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B2B Sales Closing Techniques Sellers Should Be Using

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:12:06 +0000

Are you using the most effective B2B sales closing techniques? If not, you’re missing out on the opportunity to capitalize on the most crucial part of the sales process. While each step in the process matters, it’s the close that ultimately makes the sale yours.

As Intelliverse adds, “the entire effort made by the sales rep culminates at this step.”

Specific techniques have proven to be more effective than others. Though it can be tough to change your strategy, it’s worth the effort to improve your close. Knowing the best practices and adopting them can level up your success.

One of the most effective techniques sellers use to close involves visualization. Painting a picture for a buyer of your solution in action helps them understand what they are buying and why. Rachel Cooper, writing for RevenueGrid, explains that this technique aligns with our brains.

“90% of people perceive the world and make decisions based on the visual input data,” she explains.

Inviting prospects to visualize using your solution may not come easily at first. Tap into storytelling to help “show” them your offering in action. SalesFuel shares advice for using storytelling to close, including the “EPIC” strategy:

E — Empathy

P — Problem

I — Impact

C — Change and call to action

Each letter stands for an element that you should add to your story. Take a look at the article for details and how to implement it into the visualization technique.

The Puppy Close

This is one of the more well-known B2B sales closing techniques. It’s based on the idea that you let the prospect test out, or “take home,” your solution. Then they will fall in love and want to buy.

“It’s one of the simplest, yet actionable and effective sales closing techniques,” Cooper writes.

Offer your prospect a free trial. This gives them a chance to be hands-on with your offering and experience it in action. This can give them the reassurance, and drive, to buy.

And Lead2Pipeline reports, “Conversion rates are generally higher when free trials are offered, and even more so for B2B companies.”

If giving a free trial isn’t feasible, there’s another way to use this B2B sales closing technique. Consider offering a demo, which allows them to see how the solution works and walks them through using it. Take a look at these best practices for using demos to win over prospects.

Either of these strategies can help your prospect become even more familiar with your offerings. They get the opportunity to see how well it integrates into their own business. And hopefully, help them realize how much they need it.

The Analytics Close

An important aspect of closing is personalizing your strategy to each prospect, according to Jen Gustavson.

“Your approach will shift based on the prospect with whom you’re engaging and what their needs are.

If you are working with a very analytical buyer, this B2B sales closing technique would be a great choice. It aligns your approach with how these prospects make decisions.

Cooper recommends “compiling lists of your product’s advantages (and disadvantages too) in advance.”

Then, present these lists to the prospect during the close. Include as much data as possible to demonstrate the value you can deliver. Case studies can also add impact by showing real-life implementation and success. Even better if you use a study from a client who is similar.

Each of these three B2B sales closing techniques have proven to be effective and can help you improve close rates. And again, keep in mind that you should align your close approach with the needs and preferences of each prospect.

Adopting these best practices ensure that you end the sales process with a powerful close that resonates with the buyer. And for even more opportunities to add to your strategy, take a look at these other pro tips.

Photo by Amy Hirschi on Unsplash

The Red Car Theory

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:11:54 +0000

This is a short blog with a simple message: Opportunities are all around you, but you have to be looking for them in order to take advantage of them. Here is a 30-second video that illustrates this point.

Joe’s Perspective: I can’t state it any better than she did. “That’s how opportunities work. When you go through life and you are not looking and you are not aware, opportunities just pass you by and you don’t even notice. Anything can turn into an opportunity, but you have to be aware and you have to keep looking.” So, keep your eyes open and be open to new opportunities. This reminds me of a great quote, “Instead of waiting for your boat to come in, swim out to it.” No line is going to form in front of you that says, “Opportunities here, come and get it.” If you want to be successful, you have to be your own advocate. Be willing to take the bull by the horns. Seize the day. Take some risks.

Your Turn: What are your thoughts on today’s blog and how can it positively impact your life?

7 way to build confidence and cultivate resilience

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:11:46 +0000

Nothing is impossible, the word itself says ‘I’m possible’!

Audrey Hepburn

I found myself needing to stop at a local mall. And I didn’t expect to hear someone shouting in such a hostile manner.

