How to Communicate and Sell With Military Precision Category: Business & Economics Copyright 2019 License: Standard Copyright License Language: English Country: United States ISBN 978‐1‐79473‐971‐0 Published by Bob Oros | [email protected] | www.BobOros.com Description: Written by a US Navy Veteran Communication Specialist. This book will show you how to use a precise system for improving the six attitudes and 7 activities that will turn you into an expert communicator. Once you complete the book you will be able to get your message across with military precision. If you are a CEO, manager, military recruiter, professional service provider, salesperson, entrepreneur, or someone who wants to be more persuasive, this book will introduce you to a system for learning created over 200 years ago by Ben Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, as well as a very successful writer, printer, statesman and diplomat. You will be implementing a system designed by Ben Franklin who is considered to be one of the most persuasive people in the history of the US. Key words: help for veterans, be more persuasive, improve communication skills, ben franklin, ben franklin's system, better attitude, get more respect, give better service, sense of urgency, be more persistence, improve planning, ask better questions, get people's attention, presenting your offer, overcoming objections, close the deal, improve follow‐up,
Transcript
How to Communicate and Sell With Military Precision
Category: Business & Economics Copyright 2019 License: Standard Copyright License Language: English Country: United States ISBN 978‐1‐79473‐971‐0 Published by Bob Oros | [email protected] | www.BobOros.com
Description: Written by a US Navy Veteran Communication Specialist. This book will show you how to use a precise system for improving the six attitudes and 7 activities that will turn you into an expert communicator. Once you complete the book you will be able to get your message across with military precision. If you are a CEO, manager, military recruiter, professional service provider, salesperson, entrepreneur, or someone who wants to be more persuasive, this book will introduce you to a system for learning created over 200 years ago by Ben Franklin, one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, as well as a very successful writer, printer, statesman and diplomat. You will be implementing a system designed by Ben Franklin who is considered to be one of the most persuasive people in the history of the US.
Key words: help for veterans, be more persuasive, improve communication skills, ben franklin, ben franklin's system, better attitude, get more respect, give better service, sense of urgency, be more persistence, improve planning, ask better questions, get people's attention, presenting your offer, overcoming objections, close the deal, improve follow‐up,
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Contents
HOW TO COMMUNICATE AND SELL WITH MILITARY PRECISION .................................................................................................... 1
About the author ...................................................................................... 7
U.S. Navy’s KISS Principle ..................................................................... 9
IMPROVE YOUR SKILLS 52% EVERY 13 WEEKS. ........................................... 11
Ben Franklin’s program ........................................................................ 12
Plan of attack ........................................................................................ 14
13 - FOLLOW UP ........................................................................................ 113
Remove all hope for competitors ......................................................... 113
How many salespeople follow-up ........................................................ 113
Why you lose business ......................................................................... 114
Your approach to problems ................................................................. 119
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FOLLOW UP 4% IMPROVEMENT.................................................... 120
CONCLUSION – LIVING ON THE STREET ..................................................... 121
When someone thinks you are a bum................................................... 121
One out of every five will help you out ................................................ 122
Make a habit of saying “thank you” ................................................... 123
This could happen to you or me .......................................................... 124
What’s it like to live on the street ........................................................ 124
THE POWER OF AFFIRMATIONS .................................................................. 127
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About the author
When I was in the US Navy my job was 100% dedicated to communications. I attended a special 6‐month school where I learned the principles of military communications. My first assignment was working in a Naval Facility located on the west coast near Seattle. We kept track of all the ships travelling up and down the coast. My job was a radio operator relaying the locations of ships to an aircraft, who would fly over the ship and confirm their location. There was no room for error.
My second assignment was on board the USS Annapolis, a communications ship stationed off the coast of Vietnam during the war. My first job was to communicate with the ground troops and relay messages. Again, no room for error. My second job was to write the ships newspaper, “The Analog.” It was passed out to everyone on board the ship daily. I did such a good job the ship’s commanding officer gave me an award know as a 110% award. He also insisted that I personally type all of his correspondence. This was an outstanding learning experience and gave me the opportunity to develop the unique type of communicating that I have used my entire life.
