The Sales Lion by Marcus Sheridan » In-Home Sales

Transparency and Inbound Marketing: The Greatest ‘Sales Technique’ of the Information Age

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 14:43:51 +0000

I got into a nice little debate yesterday with my good friend Danny Brown over at Gini Dietrich’s site, Spin Sucks. You see, I wrote a guest post there entitled ‘5 Reasons You Should Discuss Pricing on Your Company Website’ and as I’d hoped, it sparked great conversation and debate on both sides of the issue (you really should check it out btw).

<Marcus Tangent Alert***> Speaking of ‘debate’, I don’t think we see enough of that in blogs (See Davina’s virtual love fest post). I love it when people don’t agree with me yet still act civil. For example, in the article I wrote earlier this week about some of the best blog header designs on the internet, Gini Dietrich and Shonali Burke both didn’t like my choices. In fact, Shonali was the first to comment, and gave me the immediate ‘thumbs down’. I was thrilled. Seriously. But that’s a whole other discussion and now I’ll get back on topic

In this debate with Danny, of which many other folks chimed in, the key word that kept coming up again and again was ‘Transparency’. You see, I firmly believe that transparency, combined with great inbound marketing, is the greatest ‘sales technique’ in the world today. And no, I’m not exaggerating one iota.

The Age of Sales Techniques is Dying

There was a period in my life of about 5 years when I read just about every book on ‘selling’ that was ever written. I couldn’t seem to devour enough of the subject and my natural tendency to ‘be the best’ lead me from one book to the next. But all of this stopped a couple of years ago when I started to undergo a complete paradigm shift regarding my approach to selling, and it happened when I truly started to understand the principle of inbound/content marketing.

Frankly, I don’t think most people really understand inbound marketing from a contextual standpoint. Seriously. They don’t get it. Heck, many make it out to be a ‘science’ way more complicated than it really needs to be. As for me, I see it in these simple terms, and if you never remember another thing I say here on TSL, please just remember this:

If your customers have questions, it’s your duty to answer them….with utter transparency.

Got it? Good.

The entire reason my swimming pool website is the most popular of its kind in the world, and the entire reason it generates more leads than I could ever possibly handle, is because it follows this simple aforementioned statement.

That’s why if someone asks me a question, I go write an article about it.

“How much does a fiberglass pool cost?”
“Who shouldn’t buy a fiberglass pool?”
“How do fiberglass pools compare with concrete pools?”
“Do fiberglass pools look cheap?”
“What are the problems with a fiberglass pool?”
“Who are your biggest fiberglass pool competitors?”
“Who makes the best fiberglass pool?”
“Are fiberglass pools ugly?”
“Are fiberglass pools too small?”
“How does ‘Brand X’ compare to ‘Brand Y’?”

The list of questions goes on and on, but with each one, upon hearing it, I wrote about it. 400 brutally honest articles later, it’s a consumer’s best friend—The voice of the fiberglass pool industry.

All this with no Google keyword grader, no expensive SEO consulting analysis, nothing.

Just listening and writing, that’s all it is.

But transparency goes way further in the sales process too. Whenever I set up a sales appointment with a prospect, one clear point is always made, and it usually sounds a little something like this:

“Mr. Customer, the entire reason I’ve spent countless hours writing articles and creating videos about fiberglass pools is because I care about consumers like you. I want you to be educated. I want you to be informed. This is also why the purpose of my visit to your home is not really about teaching. I’ve already done that and I expect you to take advantage of the tools I’ve given you. The purpose of my visit is to help you choose which pool and options, price them for you, and then earn your business at that time. In other words, I’m there to sell you a pool. Sound Good?”

Almost always, after a few second of surprise, the prospect says “Ok Marcus. That sounds great!” As you might imagine, this then leads to an incredibly productive sales appointment and very high ‘closing rates’.

Is Anyone Else Sick of ‘Sales Techniques’?

I’ve always been bothered by the fact that selling involves one sales technique after another that eventually leads to one closing technique after another that eventually leads to one ‘no’ (from the prospect) after another that eventually leads to more ‘resolve concern’ techniques after another that eventually leads to a ‘yes’…or ‘no’. Crazy, huh?

I now prefer to skip all that junk and simply give great content, make sure the prospect does his/her homework, and then reach a natural conclusion—either we’re a good fit or not.

Do you realize how many consumers are simply looking for a voice they can trust? People are so jaded with tricky semantics and silly sales processes (especially online) that all they want is for someone to be straight with them.

Why Not?

So I say why not? Why not be brutally transparent with your approach to business? Why not be the voice of your industry? Why not address issues that no one else has the bravery or guts to talk about? And why not earn the trust of all those around you in the process?

Your Turn

So what’s your take on all this? Do businesses need to be more transparent with their content and approach? Or should we not try to fix something ‘that isn’t broke’? Whether you have just a thought or a diatribe, I’d invite you to jump in below and say what’s on your mind.

Blogging, ‘The Force’, and How to Sell Like a Jedi Knight

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 31 Mar 2011 15:03:37 +0000

So we’re all starting to get it by this point—Blogs, and the content a business produces, have become imperative to a company’s success in the 21^st century. But despite the fact that so many individual entrepreneurs and corporate marketing departments are beginning to appreciate the impact said content can have on SEO, branding, sales, etc; I still have a strong feeling that 99.9% of the world simply doesn’t catch the vision of the magical difference content can make.

