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Power Sales Guru With Will Harris podcast

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by Will Harris

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11 episodes

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Podcast Overview

Power up your prospecting with the Power Sales Guru Will Harris; author of the best selling book Power Prospecting. This upbeat podcast provides sales people with tips to increase success when cold calling for clients and customers. International Sales Consultant, Will Harris, shares how the best sales people differentiate themselves in their market. Learn how to stand out from the sea of sales people calling your prospects. Will Harris motivates you to be unique as he uses real stories and life analogies in a fun way. Each podcast provides a free Power Tool to help you sell more and have more fun!

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3/16/2016

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Recent Episodes

September 18, 2020

Introduction to Power Sales Guru

Overview of the benefits of the Power Sales Guru podcast.

May 11, 2016

Episode 009 How to get information that guarantees you close a cold call

How to get information that guarantees you close a cold call. Anyone with the desire to grow and willingness to prepare must also accept the responsibility to take action. It is an established fact that the largest and most powerful train in the world can be held in place by a one-inch block of wood. Placed in front of a huge train, a little 1 inch block of wood will hold it completely motionless. However, that same train, when in full speed motion, can crash through a steel-reinforced concrete wall. That shows the power of……..ACTION! ACTION! Taking action when others over look an opportunity is the biggest differentiator in sales. You know it and I know it. Every day we face a great opportunity but it can go unmissed as we take no ACTION. ON this podcast we are going to discuss the one resource that’s THE most critical source of information before you reach out to prospect. This source is there every time but is not dressed up like a present under the Christmas tree…yet it is still a gift. WE are going to discuss what this gift is and how to unwrap it and claim your success. What if you were able to know all your prospect’s business needs? What if you knew their personality before you contacted them? What if you could access EVEN what your prospect’s boss wishes? All of this is available to you with ease…and 95% of other sales people don’t even consider this resource. The key to GETTING critical information that guarantees you close a cold call is….. The Receptionist Gatekeeper In a previous podcast, we talked about from the mid-level gatekeeper, right…the person that has the power to say NO but not the power to say yes. Well now we come full circle we’re talking about the frontline receptionist gatekeeper. The sales tactics I discuss on this podcast is ideal for cold calling into a company. Let me set the context…..You may have an idea of who to speak with at a midsize company (not too big, not to small…like goldie locks…just right). Maybe you researched them prior to your call. AND Now the phone is ringing And the first thing you hear is: “Thank you for calling Harris Technologies, how can I direct your call?” Remember it’s a cold call…so the normal your response would be: “Hi, I would like to speak to the person in charge of purchasing?” The receptionist will respond: “That will be Jane, please hold and I will transfer you.” She could even transfer you without supplying the decision maker’s name or department. And that concludes your interaction with the gatekeeper. Let me share a personal story about my mother. My mother was that gatekeeper at a mid-size company for 15 years. After school, I would ride my bike to my mother’s job. I would stay there doing my homework for two hours until she got off of work. Once she was off work we would throw my bike in the back of her blue Chevette and we would go home. My mother’s workspace was situated in the middle of the lobby at a traditional desk. I would go around the corner so she could see me doing my homework as she greeted visitors to the company. I could see the large volume of calls my mother took at the front desk. I also observed people from the back come up and have conversations with my mother. Gatekeepers in this role do not get paid based on the volume of calls they receive or the number of people they talk to. Nor are they paid based on the efficiency in which they transfer a call. During one ride home after work, I asked my mother if her job was boring. She replied that she had begun playing mental games to keep her mind sharp. It also helped her become more efficient at the skills needed to transfer calls. My mother was extremely good at her job. As with most jobs, there were pros and cons. The cons were that my mother was the undeclared emotional garbage dump for anyone having a bad day. Employees would come up and scream at my mother when their day