Week 8 -- Sell

Pillars:

(Coming soon.  David.)

Skills:

We pulled key sales principles (discussion led by the Students) from the following video presentations:  

Jeffery Gitomer's

The Two Most Important Words In Sales

Sales Training - Closing the sale -- the definitive answers you won't like.

Dr. Robert Cialdini and Steve Martin: Science of persuasion

(this is an excellent video on ethical ways to persuade and build commitment)

Then we studied application of these principles while watching Grant Cardone handle two actual live sales calls.  

Key points from the discussion: 

• The first sell is always "you" because either you have established credibility or you haven't.
• Build trust by carrying a positive presence, knowing the customer, knowing the product, and preparing for the sale. 
• Sales are "earned," not "closed."
• Listen well. 
• Asking questions engages people.
• Only promise what you are willing to deliver. 
• Resolve concerns head on -- don't cover them up.
• Lead with small commitments before going big. 
• Make a personal connection and follow up with a personal touch, like a gift.
• Show the reasons why the offering will help the customer.  
• Cement the commitment by asking, "is there any reason you'd change your mind?"
• Ask for other contacts and referrals.  

Guest:

Jeff Kirkham, serial inventor and entrepreneur. 

Jeff has logged 28 years of military service.  He spent his career primarily in the Army Special Forces, serving in various location in the middle east, including Iraq.  

After retiring from military service, Jeff began inventing and building businesses around his inventions.  He currently holds nine patents.  

His inventions that interested our Students the most were his Ready man cards, credit-card size tools for emergency situations.  (He gave us samples of these.)  And his RATS tourniquet.

To generate new ideas, Jeff advised our young entrepreneurs, "walk around Toys R Us."  "That place is full of ideas," he explained.  

Jeff advised us to watch for opportunity amidst change.  He explained that the Internet is quickly transforming the old factory/dealership/distributor/retailer model of business.  He showed us a small package he had recently received directly from the factory in China (after ordering on the Wish app) and asked us to consider how this new exchange model would impact business and create new opportunity.  

Jeff encouraged us to be willing to "fail faster," experimenting with the market.  "Get rid of your ego, and be willing to learn from your mistakes."  He told the story of his experimenting with social-media marketing by trying to sell coffee to a certain market segment.  The experiment was astonishingly successful, and his coffee company is struggling to keep up with orders.  From the experiment, Jeff's team learned that Facebook can be an unprecedented marketing tool with its data analytics, and that its easy to sell humor, a point several Students took to heart.   

Challenge:  

Get out and sell!  Take pre-orders if your product or service offering is not ready.