"The trouble with talking too fast is you may say something you haven't thought of yet." -- Ann Landers, Advice Columnist
Have you ever promised something to a customer then quickly realized you couldn't deliver? Passed on some company news you shouldn't have? Made a comment that was offensive or rude, only to realize this a second too late? These verbal slip-ups will cost you sales every time.
Prevent foot-in-mouth syndrome by slowing down and taking a few seconds to collect your thoughts before speaking. You'll not only avoid embarrassing yourself, you'll appear more thoughtful, confident and professional.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Friday, February 8, 2008
SalesDog Quick Tip
As a sales professional, it is vital that you ask about competitors. Most of the time, clients will readily tell you about competitors giving you important information to plan a competitive strategy, and properly position your solution. A small percentage of clients may refuse to answer. For them, a simple acknowledgement like, " I can understand" and then moving the conversation along, works well. Or you can ask, "I know you don't want to share names, but how does (your idea) compare to what else you are hearing?"
Today's quick tip comes from Linda Richardson, president and founder of Richardson, a leading global sales training and consulting firm. This tip was excerpted from Linda's chapter in Top Dog Sales Secrets.
Today's quick tip comes from Linda Richardson, president and founder of Richardson, a leading global sales training and consulting firm. This tip was excerpted from Linda's chapter in Top Dog Sales Secrets.
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Prepare for Objections - and Close the Sale!
Although no one wants to go in to a sales meeting expecting objections, this mindset is actually the best way to close the sale. Preparing a thoughtful response to any and all objections will help you to confidently guide your prospect toward making the deal. Sales trainer and author Alan Rigg has set up a system for overcoming objections - start it with your sales team, and see how it helps everyone involved.
BRAINSTORM objections - Sit down with your sales manager and the other members of your sales team and do some brainstorming. Write down every objection that any of you can remember, then work together to develop an effective response for each objection.
DOCUMENT objections and responses - Put the results of your brainstorming session into a document and make it a "living document" (which means the document should receive frequent updates over time). When any of your company's salespeople hear an objection that is not listed in the document, add it to the document. Bring up these new objections in your sales meetings, discuss the best way(s) to respond to the objections, then add the responses to the document as well.
PRACTICE responding to objections - You and your fellow sales team members should hold each other ACCOUNTABLE for learning EVERY objection and how to respond to the objection effectively. Get in the habit of giving each other "pop quizzes" where you spontaneously suggest objections to each other and practice providing effective responses to the objections. Over time you will learn how to respond to each objection in a manner that is comfortable and natural for you. You will also learn where the gaps are in your sales opportunity qualification processes that cause prospects to raise objections in the first place!
PROACTIVELY address objections - If one or more objections come up frequently when you and your fellow salespeople work with prospects, figure out how to proactively address these objections during your sales calls. In other words, you should bring up the objections yourselves and respond to them rather than waiting for your prospects to raise them.
Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Team Performance: A Step-By-Step Guide to Building and Managing Top-Performing Sales Teams. His 80/20 Selling System helps business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales. For more information, visit www.8020salesperformance.com
BRAINSTORM objections - Sit down with your sales manager and the other members of your sales team and do some brainstorming. Write down every objection that any of you can remember, then work together to develop an effective response for each objection.
DOCUMENT objections and responses - Put the results of your brainstorming session into a document and make it a "living document" (which means the document should receive frequent updates over time). When any of your company's salespeople hear an objection that is not listed in the document, add it to the document. Bring up these new objections in your sales meetings, discuss the best way(s) to respond to the objections, then add the responses to the document as well.
PRACTICE responding to objections - You and your fellow sales team members should hold each other ACCOUNTABLE for learning EVERY objection and how to respond to the objection effectively. Get in the habit of giving each other "pop quizzes" where you spontaneously suggest objections to each other and practice providing effective responses to the objections. Over time you will learn how to respond to each objection in a manner that is comfortable and natural for you. You will also learn where the gaps are in your sales opportunity qualification processes that cause prospects to raise objections in the first place!
PROACTIVELY address objections - If one or more objections come up frequently when you and your fellow salespeople work with prospects, figure out how to proactively address these objections during your sales calls. In other words, you should bring up the objections yourselves and respond to them rather than waiting for your prospects to raise them.
Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Sales Team Performance: A Step-By-Step Guide to Building and Managing Top-Performing Sales Teams. His 80/20 Selling System helps business owners, executives, and managers end the frustration of 80/20 sales team performance, where 20% of salespeople produce 80% of sales. For more information, visit www.8020salesperformance.com
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Are You Stuck on the Spin Cycle of Selling?
The following advice is from a post I read in Kim Duke's blog. Otherwise known as "The Sales Diva," Kim shows women how to increase sales in a fun, sassy way that I really enjoy. It's a sales lesson and a chat with your favorite girlfriend all at once. And guys - the lessons are applicable to you too!
So many people in sales are "information dumpers" when they meet a client. What do they information dump about? All the BORING features and benefits of what is marvelous about their product or service. Yawn.
Instead, as a customer, I am interested in someone who is a PAIN-REDUCER. For instance, I was recently buying new appliances for my home. The first 3 places I looked, I had salespeople who didn't ask me ONE QUESTION about what was the most important thing I was looking for. Instead they babbled on for 10 minutes (as I was looking around frantically for an oxygen tank to give them) about all the wonderful features of this and this and this. (hellllo spin cycle!)
They lost me. I wasn't even thinking about the appliance and all its "pleasurable" features any longer. I was looking for the next exit.
So who sold me the fancy schmancy appliances? A guy who did a wonderful job of asking me questions that weren't pushy. For example, he asked me if I liked to cook (I LOVE it), he asked me if I hated doing laundry (are there people out there who actually like it??) and he also asked me how important it was for me to have environmentally friendly appliances. (Al Gore is my hero).
