Latest / Closing Sales in Nigeria - Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint / The Expert Advantage: Why You Are the Product

Transcript

The Expert Advantage: Why You Are the Product · Closing Sales in Nigeria - Sales For The Nigerian Business Person: The Sales and Marketing Blueprint

• 0:00
  Hello and welcome. Apologies because today's
• 0:04
  episode is a late night recording so I have to keep
• 0:07
  things down because everybody is asleep and I don't want the kids
• 0:11
  waking up or wifey waking up and wondering why is this guy
• 0:15
  talking to himself at midnight? OK, so today what we're going to
• 0:20
  look at on the podcast is why you are not selling a product,
• 0:25
  but rather you are selling your expertise.
• 0:28
  I repeat, there are lots of you who sell stuff.
• 0:31
  You sell the product, you sell the service, you sell keyboards,
• 0:35
  you sell, I don't know, rice you sell fashion, you sell whatever
• 0:43
  it is, you sell sha. There are too many of you who
• 0:46
  are out there thinking you sell the product or you sell the
• 0:49
  service, but you don't realize that what you're selling
• 0:52
  actually is your expertise. And the reason why is this, if
• 0:58
  you've been listening to the show for any, you know, for the
• 1:00
  last maybe like 2-3 weeks, you already know about the
• 1:03
  conversations that I've been having with Cinderella.
• 1:07
  That's not her real name, but she is a salesperson.
• 1:14
  OK, Cinderella is not her real name, but this is a real person.
• 1:17
  She's a salesperson for a company based in Lagos that
• 1:20
  right now I'm calling Linkin Park Solar.
• 1:24
  Again, that's not the company's real name.
• 1:27
  So Cinderella sells solar systems and, you know, inverters
• 1:35
  and batteries and protection panels and those sorts of
• 1:38
  things. It's a, it's a technical sale.
• 1:42
  Now, the thing we're trying to work through currently is this.
• 1:46
  Cinderella feels like she's hamstrung when it comes to price
• 1:51
  because any small thing people say you're too expensive.
• 1:54
  You're double the quote that I received from the last guy, you
• 1:57
  know, wanting, wanting, wanting. So she's stuck on this price
• 2:02
  thing. And I'm currently trying to get
• 2:04
  her to move past it because now that she's stuck on this price
• 2:10
  thing, what she's been doing is if somebody says, oh, come on,
• 2:15
  you're too expensive, she tries to get the alternative quote.
• 2:20
  And then she takes the quote back to her auger to say or how
• 2:24
  far, let's say we can match this thing.
• 2:26
  I don't want to lose this client.
• 2:28
  Now, that's not a bad approach actually to try and find the
• 2:33
  alternative quote or find whatever it is that people are
• 2:36
  comparing you to so that if you sell on behalf of someone else,
• 2:41
  you can go back and tell your boss, your Madam Madam.
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  That's all we see. How well can we meet this price
• 2:49
  so that I don't lose this customer?
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  It's not a bad thing to do. Not bad.
• 2:54
  However, excuse me, there is a proper thing to do.
• 3:00
  Or rather, there is something that is much more fitting to do
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  in this case. Now, Cinderella is already doing
• 3:08
  step one. Somebody says, says you're too
• 3:10
  expensive. She pushes back.
• 3:14
  She tries to compare. She tries to request for the
• 3:18
  other quote so that she can make a comparison.
• 3:23
  So that part Cinderella is doing very well.
• 3:26
  And if you're listening to the podcast for the first time, you
• 3:28
  haven't been doing that. This is what you should do.
• 3:30
  Now, if somebody says you're too expensive, you say really,
• 3:37
  somebody gave you a cheaper quote.
• 3:38
  They say yes, no. Chukwudi said he will give it to
• 3:41
  me at 2005 per square meter. You say 2005 per square meter.
• 3:46
  And the person will talk some more.
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  But The thing is you push back, you ask a couple of a couple of
• 3:52
  questions and then excuse me, you're going to be able to
• 3:56
  figure out a few things. What exactly are they comparing
• 3:59
  me to? Now the next step is when you
• 4:02
  figure out what they are comparing you to or who they are
• 4:05
  comparing your product or service to, you distinguish or
• 4:09
  educate. Distinguish just means show why
• 4:12
  we are different. So if somebody says Chukudi says
• 4:19
  he will give it to me at 2 five per square meter, you are
• 4:22
  offering it to me at 5000 per square meter.
