Selling Techniques – Bob Burg
SUMMARY
On this episode, sales trainer and best-selling author, Bob Burg, shares useful tips he has learned over the years while working in sales.
Bob learned that if you want to become successful in sales, money shouldn’t be your goal. Instead, your goal should be serving others, and money is your reward for hitting the target.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Success in selling is understanding that you’re there to help your customer and focus on them.
Sustainably successful sales people are focused on bringing value to others.
Your focus should not be on yourself. It should be on the other person.
When you’re selling, you’re giving time, attention, counsel, education, empathy, and most of all, value.
If you want to make a lot of money in sales, don’t make money your target. Your goal is serving others.
Money is simply the reward for hitting the target. It’s not the target itself.
The term “go-giver” means shifting your focus from getting to giving.
Consistently providing value to others is not only a pleasant way to conduct business, but it’s also a financially profitable way.
The very best thing we can do for ourselves is to do the very best we can for our prospective customer and client.
TRANSCRIPTION: SELLING TECHNIQUES – BOB BURG
Kamala Chambers
On this episode, we’re going to be talking about selling techniques and how giving is the key to sales.
Today, we’re here with sales trainer Bob Burg. He speaks for Fortune 500 companies and all over the United States. He’s also a best-selling author.
Luis Congdon
All right, Thriving Launchers, we’re here with Bob Burg.
So without further ado, Bob, are you ready to launch?
Bob Burg
I am ready to launch.
Luis Congdon
Bob, you’ve written several books under The Go-Giver brand. You’re into influence and selling techniques.
I’m curious. What does that mean to you to be a go-giver? Why have you chosen go-giver as the staple of your books, your website, and you?
Success In Doing Selling Techniques
Bob Burg
As I was beginning to have some success in sales, I realized more than anything else, success in implementing selling techniques was understanding that you were there to serve your customer and that the focus had to be on them.
You build the kind of relationships that would result in people feeling good about you, as though they knew, like, and trusted you, as though they would want to do business with you, refer you to others, be a part of your life if you will.
Selling Techniques – Focus On Bringing Value To Others
Bob Burg
I thought the one overriding principle therein is that sustainably successful sales people, business people, and anyone, are focused on delivering value to others.
And so, when we use the term go-giver, it means nothing more than understanding that shifting your focus from getting to giving. When we say giving, in this context, we mean constantly and consistently providing value to others.
Kamala Chambers
It’s true, and it’s important that we’re focused on the customer and what their experience is going to be as well. I love this concept on how do you selling techniques.
Can you tell us some ways we can apply this to our businesses?
Bob Burg
Sure, and you bring up an excellent point.
At the very essence of doing business, and how often when I speak at a sales conference, one of the first things I’ll ask is “How many of you agree that no one’s going to do business with you because you have a quota to meet?” We all laugh because we know that’s true.
Effective Sales Techniques
Bob Burg
No one’s buying from us because we have a quota. No one’s buying from us because we need the money. No one’s buying from us even we’re a friendly person who believes in our product or service.
Customers are only going to buy from you or anyone because they believe they’ll be better off by doing so than by not doing so.
That’s fine. That’s how it should be.
That’s why, when we understand this, we realized the very best thing we can do for ourselves is do the very best we can for our prospective customer and client.
Luis Congdon
I’m curious about that piece. You said something about people’s lives would be better or the reason why people buy is that they believe their life will be better.
Bob Burg
Yeah, they’ll be better off by doing so than by not doing so.
Luis Congdon
I’m curious. Have you found some ways in your experience that will help people in the coaching, consulting, or any industry to set-up a call to help draw that out?
What a lot of people have is “I know your life will be better,” but it’s not enough. I need to feel compelled. Have you found some strategies or insights that help people in sales or anybody who is enrolling?
I know a lot of you guys here at Thriving Launch are not in sales particularly. You’re coaches, consultants, or experts, so you’re not selling somebody on your services. But at the end of the day, if they don’t buy and if you don’t enroll them, then you don’t get paid.
Selling Techniques That Help People See The Value
Luis Congdon
Going back to that question Bob, have you found some ways that will allow people, and in a variety of industries, assist them to enroll people and see the value, and help the customer make that choice to buy?
Bob Burg
Sure.
