Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] If you think you're bad at sales, I'm telling you, you're not. You're just following outdated information that has been passed on for far too long. And today we are going to break that down with the five things that you need to know to ensure that you are a modern, savvy seller. Hi, my name is Genvi Evscori. I'm a former C Suite executive sales executive of $350 million brand who just simply got tired of watching people sell and struggle selling in, like, the weirdest ways. I know that you have goals. I know you have a business with dreams, and I'm here to help you reach them by increasing your sales confidence. So let's get into this. So the other day I was at a restaurant, and you might think, are you ever anywhere else at a restaurant? But we eat out a lot, and it was at a restaurant and we actually happened to know that the restaurant wasn't really doing that well. So we went to be supportive.
[00:00:59] And while we were there, I had a chance to interact with the owner, who at the time I didn't actually know was the owner. And I have to tell you, the thing that he missed was that even though he is the owner of the restaurant, I'm not looking at anybody in particular, but if the shoe fits, right? Just because you own a restaurant, just because you own a business, doesn't mean that you aren't selling. As a matter of fact, I would say selling is human. And as a matter of fact, Daniel Pink, author of To Sell is Human, would agree with me. Great read, highly recommend it. Anyhow, the owner didn't actually realize the importance of understanding how to sell, and it made me absolutely crazy.
[00:01:55] So we get there, we're hungry, we walk up, and I have to tell you, okay, totally side note, this whole restaurant super disjointed. A little bit of stuff over here, a little bit of stuff over there. Nothing seemed cohesive, but we went because, one, we were hungry, we had a need. Two, we wanted to help, right? So we go up to the counter and we order our food, and the guy is barely making eye contact with us, and he takes our order. And it basically was like, okay, wham, bam, thank you, ma'. Am. Moving on. There was no, hey, thanks for coming in. There was no, how are you today? How are you guys doing today? There was no, would you like an extra drink with that? Or would you like a drink with that? Or have you seen this beautiful tea and coffee menu? Which truly was beautiful, but there were so many things on There just walk past it every single time. There was no spark of appreciation that we chose his restaurant.
[00:03:02] And honestly, it. It was horrible to see because I knew that they were struggling, but I could tell a minute, bro, you at like a one, energy wise. A one, and you need to be at like an eight, nine, or ten, especially when you're the owner.
[00:03:26] He not only missed the opportunity to connect with us, but he missed the whole point of selling.
[00:03:34] And, you guys, I'm telling you this because it made me super sad, because I knew that until.
[00:03:41] First of all, I could see immediately what the problem was.
[00:03:45] I could see immediately what the problem was.
[00:03:48] The energy of the owner, y'. All. The energy of the owner is the energy of the restaurant. And I don't care what you're going through, it. The more you need it, the more you need to show up with a bit of a serving mentality. And it also made me sad because actually I went there to see if we could help him from a business perspective. And the first thing I thought was, I don't even know if we can help this guy. Like, I don't even know if he's open to changing his state of mind. Because we actually talked a little bit about, well, how's business? And what I got, what I got. I got his super sad story.
[00:04:33] It was like something he had on autoplay. And all he did was flip the switch. And it was. Yes, it was like the Eeyore soundtrack.
[00:04:42] Oh, restaurants are hard right now. Nobody is doing well. It's so hard out there.
[00:04:49] Everybody's having the same problem.
[00:04:52] People don't want, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
[00:04:59] Again, not looking at you, but maybe a friend you know has the same problem. It is so important that we understand that regardless of what you know, if you don't show up with the right energy, no amount of skills, no amount of tactics are going to help you. You actually will be doomed to fail if you can't figure out if one of your blind spots is your energy. And y' all know that I wrote about that in a blog, how important it is to know what your blind spots are. And I'm going to put that link.
[00:05:39] I'm going to put that link in the show notes for you. Now, I bring that up because I run across so many women and men in business, and I literally, within the first three seconds, can tell you if it's you or not.
[00:05:54] And I hate to say that. And listen, it's not like I've never had a bad day. I literally had one this morning where I thought to myself, self, you are in a funk. You're in a funk. But if you don't get out of that funk, there's not much that you can do to grow your business. You gotta defunkify yourself for sure first. And I want you to take that story and I want you to compare it to another restaurant that we frequent, one of the other places we go. And again, these are plant based restaurants. So we want these people to succeed. So we have great places to eat when we go out. There's one place we go in, we the mom. The mom of the owner works there.
