Austin Ragans - 22 SALES INSIGHTS

1. Austin Ragans - 22 SALES INSIGHTS to take your sales tactics to the next level

2. According to Forbes Magazine, 55%of salespeople don’t have the right selling skills Here are 22 unique insights to influence your prospects and sell better

3. be there to help Sales Insight #1 CHANGE YOUR PURPOSE change your sales process from “helping customers buy” to “helping customers change”

4. Instead of focusing on selling, focus on helping your clients to change to the positive: Help your prospect identify the weak points of their operations and how it affects other sides of the business Help your prospect understand the need for change and create urgency around the potential risks involved Help your prospect analyse the potential solutions

5. guide through complexity Sales Insight #2 ”Sense-making” as communication style leads to the largest closure rates in sales 80% Guide your customer 50% 30%

6. The sense-making communication style increases customer confidence, reduces scepticism and leads to greater closure rates sense-making 80% telling giving 50% 30% provide information to your prospect share your opinion and stories aid to make sense of the information provided

7. Marketing is important for sales Sales Insight #3 Sales and marketing alignment can lead to 38% higher sales win rates ALIGN MARKETING AND SALES 80% 50% 30%

8. Rethink the whole Marketing and Sales strategy! allow the Marketing and Sales functions to partner closely during the entire customer purchase journey be more proactive in generating new leads 50% 30% It will help you draw interest towards your product and build up trust between you and your prospect.

9. be the advisor your customer needs Sales Insight #4 Act as an advisor for your clients and help them figure out what's best for them and their company ACT AS AN ADVISOR 80% 50% 30%

10. How do you become a trusted advisor in sales? Pay attention to what your client says and show recognition by following up on it 80% Offer value and actionable insights 50% Be proactive by presenting solutions to their problems 30% All of this will help you to build a stronger relationship with your client - and to make more sales.

11. use your body to speak Sales Insight #5 The majority of information we receive comes not from words, but from body language forget about words 50% 30%

12. How do we get information? 7% words 38% tone of voice 55% bodylanguage Pay attention to your whole body position, where you look at while talking, and what you do with your hands 50%

13. spend more time connecting to people Sales Insight #6 It’s easier to make a sale when your prospect likes you, because people buy more from people they like and trust connect with others 80% 50% 30%

14. Why do we buy more from people we like? Once you have established a personal connection, your prospect will look for reasons to support your information as factual and useful 80% Withouta personal connection, none of your information will be taken as credible. Your prospect will be looking for reasons to reject what you are saying 50% 30%

15. By asking for a referral you leverage the trust that you have build with your customer, and the trust your customer has with someone else 4x people are 4x more likely to buy when referred by a friend 3-5x Sales generated through referrals typically lead to higher closing rates referrals are 3-5x more likely to convert compared to non-referrals 37% of referrals have higher retention rates compared to non-referrals Liinea.com

16. make use of existing connections Sales Insight #7 ask for a referral 87% of sales reps agree that referrals represent the highest quality leads 80% 50% 30%

17. Questions persuade better Sales Insight #8 questions easily catch your prospects attention and lead them into a certain direction ask questions

18. 3 reasons why you should ask more questions: They engage your counterpart, and as a result, you control their attention Only questions, not reasons, persuade They get your prospect talking, which helps you understand his needs and challenges

19. listen to understand Sales Insight #9 listen, and hear Most people don’t listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply 80% 50% 30%

20. Selling is not the same as talking. Listening is an important part of it: If you don't really listen, you will miss out on what your prospect actually needs. 43/57 is the golden ratio: 43% of talking done by the salesperson, and the majority with 57% done by the prospect 80% Don't interrupt, listen to emotions and don't assume anything. Clarify, ask more questions and summarise what you have learned 50% 30%

21. replace facts with personal stories Sales Insight #10 tell personal stories Charities pull 2x the donations with a personal story as opposed to facts and figures 80% 50% 30%

22. Stories help us to connect on a personal level. We think and feel through them, and re-live the storyteller's experience with its emotions Of course, you don't want to lose business credibility by skipping facts and figures. So here is our tip: state a value proposition, include facts and quantified results and then give an example from your customer through a personal story. 