I heard the awful words and felt the sting in them before I even rounded the corner. When I turned to see what was happening, and saw her crying, I wasn’t sure what to do or say. Before I could react, she muttered to herself. Straining to hear, I picked up on the fact that she was repeating those awful words to herself.

I thought….“You are not those words. I don’t even know you, but I can see that it’s not true. Don’t give him your power.”

She somehow managed a smile before her friend showed up a moment later, and they embraced as she broke down again. Once I could tell she was in great hands, I was able to continue with my day.

One of Eleanor Roosevelt’s famous quotes is “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” Sounds easy, but…it isn’t, especially in the moment.

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Eleanor Roosevelt

In these simple words, she conveyed a profound truth about personal power, resilience, and self-confidence.

This tells us that the power to influence our feelings and self-perception resides within us, not in the words of others. It means that we control the narrative about our worth, value, and abilities. When we give others the authority to make us feel less than, we surrender our personal power.

So, what should we do when someone tries to make us feel inferior? Here’s a roadmap to build confidence, cultivate resilience, and reclaim personal power:

Understand your triggers: Identify situations or comments that make you feel inferior. Understanding these triggers can help you better prepare and react to them.

Remember: Triggers are not a sign of weakness; they are a part of being human. Awareness of them is the first step towards control.

2. Foster a Positive Self-Image

Embrace your strengths: Recognize your unique abilities and the areas where you can improve. Having a balanced perspective on your abilities fosters self-esteem.

Remember: You are a work-in-progress, and it’s perfectly okay. Embracing your weaknesses as areas for growth will make you unstoppable.

Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.

Marilyn Monroe

3. Develop Emotional Intelligence

Control your reaction: When someone tries to belittle you, remember you have the power to control your emotional response.

Remember: Not every negative comment deserves your energy. Be selective with your emotional investments.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.

Les Brown

4. Set Personal Boundaries

Communicate your limits: It’s important to let people know what is and isn’t acceptable behavior towards you.

Remember: Setting boundaries is a sign of self-respect. You are teaching others how you want to be treated.

Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.

Arthur Ashe

5. Practice Self-Affirmation

Boost your confidence with positive affirmations: Remind yourself daily of your worth, capabilities, and achievements.

Remember: Positive self-talk can change your outlook on life. Make it a daily ritual.

To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

6. Surround Yourself with Positive Influences

Choose your company wisely: Surround yourself with people who inspire, encourage, and respect you.

Remember: You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.

7. Seek Professional Help When Necessary

Reach out to a professional if feelings of inferiority persist: There’s no shame in seeking help from psychologists or coaches to help you navigate your feelings and develop coping strategies.

Remember: Seeking help is not a sign of weakness, but rather a testament to your strength and commitment to personal growth.

Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.

Dale Carnegie

Do not let anyone undermine your worth or potential. Instead, embrace the powerful words of Eleanor Roosevelt, and realize that no one can make you feel inferior without your consent.

Image Credit: Alex Shute

3 Most Important Attributes in a Teammate

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:11:36 +0000

I have to be honest. I have no idea who this guy is. My guess is he is a special forces guy in the military. My guess is he is part of an elite fighting force. My guess is he has had more training and leadership development than any of us will ever receive.

Given all that, he says there are three things that he looks for in a teammate. 1) Dependability – be where you say you are going to be when you say you are going to be, 2) Skilled – that you are very good at completing the task that you are charged to do, & 3) Selflessness – making sure the needs of others are taken care of before you take care of your own.

And, the one he says is the hardest to do and the most important to do is selflessness. Putting the needs of others before yourself – not once in a while or when it is convenient, but when it matters.

Your Turn: On a scale of 1-10, how selfless are you? How well and how often do you put the needs of your teammates/classmates/friends/family ahead of your own?

Add Psychometric Assessments to Your Hiring Checklist for Outstanding Results

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:11:27 +0000

The pendulum in the job market has swung from the prospective employees’ side to the hiring managers’ side. But it’s still not easy to find the right team members. That’s why you need to develop a hiring checklist.

