Post Navigation

PreviousNext

The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet

Holmes
Posted on 25 February 2009
My Notes on The Ultimate Sales Machine by Chet Holmes:

You can profoundly improve your company if you absolutely commit

one hour a week in which you do nothing else than work on making the
business much more effective.
We all get good ideas t seminars and from books and business-building
gurus. The problem is that most companies do not know how to identify
and adapt the best ideas to their businesses. Implementation, not ideas,
is the key to real success.
To dos, tasks, and deadlines must be assigned after every meeting.
But the key is not to ask for too much to be completed. Make the gains
small but constant. If you are having the meeting every week and you
are making small incremental gains each and every week, think of the
profound transformation youre going to have in 52 weeks.

The 6 Steps To Great Time Management

1. Touch it once
If you spend just 15 minutes a day to revisit, readdress or reread
documents or emails, you will waste 97 hours per year where no
action is taken.
If you touch it, take action. Dont open that email or letter until
youre ready to deal with it.
Make it company policy that insists on very descriptive subject
lines for all emails
2. Make daily lists of the 6 most important tasks to complete
3. Plan how long each task will take
6 tasks at 1 hour each is ideal
4. Plan the day by assigning time slots for accomplishing each task
5. Prioritise. Focus on the difficult projects first
 Even people in reactive positions should still plan realistically for
some proactive tasks that can get done each day to move things
forward or improve the company or your job.
6. Ask yourself will it hurt me to throw this away?
80% of all files or stored information is never referred to again.
So why hold on to it?
10 Steps To Implement Any New Policy
1. Get everyone to feel the pain
Ask how many people in the room would like to solve these
challenges. What if there were ways to solve these challenges but
they required you to gain an entirely new learning curve? What if it
took a little extra work in the beginning to gain this learning curve,
but, once you had it, it would dramatically reduce many if not all of
these challenges? How many here would look forward to the new
learning curve?
Addressing questions like these to the group gets buy-in
Also, ask them to write down what are the drawbacks of not
changing or improving this behaviour. This intensifies their own
pain.
2. Hold a workshop to generate solutions
3. Develop a Conceptual Solution or Procedure
If the team has different answers to questions such as how do
we address customer complaints?, how many up-sells do we
have and how many different ways do we offer them?. Then its
time to implement a policy that everyone follows.
4. Leader or top talent personally performs procedure or task
Test new ideas with your top performers
5. Set a deadline for testing the Conceptual Procedure
Set a weekly meeting to check progress
6. Document step-by-step procedure or process
Even if your company or department is small, put procedures in
place as if you were going to hire 50 new people to take them
through it (this forces you to detail every step).
7. Have show and tell and role playing
8. Have another workshop on how to improve
Which may reveal great suggestions that were ignored by
immediate supervisors
9. Monitor the procedure directly
Record telephone conversations to review. Monitor weekly or
daily. Observe and correct behaviour
10. Measure and reward the outcome
People respect what you inspect

The buying pyramid

At any one time, for any product or service, 3% are buying now
7% are open to the idea of buying. They may be dissatisfied with their
current item or provider and are not opposed to change.
 The remaining 90% are in 3 categories. The top 1/3rd are not against it,
nor for it, just thinking about it. They wont respond to your office
equipment ad because they are just not thinking about office equipment
right now.
The next 1/3rd think theyre not interested. They are not neutral like
the first third, they would reply I dont think Im interest in office
equipment.
The final 1/3rd are defiantly not interested. They are happy with what
they have or just simply know they dont need it. If the 10 year old
copier is not broken, why fix it?
What can you write as your stadium pitch title or ad, that would appeal
to the entire pyramid of potential buyers?
The five ways our office equipment can benefit you will only appeal
to 10%
The five ways youre wasting money in your operations and
administration. May mot rivet the executives to their chairs but they
are not leaving. They will stay to hear a little more. It appeals
to everyone in the pyramid because everyone is interested in saving
money in their operations and administration costs.
The hardest thing we need to do today is grab the attention of potential
buyers and keep their attention long enough to help them buy your
product.
The approach of offering some education of value to them gives you a
significant opportunity to attract more buyers and build more credibility.
Its called education-based marketing.
You will attract way more buyers if you are offering to teach them
something of value to them than you will eve attract by simply trying to
sell them your product or service.
The Pitch For The Free Information Session Has The Following
Components
If you really want to serve your market, do some research that will
benefit them.
Just like Zeald or Holloway Advertising
Hi, Im with xyz. We have a new programme to teach business owners like
you how to be more successful. Have you heard about this programme?