• 4:25
  You ask a couple of questions and then you distinguish.
• 4:27
  You say, ah Madam, that is why now Chukudi is offering you
• 4:31
  Courier cable. We were offering you Singapore
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  cable. Singapore is of a higher quality
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  because Korea is copper, Singapore is black.
• 4:44
  You know, you educate the person, distinguish.
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  This is why we're different. Then you educate.
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  This is why we're better. So that's the next step.
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  And please, for those of you who sell on behalf of someone else,
• 4:55
  you do all of this before you go back to yoga to say, can we
• 4:59
  match this price? So first push back, get some
• 5:05
  more information, ask questions, request the other quote if you
• 5:09
  can, and then compare what are they comparing me to?
• 5:12
  Who are they comparing me to? When you figure out,
• 5:15
  distinguish, why are we different?
• 5:18
  Educate, Why are we better? Now for someone like Cinderella
• 5:26
  who is in the business, remember not a real name for someone like
• 5:29
  Cinderella who is in the business of selling inverters,
• 5:33
  batteries, solar panels, protection guard, you know one
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  thing, one thing, you know, all these, all these things,
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  distinguishing and educating means eventually you get down to
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  the conversation about brand. Oh, is it this particular brand
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  they are giving you. We are giving you this brand
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  because blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
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  These are the specifications where the guy don't give you
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  Madam, the specs that we are giving you is one thing, one
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  thing, one thing. So, so, so and so, so.
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  OK Madam discuss the geta CBO, is he buying from the original
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  equipment manufacturer? Of course you want to ask you
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  why you say because we we get from the OEM, we get them direct
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  from Belgium, direct from Germany, direct from USA.
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  Because of that we are giving warranty of blah, blah, blah or
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  we are giving guarantee of blah, blah, blah.
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  Or because we are buying directly from the original
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  equipment manufacturer, we are offering this kind of after
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  sales service, that kind of after sales service.
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  For those of you who sell on behalf of someone else, you do
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  all of these before you go back to your orga to say ORGA.
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  Can we match the price? And by the way, even for those
• 6:59
  of you who you know you're self-employed, so you sell for
• 7:04
  yourself, the process is the same.
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  Now, the more we spoke about these things with Cinderella,
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  the more I spoke with her, rather, excuse me, I realized
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  that it was a symptom. It was a symptom of a larger
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  problem in Cinderella's mind, in her mind, because, you know, she
• 7:31
  has sold before and she has sold in the technical space.
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  Because of that, I assumed that she knows what's up on a couple
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  of things, but actually there are a few things she needs to
• 7:42
  learn. She assumes that because she's
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  been in the technical sale before, because she's a very
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  bright young lady, you know, is it civil engineering and being
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  mechanical engineering, technical, blah, blah, blah.
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  You know, now as in master's educated, you know, schooled
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  abroad as in correct babe, correct chick.
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  She thinks she is in the business of selling equipment.
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  In the last place that she worked, she was selling
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  technical equipment. This current place where she is
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  working, she is selling solar equipment.
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  Now the problem be that she thinks she's selling equipment.
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  She doesn't realize the the reality is or the reality should
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  be. She is selling her expertise,
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  her experience, her level of education, her level of
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  sophistication. That is what she should be
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  selling because today we're in a period of hyper competition.
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  It is something my client complained about because of the
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  Internet. Now anybody can go and do
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  research on YouTube about solar panels because of access to the
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  markets. Now you know you can buy direct
• 9:01
  from China whatever anybody has access to buy equipment.
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  So the Internet has made it easy for any Tom they can hurry to be
• 9:08
  in the solar business. Sit down on YouTube today.
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  Today give yourself three weeks, you can educate yourself on
• 9:15
  solar. Well, if you have money, you can
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  start buying your products direct from Singapore, Germany,
• 9:21
  China, wherever you will buy it. Anybody can be a roadside
• 9:26
  installer. Now.
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  The competition is fierce because the competition is
• 9:32
  fierce. If you think that you are
• 9:35
  selling equipment, you are putting yourself up for a very
• 9:41
  big fight because at the end of the day, the customer cannot
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  tell the difference between the equipment that you have and the
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  equipment that the other person has.
