Here's a great tip from sales trainer and referral expert Bob Burg that you can use when attempting to set a presentation with a new prospect. Try out the phrase "may or may not."
"Ms. Prospect, I have an idea in which you 'may or may not' be interested."
Why is this phrase so effective? Because you have just positioned yourself to your prospect as being both honest and non-pressure (both of which, of course, are true).
"After all, a salesperson can't get much more honest than to tell their prospect that they have something that 'may not' be of interest," says Burg. "And, with that statement, the prospect can't possibly feel any pressure. This is an example of the "out" or "backdoor." The bigger the backdoor you give someone the option to take, the less they feel the need to take it."
Bob Burg is the author of "Endless Referrals," "Winning Without Intimidation," "The Success Formula," and co-author of "The Go-Giver." Learn more at his website, www.burg.com
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Selling on Their Time - Not Yours
Sales trainer Renee Walkup recently experienced an interesting sales scenario while trying to buy a new car. Instead of buying on her time, the salesperson tried to force his timeline. Read on for her story, and make sure you avoid this seller's mistakes.
So there I was, back at a car dealership looking for a new car. I usually have the luxury of taking my time when buying a new vehicle. However, the woman barreling down I85 into my Infiniti, didn't think about MY inconvenience as she was text-messaging her boyfriend instead of paying attention to the road. Oh well, fortunately, it was just a car.
At any rate, the urgent automobile purchase decision was to come quickly because of the insurance company. I didn't have much time to mull over the different choices. After looking over about a dozen cars, I finally decided on a cute little Volvo. The salesperson let me take it home. I was having a ball tooling around in it for free, while waiting for my insurance check.
Then, the salesman called me and left a message. "Renee, Hi. This is Ernie. Say, I called to see how you like the Volvo. Oh, yes, and what will it take to get your business since you KNOW it's the end of the month and I'd love to close this deal?"
My first reaction was, "So what?" Why should I, the almighty customer, CARE whether Ernie wants to close by the end of the month? Frankly, Ernie didn't think about that. He just wanted to make his number, or get closer to it, before close of business on the 31st.
I refer to Ernie's question as a "freeze question." A question that causes your customer to freeze is one which most likely will not lead to a close. Another freeze question is: "How much do you want to spend?"
So, instead of offering up more freeze questions, here are a few questions you can ask with confidence to avoid turning your customer into an iceberg:
"You mentioned that you need to make a decision soon. Tell me about your time frame in more detail."
"You've certainly been shopping around. Tell me your impressions of how our service compares to the others you have looked at."
"You mentioned in an earlier conversation that our product meets your X needs. Tell me, how would your business be different if you purchased our solution?"
"You said you are happy with your current supplier. Tell me, when was the last time your supplier ran out of product? Could you list us as a secondary vendor to fulfill your order when your primary supplier is unable to?"
"Note that all of the questions begin with "you," not "I" or "we", says Walkup. "In fact, that's one reason why the Volvo salesperson failed in his sales skills miserably with me. He had all the "pat" questions and techniques, none of which is particularly effective and more likely offensive."
"I bought from him despite his inexperience because I was in a huge hurry and liked his car. But if he wants a referral, he won't get one. If he wants repeat business from me, he won't get that either. In short, I bought, but on MY time frame - not his!"
Renee Walkup is president of SalesPEAK Inc. and author of "Selling to Anyone Over the Phone."
So there I was, back at a car dealership looking for a new car. I usually have the luxury of taking my time when buying a new vehicle. However, the woman barreling down I85 into my Infiniti, didn't think about MY inconvenience as she was text-messaging her boyfriend instead of paying attention to the road. Oh well, fortunately, it was just a car.
At any rate, the urgent automobile purchase decision was to come quickly because of the insurance company. I didn't have much time to mull over the different choices. After looking over about a dozen cars, I finally decided on a cute little Volvo. The salesperson let me take it home. I was having a ball tooling around in it for free, while waiting for my insurance check.
Then, the salesman called me and left a message. "Renee, Hi. This is Ernie. Say, I called to see how you like the Volvo. Oh, yes, and what will it take to get your business since you KNOW it's the end of the month and I'd love to close this deal?"
My first reaction was, "So what?" Why should I, the almighty customer, CARE whether Ernie wants to close by the end of the month? Frankly, Ernie didn't think about that. He just wanted to make his number, or get closer to it, before close of business on the 31st.
