Look Boss, Sound Street: Naija Sales That Close

Today on the podcast, we're going to look at whether we should sound professional to close sales again. Today we're going to be looking at whether sounding professional, looking professional, being professional, you get the point, whether that is going to help you make more money. Now if you're interested in this question and other kinds of questions like this, then subscribe to the podcast on Spotify, YouTube, Apple, or any player of your choice because this is what I do every two or three days.

I've been doing this for the last five years or so. My name is Tavishima Aide. I'm the host of the podcast. And if you'd love to connect, then call, send a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. Warning, I'm recording the podcast at home, so there's going to be noise in the background, especially since it's a Tuesday. For those of you who listen every single week, you know that Tuesday is when the house gets cleaned.

So the cleaning lady might have to interrupt me every now and then because she needs my attention. So yeah, this is not not about my personal life. We're looking at the question whether we should sound professional to close sales. And the answer in typical fashion is it depends whether we should sound more professional to close sales. You know, it depends. And this question that I'm looking at today, it's not a theory something it's very practical.

Lots of times I run into people who that is their primary preoccupation. They are trying to sound professional. You guys remember a particular company, I won't say which company so as not to embarrass them, but when I asked them about why they use e-mail as their primary communication means, that was the first thing that they said. They are trying to sound more professional. And of course, the hope is that if you sound more professional,

you will close more deals. So is that the case? The answer is it depends. Yes, we ought to look professionally to close more sales. So it's a traditional gospel in this industry that you dress appropriate to the context and you dress relative to what your potential customer or the potential clients, you know, given the culture or given the context, given the industry, what do they expect to see? And you dress according to that.

Now, some of you start this whole thing about Steve Jobs, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, those, those are, those are outliers, right? And then for some people, there are some people who like they pay their dues. Like take Chris Brown in the beginning, Chris Brown the musician, the guy paid his dues looking like a Nickelodeon boy, looking like a Disney kid, if you understand what I mean. There were the guy don't blow as when Chris Brown has become Chris Brown.

Then Chris Brown started doing tattoo. Anyhow, torn jeans dye his hair orange golden today who pull bling on his teeth tomorrow he won't brush his teeth. You know, just be looking like one kind of riff raff. So yeah, please don't point out those exceptions. You know, if you are exceptional, you won't be listening to this podcast. And if you had paid the cost to be the boss so that you can dress how you want, you won't be listening to this podcast.

So please don't come and tell me about those people. For the rest of us, we have to look professional, meaning we have to dress appropriate. Remember to the context. In other words, if you are a cardiothoracic surgeon, you will dress in a certain way. If you're a salesperson selling fumigation tools, you will dress a certain way. If you're a wedding photographer going for a meeting with a potential customer, you will dress in a certain way.

If you sell insurance, you will dress a certain way. You get where I'm coming from. So there is no fixed formula like suit and suit plus tie. So whether suit and suit plus tie will depend on the industry, on the trade, on the context, on the level of rapport and relationship that you've built with people, what people expect to see. So as a wedding photographer, yes, you can get away with jeans and T-shirts. You're going for client meeting.

As a cardiothoracic surgeon, jeans and T-shirt for a client meeting might not inspire confidence in you. So I can't give a general one-size-fits-all answer, but yes, we shall pose dress appropriately to the context. Now the reason why is it establishes a certain level of credibility and confidence. So back to the wedding photographer example. You know, nowadays artistic types and quote, I expected to, you know, behave a certain way.

So if I will start my wedding photography career again, yeah, maybe I would have dreadlocks and a nose ring and a couple of tattoos and let's see what else. So if I show up, dreadlock nose ring, you know, But you're not giving that creative vibe as far I'm leaving my best self kind of thing. Yeah. Yeah. That might be OK for a wedding photographer, but for a cardiothoracic surgeon, you're carrying that down your head. Plus nose ring plus white beta sharp, plus torn jeans.

It does not inspire credibility. It does not inspire confidence. I didn't make the rules. It's just the way it is. When you see a doctor and the doctor looks dishevelled, you know, you just think this guy or this babe, do they really know? You understand? So it's the same dynamic. Dress appropriate to the context and make sure you look professional no matter what industry that you're in. Then part of also sounding looking professional is the matter of professional credentials.

