Getting your point across clearly in meetings can sometimes be an art form - that's why I think this advice from communication expert Dianna Booher is so great.
People tend to walk away from a conversation, thinking they've made their point perfectly clear. Otherwise, they would have stated things differently.
Raise your virtual hand here: How many times have you walked out of a nonproductive meeting and heard other attendees mumble, "So what did we decide? Are we or are we not going to do X?" Only the subject changes.
Here are some other tell-tale signs related to the sin of assumption:
--Managers who look puzzled when their admin returns to them a spreadsheet representing a week's work when all they expected was a three-paragraph email
--Upset customers calling with "Where's my order?" when the service agent promised delivery "within a few days"
--Colleagues finger-pointing over project details that "fell through the cracks"
To make sure people walk away with the same message you intended to convey, verify by getting them to react to it in some fashion. These statements might be helpful to verify that they heard what you intended to communicate:
--"How do you think this policy will affect your staff?"
--"What objections do you think people in your area might have?"
--"What are some of the first steps you'd suggest to make this change reality?"
--"How easy (or hard) do you think this will be?"
--"What questions do you think we'll hear in the first 90 days as we roll out this program?"
--"Will delivery by June 15 work for you?"
Questions like these generate the comments that verify people really do understand your point. From there, you know whether to circle back with more elaboration or press on with your mission.
Author of 42 books, Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence, Your Signature Life, Your Signature Work, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence. www.Dianna-Booher.com
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
SalesDog Quick Tip
Cold calling is one of the most difficult ways to sell, so I'm always on the look-out for interesting tips that I think will help you to sell more and feel more comfortable with the entire process. This quick tip from sales trainer Sam Manfer is a quick change you can make in the way you present your offerings - that could make a big difference!
Cost Reduction Is a Low Excitement Benefit
Revenue generation is a more exciting benefit. People want more money, more business and more customers to grow or just survive. If you can show them how your services can get them more sales or more customers, it is about four times more effective than cost reduction.
Many salespeople assume that the mere mention of cost reduction will get a prospect's attention. Prospects hear about cost reduction all the time, and unless they specifically tell you they have a cost problem, avoid it or use it as a low priority expose and entice.
Sam Manfer delivers keynote speeches and in-depth selling workshops for those anxious to increase sales. His hands-on coaching turns individuals and sales organizations into selling whirlwinds. Follow Sam's C-Level Selling Blog for more insights.
Cost Reduction Is a Low Excitement Benefit
Revenue generation is a more exciting benefit. People want more money, more business and more customers to grow or just survive. If you can show them how your services can get them more sales or more customers, it is about four times more effective than cost reduction.
Many salespeople assume that the mere mention of cost reduction will get a prospect's attention. Prospects hear about cost reduction all the time, and unless they specifically tell you they have a cost problem, avoid it or use it as a low priority expose and entice.
Sam Manfer delivers keynote speeches and in-depth selling workshops for those anxious to increase sales. His hands-on coaching turns individuals and sales organizations into selling whirlwinds. Follow Sam's C-Level Selling Blog for more insights.
Friday, November 5, 2010
Why You Resist Selling...And How You Can Lose That Resistance
Sometimes it is hard to be a salesperson - and some of that difficulty could stem from internal resistance to selling. This article from sales trainer Tessa Stowe will help you get inspired again to get out and sell!
Are you having fun selling? Are you enjoying it - or do you dread or resist it? If you aren't having fun selling, then I have a hunch that you think selling is all about persuading and convincing people to buy something they may or may not want or need.
If that is what you think selling is about, then it will automatically and naturally create huge resistance and tension on your side as it is simply not in one's nature to try to persuade or convince people. You don't want people to think of you as someone who acts in this way as it makes you feel like a phony. You feel you can't act with integrity using this type of sales approach. So it's fairly easy to convince yourself not to sell at all - or if you do, then you only do it half heartedly.
If you think selling is about persuading and convincing, you'll be asking yourself "How can I do that?" You'll be thinking that there is a lot to learn. You'll believe that you have to master a lot of techniques like how to overcome objections and how to "close." You'll be thinking that you better put off selling until you've practiced all these techniques. But actually you don't really want to use these techniques - as you don't want to be a phony persuader or a convincer - so you put off learning these techniques as well.
If you think selling is about persuading and convincing, you'll also be expecting (and getting) a lot of rejection experience. You really don't like rejection, so it's much easier to simply avoid or minimize doing the thing that is causing it. Therefore, you minimize and avoid selling - problem solved!
So what is the solution? How can you easily and quickly go from resisting selling to actually enjoying it, and as a consequence, make a lot more profitable sales? The solution is quick and easy. Ready? Simply change your definition of selling. Instead of persuading and convincing, define selling as helping people get what they want.