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After I completed my six‐year military service I went to work as a street salesperson. I applied the principles I learned in the military, outlined in the 13 chapters of this book, and advanced from a street salesperson to the position of National Sales Manager for a Fortune 200 Company. I then became an independent sales consultant presenting seminars to over 2,000 audiences over a 25‐year period in all 50 states and several international locations. Not many people know what it takes to sell 2,000 speaking engagements. I was awarded the designation of Certified Speaking Professional by the National Speakers Association and International Federation for Professional Speakers. Less than 10% of professional speakers worldwide qualify as a CSP.
You don’t have to be a member of the special forces to serve your country and at the same time receive some of the best training available from anyone at any price.
Profits from the sale of this book go to the Dale K. Graham Veteran’s Foundation.
To purchase copies of this book for your sales team visit www.BobOros.com or contact me if you have any questions at [email protected]
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U.S. Navy’s KISS Principle
KISS is an acronym for "Keep it simple, stupid" used as a design
principle by the U.S. Navy in 1960. The KISS principle states that
most systems work best if they are kept simple rather than
complex. Simplicity should be a key goal in design and
unnecessary complexity should be avoided.
By separating the process into 13 attitudes and activities, and
mastering each one, your sales will skyrocket!
1 Attitude. Train your mind to stay focused on your goals.
Maintain the attitude of a winner. Aggressively approach each
problem as another opportunity to increase your skills.
2 Respect. Earn the total respect of your customer. You have to
separate yourself from the competition. You have to be
different. You have to be better. You have to be in expert in
your services and products.
3 Service. You will KNOW with absolute certainty that you can
sell anybody if you approach people with thought of "How can I
be of service".
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4 Urgency. The way to attract customers to buy from you is by
responding to every problem, opportunity or situation at the
speed of light.
5 Confidence. You must overcome the feeling of insecurity.
Without the security of a guaranteed income your thoughts are
continually interrupted by fears of failure, rejection and “what
people will think if I don’t make it.”
6 Persistence. Selling can be done with mathematical certainty
when you understand how it works and work your plan with
persistence.
7 Planning. You will be amazed at how implementing a few
simple planning strategies will increase your call effectiveness as
much as seventy percent!
8 Questions. You must ask questions that will have every buyer
give you a blueprint showing exactly how to make the sale.
9 Attention. You must have an irresistible offer that will have
your prospects leaning forward asking for more!
10 Presenting. Once you stop trying to pressure your customers
into buying and give a persuasive presentation, you will have the
key that will open the door to every sale!
11 Objections. Once you understand the REASON buyers give
objections, you will understand why objections are the best way
to build buyer confidence.
12 Closing. How to close – the skill that separates the amateurs
from the professionals!
13 Follow‐up. Be so good in your follow up activities you will
lock out the competition and keeps customers buying. Only 10%
of all salespeople follow up to a customer’s complete
satisfaction!
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Improve your skills 52% every 13 weeks.
For more than 25 years I have been perfecting a program for being a better communicator that can provide ongoing improvement for individuals, companies, entrepreneurs, managers, military recruiters, professional service providers, salespeople, or someone who wants to be a more persuasive person. The program has been used as a follow‐up for thousands of seminars and has a proven implementation track record.
This program takes advantage of Ben Franklin's little‐known scientifically proven system and applies it to improving the skills of you or your team. Designed for people of all levels.
The training is based on Ben Franklin’s scientific program that uses a 13‐week cycle.
The key is to focus on a different attitude or activity every week for 13 weeks. If you are doing it as a team, a new employee can enter the program at any one of the 13 weeks. They continue the cycle until they have internalized the lessons and mastered each attitude and activity. There is no "start" or "finish" because improving skills is an ongoing process, not just a one‐time event. You can do as Ben Franklin suggests and repeat the cycle again and again for continual growth.
The goal of going through the program is to increase each attitude and activity by 4%. With the accomplishment of this small improvement the overall personal growth will be 52% every 13 weeks.
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Ben Franklin’s program
In our fast‐paced business and personal life today it has become increasingly difficult to set aside time for self‐development and improving our skills.
With every spare minute taken up by reading blogs, logging on to Facebook, following people on Twitter, responding to text messages and emails and constantly talking on your cell phone, there seems to be little, if any, time left for learning new skills.
Even the quiet time behind the wheel of your car is no longer available with satellite radio and cell phone coverage in every corner of the country. Even though this seems like a new problem, distractions have been around forever. Over two hundred years ago Ben Franklin had the same problem. He concluded that it was not a matter of distractions as much as a matter of focus. He set out to solve the problem and created the most effective system for self‐improvement ever invented.
