Sales Training Tip: Have a Clear Future

How many times have you left a meeting feeling good about your presentation, only to realize you don't really have a plan with your prospect of what's coming next? Having a clearly defined idea of the next step is a very important part of the sales process. In a recent blog post, Brooke Green of Caskey Training discussed this situation, and what you can do to get on the same page as your prospect.

I was recently working with a client on knowing "What's next?" with their prospects and clients. It's a huge part of controlling the sales process. What we discovered is that my client is clear about what they think is going to happen, but they haven't shared it with their customer!

How do you know if you're all on the same page? Your customer may have an entirely different plan.

Here are six things to do every time you leave a meeting so that you are in control of the process, and your client is never surprised:

1. If your gut is nagging you, something has been left unsaid; never leave with a nagging feeling.

2. Always recap what you've heard in the meeting and make a suggestion for what you think the next step should be; remember your prospect is looking for you to lead them.

3. If there is no next step, don't try to make something up! Be okay with saying, "Goodbye, we're not a good fit."

4. If you know there is something there, but you're not sure "What's next?" it's okay to say so. Say something like, "I would like to digest what we discussed today. I think there is a reason for us to meet again, but I'm not sure what should happen next. I'll be in touch in the next day or so with some ideas on how to move forward." It's still a "clear future". No one is left wondering "What's going to happen after you leave?"

5. Your "clear future" should be how you open the next meeting. "Mr. Smith, we agreed in our last meeting that today we would talk about signing a contract..."

6. Your meetings should be followed up with a recap, either by letter or e-mail. The recap should state what you heard, what you decided to do and when you will do it.

"In our training, we work with our clients on always having a 'clear future,'" says Green. "How many of you have left a meeting thinking it was a good meeting but also saying to yourself, 'I wonder if I should call them? Should I send an email? Maybe I should wait for them to call me?' A "clear future" is a great tool for keeping the right deals in your funnel and to keep those deals moving forward."

Brooke Green is a speaker and consultant with Caskey, a firm specializing in training and developing B2B sales teams through face to face training, teleconferencing, written material, custom podcasts and one on one coaching. Learn more at www.caskeyone.com

Email is the New Phone

Of all the things changing in the business world, one of the most influential is the use of technology, particularly email, to facilitate the sales process. It wasn't that long ago that most of us used the telephone or called on clients in person to make sales. Now we prospect with email, and may even have some clients who prefer that the entire communication be electronic. Kendra Lee of KLA Group explains how you can evolve with the times and make more sales.

"If you're like I was, you believe email should be answered after hours when you are not on the phone or in customer meetings," says Lee. "This is how I handle proposals. They can't be written during valuable customer "face" time, but should be saved for that time of day when customers are not available."

"But, expectations and how email is used have changed," continues Lee. "Many customers now expect you to hold whole conversations via email, sometimes with emails flying within minutes of each other, just as if they were instant messages or a phone call. With these changes email is now as important as face-to-face meetings and phone calls."

Here are some tips to consider when making email a primary customer interaction tool:

---View email as a new prospecting tool. After you leave a voicemail, follow-up with an email, giving prospects two easy ways to respond. Remember, your goal is to connect with the person. Even if they respond "No", you have connected and can respond.

---Keep the sales process moving forward using email to ask requirements, gather questions, get referrals, make recommendations, and provide updates.

---Respond to all emails with action items promptly. You return phone calls within 1 to 24 hours. The expectation now is that you'll return emails within 30 minutes to 12 hours. If you can't respond completely, send an email setting expectations about when you will send a full response.

---Think, and proof, before you send. Sometimes it's best to draft a response, then wait 30 minutes before sending. You may choose to soften, shorten, or otherwise change your response.

---You may need a hand-held device such as a Blackberry to keep up. Consider what tools you need to add this new customer interaction approach and make the investment.

---Schedule daily time on your calendar to respond to emails. Consider this equal to customer meeting time. If you are holding complete customer conversations via email, you really are holding a meeting. Give it equal time for a well thought out response with a request for next steps.

"There are many benefits that can be realized by using email," says Lee. "This includes ease of connection and a better way to communicate in certain circumstances. Be prepared and you’ll soon find yourself reducing your sales cycle and closing opportunities via email!"

Kendra Lee is president of KLA Group. Specializing in the IT industry, KLA Group helps companies rapidly penetrate new markets, break into new accounts and shorten time to revenue with new products. For more information, visit www.klagroup.com.

Don't take no for an answer

How do you react when a prospect tells you no? Do you immediately think, "Oh, there goes another one?" Do you counter "No" with more features, benefits, and explanations? Here's a much more effective strategy from Ron Karr, one of the leading Business Development and Turn-Around Specialists in America.

"Too many salespeople instantly respond to a no answer by either withdrawing from meaningful discussions with the prospect or turning up the heat by discoursing endlessly about features, functions and benefits," says Karr. "Yet all we need to do when we encounter a no answer is to find out what the customer perceives is missing."

Try this response to "No" and watch as the discussion continues to the sale.

Ron Karr is the Founder of Karr Associates Inc. and creator of the ground-breaking Titan Principle.

"I'm just calling to follow up"

There's nothing more annoying than a sales rep who's "just calling to follow up." What a time waster. Follow the expert tip below from telesales guru Art Sobczak to avoid this call killer and give your client something of value.

"Have a primary objective for every call," says Sobczak. Before each call plan out "What do I want them to DO as a result of this call, and what do I want to do?"

If you do this, you'll be giving your client something of value, and they'll be much more likely to give you the response you're looking for. If not, at least you'll know to stop wasting your time and move on to better prospects.

Telesales expert Art Sobczak is president of Business By Phone. Visit his site at www.BusinessByPhone.com.