At a social function I was talking to a guy who asked five questions in a row, didn't listen to any of the answers, and only used his questions as a springboard to talk about himself.
Since I didn't take much interest in what he was pitching (he shoved his business card into my hand) I watched and listened as he did that with several other people he met.
Sure, we all know we should ask questions. But the effort is wasted if they're not asked in the right way, or you don't listen to the answers.
Key Sales Point
When a listener hears a question, their mind immediately is conditioned to begin searching for answers. However, when several questions are posed in rapid-fire sequence, you leave the person confused as to which one they should answer first. And, some questions are not answered at all if you don’t give them an opportunity.
For example, read this scenario without stopping to think about each question, as if you were the person hearing the questions:
Caller: "And what do you feel your company needs most regarding boosting morale and enthusiasm? Do you think it would be compensation related...or maybe training? And how does that affect performance in all of the departments?"
Did you feel like a spinning top, rotating around trying to focus on the questions coming from all directions? Same thing happens with prospect and customers.
EFFECTIVE QUESTIONING GUIDELINES
1. Ask one question at a time. If it's not important enough to stand on its own, don't ask it.
2. After you ask it, shut up. If they don't answer immediately, resist the urge to answer it for them or follow up with another one. They're likely thinking about what they're going to say.
3. After they apparently have finished, remain quiet for 1-2 more seconds. You might get additional information, and ensures you don't interrupt.
4. Follow-up their answer with a related question. Don't ping-pong around from subject to subject. For example, if they answered with, "I believe the main problem we have right now is a lack of motivation," a logical next query would be, "Oh, what are some specific situations where you've seen a lack of motivation?"
5. Be confident in your questioning. One reason people ask multiple questions is that they aren't comfortable asking questions. The only way you're going to truly help someone is by finding out about them. You're not intruding. You're assisting.
Fielding multiple questions is confusing for the listener, and counter-productive for you. Ask one at a time, and listen!
Art Sobczak helps sales pros use the phone to prospect, service and sell more effectively, while eliminating morale-killing rejection. To get FREE weekly emailed TelE-Sales Tips visit: www.BusinessByPhone.com
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Friday, April 8, 2011
What is Your Victory Strategy?
Today's article comes from sales trainer Tom Reilly.
"Okay, team, let's win this game! We have put together a powerful offense and a solid defense. All we need to do now is to put some points on the board and to stop the other guys from scoring. Get out there and win this game!"
This scenario is played out thousands of times weekly in sporting events, as coaches inspire their teams with motivational rhetoric. There is only one thing missing—the game plan. Imagine this team running on the field yelling, "Hey Coach, what are we supposed to do when we get out here?" The disconnect between rhetoric and execution is not limited to athletic teams. I see this daily in sales teams.
"Let's go out there and get the business!" How many times have you heard that in a sales meeting? No plan. No strategy. Just rhetoric. The net result of this disconnect is a frustrated sales force because they lack the strategic guidance that a good plan offers. Witness this phenomenon in the following attitudes:
"All business is good business." Do you really believe this?
"Get the business, and we'll figure out a way to make money on it." This sounds like the tail wagging the dog.
"We need the volume." Don't you mean profitable volume?
Fewer than one-in-five employees is able to connect their day-to-day activities to the mission of the organization. This disconnect is the result of management's failure to have their strategy mapped out on paper, with marching orders for the troops. If your strategy is not on paper, you have no strategy. If your marketing strategy is not presented tactically to the sales team, you have no real plan. If it is not practical, it is not tactical.
When salespeople cannot answer this simple question, there is a problem: "What is fundamentally good business for our company?" The answer to this question provides the sales team with the strategic direction they need to allocate their sales time effectively. How can a sales force be criticized for its failure to perform when management has failed to perform its fundamental responsibility—planning, directing, and controlling resources toward achieving organizational objectives?
A battle cry without a battle plan is simply noise.
