You Absolutely CAN Be A Rock Star

“Send Me Your Information” Stall or Opportunity?

by Paul Castain on May 21, 2013


Most sales reps consider the old “Send me your information” line as a stall or perhaps a substitute for “I’m really not interested”.

I know many of you will push back for various reasons.

Here are a few of them with my thoughts.

“Why should I go through the effort when I don’t even know they’re serious? If they can’t spend the time to talk with me, why should I spend the time sending the information?”

First of all, what time? Do you have to personally sit at the designer’s table to create something to send then travel cross country to the nearest printing press? For the most part, we’re talking about popping something in an envelope with a handwritten note or sending something as an attachment. I know, we’re talking hours and hours to do that but . . .

“Why should I go through that when I don’t even know they’re serious?”

I feel I need to remind you that you called them. That doesn’t mean that you have to pucker up and become one with both their Gluteus and their Maximus, but I do believe it means that THEY have the right to wonder if you’re serious and if your company is legit. Perhaps the “send me some information” test gives them an opportunity to step back and assess YOU. I know, radical stuff here!

Maybe it’s a quick way of eliminating the people who never do what they say they’re going to do and or follow up. People (especially sales people) always do what they say they’re going to do, right?

I like to think about it that way for one simple reason . . .Most sales people will either flat out refuse to send the information or conveniently forget and set a reminder to call back some time in the future.

We need to understand a few things about those on the receiving end of our phone call.

Unless they were sitting around, playing with the dinger on their cash register, with nothing to do, we’re interrupting them while they were trying to do something else. In doing that, we now have someone talking with us who was focused on another task. They are assessing us inside of 30 seconds maximum with a first tier assessment happening somewhere within the first 10 seconds. Unless they immediately see the value in spending additional time with you, they will default to a flat out “No” or some “auto eject” to get you off their phone as quickly as possible.

In some ways it’s a safety mechanism to allow them to step back so they don’t make a rash decision. In other ways they are simply protecting their most valuable commodity; their time!

So what’s an aspiring sales rock star to do?

1)    Tape your end of your phone calls to get a good read on what you might be saying that’s causing your objections. Sometimes we focus too much on cute comebacks that we fail to see that the objection/stall is actually a symptom of a much bigger challenge.

2)    Use the landscape to your advantage. When someone asks you to send information, instead of pushing back, say the following “I’d be happy to do that (name) and just so I send information that’s most meaningful to you, let me ask you (insert 2-3 kick ass questions here). Now you’re getting answers instead of a blow off, you are engaging in a discussion instead of a pitch and then at the end of it, you can always circle back with a “(name) Why don’t we just get together anyway, I have some ideas along those lines that isn’t included in our standard company info.” My experience has been that it’s harder for them to say no after they just spent some time going through 2-3 questions. It’s also a means for you to assess how serious they are in a much more thorough way than basing on a simple request for you to send your information.

3)    Get Creative: If the answer is still “Send me some information” and you feel they are worth a few minutes of your time, go to YouTube and record a quick 1-2 minute video where you talk them through a few bulleted items. Call them by name, make it personal and lose all that corporate crap marketing tells you to include. Pretend you are sitting at the kitchen table with them having a cup of coffee and simply speak to them. You can mark the video as private so only the recipients of the link can see it.

Pop Quiz: How many of those videos do you think they’ve received. Gold star and smiley face on your paper if you said “Nada” (which is Spanish for zilch)

I’ll leave you with a silly thought . . .

Lot’s of people claim to be different and are quick to mention that they out service their competitors. I have a shocker for you . . . Everyone says that but;

Not too many people are willing to demonstrate that on the front end.

Just for the record . . .

We don’t have to like sending information but flat out refusing or “yessing” only to blow it off is a missed opportunity.

Perhaps it’s time for different question . . .

In what ways can we leverage “send me some information”

Ask this question of yourself, ask your co workers, ask it in a LinkedIn discussion and Sales Managers . . . ask this question in your next sales meeting.