If you believe selling is about helping people get what they want, there will be no resistance on your side as you enjoy that. You like it when people think of you as someone that will help them get what they want. When you are helping people like this, you are acting with integrity as the "real you", and it makes you feel good.
If you think selling is about helping people get what they want, then you'll naturally know how to do that. You'll know that first, you need to find out what they want. If you can help them, then you show them how you can help them. Finally you give them the choice of whether they would like your help or not. Some will and some won't. All of this can be the result of a normal comfortable conversation - which you know how to have.
If you think selling is about helping people get what they want, then you know that not everyone will want your help at this point in time. Maybe in the future they will. Even if they need your help now, it is their choice to decide if they want you to help them. Your role is to simply help them make the best possible decision for them. With this view, there is no rejection because it's not about you. It's simply about them making a decision that is best for them.
Can you feel your resistance to selling go away when you think about selling as helping people get what they want? There is a great sense of fulfillment when you can help someone else get what they want. You'll enjoy sales more with this approach and you'll also make a lot more profitable sales!
Tessa Stowe teaches small business owners and recovering salespeople simple steps to turn conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy. Her FREE monthly Sales Conversation newsletter is full of tips on how to sell your services by just being yourself. Sign up now at www.salesconversation.com.
Are you having fun selling? Are you enjoying it - or do you dread or resist it? If you aren't having fun selling, then I have a hunch that you think selling is all about persuading and convincing people to buy something they may or may not want or need.
If that is what you think selling is about, then it will automatically and naturally create huge resistance and tension on your side as it is simply not in one's nature to try to persuade or convince people. You don't want people to think of you as someone who acts in this way as it makes you feel like a phony. You feel you can't act with integrity using this type of sales approach. So it's fairly easy to convince yourself not to sell at all - or if you do, then you only do it half heartedly.
If you think selling is about persuading and convincing, you'll be asking yourself "How can I do that?" You'll be thinking that there is a lot to learn. You'll believe that you have to master a lot of techniques like how to overcome objections and how to "close." You'll be thinking that you better put off selling until you've practiced all these techniques. But actually you don't really want to use these techniques - as you don't want to be a phony persuader or a convincer - so you put off learning these techniques as well.
If you think selling is about persuading and convincing, you'll also be expecting (and getting) a lot of rejection experience. You really don't like rejection, so it's much easier to simply avoid or minimize doing the thing that is causing it. Therefore, you minimize and avoid selling - problem solved!
So what is the solution? How can you easily and quickly go from resisting selling to actually enjoying it, and as a consequence, make a lot more profitable sales? The solution is quick and easy. Ready? Simply change your definition of selling. Instead of persuading and convincing, define selling as helping people get what they want.
If you believe selling is about helping people get what they want, there will be no resistance on your side as you enjoy that. You like it when people think of you as someone that will help them get what they want. When you are helping people like this, you are acting with integrity as the "real you", and it makes you feel good.
If you think selling is about helping people get what they want, then you'll naturally know how to do that. You'll know that first, you need to find out what they want. If you can help them, then you show them how you can help them. Finally you give them the choice of whether they would like your help or not. Some will and some won't. All of this can be the result of a normal comfortable conversation - which you know how to have.
If you think selling is about helping people get what they want, then you know that not everyone will want your help at this point in time. Maybe in the future they will. Even if they need your help now, it is their choice to decide if they want you to help them. Your role is to simply help them make the best possible decision for them. With this view, there is no rejection because it's not about you. It's simply about them making a decision that is best for them.
Can you feel your resistance to selling go away when you think about selling as helping people get what they want? There is a great sense of fulfillment when you can help someone else get what they want. You'll enjoy sales more with this approach and you'll also make a lot more profitable sales!
Tessa Stowe teaches small business owners and recovering salespeople simple steps to turn conversations into clients without being sales-y or pushy. Her FREE monthly Sales Conversation newsletter is full of tips on how to sell your services by just being yourself. Sign up now at www.salesconversation.com.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Call Me Back, Please!
Today sales expert Kelley Robertson shares some great advice for getting prospects to call you back!
Are you finding that your prospects seldom return phone calls?
Getting someone to return your call is challenging at the best of times. Think about your own situation for a moment. How many calls do YOU return? I receive many calls from people trying to sell me a product or service but I rarely call these people back.
Decision makers are inundated with people calling trying to sell their product or service. A typical executive in corporate America receives dozens of calls everyday. Most of them get 150 emails in their in-box every day. Plus, they spend the bulk of their 12-14 hour days in meetings.
Try this tactic.
