What Hollywood Blockbusters Taught Me About Selling

Great movies intrigue me and not just because they are entertaining to watch. The best movies can teach you a lot about selling and how to improve your sales results. Here are five sales lessons learned from Hollywood blockbusters.

They capture your attention—FAST.
The best movies manage to capture your attention right away. They don’t waste time identifying the key characters and the problem or situation. They get right into the plot. I’m constantly amazed how much information can be delivered in a few short scenes. In many cases, a tremendous amount of background is relayed during the opening credits. A variety of approaches are used including; newspaper clippings, images, flashbacks, etc. In other scenes, the character may receive a phone call, stare at a photograph or have a quick flashback. Regardless of the approach, the best movies grab your attention immediately.

Sales application: When you meet with a prospect or customer, build immediate interest by describing their current situation and identifying the potential pain they might be experiencing.

They cast the right people.
Most movies have dozens of characters and actors are carefully considered for each role. Although some actors have the ability to deliver a wide range of roles, you don’t see many action heroes sporting a beer belly or someone like Gerard Butler playing a wimpy, needy character.

Sales application: If you sell a complex solution and rely on other people in your company to present and meet with your prospect, you should consider each person’s role. Although engineers are highly adept in their chosen area of expertise, very few possess the ability to effectively present the solution. If you need an engineer present, then you should invest time coaching that person to ensure they deliver the best presentation possible.

The characters are memorable.
While we love to root for the good guy or underdog, the main character in many blockbuster films is a villain or bad guy. However, there is usually something about them that makes us like that person or empathize with their situation. A few years ago, I studied fiction writing and discovered that the best characters have personal flaws. However, those flaws make the character easier to relate to, and as a result, we remember them.

Sales application: Look for ways to stand out from the crowd and become memorable (in a positive manner). I once attended a conference with several hundred executives. Dress code was stated as business casual so I wore dress pants and a shirt and tie. To my chagrin, I was the ONLY person NOT wearing a suit. I stood out, but not for the reason I intended.

The actors deliver a flawless performance.
You can argue that actors have the luxury of retakes but the fact remains that they still rehearse their lines and scenes BEFORE stepping on front of the camera. They know the importance of making sure that their performance is the best that it can be.

Sales application: Make the time to practise your presentations before meeting with a prospect or customer. It sounds like an elementary concept but too many sales people shoot from the hip or wing it and this mistake can be fatal.

The movie is carefully edited.
Countless hours of editing are completed before the movie released. The director makes sure that every sequence flows properly into the next. Unlike many sales presentations, they don’t wing it and hope for the best. They carefully review every single piece of film and determine what is absolutely necessary. They discard scenes that don’t add to the movies plot and story line.

Sales application: Carefully consider what is essential to cover in your presentation. Ask yourself; “What information MUST be included and what information would be nice to have?”

Sales professionals can learn a lot about selling from a Hollywood blockbuster. The next time you watch a great movie think about the sales lessons you can learn from it. Then go out and apply those lessons to your business.

6 Ways to Get a Great ROI from Sales Training

Yesterday, I wrote a post about the impact poor sales training can have on your sales team and on your company. However, hiring the right trainer or training company can be complicated. There are hundreds of sales trainers who claim to have the magic answer and quick-fix solution. Finding the right program, the right trainer, or the best company is complex. My goal in this article is to help you make the best choice.

To achieve a high return on your investment, it is essential to ask yourself the following questions.

1. Are all of your sales people properly suited for their position? Some of the organizations I have worked with expect their team to make cold calls but the sales people lack the aptitude to do this. You can’t simply hire someone, throw a phone book at them and expect them to succeed. You can hire a hunter but if your rep is expected to manage and nurture accounts, they probably won’t perform to your expectations because hunters and farmers have two completely different belief systems towards selling.

An approach that is extremely effective is to use sales assessments. Assessments can help you—and the training company—determine what type of training is needed. I have worked with companies whose sales team was not suited for sales and have cautioned my client that sales training may not be effective. There are many assessment tools available to you and they range in price so it is important to determine exactly what you want the assessment to achieve.

