Lecture Notes: Selling to an Unsellable Generation

Introduction

• Speaker: Jeremy Miner, renowned sales trainer
• Discussion on selling to modern, skeptical consumers
• Society is conditioned to constant marketing, creating skepticism

Key Challenges in Selling Today

• Skepticism & Distrust: Constant exposure to marketing makes consumers wary
• Role of Salesperson: Help prospects understand their current situation and build trust

Jeremy Miner's Insights

• Book: The New Model of Selling: Selling to an Unsellable Generation
• Co-authored with Jerry Acuff
• Focuses on changing the sales approach for modern consumers

Understanding Consumer Behavior

• Conditioned Response: Ads and marketing create a defensive mechanism
• Fight or Flight: Consumers react defensively when they sense a sales pitch
• Love to Buy, Hate to be Sold: Selling begins with understanding this psychology

Techniques for Modern Selling

• Tonality is Key: Not just what you say, but how you say it
  • Tone interprets intention
  • Different tones for different stages (curious, concerned, assertive)
• Building Familiarity: Use familiar and empathetic tones to lower defenses
• Confused Tone: Sometimes beneficial to evoke curiosity and lower defenses

Overcoming Objections

• Understanding Through Questions: Ask questions to understand deeper fears or objections
• Empathy and Relatability: Use empathetic tones to show understanding of the prospect’s situation

Pain and Fear in Decision Making

• Emotional Drivers: Pain and fear of future pain drive change
• Reliving Pain: Help prospects realize their current and future pain points

Handling Price Objections

• Disarming Techniques: Pattern interrupts, relatable questions
• Understanding the Prospect’s Needs: Before discussing price, understand their specific needs and situations

Building Trust and Authority

• Build a Gap: Help prospects see their current situation versus their desired future state
• Challenge Tones: Used strategically when appropriate
• Assume the Sale: Used appropriately after establishing trust

Sales Training and Management

• Training Sales Teams: Frameworks, tonality, and understanding customer emotions
• Managing Sales Teams: KPIs, CRM management, and follow-up strategies

Sales Strategy and Growth

• Challenges in Scaling: Importance of understanding and adapting sales techniques to different industries
• Adapting Sales Techniques: NEPQ (Neuro Emotional Persuasion Questions) framework

Conclusion

• Changing Perceptions: Sales as a respected and empathetic profession
• Future Trends: Emphasis on emotional intelligence and adaptability in sales

This lecture provides insights into modern sales strategies, focusing on understanding consumer psychology and using effective communication techniques to build trust and close sales effectively.