Make sure your message focuses on a specific problem they may be experiencing and allude to a way they can resolve it. For example:
"Mr. Prospect, Kelley Robertson calling. I read in today's newspaper that you are merging with XYZ Corporation. Our research has shown that employee sick days increase by as much as 38% during a merger; however, one of our clients was able to reduce this to just 9%. Call me at 905-633-7750 if you want to discuss how they did this."
Most voice mail messages focus on the seller's product or solution. But this doesn't show your prospect how you can actually help them solve a problem. Change your approach and improve your call back ratio.
As President of The Robertson Training Group, Kelley has helped thousands of professionals improve their business results with his engaging approach to sales training and speaking. Learn more at www.robertsontraininggroup.com
Are you finding that your prospects seldom return phone calls?
Getting someone to return your call is challenging at the best of times. Think about your own situation for a moment. How many calls do YOU return? I receive many calls from people trying to sell me a product or service but I rarely call these people back.
Decision makers are inundated with people calling trying to sell their product or service. A typical executive in corporate America receives dozens of calls everyday. Most of them get 150 emails in their in-box every day. Plus, they spend the bulk of their 12-14 hour days in meetings.
Try this tactic.
Make sure your message focuses on a specific problem they may be experiencing and allude to a way they can resolve it. For example:
"Mr. Prospect, Kelley Robertson calling. I read in today's newspaper that you are merging with XYZ Corporation. Our research has shown that employee sick days increase by as much as 38% during a merger; however, one of our clients was able to reduce this to just 9%. Call me at 905-633-7750 if you want to discuss how they did this."
Most voice mail messages focus on the seller's product or solution. But this doesn't show your prospect how you can actually help them solve a problem. Change your approach and improve your call back ratio.
As President of The Robertson Training Group, Kelley has helped thousands of professionals improve their business results with his engaging approach to sales training and speaking. Learn more at www.robertsontraininggroup.com
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Dealing With Slacker Prospects Without Sounding Like a Pathetic, Needy Salesperson
We've talked a lot on this blog about how to deal with prospects that never call you back. One thing we haven't talked about? How to do that without sounding like a pathetic, needy salesperson. Yikes, that is definitely something I want to avoid! Thankfully, today sales expert Jill Konrath shares how you can deal with slacker prospects without the neediness.
Ever had an interested prospect who really liked your stuff, but then never followed through? That's exactly why Jerry wrote me this email.
The logical next step is for us to review parts for the prospect to see if we're a possible fit. My problem is many of them tell me that they'll send over the specs for us to review but then never do it.
I'd like to either call or email them back after a week or two to remind them. However, I don't want to sound like I'm begging.
Any suggestions on how best to handle this type of situation to keep things moving forward with the client AND avoid my sounding like a pathetic, needy salesperson?
Here are some of my thoughts...
After they agree to send the drawings, say something like this: "Great. I look forward to getting them. And, based on my experience working with other crazy-busy people like you, after we hang up the phone one of two things will happen ....
1. You'll go get the drawings right away so you don't forget ... or
2. You'll immediately get back to work on another project and totally forget. Am I right?
(Pause ... he will laugh and agree.)
Then say, "So how do you want me to handle this situation. You know I'm going to keep bugging you till I get them."
When you call back 2 weeks later AND 3 weeks later, you can say, "Hey. Me again calling to bug you about those drawings. We can't get you the pricing without them. And, as I mentioned in our earlier conversations, we've helped other firms reduce their costs by 23.6%."
Have fun with it. Tell him what you're going to do and enjoy it. Pretend it's your brother (or other relative) who was supposed to do something for you but keeps forgetting. And don't worry about sounding pathetic.
Now that's just one approach. What would you suggest?
Want to learn more about these fresh strategies for selling to crazy-busy prospects? To get four FREE sales-accelerating tools and download two chapters of SNAP Selling, visit www.SnapSelling.com or email jill@snapselling.com
Ever had an interested prospect who really liked your stuff, but then never followed through? That's exactly why Jerry wrote me this email.
The logical next step is for us to review parts for the prospect to see if we're a possible fit. My problem is many of them tell me that they'll send over the specs for us to review but then never do it.
I'd like to either call or email them back after a week or two to remind them. However, I don't want to sound like I'm begging.
Any suggestions on how best to handle this type of situation to keep things moving forward with the client AND avoid my sounding like a pathetic, needy salesperson?
Here are some of my thoughts...
After they agree to send the drawings, say something like this: "Great. I look forward to getting them. And, based on my experience working with other crazy-busy people like you, after we hang up the phone one of two things will happen ....
1. You'll go get the drawings right away so you don't forget ... or
2. You'll immediately get back to work on another project and totally forget. Am I right?
(Pause ... he will laugh and agree.)
Then say, "So how do you want me to handle this situation. You know I'm going to keep bugging you till I get them."