2. Have you determined exactly what outcome you want from the training? Put aside your desire to improve sales result for a minute and think about the key changes in behavior you want to see your team make. The best training companies will ask you what you what you want to accomplish. They will ask you tough, probing questions that will help them determine whether or not they can actually help you achieve your goals. Trainers with integrity will tell if you if they cannot help you and recommend someone in their network who can.

3. Are you prepared to put forth the effort to help your team integrate the principles into their routine? If not, you are wasting your money. A few of your reps will make a serious effort to apply the concepts from the training into their routine. Another group won’t change a thing and will return to work and use the same tired approaches they always did. And the group in the middle (the majority) will attempt to incorporate some of the concepts from the program. However, they won’t see instant results so they often revert back to their previous behavior. Effective training is NOT an event. You can’t expect great results from a two or three hour training programs.

4. Does the trainer know how to help your team integrate the concepts from a program into their routine? Do they know how to apply adult learning methodologies? Do they use role plays, exercises, and demonstration to show how the principles work in the real world? Or, do they simply say, “Here’s what you need to do?”

5. Does the training company have experience in your industry? Although specific industry experience should not be deal killer, the trainer must be willing to invest time learning enough about your business so they can present intelligently and speak in terms that your team can relate to.

6. Are you prepared to invest in ongoing training? This can include coaching (one-on-one or group). It can include a series of webinars, conference calls, or subsequent face-to-face sessions. The best training companies are well prepared to help your team incorporate the concepts from the workshop into their daily routine.

Sales training can be extremely valuable when, and if, it is properly executed. Consider these questions before your next sales training program and you will experience a much better return on your sales training investment.

Is Sales Training Putting Your Team at Risk?

This past Saturday night I was enjoying a cigar with a long-time friend and a few of his buddies. Tyler has been an active scuba diver for many years and has completed over 5000 dives to depths of several hundred feet. He now spends most of his summer teaching advanced dive courses and taking divers onto a variety of wrecks around the world. During the conversation, he and his friends discussed the importance of dive safety and the dangers of diving with unqualified instructors. Everyone involved in the conversation noted that they all knew someone who suffered serious injuries because they dived with, or took lessons from, an unqualified diver.

At one point during the conversation I piped up and noted that virtually every industry has unqualified people teaching others. Tyler was quick to say, “Yes, but if you make a mistake in another profession you're not putting someone's life at risk.”

My friend’s point was well taken and it got me thinking about the implications of poor sales training.

Poor sales training puts your team—and your company—at risk because it seldom addresses the key issues that prevent you from achieving your sales goals. Ineffective sales training puts your job at risk because it fails to deliver results. Poor sales training puts your company at risk because your team may attempt to use strategies that are inconsistent with your corporate values. I have worked with organizations’ who hire trainers to teach their sales staff how to sell with integrity but their managers pound their fist on their desk and demand, “Do whatever it takes to close the deal!”

Many companies give their team product training which is vital. However, product training does not help your team improve their actual selling skills. It doesn’t teach them how to break into new accounts. It does not teach them how to identify new sales opportunities with new prospects or existing customers. It fails to explain what questions to ask and how and when to ask those questions. It doesn’t show them how to create and deliver a successful sales presentation. It doesn’t teach them how to deal with different personalities. And it does not help learn how to move the sales process forward.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe that product training is critical. But, by itself, it is seldom sufficient.

There are as many sales methodologies as there are sales trainers. Many of the approaches are extremely effective—for certain types of sales environments. Other sales speakers and trainers know how to sell but lack the ability to help sales teams actually integrate the concepts into their routine.

Unfortunately, many companies fail to do due diligence before hiring someone to train their sales staff. Just because someone is a top sales person does not mean that they will be able to effectively train a sales team.

Asking one your top performers to stand at the front of a meeting room and tell other reps what needs to be done rarely achieves lasting results because without knowing how to transfer that information into practical application your reps will seldom change their behavior. This is why it is important to use a qualified trainer. Someone who not only knows how to sell but who also knows how to help your team

Part of the problem is that many companies think that sales training is an event. They bring in a sales expert to conduct a program (from a one hour keynote to a multi-day workshop) and mistakenly believe that their team will automatically apply the concepts in their day-to-day routine. However, these companies seldom invest in a program that is comprehensive enough to affect their results on a long-term basis. It is simply a line item that needs to be checked off each year and they fail to give it the serious consideration it deserves.

