Professional Selling Skills: Apple, iPod, and Pricing Integrity

Pricing integrity is essential. This week, we saw a classic example of a signficant mistake by a company that, until now, had built up a huge group of core / passionate customers. Apple and Steve Jobs have always been arrogant. It’s in their DNA and it’s what has helped them create the following they have in the world of personal computers.


We all know what happened: a few months ago Apple released the iPod phone for $599. The price was high, but they were confident and their good story of saying it was both a phone and iPod all-in-one supposedly made the price a smart move. Fast forward to now: they cut the price by $200 and, in so doing, they make everyone who bought an iPhone out to be a fool for paying $200 more. Apple responded in its wonderful, arrrogant way only after an outpouring of complaints by granting their customers a $100 in-store credit.


In this simple action, Apple and Steve Jobs demonstrated a complete lack of pricing integrity. This is a great example as to why it is essential to establish a price and stick to it. The action by Apple tells their customer base that the next time they come out with anything new, wait and buy it after they do a price reduction. This action also undermines the confidence of their employeess. Finally, the action harms the price / value relationship that the company has worked so hard to establish.

I can’t think of a better example of why it’s so important to have pricing integrity. I’m also very confident that with this action, Steve Jobs has created a great business school case study that will be used for many years to come.

Sales Training Tip #199: Network with Linkedin.com

Have you heard of the website, Linkedin.com? If you're not already using it as a networking tool, do it today. A simple tip in using it is to set aside 30 minutes each week to add contacts, etc. Keep in mind that Linkedin is a long-term networking tool. Do not expect it to have an immediate payout in terms of new customers.

Professional Selling Skills Training: "29 Sales Territory Questions"

Are you trying to create or further establish a sales territory? The information found in Mark’s article, “29 Sales Territory Questions”, is designed to help you implement an effective sales development program. These powerful questions are based on consultative selling principles. Follow the link below to access this important information as found on our website.

"29 Sales Territory Questions"

Sales Training Tip #200: 3-Step Sales Process

I'm always amazed at how people want to complicate the sales process. This past week I was asked by a new sales person what it takes and I replied:

1. Uncover pain
2. Evoke confidence
3. Close the sale

It's that simple. Ask questions that get the customer to reveal their pain. At the same time, ensure that the customer gains confidence that you can help alleviate that pain. Once you have done these two things, it becomes very simple to close the sale.

Nothing complex here at all. The challenge is in taking the time to develop the right questions that will help the customer see and feel their pain.

Sales Training Tip #198: Know Your MLB

You may not follow Major League Baseball, but many of your customers and prospects do. At this time of year, make sure to stay up on who's in the playoff hunt. You don't want to get cut short by not knowing that your customer's favorite team is close to winning their division.

Sales Training Tip #197: Referrals Go Both Ways

Go out of your way to refer some of your best customers to people you know. Better yet, get in the habit of making at least one referral each week. Your customers will appreciate the support!

Sales Training Tip #196: Using Time To Your Advantage

Time is the greatest negotiating tool. When giving a proposal, state half of the time you had planned to offer. For example, by offering one week instead of two, it increases the sense of urgency.

Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

A Question Recently Posed to "The Sales Hunter"

"How can I create a sense of urgency and need for my product?”

Your best way to create a sense of need is by tying the element of time to it. You can do this in a couple of ways. First, offer an incentive to buy now. Don't lower your price, but offer an additional something if they chose to buy now. Second, create a sense of lost benefit if the person does not buy now from you. Ask them what they expect to get from buying from you so they will begin to acknowledge the pain they have. When they do, you can then begin to draw it out more by asking them more questions about it. The whole idea is to allow them to see how their pain will go away and they will be much better off if they buy from you now. Build on this further by helping them realize that if they don't buy from you now, their own personal cost will be higher since they'll have to live with the pain for even longer.

Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

Professional Selling Skills Training: The Power of Your Network

Long-term success does not come from one-time, single-shot sales. Long-term success in sales comes from what you do day in and day out and is impacted in a huge way by who you associate with. I've recently spent time with several different sales people and I've been amazed at how each of them view success and how they determine their goals. In each case, their frame of reference had a direct correlation on who they network with and the frame of reference the other people had. I hate to say it, but narrow-minded people have narrow-minded goals. Big thinkers have big goals.

I'm fortunate enough to have two kids (or I should say young adults as they are both in college). When they were little kids, we always monitored their friendships. As parents, this is natural because we wanted our kids to not be hanging out with others who were bent on causing trouble. In the same way, adults have to monitor who we allow ourselves to be influenced by. Is their any wonder why successful people associate with successful people?

A challenge I push myself to do is to ensure my network, my friends, and the people I come in contact with are big thinkers with big goals. The last thing I want to do is to be bogged down by people who could negatively impact my goals, the quality of my thinking, and, ultimately, what I accomplish.

A final comment: I was just in a sales office where the entire sales team was having a blow-out month. It seemed as if everything they were touching was turning into a sale. In talking with them, they had a level of energy and drive that permeated every corner of their office and every corner of their brains. Great sales people were hanging out with great sales people.

Contact Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter" for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com.

Professional Selling Skills Training: Don't Leave Your Personality at Home

Selling is, without a doubt, the greatest profession there is. For people who are pumped, engaged, and intelligent, the potential is unlimited. What I find amazing is the number of people in sales who do not have personality, or, if they do, they leave it at home.

Unless you're harboring some strange tendencies or bizarre thinkings, there's no reason to not let your personality come through on the job. Let your personality come out and get to know people! It's amazing how much more business can be had when we allow our personal side to be exposed. However, I do have one word of caution. This is not a license to become egotistical, but to become full of others you come in contact with.

Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

Professional Selling Skills Training: Networking with Linkedin

Networking is a fundamental part of building sales. I've been blitzing my networking lately with Linkedin.com and I've been blown away with it. If you're not already part of it, go to www.Linkedin.com and get registered right now! Although some may say that it isn't worth their time, I'm here to refute that statement. If you're willing to use Linkedin as a tool to help locate people who have fallen off of your radar screen, then this is the tool for you. This is exactly what Linkedin is best at: helping you connect with people you've lost touch with. The power comes from hooking back up with people from your past and using them to help introduce you to new contacts. For me, with just a few hours of work, I've developed several new strong business leads and a large number of leads with long-term potential.
By the way, be sure to reach out to me on Linkedin and together we'll both expand our networks!


Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

Sales Training Tip #195: A Great USP

Before your next sales call, consider the following three points that make a great Unique Selling Proposition (USP):

1. Does it matter to the customer?
2. Is it different from the competition?
3. Is it explicitly defined with a sense of urgency and need?

A Question Recently Posed to “The Sales Hunter”

“I recently got a job offer as a sales manager at a car dealership and tour/travel agency company. My sales team is small, but experienced. I would like to know whether you have any sales tips in how we may try to reach our segment of the market.”

First off, I’d identify who your target customer is. It’s very easy to start trying to reach out to what you believe are potential customers only to find out there is no chance they’ll ever buy from you. Secondly, I’d find out what it is you do best and what your current customers say they like about doing business with you. Third, match up what your current customers say they like about you with the profile of your perfect customer. Your objective is to find the key benefit new customers would be most drawn to.

After you’ve done the above, develop 3 - 5 “pain questions”. These are questions that are designed to help the targeted prospect begin to see the pain they have and how you are the solution. Example: “What are some of the changes you’ve had to make to compensate for the current price of gas?” or “What’s the best experience you’ve ever had on a tour?” Both of these questions will help get the person talking, which then gives you the opportunity to ask more questions. By doing so, you get the prospect to do all the talking and you learn as much information as possible to work with.

Let me shift gears a bit and talk about finding prospects. Begin by using the second step above as a gate opener to get your customers to give you referrals you can contact. There’s nothing better than a referral, especially one where the person doing the referring makes the initial contact on your behalf. Secondly, target your message very, very, very tight. We’re all inundated with too much information, so we tend to only pay attention to information that hits our personal bull’s-eye. This means you need to do as much profiling as possible of your perfect customer profile and only do those marketing / awareness activities that will hit them. Don’t kid yourself: the vast majority of advertising is wasted and the best is probably very expensive on a per contact basis. But, if you’re hitting the right contact, then the high cost perception suddenly goes away.


Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

Sales Training Tip #194: Avoid the Light

When making a sales call, avoid sitting with your back to a window. The bright, outdoor light can often make it hard for the customer / prospect to focus on you.

Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter, for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

Consultative Selling Tip: Know your Customer's Customer

Consultative selling is all about knowing how your customer is going to use your product or service and, more importantly, helping them identify previously unknown areas of need they may have. Now, it seems simple, but something get lost in the translation in many companies. This week, I saw that the global giant Unilever is getting out of the household cleaning category in the US (All, Wisk, etc.) by selling off their brands. What I found amazing was an article in Advertising Age talking about how their CEO and other top people had not been in a laundry room in years. It's unbelievable how the top people of a major company could not find the time to know how their customer's really use their product.

With this fact in mind, I guess it shouldn't be surprising that they're selling this business. The key lesson: Make sure you take the time to really know how your customer and your customer's customers use your product or service.

Sales Tip: Phone Sales Tips

This past week, I was working with a salesperson who was trying to break into a major account without much luck. All he had was a single phone number of the "point" person for his company. After trying to reach the person on numerous occasions, he shared with me his frustration. My solution? Instead of calling the same number, try changing the last digit by one, either higher or lower. Doing so would give him a pretty good shot at reaching the person who might be in the office next door or an administrative assistant. In either case, it would increase his chance of getting to talk to someone and could help him determine if the person he had been trying to call was in fact the correct person. Although this is a simple selling skills technique, it's very effective when used properly.

Sales Training Tip #193: Getting Back to the Basics

Don't forget to sell to the outcome / result. It sounds basic, yet we often sell based on the product's features and not on what it will do for the customer. Think about your last sales call. What were you selling to? Do you need to get back to the basics?

Sales Training Tip #192: PMOC

Do you know your customer's PMOC - Preferred Method of Communication? Every client and prospect has one. By using their PMOC (email, voice, voice- mail, telephone, in-person, etc.), you will undoubtedly become more valuable to them.

A Testimony About the Importance of Passion

Recently, I received an email from a young salesperson who can attest to my theory that passion is a lost art. Only 22 years old, he has already assumed the responsibilities of someone twice his age. He wrote, "I have been in sales since I graduated high school . . . and have been the top sales person in both sales jobs I have had and currently have." He has been a corporate account executive for a large cellular telephone company and now has an entire state as his territory for a company in the fuel industry.

How did he achieve so much in such a short time? He attributes his success to his passion: "I seized the opportunity. . .I am so passionate about my product and I have been told by my customers in testimonials and meetings. . .Because I think that having these responsibilties is important, that shows me that self improvement is very possible. I am 22 with the responsibilties of a 40 year old man."

Passion, at any age, can take you places. It's never too late to show it.

A Quote to Ponder

A friend in Lincoln, Nebraska, shared an interesting quote with me recently:

"I am not who I am think I am, I am not who you think I am, I am who I think you think I am".