When
prompting a book to the media or marketing your brand to consumers, you’ll hear
“no” much more often than “yes.” That’s okay. It’s a numbers game. You put out a lot of asks and see who comes
back to interview you, buy your book, or agree to have you speak at an
event. But what if you can increase your
chances of success by taking a better approach?
Check
out The Ultimate Guide for Mastering
Objections: The Art and Science of
Getting Past No, by the CEO of SalesGravy.com, Jeb Blount. In skimming through his book I found helpful
advice on how to generate more sales.
In
his book, he identifies seven disruptive emotions that impede one’s ability to
get past a no, including: fear,
desperation, insecurity, eagerness, worry, and emotional attachment. Once you develop self-awareness of what you
do wrong, you can begin to correct it with good self-talk, positive
visualization, and a change in your mindset.
He wants to get you to be obstacle-immune.
Most
of us look to avoid rejection, but unless we push further and reach higher,
we’ll never get anywhere. Sometimes we
reach beyond our grasp and fail. It’s
okay. You’re getting a step closer to
success in the process.
He
narrows down the five ways to prospect for a yes to the following:
1.
Get
someone’s attention.
2.
Identify
yourself.
3.
Tell
them what you want.
4.
Bridge
to a because.
5.
Ask
for what you want.
Blount
identifies the following variables that impact one’s ability to get a “yes” out
of someone – and I think they also apply to authors. Here they are:
1.
The quality of the
prospects you are engaging.
Are
you contacting the right media outlets and the right people there? Are you selling your book to a targeted group –
or hoping anyone will buy it?
2.
Length of your
sales cycle
It
can take days, weeks, or months for someone to follow-up with a yes. Be persistent and stay in touch.
3.
Industry vertical.
Are
you approaching logical organizations – as well as bookstores, libraries, the
news media, and targeted consumers?
4.
Time of day.
Know
when the person you need to reach is around and available to communicate with
you.
5. Day of week.
Some
people are reachable on the weekend, but most are Monday to Friday. Monday’s are our busiest days and Fridays
could be calming for us with the weekend approaching. The person you want to connect with may not
be in the office five days a week.
6. Time of year.
Holiday
season can be hectic. Parts of summer
can be a dead time. Some things are seasonal.
Know
when’s the right time of year to contact someone who may plan months ahead.
when’s the right time of year to contact someone who may plan months ahead.
7. Decision-maker role of your contact.
If
you are not in touch with the person who can say yes you have a harder job to
convince their surrogate and then the decision-maker.
8. Product or service.
Is
your message powerful, your credentials strong, your book great? If not, don’t sell crap and demand a yes.
9. Complex sale
versus transactional.
A
book is not a commodity – it is a bundle of stories, ideas, and even life-impacting
solutions. What’s complex for you is the level of competition. So many books are out there – and other experts with products who
seek what you want.
10. Call objective.
Your
objective is an immediate yes to a media placement, book sale, or scheduled
speech. Otherwise you want yes to the
next step, whatever it may be to move things along.
11. Sales methodology.
How
do you approach your prospect? Do you
use humor, fear, facts, something in the news, something personal? What will get their attention, disarm them,
and allow you to feel trusted?
12. Quality of your approach.
How
you present yourself and your book will greatly influence people’s reactions. Be energized, to the point, cheerful,
positive, helpful, empowering, witty, and prompt. Look the part and sell it hard.
13. Your knowledge and skills.
Are
you qualified to write or speak on the subject?
Are you interesting and confident?
Do you come off as someone who can share something useful?
14. Prospecting Channel
Text? In-person?
Email? Phone? Fax?
Mail? Social media? How do you
contact and connect with
someone? What do you package to them – links, videos, books, press kits? Sell them how they want to be sold.
someone? What do you package to them – links, videos, books, press kits? Sell them how they want to be sold.
15. Message
What
exactly will you say to someone to get them to a yes? It’s not just your look, presentation skills,
or voice, or style that you’ll be judged by – it’ll be your very words, ideas,
experiences, views, and questions that they will rule on, too.
16. Emotional control and mindset.
Do
you show desperation, weakness and insecurity?
Do you come off as unhinged, an extremist, or a wild card? People want someone who sounds stable,
focused, and of the same mindset as them.
Be sure to project normalcy.
Ok,
so let’s say you did everything right, but you still sense an objection or a
lack of buy-in. What do you do next? Say,
“thanks” and move on – or try one last time to make magic happen?
Blount
has a five-step objection-turn-around framework. First, acknowledge and relate to their
objection. Show you understand and hear
them. Next, ask questions to isolate or narrow
down to discover their core resistance. Then minimize
their concerns and show how you provide a solution to a problem. Now, ask for a yes again. Lastly, negotiate
for something else if they fail to commit fully.
Blount
concludes: “No matter what you do, there will always be those who reject you
and stand in your way. Learn to welcome
your detractors. Learn to channel their
rejection into motivation. Whenever
someone lays down a roadblock or whenever you get rejected, it is a clear sign
that you are getting closer to your goal.”
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Brian Feinblum’s insightful views, provocative opinions, and
interesting ideas expressed in this terrific blog are his alone and not that of
his employer or anyone else. You can – and should -- follow him on Twitter
@theprexpert and email him at brianfeinblum@gmail.com. He feels much more
important when discussed in the third-person. This is copyrighted by
BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2019. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in
Westchester. His writings are often featured in The Writer and
IBPA’s Independent. This was named one of the best book
marketing blogs by Book Baby http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the
top book marketing blogs. Also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best
resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America.
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