May 22, 2024

Sales Myth Busting

Not just an artist – Kate Manners was attending an ASPIE gallery opening where her paintings were prominently on display.

 

 

 

 

ASPIE is a nonprofit organization that empowers adults with cognitive and other  disabilities to become more self-sufficient. ASPIE provides special-needs artists with a virtual as well as a brick-and-mortar gallery in Lancaster, PA USA to display their work, which includes premium quality paintings, jewelry, woodwork, photography and other forms of art and craft. https://aspieartists.com.

Kate is not only an accomplished artist, but she is also an accomplished salesperson.  Aspieartists.com/artists/kate-manners/.

Phil Whitebloom who is a sales coach with BeenThere Consulting Services in the Baltimore-Washington corridor, is also an ASPIE co-founder and current board member.

To learn more about how BeenThere Consulting Services can help your business achieve greater sales results, contact them at info@BeenThereCS.com or visit their website, BeenThereCS.com.

In watching Kate talk with the gallery visitors it became very apparent that in addition to her overwhelming joy and enthusiasm, she is a salesperson. Phil said that “Kate exhibited the best characteristics of a quality salesperson.”

Kate has spastic diplegic cerebral palsy, mostly affecting her lower body, so she uses a wheelchair. Her fine motor control is somewhat impaired, and she has low vision. Kate primarily Creates acrylic pour paintings on canvas of various sizes and shapes. She has extended her canvases to include birdhouses and garden steppingstones. Kate has created over 300 paintings. In addition to her own creations, she takes on special requests from her client base and fan club.

Kate Manners, the salesperson (It’s all about the questions) – Here is the conversation between Phil and Kate:

Phil: “When you are talking with people, how does it start”?

Kate: “The way I like to start is by asking people, is there anything they like, what is their favorite color, what shape and size they need? Do they have any special events coming up because my paintings make great gifts.”

Phil: “What else do you ask them?”

Kate: “In addition to the colors you like, do you have family members that like specific colors?”

Phil told Charlie that he runs the risk of losing the prospect altogether. If the prospect is interested in meeting with him, he is interested now. Everyday Charlie delays in talking with the prospect, he runs the risk that the prospect could be meeting with competitors and may even decide to place an order before he meets with the prospect. Charlie needs to let his prospect know how appreciative he is for the opportunity to meet and to get it set up. Phil talks about these topics during the BeenThere Sales Coaching Hour which takes place every Wednesday at Noon Eastern Time. Learn more at  beentherecs.com/sales-coaching-signup/.

Kate overcomes objections – Objections are not an obstacle for Kate. She overcomes them by being accommodating and creative.

Phil: “What happens when somebody tells you they like what you have, but they don’t have any money with them?”

Kate: “That’s okay. You can take the art home and pay me later.”

Objection handling is a skill that encompasses almost the entire sales process within the process. Phil Whitebloom has written a book on objection handling. It will be published in September 2024. You can learn more about it and BeenThere Consulting Services at BeenThereCS.com.

Tenacity in selling – Selling is not for the faint of heart. Even though Kate sees that the person she is speaking with is not going to be a customer himself or herself, she finds another avenue.

Meet Chuck Manners. Chuck is Kate’s dad and along with her mom, they assist Kate in her studio and with logistics.

Chuck: “When an elderly person says that they don’t have any room in their house or they don’t want to add anything new, what do you say?”

Kate: “Maybe there are people in your retirement home, that could use the paintings.”

Chuck: “What about the younger people in their lives?”

Kate: “If you have children, grandchildren, or their friends, my pictures make great gifts.”

The BeenThere Sales Coaching Hour takes place virtually every Wednesday at noon eastern time. Phil covers topics such as the line between professional tenacity and being obnoxious. Learn more at  https://beentherecs.com/sales-coaching-signup/.

The Close – There are many types of methods use to successfully turn a prospect into a customer. Kate uses the assumptive close. This is a close that simply assumes that the prospect is going to purchase the product or services, and the salesperson simply tells them what they need to do to take it home.

Phil: “When you have answered the questions and handled their objections, what do they usually do?”

Kate: “They usually take the painting. If they don’t have the money with them, they go home and come back to me with cash or a check.”

