Robert Harper | Stop Your Voodoo Selling…It Does Not Work!

Are you relying on crystal balls, bones and feathers, and teabags to know whether you will hit this month’s goals or not? Well, been there and done that and I’m telling you, “voodoo selling” just doesn’t work because you can’t quantify it. In today’s episode, I am talking with Robert Harper and together we will shed light on the repercussions of voodoo selling and what you can do to ultimately be HIGHLY effective in sales. I have talked about this over and over, and again, PROCESS is key. Rather, GREAT PROCESS is key. More About My Special GuestRobert is a serial entrepreneur who currently owns five companies, four of them are in the midwest that do B2B integration, like access controls and CCTV, making buildings safe and comfortable. His other business endeavor is a virtual company that provides virtual solutions to business owners. What Is “Voodoo Selling?”Voodoo selling is based on guessing and hope rather than on planning, implementing strategies, or using metrics.Salespeople forget that they’re creative thinkers which makes it harder to do proper planning when prospecting. It makes us less interested in the process of selling and thinking of sales as a science since we tend to think of it as more of an art.Robert shares how voodoo selling is a waste of time because you’re trying to sell to people who CAN’T say no to you. How to Better Gain Scientific Concepts in Your Sales PresentationsSell to somebody who can say no. If they say no, do it as quickly as possible so you stop wasting time. Break the theory and move on to the next.Determine your budget on how much you’re going to sell. Instead of targeting “X” amount of dollars a quarter, target how many phone calls or meetings it would take you to make that dollar amount.Start today. Start keeping track honestly of:How many phone calls you make?How many of those phone calls will get you a meeting?How many of those meetings will get you a proposal?How many of those proposals will get you a sale?Tracking your information allows you to introduce a change into your process and see how it affects those numbers.Have the process for the actual sale itself.Analytics and a great process are keys.Know your customer’s pain pointsBring out the numbers and give precise informationLook at the metricsProvide real data to the customer A Special Tips for Sales ManagersDon’t talk about the numbers. Don’t judge people based on how many phone calls they’re making. Otherwise, your people will lie on those forms. The numbers are for them and not for you to judge them.Don’t ever be afraid to ask every prospect if they have the ability and if they are willing to say no if this isn’t a good fit for their company. But, if it is a good fit, are they able to say yes?For every sales meeting, have an agenda and send it to your prospect at least 24 hours before the meeting. In the agenda, go over what you want to cover and leave room for them to edit it for what they want to cover. During the meeting, follow the agenda. Ex: budget, decision process, the decision maker. “There’s no way to improve if you’re using your crystal ball.” – Robert Harper.  Resources Connect with me on LinkedIn and send me a message for more help with cold outreach, or send me an email: donald@thesalesevangelist.com If you need more help elevating your sales game, join my Sales Mastermind...