Your turn . . .

In what ways can you leverage “send me some information”?

Please share your thoughts!

FYI . . .

A few months back I asked our Sales Playbook community where I should host a two day public training event and when. The results leaned heavily in favor of Chicago in September so . . .

Please stay tuned for an announcement for a 2 day training event on September 24th and 25th in Chicago.

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11 Ways To Maximize Your LinkedIn Experience

by Paul Castain on May 15, 2013

1)    Invitation Templates . . . don’t use them! You’re better than that! Nothing says “I couldn’t be bothered taking 10 seconds to write you a personal message” more than those boring templates. Want to stand out? Don’t do what everyone else is doing.

2)    Avoid “IDK’s” “IDK” stands for “I don’t know” When someone hits that, in response to your invite,  you get on Linkedin’s watch list. Get enough of them and they ship you off to the Gulag. Not quite, but they do get pissed and send you a snotgram warning you that  if it continues you lose your ability to invite people to your network. Here’s how you limit the probability of an “IDK”  First, don’t send that crappy templated invite I mentioned above. Next, put this amazing line in your invite: “Should you chose not to connect, no worries, simply ignore this message instead of selecting that dreaded I don’t know button”

3)    Don’t just accept invites . . . respond to them! A simple “I would be honored to connect with you Paul and appreciate the invite” helps you to stand out from all those who simply leave it at accepting. This is all about connecting. Let’s make a note to keep that philosophy front and center!

Note: When I accept an invite, I also include links to the other social networks where we can connect. Why? For starters, they might not be that active on LinkedIn but really active on another network. Why limit possibilities? Also, in any relationship there’s more than one place where you hang out together. I might see a completely different side of someone on Twitter or Facebook than I would see if I limited things to just LinkedIn. They also get to see different sides of me too! For a copy of the letter I send, email me paul@yoursalesplaybook.com

4)    Status Updates: Use them! Make sure you stay on your network’s radar screen by updating daily. Do include a helpful tip, an inspiring quote, a link to a useful article, something funny etc. Oh, and make sure it isn’t always a “me” centered comment . . . that tends to get old fast!

5)    Your Network’s Status Updates: Everyone has a story and wants to be heard. With business moving at the speed of light, our own individuality is often “lost in the sauce” Your network’s status updates are a golden opportunity for you to acknowledge and validate others.

Note: Connect with recruiters and share the jobs they post in your status update. I’m sure there’s someone in your network who’d really appreciate that!

6)    Take on a “Go Giver” mentality. Be willing to give, upfront and without keeping a scorecard. You can accomplish this by taking on the role of “matchmaker” and introducing people within your network. Give your advice freely, offer resources, mention cool books, websites, etc. I guarantee you that when you help enough other people, there is a natural tendency for them to want to help you in return.

Note: My first status update, each day is a simple “Good morning! How can I help someone today?” I’ll let you in on a little secret, it’s not just an invitation for others to ask me for help, it’s a reminder I have in place to keep me focused on serving and not selling!

7)    Join The Right Groups!

There are 5 types of groups that I recommend

-       Industry Groups (don’t over indulge) . Always good to know what’s going on, perhaps you want to bounce things off of peers etc. Just know that at times, this can be like that familiar face you cling to at a networking event. It’s safe and can become a convenient excuse for you not to branch out. Don’t spend all your time here!

-       Vertical Groups. A Vertical Group is an industry that you are targeting. For example: If I am targeting IT, I would want to join a group from that industry.  Doing so helps me spot the “hot topics”, learn the lingo, identify influencers, spot potential “triggers” that I can leverage to secure an appointment/make a sale etc.

-       Local Groups & Groups In Areas You Want To Build Up. For example, I live in NY so it would probably make sense that I belong to a few local groups. At the same time, I travel quite a bit to Houston, hence my membership in the InHouston group. Easy enough!