was not going correctly. Sales people who were frustrated that their appointment was late for a meeting would make angry demands of my mother. Many times I wanted to get up and tell them you better stop yelling at my mother. I never did, though, because she told me that would get her fired and we needed her to keep that job. So I continued to sit around the corner and do my homework the best I could without letting anyone distract me. My mother was the eyes and ears of that company. She saw everything. It was amazing how few professionals treated my mother with respect. The sales people were especially rude. My pretty sure they didn’t think they were being rude. Here is an example of how they would speak to my mom. “Hi, my name is Ron and I’m looking for the person who deals with purchasing equipment. Could you get me in touch with them please?” Now you may say, that doesn’t sound that bad. You said they were rude. No it is bad…it just sounds normal. And normal becomes accepted. Normal becomes natural. But we know that different is the new great. Let me say it again and this time have a new kind of ear: “Hi, my name is Ron and I’m looking for the person who deals with purchasing equipment. Could you get me in touch with them please?” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- But here’s what really is being said: “Hi, it’s me. I need to speak to someone important. I know it’s not you. So, can you move out of my way and let me get to them please?” The problem with this approach is that it totally overlooks the treasure you have in front of you. There’s story about King George of England. He was traveling through a distant village in Holland. He stopped and asked to buy two eggs. The charge was for two hundred florins. “Eggs must be scare around this place,” said the King. The innkeeper smiled and said, “Pardon me, sire. Eggs are plenty enough; it is kings that are scare.” And the king smiled and paid. When you reach a receptionist type gatekeeper then you may have a scare king or queen in your presence. They could have answers to questions you wish you knew. Things that can save you time and increase your chance of success. Don’t pass by a king or queen and say nothing. And yes….I said if you reach a receptionist. It is natural for us to hear people say “How to reach the decision maker”…. “When you reach the decision maker…” Because that is a cherished event, right? But so is reaching the gatekeeper. My Mother knew who was in trouble and about to get fired. She knew also who was romantically involved with whom in the company. And when they were fighting and letting their work slide. You won’t here this on someone’s voicemail: Thank you for your call but I am fighting with my love interest in Accounting. For this reason I will not return your important call…so please keep trying and don’t take my unreturned call personally. I really need what you are saying but my heart is breaking right now.” Noooo you won’t hear that on a voicemail. But you can from a gatekeeper. And of course my mom knew what competition was sneaking in the back door to coerce decision makers away from established vendors. It is all about the approach with the gatekeeper. They have the information you need and have the ability to put you in touch with the people you want to talk to. The gatekeeper answers phone calls all day and deals with any number of interruptions. If you come across as just another nuisance, it is doubtful you will reach the person you want to speak with. There are three levels of questions to ask the gatekeeper. Level one questions should be the easiest. Level two questions should become more complex in nature. Level three should be the most difficult, but the most important. If you are wondering what type of questions to ask the Gatekeeper then don’t worry. I have created a Free Power Tool to help you create your own level 1, 2, and 3 questions. Or you can get my book Power Prospecting and have the questions I created for each level. Both are available at <a href= "http://www.powersales.guru/">www.Powersales.guru</a> Out of the four communication styles we discussed, the receptionist gatekeeper is most likely to be a Supporter. You do not want to have a Thinker style answering the phone. That would be a nightmare for any company. Could you imagine that….Hello why are you calling? Are you sure you should be calling here? Maybe we aren’t the best company to call? What was your process on verifying that we deserve your business? I think you should consider all your options before committing to call us? Are you sure? Now…companies want the most welcoming person be the first interaction with the outside world. It is most likely that you will have an isolated Supporter who is just willing and ready to bond with you. When coming up with the questions you would ask the gatekeeper, consider what you wish you knew before you got on the phone with the decision maker? UTILIZING THE GATEKEEPER This is the closest thing I can give you that is similar to having a script in Power Prospecting. I will list out a possible dialogue between you and