Here’s a quick question for you: What’s the most underrated part of a sales call?  Let me give you a few choices:

• The Beginning.  As the shampoo commercial states, “You only have one chance to make a first impression.”  When opening up a sales call, that “one chance” usually boils down to about 45 seconds. Therefore, these become precious seconds and should he handled as carefully as possible.
• The Middle.  This is the part of the conversation where trust is built, urgency is created, needs are uncovered, and a solution is brought forward.  There’s a lot going on here in the middle, along with a strong argument that deals are won or lost right here.
• The End.  A lot needs to be done right at the end of a sales call, but none of it matters if you don’t know how to close.  The words matter here, as does the way you say those words.  

Granted, they’re all important, but I’m asking about the most underrated part of the conversation.  I’ll let you ponder, and then make your pick from the three choices above. Perhaps this story will change the choice you made: 

When I started my podcast, I began to notice something rather unusual in the conversations I was having.  I paid a lot of attention to the beginning, because I wanted to warm my guests up, and I wanted to hit the air with something compelling to catch the attention of my audience.  I paid a lot of attention to the middle because this was the interview itself, and I certainly didn’t want to lose control of the conversation, or of my guest.  I absolutely paid attention to the end, perhaps because, as a professional speaker, I’ve always believed in a strong close.  The reason is because there’s a good chance that this is the part of the conversation that has the best chance of sticking.  That’s when I learned there is actually a fourth part of the conversation, and for the sake of this BLArticle®, I’ll call it, “The End at the End.”

In a podcast, the end at the end is when the podcast is over, we stop recording, and the pressure is off.  If I’ve done my job right, the guest is feeling a bit of relief, and a bit of satisfaction.  Rather than say, “thank you,” shake hands, say goodbye, or jump off a Zoom call, I decided to purposely extend the conversation a bit.  With a few, well-placed compliments, and letting my guests talk about his or her experience, I noticed a few things started happening.

• Bonding.  By not rushing off the call, and spending a few extra minutes with my customer, we began to connect at a deeper level.  
• Business.  By not rushing off the call, and spending a few extra minutes, our conversations moved from a podcast conversation, to a complete conversation.  This, in turn, allowed me to move to a discussion that allowed for cross selling opportunities.  
• Networking.  By not rushing off the call, and spending a few extra minutes, my guests began to trust me more, and were more likely to offer some networking opportunities.  

The fact is, after a few years of podcasting, I learned you can dramatically elevate a podcast guest’s interpretation of his or her experience by sticking around a bit longer after the end of the formal conversation we had.  Why would this be any different when we sell?  But it is.  Most who sell are told that when the conversation is over, and you got what you were looking for, get out of the house! It’s not complete nonsense because the fear is our concentration will drop and we might say things we wouldn’t normally say if we lose our focus.  There’s a simple solution for that one and only one: Be more careful!

What’s more, let’s make a deal and promise these conversations won’t take too long.  As a matter of fact, once we thank someone for their time, and let them know how grateful we were to have the conversation we had, you don’t need to ask for a thing.  You already got what you were looking for, so if you really want to deepen the relationship with the person you are speaking with, why not ask this question?  

How can I help you?

What do you get when combine energy, enthusiasm… and great content?  You get a “Pocket Sized Pep Talk!”  Tune in and you’ll hear a collection of BLArticles®, conversations, and interviews that are sure to teach, motivate, inspire, and oh yes; entertain!   https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pocket-sized-pep-talks/id1497772972

I took another spin on, “The Abundant Accountant” podcast, and talked about a number of issues including  why sales training so often fails found here:  https://theabundantaccountant.com/episode-101-why-sales-training-for-accountants-and-tax-firm-owners-fails-and-how-to-avoid-it-with-rob-jolles

I was also on, “It’s Not Rocket Science! Five Questions Over Coffee,” a fun podcast with Stuart Webb.   You can listen to the podcast here: https://thecompleteapproach.substack.com/p/five-questions-over-coffee-with-rob#details

If you are looking for something to listen to on your next coffee break you might enjoy this brief chat between me and Tom Bailey, Founder of Succeed Through Speaking and the Succeed Through Speaking podcast. Listen closely if you would like some high value ideas to boost your business results.

You can read the transcript here – https://bit.ly/3BOfU7o

You can watch the podcast here – https://youtu.be/w-QgGvweE2M

You can listen to the podcast here – https://apple.co/2YVGWuN

I Zoomed my way to India to speak with Motivational Diaries, and Ashish Janiani.  We spoke for about 30 minutes about sales processes and training for success. 

   Sales Process To Sales Success || Interview With Robert Jolles – YouTube

If you want to read some “Life Lessons” I was able to share in a recent interview, you’ll find them here:  https://worldclassperformer.com/short-life-lessons-from-robert-jolles/

I had the pleasure of appearing on Robert Miller’s, Follow Your Dream Podcast and thoroughly enjoyed the discussion.  We go way back in this conversation to my first memories of performance… at age four!  I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!  https://follow-your-dream.simplecast.com/episodes/rob-jolles-superstar-salesman

I also mixed it up with a wonderful podcaster, Terry McDougall on her Marketing Mambo show.  As she puts it, we “Cha-cha-chatted!”  If you want to hear sales and marketing go toe-to-toe, you’ll enjoy this show. https://www.buzzsprout.com/1569061/8172686-the-art-of-influence-in-sales-and-marketing-with-rob-jolles

I recently did a podcast with a wonderful, new, and up-and-coming star named Jahmaal Marshall.  His podcast is called, “Listen Then Speak.”  I’ve done a lot of podcasts, but we got into topics I rarely talk about, and I’m quite sure you’ll enjoy the show!  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/listen-then-speak/id1550684472

I’ve appeared on the “Small Business Advocate Show” with Jim Blasingame for almost 20 years now, and you’ll find dozens of our conversations on his website.  We just sat down a few weeks ago for a great conversation about selling fundamentals and the strategic use of stories.  Here’s a link to over 100 interviews done over the years, including my most recent interview that explores our many behaviors we display that are based more on a default mechanism than actual logic. https://www.smallbusinessadvocate.com/small-business-experts/rob-jolles-134

We posted a video series on delivering amazing online presentations with my friend, Jeremy Webb.  We go over some great stuff including:

• How to Select the Best Equipment for Online Presentations
• Pro Tips for Sustaining Interest in Online Presentations
• How to Look Like a Pro!
• Public Speaking Anxiety Tip
• Virtual Office Setup for Online Presentations

You’ll find the whole playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLRO7BsBDl6oL-6ZPW3O01x-g5PiR38ljL

I was recently interviewed on the “Salesman Podcast,” which was a lot of fun. If you’re looking to Change Minds, check out this podcast: https://www.salesman.org/the-simple-step-by-step-process-to-influence-anyone-with-rob-jolles/

I loved talking about the book, Why People Don’t Believe You on a podcast that I’m sure you’ll like called Onward Nation: https://predictiveroi.com/podcasts/rob-jolles/

After 30+ years as a professional speaker and trainer, one of the most common questions I get is this: “How do we make sure the training sticks?”  Take a moment and listen to this podcast; “SalesChats” with John Golden.  If you want to know why most training fails, listen up! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR3dDOlTK7U&list=FLxBXKhqz0xBwbUPMqNthAJA&index=2&t=1293s