Like many managers, you may already use an informal list to track your hiring process. You know it’s critical to post an accurate job description and title. You may also maintain a list of internal team members who will assist with interviewing.

Before interviews start, you’ll need to sort through a huge volume of candidates. In the tightening job market, more managers are using automated tools to quickly screen out nonqualified candidates.

On the other side of the fence, job seekers are using similar tools to swamp online application systems. Some organizations no longer post positions and are instead returning to old practices. They are tapping into networks and employee referral systems, and that practice could lead to trouble.

All About Referrals

Using a referral system as part of your hiring checklist can generate great results – especially for candidates. Job seekers with connections have a better chance of getting hired under this kind of system.

A study by Greenhouse found that “applicants with referrals had a 50% chance of advancing past an initial résumé review…compared with 12% odds for other external candidates.”

While this practice may make your job as a hiring manager slightly easier, you’ll encounter challenges. Most employee referral systems put forth candidates who look and act like your current employees. This situation will limit your progress toward any lofty DEI goals you’ve committed to.

The Halo Effect

Another major flaw with a candidate referral system is the “halo effect.” If someone you respect or admire recommends a candidate, you naturally expect the individual will have positive attributes. Hiring managers don’t want to insult the referrer so they grant the candidate an interview.

They may even hire the candidate based on the connection to the referring individual. The problem with this approach is that emotion has the search for a new employee. Emotions do not belong on a hiring checklist.

To hire the best candidate for your position, you should rely on an unbiased data set. This kind of information is available through TeamTrait, which offers a comprehensive psychometric assessment.

The Resume Versus the Assessment

A detailed resume check usually holds a prominent spot on the hiring checklist. But the resume serves as another way for the candidate to position themselves in the best light. Research shows that 70% of individuals enhance the information on their resumes.

With the job market suddenly being a bit tighter, candidates will adjust strengths and skill sets to match your requirements. And during an interview, they’ll tell you what they think you want to know.

All this work on the candidate’s part can put you at a disadvantage. But you can level the playing field by requiring candidates to take an assessment before an interview.

Psychometric assessment results provide useful information when it comes to understanding workplace behavior. A candidate with strong technical and soft skills may also tend to be a job protector. Knowing this in advance allows you to ask questions about that tendency.

If the candidate also scores well on coachability, you may be able to help them adjust their workplace behavior.

Interview Preparation

With assessment results in hand, you can be better prepared for the interview. As part of your hiring checklist, commit to asking the right questions during the interview.

To determine whether you have a potential star applying for your job, ask personalized questions based on assessment results. If their profile indicates they have trouble with decisions, you can dig into that topic. Ask how they’d handle a problem you give them.

Remember this: They may not have work experience to draw on, but they can answer based on personal experience.

Hiring a new employee involves significant expense and investment of resources in training. To get it right, you need data that indicates how well an individual will fit with your existing team. Be sure to add psychometric assessments to your hiring checklist.

Photo by RDNE Stockphoto on Pexels.

How Leaders Handle the Smallest Threats

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:11:19 +0000

In leadership, the focus often gravitates towards grand visions and sweeping changes. The big stuff.

But my experience is that it’s usually the small, seemingly insignificant threats that can derail organizations.

We think that lions and sharks are scary, and we dismiss the tiny mosquito. But the mosquito is far riskier to humans.

Tiny challenges can accumulate and become critical if ignored. Understanding how successful leaders manage these small threats provides valuable insights for all of us.

Attention to Detail

Leaders who excel are often distinguished by their attention to detail. They recognize that in the minutiae lies potential danger. Consider a leader navigating a company through a period of rapid technological change. While major projects capture the spotlight, this leader knows that the outdated software in one department may seem minor today but could cause serious security risks if not dealt with quickly. A proactive approach in upgrading systems, even when they appear secondary, safeguards the company’s future.

Great leaders know: It’s not the noise of the threats, but the silence of vulnerabilities that requires attention.

