Michael Port is the author of six books and a New York Times best-selling author. The Boston Globe commented, “He is an uncommonly honest author.” He has been called a marketing guru by the Wall Street Journal and a sales guru by The Financial Times. His seventh book, Steal the Show, is due this fall.
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“Book Yourself Solid” Sales System
- What is the most important thing you can share about pricing?
- People buy to express their values.
- If you look at the sum of what we purchase, you get a clear picture of who we are.
- Your price is about the buyer, not you or your services.
- It is about how the purchase of the product or service makes them feel about themselves.
- It gives them an opportunity to express their values, what they want other people to recognize.
- What is the Book Yourself Solid sales system?
- Book Yourself Solid outlines a simple sales system.
- Marketing is not what gets you business; it just gets people aware of you.
- What you do after someone becomes aware of you is what books the business.
- Sales offers should be proportionate to the amount of trust you have earned.
- If you have the sales conversation at the right time, it is easier to book business.
- If you design your sales system properly, you will have no problem making the sale.
- The 4-part sales system asks these questions:
- What does your customer want to achieve?
- Why does the customer want to achieve it?
- Does the customer want help to achieve the goal?
- Would you like me to help you, because you are my ideal customer?
- If the customer finds you, should you assume they want your help?
- There is an implication that they want you if they have sought you out.
- However, it is a good idea to ask them to articulate and confirm it to avoid tire kickers.
- You want to get an intentional yes from the customer.
- If you focus on the customer, you do not have to prove that you can do the work.
- Customers want to know what you stand for and what your philosophy to make a buying decision.
- Control how you are known in the world.
- In Part 3 are you asking, “Is this a problem you want to solve right now?”
- Yes, and it is probably a concept with which people are more familiarity.
- Having different ways to process information helps the audience understand it better.
- Every person should use their own language to convey meaning.
- Having structure gives you a process to follow, without needing a script.
- Understand how the process works, and then determine how it works for the individual.
- Being process-oriented helps you understand the big picture to fill in between the lines.
- Understand how things work from a basic standpoint; then you can geek out on the details.
Improvisation As a Sales Skill
- Why is improvisation an important sales skill?
- If you sell something, things you do not expect are going to happen.
- You need to be able to manage the situation, in the moment.
- The structure allows you to improvise.
- Improvisational comedy structure is based around the concept of “yes, and….”
- Rehearse to prevent being nervous.
- The better prepared you are, the easier it is to improvise.
- You can be free and more authentic if you know the structure well.
- It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link of the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. – Winston Churchill
- Build a strong chain, one link at a time. Then you can have a successful sales conversation.
- Learn how to read what your customer is and is not saying to adapt your conversation.
- The most effective salespeople have sophisticated social intelligence.
- Social intelligence is a skill that you can learn.
- What is the role of emotional and social IQ in sales?
- Emotional IQ is being able to manage yourself and your feelings.
- Social IQ is being able to manage other people‘s feelings in certain situations.
- The way we show up tells the world something about us.
- Be aware of how other people see you.
- Salespeople can get too caught up in trying to make things happen.
- Being self-aware is the first and most important ingredient in self-expression.
- The sales process is artistic, not scientific.
- You can measure what improves conversion online, but it is harder to do so face-to-face.
Learn From Your Pricing Mistakes
- What is one of the biggest pricing mistakes you have made?
- The biggest general mistake was believing that his customers bought based on price.
- He doubled the price for 6 months as a test and had the exact same number of people sign up.
- Another mistake was just following what other people did.
- He offered 3 options for virtual training and figured everyone would go with the second choice because of framing (and they did).
- They ran the program again and just increased all the prices except the most expensive.
- Almost everyone went with the most expensive option the second time, even though the price was the same as before.
- What is one of your best stories about creating value for a customer?
- His master class on public speaking and performance attracts a wide range of people.
- Every now and then, someone comes to feel more confident in themselves.
- A female CPA, Lori, came to one of the events. She was meek, small and shy.
- She just wanted to find her voice – not give speeches.
- She walked to the front quietly with notecards and she started speaking.
- He took away her notecards and he asked her to tell her story.
- Her mother once slapped her and told her “no one wants to hear from you”. It stayed with her for 40 years.
- Lori now helps others find their voices.
About Michael Port
- Website: StealTheShow.com
- Twitter: @MichaelPort
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