When I think of the word ‘content’, Star Wars comes to mind. More specifically, ‘The Force’. Ahh yes, the magical ‘force’ that, at some point or another, we all imagined having when we were kids growing up. When referring to ‘The Force’ Obi-Wan described it by saying , “It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.” Hmmm, deep words Mr. Kenobi, you would have been quite the content marketer.

You see, content is today’s ‘force’. It binds us. It penetrates us. And it certainly brings us together. But not only that, it convinces clients, who otherwise would never see your side, to commit to do exactly what you’re saying. In fact, watch the following famous clip from Star Wars to see what I’m talking about. (Note*** It only lasts for 34 seconds so don’t be a slacker and skip it )

Click here to view the embedded video.

Real Life Application

The other day I had a business owner call me who had read a few of my articles here on TSL. Like many people I talk to, he was extremely worried about his web marketing presence and felt completely hopeless in terms of his ability to get with the information age. He had no website. He felt embarrassed by this fact when asked by customers. And he saw his competitors passing him by.

But because of the content he’d seen in the articles on this site, and the feelings he derived from them, he was motivated to give me a call.

Such is sales. Prospects have problems, businesses have solutions…or, better stated, we hope businesses have solutions.

By the end of our initial conversation, the prospect (we’ll call him Jeff) told me he liked what he’d heard but still wasn’t sure what he was going to do. This was my reply:

I understand your concerns Jeff. Embracing blogging, content, and Web 2.0 principles can be a bit intimidating. So this is what I want you to do. I’m going to email you when this call is over 10 articles that I’ve written here on TSL. These articles apply specifically to the situation you’re currently in. I expect you to read them tonight. Once you read them, you will realize you’re capable of doing this and then I suspect you’ll call me tomorrow and commit to a contract.

Now some of you may think this statement to Jeff was a little bold. After all, I gave him an assignment and then told him that the result of said assignment would be that he would call me and want to move forward with a contract.

Here’s the thing—Most sales professionals try to ‘pitch’ there way to success. In other words they pitch their product or service so much to a client that eventually the client either gives in or tells them to go away.

Personally, I don’t believe much in this concept. I’d rather give great content to a prospect, put the onus on them to take some initiative and read it (or view it), and then allow ‘the force’ to bind us.

The End Result

So how did the story with Jeff end up? Well, the next day, Jeff called me and this is what he said:

Marcus, I was up till late, late last night reading your blog. And then I got up this morning and read some more. You were right. I’m convinced. Let’s get this started right away.

That was it folks. ‘The Force’ wins again, and balance is restored to the universe.

So here’s the challenge: Are you using your content like you could be? Is it your greatest selling tool like it should be? I can promise you that if you’ll simply shift your paradigm and start to view your business’ content as its greatest asset, everything will begin to change, and maybe, just maybe, you’ll make Uncle Ben Kenobi proud.

Your Turn

OK folks, couple of questions to throw at you. What’s your take on the power of content for a business? Do you believe it makes that much of a difference (experiences)? Also, if content is a major part of what you do, are you currently using it as you could be in terms of being an incredible sales tool?

Don’t be shy, whether you’ve got 5 words or 5 paragraphs worth of thoughts, let’s talk about it.

Why Blogging is the Greatest Sales Tool in the World Today

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 14:54:45 +0000

Blogging works, right? Yeah, sure it does. If done properly, it can create for your business one of the most dominant SEO campaigns on the web, thus driving tons of traffic to your site that will hopefully end up in leads and ultimately sales.

But let’s assume for just a few minutes here that blogging did nothing for SEO. Let’s say it never garnered your company’s website any new traffic whatsoever. Would it still be worth it?? In short, here’s the answer:

You dang right it would be worth it.

I hear companies talking about how blogging and content marketing can impact their bottom line, but rarely do I speak with someone who understands the true vision and impact that a continuous flow of content can have on an existing customer base, especially those that are already in your sales funnel (existing leads).

For example, the other night I went on a sales appointment (for my swimming pool company) to see a lady that I’d met with two years ago but at the time decided not to purchase a pool. Knowing this would be my second visit with her, I was determined not to let another opportunity to slip through the cracks.

For about 45 minutes, I discussed with the lady what she was looking for and found out that she had subscribed to my company blog during the time of our last meeting and thus had been diligently researching swimming pools for over two years. In fact, because she was so loyal to our blog she was as knowledgeable about pools as a first time buyer can possibly be. Thinking everything was looking great, I gave the lady the total price asked for a deposit, and this is the conversation that then ensued:

Lady: Well, I like your quote and your company but I just can’t make a decision tonight.

Me: Why? (When it comes to sales, I prefer direct questions )

Lady: To be honest, I have another appointment with another company next week.

Me: Why?

Lady: Because I’ve been told you’re supposed to get 2 or 3 quotes whenever you make a purchase like this.

Me: Hmm, that’s interesting. Who are you planning on meeting with?

Lady: (names are hidden to protect the innocent )

Me: Company X? Really? Well let me ask you this. Over the past two years, how many articles of ‘Company X’ have you read that taught you something about pools?

Lady: Uhhmm, well, none.