Consistency in Small Practices

Athletic coaches provide a clear example of managing small threats through consistent practices. Legendary basketball coach John Wooden didn’t just focus on game-winning strategies. He began each season teaching players how to properly put on their socks and lace their shoes. How would you feel if you were on that team? But this small lesson was critical—preventing blisters and sprains that could sideline his players during crucial moments. And teaching players that the small things matter. Wooden’s meticulousness exemplifies how managing small details can contribute to big successes.

Perspectives on Vigilance

Historically, leaders who anticipated and mitigated minor threats often led their nations through tumultuous times successfully. Winston Churchill, during the early days of World War II, focused not only on massive military strategies but also on bolstering morale among British civilians, a smaller, softer aspect of the war effort. But this played a major role in sustaining the nation’s spirit.

Churchill showed us: The strength of a nation lies not just in the might of its guns, but in the resilience of its people.

Innovation from Small Beginnings

In the corporate world, leaders like Steve Jobs exemplified the importance of addressing small innovations that signal larger industry shifts. Jobs’ focus on the aesthetic details of Apple products, such as the tactile feel of the keyboard or the color of an iPhone, seemed minor. It seemed insignificant. But this often shaped market trends and increased customer loyalty. His ability to treat these small elements with importance paved the way for Apple’s dominance.

Leveraging Technology

Today’s leaders have at their disposal an array of technological tools to monitor and manage small threats. Data analytics, for example, can highlight slight shifts in customer behavior or minor increases in operational costs that might indicate larger issues. A leader’s ability to integrate this data into daily decision-making processes can prevent small threats from becoming larger crises.

In data lies the detail; in detail, the defense against disaster.

Emotional Intelligence

Beyond technology and tactics, emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in identifying and addressing these threats. Leaders like Nelson Mandela utilized emotional intelligence to perceive undercurrents of dissent. That let him address a small issue before they escalated. His approach to engaging and making minor adjustments in policies helped maintain a delicate balance during South Africa’s transition period.

Strategic Rest

Sometimes, the small threat isn’t something that needs to be done, but something that needs to be avoided. Think burnout. Rest is important. Jeff Bezos is known to only make high-stakes decisions after sufficient sleep. Seems silly to some to delay a decision, but it works.

“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.”

Mother Teresa

Through understanding how successful leaders handle the small threats—by being vigilant, detailed, consistent, and strategic—we can gather insights into the art and science of leadership. It’s a continuous balancing act, where the smallest details can have the most significant impacts.

So, whether you’re in the Boardroom or on a Safari, remember: it’s not just the big stuff. The small stuff is often more important than it appears.

Image Credit: erik karits

Pixel 9 Pro Could Match iPhone 16 Pro’s High-End Display

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 12:43:24 +0000

Since Google started teasing the Pixel 9 series a week ago, we haven’t stopped thinking about it. Not only have the leaks painting the picture of something special, Google is now telling us to get ready for them months earlier than we anticipated. Today, a new report gets us further hyped over the displays Google could use, potentially matching the panels that Apple will use in the upcoming iPhone 16 Pro series.

According to a report out of etnews, both Google and Apple have tapped Samsung Display for the OLED panels they will use in the Pixel 9 and iPhone 16 Pro devices. A new panel dubbed “M14” has reportedly been ordered for use in these devices, which should mean a high-end panel that might only be separated by the way each company chooses to tune them on-device.

The report doesn’t dive into many specifics on what would make these displays unique, only suggesting instead that the “M” series is Samsung’s best that is used for flagship phones. The one feature we’re told about is that M14 has achieved the best performance when it comes to brightness and lifespan.

For Google and Apple, we’re left assuming jumping to the idea that they will be the best displays because these companies are using them in their best devices. The report does say that Google would use the Samsung M14 display in the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro, Pixel 9 Pro XL, and a second generation Pixel Fold. It adds that Apple will only use M14 in the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max.

I wish I could give you more here, but that’s the story. Google may be making a Pixel 9 series that looks in some ways like an iPhone and they’ll also apparently match Apple in at least one high-end component. That’s cool.

