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Duct Tape Selling by John Jantsch

Think Like a Marketer, Sell Like a Superstar

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Communication

How to Become a Perceptive Listener

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DTS15Effective salespeople have always been good listeners. But with today’s information overload, the art of listening has exploded in a way that requires salespeople to be able to monitor and filter what is being said, shared, written and reviewed, and also to identify what an opportunity looks and sounds like through the chaos.

Today’s salesperson must develop listening skills and use monitoring tools that allow them to stay in tune and add insight to the information clients, prospects, and competitors are sharing.

Read the rest from Marketing Pilgrim.

Tips On Setting Up Your One Question Testimonial Machine

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As a part of a special series to help launch Duct Tape Selling we’ve asked the marketing experts at many of the valuable resources mentioned in the new book to teach us a thing or two about selling. Wufoo is mentioned in chapter 7 – Teaching Sells. Enjoy the below post from Johan from Wufoo.

promo_tipsWhen setting up your one question testimonial, it’s easy to focus on the customers who would refer your product or service to friends and ignore the ones who wouldn’t. But this would be a big mistake. The customers who wouldn’t refer you to a friend are a great source of information to help you find out what went wrong and what you could do better.

If the Customer Selects 1-4

If your customer selects 1-4 on your one question testimonial, you’ll want to redirect that user to a page where a) you can apologize that they had a bad experience, and b) lets the customer know that you’ve been notified of their experience and that you will be in touch with them shortly. The page should be short, apologetic in tone, and you should really follow through and make sure to contact the customer to let them know you really do care about their feedback. This is your chance to help save a customer.

If the Customer Selects 5-7

In the cases where your customer answered 5-7, this is a great opportunity for you to get some feedback on how to improve your product or service. These customers should be redirected to a form where you ask the customer a single question, “What can we do to make your experience better?” A simple text box is enough to allow these customers the ability to vent a bit and really express the issues they encountered that would prevent them from referring you to a friend. You can use these responses to inform your product changes and help define what you could do to change your service for the better. Once the customer completes the form, make sure you thank them for their feedback to let them know that you value their opinions.

Now for the fun stuff! [Read more…] about Tips On Setting Up Your One Question Testimonial Machine

Recording High-Quality Interviews

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As a part of a special series to help launch Duct Tape Selling we’ve asked the marketing experts at many of the valuable resources mentioned in the new book to teach us a thing or two about selling. Call Recorder is mentioned in chapter 7 – Teaching Sells. Enjoy the below post from Glen Aspeslagh from Ecamm.

callrecord240Online interviews with experts can captivate and inspire. Using Skype and Ecamm Call Recorder makes recording as easy as placing a phone call. With just a few quick steps, and a little practice, conducting an inspiring interview can be just as easy.

Nothing detracts from an interview quite like bad sound quality. Fortunately, it’s easy to achieve professional sound quality with just a few simple steps. Perhaps most important is keeping audio isolated. When recording a call, you’re actually recording two things: your voice, picked up by your microphone, and your guest’s voice, which gets played out of your computer’s speakers. If your microphone picks up sound from the speakers, your guest’s voice may end up getting recorded twice. During playback, this will give the guest’s voice an annoying, unprofessional echo.

Didn’t follow that? Don’t worry. To prevent an echo from happening, just be sure to always use some form of headphones during a recording, rather than your computer speakers. This will isolate the two sides of the call, and result in a clean sound.

Most computers have a decent built-in microphone, so it can often be relied upon in a pinch. However, in some cases it may pick up a humming sound from the computer’s cooling fan. If you notice this in your recordings, you’ll also need to use an external microphone.

While many podcasters prefer professional headphones and studio microphone on an articulated stand, we’ve found that a simple USB headset/microphone combination is all that’s needed. These headset are usually available for about $40, and connect to your Mac using a USB cable. Connect the headset, and then select it in Skype Audio/Video settings for both audio input and output.

If you don’t have a headset, just use earbuds, such as the pair that came with your iPhone or iPad. If you’re creating a video interview, this will also look a lot less bulky.

Now that you’re set-up for your interview, attend to your guest’s audio too. Don’t be shy about giving your guest specific instructions. If they’re using a regular phone, ensure that the call quality is sufficient for your purposes. If they’re also using Skype, you may want to have them use a headset.

Once you’ve placed the call, don’t feel compelled to start the interview right away. Chatting for a while beforehand is a great way to get comfortable, and the longer you chat, the more relaxed and conversational the interview will sound.

You should also make it clear to your guest beforehand whether or not you plan to do any editing afterward. That way, they know that whatever they say will be the final interview. Avoiding doing any editing is also a great time saver.

Finally, don’t rush through the introduction. Use the beginning of the interview as an opportunity to speak directly to your audience, as if the guest has not yet arrived. This is where any important detail or sponsor information should be mentioned. Once you’ve completed your the intro, introduce the your special guest!

glenAbout The Author:
Glen Aspeslagh is one of the founders of Ecamm Network, a Mac software company based in Massachusetts.