[00:06:43] And when you go there, she greets you like you just came to her house and are sitting at her kitchen table. It's like, hello, welcome. So the first thing is appreciation.
[00:06:58] And then she goes on to ask you, how are you today?
[00:07:01] And then she goes on to, as you're talking about your order, she remembers that like, we're gluten free. So she'll say things like, well, you can order that, but remember that's not gluten free. Or you know, I can put that on the order, but do you want me to make that gluten free? And then she always adds on the upsell. She always does the. Any drinks with that today?
[00:07:26] How about some sauce? Which are only a dollar, but how about some sauce? How about some french fries? And it's always just so helpful. It just sounds like she's looking out for our best interest, y'. All. She has mastered selling without selling. She creates this warm, wonderful, friendly experience.
[00:07:53] Hear me when I say this, that's worth coming back for. We don't just go there for the burgers. We go there for some lovin'.
[00:08:04] Are you picking up what I'm laying down?
[00:08:07] The difference is between these two restaurants is one owner understands transformational energy and the other one is stuck.
[00:08:18] Stuck in transactional. In transactional energy.
[00:08:23] Because when it comes down to it, selling isn't about pressure. We talked about this all the time. It's not about pressure and it's not about push as much as it is presence.
[00:08:37] And at the core of being a savvy seller, which is the opposite of like a pushy, cringy seller. A savvy seller understands connection.
[00:08:51] They understand leading, not pleading. And they understand that they are helping people make confident decisions that better their life.
[00:09:04] So what was quietly killing that first owner's sales? Let's break that down. Because he didn't have a bad product. It actually, they had really great products. They may have had, honestly, too many products to figure out what you really needed or what went with what.
[00:09:26] But it wasn't the product that was the problem.
[00:09:30] He had a presence problem.
[00:09:33] He was quietly costing himself loyalty and revenue. And I tell you, we went there deliberately to spend money. So let's break this down so that you can compare and contrast. Not for yourself, you know, for the people you know. All right, Number one, his energy, super transactional. He treated every moment like he couldn't wait to get away from us. He couldn't wait for us to make a decision. And like he was checking off the box. I swear to you, the vibe that I got was, let's just get this over with.
[00:10:13] We felt it immediately.
[00:10:15] Your customers feel it immediately. So you gotta ask yourself, what am I showing up as? What's the vibe? Because as I mentioned, even if you need the sale, your job is not, hear me, is not to take an order.
[00:10:33] Your job is to create experiences worth the customer repeating. Because transformation, by the way, is not about being super, over the top, or weird.
[00:10:46] But there is a difference between what do you want?
[00:10:50] And I'm so glad you're here.
[00:10:54] When your presence transforms the moment, people don't just buy once they belong.
[00:11:03] When your presence actually transforms someone's moment, people aren't going to buy just once.
[00:11:11] They're not just going to be customers. They're going to be loyal because they feel like they belong.
[00:11:19] Number two, he lacked enthusiasm about his own products.
[00:11:24] Poor guy. He really like. I, I just wanted to spend the day there showing him how to do the things. But we were going to have to spend a lot of time talking about how he was showing up. So I don't know that's ever going to happen. But I asked him about two different coffee drinks because what was working for him was that while we were sitting there, people were picking up orders and somebody had picked up this blue purple drink and it had like tahini in it and it sounded delicious.
[00:11:57] And when we went back up to the counter to order coffee drinks, I asked him, what is the difference between what I saw this woman have? I'll have what she is having and what I saw on the board and what I wanted. You guys, what I want. I was just wanted him to use his expertise and help me decide what was best for me.
[00:12:26] This was his chance to lead. He could have asked the questions. He could have asked like, well, tell me a little bit about the kind of coffee drinks that you like. Do you like a bold flavor? Tell me your level of sweetness. Do you Want something smooth? Do you want something with an aftertaste? Do you want to sip it? Do you want to chug it? Do you like hot? Do you like cold? I mean, there were so many things that he could have asked me, displaying his expertise and his desire to help me make a good decision versus what I got, which was like, well, this has this, this, and this in it. And this has this, this, and this in it. And when I asked a follow up question about how sweet anything was, because I really don't love sugary coffee drinks, he said something like, well, we use a condensed coconut milk and that has sweetener in it.
