Erase Your Fear of Cold Calling #526 Have you ever noticed how we all get a little jittery when it comes to cold calling? It's like we'd rather face a dentist's drill than pick up that phone! A lady once told me never did vacuuming look so good as when it was time to make a cold call. But here's the kicker: doing nothing just makes the jitters worse. On the flip side, taking action? Well, that's where the magic happens. In today's episode, we're diving into the psychology of our phone phobia and embracing a wu-wei approach. Instead of dodging the discomfort, let's lean into it and see it for w ..read more

Echoes Across The Tracks with Dave Moravec #525 To grow a business you need to be in constant contact with strangers who may become new prospective customers. If we don't put effort into meeting new people, growth can stagnate. For many, this is a very uncomfortable situation. Growth requires putting yourself out there, so it begs the question what's the best way to get comfortable, being uncomfortable? Today we take a break from the Tao of Sales Babble and meet the author of a newly published book now available on Amazon. The author is my good friend, and former guest Dave Moravec who spins a ..read more

How To Know When It's Time To Pitch #524 This week I babble some on some experiences I've had sellers clumsily pitch me on something I have no interest in. You've probably experienced this too. Lao Tzu has some thoughts on this. He spoke about labeling, judging, and the issues that come with language. In our situation, this episode discusses how to know when it's time to pitch. We also talk about slowing down the sale. This way, sellers can fully understand the prospect's problems, issues, and desires. There is no reason to guess what matters to the buyers. If you ask and fully listen to their ..read more

What Bartenders Can Teach Sales People #522 Have you ever heard this quote from the stoic philosopher Epictetus? 'We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.'  You probably have but way too many salespeople have never learned this lesson. Instead, as soon as there is a break in the conversation, they jump to a solution and start to pitch. And then they're confused about why prospects don't buy or return their calls. But consider a great bartender. They ask good questions and are more than happy to listen. Bar patrons are lonely for an empathetic ear and ..read more

Grow Fast Podcast with Mark Shriner I had the good fortune to be a guest on Mark Shriner's new Grow Fast Podcast. Mark and I talked about selling, Taoism, and the power of podcasting. Mark graciously gave permission to have this interview shared with the Sales Babble listeners. I'm excited to share this babbling today!  The Dao of Sales, or How to Sell without "Selling" Mark described the interview this way "Pat Helmers is the Host of the Sales Babble Podcast. Pat is also the Founder of Habanero Media and a tech startup consultant. In this episode, Pat talks about the book he's writing ca ..read more

The Perfect Apology #520 We all make mistakes, it's part of being human. The same is true in business. Companies screw up to the detriment of their customers. When this happens, it often falls on the sales professional to apologize, even if they had nothing to do with it.  How about your personal life? Have you wronged someone but struggled to say you're sorry in a way that prompted forgiveness? Did they accept your apology?  This is the human experience where too often our egos get in the way and we refuse to admit we’re wrong. Or if we do apologize we layer on excuses to make us fe ..read more

You Can't Win Them All #519 When it comes to selling, the importance of flexibility, gentleness, and resilience when facing adversity is often overlooked. It’s easy to get stuck on a deal and put too much energy into it due to some sunk-cost fallacy. Don’t do that!  In today’s episode, we discuss about on how rigidity and resistance lead to defeat, while flexibility and adaptability lead to victory. Next, we remind ourselves what  Tao Te Ching says about softness and weakness and how it can ultimately overcome hardness and strength. As deals come and go, Master Sellers embrace change ..read more

The Tao of Storytelling Selling #518 Let me tell you a story. It's not a story of lost love or intrigue. Nobody's murdered, nor is society thrust into a dystopian future. Instead, this is a story about stories. It's a story about showing, not telling, and selling with storytelling. Storytelling Selling. It’s a tale with both heroes and villains with adventures and drama tied into capturing the interest of prospects in a way that they identify with your fable. Today's episode explores ways a personal story can turn prospects into heroes and, in time, loyal clients. Sales Babble shares sell ..read more

How To Sell When Nobody Knows You #517 What do you do when your business is the best-kept secret in town? How do you get people to know about you? How do you create awareness and most importantly, how can you get buyers to trust in you, your company, and its products?  This is a situation for all startups. It's also the case for established businesses creating new products or entering new markets. If this is your case, you're in for a treat. In today's episode, we share the idea that water, though soft and gentle, can overcome resistance and erode even the hardest of substances through it ..read more

How To Overcome Your Fear of Rejection #515 We all hate robocalls. Those are cold calls of the worst kind. But in B2B sales, cold calling is often the only way to efficiently connect to a new prospect. Often the prospects don't realize a solution to their problem is available. A well-constructed and executed cold call can create an opportunity for the prospects to eradicate their problems. Yet too often sellers fear rejection and this impedes their cold-calling success. There are things you can do to overcome that fear. How to overcome the fear of rejection, that's the topic for today. Sales B ..read more