Ben Franklin gives credit for all his success and accomplishments to the implementation of this system for the success he sought after. Despite being born into a poor family and only receiving two years of formal schooling, Ben Franklin became a successful printer, scientist, musician, author and one of the founding fathers of the United States.
Ben Franklin is considered to have been one of the most persuasive and successful people in history. He was a very skilled salesperson, marketer, negotiator and copywriter. Skills that every business owner, professional person, manager and marketer should have.
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In the year 1723, Ben Franklin, at the age of seventeen, arrived in Philadelphia without a penny to his name. At age 42, he retired, wealthy, one of the first self‐made millionaires in the country. At his death his estate would be valued today at 43.5 million.
Few people, before or since have ever been as successful as Benjamin Franklin. He gave credit for his many inventions and business successes to his system for self‐improvement he created when he was 20 years old.
The key to Franklin’s success was his drive to constantly improve himself and accomplish his ambitions. In order to accomplish his goal, Franklin developed and committed himself to a personal improvement program that consisted of mastering 13 principles.
When he was seventy‐nine years old, Benjamin Franklin wrote more about this idea than anything else that ever happened to him in his entire life. He felt that he owed all his success and happiness to this one thing. Once you experience the seemingly effortless improvement you will understand why this system is so powerful. Franklin wrote:
“I hope, therefore, that some of my descendants may follow the example and reap the benefit.”
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Plan of attack
There are 13 chapters. Have your team read a chapter a week and send you, their sales manager or training manager, a declaration of what they will do to improve the attitude or activity 4% for the week. What affect will a 52% improvement have on you and your business? You will be blown away!
The topics and system have been carefully designed to act like a GPS programmed for increasing sales and communications skills. The content by itself or the system without the content will have only a small impact. However, when the two are combined and you experience the seemingly effortless improvement you will understand how powerful this system is for increasing the effectiveness of your attitudes and activities!
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1 ‐ Attitude
Define what you want and go after it
"DIFFICULT is the name given to things which it is our business to overcome." Admiral Ernest J King, US Navy
Death Valley
Death Valley, located within the Mojave Desert, received its name in 1849 during the California Gold Rush. It was named Death Valley by these Gold seekers who crossed the valley in search of their fortune because of the extreme heat.
The depth and shape of Death Valley influence its summer temperatures. The valley is a long, narrow basin 282 feet below sea level, yet is walled by high, steep mountain ranges. Summer nights provide little relief as overnight lows may only dip to 95°F. Moving masses of super‐heated air blow through the valley creating extreme high temperatures.
The hottest temperature ever recorded in Death Valley was 134°F. The five consecutive day record was 129°F. In 1953 no rain was recorded for the whole year. In contrast to the extremes of summertime, winter and spring are very pleasant.
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2 ‐ Respect
Earn respect – step out or your comfort zone
“History is full of success stories about leaders who have dared to do things which their opponents would never dream of doing." General Alexander M. Patch, US Army
I need business NOW
Trying to skip the most important ingredient in opening a new account is a huge mistake many new salespeople make.
Also, when you are put under pressure to make a sale, this step is not considered important ‐ so it is skipped, and the sale is lost nearly 100% of the time. The way things are today this essential ingredient is so important you wouldn't last a month as a new salesperson unless you realize how important it is. You are under the gun for more sales. You call on a prospect, dump your sales pitch in their lap and wonder why they don't jump on board with you. You even cut the price so low you are not making any money. They still don't bite. And you wonder how people can be so set in their ways that they won't buy from you. You start looking for someone to blame. You think that your company doesn't offer the right products, or the service is not good enough. Your prices are too high! Well, all you have to do to see the problem is look in the mirror. And then ask yourself "why should anyone buy from me?" "I'm honest" you might say. "I work for a good company" you might be thinking. "I know my
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3 – Service
Help customers build their business
"The brave person who is INATTENTIVE to their duty is worth little more to their country than the coward who deserts in the hour of danger.” Major General Andrew Jackson
How to sell anybody
How would you like to KNOW with absolute certainty that you could sell anybody? What if you had a magic key that would open the door to everyone you called on? You can! And once you know the secret formula ‐ and apply it ‐ your sales will take off!
You will lose all feelings of call reluctance. Your confidence will double ‐ or even triple. Your income will increase. You will have everything you ever wanted in life.
Here it is...