Me: And over the past two years, how many times has ‘Company X’ bothered sending you any information that showed they really and truly cared about your swimming pool experience, regardless of whether you went with their company or not?

Lady: That would be none also.

Me: And over the past two years, who has sent you two emails every week so as to assure you’re continually learning and staying informed as to the happenings of the pool industry?

Lady: You have Marcus.

Me: Ma’am, where have you essentially learned everything you know about swimming pools?

Lady: (with a shameful smile at this point) Your blog Marcus.

Me: Then why in the world would you be getting another quote when you already know we’re the right company for you?

Lady: I guess it’s silly, isn’t it?

Me: Yep, sure is, crazy in fact, so go ahead and cancel that appointment and the deposit tonight will be $250,000 (actually, it wasn’t close to that but I figured 250k would sound much cooler )…..

Lady: (with a big smile) Sounds great.

When all was said and done and the kind lady had written me a check, she said she was thrilled and relieved to finally be done with the process and have made a decision. But in my mind, there was one reason why we were able to have the above conversation and subsequent agreement:

Great content leads to even greater trust.

So think about this the next time you’re debating on whether or not your company should be blogging. Remember, whether you get huge SEO benefits or not, you should be producing great content for those persons in your sales funnel that are still ‘in the game’ but have yet to actually pull the trigger and make that all-important buying decision. If you do this, I can assure you that you’ll discover blogging and content to be the best sales tool in the world in this new information age we are all a part of.

Your Turn: Has your blog helped you with sales and not just SEO? If your company never received one ‘new’ visit from blogging, would you still do it? As always, let’s have some great conversation here because those lurkers that are reading this article and are on the fence about content marketing need to hear your thoughts.

5 Reasons Every Small Business in the World Should Write an EBook

Marcus Sheridan — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 12:30:34 +0000

That’s right, you should have an eBook. And no, you’re not the exception. What, did you say you were an auto mechanic? Yes, your company needs an eBook. I’m sorry, did you say you were a roofer? Yep, you too, you need an eBook. So you’re a professional lion trainer…..Wow, you really need an eBook.

A lot of people out there in the world of business think eBooks are some weird thing found on the internet that only teaches other weird people how to make more money online.

Although this statement may partially be true, it’s far from the reality. And that’s what this post is all about. It’s time to shed a little light on this thing called small business and eBooks.

My Story

3 years ago I wrote an eBook for the swimming pool industry (Other than teaching people how to kick butt on the web, I’m also a pool guy. I know, kinda strange ). The eBook was entitled ‘How to Buy a Fiberglass Pool the Right Way, at the Right Price, from the Right Company’. When I wrote the book, I really only had two main reasons: There was a huge need and I saw an opportunity to make a decent supplemental income off of said need.

But little did I know that such an eBook would initiate a major change in my life and in my business. And as time went on, I came to understand more and more the incredible benefits that any business can attain simply by taking the time to achieve such a work. So let’s talk about these benefits and then maybe some of you average Joe business owners out there (like me) will add one more goal to your freshly prepared 2011 aspirations:

5 Small Business Benefits to Writing an eBook

1. Your Company Doctrine

That’s right, your company needs its own doctrine. What do you believe? What methods do you adhere to with your product or services? For example, in my swimming pool eBook, I stated that it was a moral imperative that a fiberglass pool was back-filled with stone/gravel instead of sand. At the time, this was not a construction technique that was heavily practiced around the country. But because of the influence of the eBook, as well as our company blog, it is now the majority. In fact, I’ve had pool builders from various parts of North America call me over these past few years and tell me how a customer had bought my book and required the builder to use gravel instead of sand. Pretty powerful, don’t you think?

So don’t be afraid to come up with your company’s doctrine. What is the gospel according to YOU? By so doing, your eBook will set standards for greatness and also act as a compass for you and other businesses in your niche.

2. Forced Cognition

I’ve talked about this concept before but I’ll never grow tired of it. Here’s how it works: The more you think and write about something the better you’ll get at explaining it to others. For example, I write about sales and marketing all the time. Do you think it’s hard for me to talk to a client or give a seminar on this stuff? Heck no, it’s a piece of cake, but that’s only because of constant thought regarding the subject matter.

3. Become the Authority

Would you like to be an authority in your field? If not, then I dare say something is wrong and you need to choose a subject/profession you care more about. Since writing my eBook and writing so much about fiberglass swimming pools, I’ve essentially become the consumer voice of the industry. This year alone I was asked to fly around the country to consult with homeowners that had read my eBook and wanted to pay me to oversee their pool installation. I was also called by lawyers on various occasions to give ‘expert’ testimony on the subject. I could go on and on about this one but just ask yourself this: How many of your competitors have written an eBook that teaches consumers about your product? In almost every industry, the answer is less than 1%. Think that might make an impression?

4. Knowledge Equals Trust and Sales

Before I go out to a customer’s house to sell them a swimming pool, guess what they’re required to do? Yep, that’s right, they have to read my eBook. By so doing, they will become more informed on fiberglass swimming pools and options than 99% of pool shoppers in the world.

But not only will the potential customer now be very informed, but they’ll also know my stance on everything. They’ll have invested their time to read my teachings, and because of it, they’ll feel informed and prepared. Once they’ve reached this point and read the book, what do you think happens to closing rates? That’s right, they go way, way up.