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  The distinguishing factor in this case has to be you because
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  you are the subject matter expert.
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  You are the one who knows what's up and you should position
• 10:02
  yourself accordingly. The reason why somebody should
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  go with you is because when they talk to you, it is clear that
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  you are the expert. You are the professional.
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  The other person is a roadside installer or the other person is
• 10:17
  a jam bite. The other person is a neophyte.
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  The other person is new in this space.
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  You are the one who has the chops.
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  So if you are in the position of Cinderella, doesn't matter
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  whatever it is you sell, you are not selling equipment, you are
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  selling your expertise, you are selling your experience, you're
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  selling your education, you are selling your certifications, you
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  are selling your every, every because competition day.
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  Now in the market, anybody that you approach will put you under
• 10:52
  severe price pressure from the beginning.
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  The good day price you down immediate and if you get
• 11:00
  involved in that game, it is a losing game.
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  Hear me Well, it is a losing game.
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  Me and Cinderella, you know we were quarrelling.
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  She was saying price, price, price, price.
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  I said I told her now look this particular client you say price,
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  you started at 5.5, you dropped the price to 4.5, now you've
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  dropped the price to 3.9. If price was the issue this guy
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  for don't buy since of course in the red I didn't get it but you
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  that are listening, I hope you get it.
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  You say price is the main thing, no problem.
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  If price is the main thing, we started at 5.5 million, you drop
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  the price to 4.5. That means you have removed what
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  one meal? If price was the issue you don't
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  think the guy would have moved Then you now move from 4.5 to
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  3.9. What is the gap between 5.5 and
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  3.9? No be too envy.
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  That isn't often like 2,000,000. If price was the thing, that guy
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  would have moved since clearly he is not buying because it is
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  not just the price at play. Those of you who are listening
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  now and you like to be stubborn, any small thing, price, price,
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  price, price, price. Look, believe me, price is not
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  the only factor. I was begging Cinderella.
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  She's not getting it and I'll continue.
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  But I'm begging you and I hope you get it.
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  When put, when people put you under pressure for the price,
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  when did they go down on price? No, you go up on your expertise,
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  you hear me? When they try to push you down
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  on price, you go up on your expertise.
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  If you follow them and play this game, they'll press you down or
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  press you anyhow. Anyhow, this thing that I'm
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  telling you is real life. I'm at this conversation.
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  I'm happening to see. I'm making this podcast
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  recording now, midnight. This conversation that I had,
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  the thing has been burning on my chest since like 10 in the
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  morning. I say Cinderella went from 5.5
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  to 4.5 to 3.9 million. That guiding by when they push
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  you down on price, I beg go up on your experience because you
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  are the expert. And by the way, if you're not
• 13:40
  the expert, don't worry, everybody comes in you at some
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  point. You have a couple of things to
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  learn, but you will get there. So when people begin to press
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  you anyhow, push back, ask some questions.
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  You're too expensive. Yeah, actually, we're more
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  expensive than other people in the market.
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  But I hope you don't mind me asking when you say we're too
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  expensive. Compared to who?
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  Or compared to what? Oh, yeah, I get it.
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  Lots of people tell us that we're too expensive and that's
• 14:12
  because other suppliers usually call corners when it comes to
• 14:16
  quality and specs and things like that.
• 14:18
  I hope you don't mind. Can I have a look at the quote
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  that you have? You don't have to do business
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  with us, but I just want to make sure that, you know, because
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  Madam, you're my person. I like you.
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  I just want to make sure that you don't go and buy something
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  that will just cause you to hook.
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  So let me just read this quote. We'll just compare it, you know,
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  spec by spec and I will give you my own opinion, but no, be bad
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  force, Madam, you don't have to buy from.
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  In fact, Madam, don't worry, I withdraw my quotes.
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  Don't worry, this one now and I just is just a favor, Madam,
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  just because I like you. Let me just look at the quote
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  and let's just talk things through.
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  That's the level. Get that quote, request that
• 14:58
  quote. Look at that quote.
• 15:00
  When you see it, begin the distinguish and start educating.
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  This is why it is different. This is why it is cheaper.
• 15:08
  This is why it is more expensive.
• 15:10
  This is why it is better. This is why it is this.