Since we rely on the success of local businesses, as do you and everyone

else in this community, we feel its our obligation to make sure local
businesses are as successful as possible. So weve actually underwritten the
cost of an education programme that show you the five most common
reasons that businesses fail, and seven ways to become the mos popular
[type of business]. In the next few weeks, were going to be showing this to
every other [type of competitors] in the community and thought you might
want to make sure youre learning the same things. Would you be interested
in being more successful in your business and guarding yourself against the
types of things that put [your type of business] out of business?

Im one of the speakers who put on this program. We are going around all
[type of business] over the next few weeks to present this information. [Or
we are in touch with other [type of business] around the city to show them
this information] The content takes about 38 minutes, we come to you, but
we need to choose a time that we wont be disturbed. Whats a time when
you can sit and have a good educational experience without being
interrupted?

Would Wednesday or Friday suit you better? Now this is a very expensive
programme for us, but theres no cost to you. We thrive is our local
community thrives. So we only have on condition, youve agreed to attend on
Wednesday so please give us 24 hours notice to fill your seat if you cant
come. Does that sound fair?

Tip: When you sell you break rapport, but when you educate, you build it.
The Problem With A USP
The problem with the Unique Selling Proposition is that it is focused on
you. It asks the question what is special about us or what do we have
or do better than our competitors?
Move from being focused on yourself to being focused on your buyer.
Market Data Is Way More Motivational Than Product Data.
Look for statistical trends over time.
Use government statistics as the source.
Look for the smoking gun that makes your competitors look bad
How To Attract Superstars
Use the highest possible salary in the ad. With average salarys you
will only attract average salespeople.
When they apply for the job, reject them. If the crumble and go away
before you hire them, you see what they are made of. A superstar will
question your reasoning and may even tell you that you are wrong.
Even The 3% Who Are Buying Now Wont Respond To A Single
Direct Mail
Really get their attention.
Choose your dream 100 prospects and send a quirky gift with a quirky
message every month for 6 months. Eg: Rubiks Cube and the note
Puzzled about how to double or triple employee productivity? We
guarantee to find you 12 ways to reduce costs or increase productivity
or well give you a $5,000 gift for your trouble Make follow-up calls.
If you continue to market to someone with great vigour, they will
absolutely get to know who you are. If they tell you no again and again
and you keep marketing and selling to them, they will get to know you
and feel obligated to give you some business because no one has
marketed to them with such force before.
More gift ideas: flash-light, compass, tape measure
Keep them inexpensive. Expensive gifts come off like youre trying to
bribe them. Cheap is better, the prospect smiles at the gesture and
doesnt feel bribed
They should be useful things they will wan tot keep or play with or
take home for a kid
The letter that accompanies the gift should be short, should tie into the
gift in a clever way. Offer something that they can easily say yes too.
With a call to action.
 Phone to follow up after every delivery. The goal is to schedule an
appointment to get your core story in front of the prospect. Dont make
the mistake in the letter of saying in a letter we want to come and
present to you. Thats a much bigger sale to make from a mere letter.
Just offer the free report.
Rules For Advertising
It must be distinctive
Capture attention with a screaming headline
After the headline has hooked them, your body copy has to keep them
reading
Dont make the mistake of focusing on yourself. Unfold the story
and make them want to read on. The body should be benefit-
oriented. Dont tell them what it is, tell them why it is valuable
Include a coupon. It is a noncommittal way of responding. Actually
making a phone call means you will have to engage with a salesperson
something you might not want to do at that time. Coupons always
increase response over ads that dont have one.
Brochures
Most brochures are a waste of money. They are totally focused on you
instead of the buyer. They are ego pieces. Instead say something like
The five most dangerous trends facing apartment building owners and
how to maximise your apartment building asset.
Public Speaking
If you have a powerful core story you will be able to speak at an
industry event. But not if you just want to talk about your product or
service.
Presentations
Dont thank prospects for their time or apologise for taking it
It show that you consider their time more valuable than yours. It
also suggest to them that listening to you is far less important than
other tings they could be doing. It belittles everything you have to
say. If you do a good job, then they will thank you.
If using PowerPoint:
Unfold the information in a way that keeps the audience curious.
Give them a fact first and follow it with an explanation.