Telecom news roundup: Bell internet price hikes, Rogers Disney+ deal [Jun 22-28]

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:59:15 +0000

MobileSyrup‘s weekly telecom news roundup is back. We missed a week since I was on vacation (though there wasn’t a ton of telecom news that week anyway). But we’re back with a few stories for you:

Pricing and deals

Rogers offering free Disney+ with ads to TV customers.

Reminder: Your Bell internet bill is going up on July 1st.

Infrastructure

Ookla speedtest shows how 5G boosts popular services in Canada.

Eastlink continues New Brunswick expansion with service, store in Tracadie.

Getting texts full of question marks? You aren’t alone.

Bell, Freedom impacted by roaming outage.

You can find the last telecom roundup here.

MobileSyrup may earn a commission from purchases made via our links, which helps fund the journalism we provide free on our website. These links do not influence our editorial content. Support us here.

A Tech Dilemma: When You Love Apple but Are Not Satisfied with Its Products

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:57:17 +0000

We have only a few months until September which has been officially booked by Apple to launch its iconic products, led by the iPhone lineup. I think if you are even a little bit interested in technology, you must already notice the buzz all over the internet and social media, filled with people’s predictions, guesses, early “confirmations” about Apple plans and leaks, a lot of leaks, from software updates to hardware wireframes. Yes, we love Apple but does it really love us back with such determination?

Okay, the figurative speech aside, there is a big group of people who don’t feel satisfied with what Apple does. Don’t get this wrong, they are still ready to pay more than a thousand dollars for a new iPhone, but the innovation they expect is coming very slowly, at least compared to Samsung, Apple’s biggest rival, which has already introduced its AI capabilities.

It’s important to consider the truth that Apple is not trying to impress with innovations but with safe and intuitive products, which require time to implement and then only pass to the customer. Meanwhile, someone is sitting in front of their Macbook and trying to play the latest game but gets more and more convinced that other PCs may perform way too well, for instance. So, let’s start with this part.

Let’s be real – Apple products excel in many areas, but hardcore gaming performance just isn’t one of their strong suits. I’m an Apple super-fan who loves their signature premium design and intuitive user experiences. But when it comes to running demanding game titles, even Apple’s top-tier hardware gets outpaced by custom gaming PCs.

If you wonder about the difference between Mac Vs. Windows gaming experiences, just look at the experience of playing a graphically intense open-world game like Cyberpunk 2077 on a maxed-out M1 Max MacBook Pro versus a high-end gaming device. While the $3,499 MacBook can handle the game at lower settings around 30 fps, a similarly priced $3,000 PC with an RTX 4090 GPU pumps out over 100 fps at ultra settings with raytracing enabled. You’re talking about the difference between choppy, compromised visuals and a completely immersive experience.

The reason is simple – gaming PCs are purpose-built systems optimized for these 3D workloads. They pack powerful discrete GPUs like Nvidia’s latest 40-series cards with up to 24GB of video memory, liquid cooling setups to sustain peak performance, and ultra-fast M.2 NVMe SSD storage to minimize load times. Apple’s all-in-one designs with integrated graphics simply can’t match that level of raw power.

I’m utterly obsessed with the Apple ecosystem, but there’s no denying Spotify’s streaming service seems to consistently out-innovate the music discovery experience versus Apple Music. While Apple has drastically improved their offering, Spotify’s cutting-edge data science and recommendation engines give them a decided advantage.

Take Spotify’s advanced ‘Audio AI’ features like their AI DJ or the all-new ‘AI Utterance’ voice models. These use machine learning to analyze your listening patterns, demographics, and taste profiles to craft incredibly personalized DJ commentary and seamless playlist transitions tailored just for you. It’s like having a knowledgeable music expert as your private curator.

By comparison, Apple Music’s recommendations still feel more rudimentary and standardized. Their approaches like grouping playlists by moods or genres just doesn’t achieve that hyper-personalized user experience Spotify nails so well.

The user numbers underline Spotify’s dominance too. As of Q3 2023, Spotify boasts over 236 million paying subscribers globally versus Apple Music’s estimated 93 million (as of 2024). That incredible scale means Spotify can ingest vastly more listening data to train their AI models. Industry data indicates Spotify tracks over 79 billion monthly plays across its platform versus Apple’s 35 billion.