Phil: “When that happens, how do you feel?”

Kate: “It makes me feel very good inside, to know that I brought beauty into their world.”

Phil said, “As salespeople, we should all aspire to conclude a sale with that type of emotion.”

More from Chuck (Kate’s dad):

Kate’s salesmanship has always been remarkable to me because it is completely innate.  A few things I would note, in addition to the ability to overcome objections:

Through her engaging, conversational style, she builds relationships that are genuine and always seem more important than the business relationship.

She creates needs/wants in the minds of customers that didn’t necessarily exist when they first engaged (“maybe you need something for that new bathroom?”  “You mentioned your granddaughter’s birthday is coming up?”) etc.

She gets people to commit to future purchases (“Ok, you like that one but wish it had more purple in it.  No problem, I can make a couple like that with more purple next week.  Let’s schedule a time now for you to stop by and see which one you like the best.”).

Kate donates 50% of her total sales (topline) to charities.

About Phil Whitebloom

Phil has been in sales and sales leadership for over 40 years. He is a multiple award winner and has helped customers such Fortune 500 companies, U.S. and local governments, institutions of higher education, houses of worship, television/radio companies, and more. Along with his sales teams they have solved thousands of problems, and generated billions of dollars in revenue. He is also known as a strong leader, boasting diversity and employee retention. His company, BeenThere Consulting offers Mastermind group, one-on-one sales coaching, etc…Sales Coaching

Send Phil an email Phil@BeenThereCS.com  let him know your thoughts on this topic and share your stories.

To learn more about BeenThere Consulting Services and how we can help you and your business go to BeenThereCS.com. To discuss specific needs or programs with me go to at Contact Us or schedule a meeting with me Calendly BeenThereCS.

 

 

 

The BeenThere/SoldThat Podcast

Join Brianna Hendley of Achievant Business Coaching and me as we cover sales and business-related topics designed to build your skills and increase your knowledge. Our mission is provide you with takeaways to help you achieve your goals and dreams.

Click on this link to listen or search your favorite podcast provider (Been There Sold That Podcast).

BeenThere SoldThat Podcast

 

Achievant Business Coaching, Your GPS to Success

Brianna Hendley, the founder and CEO of Achievant Business Coaching has a wonderful program underway. Do you want to accelerate your success? Click below to learn more.

Learn more

 

 

 

You Must Write a Book

Many of you have told me that you are thinking about writing a book. Some of you are in the process of writing. The questions I have for you are, “What do you want your book to do? How will you measure the success of your book?” If the answers to those questions are important to you, then you must learn from an expert, highly accomplished author, entrepreneur, and coach. My friend and mentor, Honorée Corder is that person. The first step is purchasing her series of books, and when you are ready, her courses. I have done this myself. I don’t know how I could have done it without them. Here are the links:

 

 

You Must Book Business Series

 

 

 

 

Empire Builders Masterclass

 

Join the Advance Reader Team

“Handling Objections, Clues for Closing The Sale”

Would you like to be a member of the “advanced reader team” for my new book to be released in the coming weeks?

Contact me and in the Message box https://beentherecs.com/contact-us/.  Tell me that you would like to be on the Advance Reader Team. I will add you to the list. Approximately two weeks before the release date, you will get an email with a link on how to read the book. My ask is that you write a review and tell your friends and colleagues.

BeenThere Consulting Services, LLC

BeenThere Consulting Services is a sales coaching company. Coaching is more than training. We work with your specific sales needs in real-time. We address what is impacting your business now, while creating enhanced processes and developing skills for future success. Our promise is that you will have actionable take-a-ways after each meeting, which will increase your sales and benefit your business overall.

No one program fits every need. We offer a variety of options to meet the needs of those who want to improve their sales.

  • One-to-one coaching: Custom programs designed to meet client’s needs.
  • BeenThere Sales Coaching Hour: Group Coaching focused on specific topics and skills development.
  • BeenThere/SoldThat Mastermind SB: High-end group coaching for small business owners, where members work together to solve problems for themselves and others.

How to contact us

To determine which program will work for you or someone you know, contact us at https://beentherecs.com/contact-us/.

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