Don’t put your sales team, your company or your job at risk by providing inadequate sales training. Invest in the right type of training for your particular company and hire the right person for the job.

Tomorrow I will outline several strategies you can implement that will help you get the most from your training dollar and positively impact your top and bottom numbers.

How to Sell to C-Level Executives

I recently attended a webinar with guest speaker was Jeffrey Hayzlett, former Chief Marketing Office of Kodak. During the webinar, Hayzlett shared key insights to improve your results when selling to corporate executives. What intrigued me about this webinar is that the strategies came directly from a C-level executive. Here are the insights he shared.

Stalk them (professionally). Most sales people make a few attempts to connect with CXO’s. However, because these individuals are exceptionally busy (Hayzlett used to receive 2000 requests every month), making two or three calls followed by an email or two is simply not enough. You need to be extremely persistent and you need to use a variety of approaches to capture their attention. Hayzlett mentioned that he often directed his team to say no to everyone and then wait to see who took the initiative to make contact.

Stalking an executive means following them on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Get to know them. Read their postings. See what books they read. Gain an understanding of their philosophies, problems, values, and priorities. The younger the executive, the more active they will likely be on social media which gives you a great opportunity to connect with them if, and only if, you approach them properly.

He also suggested that many CXO’s prefer email and text messaging versus telephone. He also stressed the importance of keeping your pitch short enough to fit on the screen of a BlackBerry or Smartphone. Long rambling messages will be ignored or deleted. CXO’s receive hundreds of emails every day so yours needs to stand out.

The key to this approach is to demonstrate the value you can add to their company in every contact. Clip articles from business publications like Fortune magazine or the Wall Street Journal and attach a note stating, “I read this and immediately thought of you.” Send them a book and flag a page on which you highlighted one or two paragraphs. Send them a text message with a link to an article that will help them improve their business.

Develop a 118 elevator pitch. Hayzlett stated that the average elevator ride in a metropolitan city is 118 seconds. He suggested that you have 8 seconds to gain the other person’s attention and an additional 110 seconds to sell them. Here is what means for you.

You need to present an intriguing value proposition and deliver it in eight seconds or less. Then, you need to articulate the value of your product or service in the remaining 110 seconds. This does not mean telling the executive the merits of your product or telling them everything about your solution. It means creating a presentation that compels that person to continue a conversation with you.

Develop and work your network. CXO’s are more likely to meet with someone when they are referred by a trusted colleague. You need to work hard at cultivating a network of people who may have access to that particular prospect. This means developing and nurturing relationships with anyone and everyone who might be able to connect you with that individual.

Networking also means attending functions that your C-prospect attends. Many executives are more relaxed and have more time to talk about business solutions during these types of functions. Refine your 118 elevator pitch and be prepared to deliver it when the opportunity presents itself.

Sell the executive assistant (EA). These individuals often determine whether or not you meet their boss and they have a lot at stake. If the EA fits you into the executive’s calendar and you blow the meeting, the executive will go back to the EA and question why they gave that sales person the opportunity to meet with the executive. When you leave a voice mail message for a CXO it is highly likely that the EA will listen to the message and determine whether or not it makes sense to save it for their boss. That means that you need to treat the EA with dignity and respect and work under the assumption that they ARE the decision maker.

Be specific. Hayzlett said that he would often grill a salesperson on the results they claimed their solution would achieve. If they were unable to clearly state specific results or ROI (return on investment) they would not be given the opportunity to continue their presentation.

Be direct. Most C-level executives are drivers or Type-A personalities. That means you need to be direct and results-focused. You need to develop a thick skin and resist the temptation to dance or skirt around issues or direct questions. While this sounds simple, for the vast majority of sales people, it is extremely difficult to apply.

Connecting with C-level executives is challenging. It requires hard work, determination, and lots of effort. However, it is not impossible. Do your work, approach them properly and improve your results.

Don't Be Stupid Like Me!

It has often been said that mistakes are the best learning opportunities. If that’s the case, then I encountered a HUGE learning opportunity yesterday.

I was delivering a two-hour workshop to a group of 16 people seeking employment and I had brought along a few of my books to sell like I usually do for programs of this nature. At the end of the workshop I gave my pitch to encourage people to buy some books. Here’s what it sounded like:

“I have a few resources available for you. I have copies of each of my two books as well as two other books. One is one personal marketing skills and the other is about communication for leaders.”