[00:13:22] Did that even remotely answer my question? Nope. Did it make me feel like I was imposing on him? Did it make me feel like I asked a stupid question?
[00:13:35] A hundred percent, 100. Like, literally, I thought, stupid, stupid, stupid. And we all know if you've been listening and if you haven't, you better go back and start at, like, square one with these podcasts. You have to create safety in a conversation.
[00:13:52] And he didn't.
[00:13:54] He lacked this enthusiasm. And you guys, here's the problem. When you lack enthusiasm about your product, and I mean real enthusiasm about your product, not fake energy, your perceived, your customers perceive that as doubt. As doubt.
[00:14:13] And nobody, Nobody buys from doubt. Nobody. As a matter of fact, according to Salesforce, there's some research that they did and they said 73, 73% of customers say 1, not 2, not 10, 1.
[00:14:32] One extraordinary experience raises their expectation about the brand, meaning that when you're raising the bar, you actually are creating something that creates so much loyalty, it's harder for them to buy somewhere else because they're always comparing it to the experience that they had with you.
[00:14:59] So write this down.
[00:15:01] Enthusiasm, y'. All.
[00:15:05] Enthusiasm is not a bonus.
[00:15:08] It is the new baseline. It is the new baseline. All right, moving on. Number three. He missed.
[00:15:17] Yeah, he missed the upsells. And I'm telling you, some upsells definitely smell like hustles.
[00:15:27] But upsells, when used by a savvy seller is not a trick. It really isn't. As a matter of fact, Daniel Pink, in his book that I mentioned before, says, you need to think of it instead of an upsell as an upserve.
[00:15:43] It's really honestly and truly how you improve someone's experience.
[00:15:49] An upsell, the right thoughtful upsell says, I've already thought about what would make this even better for you.
[00:15:58] He could have said things like, hey, we have a sample of X, Y and Z. Would you like to try that? He could have said, oh my gosh, this drink, perfect.
[00:16:07] A perfect addition to what you are ordering. He could have also said, hey, can I bring you some water while you're waiting?
[00:16:18] Just, yeah, you guys, small touches, small touches, just show people. I thought about your experience, which I have to be honest, I didn't understand this for a very long time.
[00:16:30] But when you think through the experience that your customer is going to have and you show that you care at each touch point, you create some super significant loyalty.
[00:16:45] And you guys, we do this naturally in life all the time. When you recommend a great restaurant, you know you're saying, and make sure you get like the key lime pie. When you go there, you tell them, oh my gosh, great restaurant. And here's what's going to make it better. Maybe you've recommended a really great movie and you're like, make sure you sit in the middle row because that's where the sound is the best. If you've gone on a great trip and I know you all have, you're like, oh my gosh, yes, you need to go to Japan, but don't skip Kyoto. When you go to Kyoto, you gotta go here, here, here and here. You guys, that's selling. It's adding value before anyone even asks, so what do we do with this? So we broke down his problems and he's not listening, so I wish he was.
[00:17:39] Now let's talk about how can you turn everyday selling into connection? There's five things, five things that you can do to make sure that you are not falling prey to outdated tactics. First of all is see the person, not the purchase.
[00:17:55] Every single person that buys from you has a little sign on an invisible sign that says, either I'm stressed, I'm fatigued, I'm distracted. Basically they're saying is make me feel important.
[00:18:12] They might even be saying, could you just help me shift my mood?
[00:18:17] So starting with something like how is your day going?
[00:18:20] Or what exciting things are you working on?
[00:18:23] Or tell me what brings you in today and how we can create a great experience for you.
[00:18:30] Those make people feel recognized and they open up.
[00:18:34] The second thing is ask questions that reveal your intent instead of feel like pressure. So your questions, instead of being rapid fire questions that you learned from X, Y and Z's training, it should show that you're interested and that you're trying to uncover how you can help them make the best decision possible.
[00:19:00] So it's okay to ask questions like instead of how do you like your coffee? Do you like it more robust or sweeter? Hey, how do you like your sales? Even though you wouldn't say that, you might say something like, well, what's more important to you right now? Is it going to be speed? Is it going to be price, or is it quality?
[00:19:21] Asking questions like, if this works perfectly for you, what would change in your life in the next 30, 60 or 90 days? These are really good questions that can turn someone's uncertainty into clarity.
[00:19:37] Number three, match their pace and raise your energy. And by pace, I mean, like, are they slow?
