The Night the Lights Went Out

Many of you emailed us saying you couldn't access your free copy of Selling Power's 9 Recession Busting Strategies. Turns out, their server crashed because of a major power outage caused by a storm in Virginia. Blame Mother Nature, not SalesDog!

If you missed it, you can get it now, click here.

Quote of the Week

"Tough times never last; tough people do." -- Robert Schuller

Keep this quote in mind during the tough selling times ahead.

Why Should I Buy From You?

Last week we gave you one strategy to try when a prospect asks early on in the sales process, "Why should I buy from you?" Today sales trainer Colleen Stanley is back with another idea to help you understand, assess, and respond to this question.

Stanley suggests you "respond with a compelling '30 second commercial.' An age old saying in sales says, 'No one cares about what you do, they only care about problems you solve.' Most people talk in 'do' language, such as 'We do financial planning,' 'We do heating and air conditioning,' or 'We do lending.' A good '30 second commercial' talks about problems you solve."

Example:
Companies who buy from us are tired of turnover on the sales team, not sure how to sell value versus price, or are experiencing long buy cycles affecting cash flow.

"A well-crafted '30 second commercial' reminds the prospect of their pain or missed opportunities," says Stanley. "If the prospect isn't experiencing pain or desiring gain, it's going to be a short sales meeting...and that's okay. Keep your sales pipeline pure by filling it only with prospects who want to improve or need to solve an issue."

Colleen Stanley is president of SalesLeadership, Inc., a business development consulting firm specializing in sales and sales management training. The company provides programs in prospecting, referral strategies, consultative sales training, sales management training, and hiring/selection. Learn more at www.salesleadershipdevelopment.com

Why accept "No" from someone who can't say "Yes"?

In the ideal selling situation you deal with the true decision-maker, or economic buyer. This is the person who can approve your proposal without having to get permission from anyone else. Of course, we call it the ideal situation, because it often doesn't happen that way.

"While it would be nice if we only had to call on the economic buyer, we must deal with people in all levels and departments of our customer's organization,"says sales trainer Andrew Sharp with Sales Concepts. "To increase the chances of winning an order one must deal with all of the various influences within an account. These people's risks, both real and perceived, must be discovered, addressed, and resolved."

According to Sharp, "the people of customer organizations can be dissected into four categories: Users, Technical Influences, Coaches and Economic Buyers. This holds true for large corporations, small businesses, educational institutions or the government." Here are the four people categories and how he advises you reduce both their real and perceived risks:

User: The person(s) who will directly use your product or service
To reduce their risks discuss and demonstrate training, safety, convenience, ease of use, error correction, time savings, and technical support. Show how you and your company will support them on a daily basis.

Technical Influence: The person(s) who will evaluate your product or service based upon their area of expertise
They may include engineers, technical specialists, general counsel, purchasing and other specialists. To reduce their risks present data, specifications, white papers, performance benchmarks, research, studies, charts, graphs, testing procedures, logistics, contracts, pricing, etc. Make sure all questions have been answered.

Economic Buyer: The person who can say "Yes" to spending money on your product, service or solution without getting anyone else's permission
They are usually found in the management or executive levels within organizations. To reduce their perceived risk cover cost of ownership, return on investment, cost justification, alignment with their corporate objectives, payback, etc. Deliver a strong business case.

Coach: Anyone who will provide information about the customer or project
They can be anyone and can be found anywhere. By definition they generally want to see you win. Their risk is that you don't win, so heed their advice.

Sales Concepts provides experiential sales training and learning services for people who work in sales, management, customer support, and field service, contributing to the growth and development of these professionals and the companies they represent. Learn more at www.salesconcepts.com

Jigsaw Throws Open the Door on Prospect Data

Today Jigsaw launches the Open Data Initiative - a fast, easy and free way for you to download thousands of company records in just seconds.

What does this mean for you? You'll spend less time searching the Internet for company data, and more time contacting qualified prospects. Plus, you can upload the records into your CRM solution leaving you even more time to sell.

I've been tooling around on the site in advance of the launch and I can tell you it's definitely worth your time to check it out. I think you'll appreciate the "Advanced Options" search capabilities in the Find Companies and Find Contacts functions. You can select by metro area, area code, zip code, industry, employee size, revenue and more. It's very interesting. Click here to learn more.

Remember, when you sign up for Jigsaw you'll have access to over 8 million business contacts - making it easier for you to reach the decision-makers at these companies.

Check out Jigsaw's Open Data Initiative here.

A World Record Handshake

San Franciscans Kevin Whittaker and Cory Jens recently set a new handshaking world record of 9.5 hours, beating the previous record set by two Germans by a half hour.

The two practiced shaking hands, and developed a couple of techniques - "one involves putting both your pinkies out, which allows an opening where air gets in and cools you off. The other is that one of us shakes and does all the work, while the other one relaxes," said Whittaker.

Thankfully for Whittaker and Jens, the Guinness Book of World Records only requires the record-setters to keep their hands moving up and down the whole time. In business, the art of handshaking is much more involved.

You need to convey confidence, warmth and honesty while shaking hands with your prospect, says SalesDog.com publisher Michael Dalton Johnson. While you may not break any world records with your handshake, when properly executed, you will create a good impression. Here are a few of Johnson's tips for a winning handshake:

• Avoid the power grip. A handshake should be firm, but not overly forceful. Beware of the unconscious tendency to pull the other person toward you as you shake. This can be interpreted as aggressive, and the prospect's resistance to you will go up a notch or two.

• Look 'em in the eye. As you extend your hand, establish eye contact and smile. Show some teeth! A warm and sincere greeting can make you an instant friend - and all things being equal, people prefer to buy from friends.

• Get a grip. Never grasp the other person's fingers. Take their entire hand completely in yours, and gently pump it two or three times.

• What to say? No handshake is complete without a spoken greeting. You can't go wrong with, "It's a pleasure to meet you." When meeting someone of high rank, such as the chairman of the board or founder of a company, you may want to up the ante with, "It's a great pleasure to meet you." After the initial greeting, your conversation should begin while you are still shaking hands, for example, "John tells me you've made some significant additions to your product line." Your hand should be slowly and somewhat reluctantly withdrawn as the person begins to speak. This slow withdrawal indicates your keen interest in the person and what he is saying.

Michael Dalton Johnson is the publisher of SalesDog.com and editor of Top Dog Sales Secrets.

Quote of the Week

"No one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourself." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

When you're having a tough time selling, it's easy to blame the economy, your manager, your company, your product line, your dog - in short, anything and anyone but yourself. Yet, ultimately you are the only person who can be held accountable for your results.

If your company isn't providing the training you need, instead of complaining, purchase some training books or invest in a seminar to hone your skills.

If the economy is affecting your company's revenues, do some research on new companies to prospect, new ways to market yourself and new ways to position your products.

You may not be able to change the situation, but you can change how you respond to it.