23. be both: introvert and extrovert Sales Insight #11 be ambivert The best salespeople are ambiverts: they know when to be quiet and when to speak up 80% 50% 30%

24. A study compared salesman earnings ($) per hour, grouped by personality types. The clear winner is the ambivert! $160 $125 $120 50% 30% Liinea.com

25. analogies help understand your message Sales Insight #12 persuade with analogies Analogies and metaphors work as logical arguments and are helpful to transfer an important message 80% 50% 30% Liinea.com

26. How do analogies and metaphors work? They break down a complex statement and make it simple 80% They are easier to remember They turn something unfamiliar into something relevant Liinea.com

27. replace “may i” with “will you” Sales Insight #13 Asking for action helps to inspire a desired outcome and elicits a response in people ask for action, not permission 80% 50% 30%

28. Asking for action: Tells someone what they should do Gives motivation to do so Leads to soft commitment Asking for action creates a feeling of obligation within a person. People tend to stick to their commitments because they like to honour them, and it makes them feel better about themselves. 

29. pictures persuade better Sales Insight #14 Our brain processes visuals up to 600x faster than words explain with visuals 80% 50% 30%

30. A picture’s worth a thousand words – almost literally Not only processes our brain visual information more effectively than text, but they are also more persuasive and easier to remember: 80% 10% of people remember what they heard 50% of people remember what they read 20% 30% of people remember what they saw and did 80%

31. tease with information to create curiosity Sales Insight #15 Curiosity helps you to get someone's attention and afterwards to keep their interest tease with information

32. Here are 4 easy ways how you can create curiosity in others: End emails with a cliff-hanger Violate expectations 50% Ask a stimulating question 30% Talk about information others didn’t know

33. foot-in-the-door technique Sales Insight #16 ask for a small request first People are more likely to agree to a bigger request, after agreeing to a smaller request first

34. How can you use this technique for your future sales? Determine an appropriate small thing to ask. This should be something which your prospect is likely to agree to. 1. Create a way to introduce the bigger request. This can happen right after the smaller demand. 2.

35. LOSS AVERSION Sales Insight #17 frame your offers in terms of loss The pain of losing is twice as powerful as the pleasure of gaining

36. People are more willing to take risks to avoid a loss than to make a gain. How can you use this in sales? 1. Make your prospects feel like they already own your product. Once your prospects feel like that, they will not want to lose it again Save customers from future regret. Clearly express what your prospects would lose if they don’t own your product 2.

37. Don’t forget to follow up Sales Insight #18 The majority of sales require around 5 follow-ups, but more than half of all salespeople give up after just one Don’t give up, follow up

38. You shouldn’t just take no for an answer: Your prospect might be busy Your prospect might need time to think about the offer It might just be the wrong timing Follow-up calls or emails can help you understand where you stand in a deal. They can help build trust, or maybe address possible missing information or problems.

39. FOCUS ON engaging content Sales Insight #19 Engage with your audience 68% of consumers feel more positive about brands who share engaging content

40. Here are some tips on how you can easily engage with your audience: Get the attention from costumers with engaging questions Limit yourself to relevant and qualitative content to get the best out of your request Talk about engaging stories which trigger positive emotions

41. SOCIAL PROOF AS A POWERFUL TOOL Sales Insight #20 USE SOCIAL PROOF 63% of consumers say they are more likely to purchase from a site if it has product ratings and reviews

42. Social proof is a powerful technique to build trust and make a product more desirable. This is how you can activate it: Refer to similar customers by using phrases like “most businesses in your situation …“ Display positive reviews or customer testimonials on your website Show your prospects that buyers similar to them have purchased your product and experienced positive results

43. Put yourself in your prospect’s shoes Sales Insight #21 understand your prospect Understand how your prospect identifies himself, so you can target exactly those personal differences

44. How can you show your prospect that you understand him? Ask questions to learn more – how should you understand his or her needs if you don’t ask the right questions? Use the word “you” – it’s captivating and shows your prospect what you are saying is relevant for him Solve their problems – formulate your offers so they address their needs and solve their problems

45. SALES TRAININGS ARE CRUCIAL Sales Insight #22 don’t stop learning Salespeople who receive continuous training show 50% higher sales rates

46. Did you know? 55% of salespeople lack the basic sales skills to be successful! That’s why training is important: it can be the source of important new information about up-to-date trends, new sales strategies and new sales tools Invest in training and it will pay out later!