Alex, thanks for listening. I’m happy to hear that you really connected with this interview.

For the current business model I am working on, I am planning to implement door-to-door sales and this was just the confidence booster I needed.

The way Ramu turned something that generally has a negative connotation, such as door-to-door sales, into a sort of fundamental “rite of passage” into the relm of success was brilliant.

I will most definitely be re-watching this multiple times as it is packed with prolific sales advice.

I also want to give respect to Andrew for being comfortable enough to show his vulnerable side. Most people (myself included) would be too nervous to admit that they are feeling insecure about what they are doing for fear it ruins their credibility. I have seen you reveal such details in other interviews as well. Not only does it build my respect for you but it also helps me realize that it is ok and in fact, can make you more relatable if you show this side since everybody has similar feelings at some point.

@PropertyLion:disqus Glad you found this useful!

A couple more tips you might find helpful:

1. Create a buying atmosphere. People love to buy, but hate to be sold. How can you make it as easy for a prospect to say yes as it is for them to say no?

2. Put the Law of Averages to work for you. Here’s what I mean (and it goes hand in hand with creating a buying atmosphere): Out of X number of people you show your software Y will buy. Learn what X and Y are for your software.

-In selling door-to-door, X was 30 and Y was 3. If I presented my product to 30 prospects a day, the law of averages said that AT LEAST 3 would buy. On any given day that number could be 6, 7, or even 10 out of 30. On another day it might be 0, 1 or 2 out of 30. Averaged over the course of the summer (as long as I was doing 30 presentations a day), the Law of Averages told me that at least 3 out of 30 would buy. And if 3 out of 30 bought, I would hit my goal!

The Law of Averages applied to creating a buying atmosphere. Instead of focusing on selling people. I was focused on two things: 1) Hitting my presentation goal for the day 2) Giving an exceptional, enthusiastic presentation. People sensed that I didn’t care whether they bought or not. And that took the pressure off them. In fact I would tell them flat out, “If you like this, then great! If not, no big deal. I’m having a ton of fun. When I’m done you can say Yes or No. You’re not going to hurt my feelings, because I didn’t write these books (or software) anyway.”

3. Crystallize your goals into daily goal periods. What is your goal for the day? Break your goal up into smaller segments.

I broke my day up into six goal periods. Each goal period lasted either 90 minutes or 120 minutes (alternating). My goal was 5 demonstrations per goal period. In order to hit that goal, I had to make 8 to 10 sales calls per goal period. When one goal period was done, I crossed it off with my pen (on my goal card), and mentally focused on the next 90 (or 120) minute goal period. This kept my sense of urgency high each goal period. It was like a race, because getting in 5 presentations wasn’t easy! How could you (or do you) break your day up into goal periods?

Hope you find these tips useful! And yes, if the Mixergy community benefited, I’d be glad to dive deeper into some of the sales tactics I’ve used selling door-to-door and selling software b2b.