SalesGiants interviews Gavin Ingham, sales motivational speaker

Gavin Ingham, Sales Motivational Speaker

For the last 10 years, sales motivational speaker Gavin Ingham has been helping sales people to explode their sales performance by turning self-doubt, fear and lack of motivation into self-belief, confidence and action. With his inspirational approach to sales psychology and sales motivation Gavin combines commercial experience, personal excellence and sales technologies in delivering personal and business sales success.

1) Gavin, what kind of customers do you usually work with and how do you help them exactly?

I have two specific customer types and in both cases I help them to improve sales motivation and performance. Firstly, I work with companies and organizations speaking at sales conferences, AGMs and away days helping to motivate and inspire. My aim is to ensure that they not only have a great event but that I leave a lasting sales buzz and energy which means more sales. This could typically be anything from a 45 minute opening or closing keynote address to a 3-hour sales boosting session. 

My second type of client is anyone and everyone who sells whether they are a salesperson, a business owner, an entrepreneur or a professional. Through my books, audio programmes, video training, open seminars and blogs I help people to make quantum leaps in their sales results and in their lives.

2) In a short sentence, what companies should be interested in your training services?

In short, any company looking to increase sales. Not quite as short, corporate organizations looking to set their next sales conference alight and individuals and smaller companies wanting to increase sales results.

3) On the other hand, who shouldn’t? What will companies NOT find in your training?

I don’t work with anyone who is not committed to getting results. I hate whiners, whingers and losers and I have no time for people who want to blame the economy, the market or someone else other than themselves for their lack of sales results. Don’t work with me if you don’t want straight talking advice!

4) Besides your website (http://www.gaviningham.com/), what other sales websites would you recommend?

That’s a difficult one. I am a voracious reader so my favourite websites are any sites with books on… I particularly like Amazon for books, Nightingale.com for programmes and Youtube for video shorts. More and more speakers and trainers are getting the message that they need to add value first so there is a lot of good stuff out there.

5) How about your preferred sales/business books?

I have read upwards of a thousand sales, personal development and business books and I liked many of them for different reasons at different times in my life. I usually only recommend books to individuals and like to ask a few questions before recommending. Put on the spot and asked to recommend books that are a good read for everyone I would recommend:

Unlimited Power by Anthony Robbins because it was pretty much the first book I ever read in the field, NLP The New Technology of Achievement by Steve Andreas and Charles Faulkner and The Success Principles by Jack Canfield. Reading is not just about great books but also about keeping positive ideas and strategies moving in your head. It’s about growth and development and surrounding yourself with good karma (!) so even bad books can be good!

    

6)  How did you get started in sales?

Like many people I got into sales by mistake… I kind of fell into it. I found myself without a job and someone suggested that I had “the gift of the gab” and should “try my luck in sales”. It took me a while to realize that it was the gift of shutting the mouth I needed rather more than the gift of opening it. And soon after I realized that luck has little to do with it. I was fortunate that I was quite good straight away but I then had to work hard to work out what I was doing that was working so that I could improve my performance and getter even better results.

7) Most memorable sale? 

One sale that sticks out is one where I met with an HR Manager who was using their nephew as their sole supplier. I didn’t know this at the time so I gave it all that I had. When I didn’t win the sale I kept persisting and eventually won an opportunity which I capitalized on and won the business. I later found out that it had caused something of a family rift. If I had known of the relationship at the time, I am not sure that I would have persisted as stubbornly! Maybe I would have given up and said to myself that it was an impossible situation. What this experience demonstrated to me was the importance of believing that you can succeed and employing the right tactics and strategies with 100% conviction.

8) Most disastrous sale (or funny situation)?

Early on in my career I did several deals and was something of an overnight sales superstar but it all went seriously wrong when I then failed to land 18 deals in a row. My boss at the time was pulling his already sparse hair out and was going bald much faster than he should have been. I knew that tenacity, persistence and commitment to my personal development would win the day but I was sure glad when the awaited deal arrived.

9) What is the biggest mistake you see as a sales expert? 

There are actually several core mistakes that salespeople seem to make over and over again. Here are three…

A)     Too much “Me! Me! Me!” Most salespeople go into sales meetings thinking about how they are going to make the sale, how they are going to convince their client to buy, how they are going to close the deal. This is wrong. When you visit a client the meeting should be about them, about their business and about what is important to them.

B)      Putting clients under too much pressure. After making their pre-packaged, pre-prepared sales pitch most salespeople turn to a tried and tested close. Sales trainers still teach this BS. If you feel like you are putting your clients under too much pressure than you probably are. No-one likes to be pressurized into making a purchase. 

C)      Not adding enough value. Salespeople all talk about selling on value and not price but many have no idea what this means! If you want to sell more then you need to work out how you can add value for each and every one of your clients and prospects.

10) What is the best sales advice you have ever received?

That would be courtesy of Mrs. Ingham (my Mum) and is more of a way of living. It’s as good advice now as it was when I was five, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try and try again.”