Karl Wyborn’s Post

Here's an insight I've gotten from thousands of sales calls and negotiations. It's never about the money. If you work or have ever worked in sales, you will, at some point have come up against the objection, 'that's not in our budget.' Or at least some variation of that, most likely with a view to negotiate price. Now, assuming you have actually done your discovery session properly and ascertained that they do, in fact, have budget, why on earth are they now saying they don't? One word: TRUST. Your prospect simply doesn't trust that you are able to do what it is that you say you can. They haven't seen enough of how your product, service or solution can actually help them. They might not see how what you're doing is different from and existing supplier. They might not have seen enough proof. They might feel that you don't really understand their needs. Budget is always an excuse, not a reason. People spend on expensive things all the time because they are sure of the results they will achieve from it. A new car, iPhone, another holiday (add expensive items to this list) gives people status. This is assured from the very nature of buying it. But is your prospect sure you are going to make them look good and help them achieve status, or any other result they're after? Make sure you truly understand your prospects goals, plans and challenges. Make sure you are able to map you product or service to how you can solve those. Do this and you'll soon see that budget is not an issue. #sales #marketing #digitalmarketing #objections #objectionhandling

Jerry Seinfeld jokingly says, "People don't want to DO anything!" It's funny AND it's TRUE. Customers are people who often don't want to ACT. Throughout my sales career I have sold thousands of products and there are times I have had to create REAL Scarcity to move procrastinators to action🔥 When you use scarcity you need to be consistent or people won't take you seriously. Here's some things I have learned that help me use scarcity correctly to make the DEAL HAPPEN ▶️ I don't wilt under pressure. If I offer a special deal with a deadline you can be sure that after the deadline the deal will be LONG GONE. Don't play with people by using fake deadlines that always get extended and extended. ▶️ The deal is ALWAYS VERY GOOD FOR THE BUYER but I am still making a profit. If I am giving you a great discount you can be sure it was well thought out (and not a desperation move). I am not going to suffer BUT and never think I am desperate because I am not losing but I am making sure you are winning - if you ACT. ▶️ Do not think you can wait me out and only order when I announce another great sale. That's not how this stuff works. Special Offers are time bound and are not telegraphed, i.e, get it now and don't assume you can just procrastinate and anticipate another just like it in the near future. Most people wait too long to buy even after they see value - I am sure Seinfeld would agree (unless it is an offer for the latest $1 Million Dollar iPhone 😅). Are you having trouble closing a great prospect (who is also a procrastinator and/or VERY distracted)? OFFER a Time Bound Special Offer!

Packaging is a sales essential. A few months ago, I visited my parents and was looking in my old closet. I found 5 different Apple boxes from years ago. Apple’s packaging is so nice, people don’t even throw it away. But it’s not just their boxes, it’s everything they use to present their product, it makes their technology feel like magic. What does this have to do with sales? Sales is hard enough, you need to use everything you can to your advantage. When you are selling a service on the phone, your packaging is: - Confidence - Listening skills - Tonality How do you “package” yourself and your product on a cold call?

If CRO is your main focus for boosting sales, you're doing it dead wrong. If your product is decent and you’re OK competing in the sea of other decent products - you may skip this. If you want to stand out and dominate the market, your focus should be elsewhere. Imagine a car that keeps failing. What stories will owners share between their peers? Even if they steer clear of outright negatives, there won’t be much eye-opening insights that could inspire other people to want to buy that car. Sales will still happen. Will it come from people who already own it? You know the answer. Thinking that CRO will solve it is like trying to fix a gunshot wound with a band-aid. Here’s another angle. When you first got your new Mac, what did you tell everyone you know were still on Windows? You bought a computer, but got damn superpowers. Feeling capable of stuff you weren’t expecting the machine would allow you. Making those peers likely to CRAVE that feeling. This is why Apple wins for so long. They show you a product that may seem regular. They don’t make it sound better than it is with superficial claims and social proofs. What they do instead is shatter the limits of what you thought getting a laptop is. To win long-term, you need retention. That’s where’s money at. Direct sales will dwindle as soon as enough people know that your product is not as great as it’s portrayed to be.

Why are sales „spray and pray“ tactics still a thing? 🤦♂️   The other day I got a call from a telecommunication company. They had raised monthly charge and I decided to change a provider saving roughly 20% of the monthly costs. The call started well. Lady, let`s call her Laura 👩 , greeted me, introduced herself, and asked me why I decided to change. I said to Laura the following: - I was surprised by the raise. - Changing provider saves my costs. - Contractual commitment lifted, and I use a bonus from another company to cover my remaining iPhone monthly repayments. Laura even offered to drop the monthly fee below the original rate. It sounded interesting, but I didn`t let her know. From that point, it was a pure sales disaster. 😬 Laura, feeling resistance from my side, started to Spray 🔫 everything in her arsenal trying to keep my contract with her company and pray 🙏 something would be of value to me. Laura: By lifting contractual commitment you can take a new device with a bonus for two years. We got a great notebook in the offer. Me: I am sitting in front of one. Laura: What about the new iPhone? Me: Calling from iPhone14 Laura: We got also consoles, robotic hoovers, watches Me: I was saying NO all the time and far before she ended up without any more ammunition, I had decided (emotionally) to not prolong the contract with her. What was the issue? 🤔 She didn’t build any rapport. She didn’t care what I need. Maybe asking something like: Look Matej, I got it you`ve been surprised by the full-scale price increase and I would react the same. On top of leveling prices with the competitor's offer, I can offer you a bonus on the device. I just first want to understand your situation before shooting anything that has zero value to you. Is there any tool or device you are considering changing or getting soon? Is there a family member that would need changing/getting any device? I would start thinking. By following with more discovery questions we would possibly end up with something of value to me or my closest ones. I would be emotionally hooked to collaborate on a common solution. When under discomfort situations of resistance ⛔ , do not push everything that you learned and pray that something will work out. Step back, do proper DISCOVERY 🌍, and let the other side think of possible solutions. Just then, based on the real motivators, you can recommend a solution. I thought big corporations got call script homework done properly, but there`s still a lot of work out there. 👷♂️ How would you overcome a resistance? Share your thoughts! #explorediscomfort #whysosellious