Tom Reilly, president of Tom Reilly Training, is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers. Learn more at www.TomReillyTraining.com
"Okay, team, let's win this game! We have put together a powerful offense and a solid defense. All we need to do now is to put some points on the board and to stop the other guys from scoring. Get out there and win this game!"
This scenario is played out thousands of times weekly in sporting events, as coaches inspire their teams with motivational rhetoric. There is only one thing missing—the game plan. Imagine this team running on the field yelling, "Hey Coach, what are we supposed to do when we get out here?" The disconnect between rhetoric and execution is not limited to athletic teams. I see this daily in sales teams.
"Let's go out there and get the business!" How many times have you heard that in a sales meeting? No plan. No strategy. Just rhetoric. The net result of this disconnect is a frustrated sales force because they lack the strategic guidance that a good plan offers. Witness this phenomenon in the following attitudes:
"All business is good business." Do you really believe this?
"Get the business, and we'll figure out a way to make money on it." This sounds like the tail wagging the dog.
"We need the volume." Don't you mean profitable volume?
Fewer than one-in-five employees is able to connect their day-to-day activities to the mission of the organization. This disconnect is the result of management's failure to have their strategy mapped out on paper, with marching orders for the troops. If your strategy is not on paper, you have no strategy. If your marketing strategy is not presented tactically to the sales team, you have no real plan. If it is not practical, it is not tactical.
When salespeople cannot answer this simple question, there is a problem: "What is fundamentally good business for our company?" The answer to this question provides the sales team with the strategic direction they need to allocate their sales time effectively. How can a sales force be criticized for its failure to perform when management has failed to perform its fundamental responsibility—planning, directing, and controlling resources toward achieving organizational objectives?
A battle cry without a battle plan is simply noise.
Tom Reilly, president of Tom Reilly Training, is an authority on value-added selling, and speaks to thousands of salespeople and managers annually on increasing their value to their company and customers. Learn more at www.TomReillyTraining.com
Thursday, April 7, 2011
How Not to Follow-Up
"I'm just calling to follow-up?" That phrase really gets you no where! Today sales expert Wendy Weiss shares what you can do to avoid it and really make a connection with prospects.
This week I've been barraged by phone calls from vendors. You see, a couple of weeks ago I attended the Selling Power Sales 2.0 Conference that was held in San Francisco. It was a great conference and I'm delighted that I attended. During the conference I was able to make the rounds and I spoke with most of the exhibitors there. And of course, I gave them all my business card.
This week the calls started: "Hello Wendy. I'm with _____________. Thank you for stopping by our booth. I'm just calling to follow-up." Call after call after call after call after call of sales reps, "...just calling to follow-up."
I truly wonder how much business these reps have gained with that introduction. I'm willing to bet, judging from the caliber of the calls I received—not a lot. So what should these "following-up" sales professionals have said or done instead of using that lame phrase?
Well, to start off—they should have done their homework. While in the crush of a big conference with many, many exhibitors and a large number of attendees it is frequently difficult to qualify a prospect - they should have at least tried. I had in depth conversations with many of the vendors. From those conversations those vendors should have know that Weiss Communications was not a good prospect for
their wares. You see, they were almost all on the hunt for Enterprise level customers. Weiss Communications is not yet an Enterprise level business.
With a good system in place, they should have made notes after our conversation and taken Weiss Communications off of their list for the reps to call. The challenge here, of course, is that most exhibitors never have any kind of system. They gather as many business cards as they can and then spend time (waste time) calling everyone.
I've received multiple calls from each vendor, multiple voice mail messages, and multiple emails from each of them. That's a lot of phone time and it's simply a waste of time—their time—I just hit delete. The bottom line with qualifying prospects is that if you're not speaking with a qualified prospect, that prospect will never buy anything from you.
There's a real low tech solution here. When you have a conversation with someone at a conference, make a note on the back of their business card. Combine that with a slightly more high tech solution: Google each company or visit their web site before you spend the time to call them. These simple solutions will leave reps with a list that is far more qualified. It will save time and it will make them more effective.