Yeah, By all means, if this is typical in your industry, then talk about it, display it. The reason why you should is because it shows competence. That's the reason why wedding photographers back in the day, you know, we, you know, we like to flex more. You say, oh, this is a good idea. Yeah. This is the sort of thing that we did for down with his daughter's wedding. You know, meanwhile, you are just there to help somebody.

You're not the main guy, but you just said, you know, because you're trying to show that you are credentialed. And then for those of us, OK, well, not me anyway, because I was self-taught as a photographer. But then there were some people who did go to, is it New York, something, something school or photography or whatever. There's some of those people who put it up on your website. You know, by all means put it up on your website.

It will impress some people if you have the credentials. Talk about it displayed. You don't believe me? Next time you go to any of your specialist doctors, maybe you're accompanying your older auntie to go and see a a cardio. What are they called? Cardio something, something. You know, people who work on the human heart. As you're sitting down there and talking, talking, just look around the guy's office. You'll see the graduation certificate will be there.

If the guy studied cardio, whatever, whatever at Harvard, you best believe that his Harvard degree is framed and is up there on the wall. So yes, if you are in that industry where credentials, I think talk about it displayed, it shows competence. Competence means the things that we are talking about, I can do this thing. So yes, displayed, talk about it, put it there with your full chest because it can help you close sales.

We're trying to establish some competence. We want people to feel that as they have seen us in the flesh looking credible and as we are talking that say one of two things, we're looking competent, they will say this is the guy or this is the very babe that I ought to do business with. So yes, in that sense, look professional and if you're credentialed, you know, talk of your credentials. However, what about sounding professional?

Because remember the last company that we had, I had this conversation with, they picked e-mail as their primary means of communication because they were trying to sound professional. So should you sound professional? Unfortunately, nowadays, especially in Nigeria, when people are trying to sound professional, they also end up sounding very formal. Now for the purposes of sales, and I repeat, we're talking about sales and business development here.

For the purposes of sales, I'm repeating again because some of you reach out to me and say, oh, I'm illegal, I'm in HR, I'm in accounting, excuse me. This does not apply to all those other disciplines. So one last time, for the purposes of sales, you're trying to convince somebody to buy something from you. The answer is no, don't sound professional if sounding professional means formal. Why you might ask? The answer is because for the purposes of sales, we're trying to build rapport, we are trying to be relatable, and we are trying to reduce complexity.

Let me repeat. That's a whole lot. So let me slow it down. Don't sound professional if sounding professional means you're going to sound extra formal, because for the purposes of sales, we are trying to build rapport. Rapport means I'm flowing with you, you are flowing with me. If I'm sounding extra formal, you will not floweth with me. No matter how much I'm trying to flow with you, you will not floweth with me. That is just life.

It's just how it is. So the salesman, the salesman, the marketer, you're talking with somebody, you're trying to close business, you are trying to build some rapport. It is hard to do when we're all buttoned up and formal and stuffy. We're also trying to be relatable because most people do business with people that you know, there's unrelatable, you know, you understand, like you can feel the person now we're not going to be able to achieve relatability if we're excessively formal or stuffy.

And then we're also trying to reduce complexity because a lot of us listening to this podcast, we're in complex hill scenarios. We sell things that are high-priced and we sell things that are difficult to understand and have different elements that are involved in making of the thing or in making a decision. So we have to reduce complexity. The last case study we did on the podcast was the fellow who's selling tyres, who's trying to take over the family company.

You're trying to retire, Pops. He's our pops. You don't try me. I don't graduate. So Pops, you go and rest. Let me take over this company. He's selling tires. It is complex because the tires you need for the tractor that is a digger might not be the same tire that you need for a tractor head that is going to pull water or pull oil and gas. Or there is a mover of Earth Abby or F mover or whatever they call them. So there's some complexity there and of course since that guy has been in the tyre business 15

years, of course Popsy has been in the business much longer. You know a lot about tyres, you know the insurance and outs, which one is the better thread count, which one is the better size, which one is better millimetre? Plenty of complexity. You are hindering your ability to sell if you're coming in excessively stuffy and excessively formal. We're trying to reduce the complexity. We're trying to break things down so that people will feel us, we flow with us, and we'll make it easier to make a decision.