I call this process of required reading Assignment Selling, and it has literally changed my life as a sales and marketing professional.

5. You Now Have a Ton of Killer Content

Guess how many swimming pool articles my eBook made? If you guessed ‘a lot’, you’re right. There is nothing easier than taking a large eBook and turning it into 25 blog posts, or taking 25 blog posts and turning them into an eBook.

But the key here is content. No matter what your business is, you must accept the reality of content production. You’ve got to embrace and become passionate about giving great information to your consumer base. Once you get this, your life as a business owner will get much, much easier.

So there you have it folks, 5 reasons to get on your horse and start that eBook that’s just waiting to leave your brain and find its place on paper. Oh, and one final thing—No, the eBook does not have to be that long. Anything more than 10 pages is pretty dang awesome in my book, so don’t let length hold you back. Get ‘er done!!

What did I miss? What benefits would you add? And by the way, if you’ve already written an eBook, take a minute to introduce it to all the readers on here. Go ahead, free game; a little self-promotion never hurt anyone

Education-Based Marketing and Why Selling in the 21st Century Will Never Be the Same Again

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 15:22:39 +0000

It happened again to me just yesterday. After being on the phone with a potential client for a few minutes, the following was said:

Me: In terms of getting other quotes for your project, where do you currently stand?

Customer: Well, to tell you the truth, my husband and I almost always get at least a few estimates for projects of this caliber, but in this case we’ve seen all your stuff. We watched your wonderful DVD. I’ve read all your articles and watched most the videos and pretty much been all over your site. This is why we are not planning on getting quotes from other contractors at this time. We feel very comfortable with your company.

Me: Well I’m not going to argue with that

To make a long story short, the lady and I agreed on a price for her swimming pool that was around $40,000…..and it was all done on the phone.

As everyone pretty much knows, before I got into web-coaching, all of my time was dedicated to that of being a ‘pool guy’. I’ve had this business for almost 9 years and at this point I have the freedom to pursue other endeavors—but such has not always been the case.

Selling Isn’t as Hard as we Make It

You see, in the pool industry, the sales process is typically always the same: Pool guy gets a phone call, makes an appointment, and then does a site visit where he/she will attempt to earn the customer’s business—which rarely happens on the first appointment.

This sales process always bothered me over the years as it seemed incredibly inefficient, ineffective, and time-consuming as well. Seeing this problem, as well as wanting to spend more time at home with my family, lead me towards a completely different approach to sales. And, although I won’t go into all the other methods of selling I’ve talked about on this blog before, I will say that my continued focus on education-based marketing has completely changed my sales methodology from just a few short years ago.

As I mentioned in the opening story, more and more customers are calling me and telling me outright that they are only interested in using my company for their swimming pool project. To them, it’s just a matter of coming to a price agreement. Whenever a client tells me this, I’ll then just go ahead and conduct a brief interview with the client on the phone in terms of their needs (pool size, shape, options, etc). Once the interview is done, I simply give them a price, which usually is between $35,000-$65,000, and if they are happy with the price, we reach an agreement right then and there.

Now granted, an actual contract is not signed until we do an official ‘site plan’ for the pool and confirm there are no other hidden costs, but hopefully you can see just how wonderful and effective this sales process is versus what has been done for years in the industry.

In the last month alone I’ve reached agreements with 4 different clients without ever having set foot on their property first. This not only has saved me major time in travel and expense, but it also gives me more and more time to do other things—like be w/ the kids or write another most excellent post here on The Sales Lion

Where Does Consumer Trust Come From?

But the real question is how does this happen? What makes a consumer trust a company so much that they are willing to reach a $60,000 agreement on the phone without even having ‘met’ the person face to face? As I’m sure you’ve already guessed, the key here is education-based marketing. With enough information about you, your product, and your industry; you will be able to garner trust otherwise impossible to achieve. In a nutshell, here are the web marketing techniques I’ve used with incredible success.

Blog in such a way that you answer every possible question a consumer may have regarding your product.
Produce video that shows your process, what makes you different, and that teaches the consumer empowerment as well. (Our company has an extensive DVD that every lead gets but we’ve also produced over 50 YouTube videos)
Through text and video, integrate as many social proofs (customer testimonials) into your website as possible.
Show your face as the owner of your business. What is your story? Talk about your family. Talk about your employees. What’s their story?
Have an opinion with everything you do. If you believe in something, say why. Don’t follow the status quo in your industry just because everyone else does it. Stand out. Be a light on a hill.
Finally, don’t be embarrassed about pricing. In fact, be proud of your pricing because you’re dang worth it. Consumers expect to spend money to buy something, so don’t hide your numbers nor save them ‘till the end’.

I know it may sound simple but if you embrace the suggestions above everything in your sales process will change. Closing rates will go up. Clients and prospects will be more qualified, more knowledgeable, and ultimately much better customers.

This is education-based marketing at its finest. This is the future of sales in the 21^st century.

10 Reasons Why the Life of a Sales Professional is Awesome

Marcus Sheridan — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 13:10:00 +0000

I had one of those sales appointments last night that just made me smile. Why? Because I had two great hours of conversation with two great people who ended up buying my product. It was the perfect night, and as I thought about our little meeting on the way home, I started to think of all the reasons why the life of a sales professional can be very rewarding and satisfying to those persons willing to do what it takes. So let’s get to it, here are10 reasons why the life of a sales guy/gal can and should be awesome.