Once you have a list that you've pared down, a list that you believe with the information that you have, is a qualified list—then you start making calls. And when your prospect answers, instead of, "I'm just calling to follow-up" try: "What made you decide to attend the conference?" "What challenges are you looking to solve?" "What made you decide to stop by our booth?" "What did you think of our solution/product/offering?" There are many, many possible questions that you can use to start off your conversation.
The bottom line is that you want to get your prospect talking. You want to find out what are their challenges, what keeps them up at night, what do they worry about… then you can point out how your offering might be able to help.
That is how you engage a real prospect in a real conversation that could lead to a real sale.
Today's article is by sales expert Wendy Weiss. Learn more at http://www.wendyweiss.com or email her at wendy@wendyweiss.com
This week I've been barraged by phone calls from vendors. You see, a couple of weeks ago I attended the Selling Power Sales 2.0 Conference that was held in San Francisco. It was a great conference and I'm delighted that I attended. During the conference I was able to make the rounds and I spoke with most of the exhibitors there. And of course, I gave them all my business card.
This week the calls started: "Hello Wendy. I'm with _____________. Thank you for stopping by our booth. I'm just calling to follow-up." Call after call after call after call after call of sales reps, "...just calling to follow-up."
I truly wonder how much business these reps have gained with that introduction. I'm willing to bet, judging from the caliber of the calls I received—not a lot. So what should these "following-up" sales professionals have said or done instead of using that lame phrase?
Well, to start off—they should have done their homework. While in the crush of a big conference with many, many exhibitors and a large number of attendees it is frequently difficult to qualify a prospect - they should have at least tried. I had in depth conversations with many of the vendors. From those conversations those vendors should have know that Weiss Communications was not a good prospect for
their wares. You see, they were almost all on the hunt for Enterprise level customers. Weiss Communications is not yet an Enterprise level business.
With a good system in place, they should have made notes after our conversation and taken Weiss Communications off of their list for the reps to call. The challenge here, of course, is that most exhibitors never have any kind of system. They gather as many business cards as they can and then spend time (waste time) calling everyone.
I've received multiple calls from each vendor, multiple voice mail messages, and multiple emails from each of them. That's a lot of phone time and it's simply a waste of time—their time—I just hit delete. The bottom line with qualifying prospects is that if you're not speaking with a qualified prospect, that prospect will never buy anything from you.
There's a real low tech solution here. When you have a conversation with someone at a conference, make a note on the back of their business card. Combine that with a slightly more high tech solution: Google each company or visit their web site before you spend the time to call them. These simple solutions will leave reps with a list that is far more qualified. It will save time and it will make them more effective.
Once you have a list that you've pared down, a list that you believe with the information that you have, is a qualified list—then you start making calls. And when your prospect answers, instead of, "I'm just calling to follow-up" try: "What made you decide to attend the conference?" "What challenges are you looking to solve?" "What made you decide to stop by our booth?" "What did you think of our solution/product/offering?" There are many, many possible questions that you can use to start off your conversation.
The bottom line is that you want to get your prospect talking. You want to find out what are their challenges, what keeps them up at night, what do they worry about… then you can point out how your offering might be able to help.
That is how you engage a real prospect in a real conversation that could lead to a real sale.
Today's article is by sales expert Wendy Weiss. Learn more at http://www.wendyweiss.com or email her at wendy@wendyweiss.com
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Selling and Prospecting Are Different Skills
Remember that selling and prospecting are different skills. To be the top sales dog, you have to be good at both. Practice each consistently, work on your technique, and you'll improve over time.
Kendra Lee is a Prospect Attraction Specialist and 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 in the SMB segment.
Kendra Lee is a Prospect Attraction Specialist and 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 in the SMB segment.
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
What Does Eye Movement Reveal?
Today sales trainer Mark Hunter shares how you can watch your prospect's eye movement to learn more about what they're thinking.
Eye movement can reveal a lot about a person's level of confidence and commitment. Rapid movement of the eyes many times will indicate the person is not confident about what they are saying — or what they are hearing.