Pretty lame, huh?

I don’t think I could have botched that presentation any more if I had tried. That was evident because no one gave my books a second glance as they exited the meeting room. I packed up and returned to my office with the same number of books I had left with earlier that day.

Part of the reason (I know, I’m trying to rationalize my behaviour now) is that I have delivered that particular workshop at least 20 or 25 times in the last several years so I don’t need to plan the program content or rehearse the delivery. My workshops are free-flowing and I encourage lots of participation and questions from attendees. However, because I don’t always sell books after my programs (many companies include them for participants), my sales pitch was rusty.

The other factor is that I was self-conscious about time because we had run a few minutes beyond our scheduled time and I was trying to race through the last concept or two. So, I raced through my sales presentation and failed to do it justice.

I admit that I have never been fully comfortable hawking products from the front of the room, probably because I have seen too many speakers spend more time selling their stuff than delivering great content. However, I have generated substantial back-of-room sales at many events and it has always been because I rehearsed my sales script numerous times before the actual presentation. Unfortunately, I forgot about the practice component yesterday.

Here are the two sales lessons that smacked me in face like a construction worker swinging a two-by-four or a three-pound hammer.

1. Don’t take your sales presentation for granted. Even a small sale deserves—and needs—a good presentation. If you are delivering a presentation that you haven’t done in a while make sure you invest the time to rehearse beforehand. A few minutes of rehearsal time can make a significant impact on the effectiveness of your presentation. Prospects and customers judge everything you do and if your presentation is not finely-tuned, you could lose business to a competitor who is better prepared.

2. Control the time. I have seen many sales presentations run beyond their scheduled length. It is up to the presenter (or sales person) to monitor the time and make sure that they control the presentation to ensure that they don’t run out of time. Before you meet with a client or a prospect, confirm how much they have allotted and plan your presentation so that you finish early. I have never heard a customer say, “Gee, that presentation was shorter than we expected. Can you add some more stuff?” It is more likely they will think, “Hey, the presentation finished early which means I can catch up on some other work.”


Okay, now that I have shared this humbling experience, it’s time to run and practice a sales presentation that I’m delivering to a prospect tomorrow. I have been allotted 45 minutes and my goal is to finish in 30 minutes.

Do Acknowledgements Matter?

I’ll be the first to admit that it took me a while to jump on the social media train. I first created a profile on LinkedIn sometime in 2008 and several months later followed suit on Facebook. Then, in late 2009, I signed up to Twitter. At first I spent more time following people and learning “twitter etiquette.” I eventually started posting tweets and invested time retweeting posts I thought were valuable to the few followers I had. Eight months later I’m still trying to figure things out.

When I first joined Twitter, I noticed a lot of people thanking others who retweeted someone’s post. I thought to myself, “That’s cool” because I have always been an advocate of providing positive feedback to people. I have always felt that praise and acknowledgement is a powerful tool to motivate employees and one that is under-utilized in the corporate world.

However, more recently, I have noticed a serious decline in acknowledgements on Twitter. Fewer people seem inclined to thank followers for RT’ing their post and this got me wondering, “Does it matter if you thank someone for retweeting a post or an URL to their blog article?”

I certainly recognize that people who have ten of thousands of followers can’t acknowledge every person who retweets a post. However, I have noticed that some people consistently thank individuals for their RT’s even though they have amassed a huge following while others never acknowledge this action.

The same concept hold true when someone posts a comment on your blog. Some bloggers take the time to acknowledge those comments, which to me, is admirable especially when them get dozens of comments from readers. I strongly believe that this approach helps them engage readers while creating loyalty.

Personally, I think it is very important to acknowledge people who take the time to RT a post or comment on a blog posting. To me, it is just common courtesy and a sign of a respect. And, although somepeople would argue otherwise, it doesn’t matter whether you do it publicly or via direct message.

What about you? Do think it is important to acknowledge someone who takes the time to retweet one of your posts? I’d enjoy hearing your perspective.

The Power of One

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One is a very small number. However, it can have a tremendous impact on your sales. Here are 16 single-action strategies that can help you improve your sales results.