Continually pre-sell the rest of the presentation throughout the
presentation. Keep alluding to information yet to come. Eg And
this means you have some serious competition, but the news gets
worse when I show you the next point.
Never blatantly pitch your product. You should only use it as an
example. But, you can help them set up buying criteria in your favour
What to look for if you need to buy xyz
Affiliates, Reciprocal Arrangements
How can you work with great affiliates? What can you offer their
customers and what can you offer theirs?
How To Get Through To The Decision Maker
Use a very authoritative voice. Tell the assistant what to do, do not ask
them.
Another secret is to get the gatekeeper back as many times as you can
with very little information. Eg Can I ask what the call is in reference
 too?, Just tell him its Sheldon calling. Just tell him Im from XYZ
company, that might job his memory Just tell him Im following up on
some correspondence I sent him, that should be enough
When you get through, dont turn into a salesperson How are you
today?. Maintain your authority. Have a fantastic 2 minute opening
worked out. Be clever, be confident.
7 Steps In Selling
1. Establish rapport
Providing information that helps your client succeed helps you
build trust and respect.
Ask great questions to find common interests and get personal
Have a sense of humour
Commiserate
Be empathetic and care about them. Be more interested in them
than anyone else has ever been. If you want to be fascinating, be
fascinated.
Find the common ground
Mirror body language and tonality
2. Qualify the buyer (find the need)
Find out what they are looking for in your product or serve and
what factors will influence them to buy. Learn about their current
buying criteria, but also reset it so that your product or service is
the logical choice
Develop the 6 to 10 questions that you would like to know about
every prospect
Eg when selling advertising How do your customers find out
about you right now? Whats the most effective way you have for
gaining new clients? Whats the amount of your average sale (to
cost justify divide the cost of the advertising by the sale price to
get the number of sales required to break even). What are the
three biggest problems youre having in [your area of business]
get their pain and help solve it. How long have you worked here?
Howd you get started? What are your goals from your company?
What are your goals for yourself? What are your criteria for making
a decision about buying a product or service like ours?
3. Build value
Teach them something valuable
4. Create desire
Lead them through a series of question in which you intensify
their need from their perspective
Present killer data that truly motivate your buyer to take action
now
Help them to see that their current situation is unacceptable with
a combination of problems and solutions with market data and
your core story
5. Overcome objections
The idea is to qualify the buyers criteria before you start to sell
Ask questions such as what is your biggest marketing
challenge? What would it be worth to you if this challenge could be
fixed forever? What does it cost you to not fix this problem?
 Always agree with an objection. Well, thats certainly a good
reason not to invest in this today. [meaningful pause] But let me
ask you: Is money the only thing standing between you and the
purchase of this product? If there are more objections they will
surface here. If not the client will say No, if I could afford it, Id buy
it. This is called isolating the objection. So if I can find a way for
you to afford this product, you will buy it?
6. Close the sale
If you truly believe that your prospect should benefit from your
product or service, its your moral obligation to help them make a
decision and get on with their lives.
7. Follow-up
Next
10 Steps To Great Follow Up
1. Get a letter off to your client within an hour or two of your meeting. Fax
it off for extra speed.
Letter structure:
Start with something personal that you remember
Include a compliment
Push their hot buttons and stay focused on the benefits your
product or service offers them eg with the challenges you face, it
seems clear that six of our machines is exactly what you need. You
will reduce costs, speed up productivity and most important, relive
a lot of stress for quite a few people. Im checking how fast we can
move on this one.
Use a personal close. Eg One again, it was great meeting you. I
have a few ideas about some other productively issues that I know
you will like.
2. Make the first follow up call. You are trying to bond so offer something
of value.
3. Share something amusing or of personal interest. Dont sell, just build
rapport with a cartoon or article
4. Throw a party, share a meal and bond like crazy
5. Send another fax/email/letter/card. To get top of mind. Be personal and
complimentary and tell them what the next step will be in your
relationship.
6. Plan something fun that can include the family
7. Offer something to help their business. Can you hook up two clients to
form a referral network?
8. Send another fax/email/letter/card
9. Offer more help to succeed. Take them to a seminar? Help them find
new personnel, alert them to important trends in their market. Become
a valuable asset and trusted confidant.
10. The ultimate follow-up: invite them to your home or be invited to theirs