MBA978 Must Read: Exactly What To Say by Phil M Jones

Hey O. Welcome to the $100 MBA Show. Because your business relies on you getting better, that's why we deliver our daily 10 minute business lessons for the real world. I'm your host, your coach, your teacher, Omar Zenholm. I'm also the co founder of the Hundred Dollar MBA, a complete business training and community online over at 100mba.net and today's episode is a must read episode. On our must read episodes. I share with you a book that I've read that has greatly influenced me, has helped me in some way. I share with you its takeaways, its insights and why you should read it too. Today's must read is exactly what to Say by Phil M. Jones. If you've wondered what are the exact words you should actually say, what are the things that should come out of your mouth in any sales conversation, this book is a gold mine. I was really blown away by how simple yet effective this book is. It's an easy read, has very straightforward language and it's actually a quick read. It's only 150 pages and a lot of those pages have really big font because he likes to emphasize what he calls his magic words and that's not hyperbole. Yes, some of these words are actually magic in the sales context. These are the right phrases and how to phrase what you want to say, how you want to offer your products and services properly. These have been researched, these have been used and he gives you the logic behind all these phrases, how this actually is true in human psychology and what kind of effect your words make on other people. I got so much I want to cover when it comes to this book, exactly what to say. So let's get into it. Let's get down to business. Today's episode of the 100 RBA show is supported by Porter by the Running Remote Conference. When we started our business, we chose to make our team a remote team. We wanted access to the best talent around the world. So if you're thinking about building a team without borders, without walls, then you need to attend the Running Remote conference. You're going to hear from experts from big companies that run their teams remotely and I'll be there to speak about how to motivate your remote team beyond compensation. Head on over to runningremote.com to buy a ticket today. It's going to be in beautiful Bali and you can save 15% off by using my coupon code 100 MBA15. Today's must read exactly what to Say by Phil M. Jones is a very, very useful guide. I like to call it a guide, because I'm already going back to the book to find those gems and use them on a regular basis. Now, what do I mean by these gems? Well, basically, this book is a compilation of phrases to use in any sales conversation. Whether it's written, whether it's verbal, whether it's in person, it doesn't matter. How to start a conversation. How to introduce your products or services. How to follow up with a client. How to make sure you get them on your schedule, or more importantly, you're on their schedule. How to pique their curiosity. How to get them in the right frame of mind. How to have them see themselves with your product or service. So I want to highlight some of my favorite takeaways from this book, but of course I'm going to leave a whole bunch for you to find out for yourself. When you read this book yourself, one of the first things that are discussed in this book is how to introduce a product to somebody. A lot of us were a little bit timid about talking about our business, our product, our services. And one of the best ways to do this is to kind of insert curiosity with the listener. And one of the ways to do this is to phrase it with I'm not sure if this is for you, but yeah, start the sentence, start the conversation that way. I'm not sure if this is for you, but by starting that way, he explains, they're already curious what's not for me. Maybe it is for me. It also makes it a very low pressure situation. You're not trying to push something on them. You're not even sure if this is for them. And already you're framing it where it's like your product is exclusive and it's not for everybody. It's only for certain types of special people do you qualify for my product. All this is happening in a split second in the subconscious mind. So let me give you an example. I'm not sure if this is for you, but we specialize in helping companies rank high on Google. That way they get organic traffic, free traffic, without spending any money on ads. By opening it up with I'm not sure if this is for you, and then giving all the positives of what you offer, it makes them feel like, I don't want to miss out on that. They're in the frame of mind of asking themselves, can I make use of this service? Is this something for me? Now compare that to just saying we help businesses rank high in Google and get organic traffic. It just seems so blase and such a Pitch rather than framing it with, I'm not sure if this is for you, but. So this book is filled with great phrases, great starters, great language for sales. Within 20 minutes of reading this book, it became one of my favorite sales books. Because it's like, this is exactly what people need. They need to know what to say. Let me give you another gem from this book. Now, I have to tell you that with all these phrases, he gives you the psychology behind it, why this is phrased this way, and what it does to the person that's listening to it. So this phrase is just imagine. Now, he points out that most of us make a decision twice before we do something. We make the decision in our head and the actual action of the decision that we're doing, meaning that we have to imagine ourselves doing something before we actually do it. In fact, a lot of us don't do something because we say, I just couldn't see myself doing that. If you can't see yourself doing something, then you're probably not going to do it. You actually have to picture it in your head before it actually happens. So if you can't picture yourself climbing Mount Everest, there's a very good chance you're not going to book a flight and head on to Mount Everest. So you got to picture yourself first. You got to dream about it, and then once it's in your head, that's the first step you see yourself doing it. Now you have the motive to do it. So he says that's the first step to get anybody to do anything. And that's what sales is. You want to convince somebody. You want to show them how your product, your service can help them. You want to show them how this can be a part of your life. You got to get them to imagine. You got to get them to picture it in their head. And one of the ways to do that is through stories. So tell them a short phrase to frame a story in their head. So let's go back to that example of a company that specializes in SEO, search engine optimization, so they can rank high on Google. So if I say to somebody, just imagine being able to travel the world, go on holiday, and not have to worry about sales because you're getting organic traffic to your website and making sales based on your ranking on Google. When I said, just imagine, you can't help but picture yourself traveling, going on vacation, being relaxed, feeling good, that your business is taking care of itself. So you've just allowed them to make that first decision of picturing it in their head that, hey, this could work. This could happen. You see what I'm saying? This book is great. And this book is filled with 23 different types of phrases to help you in the sales process. Whether it's introducing a product, whether you're getting them to picture themselves with this product, or whether it's closing the sale, whether it's following up with them if they don't actually buy, how to schedule