So while both are excellent services, for music superfans craving that next-gen AI-curated experience, Spotify’s aggressive emphasis on personalization AI gives them the decided edge – at least for now.

We all saw that splashy Meta keynote video where Mark Zuckerberg threw unmistakable shade at Apple’s upcoming Vision Pro mixed reality headset. Calling the $3,499 device “expensive” while claiming Meta’s $1,499 Quest Pro offers a superior extended reality (XR) experience, Zuck was clearly attempting to get out in front of Apple’s invasion into his virtual territory.

In reality, both the Vision Pro and Quest Pro represent enormously expensive bets on an as-yet-unproven consumer XR market. While Meta enjoys a significant cost advantage thanks to their content-neutral, open ecosystem approach, Apple’s track record for premium industrial design and obsessive hardware optimization could give Vision Pro’s experience a serious edge.

Take the Vision Pro’s novel aluminum and curved glass design, for example. With an internal fan, vents, and over a dozen cameras and sensors, it represents a technical marvel of miniaturization and ergonomics – hallmarks of Apple’s renowned hardware chops. The Pro’s ultra high-res displays also output at a silky 120Hz refresh rate for life-like visual fidelity.

By contrast, Meta’s plastic Quest Pro headset looks comparatively toy-ish and low-rent, with LCD panels that max out at 90Hz and less than half the number of cameras. But as always with Apple products, that seamless user experience comes at a premium cost.

Sad to say, but I got scammed by a win-back offer

Administrator — Tue, 02 Jul 2024 11:55:19 +0000

Yep, it happened to me. I know better, but I was in a vulnerable place (over my data cap) and the promise of a good deal got me. Here’s what happened.

During one of my last press trips to the U.S. I accidentally watched a 40GB 4K movie over Plex on my mobile hotspot, and by day two of the trip, I was over my 50GB data limit and stuck using throttled speeds. I was able to make it with an eSIM I bought from Airalo, but at the end of the day I wasn’t happy since I knew when I got back to Canada, I’d still be out of data for another two and a half weeks.

Then, on the last day of the trip, a few hours before my flight, I got a call from someone claiming to be with Rogers’ win-back department. The conversation was a little sketchy, but I switch plans via win-back deals often and it always feels a little sketchy, so I decided to press onwards.

It started out nice enough, with the person asking what my current plan was and then making a counteroffer of basically the same plan at a lower price. For me, this was 100GB of Canada-U.S data for $37.

Things started to go south when the person on the phone asked for my personal information but didn’t transfer me to a secure line or send a link to a secure site for me to input it. During this process I gave up my address, driver’s licence number and credit card info (including the three-digit code on the back, which I learned after is not needed for a credit check).

By the end of that exchange I was getting really paranoid so I asked for the person’s employee number and the deal number, and to my surprise, they gave me those numbers, but then they told me another person would call me in a few days to let me know how to get my SIM card. Since I’d already given them my address, this felt really strange.

So I get off the phone with them, use the RBC app to put a pause on my credit card and contact Rogers proper to see if the employee number or deal number I was given were in their system. The first person I talked to was unable to find them and told me that I was most likely caught in a scam. From there, he set up a call with someone higher up at Roger’s who should be able to verify beyond a doubt if it was a scam or not.

A few days later, they call me to say that, as far as they can tell, it was a scam call. However, for my troubles, he offers me the same deal as the scammer and then tells me that someone from the win-back department will reach out to me. A day later they do, but they don’t offer me the deal and instead question me about an attempted purchase of an iPhone 15 Pro Max. I assume the scammer is the person behind this but since I’d canceled my credit card at this point, the deal didn’t go through. At the end of this call I was offered a different phone deal that was more expensive than my current Freedom Plan so I decided that I was just going to leave it at that and move on.

Overall, this was a pretty brutal experience and while I knew better, it just goes to show that anyone can be the victim of a scam. Make sure you can verify that the person calling you actually works for the company they say you do and to never give out your credit card numbers over the phone.