A quick story for you. I was recently listening to