an appointment, all that kind of stuff. Now, what I love about this book is that it's so effective and it's really good at framing your products and service in the right way, in a positive way, and it's all in an ethical manner. There's no pushy sales tactics here. There's nothing here that's misleading or trying to mislead your customer. It's really about education. It's really getting people to understand what you're offering. One of the general takeaways I got of this book is that it reminded me how much buying and selling is an emotional game. A lot of decisions we make are emotional. Why did you buy your last pair of jeans? Because you liked the way they made you feel? You liked the way you looked. Yes, you probably needed a pair of pants, maybe, but why those in particular, even if you just bought them? Because, hey, they were a good deal. That feeling of getting a good deal is an emotion. It's a feeling of, hey, I'm doing the right thing. I'm smart, I'm thrifty. And if ignore emotion, if you ignore that in the sales process, you're missing out on some major, major tools that you can use. And when I say use, it's just that you're allowing people to understand what they're missing out on when they don't buy your product. You're also allowing them to see what they're gonna get, how their life is gonna be different. The best salespeople know this. They know how much human psychology has to do with sales. They know how much how somebody feels has to do whether they buy or not buy. They also know how you frame the conversation is up to you. You have to take control of the conversation. You can't just let things go as they go. And every word that comes out of your mouth and every word that doesn't come out of your mouth makes a difference. And this is why this book is so powerful, because it gives you the words to use. Guys, I got more on today's must read episode. Exactly what to say by Phil M. Jones. But before that, let me give love to today's Sponsor. Here's an interest stat. 14 of all Americans say they'd start their own business in the next year if they could. But only a fraction of those actually do. Why? Well, because taking that leap can be very scary. Luckily, there's Weebly. We've mentioned Weebly a whole bunch of times on this show. Weebly is the easiest way to create an incredible looking website. But more importantly, it's a whole E commerce platform packed with tools to help you sell your products, process payments, manage inventory, create marketing campaigns, tell your brand's story, and a whole lot more. 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Exactly what to Say is filled with some really great scripts, some really great points on how to communicate with your potential customer. And I want to just share a couple with you so you understand how powerful this book is. One of them is when you make an appointment with somebody to talk about your product to to give a demo to have a sales call. You should never ask when are you free for a sales call? Because that invites the answer, no, I'm not available at all. You gotta frame everything in a positive way. Or like they say in sales, always be closing. You have to always assume the sale, assume people are interested, stay positive. So when is the best time to call? Is a different way to phrase it. When is the best time to call? When I say when. You're searching in your head for a time. So the yes or no, the option of not going on this call or having this call is not there anymore. Now it's just when. So when people ask me when is the best time for us to have A meeting. My first thought is, let me look at my calendar. So a slight change makes a huge difference. Same thing with what's the best number to contact you at. People will tend to effortlessly give you their phone number just because the way you formed the question, changing a couple words makes a huge difference. One of the other things he discusses in this book is that people hate to feel like they're being manipulated. They're aware there is a sales process happening. They want to feel like they're making the final decision, and that's what you have to do. You got to give them that power, but you can control the choices. So narrow down those choices and give it to them. And you can use the phrase that he shares in the book. As I see it, you have three options, and three is a good number because the rhythm of three makes it easy for listening and for people to remember and also to have a preferred choice. Yes, you can have more options, but three allows them to easily make a decision. In summary, I really found this book so enjoyable to read because it was so powerful. Every time I read something, I would highlight it. I would be like, this is a great, great way to frame this. I'm going to definitely be using this in my next sales conversation. And the funny thing is that throughout reading the book, I was like, this stuff is so useful. Yet not feeling weird. Doesn't feel scammy. It feels really good. It feels like, this is how you should have a conversation. It's honest, it's straightforward. You're also making it easy for the customer. So I tip my hat to Phil M. Jones. Full disclosure, I got to meet Phil M. Jones, myself, the author of this book, at a couple of events. One at a speakers event that I was a part of, as well as Michael Port's heroic public speaking, which is another different event. And he's the real deal. Really good guy, knows his stuff. I had a really good conversation about sales with him, and he's really solid. And when I met him, I was like, I think I'm gonna pick up his book. He knows his stuff, he knows what he's doing, and I'm glad I did. This book is available on paperback, Kindle, as well as an audiobook on Audible. Remember, we have a special deal with Audible where you get two free books when you start with them. And he actually narrates this book. He's British, so if you love a British accent, you're going to love this audiobook. Just go to 1000mba.net audible to get that offer. Of signing up and getting two free books. Alright, that wraps up today's lesson. Pick up exactly what to Say by Phil M. Jones if you want to get better at sales and know exactly what to say. Alright guys, before I go, I want to leave you with this. Sometimes the best books to read are those short yet punchy books. This is a really short but punchy book. It's about a hundred or so pages and I find it when you read a book in one sitting or two sessions, it's a lot more effective because you get everything at one time. Your brain really allows itself to kind of fully absorb the concepts and it's just a lot more effective. I know when I'm reading my Kindle and I've been reading for maybe about 40 minutes or so and I look at my percentage, I'm like, oh wow. I'm like 43% into this book. This is great. I can, you know, finish this book in another hour. So if you find a punchy small book like this one, grab it and read it. Alright? I mentioned public speaking events earlier. I've been working on my public speaking a lot in the last few years and I've had the privilege of being asked to speak on stage at many events. And I want to share with you how I prepare for a public speech. I'm going to share with you everything I've learned along the way. I've been coached, I've taken course courses, I've learned by trial and error. I want to show you what I do to prepare. So if you are going to get on stage or speak at a meetup or even present at work, I want to give you my tips. How to be a better public speaker, how to prepare in any scenario that's in tomorrow's episode. So make sure you hit subscribe so you do not miss it. I hope we meet up then. Until then, take care. Sam.