1. You are the Boss: That’s right, it’s you, and nobody else. Sure, sales people usually have managers and may have other bosses, but when it comes down to it, you, the sales pro, are the boss, and don’t ever think otherwise.

2. You Control Your Financial Destiny: Want to make more money? No problem, work harder, faster, smarter. Want to make less money? No problem, take it easy, slow down, do stupid things to kill your success. Talk about the ability to choose, this is awesome!

3. You Needn’t Depend on Others: Although being a part of a team is great, there is also something very special about looking in the mirror and knowing your success or failure rides on you. This is one reason why I loved wrestling in high school. It was the one sport I did that was essentially singular, and all I had to do was focus on making myself stronger and more skilled each and every day. Even better, as we help ourselves to reach higher levels of greatness, we naturally influence others to achieve excellence as well. Such is the way the universe works and such is the life of a sales professional.

4. You Meet and Learn from Awesome People: As I mentioned at the beginning of this post, last night I met two wonderful people. They had a beautiful home, unbelievable artwork on the walls that we thoroughly discussed, and were avid car collectors. They, along with their home, radiated a feeling of happiness, abundance, and enriched living. This is why I take every opportunity to learn from prospects and customers. I honestly feel like they’ve got much more to teach me than I have to teach them.

5. You See the World: Whether you only travel in your own state or have the opportunity to travel the world, sales professionals get to go places every day they may otherwise not have been able to see and enjoy. In fact, whenever I make a sales appointment throughout Virginia and Maryland, I intentionally take back roads and new routes so as to enjoy the beautiful countryside and allow for God’s creation to inspire me.

6. You Live the Life of an Entrepreneur: This one goes along with #1, but every great sales person sees themselves as the boss, the brand, and the owner of their own business. Just this one paradigm shift will cause you to approach each and every day differently with a zest and zeal that otherwise simply doesn’t come without such responsibility. Remember, when done the right way, more responsibility always equals more freedom.

7. You can be a Rebel: Are you the type that marches to your own beat? If so, sales is likely your calling. This profession allows you to be original, take risks, and go down paths that the status quo hasn’t dared travail up to this point. Personally, I’ve always been this way. I simply don’t except the status quo way of doing sales by so many people and professions to be acceptable. As Seth Godin says, we should all be that ‘Unicorn in a Balloon Factory’.

8. You Set the Schedule: This benefit is huge. It allows you to be with your family and kids when you want to be. It allows you take go out with friend or take a vacation when you decide. As long as you are meeting your numbers, you’ll always be given free rein to come and go as you please. When it comes down to it, bosses and management only care about results, not how and with whom you spend your time.

9. You’re Always Being Pushed: I really like this one. Life stinks when it gets stagnant. Such is the case with so many jobs in the world today. Sales needn’t ever be that way. Because you’re in charge of your destiny, you have to make things happen each day. Goals are always on your mind. Looking ahead is constantly part of the picture. Such forced cognition is healthy, motivating, and inspiring.

10. You Learn How to Take Rejection: Some of you, like I did, learned this from asking girls to prom in high school. But for others, the profession of sales easily fills the void. Yeah sure, rejection sucks. It stinks. It’s frustrating. And it’s any other negative adjective you can come up with. But at the same time, rejection is a part of life. Those that understand how to handle it are successful. Those that allow it to beat them down and send them back to their cave end up frustrated and angry at the world. This is why rejection, for the most part, means little to me. It is what it is—an essential part of life.

So there are my top 10 reasons why I think the professional of sales is awesome. Now I’d be curious to know your thoughts. What would you add or take from the list? C’mon, join the conversation

photo credit

Virtual Selling: Changing the World of Sales and Marketing as We Know It

Marcus Sheridan — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 11:05:05 +0000

I received an email from a customer yesterday that is symbolic of everything I’ve been yapping about here on The Sales Lion. Please give it a look, otherwise this stuff isn’t going to make any sense:

Mr. Sheridan,

Congratulations on your new location and the business as a whole. I am looking to install a fiberglass pool in my Hagerstown, MD home. In researching pool manufacturing, the choice of Leisure Pools(our pool supplier) quickly become clear. Although I may be able to find someone logistically closer to my area than River Pools & Spas, I already have a tremendous amount of comfort with - and respect for, your company. In fact, a great deal of what I’ve learned about modern pool design has come directly from your blog entries. Hopefully, you’d be willing to take on a project in Hagerstown, which is approximately 30 minutes beyond what I see you’ve already done in Harper’s Ferry, WV.

I’d appreciate the chance to speak with you regarding an installation, and would welcome a site walk-down at your convenience. I realize this must be a tremendously busy time of the year in your profession, and thank you in advance for your consideration…….

Thank you again, and I look forward to meeting you,
Daryl

Shortly after receiving this email, I called the gentleman on the phone and was very pleased to find that he had been reading our blog for about 8 months now. In fact, he had watched every video and read every article we’ve ever written (over 200 pieces total)–no exaggeration.

Yep, this dude was seriously informed and knew exactly what he wanted.

Virtual Selling

What happened next though is what this article, and virtual selling (as I like to call it), is all about.

