10 lessons I learned from firsthand experience in 2022:

1. Being likeable is beneficial when selling. But being likeable isn't enough to close deals. You must be able to generate the result your prospect wants.

2. Building quality rapport through the sales process isn't enough. You must CONTINUE the relationship POST closing to retain the new client.

3. Momentum in sales dies out quickly. If you have momentum, keep it going by keeping your foot on the gas. The easiest time to win is when you're already winning.

4. There's always someone or something to blame. But blaming anyone/anything other than yourself is never beneficial in the long run.

5. Study and ask your top clients why they haven't left you. You'll start to see recurring patterns as to WHY your best clients stay. For example, studying our top 15 clients helped me see two main benefits we provide:

- A tested & proven PROCESS for our clients to follow to generate quality meetings set from LinkedIn.

- Having a client support team that genuinely cares about helping our clients win and shows that through our actions.

6. Price isn't your only obstacle when selling. The more time & effort that is required to get results with your product/service, the more hesitant prospects will be to move forward with you.

7. Make your prospects prove themselves to you. Not every client is a good client, so make sure you aren't damaging yourself long-term for a couple of extra dollars right now.

8. Trust your gut. If you know DEEP down that you need to be doing something, in particular, do it, no matter what your friends/family/coworkers are saying. This is God trying to put you in the right direction.

9. Put a lot of attention to detail into your sales material. If you structure your website, PDFs, etc. in the correct order, your sales process will proceed along much smoother than it otherwise would.

For example,

- Bring awareness to the problem your prospect has & what'll happen if they don't do anything to fix this problem.

- Show what your company does to solve their problem and why you're different than other alternatives.

- Show HOW you solve the problem and WHAT the "process" looks like for a new client.

- Go over your pricing. Bonus points if you give your prospect multiple pricing options so they can decide which payment plan is best for them.

- Have material to overcome objections (testimonials, case studies, guarantees).

10. Activate as many senses as possible. For example, instead of telling your prospect you take a lot of work off their plate, SHOW them how you take work off their plate.

For example, on our website, we show prospects they can do all of their LinkedIn prospecting on their own breaking down all of the work they have to do into 9 boxes.

On the flip side, if they work with us, there is only 1 box, which shows, by working with us, they get to do 1/9th of the work (89% less).

This is a short list, and I'm excited to share more in the future!