Sales pros and managers are highly aware of both their customer’s immediate needs and non-immediate needs—and have the skill to know the difference. Good products are already positioned to appeal to a customer’s immediate need. Sellers must present their company’s product in a way that illustrates how it solves the customer's problem and satisfies their primary need. On top of that, sellers must genuinely engage with customers to highlight the “hidden” power of a product—the secondary promise. Products can solve more than one problem for customers (they can be very agile); and they can solve different types of problems for different types of customers. The secondary promise is the “lesser benefit” that the product delivers. It backs up the primary promise just in case customers aren’t impressed, lack interest, or don't trust its solution and features. It also has the capacity to satisfy non-immediate needs. For example, we want to communicate (call, text, email) with others anywhere at any time, and when we can't, we are faced with a problem. Apple’s iPhone (and AT&T) solve that problem. However, a secondary benefit is that the phone can also act as our digital wallet—we can make purchases with our phone instead of having to pull out cards from our wallet or purse. We don't want thieves to steal our cards or card information, we don’t want to fumble through our pockets and purses, and we want more simplicity and efficiency in our lives—the iPhone also solves this (secondary) problem for us. Sell effectively, sell more, and allow your customers to see your firm’s product in 3-D! Keep up the great work, reach you goals, and good luck! #sales #management

The Power of Honesty in Sales Yesterday, I met a client who was told by a sales advisor at a cell carrier that she needed a “5G charger” for her new tablet because her “4G charger” wouldn’t work. Upon examining both tablets, I found that they both used USB-C charging ports. The client had been misled into purchasing a new charger under the false pretense that it was necessary for 5G compatibility. This experience highlights a critical issue: dishonesty in sales not only misguides clients but also erodes trust. As sales professionals, our integrity is paramount. By being honest and transparent, we build stronger, more trusting relationships with our clients. Let’s commit to honesty in all our interactions. It’s the foundation of trust and the key to long-term success.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word "Sales" or "Salesman," What often comes to mind is slimy, pushy, or aggressive. Society has conditioned our minds to believe that sales are slimy, leading many people to have negative associations with the profession. Our parents always taught us, "Don’t talk to strangers; strangers are dangerous; you will get kidnapped," and so on. Because of this, people these days are often afraid to share what they want. Now, imagine someone with this kind of mindset accidentally getting into sales. What are his chances of succeeding? None unless he re-conditions his mind. The challenge arises when this person makes a sale. An internal dialogue in his mind will start, "Am I taking advantage of someone? Am I scamming someone? Am I selling hope or a dream to someone?" Alternatively, there are some people who will say, "I just want to make money; I don’t care about my prospects." These people are hunters, and again, they will only be able to succeed to a certain level. But let’s talk about the big players, the most successful people in the world. Who are they? They are salesmen. Apple's Steve Jobs, for instance, was a fantastic salesman. He sold all of us on the iPhone & other apple products. Henry Ford sold us all on the idea of having a motor car. Elon Musk sold us on the idea of electric cars. You cannot succeed in life if you don’t learn how to sell.

A cautionary tale for salespeople.. A friend went into an electrical store and wanted to buy an expensive stereo. He’d conducted months of research online, reading reviews, talking to friends, gathering information and knowing exactly what make and model they wanted. Money (or card) in their pocket, he just wanted to validate 2 pieces of information on his desired model, check he liked the look and intended to walk out the store box-in-hand. The salesperson had different ideas and wanted to sell a solution. Determined to understand every facet of the buyers needs and provide a consultative experience, they questioned and guided him around a variety of alternative models - none of which he was interested in - until, finally, 30 mins later my friend gave up and left store. The store lost what should have been a slam-dunk. Lesson here? Things like this happen every day in B2B SaaS sales. Be careful not to get too fixated on how you sell, but simply find out what the buyer wants and give them it as effectively as possible. Agree?

Customer is always ...is it?. Listening to VT recent talk on You tube titled 'Suits and sneakers had me thinking on this. Suffice to say as a sales-person I have encountered all types of clients, especially during cold calling safe to say some have fallen short of insulting me. I mean how dare I interrupt their busy day with my calls? , anyway I digress. Listening on to the talk he went on to say that the customer isn't always right, but the customer is king. Yup, Customer is king . Just because one is king doesn't mean they are right. How many times have we seen people in power making very questionable choices?. So fellow sales-people it is okay when a customer rejects your products and services it does not mean that you did not pitch or sell well. You did your best and the customer made their choice 🙂, and it has nothing to do with you. Happy selling.