Find out by careful listening and questioning what your customer wants and let them know that you are sincerely interested in helping them get it.
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4 ‐ Urgency
Be enthusiastic get things done
"The history of failure in war can be summed up in two words: too late. Too late in comprehending the deadly purpose of a potential enemy; too late in realizing the mortal danger; too late in preparedness; too late in uniting all possible forces for resistance; too late in training our troops." General Douglas MacArthur, US Army
Get jacked up
How about showing a little passion for what you do? There is just too much ho‐hum selling going on today. There are too many salespeople who just don't get the fact that enthusiasm is contagious and as a salesperson you have to infect everyone with a good dose of excitement.
So how do you get jacked up?
Here's how to get UN‐jacked. Tell yourself you are a loser. Tell yourself you hate what you do. Tell yourself you will never make the sale. Tell yourself your company is a fiasco. Tell yourself you never got any of the breaks. Tell yourself the competition is ruthless. Tell yourself that everybody buys on price. Tell
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5 ‐ Confidence
Remove restrictions and limitations
“Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death.” General Omar Bradley, US Army
Salty dog syndrome
There were about 45 salespeople in the meeting, and I was presenting them with one of my products, a hot dog. It was not a new product, but it was new to them. After everyone was just about finished sampling the hot dog everyone seemed sold on the product. Then, all of a sudden, someone said, "Man, these hot dogs are really salty!" Pretty soon everyone agreed they were salty. I knew the salty hot dogs would never sell so I had to act fast.
I told them I would arrange to have the hot dogs picked up from their warehouse and send them another order that would be reformulated with less salt. Two weeks later I was again at the sales meeting presenting the same salespeople with the reformulated hot dogs. Everyone agreed that they were much better. The formula with slightly less salt was a big improvement. We had a great introduction offer for their customers and we sold tons of hot dogs. Everyone appreciated
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6 ‐ Persistence
Keep going and never give up
"Campaigns and battles are nothing but a long series of difficulties to be overcome. The lack of equipment, the lack of food, the lack of this or that; the real soldier displays his or her quality in triumphs by being persistent, however great the adversity may be." General George C. Marshall, US Army
Secret spice of success
Colonel Sanders owned a restaurant that seated 142 people in Corbin, Kentucky, where he perfected his secret blend of 11 herbs and spices and the basic cooking technique that is still used today.
In 1950 a new interstate highway was planned to bypass the town of Corbin. Seeing an end to his business, the Colonel closed his restaurant and auctioned off his equipment. After paying his bills he was broke at the age of 65. He was reduced to living on his $105 Social Security checks.
Confident of the quality of his fried chicken, the Colonel devoted himself to the chicken franchising business that he started in 1952. He traveled across the country by car visiting thousands of restaurants, cooking batches of chicken for the owners and their
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7 ‐ Planning
Get results by making it an action plan
"To preserve a clear and well‐defined goal at every instant of time, and to cause all efforts to converge on that end." General William T Sherman, US Army
Why salespeople fail
When asking that question to a group of salespeople the answers are all over the board. Closing usually comes out as number one, objections are number two, after that it is a toss‐up between making presentations, getting people's attention, follow up and asking questions. The reason 78% of all salespeople fail, or fail to reach their sales objective, is due to a lack of planning. At first this may seem a little off balance, however when you take a look at what planning really is, it takes on a new meaning.
For example, let's take a look at closing. The best time to think about your close is when you are planning the call. Instead of taking in one product to show your customer, take in three different quality levels. Instead of asking if they want to buy your product or not, you can now ask them which product would best fit their needs. That is the choice close at its best.
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8 – Questions
Ask questions that make the sale
“Retreat, hell! We are just attacking in another direction.” General Oliver Smith, US Marine Corps
Biggest complaints
What are the biggest complaints customers have about salespeople?
Too pushy?
Poor follow‐up?
Lack of product knowledge?
Poor presentation planning?
Those are the ones that are usually brought up when asking salespeople what they think. However, one of the biggest complaints is not surprising: we talk too much. One of the most difficult things for many salespeople to do is listen to their customers. The reason we talk too much is understandable. You called on the customer and asked for some of their time.