• 15:13
  This is why it is that. By the way, This is why you have
• 15:17
  to be the subject matter expert. Because someone like me, now I'm
• 15:20
  not an expert in sonar. So if you give me the 2 quotes,
• 15:22
  one quote on the left, one quote on the right, what do I know?
• 15:25
  I can't do anything but you, that you are the expert.
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  You'll be able to look at the quota and say, ah, mommy, this
• 15:32
  person is trying to trap you. You see this line item here?
• 15:35
  This is where they're trapping you.
• 15:37
  And in the meeting that Cinderella and I had with Olga,
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  it's the very first thing yoga said.
• 15:41
  Yoga said, which campaign will be this 750 Watt?
• 15:46
  Ah, OK, let's look at the accessories court.
• 15:50
  And the guy said, no, this thing is not is not pure.
• 15:54
  I said, how do you know it's not pure?
• 15:55
  I said because even if you're going to use just normal
• 15:58
  fabrication on the roof, at the very least you should be
• 16:01
  spending blah, blah, blah, blah, blah.
• 16:02
  This is this, you know, the guy just do small mathematics and
• 16:06
  say this thing is not correct, that based on the size of this
• 16:09
  panel should be using this kind rack.
• 16:11
  We can't see this rack in the coat.
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  So that means this guy just wants to go and do local
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  fabrication to put this thing up on the roof.
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  This is the reason why you have to be the subject matter expert
• 16:21
  so that when you're having this conversation with the Madam and
• 16:24
  they're saying go down on price, you go up on your expertise.
• 16:30
  You show them your expertise just by looking at this thing.
• 16:32
  You say Madam, this is the trap that they want to set for you,
• 16:35
  this panel that don't put on your roof, don't go and do local
• 16:38
  fabrication. What you need Madam is a blah,
• 16:41
  blah, blah, blah, blah frame. You say, hey, what's the
• 16:44
  difference? You will now educate her when
• 16:49
  they push you down on price. Go hop on your expertise.
• 16:53
  I beg all of you, Hear me well and save yourself all the
• 17:00
  heartbreak. The last thing I just want to
• 17:06
  say is please hear me. I beg, hear me if you don't hear
• 17:10
  anything else, hear me on this one.
• 17:13
  No matter what you sell. Consulting service, Podcast
• 17:16
  production, Bluetooth keyboard, Tesla cyber truck, engineering,
• 17:24
  solar panels. What else?
• 17:28
  Whatever it is you sell, times have changed.
• 17:34
  The product is not the distinguishing factor.
• 17:36
  Again, you are the distinguishing factor, you hear
• 17:41
  me? The product is not the
• 17:44
  distinguishing factor. Again, you at the distinguishing
• 17:48
  factor before. Before you could form as if the
• 17:52
  product is the main thing you say, ah, I got this one direct
• 17:55
  from USA. Nowadays everybody is buying
• 17:59
  from the USA. Now what you are the
• 18:04
  distinguishing factor before before you could say this thing.
• 18:09
  I'm buying at the buyer direct Belgium.
• 18:13
  But guess what, nowadays everybody is buying direct
• 18:16
  Belgium. Now what?
• 18:20
  You are the distinguishing factor even this thing of buying
• 18:25
  from the original equipment manufacturer.
• 18:26
  Like I said, you think you're the only one who is buying from
• 18:29
  the original equipment manufacturer of the people are
• 18:33
  buying from the original equipment manufacturer as well.
• 18:36
  The distinguishing factor has to be you, the salesperson.
• 18:42
  So when you say Bros, not the vex, yes, I'm vexing.
• 18:48
  Seriously, too many of you are cheating.
• 18:50
  Cheating yourselves out of profits, cheating yourselves out
• 18:54
  of career advancement, cheating yourselves out of, you know,
• 18:58
  simple self respect, self regard, self esteem.
• 19:03
  No, they follow all these customer play, all these price
• 19:07
  games. You hear me?
• 19:10
  No, they follow them. Play all these price games at
• 19:13
  all. Know your worth.
• 19:17
  You are the distinguishing factor.
• 19:19
  You are not selling a product. You are selling your expertise,
• 19:24
  your experience, your education. That's what you're selling.
• 19:32
  So that's all for today. If you'd love to connect with
• 19:34
  me, call me, send me a text message or WhatsApp message on
• 19:37
  0806466 2140. Yeah, so that I'm out.
• 19:43
  I'll catch you guys at the next episode.