When you call back 2 weeks later AND 3 weeks later, you can say, "Hey. Me again calling to bug you about those drawings. We can't get you the pricing without them. And, as I mentioned in our earlier conversations, we've helped other firms reduce their costs by 23.6%."
Have fun with it. Tell him what you're going to do and enjoy it. Pretend it's your brother (or other relative) who was supposed to do something for you but keeps forgetting. And don't worry about sounding pathetic.
Now that's just one approach. What would you suggest?
Want to learn more about these fresh strategies for selling to crazy-busy prospects? To get four FREE sales-accelerating tools and download two chapters of SNAP Selling, visit www.SnapSelling.com or email jill@snapselling.com
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Ideas Mean Nothing...Until...
Yesterday our quote of the week was about bettering yourself. One excellent way to do that? Take those ideas you're always thinking of, but never acting on, and get started! Mark Hunter explains.
Do you know that ideas mean nothing until you turn them into action? Sounds basic enough, but so many people become paralyzed at the "idea stage." And what happens when you get stuck in "idea stage"? Your sales and your sales motivation start to suffer.
The "idea stage" is where too much thinking goes on and not nearly enough "get out and do it." It’s a common problem and we all have it. We all love to think up great ideas, and then in the next instance, we turn the idea into a goal that we somehow begin to think we can accomplish it.
There is nothing wrong with all of this except for one simple thing – it remains just an idea upon which you never actually work, let alone accomplish. I’m a firm believer in setting goals and for that matter big goals. I like to think my motto is something close to "If you're going to think big, you might as well think very big." Think big, but then do something about it. More importantly, do something about it right away. Sure, the idea you've come up might be huge and require a long period of time to achieve it, but that does not forgo the need to start working on the idea immediately.
The reason most ideas never turn into anything is people don't get working on them. Take the idea you've been thinking about lately and do something today to move it forward! If you're challenged by the size of the idea, then start by doing the next best thing and break the idea down into a number of smaller ideas. Then take one of the smaller ideas and start working on it.
In the end, your thinking is not the problem. The problem is in the action (or shall we say, the lack of action). What's your idea, what's your goal and what are you doing today to help accomplish it? Get to moving. Your sales motivation depends on it.
Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter", is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
Do you know that ideas mean nothing until you turn them into action? Sounds basic enough, but so many people become paralyzed at the "idea stage." And what happens when you get stuck in "idea stage"? Your sales and your sales motivation start to suffer.
The "idea stage" is where too much thinking goes on and not nearly enough "get out and do it." It’s a common problem and we all have it. We all love to think up great ideas, and then in the next instance, we turn the idea into a goal that we somehow begin to think we can accomplish it.
There is nothing wrong with all of this except for one simple thing – it remains just an idea upon which you never actually work, let alone accomplish. I’m a firm believer in setting goals and for that matter big goals. I like to think my motto is something close to "If you're going to think big, you might as well think very big." Think big, but then do something about it. More importantly, do something about it right away. Sure, the idea you've come up might be huge and require a long period of time to achieve it, but that does not forgo the need to start working on the idea immediately.
The reason most ideas never turn into anything is people don't get working on them. Take the idea you've been thinking about lately and do something today to move it forward! If you're challenged by the size of the idea, then start by doing the next best thing and break the idea down into a number of smaller ideas. Then take one of the smaller ideas and start working on it.
In the end, your thinking is not the problem. The problem is in the action (or shall we say, the lack of action). What's your idea, what's your goal and what are you doing today to help accomplish it? Get to moving. Your sales motivation depends on it.
Mark Hunter, "The Sales Hunter", is a sales expert who speaks to thousands each year on how to increase their sales profitability. For more information, to receive a free weekly email sales tip, or to read his Sales Motivation Blog, visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
Monday, November 1, 2010
Quote of the Week
"Don't bother just to be better than your contemporaries or predecessors. Try to be better than yourself." -- William Faulkner, Author
It's very easy to compare yourself with others - that person made more sales, has a nicer car, has a bigger house, etc. We all do it, even though we know it gets us no where. I love the idea proposed in this week's quote - that instead of trying to be better than the people around you, try to be better than yourself. Now that's an achieve-able goal! After all, there will always be someone out there with more, so it's useless to compete with anyone else.
Try to make yourself better each day, and you'll see results!
It's very easy to compare yourself with others - that person made more sales, has a nicer car, has a bigger house, etc. We all do it, even though we know it gets us no where. I love the idea proposed in this week's quote - that instead of trying to be better than the people around you, try to be better than yourself. Now that's an achieve-able goal! After all, there will always be someone out there with more, so it's useless to compete with anyone else.
Try to make yourself better each day, and you'll see results!
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