Author Archives: Logan Rivenes

Paint A Picture; It’s Worth 1000 Words

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Imagery is powerful. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Thus, we need to paint a picture when selling.

And, it is no wonder that image posts on Social Media outperform non-image posts more than 2 to 1. An image has the ability to cause us to imagine ourselves performing what the image represents.

Companies are good at creating marketing campaigns to get us to picture ourselves using their products. They paint a picture. Utilizing beautiful people, scenarios we all experience, and images that can cause us to think of a time or situation where we need to use the product. This is common practice.

Most of the time we do not even realize this is occurring. The power of imagery has the ability to move us closer to making a purchase decision.

In sales, we do not have the luxury of sitting in a board room thinking of great marketing campaigns. We are out having normal conversations with people.

So how do we create that same effect? The effect where our customer can picture themselves using our products.

Sales people need to be great conversationalists. To be more specific, painters. Painters that use words as their paint, and the person on the other end of the conversation as the canvas.

Here are few ways to paint a picture.

Start with questions

Questions help to better understand the problems your customer may face. Thus, give you insight into possible solutions you can create. With this understanding, you now have the ability to create the solution.

The solution is your image.

Be descriptive

Use descriptive language to talk about your product, as well as the uses of your product. This means being specific, so the customer can follow what you are saying.

There is no room for misinterpretation.

Create a situation

Create a scenario in which the customer could use your product. Be a storyteller that can put the customer at the center of the situation, which the use of your product is necessary to come to a resolution.

Ask if there is a situation

If you have recently given a great pitch about all the great things your product will do, ask the customer if they can think of a use for your product. Bring the customer so far as to describe the scenario in which they would use the product.

Visualizing a situation and working through the use of something new can make a change or transition easier.

Do you picture yourself using products before purchasing?

Good luck and good selling!

Learning to Think Big and Act Small from Steve Jobs

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I admire Steve Jobs. He created a beautiful phone.

Mark Cuban had a vision of being rich.

I think Jack White is pretty cool too.

Steve Jobs, Mark Cuban, and Jack White all practice think big act small.

What all three of these people also do, is act small. They are great at their craft and built a solid foundation. None of them focus on what is realistic. There was a desire to push the boundaries and create things that were bigger than what had been previously done.

Building a foundation is important and here are some examples of how these three think big and act small:

Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs is unique, in that you can take things he has done and said, and apply them to so much. Most of all, Steve Jabs was a dreamer. He dreamt big and was not afraid to push the boundaries. Creating a computer, which has impacted the lives of so many, was not only something he wanted but strove to accomplish. There was never a sense of being realistic.

Steve Jobs also acted small. There was an inherent understanding that he needed to have a foundation to build on. He states in the Stanford commencement speech that there was a Calligraphy course he took at Reed College, which provided the necessary knowledge to create Fonts in the Apple Word Processor. This is a small act, which had a revolutionary impact on the events that followed.

Mark Cuban

As you read about Mark Cuban, his goal was to be rich. Mark Cuban wanted to hit it big, and he accomplished it. There was no small dreaming or being realistic. But looking back at how he got there, he followed the principles of thinking big and acting small.

Mark Cuban acted small when he first started in business by selling door to door. A skill that was the foundation for building his business. Also, through college he owned a small bar, which catered to the College crowd. Both of these provided the necessary skills to promote products, as well as run a business. So if the goal was to become rich, he ensured that he learned the core skills necessary to get him there.

Jack White

Jack White had big ideas for having a two piece band, which nobody was doing at the time. He even states that he had no idea whether it would work, but went for it anyways. His big thinking came to fruition in the form of The White Stripes.

In the case of the Jack White, acting small was having a strong foundation in the blues. Understanding where the style came from, how to play it, and as a result, having the ability to build upon it and make it his own. This provided the foundation for his big thinking.

As we reflect on the big thoughts and small acts of these three individuals; we have to ask, how are we thinking big and acting small?

Good luck and good selling!

The Secret? Diligent, Relentless Focus

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The Founder of Southwest Airlines, Herb Kelleher, was a focused business leader. Kelleher had a set of values, and every decision made aligned with those values. He maintained relentless focus to those values.

Kelleher states:

“I’ve always thought that having a simple set of values for a company was also a very efficient and expedient way to go. And I’ll tell you why. Because if somebody makes a proposal and it infringes on those values, you don’t study it for two years. You just say, “No, we don’t do that.” And you go on quickly. So I think that contributes to efficiency.”

We have access to more information, more options, and more things demanding our time, it makes it increasingly difficult to focus. The Nobel winning Economist Herbert Simon states:

“…a wealth of information creates a poverty of attention…”

When discussing focus, this does not mean we need to stop day dreaming. What this means, is looking at goals we want to accomplish, and having a relentless focus towards these goals.

Every activity has to move us towards those goals. Focus is a decision making process. Every decision we make either contributes to a goals success or it doesn’t.

Relentless Focus is Difficult

Focusing is difficult. Especially in a business environment which values multi-tasking. I do not think multi-tasking and focusing can be accomplished simultaneously. What I think needs to be valued, is the development of a plan and relentless execution of that plan.

