While Steve is known for his genius marketing and pulling Apple from
the precipice of disaster and captaining it into the most valuable and
beloved brand in the world, he was able to do all this because he was
the ultimate salesman. And a genius one at that!
Most especially because he is not known or
remembered as a salesman, but by all the other accolades given to him by
others: genius, revolutionary, leader, rebel, mover, mogul, luminary,
and the list goes on.
Here are a few tips on how he achieved such a feat—as a salesman and as a sales leader—and how you can be like Steve.
TIP 1: Do not compete solely on price
Nobody has ever bought an Apple anything because of price.
In fact Apple is typically more expensive than all its most competitive
competitors. But people buy Apple because of the value of the products,
not based on the cost.
This is a great lesson for you too. Don’t compete with other companies
in your market based on price. Instead, compete on value, and do a
better job articulating the value proposition of your products or
service, the pain it relieves and the virtuous promise it delivers.
TIP 2: “People don’t know what they want until you show it to them.”
This is where customers need to be first educated on why they need your
product. Then they can be your best advocates, actively spreading the
word on behalf of your company or product.
Nobody was out looking for the iPhone when it came out (nor the iPod
or iPad), but now nobody wants to be the only one in their community
without one. Your product can work the same, but only if you and your
sales reps evangelize and educate your consumer marketplace on the
“better world” created by your product or service.
TIP 3: Create great presentations
I call Jobs the greatest keynote speaker of our lifetime. Jim Rohn used
to describe two orators from antiquity. One was named Cicero. The other
was named Demosthenes. It is said that when Cicero spoke, the masses
were awed and would exclaim, ‘What a brilliant speech!’ And when
Demosthenes spoke, the people would say, ‘Let us march!’
Steve Jobs was the modern-day Demosthenes. When he spoke, people said, “Let us buy!”
Don’t speak to drive applause.
Speak to drive action.
Lots of speakers speak for back of the room sales.
To do several hundred thousand dollars after a speech is an epic day.
Steve would do billions after his speech.
He was that good.
A book I often recommend on how to strengthen your presentation skills is The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs: How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience
by Carmine Gallo.
by Carmine Gallo.
How good are your sales presentations?
When you study Steve’s and then your own, do you see room for improvement?
If so, close the gap. There is massive upside for you in doing so.
TIP 4: Create a “Buying Experience”
Jobs wasn’t in it to make a sale. He was in it to deliver a full and
complete experience. Look at how an Apple store is set up to facilitate
an experience. Look at how the product is designed, packaged, delivered
and supported. It’s an end-to-end experience very specifically,
diligently and carefully created. This is why Apple has earned such a
passionate and loyal fan base.
How about you?
Are you out to make a sale or create a full and complete experience?
TIP 5: Don’t fear failure
Jobs lived his “Think Different” tag line. He was always willing to
think way outside the box or create an entirely new box with seemingly
radical ideas. He was willing to try new things and fail.
Apple is not remembered for its failures, but they have many. Just to
name a few there was the Apple III, Macintosh TV, the 20th Anniversary
Macintosh, PowerMac G4 Cube, Apple Bandai-Pippin, AppleWorks, iPod U2
Special Edition, eMate 300, Macintosh Portable, eMac and of course the
Newton and Lisa. But by failing—and failing fast, early and often—Jobs
learned valuable lessons from his experiences, which shaped his later
success.
So for you and your sales team, don’t be afraid to fail; learning
through failure is a great way to grow quickly. As another great
salesman, Zig Ziglar, would say, “Expect the best, prepare for the worst
and capitalize on what comes.”
So go fail quickly, often and continuously. And let those failures sharpen your skills, processes and expertise.
So to summarize:
- Do not compete solely on price
- Educate your customers on why they need your product
- Create great presentations
- Create a “Buying Experience”
- Don’t fear failure
I hope you enjoyed this week’s post as much as I did putting it
together. Now go on and flex that sales muscle of yours. And when in
doubt, just think WWSD (What Would Steve Do)?
Who are some other great
leaders in business that inspired, shaped, and transformed the way you
perform in your own industry? Share with us in the comments below.
Source: http://darrenhardy.success.com/2014/08/sell-like-jobs
