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Elevator ButtonsIn the Sales Babble website not only are podcasts published but  blog posts are released weekly on Thursdays. Two recent  posts are of note since they reflect the essence of the Tao Te Ching of Sales.

Four Ways To Stay Ahead of the Competition was published last week on Sales Babble and is a reflection of the Competition is Not Your Enemy posting in September 2013.

“There is no greater illusion than fear,
no greater wrong than preparing to defend yourself,
no greater misfortune than making an enemy of your competition.”

What The Sport Of Fishing Can Teach Sales Professionals is based on the post Fishing For Buyers of November 2013.

“The wise fisherman
Knows they can’t bully the fish to bite.
It takes patience to lure them in.”

In both cases,  the lyricism of the Tao maybe a bit dense for the casual reader.  But the  message is no less relevant to the sales professional and non-seller seller today.   Sales,  as it’s been touted in the past,  is a story that is no longer true.  Pushy bullying no longer works. Timeless sales, as prescribed by this forum, is  focused on the client;  listening for the desires, pains and emotions to discover their true needs. And if this focus is true, the competition takes care of itself.  You will know that the competition is  not the barrier between you and success, but instead you’re the barrier.  Your abilities make or break success. You serving the prospect, client and customer.

If you liked this subscribe to Sales Babble here and leave a voicemail message for the podcast, right on the home page. Do it now!

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Open To Using a Map

John sailing the SnarkThe Master Seller
doesn’t teach sales
as much as show sales

When the seller think they know all the answers
the are difficult to guide
When they know they are in uncharted waters
they are open to a map.

If you desire to become a Master Seller
avoid being a know it all
Straight forward honesty is the sure route.

Be content with making solid sales,
Knowing closed deals are a win
for buyer and seller alike.

This is Master Selling.

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Moving to Sales Babble

Closed door and door knobThis is a special blog post in preparation for the upcoming Sales Babble podcast. I’m enlisting a small set of people who I trust and admire to review this first “practice” podcast. There are a number of steps that must be accomplished in order to publish an episode. I’m using this post as a means of testing those steps.It would be great if you could help out!

This episode is nine minutes in length. I’m looking for advice regarding:

  • Sound Quality
  • Relevance
  • Professionalism
  • Any thing you’d like to share that might have value

My goal is to have this podcast published in iTunes shortly, however I’m told it could take awhile before the submission is approved. When that happens, I would appreciate it if you would subscribe to the Sales Babble podcast, in iTunes, at that time.

Most likely I will delete this posting on March 22nd if not sooner. That is the launch date. Which begs the question, what are my plans for the launch? I explain all this in the podcast, but for your convenience, here’s a brief synopsis:

March 15th – Soft Launch – a few close friends will have access and provide input into my first published episode
March 22nd – The Public Launch of Episode 1. This episode will define and explain the goals and plans of Sales Babble.
If you’ve not already done so, please take a moment and subscribe to Sales Babble; both on the website and in iTunes. I’d love it if you could give me a positive review iTunes, plus retweet my promotional tweets, and share my promotional Facebook postings. Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated.

Don’t stop learning about sales now. I have  a test podcast available right now.   Subscribe to the Sales Babble blog and listen to the podcast too.

Sign up and listen at  “Sales Babble Blog and Podcast”.

Thanks Sales Babbler!

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Sales Babble vs The Tao Te Ching of Sales

Hawk SB BlackWhite

Sales Babble just added a new post entitled “Five Ways To Be A Qualifying Olympian“.  It discusses in plain language the power of qualifying prospective clients.

 

It’s take from this post “Qualifying”  in the Tao Te Ching of Sales:

“Not-knowing is true knowledge.
Presuming to know is a fools errand.
First realize that you don’t know
then you can move towards understanding.

Listen,
Open your ears.
Awake to needs of the buyer.”