Well first, I would respectfully submit Luis, that if they are coaching, consulting, or have an expertise, they are selling their consulting services, coaching services, or expertise.
Luis Congdon
I want just to say that I agree with that 100%.
I used to do a lot of coaching with teens. If you work in a youth center or if you’re married, have a girlfriend, and relate to people at any time in your day, in your life, you are in sales. I sell Kamala every day.
Bob Burg
Exactly.
Entrepreneurs Not Liking What They Think Selling Techniques Are
Bob Burg
Especially, people who are entrepreneurs who have a product or service, they believe in so much and know how much value it can provide, yet, they hate the idea of thinking they have to sell it.
Especially a lot of coaches and consultants, they don’t like the idea of thinking they’re in sales. It’s not that they dislike sales. It’s that they hate what they believe that selling is.
Many people have a notion of selling that what it’s about is trying to convince someone to buy something they don’t want or need and that’s not selling. That’s called being a con artist, and that’s not a good thing.
Definition Of Implementing Selling Techniques
Bob Burg
When we come at selling from that premise, now, we can feel good about what we’re doing because all we’re doing is helping someone make the decision to do something that they have already stated they need, want, and desire.
So now, to answer your question, how do you make that happen?
Selling Techniques – Ask Questions And Listen To Understand
Bob Burg
We make that happen through asking questions that elicit the answers and listening to those answers. You’re not listening to respond but listening to understand, listening to be able to help this person make the decision they want to make.
Kamala Chambers
What are some examples of those selling techniques and questions that you would ask?
Bob Burg
It would always depend on the business that that person is in.
Questions And Selling Techniques You Can Utilize
Bob Burg
Just a very generic one, which can pretty much be used by anyone is simply:
- What is it that you would like to accomplish through this so and so?
- What might be holding you back?
- What in the past may have held you back from doing this?
- Have you tried something similar to this before? If so, how did it work out?
- In what ways could it have been more productive for you?
One of the selling techniques we have to do is ask the questions based on tying in the benefit of what we sell, with that they need, want, and desire.
Selling Techniques – Match The Benefits With Wants, Needs, And Desires
Bob Burg
The first part has to come first. We first have to discover what it is they want, need, and desire. Only then, we can match the benefits of the products or service we sell, with those wants, needs, desires.
One question you might ask someone once it gets a little bit further in the discovery process is knowing what you know about this if you did not do something.
Let’s say they’re telling you about a problem that they had.
You say, “If you did not do something about the issues you have right now for the next six months, what would that mean to your business?” If they say, “Well, it wouldn’t be a big deal.” then, there may be no real desire. There may be no hurry.
If they say, “No, this is something we’ve got to take care of,” we know they’re in a little bit of a different position where they need to do something about it.
Again, I’m very generic here because I don’t know what the particular instance would be.
Luis Congdon
Those are great selling techniques though. It is somewhat different based on what you sell or what service or who you’re talking to, and what market you’re in.
Selling Techniques – Be Specific
Luis Congdon
We don’t want to be completely generic. Otherwise, we sound like every other teleprompter or like a script that someone’s reading when they call us on our phone, and we don’t want to answer that phone call, then they’re asking us general questions. We’re like, “Hey. We didn’t ask to talk to you.”
That is true having specific questions dialed in but you said something awesome, and I relate to.
Thriving Launchers, you guys know I’ve gone through a quite a process in my sales curve, and learning how to be a salesperson because one, I didn’t consider myself as a sales person. I didn’t consider myself a business person or an entrepreneur.
I come from that non-profit world, so the idea of selling was repulsive to me. The idea of giving and caring was what I was about, but when I started my own business, I had to enroll people, and not just provide them the product or services. I had to get paid somehow.
I went through this process, and one of the first things I had to undo was the repulsion around selling or the idea that selling is bad.
Learning Selling Techniques Is Not Bad
Luis Congdon
This is something great that you dialed in right away Bob. It’s about that we have to get rid of this idea that making sales is bad. It’s not bad if we’re talking to our kids or our spouse, and we’re trying to get them to do something that’s good for them. We’re selling them on this idea, and it’s the same thing in our business as long as it’s a match.