-       Professional Groups That Help You Hone Your Craft. As an aspiring sales rock star I belong to numerous sales groups, my recruiter friends belong to recruiting and HR related groups. Make sure you surround yourself with other professionals in your chosen line of work! Just be careful that you don’t spend all your time there.

-       Parallel Groups: These are groups that share the same target audience as you but are in different industries. Example:  I own a sales training business, so I network with recruiters who place high level senior sales leaders. I benefit from this because now I have a newly anointed sales maverick who is typically open to a new training initiative. My recruiter friends benefit because I know sales leaders who need talented sales rock stars. You can do the same in building your network through the various parallel groups!

Note: If you’d like to know how you can utilize LinkedIn groups to sell more, click here for a free, prerecorded sales lesson. You’re welcome.

8)    Participate! Can’t hear me? Let me say that one louder PARTICIPATE! Oh, and just for the heck of it, participate! If all you are going to do is show up, collect connections and sit on the sidelines, please quit now! You will fail and write Linkedin off as a huge waste in the process! You need to participate in group discussions. Add your 2 cents, start a discussion of your own. Doing so makes you visible and helps you stand out from the masses. You will learn a thing or two and get this . . . meet people who like the way you think!

9)    Understand that the key to “Social Networking” is to be (get this) SOCIAL. To do this you have to be willing to do more than collect connections. You need to validate others, comment, share and most of all interact and not broadcast and spew “stuff” all the time.

Super Important: Run away (really fast) from anyone who tells you this is about building a massive network! It isn’t! It’s about interacting with your network. Now if you can do both . . . more power to ya dude. I’ll take “connecting” over “collecting” any day and so far my accountant agrees!

10) Move Your Connections Off The Computer Screen To Real Time! Having 2,000 connections is absolutely meaningless . . . until you do something with them! Make it your mission to connect “live” with at least 3 people each week from your network. I offer step, by step details in this free report.

11)  Repeat After Me . . . Patience! Linkedin should not be embraced as a short term strategy. Think I’m kidding? Disagree with me? Watch how fast you’ll think Linkedin sucks when you try to rush something that experts call “Trust”. That’s what this is really about. Its not just about my network and your network. Its not just the old, “it’s not who you know, it’s who knows you”. Its about creating enough trust to move to a next step. When does that happen? The answer is simple, it happens when it happens. Patience grasshopper!

So there you have it. 11 of the simplest, easiest things to apply to make your Linkedin experience more productive!

I help individuals and organizations sell more. Click here to learn how!

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Leveraging LinkedIn Groups As A Social Selling Tool

by Paul Castain on May 12, 2013

Download this episode (right click and save)

Everyone and their mother (they actually bring their mother with them) tells you to join LinkedIn and get involved.

They tell you that its a great opportunity to build your brand and ultimately increase sales but . . .

If you’re like me you’re really appreciate it if someone actually told you HOW!

Today, we’re going to talk about how you can utilize LinkedIn groups to help your sales efforts.

Here’s What You’ll Gain By Listening Today . . .

How to utilize LinkedIn groups to help you with your Meticulous Pre Call Planning

The types of LinkedIn groups you must join and a huge mistake you need to avoid when joining groups.

Note: I realized after I recorded the podcast that I left out two very important types of groups. I’m not going to rerecord or edit my podcast as it’s something I insist on doing in 1 take only. Watch for a blog post on this topic later this week.

The triggers you need to listen for within the groups.

A hidden gem inside the groups that most of your competitors will miss completely.

One really cool reason why everyone who leads a sales team will want to stop by sales groups on LinkedIn.

How you can create content from LinkedIn groups that will help position you as an expert.

How LinkedIn groups play into how buyers are buying.

How you can use these groups to stand out and even gather competitive intelligence.

A cool trick that will save you a considerable amount of money

How you can transition from group to a live (as in not dead) chat with your prospect.

I also talk about why you might want to start your own group (even outside of LinkedIn)

Additional Resources To Support Today’s Podcast . . .