As you can see this post is quite economical in words, yet  somewhat ambiguous and makes you think. This was it’s intent. However this is a barrier for some readers. It’s not as clear as the four paragraphs posted on Sales Babble.  These two postings do a good job of illustrating  the difference between the two forums. My desire is to make these teachings more accessible. That’s why I’ve created Sales Babble.

What do you think? Am I going down the correct path  the path of the Tao? 

I urge you to join Sales Babble.

Click here and sign up for the free Infographic “Sales 101, 6 Simple Steps”.

Click now my friends!

 

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Sales Babble

StartI’ve decided to embark on a new adventure and start a podcast called Sales Babble. While the Tao Te Ching of Sales was focused on the Master Seller, Sales Babble will focus on the novice seller. I believe this new forum will allow me to better help the sales community in ways this blog could not.

I’m excited to start this new adventure despite the huge learning curve. Yet we know from the Tao that our lives  are always in motion. That the world  is a river, winding through rock and wood. It is never static, never stuck,  but instead alive and ephemeral. My life is no different.

I deeply appreciate the subscribers who have been following this forum for the past two years. It has been a joyous effort and expression of the art of sale. I anticipate turning these posts into a book and have worked on it off and on. I also anticipate I’ll continue to post here when the mood  strikes. The Tao is like that. The Master Seller is often inspired by the events of the day. That event creates opportunity and a teachable moment. When that moment occurs you can assure a new post will be published. The Master Seller can do no other. I hope someday to be that person.

In the meantime I urge you to listen to an episode that was made specifically for friends and followers of the Tao Te Ching of Sales.

 

You can find the post at

http://salesbabble.com/2014/01/15/episode0/

See you there.

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Sniffing Out Business

Nose

Those who aspire master selling
embrace all opportunities.
They consider challenging deals
possible.
Sniffing out business
despite economic troubles.

Others look for it, there is nothing to see
When they listen for it, this is nothing to hear
Yet the Master Seller
finds it.

Even during tough times, opportunities exist. There are problems in the world. Clients struggle. You might be able to help them. You might win the deal, maybe not. But you must assume these problems exist and sniff them out. They are there. All around you.

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Fishing for Buyers

FishTrying to control the mind of the buyer,
is like taking hold of a wet fish.
In due time it will wriggle out
back into the water.

The wise fisherman
Knows they can’t bully the fish to bite.
It takes patience to lure them in.

Master selling requires the seller to set aside their desire to expound every fact, detail, and feature of their good or service. A fire hose of data is no more persuasive than the ingredients on the back of can. Rather than flooding the prospective buyer with facts and figures, gather knowledge of their concerns and desires.  Slowly tease them with the ability to address one or two issues.  Lure them in as the master fisherman.  This is the Tao Te Ching of Sales. 

If you thought this post had value,
please Retweet  or Like us on Facebook.
Or better yet forward an email to a friend or colleague!

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Advancing Complex Sales

ticketCan you stop your mind wandering
and advance the sale?
Can you find the decision maker
not those  who bluster “they make the choice”?
Can you find their process
how they will decide to buy?
Can you find their timeline
when the project is complete?

Can you find their budget
their politics
their squabbles
and every issue that feeds inertia?

Advancement occurs through discovery.
Organizations cough up reality in due time.
The Master Seller is awake,
overcoming objections as they arise,
Allowing the sale to progress
from opportunity to deal,
Advancing each day.

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Advancing Awake

Advancing SaleAwake to the sale
Advances happen as a matter of course
Asleep to the sale
You are surprised by events.

It is easy to react
Next easiest to respond
The hardest is to initiate
Knowing the next step.

 

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It’s Time

Clock 7:06When leads decrease
it’s time to cold call.
When sales stop advancing
it’s time to reconnect.
When demonstrations fall on deafness,
it’s time to sharpen the pitch.

This is called recognizing the reality of sales.

Weak overcomes hard,
Loss generates resolve.
Each day, win or lose, has lessons.
Recognize them.

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