a gatekeeper. Remember, different is the new great. You want a process that will give you more than you have gotten in the past, which will get you more of what you expect in the future. So I’m going to walk through a script where you just called into a prospect and you are cold calling in. The phone rings and the receptionist gatekeeper picks up and says “Thank you for calling. How may I direct your call?” What you do next is not normal. What you do next is intended to break the pattern and stand out as different. Everything in this script is suttle but there for a reason. The next thing you say is: What is your name? ____, I need your help. (Pause) Who is in charge of ____? (Ask initial question) Then you will ask a Level 1 Questions: Level 2 Questions: Level 3 Questions: So that I don’t bother you in the future, what is their extension? Before you transfer me, what is ____? (Ask follow-up questions) Now let’s put it together to take a look at the flow: <ul> <li>“Thanks for calling Harris technology, how can I direct your call?” “</li> <li>“Excuse me, what is your name?” (Sweetest sound in the English language is someone’s name)</li> <li>“My name is Suzanne.”</li> <li>“Suzanne I need your help.” (Pause until she agrees to help)</li> <li>“Ok, I’ll try”</li> <li>Initial Question…</li> </ul> Everything I mentioned has a reason for being there. I will explain why…because if you know the why’s then the how’s are easy. If you know why I am using this technique then you can adjust when you speak to your gatekeepers. The first thing I asked was: What is your name? The sweetest sounding name in the English language to anyone…is there name. Also, if you happen to have a tough gatekeeper then when the call ends, call back in a week and say: Is this Sue? You will be surprised at the difference in the gatekeeper’s mood when you already know their name. first impression is lasting. Also, my mother was sitting up front isolated from everyone. It is possible your gatekeeper is too and you represent a lifeline to the world in between checking Facebook or texting. But you never know until you engage. Next I said Suzzane, I need your help. (Pause) I paused and didn’t just say: I need your help. Can you tell me who is in charge of ….. I pause because I want her to respond. I want to break up what she is used to doing. Have you ever been to a state fair and rode a horse. That horse rides the same path every day and all day. It is used to that path and will rarely veer off it. The gatekeeper is used to a set process of moving people and you don’t want to be caught up in the same negative way they treat other sales people. Different is the new great…keep that in mind and follow the process. Every training class I give this is one section that every one always comes back and tells me works wonders. It helps you stand out and be different. And trust me these wonderful people will love to engage back with you. They are Supporters and the key word that makes a Supporter spring to action is HELP. Suzzane, I need your help. Let that word help resonate in their ears. Let it ring through and sound the alarms that this person is different and they are great. Then after she responds I will continue with my first question. Who is in charge of ____? (Ask initial question) Remember, you can make up your own first question and in my book I list out a page worth. And based on the interaction you then ask a Level 1 Questions: Level 2 Questions: Level 3 Questions: The Free Power Tool guides you to guides you to develop a stronger initial bond with the decision maker. Foster a relationship with the gatekeeper, as much as possible. And identify the questions you want to ask. We went over the two types of gatekeepers. WE covered the midlevel manager (account influencer) in a previous episode and in this one we covered the receptionist (company greeter). We looked at how to set yourself apart from others who call the receptionist gatekeeper. Taking the time to get to know the situation and the gatekeeper, as well as being prepared to ask questions of them, will help get you to a YES. It will help you find information before a cold call guaranteed to get you a sale. My mother’s story had a happy ending. A few years later, the president gave her a chance to manage a startup department. That year my mother’s department was the only one that turned a profit. The following year she was promoted to Vice President. When the company owner sold the firm the following year, my mother’s division was the only one not part of the buyout. Everyone who had mistreated her over the years was lined up outside her office begging for a job, in fear of losing their job once new management took over. I’m not saying every gatekeeper will be as knowledgeable about the business or the company as my mother. I’m saying you never know until you ask. Imagine that every time you reach the gatekeeper, you just reached a king or queen. Thank you for listening to this episode of the Power Sales Guru podcast. I am your host Will Harris wishing you Happy Selling and remember different is the new great.