And based upon my responses he did something you're probably not doing. He made a RECOMMENDATION.
He recommended I have:
So what are you doing still flopping on spin cycle?
I know. I know. You were taught by someone that being a good salesperson is being a smooth talker. Ditch that thought. Instead - FOCUS on all the PAINFUL PROBLEMS you've learned from your client and cater to that instead. I don't care about all your features and benefits. They just go down the drain. I want to know HOW you'll solve my problem better than anyone else.
Answer that and you're out of the spin cycle!
Kim Duke is an unconventional, sassy and savvy sales expert who shows women small biz owners and entrepreneurs sizzling sales tips on how to increase sales in a fun, easy, stress-free way! Learn more and sign up for her free e-zine at www.salesdivas.com
So many people in sales are "information dumpers" when they meet a client. What do they information dump about? All the BORING features and benefits of what is marvelous about their product or service. Yawn.
Instead, as a customer, I am interested in someone who is a PAIN-REDUCER. For instance, I was recently buying new appliances for my home. The first 3 places I looked, I had salespeople who didn't ask me ONE QUESTION about what was the most important thing I was looking for. Instead they babbled on for 10 minutes (as I was looking around frantically for an oxygen tank to give them) about all the wonderful features of this and this and this. (hellllo spin cycle!)
They lost me. I wasn't even thinking about the appliance and all its "pleasurable" features any longer. I was looking for the next exit.
So who sold me the fancy schmancy appliances? A guy who did a wonderful job of asking me questions that weren't pushy. For example, he asked me if I liked to cook (I LOVE it), he asked me if I hated doing laundry (are there people out there who actually like it??) and he also asked me how important it was for me to have environmentally friendly appliances. (Al Gore is my hero).
And based upon my responses he did something you're probably not doing. He made a RECOMMENDATION.
He recommended I have:
- Dual ovens so I wouldn't be serving food on cold plates to my guests.
- A convection oven so I can quit wasting 25% of my time WAITING for meals to be ready
- A washing machine and dryer on stands which also use a teaspoon of soap so I am not harming the environment or always shopping for laundry soap
- And sooo much more
So what are you doing still flopping on spin cycle?
I know. I know. You were taught by someone that being a good salesperson is being a smooth talker. Ditch that thought. Instead - FOCUS on all the PAINFUL PROBLEMS you've learned from your client and cater to that instead. I don't care about all your features and benefits. They just go down the drain. I want to know HOW you'll solve my problem better than anyone else.
Answer that and you're out of the spin cycle!
Kim Duke is an unconventional, sassy and savvy sales expert who shows women small biz owners and entrepreneurs sizzling sales tips on how to increase sales in a fun, easy, stress-free way! Learn more and sign up for her free e-zine at www.salesdivas.com
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Got voicemail? No problem!
Are you leaving message after message with no response? If you answered yes, try these quick tips from sales trainer and speaker Mark Hunter. Your phone just might start ringing off the hook!
- If your goal is to get the phone call returned, don't leave information that would allow the person to make up their mind. Add a call-to-action to your message by providing a key date or something of interest that will encourage the person to return the call. You have to create a reason for them to call you back.
- Avoid asking people to call you back at a certain time. This gives them an excuse not to call you. For the same reason, never state in the message that you will call them back.
- When leaving a message with multiple points, be sure to immediately disclose how many you will be making. This will prevent the recipient from accidentally fast-forwarding or deleting before it is completely heard.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Quote of the Week
"Whenever an individual or a business decides that success has been attained, progress stops." -- Thomas J. Watson Jr.
Acknowledging and celebrating your accomplishments is important and can help motivate you when you reach an inevitable plateau (or valley). But, resting on your laurels will only lead to stagnation. So celebrate your next success, then be sure to ask yourself, "What's next?"
Acknowledging and celebrating your accomplishments is important and can help motivate you when you reach an inevitable plateau (or valley). But, resting on your laurels will only lead to stagnation. So celebrate your next success, then be sure to ask yourself, "What's next?"
Friday, February 1, 2008
Using Your Camera Phone as a Sales Tool
I'll be the first to admit that I'm not the most technologically-savvy person. When a new gadget comes out I'm in no rush to get it. It could have e-mail, video, internet, a camera, a coffee maker and do my laundry, and I'd still wait it out. Personally, I like to think of myself as cautious.
The tech-savvy Jan Visser over at SalesTeamTools echoes my sentiments perfectly in this post - and gave me new ideas on how to use the limited technology I've mastered. Here are his suggestions for using your camera phone as a sales tool:
The tech-savvy Jan Visser over at SalesTeamTools echoes my sentiments perfectly in this post - and gave me new ideas on how to use the limited technology I've mastered. Here are his suggestions for using your camera phone as a sales tool:
- Take a picture of a business card and use scanR to recognize the text so you can import them into your contact management software.
- On the road to an appointment, you pass a brand new office park. Ah! New prospects! Don't we love those. Take a picture of the directory listing and call the companies located here when you get back to the office.
- I don't know about you but when I fly, I always forget where I parked my car at the airport. Snap a quick shot of the garage floor you're on and you'll be back on track in no time.
- You just had a terrific brainstorming session with your prospect or your technical expert. The whiteboard is filled with pictures, bullet points, arrows and diagrams. But how do you capture these thoughts, short of writing everything down? You got it - your camera phone!
- Ever had a customer or prospect voluntarily share your competitor's proposal with you? Gee, how are you going to remember the components of the proposal and pricing? Be a bit like 007, snap a picture and share them with your marketing department too.
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