After discussing things for a few minutes, Daryl asked me if I’d be willing to come out to his home and install a pool even though it was about 20 miles beyond our ‘normal’ installation area. I told him I would, but first we’d have to reach a price agreement on the phone. Assuming we reached an agreement on the phone, then I could come out that very night.

Well, as you’ve probably already guessed, after some find out questions I was able to give Daryl the price of his swimming pool. He said ‘Yes’, and I got in the car.

A few hours later, upon arriving at Daryl’s house, he greeted me as if I was an old buddy he hadn’t seen for quite some time and welcomed me to sit down in his kitchen where he had 2 Papa John’s pizzas just waiting for our dining enjoyment.

Over the next hour, Daryl and I ate pizza, talked pools, signed a contract, and shared quite a few laughs.

Not bad for never having met the guy in my life, wouldn’t you say?

But in reality, Daryl had quite a different relationship with me than I had with him. He’d watched all my videos. He’d read thousands of my very own words. And by so doing, I had earned Daryl’s respect, trust, and ultimately, his business.

This is quintessential Web 2.0 and this is what virtual selling is all about.

Positive Change

Just a few years ago, such a sale like Daryl’s would have been impossible for me to achieve. I never reached pricing agreements on the phone regarding a $50,000 pool. And I certainly never was greeted with Papa John’s pizza. Because my website stunk, I did a terrible job at building value and relationships with potential clients who searched our site.

In fact, in those days, the value wouldn’t come until I’d had the chance to sit down with the homeowner and spend hours with them teaching, informing, and educating.

But today, with such a prolific website, I’m in reality spending more time with prospects than ever before…..without physically being there.

I hope you understand what I’m saying here. Great websites with great content act as virtual sales professionals. When done the right way, they allow sales guys, when actually present with a client, to do more selling and less teaching. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

So think about this question, and answer it with brutal honesty:

Can my website consistently sell clients without them ever actually talking to myself or my staff?

If your answer is a definitive and resounding ‘Yes’, then you are on the path to virtual sales stardom.

If you answered ‘No’, then we’ve got some work to do.

Blow ‘em Away

Regardless, I hope you understand the moral of this story. Do not settle for anything less than a tremendous website. Blow consumers away with your content. Teach and inform with awesome video. Promote a feeling of trust, expertise, and excellence. By so doing, your path to success will skyrocket and everything you currently know about the world of sales and marketing will change with it.

Assignment Selling: The Essential Sales Technique of the Information Age

Marcus Sheridan — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 15:42:14 +0000

Have you ever heard the phrase ‘Assignment Selling’? Chances are, you haven’t, but let me assure you it may be the most important part of your business’ marketing and sales success in 2010…..that you’re not currently doing. Allow me to explain.

We’ve been talking a ton lately about content, education, and thinking like a consumer by answering their questions.

No doubt, the phrase ‘Content is King’ is the latest rage, as well it should be. But what happens when content and information never get read? What happens when a consumer just breezes through it without truly making the effort to absorb its teachings?

The answer, as we all know, is Nothing. Nothing happens. Nobody learns. No progress is made.

When it comes down to it, ‘Content is King’ needs to be paired with the phrase ‘As Long as Someone is Actually Listening’.

To explain what I’m trying to say here let’s look at my other field—the swimming pool industry, as an example.

Often times prospects will excitedly call my store or send us an email requesting to have someone out to their house so as to give them information and a quote on a pool. And in most cases for just about every swimming pool company across the world, the process of setting up this appointment, other than a few ‘find-out’ questions, is rather pitiful.

I say pitiful because I used to be pitiful in my approaches with customers as well. They’d call, we’d talk, and bam—appt made. But before long I realized I was making one grave mistake—the homeowner didn’t have enough responsibility on their end. In other words, they were looking for someone to teach them in their home what they could already learn from the countless pages of content on my website.

Teaching vs Selling

Because of this lack of responsibility, I found myself spending too much time teaching prospects on sales calls and not enough time selling. And regardless of what anyone in the world might say, selling, and not teaching, is what ultimately pays the bills.

Upon realizing the error of my ways, I became much bolder with clients. In fact, I started giving them ‘homework’ before I’d come out to their house.

Yes, that’s right, I did just say homework.

For example, before I go on a sales appointment with an inground pool prospect I’ll send them the following information.

Our company reference list of over 600 customers
A 50 page eBook all about swimming pools and options
3-5 Significant Articles from our company blog

As you can see, this is a lot of information—as well it should be. If someone is serious about a pool and knows they are getting ready to spend 30-70k, then they likely don’t want to make a mistake on their purchase—hence the call for great content and information.

When I set a sales appointment, I tell the prospect I expect them to read the information sent and check on the references as well.

And what if they say they don’t have time to read the info or seem uninterested?

Then I don’t go out to the home. Pure and simple.

When it comes down to it, if a consumer isn’t willing to do their due diligence when researching an expensive product or service, this means only one thing:

All they care about is price.

And as I like to say—When it comes to running a successful business, Price Ain’t Nice.

Since I made the switch to assignment selling a few years back, I now find sales appointments are much, much better. Prospects are clearly informed. Trust, because of the content, has already been established long before I arrive. And what about closing rates?

As you might imagine, they’ve shot up drastically as well.