1)    I mention our Sales Playbook group on LinkedIn, please click here to join us!

2)    For those of you in the printing industry, I mention a really cool group called Printing Sales Professionals click here to join.

3) For those of you who would like to learn 15 Ways To Facilitate A LinkedIn discussion, click here for a way cool freebie.

4) Here’s a 17 page report on how you can generate at least 3 more phone appointments each week . . . by utilizing LinkedIn!

5) If by chance you want to splurge and invest a whopping $19.99 in yourself, here’s an 80 page social networking playbook I authored.

6) At the end of the podcast, I mentioned a special link for you to click to help us spread the word about The Sales Playbook Podcast. Could you hook a Jedi up and by clicking here?

If you’ve been loving, what you’ve been hearing on The Sales Playbook podcast, please stop by iTunes, leave us a 5 star rating and a review . . . You’d make this aspiring sales rock star’s day!

Instructions on how to write a review on iTunes:

Step 1  Click on this link

Step 2 Look to the left and there’s a button that says “view in iTunes” click it.

Step 3 Scroll down to where it says “customer reviews” Directly under that it says       “write a review”

Step 4 Write an awesome review for your Uncle Paul

Download this episode (right click and save)


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A Close Call With My Son

by Paul Castain on May 10, 2013

I was  rushing to get things done so I could have lunch with my son when I received a phone call that no parent wants to get.

My son was involved in an accident.

Nobody was hurt and only minor scratches on both cars.

He was lucky but I couldn’t help but think things could have turned out differently.

I’m going to get a bit warm and fuzzy so please forgive me.

I tell my wife and kids that I love them at the end of most interactions.

I know (from some unfortunate life experiences) that the last time we see or speak to each other will most probably not be a scheduled event or on a time table that makes sense for all parties.

I just need to know that I savored our time together and told them how I feel about them.

On a related note . . .

I had been a tad annoyed with a business matter shortly before this happened.

Kind of made the business matter look like baby sh*t along side of this. :)

Peace!

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The Funny Thing About Google Glass

by Paul Castain on May 9, 2013

As many of you know, Google has a cool product it’s launching called “Google Glass” and it’s really funny.

Not to me but to several people in the media and people in general who are making fun of it.

But that’s not the really funny part . . .

Most innovative ideas go through the same thing . . .

I can visualize some dude on a horse thinking about a car as ridiculous.

Do you think the idea of flying or even traveling to space could have been viewed as nutty? Who snuck a joint into that brainstorming session?

How about the idea of a computer company taking on a behemoth like IBM and moving computers into our home?

I bet people had a great laugh when some smart ass came along and disrupted the way we purchased music from a store bought CD to a downloadable MP3 huh? Fruitcakes!

And yet, we don’t remember the ridicule . . . we eventually praise the innovation!

Even still I look at the idea of Google Glass differently.

I have no idea if this will catch on but I do applaud the industrial size balls Google is sporting by doing this.

The fact of the matter is that most of us end up going to our grave with our music still in our head; all because we were afraid of how the world might react.

Maybe You Should Try This Instead . . .

Make a note to give a sh*t what everyone else thinks and sing your song already!

You can do this by speaking up in a meeting

Suggesting that idea you’ve been afraid to share

Showing a customer or prospect another way

Launching that business

Embracing something you’re passionate about but haven’t had the guts to try

I’ll let you in on a little secret . . .

The feeling I experienced when I was afraid to sing my song (launch my second business) was far greater than the feeling of defeat I experienced when I was booed off the stage with my first business.

I’m here to tell you that most people won’t remember the “getting booed off the stage” part but . . .

You’ll carry that “I wish I could have or Maybe I should have” stuff with you for the rest of your life.

One more thing . . .

If you ever decide to get intimate with someone sporting a pair of Google Glasses . . . tell them to leave the glasses on the nightstand.

You’re welcome!

Your turn . . .

What are your thoughts on Google Glass or just having the guts to offer something different?

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