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5 Profound Sales Lessons They Don’t Want You To Know About

What if you could learn from one of the top sales leaders in the world? Turns out you can; just keep reading. By the way, these 5 sales lessons might change your career!

In Today’s Jam:

  • 5 profound sales lessons they don’t want you to know

  • Richard Harris Deep Dive

  • Best Watches and Listens of the Week

  • You will Nut Believe this Sales Tool

5 Profound Sales Lessons They Don’t Want You To Know!

  1. You live to sell another day: It’s one thing to be persistent in getting a sale. It’s another thing to waste your time trying to make the wrong fit, the right fit. If the sale doesn’t come through, cut your losses and move on. Other opportunities are waiting.

  2. Being liked is a secret weapon: No one has to be the tallest, most attractive, richest, person in the room for someone to (genuinely) like them. Similarly, prospects will work with you so long as you guys get along. Don’t worry about being the biggest baddest salesperson in town, just be relatable and easy to deal with.

  1. Conversation > Pitching: Sometimes breaking out the portfolio can wait. The pitch can wait. How about you start with a conversation? This can be the most effective icebreaker.

  1. Founders are the best sellers. Or they should be: This expectation should come naturally. Founders understand the product or service better than anyone else and have been there from the start. Who better to articulate how best the product solves customers’ problems? On top of that, It shows investors you’re 1000% committed.

  2. Crave Success? Keep experimenting: Finding that one technique that works can feel like striking gold. But what about that other techniques that might blow this one out the water? That’s right. You haven’t discovered it yet because you’re undermining the value of experimentation. Never stop trying new things. Always push the envelope.

Richard Harris Is One Of The Top Sales Leaders In The World. This Is His Secret…

Three times Salesforce Sales Leader to follow; five times AAiSP Top Sales Leader, and founder of Harris Consulting Group, Richard Harris is something of a Guru in the game.

Richard Harris

Deep Dive on Richard Harris

  • He started out at the bottom, working retail for Gap. Back then, they were still selling Levi pants. Yep. You read that right.

  • He failed at sales, but stuck with it, and landed a manager role at another retailer.

  • He never tolerated being underappreciated in a workspace. Instead, he evaluated himself, adjusted, and moved on to other opportunities.

  • He broke into sales training, imparting everything he learned to other sellers. This solidified him as a trusted source on all things sales.

Richard Harris’ Three Keys to Growth

  • Three Wise (Whys) Men: Asking prospects the right questions helps you to understand how to help them. In some cases, prospects will learn (on the spot) what it is that their company truly wants to accomplish. i.e. “Why is your company investing in a mobile app?”

  • Maintaining a Moral Compass: Sales leaders sometimes encourage employees to ‘stretch the truth’ and in some cases flat-out lie about products. The thought process is to tell prospects ‘what they want to hear’. Richard never resorted to that. “We want prospects to fall in trust with us. Not in love with us.”

  • “What Does Your Boss Think?”: In addition to getting the thoughts of the prospect, try getting some input from the VP of the company. Depending on what they say, you can determine whether you are wasting your time.

Best Watches and Listens of the Week 

Must Listens…

“How Mike Cabot Maintains A High Octane Sales Force” - on The Sales Gravy Podcast

“7 Financial Metrics Sellers Must Know To Build Pipeline with the C-Suite” - On The Sales Evangelist podcast

Must Watches…

“Not Going To Hit Sales Quota? THEN DO THIS!” by Thesalesman.com

“Ask For Referrals This Way” - Sales Influence Podcast

Tool of the Week: Walnut

If you’re looking to create engaging demos, then Walnut might be what you need. Seriously, this tool has been getting rave reviews online and is an asset for sellers. It promises interactive demos tailored for each prospect.

But what are users saying?

Sales Joke Of The Week