Start Giving ‘Homework’ Today

So my question to you is what learning assignments do you give to prospects before your first sales meeting? Are you just asking a few simple questions or are you making sure the prospect demonstrates effort on their part as well?

If you’re not yet implementing this strategy into your sales system, please start today. Come up with some type of ‘homework’ for your clients and watch the dominoes fall as they may. I can promise you that if you take this leap of faith you will be greatly benefited and you’ll spend much more time selling vs teaching, you’ll be happier, and your wallet will reap the benefits.

Thoughts? Your comments are very much invited below.

9 Essential Keys to a Great Small Business Website in 2010

Marcus Sheridan — Mon, 17 May 2010 18:31:56 +0000

I‘ve been working quite a bit lately with small business owners on their web presence and it’s amazing how many of these good men and women just aren’t getting it when it comes to the design of their websites. What’s crazy is that in general, small business owners want to have a great website. They know that things aren’t quite right. Notwithstanding, whether it be from a lack of knowledge, funding, or motivation; they’re just not doing what it takes to have a quality and user-friendly website.

For this reason I offer an absolutely free small biz website analysis here at the Sales Lion. Although I give such a service away for free, the rewards I’ve gotten over these past 6 months for taking the time to help others has been nothing short of awesome.

But it hass been during this time that I’ve truly studied the core components of what makes a great small business website. Although all businesses are different, the following suggestions essentially apply to everyone, so please do not see your business as the exception. This stuff works, so do yourself a favor and act first then ask questions later, as the results will resolve any doubts or concerns you might have . So without further ado, here goes:

9 Features You Need to Add to Your Company Website TODAY

1. YouTube videos

Dang I love YouTube. It’s benefits in terms of SEO, branding, and education are profound. I truly believe it’s the most underused tool for small businesses in today’s economy, especially considering it costs almost nothing. Other than a flip camera and a computer, all you need is a desire. My company has a literal library of YouTube videos and we have many, many more in the works. We take the time to produce these videos because we live in a visual world. More and more people learn through visual means. In fact, the customers I see on my sales appointments have usually watched at least 3-10 of our company videos before we’ve ever even met. As you might imagine, this is 3-10 more videos than any of my competitors have given them.

2. Blog

I will beat this horse until my last breath. Blogging is sadly not appreciated my so many entrepreneurs and business owners, mainly due to their ignorance of its inevitable benefits. Although its benefits are practically boundless, here are 5 reasons you should be producing 1-2 blog article a week.

Organic (free) search visits will skyrocket.
Leads will continue to come back to your site.
You will be known as an industry voice and innovator.
If you’re in sales, you’ll spend less time teaching clients and more time selling to them.
There are incredible cognitive benefits to writing out our thoughts daily. (This is an article in and of itself)

3. Owner / Staff Bio Page

What’s the deal with owners of companies hiding their face when it comes to their company’s website? Although websites need great content and consumer information, they also need to be personal and instill a sense of trust in the consumer. Just look at the example of Dave Thomas from Wendy’s or Colonel Sanders from Kentucky Fried Chicken. These men were truly ‘the face’ of their companies. Over 50% of the customers I see on a sales call look at my bio page before I even get to their home the first time. The impact this has on my ability to earn their trust is profound.

4. Lead Capture

If you don’t remember anything from this article, remember this one phrase:

Every page on your company website should include a lead capture form of some type.

Now I know some of you may be wondering how to achieve this without looking terribly redundant and spammy on your site. Here are a few examples:

Blog Subscription Form
Quick Contact Form
Receive a Free eBook Form
Free Report Form
Receive a Quote Form
Questions/Comments Form
Order Our Free DVD Form
Newsletter Sign Up Form

As you can see, there are many potential ways in which to add lead-capture forms to your website. All these forms, which can also be referred to as ‘Call to Action’, are critical in your efforts to increase leads and build up your customer base. Remember, leads are much more important than traffic when it comes to a great website.

5. Social Media

Whether it’s a ‘Become a Fan on Facebook’ or ‘Follow Us on Twitter’ form, every small business in 2010 needs to accept, embrace, and leverage such social mediums. I recently consulted with a restaurant owner to essentially rebrand his company and our key tool in spreading the word was through Facebook. What’s crazy is that we pulled off a wildly successful event without spending a dime on advertising. This is the power of Social Media.

6. Statements that Ain’t About You

What I mean by this statement is the fact that most business websites come right out the gates bragging about how great they are. This is a huge mistake. The fact is, when consumers are in the research phase of making a purchase they don’t care how great you are. They just want to know what you are going to do for them. What makes you helpful? What information do you have to offer?

To see an example of this go to the homepage of my business website. What’s the first statement you see?

If you are considering the purchase of an inground swimming pool, this site was built for YOU!

Again, it’s not about you or me, it’s about the customer. And the best websites are the ones that think like customers, not like business owners.

7. Easy Navigation

Internet searchers don’t like roadblocks. They also don’t like confusing sites full of frivolous text. Unfortunately, small biz websites are famous for this.

This is especially the case with business home pages, which are often chock-full of text and wasteful information. Essentially, a homepage should be one keyword link after another, easily allowing the visitor to find the information they’re looking for.