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9 ‐ Attention
Get attention with an irresistible offer
“Always mystify, mislead, and surprise the enemy.” LT General Stonewall Jackson, Confederate Army
Gone in 60 seconds
We live in a fast‐paced society, a society on the move. Information overload has set in. Thousands of ad agencies, politicians, entertainment media, and many others are competing for our scarce time as well as the scarce time of our customers. By necessity and out of habit, the attention span has shrunk. We want the news of the world as it is happening on our smart phone. The quicker the better. The same goes for entertainment. We want to know everything about the movie before we go by getting recommendations from our “friends.” Advertising and marketing have taken on a whole new dimension. Thirty second and even fifteen second “important messages” are used today instead of one‐minute advertisements of the past.
This overwhelming intrusion aimed at us day in and day out has deadened our senses. We can no longer assume that we have our customer’s attention when we attempt to communicate
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10 ‐ Presentations
Give reasons why they should buy
“Battles are won through the ability to express concrete ideas in clear and unmistakable language.” General S.L.A. Marshall, US Army
Most powerful concept
Everyone in sales has been searching for a key which would magically unlock the door of the mind of every prospect we call on.
Here it is:
You and I, and every person we know, live in a tomorrow! That tomorrow may be a few hours off. It may be this afternoon or next week, a month, a year, or even ten years from now. Ninety percent of the excitement in the present is the imaginary picture we are constantly recreating in our minds of a tomorrow. It will always be a better tomorrow. We picture ourselves as happier then. We will be healthier, more comfortable, with less worries, with more leisure, with more money, with greater power… we will strangely be freed of the realities that make today far from satisfactory.
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11‐ Objections
Remove every roadblock to the sale
“They’re on our right, they’re on our left, they’re in front of us, they’re behind us: THEY CAN’T GET AWAY FROM US THIS TIME.” LT General Lewis B Puller, US Marine Corps
Smoke screen objections
Do any of the following sound familiar? I have too many suppliers already. I really don't like your company. We've been doing all right without you. I'm tied up in a supplier contract. I'm happy with my present supplier. You don't carry a full line. I'm not interested at this time. See me in a couple of months. I hear your company is having problems. Business is down.
Why will someone continue to buy from a salesperson when it is obvious, they are not happy with the service, price or quality?
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12 ‐ Closing
Ask for the order and get paid
“Issuing orders is worth about ten percent. The remaining 90 percent consists of assuring proper and vigorous execution of the order.” General George S Patton Jr.
Ask for the order
If everything has been done correctly up to the time to close, the close will come naturally. Let's assume we lack just that final touch that puts us in the class of a professional closer. What is that touch? First, the difference between an amateur and a professional closer are that both have the technique at hand; but the amateur uses it so crudely the buyer sees it and resents it. The professional by practice has polished his or her close to the point where it is relaxed and natural. Only one in four (25%) salespeople ask for an order after a sales presentation.
Make every call with a specific objective and close on that objective. The amateur, the beginner, still suffers with the delusion that he or she has accomplished something when he
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13 ‐ Follow up
Remove all hope for competitors
“Strenuous, unrelaxing pursuit is as imperative after a battle as courage is during it.” Rear Admiral Alfred Thayer Mahan, US Navy
How many salespeople follow‐up
Only 10% of salespeople follow up to a buyer’s complete satisfaction. Do I know what my customer expects after the sale? No matter how hard you worked or how much you have discounted your price when you sell a customer, he or she then feels that you still owe them something. The perception on the part of the customer is that you, the seller, have not only gotten new business but also his or her money. There were many other salespeople after the same account and the same business, but you were chosen as the recipient.
Therefore, psychologically, you now owe your customer a favor. Even though you had to bend over backwards to get the order. That is why follow up is so important to keeping the business.
We have been calling on a particular customer for months and have never gotten to first base. They are polite; however, they
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The power of affirmations
Studies estimate that we say 300 to 1,000 words to ourselves every single minute. That’s why the U.S. Navy SEALs swear by positive self‐talk as a way to complete their mission.
When their oxygen flow is suddenly cut off underwater, SEALs are able to tough it out by telling themselves that everything is fine and thinking positive thoughts. They repeat positive affirmations over and over again.
If you start encountering a rough situation, repeat the following positive affirmations to yourself.
Take one with you every week and read it over and over again until you memorize it. Watch your performance skyrocket!
ATTITUDE “Being aggressive means moving towards what I want with the Right Mental Attitude and taking for granted that I will get it. I have a clearly defined objective and I am automatically moving towards it. Any problems or obstacles I encounter will be welcomed as opportunities.”