May 4, 2016

Episode 008 What to Say in Your Opening Statement

Episode 008 What to say in your Opening Statement Hello, I’m Will Harris. Welcome to the Power Sales Guru podcast. The title of this episode is What to Say in Your Opening Statement. I love the story of the high school basketball coach who was attempting to motivate his players to persevere through a difficult season. Halfway through the season he stood before his team and said, “Did Michael Jordan ever quit?” The team responded, “No!” “What about the Wright brothers? Did they ever give up?” “No!” the team responded. “Did Steve Jobs ever quit?” “Again the team yelled, “No!” “Did Elmer McAllister ever quit?” There was a long silence. Finally one player was bold enough to ask, “Coach…who’s Elmer McAllister? We never heard of him.” The coach snapped back , “Of course you never heard of him….he quit!” I love that story. In this podcast we are going to discuss the four parts of a great opening statement. And ensuring you never quit before you connect with a new customer. Allow me to paint a picture for you. You made a call to speak with a potential client. You have built rapport with the gatekeeper, who was happy to supply helpful information. When you are transferred to the Decision Maker, He answers the call and says: “Hello. This is Tom.” The clock begins…. You have ten seconds to generate interest before you lose them forever. The moment is here and the pressure is on. What you say next makes or breaks the call. What do you do when the pressure is on? What do you say to gain progress? The desires of our heart often require unquenchable spirit, sweat, energy beyond what we think is possible, and an undying commitment. These prerequisites to success culminate in one overriding quality – Perseverance. I’m a big fan of the great psychologist William James. Dr. James said “Fatigue gets worse up to a certain point, when gradually or suddenly, it passes away and we are fresher than before!” At that point we have tapped a new level of energy…There may be layer after layer of this experience, a third even fourth ‘wind.’ We find amounts of ease and power we never dreamed ourselves to own, sources of strength habitually not taxed, because habitually we never push through the obstruction right in front of us. Dr. Seuss’s first children’s book was rejected by 23 publishers. The twenty-fourth publisher sold six million copies and Dr. Seuss realized his perseverance resulted in challenging and educating millions of children. After having been rejected by both Hewlett-Packard and Atari, Apple microcomputers had first-year sales of $2.5 million. And Formula 409…got its name because 4 hundred and 8 times they submitted their compound and were rejected. But the 4 hundred and 9th time …………….was accepted. So how do you know when enough is enough? When we achieve what we set out to do, that is when it is enough? Are you willing to do enough? To cold call, or to prospect within an account you need 4 parts in your opening statement. For a great opening statement 4 things are enough. The four major parts to a powerful opening statement are: <ol> <li>Greeting</li> <li>Attention Statement</li> <li>Interest Statement</li> <li>Opening Question</li> </ol> The opening statement creates a bridge from “I don’t know you” to “I need to know you.” Different is the new great. The goal is to stand out amongst the sea of sales people fighting for your prospect’s interest. Now let’s take a look at the first thing to say in your opening statement: <ol> <li>The Greeting</li> </ol> Some sales people whisper the name of their company as if they were passing notes to another student in class. Or they say it so quickly that it lacks the luster and power the name deserves. The greeting is where you acknowledge who you are and which company employs you. This should be said slowly and with pride. “Hello. My name is Will Harris. I’m with Willpower Consultation.” The Greeting quickly says: Hi, Me, & Us. A great opening statement quickly shifts focus from the salesperson onto the prospect. Avoid the trap of focusing on you during the call. Introduce yourself and your company, and then quickly move the conversation onto the prospect. I have been asked whether to use first name only in your greeting….or should we use first and last name for ultimate professionalism. Whatever makes you feel comfortable…that’s what you should do. If you have some super cool name like Alexander Fraiser III. Then you may use it in order to stand out and be different. But if your style is more laid back then you may say, “I’m Alex.” You can phrase the greeting whichever way fits your style. Just remember, the greeting is simply “Hi, Me, & Us.” Done! That was the first part to say in your opening statement. The second thing to say in your opening statement is your attention statement. <ol start="2"> <li>The Attention Statement</li> </ol> A salesperson traveled out of state for a big meeting with a prospect. He was dining at a restaurant chain he was familiar with back home. The usual steak ordered well-done was served in rare condition. Irritated, he furiously motioned for the waiter. When the waiter came to his table, the salesperson blurted fastly, “I said WELL-DONE!” “Well, thank you, “responded the waiter, “your compliment is appreciated.” Have you ever received a phone call and it took a minute to understand what was being said to you…either you struggled to recognize the voice or figure out why this person was calling you. Maybe it was the accent or even the speed in which someone spoke. Many opening statements are great but they have the content in the wrong order…and prospects miss out on what you actually say because they were still trying to process what you were saying and what’s the call all about. Like the waiter, they totally miss out on your point. But when prospecting, they have the control to end the call quickly without ever finding out what you really want. The attention statement allows time for your prospect to process your speech pattern and recognize the reason for your call. But, the main goal is to grab the prospect’s attention. Before you called them they were not sitting around waiting for you to call. Prospecting is an interruption in someone’s day. So you have to say something that will make them stop, drop their pen or stop typing long enough to hear you. 10 seconds, right. The key to a great attention statement is that you must mention something familiar to them. Something that they recognize enough to make them pause. You may say, but Will if this is a cold call, if I never spoke to them before then how can I mention something familiar? So, I have a Free Power Tools for you called Grabbing Attention. You can find it www.PowerSales.guru under Power Tools. You can use that Power Tool to know what to say in your Opening Statements. And I am going to lay it out for you right now. The various types of attention statements: <ul> <li>Name Recognition</li> <li>Industry …you can mention something specific around their vertical market</li> <li>Company</li> <li>Job Title</li> </ul> These four areas make you stand out when you say your Opening Statement. So grab that Free Power Tool called Grabbing Attention. The next part of the opening statement is the most important part….The <ol start="3"> <li>Interest