I refer to Ernie's question as a "freeze question." A question that causes your customer to freeze is one which most likely will not lead to a close. Another freeze question is: "How much do you want to spend?"
So, instead of offering up more freeze questions, here are a few questions you can ask with confidence to avoid turning your customer into an iceberg:
"You mentioned that you need to make a decision soon. Tell me about your time frame in more detail."
"You've certainly been shopping around. Tell me your impressions of how our service compares to the others you have looked at."
"You mentioned in an earlier conversation that our product meets your X needs. Tell me, how would your business be different if you purchased our solution?"
"You said you are happy with your current supplier. Tell me, when was the last time your supplier ran out of product? Could you list us as a secondary vendor to fulfill your order when your primary supplier is unable to?"
"Note that all of the questions begin with "you," not "I" or "we", says Walkup. "In fact, that's one reason why the Volvo salesperson failed in his sales skills miserably with me. He had all the "pat" questions and techniques, none of which is particularly effective and more likely offensive."
"I bought from him despite his inexperience because I was in a huge hurry and liked his car. But if he wants a referral, he won't get one. If he wants repeat business from me, he won't get that either. In short, I bought, but on MY time frame - not his!"
Renee Walkup is president of SalesPEAK Inc. and author of "Selling to Anyone Over the Phone."
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Defeating SADD in Corporate America
"Corporate America is losing thousands of sales dollars to SADD – Sales Attention Deficit Disorder," says sales trainer Colleen Stanley. "Salespeople pride themselves on their ability to multi-task, however, don't realize they are multi-tasking themselves right out of relationships and sales."
Here a tip from Stanley for decreasing SADD and increasing revenues. We'll look at two other tips next week.
1. Turn off your Blackberry.
No, you don't need reading glasses. You read the statement correctly. Turn off the electronics. An old adage in sales says, "People buy from people they like." And guess what? People like people that pay attention and make them feel important. When people feel important they say things like, "I felt like I was the only person in the room," "He made me feel so important," or "She was listening to my every word."
Salespeople are starting to remind me of dogs on shock collars. The minute the PDA rings or vibrates, they feel compelled to answer or check it, regardless of what they're doing or who they're with.
For example, a salesperson is calling on a prospect. The salesperson is doing a very good job of building rapport. The prospect is feeling comfortable and thinking that the salesperson really does care about his/her problem. Until the salesperson's cell phone vibrates. The salesperson looks down to check who is calling him and rapport is broken because the prospect receives the real message: I am important, but not more important than an incoming call.
A colleague shares a story of a breakfast meeting with a possible referral partner. They were ten minutes into breakfast when the possible referral partner took a phone call. This was not an emergency call, just a phone call. As my colleague sipped her coffee (alone), she made a mental note to put this possible referral candidate in the "just doesn't get it" category. My colleague scheduled an hour out of her busy day to meet this person and expected full attention during that hour. The phone-addicted salesperson lost an important opportunity to build a relationship.
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.
Here a tip from Stanley for decreasing SADD and increasing revenues. We'll look at two other tips next week.
1. Turn off your Blackberry.
No, you don't need reading glasses. You read the statement correctly. Turn off the electronics. An old adage in sales says, "People buy from people they like." And guess what? People like people that pay attention and make them feel important. When people feel important they say things like, "I felt like I was the only person in the room," "He made me feel so important," or "She was listening to my every word."
Salespeople are starting to remind me of dogs on shock collars. The minute the PDA rings or vibrates, they feel compelled to answer or check it, regardless of what they're doing or who they're with.
For example, a salesperson is calling on a prospect. The salesperson is doing a very good job of building rapport. The prospect is feeling comfortable and thinking that the salesperson really does care about his/her problem. Until the salesperson's cell phone vibrates. The salesperson looks down to check who is calling him and rapport is broken because the prospect receives the real message: I am important, but not more important than an incoming call.
A colleague shares a story of a breakfast meeting with a possible referral partner. They were ten minutes into breakfast when the possible referral partner took a phone call. This was not an emergency call, just a phone call. As my colleague sipped her coffee (alone), she made a mental note to put this possible referral candidate in the "just doesn't get it" category. My colleague scheduled an hour out of her busy day to meet this person and expected full attention during that hour. The phone-addicted salesperson lost an important opportunity to build a relationship.
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.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Avoiding the Stupid Questions
Telesales expert Art Sobczak recently wrote about stupid questions. Check out these shameful examples from Sobczak. You'll want to examine your sales conversations for stupid questions like these.