Businesses receive goals. Goals come in the form of quarter projections, customers acquired, or percentage growth. If we apply focus, every activity we do should move us one step closer to achieving these goals.

We can increase our focus in three ways:

Make Focused Decisions

Use a set of goals or values to base all decisions. The list should not be longer than 3 – 5 goals. More than this and your focus can become diluted.

As you begin making decisions with your time and activities, you should seek opportunities which lead you closer to the 3 – 5 goals.

Say No

We hear a lot about saying no. Whether, from Steve Jobs or James Altucher, we can learn from those who have succeeded in saying no.

The goal is to say no to anything which does not align with the 3 – 5 goals we are focused on accomplishing.

Eliminate Distractions

Eliminate the customers which distract you from your goals. These are the customers that consume all your time and do not compensate you for the amount of time they require.

Eliminate the distracting leads, which means get to the qualifying stage fast. Moving on to the next customer is sometimes the fastest way to growth and more revenue.

A disciplined, relentless focus on the goals at hand is the secret to success.

Good luck and good selling!

Showing Up. That Is The Most Difficult Part.

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“Starting is the most difficult part.”

No, starting is not the most difficult part. Starting is slightly uncomfortable. The most difficult part is showing up day in and day out, for long periods of time.

How many projects have been started but not finished because they got difficult? Businesses started and abandoned? Sales cycles begun but not closed?

The most difficult part is putting in 10,000 hours. Showing up every day to get good at your craft. Whether you have plateaued or have become tired. Possibly you have lost motivation or become distracted.

Difficult is not showing up for the first day at a new job when the future seems bright. Difficult is coming into work 1 year, 2 years, or 10 years later wondering where you are going and what you are doing.

Becoming excellent is the hardest part.

Motivation for the most difficult part

This is the point where you need a little motivation. Something to help push through to the other side.

I turn to quotes and sayings, and here are a few that I find motivating. Quotes I have turned to for over 10 years.

———

“There Is Always More Left In The Tank”

It is amazing what the human body can endure. Physically and mentally. Mentally you will want to stop well before you have reached your limits. But physically you can go much longer.

This is the “2nd wind”. Where you find the small amount that is left in the tank. Push harder than you thought possible, and the results will be greater than you thought possible.

“If Your Not Early You Are Late”

Punctuality. Be early to meetings. Customers, colleagues, friends, may all be late, but that does not give you an excuse to be late. Be on time; better yet, be early.

“You Are What You Are When No One Is Looking”

Who are you when you are alone? Alone driving between meetings? Alone in your office? This defines who you will be in public, business, and life.

“TCB – Take Care Of Business”

At all costs, take care of the business at hand. Do what you showed up to do, and don’t be distracted.

If it is to close a deal, close a deal. Get a meeting, get a meeting. Take care of business.

“Success Comes In Cans Not In Cannot’s”

You cannot build a business or learn skills thinking they are impossible. Change your mindset to think about what you can do, rather than what you cannot do.

Good luck and good selling!

Please Stop Talking

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You don’t get rewarded in business by saying nothing. You have to sell yourself, your company, and then your product.

This results in thinking that talking will make a situation better. Close a sale. As if words mask our actions and cover up our flaws. I forgot to call a customer back, which I proceeded to tell a long winded story to explain why. The business relationship was always tense.

Please Stop Talking

If we’re rewarded for actions and not words, then there’s no need to say anything. You would not need to tell customers how great you are. You could show them and be rewarded with the business. So in my next meeting, I am not going to say anything. I will stop talking.

What if the power of the “Silver Tongue” stopped working, and we made decisions based on values and actions? On the quality of products?

We would no longer have to push someone to make a decision. Which we do so they will not see the flaws in our products, which manifest later when we are no longer around.

The reason we use the term “used car salesman” is they tend to be fast talkers. Selling us a subpar product that we will later regret. By making a quick, exciting moment, we let down our guard and make a bad decision.

Start Listening

We have all had a sales call or meeting which is one sided. Which, I am pretty sure has resulted in saying the wrong thing. So, please stop talking and start listening.

Deep down we know this is how you’re supposed to operate in a sales call, but there is always mixed messages. Simultaneously you are supposed to vomit all your products features and benefits, while also listening and understanding the customer’s needs.

I admit it, I have lost more than one sale because I had no idea when to keep quite. This is why I will stop talking and start doing. Start letting actions speak.

To talk less, do more, and increase business in the process, we need to get back to the basics.

Embrace the 80/20 rule.

When in a conversation, only speak 20% of the time. You cannot learn about a customer by talking, only by listening.

Do what you say you are going to do when you say you are going to do it.

When you do say something and say you are going to do something, do it. Let actions tell the customer why they should do business with you. Be reliable.

Understand the problems.

Understand the problems your customer faces. Provide creative and valuable solutions your competitors cannot offer. Show that you understand the needs and can provide value.

Follow up with the customer.

Follow up with the customer. Be the person that follows up and shows up regularly. The consistency makes you reliable.

Lastly, talk is cheap, so show me. And please stop talking.