Statement</li> </ol> Different is the new great because people do not just go through the motions when they are different. The ability to approach Power Prospecting from a fresh outlook and staying away from conventional ways of prospecting is paramount. Different does not mean crazy. Different arises when people look at old problems in a new way. The interest statement is the most important part of the opening statement. While all parts are important, this one is the end-all-be-all of your opening statement. The WIIFM message you developed gets condensed into one simple statement that says it all. Remember, your prospect will always wonder what’s in it for them. While they may not say it while you are talking, they are definitely thinking it. If you cannot help them come up with a reason they should be talking to you, your call will come to an end. You know ….Several bankers were debating the question: who was the greatest inventor? One cast his vote for Stephenson who invented the railroad; another for the Wright brothers for inventing the plane. One man even voted for Leonard Kleinrock, for contributing to the invention of the Internet! Finally, one banker turned to a man in the lobby listening, but not contributing to the debate. The banker asked the man what he thought. “Well,” the man replied with a big smile. “Whoever created INTEREST was the greatest.” The man’s reply has double meaning. Interest attributed to a loan or interest in buying a product. The sales person in me likes the idea of creating interest in buying a product. No matter what product you sell, people buy because of their interests. Many business-to-business sales people launch into talking about their products without focusing on the prospect’s interests. Since different is the new great, speak about the overall business problems the customer is interested in solving. I had a coaching call with a client who sells barcode scanning equipment. She complained that when she prospects, she quickly hears that the potential customer does not have a need for her product. After listening to her opening statement, I informed her that the reason for her failure was that she was being too specific in how she was going to help the prospect. She had a hard time grasping this concept. She did not want to resort to tricks or gimmicks to sell her equipment. I asked her if she had ever heard of a company named Smith Corolla. She knew that the company sold typewriters. Smith Corolla was the largest manufacturer of typewriters in the world. In their hay day, a young executive had suggested they take a look at data processing. His suggestion was quickly shut down by the other executives who felt they were in the business of selling typewriters and only typewriters. Now, many years later, we are hard pressed to find a Smith Corolla anywhere. They missed the fact that they were not in the business of selling typewriters. They were in the business of processing and transferring information. I explained to the sales rep that she was suffering from the same disillusion. She did not sell barcode scanners. She was in the business of developing businesses. The goal is to find solutions for your customers and not customers for your solutions. By adjusting her opening statements to reflect her prospect’s overall business needs, she would be able to increase her prospecting effectiveness. Creatively paring a customer’s need to your product is the wining philosophy around a great interest statement. So in this part of your opening statement you want to start with a business development need…and not a product feature. There is a difference in saying I specialize in helping my customers find customers. And saying I sell barcode scanning equipment to help you have real time information. What is the root business cause that you champion….because that is where you will find what to say during your Opening Statement? Another Power Tool you can get on my site is “Power Prospecting”. It can guide you through writing your opening statement. Now we will look at the last part of what to say during your opening statement….the question. <ol start="4"> <li>Opening Question</li> </ol> At this point in your opening statement it is time for you to get them involved in the conversation. This is where you ask a question that serves as a bridge out of the opening statement and into a deeper conversation. A question must be properly selected for maximum engagement. Remember, you have been talking for the last 8 seconds and now you merely want to get them talking. Consider it the launch pad for closing your sale. This is a huge thing that is the crashing point for many sales. There are tips around crafting the perfect questions that we will cover in upcoming episodes. But, if you proactively select a great opening question then it will be enough to increase your success. The four parts we discussed today around the Opening Statement is what I have worked on every day for the past 15 years. What you say in your Opening Statement can be used personally or professionally. It can be used over the phone or in email. By email it only takes some tweeking on the last part…the question can become a suggested next step. But in order to have a next step…you have to take the first step and then comes the next. Charles Goodyear was obsessed with the idea of making rubber unaffected by extreme temperatures. Years of unsuccessful experimentation caused bitter disappointment, imprisonment for debt, family difficulties, and ridicule from friends. He persevered and Goodyear discovered that adding sulfur to rubber achieved his purpose. I have four of them on my car right now. But he’s not the only one with a great story of perseverance. In his first three years in the automobile industry, Henry Ford went bankrupt twice. Inventor Chester Carlson cold called for years before he could find backers for his Xerox photcoyping process. Don’t give up before you win. Develop an opening statement that includes the four parts and you will have enough….for success. I hope I kept your attention during this episode. I do this every day in my own prospecting and working with others. So I love it. This podcast’s Free Power Tool is available now on my site <a href="http://www.powersales.guru/">www.PowerSales.guru</a> grab the one called Grabbing Attention. Thank you for listening to the Power Sales Guru podcast. I am your host Will Harris wishing you Happy Selling and remember different is the new great.

11 total episodes available

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What is Power Sales Guru With Will Harris podcast?: Power up your prospecting with the Power Sales Guru Will Harris; author of the best selling book Power Prospecting. This upbeat podcast provides sales people with tips to increase success when cold calling for clients and customers.

International Sales Consultant, Will Harris, shares how the best sales people differentiate themselves in their market. Learn how to stand out from the sea of sales people calling your prospects.

Will Harris motivates you to be unique as he uses real stories and life analogies in a fun way. Each podcast provides a free Power Tool to help you sell more and have more fun!
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

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