The impressive lineup of speakers at The Art of Sales in Toronto included:
- Scott Stratten, author of Unselling: The New Customer Experience
- Greg McKeown, author of The Disciplined Pursuit of Less
- John Jantsch, author of Duct Tape Selling – How Today’s Sales Professionals Can Think Like Marketers and Sell Like Superstars
- Mark Bowden, author of Winning Body Language for Sales Professionals: Stand Out, win Trust and Sell!
- Joey Coleman
- Jackie Huba
Here are some of my favourite lessons and highlights from the event:
Focus on your one percenters – they are the ones engaging. It’s five times cheaper to keep a customer than to get a new one.
Scott Stratten
You are the Brand. His theory is that everything is part of the sale, and it’s what happens in between that affects the sale.
“Joshie” and “The Ritz”
A child forgot his stuffed animal, Joshie, after a family stay at The Ritz. Before sending him back, the staff took pictures of Joshie having a massage, sitting by the pool, working loss prevention and even gave him an ID badge. What happened? The father told everyone about it – word of mouth – spreading emotion. The story is what customers tell, not you.
Do not make social what it isn’t
Social is good for connections and community. Sales used to be educational, now 60% of sales is decided before the actual sale.
Greg McKeown
Undisciplined pursuit of more
What would you do, if you could do anything? Why don’t successful sales people break through to the next level? Only do things that will bring tremendous value to the company. If you say “yes” to everything, you won’t be able to get to everything and cannot be productive. As CEO of your life, why are you allocating resources to those areas that everyone else thinks are a priority?
WIN – What’s Important Now
- Go beyond being “order takers” to move on.
- It’s not about saying “no,” its about being discernible.
Great closing statement that for the most part contained the following: “The work you do matters. To your company, city, countries and for you and your life, essentialist at work and home. If you don’t prioritize your life, some else will.” [Tweet This]
Joey Coleman
Companies subject customers to a rollercoaster ride where at first purchase decisions overwhelm the brain with dopamine then receding into doubt and buyer’s remorse. Over 50% of customers leave in first 100 days, most companies don’t know how many leave their business. A sale isn’t a sale until the client gets a result – while you’re throwing a party celebrating, the client is worried about the decision.
If you don’t prioritize your customer, someone else will. Investigate: learn about customers, where did they go to school, work – life passion or just job (you can do so by simply checking Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter).
Jackie Huba
Focus on your one percenters – they are the ones engaging. It’s five times cheaper to keep a customer than to get a new one [Tweet This]. Using Lady Gaga as the main example, Ms. Huba illustrated how Lady Gaga leads with values and builds a community.
John Jantsch
Methods have changed: buying, purchasing, research, etc. It is less about demand creation and more about organizing behaviour. Let content guide the journey through: awareness, trust, education, engagement, and conversions. Listening is the new prospecting.
Mark Bowden
Most people decide almost immediately whether they like someone. However, default judgment in most cases is actually indifference, otherwise if you think everyone is an enemy then you would be full of paranoia each time you saw someone. Gestures while speaking are quite influential, talk with your hands down by your side, then gesturing from hip/below chest and finally over your head – you will see that you give off different states to the recipient.