Sobczak describes a recent trip to Barnes & Noble in which he was offered a discount card at the time of purchase. When he declined the clerk said, "What, don't you like to save money?"
What Sobczak, and your customers heard, was "What, don't you like not being stupid?"
"These questions force a person to answer the way the questioner wants, otherwise it makes the person feel stupid if he does not respond in that way," says Sobczak. "And, of course, that is not conducive to selling, instead putting the person on the defensive."
Here are some other stupid questions to avoid:
Stupid Question: "If I could show you a way to save money, of course you'd want that, wouldn't you?"
What is really heard: "If I could show you a way to avoid being stupid, of course you'd want that, wouldn't you?"
Stupid Question: "How important is money to you?"
What is really heard: "How important is it to you to not be stupid?"
"The main point here is that using stupid questions is, well, stupid," says Sobczak. "What to do instead? Go back and look at how these stupid questions are used. Come up with alternatives to accomplish your goal."
"For example, if we're trying to point out someone will save money, we need a series of questions to help us, and them, see the problem, the costs of the problem, and the result of the solution."
Because, of course you don't want to use stupid questions, do you?
Art Sobczak, President of Business By Phone Inc., specializes in one area only: working with business-to-business salespeople--both inside and outside--designing and delivering content-rich programs that participants begin showing results from the very next time they get on the phone. www.BusinessByPhone.com
Sobczak describes a recent trip to Barnes & Noble in which he was offered a discount card at the time of purchase. When he declined the clerk said, "What, don't you like to save money?"
What Sobczak, and your customers heard, was "What, don't you like not being stupid?"
"These questions force a person to answer the way the questioner wants, otherwise it makes the person feel stupid if he does not respond in that way," says Sobczak. "And, of course, that is not conducive to selling, instead putting the person on the defensive."
Here are some other stupid questions to avoid:
Stupid Question: "If I could show you a way to save money, of course you'd want that, wouldn't you?"
What is really heard: "If I could show you a way to avoid being stupid, of course you'd want that, wouldn't you?"
Stupid Question: "How important is money to you?"
What is really heard: "How important is it to you to not be stupid?"
"The main point here is that using stupid questions is, well, stupid," says Sobczak. "What to do instead? Go back and look at how these stupid questions are used. Come up with alternatives to accomplish your goal."
"For example, if we're trying to point out someone will save money, we need a series of questions to help us, and them, see the problem, the costs of the problem, and the result of the solution."
Because, of course you don't want to use stupid questions, do you?
Art Sobczak, President of Business By Phone Inc., specializes in one area only: working with business-to-business salespeople--both inside and outside--designing and delivering content-rich programs that participants begin showing results from the very next time they get on the phone. www.BusinessByPhone.com
Monday, August 25, 2008
Quote of the Week
"There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else." -- Sam Walton, Founder of Wal-Mart
In the end, you don't answer to your sales manager or the district manager…great salespeople know they answer to the customer. If you make the customer your top priority, ahead of company policy or your personal agenda, you'll be sure to win.
In the end, you don't answer to your sales manager or the district manager…great salespeople know they answer to the customer. If you make the customer your top priority, ahead of company policy or your personal agenda, you'll be sure to win.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Get In and Get Started
The economy is lagging. Budgets are being cut. Clients are postponing decisions. We could go on and on about all the hurdles you're facing in today's selling atmosphere…but we'd rather talk about what you can do to bypass them and earn those commissions!
Here are some ideas from referral expert Joanne Black that will help you get in and get started earning more money.
Offer New Ideas
Good salespeople have always talked value. Now we need to put ourselves in our clients' shoes and become creative. We must get in and get started. Think smart, not big. It's always smarter to have a smaller piece of something than a big piece of nothing. Begin with a smaller project, a reduced order, or a regional; rather than global; implementation. Get in, and get to know the client. Let them get to know you. Get to know their business.
Create Metrics
Sit on the same side of the table as your client. Work together to determine the best way to get started. Always, always, always create metrics with your client. How do you, together, define success? Get agreement that once the current project is successful; according to the metrics you've agreed upon; the client will work with you to identify other opportunities within his or her organization. A successful project breeds a successful relationship ... and successful referrals.