We simply do not pay enough attention to the eyes, whether it be our own eyes or those of the person to whom we are talking. The eyes reveal a significant amount about a person, and yet over the past 25 years as a society, we've learned not to focus on eye contact.
I'm not sure if this is because of the percentage of our conversations that occur on-line and on the telephone — both scenarios where there is no eye contact — or if the decline in eye contact is due to something else.
If we can learn to give people good eye contact and, at the same time, use our eye contact to study them, I believe we can learn a significant amount about how they think and may react to what we're discussing.
Rapid eye movement is but one indicator, but that in itself is huge, as it can tell us their level of confidence. Confident people are calm, and calm people have stable eye movement. This is why many police officers use the eyes as a leading indicator when they're talking to somebody.
Eye movement or eye contact also can tell us if the person is engaged with us or pre-occupied. Yes, it's very easy for people to pick up a person's lack of interest if they are not giving us eye contact, but we can also tell by their level of focus. When people are attentive to what you're saying, their eyes will have far more focus than the aimless stare of the disengaged person.
What I find amazing about all of this is these are not complex insights. They are very basic. Yet that's what makes them so good, because so few people truly learn from the other person's eyes. Raising our awareness to this one cue can open doors where we can gain valuable information.
One final thought — I may have shared this all in the context of watching someone else's eyes, but don't forget the same observations apply to your eyes as well. So pay attention to what you are doing with your own eyes too.
Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
Eye movement can reveal a lot about a person's level of confidence and commitment. Rapid movement of the eyes many times will indicate the person is not confident about what they are saying — or what they are hearing.
We simply do not pay enough attention to the eyes, whether it be our own eyes or those of the person to whom we are talking. The eyes reveal a significant amount about a person, and yet over the past 25 years as a society, we've learned not to focus on eye contact.
I'm not sure if this is because of the percentage of our conversations that occur on-line and on the telephone — both scenarios where there is no eye contact — or if the decline in eye contact is due to something else.
If we can learn to give people good eye contact and, at the same time, use our eye contact to study them, I believe we can learn a significant amount about how they think and may react to what we're discussing.
Rapid eye movement is but one indicator, but that in itself is huge, as it can tell us their level of confidence. Confident people are calm, and calm people have stable eye movement. This is why many police officers use the eyes as a leading indicator when they're talking to somebody.
Eye movement or eye contact also can tell us if the person is engaged with us or pre-occupied. Yes, it's very easy for people to pick up a person's lack of interest if they are not giving us eye contact, but we can also tell by their level of focus. When people are attentive to what you're saying, their eyes will have far more focus than the aimless stare of the disengaged person.
What I find amazing about all of this is these are not complex insights. They are very basic. Yet that's what makes them so good, because so few people truly learn from the other person's eyes. Raising our awareness to this one cue can open doors where we can gain valuable information.
One final thought — I may have shared this all in the context of watching someone else's eyes, but don't forget the same observations apply to your eyes as well. So pay attention to what you are doing with your own eyes too.
Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com
Monday, April 4, 2011
Quote of the Week
"People often say that this or that person has not yet found himself. But the self is not something one finds. It is something one creates." -- Thomas Szasz, psychiatrist
As someone who has experienced job unhappiness in the past, I have felt the feeling that "I haven't found myself" yet. As if there is a perfect job out there for every single person, just waiting for them so they can become their true selves. I think mine might be to be a book reviewer. Reading and telling people what I think? Sounds good to me!
Of course, I am not a book reviewer, and still I have found a way to be happy with the job that I have. I agree with the quote above - it has to do with creating happiness yourself. Finding something meaningful in each day and being proud of it. Can you find these things in your day? Being proud of your writing in an email or how well you conversed with someone is a baby step towards feeling fulfilled with your job, and yourself!
See what you can feel good about today!
As someone who has experienced job unhappiness in the past, I have felt the feeling that "I haven't found myself" yet. As if there is a perfect job out there for every single person, just waiting for them so they can become their true selves. I think mine might be to be a book reviewer. Reading and telling people what I think? Sounds good to me!