[00:19:48] Are they fast talkers? Do they want to make quick decisions? A lot of times people get really stuck in their own framework. And they're so stuck in their framework that they either start performing or they just start doing the checklist thing and they're not really paying attention to what the prospect is actually asking of the relationship. Remember, you just need to create certainty. Don't perform.
[00:20:15] It's not about being something that you're not.
[00:20:19] Step number four is offer a small next step instead of the full entire big kahuna. People rarely need your entire pitch, especially on the very first conversation.
[00:20:35] So ask yourself, like, what? What's the next thing that we could do? Like, I have to be honest with you, when you go into a restaurant, there is no big huge pitch, by the way. But what people miss are the little extras. And when you think about your business, I want you to think about, am I asking people to too soon to make too big of a step?
[00:20:59] You know, ask them questions like, what next step makes the most sense to you? What is the most comfortable next step for you? Would you like to chat for 10 minutes and say, see how this works? Can I help you simplify the decision?
[00:21:15] Can we break this down into smaller steps? All of those things create connection and trust and they offer a next step, even though what you want is for them to sign on the dotted line.
[00:21:33] And then last but not least, and I do think this is overlooked quite a bit, is follow through with honestly the most care that you possibly can?
[00:21:45] I'm going to repeat this, really follow through with care. There are so many people out there that are selling a product or service, and once you are a customer, you are dead to them because they're off looking for the next person. Can I tell you something? Not only is the sale not finished when they pay, but you're missing out on endless amounts of referrals and endless amounts of additional orders when you treat your customers like you don't care.
[00:22:17] So follow through with care now. Your sale isn't over once somebody gives you, the order. And despite what many people think. And it's a natural tendency for salespeople to like, oh, you signed up, great, I'm gonna go look for the new person. But I'm telling you, if you do the math, and you should, I want you to think about the value that customer has when they continue to order from you month after month or year after year.
[00:22:45] Follow through with care, not with an intention to push them into something more. I mean, genuine care. It's so easy to get so distracted by the next sparkly thing.
[00:22:59] The new incentive, your new goal, your new title. It's like I'm just driving, driving, driving. And you're leaving a wake of dead customers that you worked really hard for a long time to get.
[00:23:14] The sale isn't finished until they feel confident that they've made the right choice. One and two, that they're getting results, the results that you promised.
[00:23:30] So you can do little things like quick thank you notes, quick follow ups, helpful resources, turn those one time buyers into long term customers and genuine sources of referrals.
[00:23:48] All right, those are the five things it's super simple.
[00:23:52] I want you to keep in mind, regardless of what's going on, and I know we're approaching the end of the year here and get a little weird about like, oh my gosh, it's the end of the year, I'm so behind.
[00:24:05] But think about transformation over transaction, you guys. That restaurant owner didn't need more marketing. He didn't need more pitches. He needed awareness of his energy.
[00:24:17] He needed to understand curiosity and the value that that plays in developing relationships.
[00:24:25] And he needed awareness of his influence, both his influence to make me want to buy again and his unconscious influencing to cause me to talk about him now on my sales podcast.
[00:24:40] It's always a reflection of how you are showing up. It's always about your confidence and your clarity when you bring both of those things with a sincere love for your customers to listen every single conversation you cannot lose.
[00:25:01] When you evolve, your sales evolve with you. And it's not because you learned a new tactic. It's not because you learned some new sales trickery.
[00:25:12] It's because your presence feels stronger and it feels loving. And that belief, it feels like certainty to your customers.
[00:25:24] This is why, honestly, you have to spend time becoming someone new, not someone different, just someone with an expanded sense of love and certainty and calm. Because the world doesn't need another order taker. The world doesn't need a bunch of salespeople with outdated sales tactics.
[00:25:48] It needs more people who can turn every day, all day exchanges into value, connection and impact.
[00:25:59] And if this resonates with you, you are probably my people. And we practice this inside my sales confidence studio. And I'm going to give you the best gift I could, which is a seven day transformation experience. At no charge. At no charge inside of my sales confidence lab. It's seven days to completely rewire how you think, how you speak, how you lead, how you form scripts with without pressure or outdated tactics. You'll learn how to shift from transactional, kind of toxic and maybe even burnout energy to something that's transformational and fun. So I'll see you inside the studio and I'm super excited to help you with your transformation.