Negotiate or Walk
Price. Aha! This is the big hurdle. Yes, the client will want to negotiate on price. That's her job; to build business while watching the bottom line. How many times have you submitted a proposed price to a client and had her say right off the bat, "Great! Where do I sign?" It doesn't happen. We always want to get the best deal, so why wouldn't our clients?
If you must adjust your price, adjust the scale of your project or the deliverables as well. Always get something in return for a reduced rate and write it into your agreement. Maybe the client promises to refer you to another business unit in his organization or to someone they know at a different company. Maybe you barter some of your services. Bartering is an age-old way of doing business, and it makes sense in many cases if you want what your client has and he needs what you have. Perhaps the client has software that your company needs, or a consulting methodology that could propel your business. You get the picture. Work it out.
"If you can't work things out, be willing to walk away,” says Black. “It's a tough decision, but it may be your best decision. You'll be off to the next client who values what you offer and is willing to pay for it.”
What are you waiting for? Get in and get started!
Joanne Black is America's leading authority on referral selling and the author of No More Cold Calling: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust, from Warner Business Books. Learn more at her website, www.nomorecoldcalling.com
Here are some ideas from referral expert Joanne Black that will help you get in and get started earning more money.
Offer New Ideas
Good salespeople have always talked value. Now we need to put ourselves in our clients' shoes and become creative. We must get in and get started. Think smart, not big. It's always smarter to have a smaller piece of something than a big piece of nothing. Begin with a smaller project, a reduced order, or a regional; rather than global; implementation. Get in, and get to know the client. Let them get to know you. Get to know their business.
Create Metrics
Sit on the same side of the table as your client. Work together to determine the best way to get started. Always, always, always create metrics with your client. How do you, together, define success? Get agreement that once the current project is successful; according to the metrics you've agreed upon; the client will work with you to identify other opportunities within his or her organization. A successful project breeds a successful relationship ... and successful referrals.
Negotiate or Walk
Price. Aha! This is the big hurdle. Yes, the client will want to negotiate on price. That's her job; to build business while watching the bottom line. How many times have you submitted a proposed price to a client and had her say right off the bat, "Great! Where do I sign?" It doesn't happen. We always want to get the best deal, so why wouldn't our clients?
If you must adjust your price, adjust the scale of your project or the deliverables as well. Always get something in return for a reduced rate and write it into your agreement. Maybe the client promises to refer you to another business unit in his organization or to someone they know at a different company. Maybe you barter some of your services. Bartering is an age-old way of doing business, and it makes sense in many cases if you want what your client has and he needs what you have. Perhaps the client has software that your company needs, or a consulting methodology that could propel your business. You get the picture. Work it out.
"If you can't work things out, be willing to walk away,” says Black. “It's a tough decision, but it may be your best decision. You'll be off to the next client who values what you offer and is willing to pay for it.”
What are you waiting for? Get in and get started!
Joanne Black is America's leading authority on referral selling and the author of No More Cold Calling: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust, from Warner Business Books. Learn more at her website, www.nomorecoldcalling.com
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Negotiate a Testimonial
Are you about to give your customer a price break?
"If so, it doesn't hurt to ask for something in return," says sales trainer Al Uszynski. "When lowering your price, propose to your customer that you would consider it a personal favor if they were to provide you with a testimonial quote about their experience with you, your product or your company. Of course, you'll explain that they would deliver the quote only after they've received the goods and are completely satisfied."
"Customers are more apt to type a quick email with a testimonial quote than to print and mail a formal business letter," says Uszynski. "Take the quotes and make a testimonial sheet that summarizes the experiences of the customers that you've personally served."
Al Uszynski is a sales trainer and professional speaker. He delivers speaking programs that deliver smart and insightful sales strategies – designed to help your people and your organization sell more, earn more and profit more. Visit his website at www.uszynski.com for more information.
"If so, it doesn't hurt to ask for something in return," says sales trainer Al Uszynski. "When lowering your price, propose to your customer that you would consider it a personal favor if they were to provide you with a testimonial quote about their experience with you, your product or your company. Of course, you'll explain that they would deliver the quote only after they've received the goods and are completely satisfied."
"Customers are more apt to type a quick email with a testimonial quote than to print and mail a formal business letter," says Uszynski. "Take the quotes and make a testimonial sheet that summarizes the experiences of the customers that you've personally served."
Al Uszynski is a sales trainer and professional speaker. He delivers speaking programs that deliver smart and insightful sales strategies – designed to help your people and your organization sell more, earn more and profit more. Visit his website at www.uszynski.com for more information.
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