Of course, I am not a book reviewer, and still I have found a way to be happy with the job that I have. I agree with the quote above - it has to do with creating happiness yourself. Finding something meaningful in each day and being proud of it. Can you find these things in your day? Being proud of your writing in an email or how well you conversed with someone is a baby step towards feeling fulfilled with your job, and yourself!
See what you can feel good about today!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Becoming an Expert
A reader recently sent the question below to sales expert Dave Kahle, asking how effective salespeople manage learning about the many different businesses they call on. Kahle's advice to the reader is practical and easy-to-follow!
Q. Dave, on several occasions you have said that our customers want us to understand their business. How do we do that when we call on lots of different types of businesses? How do we become experts in everything?
A. Unless you are a real genius, you don’t. Rather, you do two things:
1. You prioritize your prospects and customers, focusing your best efforts and your greatest investment of sales time on a smaller number of customers whom you decide are the highest potential customers. So, you decide that while you cannot become experts in every customer, you can become an expert in a few. This requires you to "demote" some customers so that you can "promote" others. Choose those others well.
If you are going to do this well, it is a whole lot more complex than it sounds. You may want to read chapter six of my book, Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople. It explains in detail the concepts, processes and tools necessary to make cold-blooded business decisions about in which customers you should invest your valuable time.
2. Then, decide that while you may not be able to become an expert in everyone's business, you can still, in the time that you do have, learn more about each customer's business. There is a whole lot of room between being ignorant of their business and being an expert in it. Decide to move slowly and inexorably toward the "expert" end of the spectrum.
That means that you decide to become more skilled at the processes and skills necessary to understand your customer better each and every time you meet with him/her. Regardless of what type of business on which you are calling, you can still drill deeper in that particular sales call, even if it is only one call a year. To do this, you focus on improving your observing, asking and listening skills.
So, you focus more precisely on a smaller number of high potential customers, and then you focus on using the time that you have to more completely understanding every customer.
You are in it for the long run. There are very few short term solutions in sales. Invest in the right customers, and in doing the right things with every customer, and you'll see your performance improve.
Dave Kahle is the President of the DaCo Corporation, specializing in helping business-to-business companies increase sales and develop their people. Learn more at www.davekahle.com
Q. Dave, on several occasions you have said that our customers want us to understand their business. How do we do that when we call on lots of different types of businesses? How do we become experts in everything?
A. Unless you are a real genius, you don’t. Rather, you do two things:
1. You prioritize your prospects and customers, focusing your best efforts and your greatest investment of sales time on a smaller number of customers whom you decide are the highest potential customers. So, you decide that while you cannot become experts in every customer, you can become an expert in a few. This requires you to "demote" some customers so that you can "promote" others. Choose those others well.
If you are going to do this well, it is a whole lot more complex than it sounds. You may want to read chapter six of my book, Ten Secrets of Time Management for Salespeople. It explains in detail the concepts, processes and tools necessary to make cold-blooded business decisions about in which customers you should invest your valuable time.
2. Then, decide that while you may not be able to become an expert in everyone's business, you can still, in the time that you do have, learn more about each customer's business. There is a whole lot of room between being ignorant of their business and being an expert in it. Decide to move slowly and inexorably toward the "expert" end of the spectrum.
That means that you decide to become more skilled at the processes and skills necessary to understand your customer better each and every time you meet with him/her. Regardless of what type of business on which you are calling, you can still drill deeper in that particular sales call, even if it is only one call a year. To do this, you focus on improving your observing, asking and listening skills.
So, you focus more precisely on a smaller number of high potential customers, and then you focus on using the time that you have to more completely understanding every customer.
You are in it for the long run. There are very few short term solutions in sales. Invest in the right customers, and in doing the right things with every customer, and you'll see your performance improve.
Dave Kahle is the President of the DaCo Corporation, specializing in helping business-to-business companies increase sales and develop their people. Learn more at www.davekahle.com
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