Undoing that idea that learning selling techniques is bad is a difficult thing. Isn’t it, Bob, to undo that part of me? Have you seen that in a lot of people where they just have this ambivalence or resistance to the idea of, “Okay, I’m going to learn how to make sales.”
Bob Burg
Sure. Absolutely, because of the reputation of selling, which has been caused mainly by sales people, but that is what it is.
Reframing How People See Selling Techniques
Bob Burg
People need to understand that if they are going to accomplish something, they are going to have to sell people on the idea of either buying into or what have you. That’s why one of the things I enjoy doing most is reframing how people see selling techniques.
For example, the old English root of the word “Sell” was “Sellan,” which meant “to give.”
When doing selling techniques, you’re giving. Now, someone could say, “Wait a second. That sounds smart but isn’t that just semantics?” I’d say, “I don’t know. Let’s see.”
Let’s say you have a prospective customer in front of you. You’re doing your presentations. You are in the process of doing selling techniques.
When you’re selling, you’re giving time, attention, counsel, education, empathy, and most of all, value.
Now, if we see selling that way, don’t you feel better about that?”
Then, it’s just a matter of learning how to do selling techniques in a way that helps the person in front of you.
Providing Value As Part Of Selling Techniques
Kamala Chambers
I think one way that Luis and I strive to do this in our business is by giving value with content. We try to educate people a lot.
There are a lot of ways to do that. We can do that with our blog posts, with our YouTube videos, with our podcast. All of that stuff is giving up front, and we don’t have the expectation that every single person who listens to a free podcast is going to buy something from us.
Bob Burg
Right, exactly.
Kamala Chambers
But we want to nurture those relationships with people.
What are some other examples of how we can do this or some practical steps in how we can incorporate this to selling techniques?
Bob Burg
Whether we’re talking about online or in real life, it’s pretty much the same. It’s because to me, you can indeed develop relationships online.
It’s always asking “How does what I’m about to say or do or post or tweet add value to another person’s life?”
Whether you’ve retweeted someone, responded to someone, or commented on someone else’s blog post not only that you like it, but why you like it or maybe referring someone’s blog or a podcast to another person. Whether it’s providing someone with information they might find of value, giving referrals to others, connecting good people with other good people is always a fantastic thing to be able to do.
Selling Techniques And The Five Elements Of Value
Bob Burg
When we talk about giving value over and above what many people do, it tends to come down to five elements of value, which are excellence, consistency, attention, empathy, and appreciation.
As you live and work with those in mind, and you communicate those five elements to every person at every touch point, whenever possible, that’s the degree you separate yourself from others through that additional value. Not only you make yourself different, but as my colleague Scott Mccain says who wrote Create Distinction, you make yourself distinct in the marketplace
Kamala Chambers
Absolutely.
Are there any last nuggets that you want to give the Thriving Launchers today with regards to selling techniques?
Bob Burg
It’s an excellent question, and it reminded me of a conversation 37-38 years ago. I had been in sales for maybe couple of years. I was studying and learning it and was doing well, but I would say not nearly as well as I could have been. There was untapped potential there like Joe in the story in The Go-Giver.
I remember coming back to the office one day. I was selling a high ticket item for a particular company. I walked back, and I have probably had a discouraged look on my face. I’ve never been a great poker player. I don’t have that poker face. You pretty much know what I’m thinking whenever I’m thinking anything.
Real Target For Doing Selling Techniques
Bob Burg
One of the people there was an older guy. He was not even in sales. He was in the engineering department, and I think he even retired pretty quickly after. He said to me, “Burg, can I give you some advice?” and I said, “Yeah, sure.” He said, “If you want to make a lot of money in sales, don’t have to make money as your target. Your goal is serving others.”
He continued saying “When you hit the target, you’ll get a reward. That reward will come in the form of money, and you can do with that money whatever you choose, but never forget the money is simply the reward for hitting the target. It’s not the target itself.
To me, that was a game changer because that said I realized what I’m doing wrong.
Selling Techniques – Focus On The Other Person
Kamala Chambers
Thriving Launchers, there you have it. We’ve been here with Bob Burg talking about selling techniques but selling through giving and giving back to other people.
I just encourage you to go out today and look for ways you can add more value to people’s lives, and to your audience.
Keep thriving everyone.