Some of you try to sell by, you know, doing lots of gizbang, using lots of big terms. It happens. You can't bamboozle people into a sale. You throw one or two terms around and be like, this guy is intelligent, this baby is intelligent. Yeah, you can bamboozle people into a sale. Was a lot easier to, and I put it to remove obstacles to the sale. So you sound professional means we're going to sound excessively formal. Then the answer is no because we're trying to build rapport,

because we're trying to be relatable and also because we're trying to reduce complexity. So by all means, look professional, look professional, dress appropriately, play up your credentials. But then when it comes to the flow, when it comes to the conversation, sound conversational and sound easy to understand. I repeat, look professional, package yourself, wear your suit and suit plus tie or whatever it is that your industry requires.

If you like to intimidate people, wear your Rolex, you know, whatever it is, show up to that meeting when you know in your BMW, if that's part of your packaging because there's some people who are like that. You know, I was going for a meeting and I have my trusty Toyota Camry and someone's like, oh boy, we can't roll up in this thing. I say hi. What's what's wrong now is, you know, a car, say no, now we roll up in a Camry, they'll look at us somehow.

Now suppose pull up in a Jeep as I had. I don't want to argue. I said no problem, Momsy's car was around. So we just took Momsy's Jeep and then we went for the meeting, you know, But what's the point of telling all these lies if the Jeep is not your own? The Jeep is not your own. Eventually you have to show up in your own car. So if a Camry is all you have, I beg, in my own humble opinion, show up in the Camry. Anyway, where was I?

I can't remember. So look professional, show up your credentials, talk up your credentials, but in the conversation part, sound conversational and sound easy to understand. How do we do that? I'm not trying to say sound daft. What we can do is all the official language in your industry, reduce it or explain it. All the technical, all the official, all the high sounding language. Reduce it, explain it, do away with it.

You don't have to sound different. You can't sound like yourself. But don't remove all that official sounding language. Let me give you some examples, and these are the kind of examples that Tom Hopkins would talk about. Tom Hopkins is one of the sales trainers that I reference here all the time. He's an American sales trainer, real estate. He's one of those old guys, you know. Yeah. People who have been in the business since 1976.

Nineteen 86. Yeah, but remember what I say. It doesn't matter how old these people are. It's not about their age. It's about whether the principles that they express are valid and applicable. So forget the age of these people. So forget the fact that they're white and forget the fact that they're old. Brian Tracy still works, still good. Tom Hopkins still works, still good. The book that I quote a lot, spin selling Neil Rackham, Yeah,

that one is old, 1986, still works, still good. Read them, listen to them, take the knowledge, see how you can apply to the Nigerian experience. That's why we have this podcast. So yeah, this is basically Tom Hopkins approach. So let's start with a demo because there are lots of people that I talk to and they say, oh, the next step is we tell the customer or not that I want to schedule a demo. See, first of all, demo here.

You and I know what it means because yeah, we're educated. You know, we scoot abroad and, you know, we read fancy business books. The average customer probably doesn't know what demo means. And even if they did, like, what are you trying to form for? Stop saying let's schedule a demo. How about making it more relatable, making it more practical? How about asking after you give them your UVP, the unique value proposition?

Why should people do business with you? The next thing you ask, would you like to see how our XYZ can help you achieve ABC? That's an easier way. And of course, most people say, yeah, yeah, I'm curious. It's OK. No problem, Madam. But to do that, we actually need to hook up a meeting with engineer here. Natural because here our choice is the one that is the expert who'll be able to tell you how this software, this solution,

this whatever can help you achieve social sponsoring your business. And the Madam will say, OK, sure, no problem. And you will go ahead and you will schedule the meeting. When you say let us schedule a demo for customers who understand what demo means, the vibe that you'll be getting is you want to set up a meeting so that you can show off your solution, show off your software. It's all about you all about you, but you should make these these interactions about your customers.

So excuse me, so instead of saying can we schedule a discovery call, can we schedule a demo? Ask those simple questions. Would you like to see how our XYZ can help you achieve ABC? See that is conversational. Then like I mentioned, this is Tom Hopkins approach. So Tom Hopkins in his old material, Uncle TomTom will continue to say that stop going around saying buy, buy, buy. So back to this guy who is selling tyres in the family company, don't want to say would you like to buy the MDZ 5000?