8. Proper Font/Colors

I made the big mistake of having a black background with a very light font color for quite some time on my company’s website. Fact is, a dark background mixed with a light font is difficult for the human eye to read. This is also true with font styles. I’m always amazed when businesses design their site with fancy writing and colors, like cursive font for example. Although conceptually this may sound nice, it’s a dumb move when it comes to readability and user friendliness. So do yourself a big favor and keep your site’s font and colors simple, clean, and consistent.

9. Testimonials

We live in a world of doubt and disbelief. Consumers are slower and slower to give their trust away to other companies. This is why testimonials are the key to any great copy, advertisement, or marketing campaign. For example, my company website has a customer testimonial on almost every page of the site, as well as an entire page dedicated solely to testimonials. Ask yourself these questions:

How many testimonials are listed on my website right now?
How many video testimonials do I have on the site?
What percentage of the site’s pages have some form of ‘social proof’?

If you’re like 99% of the small business websites I’ve analyzed, you’re likely seriously lacking in this critically important area.

So there are 9 keys to a great small business website in 2010. What are some other keys you can think of? As always, your questions and comments are invited and appreciated.

photo credit

I Teach, Therefore I Sell

Marcus Sheridan — Fri, 14 May 2010 15:29:22 +0000

First of all, I’d like to thank Rene Descartes for his inspiration behind the title of this blog post. I do believe that if Descartes was around today he’d be thrilled with the direction of sales and marketing around the world. But to the point of this post……….

In this rapidly evolving Web/Sales/ Marketing 2.0 era, the days of slick tricks and manipulative techniques are going the way of the dinosaur. Consumers, more than ever, are getting smarter. They are more informed and prepared than ever. And they’re just waiting to be fed.

And what do I mean by ‘fed’?

Well as we’ve talked about time and time again on this blog, he who produces the most remarkable and valuable content in his field is king. That’s how it works—pure and simple.

Look at Steve Jobs….Seth Godin …..Wayne Dyer.

All of these men do what they do in extraordinary ways. Steve Jobs has dedicated his life to finding enriching technology that will bless the lives of others.

Seth Godin is the king of marketing today. The guy produces bestselling books faster than I can write a blog post. Every day he sits down at his computer and gives the world valuable and relevant information. And he gives it to us for free. No cost at all. Unbelievably awesome.

Wayne Dyer has over 30 best-selling books in the field of Self-improvement, Awareness, and Intention. The man has been doing this for years and years. Giving, producing, teaching, writing, speaking, helping, and persisting.

And what do all these mean have in common? Although one could argue they share many, many traits, I’d like to mention just one:

They are passionate teachers. Their lives are built around giving other people information and tools to enhance the life experience. And not only do they love to teach, but they’ve been doing it consistently every day for years and years.

And what has been the result of their labors?

Well other then the fact that each has positively affected millions and millions of people in their field, all are incredibly rich. And I’m not saying a little rich. These guys are multi, mulit-millionaires. And for lack of a better term, these guys, among many appropriate titles, are great salesmen.

Selling and Prosperity are Beautiful

Now you might not feel that ‘salesmen’ is the proper description for these men. My answer to this is simple: Selling is a beautiful thing, especially when it’s a result of great teaching. Selling is not a bad word. Rather, it’s poetry in motion. These men attract prosperity into their lives through their labors.

And the wonderful thing is they deserve it. In fact, they deserve every stinking penny they make. Heck, each one has made me way more money than I’ll ever give to them. This is why I don’t hesitate to give them my money. They are great teachers that offer great value which to me is worth whatever the asking price.

A Gift Economy

Today we live in a gift economy. The more we give, the more we’ll get back in return. It’s beautiful synergy. Thrilling in the very least.

Zig Ziglar used to say, “If you help enough people get what they want, they will in-turn help you get everything you want”.

Wow this statement is awesome. I’ve seen it work in the incredible lives of the men mentioned above but I’ve also seen the principle hold true for entrepreneurs, sales professionals, and small businesses across the world. No matter what the profession, this principle of teaching to sell will always hold true.

Why?

My friends will at times ask me why I blog so much. As I really don’t do much ‘hard selling’ here at The Sales Lion or my other blogs, some are confused as to what my ultimate goals are.

Fact is, I absolutely know, without any doubt, this blog is leading me down a new path of greatness. Just as my other blog catapulted my company to the top of its field, this blog is and will be the portal by which I can bless the lives of others. It is the means by which I can help small businesses to overcome the traps that so many succumb to. It is the way by which I can help professional sales people and marketers elevate their skills and reach results they never dreamed possible. And finally, this blog is my greatest learning tool. It pushes me. If forces me to think. It makes me better.

Abundance

But as I continue to walk this road of giving and teaching, the inevitable results will be abundance for myself and others. This is what life is all about. It’s a universal law and is why I’m terribly grateful for the fact that I’m alive during the information age. Never before can so many people give value to others simply by the stroke of a key. It’s unbelievable when you actually consider the beauty of it all.

So my challenge to you is to give. Give your knowledge freely. Know you’ll get it back 100-fold. Think abundantly. Be the best teacher you can be. Teach, teach, teach. And as you become a great teacher in your field, know that you’ll taste success. Know that you will sell freely and easier than ever before because you’ve established incredible relationships with incredible people. This is the world we now live in. Smile and embrace it.