286: Anthony Iannarino, Commitments Are for Closers

Adam and Jeannie interview bestselling author and leading sales expert Anthony Iannarino. Closing in on meaningful relationships with Anthony Iannarino Automation is great, but it makes creating lasting relationships with sales prospects much harder. What’s more, dated sales tactics drive what we don't automate. So that personal attention we’re giving often chalks up to wasted energy where both salespeople and customers are concerned. While automation and dated closing tactics may lead to better sales for the short-term, they lack the Customers today are smarter, busier, and demand more meaningful engagement from the companies they do business with. “You only need 2 things to be a trusted advisor: You need trust, and you need advice.” -Anthony Iannarino Not only to close more sales, but to create better long-term value from clients and prospects, we need to become “trusted advisors” to our customers, not just salespeople. So in this ever-connected, fast-moving world, that means finding the right balance between technology and one-on-one engagement. It’s not an easy thing to do! “The end close where I ask you for your business is either the easiest thing to do in the world or the most difficult.” -Anthony Iannarino We’re lucky to have leading sales expert Anthony Iannarino to help us sort these things out! In fact, we found that most of us could benefit from a better approach. In this episode, Anthony shares his world-class sales experience and tips from his bestselling books. He shares his very best advice on building trust, using automation, researching prospects, amazing closing techniques, and more! Interview Highlights What piqued Anthony’s interest in helping others produce better sales results? [4:40] Anthony outlines modern challenges in becoming a trusted advisor to customers, rather than just a salesperson. [7:10] Researching sales prospects online helps start relationships on a more meaningful level, but Anthony has an interesting take on this. [9:20] Anthony shares tips for balancing automation with human interaction, and how to anticipate when a distinction is necessary. [14:00] Anthony shares highlights from his book The Lost Art of Closing to help us understand better closing techniques. [17:20] How can we counsel salespeople to not only make reasonable, meaningful promises, but always deliver on them? [21:40] Many sales professionals believe in the concept of “under-promising and over-delivering,” but Anthony has a better idea... [26:10] About our guest Anthony Iannarino is an international speaker, bestselling author of two books, and a sales leader. Anthony is the Managing Director of B2B Sales Coach & Consultancy, a coaching and consulting firm he started in 2007. Anthony has worked for—and spoken to—global giants like Accenture, Abbot Laboratories, IDEXX, NetJets, Novo Nordisk, BAE Systems, Toro, TransUnion, Wells Fargo, General Electric, RR Donnelly, Wells Fargo, and CH Robinson. Anthony graduated from Capital University with a summa cum laude dual major in Political Science and English Literature. He then attended Capital University Law School on the Dean’s Academic Scholarship. He also attended Harvard Business School, completing their Owner President Manager Executive Education program. Anthony is internationally recognized as a thought leader in sales and leadership, with his award winning The Sales Blog being read by 65,000 people each month. His Sunday Newsletter reaches 80,000 people each week. Anthony has been named one the 50 most influential people in sales by Top Sales World. He was also named one of the 25 most influential people in sales and marketing by Open View Partners. In addition to writing daily at The Sales Blog since 2010 and posting a daily vlog on YouTube, Anthony is also a contributing editor at SUCCESS Magazine and ThinkSales Magazine. He also writes an occasional column for Selling Power Magazine and Forbes Magazine. Anthony’s first book, The Only Sales Guide You’ll Ever Need, released in October, 2016 is a national bestseller. His second book, The Lost Art of Closing: Winning the Ten Commitments That Drive Sales was released on August 8th and immediately shot up to number 1 in new releases in sales and selling. Anthony’s books have already been translated into two forms of Chinese, Italian, Polish, Arabic, and Indonesian. Connect with Anthony Twitter LinkedIn Facebook YouTube Website Related Content 360Connext® post, Which Comes First? Customer Experience or Sales? Customers That Stick® post, 5 Lessons Salespeople Can Teach Customer Service Professionals Episode 263: Merit Gest, Sales Engagement Episode 104: Pat Helmers, Sales Babble Podcast We’re on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts Sponsor message: Start creating a successful CX strategy Are you ready to build a customer experience strategy on a solid foundation for the long term? We’re shattering the top 5 CX strategy myths in our latest evergreen webinar. 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