Let's say the MDZ 5000 is a is a brand of tyre that they sell. No, Uncle Tom says when you say bye, bye, bye, what most people hear is spend money, spend money, spend money. And we are not trying to, we're not lying to people because yes, they're spending money, but that is not what we are trying to emphasize in their minds is not what we're trying to play up. So Uncle TomTom Hopkins, what he likes to say in his material in his books is instead of saying would you like to buy the MDZ

5000, say something like, would you like to own the MDZ 5000? Would you like to use the MDZ 5000 as part of your fleet? How soon would you like to experience the benefits of having an MDZ 5000? So you can see that we are still trying to move them forward and we're still trying to make the point while just not using the word buy. But you know, formal people, that's what they will say bye then contract. Yes, the most the the most formal or the most professional thing to say actually, would you say now let's sign the contract?

But Tom Hopkins says when you say sign contract, most people begin to lock up. They begin to, they feel as if contract, contract means let me sit down, let me scrutinize, let me look for the loopholes, Let me look for the trap. There's a trap here somewhere. So Tom Hopkins says, let's keep this thing conversational. That's all I'm saying. Next step is for us to sign the contract. Are you free for Tuesday morning? Just say, oh, the next stage is it's time for us to sort out the paperwork so that we can move forward.

You can see that sort out the paperwork sounds much more casual, much more, you know, can I send you a draft Monday 8:00 so you can show your boys in legal, Keep it cool, casual, confirmational. So yes, the formal thing to say, the professional thing to say is yes, we're heading into contracting stage. Or just say paperwork, keep it cool. Formal language leads people to be uptight, leads people to be nervous. Sometimes it confuses people because they don't know what it is that you are trying to say.

For instance, there is Nigeria when they hear a contract, I'm sure the average Nigeria when they hear a contract, they think of A50 page document with 102 provisions and each provision has a, you know, 5 or 6 subtitles or something. I say subtitles, sub sub provisions, subheaders. Well then if you say well next all we have to do is just sort out the paperwork and then you send them a one page document, very simple. And at the bottom they just authorize.

Well, that's all. I think when you say sign here, it sounds very somehow like I'm signing my life away. Well, I said OK, so we're cool with everything in the document. All we just have to do is authorize here and here and then we can get started. Of course, I've already gone on and on about our brothers and sisters in the tech space. You know, UUIUX, we have three, you know. So I'm going to pick on you guys today. Moja, look professional, Look professional, address appropriate to the context of trying to show up some credibility here.

Inspire confidence in the other person. If you are credentialed, display your credentials. Talk about your credentials, try and weave them into the conversation so you can show some competence when you're trying to move the conversation forward. Don't be formal, don't be stuffy. Don't use technical terms. Let's keep you smooth. Let's keep you conversational so that we can build rapport, build relatability and also reduce complexity.

But before I sign off, remember I said that this applies to people who are in sales only because in sales our goal is we're trying to sell something. This applies only to sales and marketing. Those of you in legal, please use your legal terms so that when the contract shows up in court, the document is all I put it is precise and leaves no room for misinterpretation and no room for ambiguity. So legal you need to be precise.

HR, those of you human resources, you guys also need to be very, very clear with your communications. So legal and nature, you guys state it as clearly as possible. It is left to the person receiving the document to now do some homework to try and understand exactly what it is that is being expressed. Accounting, accounting. Also, you guys have to be very, very clear about what it is that you do. So outside of these sorts of things, if we're trying to close a sale or trying to collect money from someone, then please do not sound professional.

If sounding professional means sounding excessively formal. Of course, there are other elements to being professional, like being polite, for instance. Being polite, being on time, What else? Yes. So all those other aspects of being professional, please invite them. So yeah, that is all I came to drop on the podcast today and I hope I've been able to minister to someone. And now they can see that even though you can use terms and technicality and sound formal and bamboozle somebody into a sail, it's a lot easier to just remove restrictions and relax and be casual.

But Please note, because I say it should be casual, I didn't say iguan show up in jeans and T-shirt. If in your own industry, what is required is suit on suit plus tag. Anyway, let me wrap it up here. Thank you very much for your time and attention. Remember, if you would love to connect, you can call, send a text message or a WhatsApp message on 08064662140. Thank you very much for your time and attention. I'll catch you guys some other time.