With so many people and job titles in an organization, it can be hard to find the decision maker you need to speak with. After all, it could be the VP, the CFO, the Director, the Managing Director, Purchasing, etc. Way too many choices, but it's something you have to keep digging at until you find the right person.
"If you are not speaking with a decision-maker your sales cycle will lengthen and you may run the risk of losing the opportunity altogether," says telesales expert Wendy Weiss.
"Influencers" influence. They do not decide.
Here's the bottom line from Weiss: "If you are not speaking with a decision-maker, you are not speaking with a qualified prospect. Far too many sales representatives spend far too much time courting prospects who can never and will never make a decision."
"One way to ensure that you are always speaking with the decision-maker is to always call the highest-level person that you believe would make the decision," continues Weiss. "That person will either be your correct prospect, or they will know who is and they can point you in the right direction."
Once you've got that prospect on the phone, make sure to ask the following questions. This way you will be certain that you are speaking with the decision-maker.
1. What is your decision-making process?
2. How have you made this decision before?
3. What are the steps in your decision-making process?
4. How long does it take?
5. Who is involved in the decision-making process?
6. Who makes the final decision?
7. Who else will you be speaking with about this decision?
8. After we submit our proposal/bid/quote, what happens next?
9. How long will that take?
10.When do you expect to make a decision?
11.When would you like to begin?
Learn more from cold calling expert Wendy Weiss at www.wendyweiss.com or email her at wendy@wendyweiss.com
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Monday, September 29, 2008
Quote of the Week
"Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still." -- Chinese Proverb
No matter the length of your sales cycle, there's always one customer who will take longer to buy than others. Whether your client is dealing with a number of other priorities, changes at his company or simply likes to proceed with caution, some sales require you to move one step at a time, sometimes taking two steps back to take one step forward.
It's ok to have some of these in your sales funnel, as long as you know they're a good prospect and you put together a plan to continually reach out to them over time. Often times, just sticking around will prove to your prospect that they can trust you with the sale.
No matter the length of your sales cycle, there's always one customer who will take longer to buy than others. Whether your client is dealing with a number of other priorities, changes at his company or simply likes to proceed with caution, some sales require you to move one step at a time, sometimes taking two steps back to take one step forward.
It's ok to have some of these in your sales funnel, as long as you know they're a good prospect and you put together a plan to continually reach out to them over time. Often times, just sticking around will prove to your prospect that they can trust you with the sale.
Friday, September 26, 2008
Blinders and Shutters
The office is not always the best place to actually do work. After all, not only do we have a million tasks to accomplish each day, but we've also got to deal with coworkers dropping by, office gossip, parties, meetings, and more.
So what do you do to stay focused? Set up camp at the local Starbucks? Put up a sign that says "Keep out or else"? Clayton Shold at Salesopedia recently ran a great story in his blog about shutting out distractions in the workplace - keep his insight in mind the next time you're feeling overwhelmed and unable to get any work done in the office!
"Blinders are used on horses to allow them to only look forward and avoid distractions to the side. Shutters are used to keep the light out or to prevent people from looking in a window. Both have specific and meaningful purposes."
"Last week I was discussing the challenges of working in a multi-tasking environment with someone from the retail sales sector," says Shold. "She was relating the story of a co-worker who always seemed to be distracted, to the point that she was not getting her day-to-day tasks completed as required. Her advice to her co-worker was to "keep the blinders and shutters on."
"I asked her what she meant and she went on to say that part of the solution was the blinders, staying focused on what needed to be done. The shutters referred to eliminating the nonsense going on that was distracting the co-worker from being productive. She explained this included ignoring the rumor mill, the office grapevine, and the negative discussions that can sometime happen around the water cooler."
For those of you looking for advice or wishing to pass some along to others, if it involves staying focused and closing out all the negative vibes around you, then "keep the blinders and shutters on!"
Clayton Shold writes the Salesopedia blog, discussing sales, sales management, and life in general. Learn more at http://blog.salesopedia.com
So what do you do to stay focused? Set up camp at the local Starbucks? Put up a sign that says "Keep out or else"? Clayton Shold at Salesopedia recently ran a great story in his blog about shutting out distractions in the workplace - keep his insight in mind the next time you're feeling overwhelmed and unable to get any work done in the office!
"Blinders are used on horses to allow them to only look forward and avoid distractions to the side. Shutters are used to keep the light out or to prevent people from looking in a window. Both have specific and meaningful purposes."
"Last week I was discussing the challenges of working in a multi-tasking environment with someone from the retail sales sector," says Shold. "She was relating the story of a co-worker who always seemed to be distracted, to the point that she was not getting her day-to-day tasks completed as required. Her advice to her co-worker was to "keep the blinders and shutters on."
"I asked her what she meant and she went on to say that part of the solution was the blinders, staying focused on what needed to be done. The shutters referred to eliminating the nonsense going on that was distracting the co-worker from being productive. She explained this included ignoring the rumor mill, the office grapevine, and the negative discussions that can sometime happen around the water cooler."
For those of you looking for advice or wishing to pass some along to others, if it involves staying focused and closing out all the negative vibes around you, then "keep the blinders and shutters on!"
Clayton Shold writes the Salesopedia blog, discussing sales, sales management, and life in general. Learn more at http://blog.salesopedia.com
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Are you Stuck on Sales Auto-Pilot?
Did you ever leave work, find yourself in your driveway and have no recollection of the trip? Then you know what it's like to operate on auto-pilot. It's easy to fall into this dangerous trap when performing routine activities.
"In sales these auto-pilot moves, responses, behaviors can help you sell more effectively but often they can sabotage your success because they are often unconscious and you are not aware that you are even doing them," says sales trainer and author Tim Connor.
Here are some examples from Connor. Read on to find out if you're operating on auto-pilot:
Let's say your prospect has decided to stall on a sale you thought was in the bag. How do you typically react?
Disappointment
Anger
Frustration
Creatively
Give Up
See it as a learning opportunity
Ask yourself what you could have done better or what you did wrong
"There is any number of reactions," says Connor. "The question is - what is your usual reaction to this circumstance? Whatever it is I'll bet it's the same every time this happens. Another question is - Is your reaction working? If not it may be time for a re-evaluation of what's in your auto-pilot."
How about when your prospect calls and decides to increase their order - what are your reactions?
Glee
Satisfaction
Feelings of success
Self-confidence
Surprise
Apathy
Indifference
Laziness
"Regardless of whether your reactions in either example are positive or negative isn't the issue," explains Connor. "The real question is - are your reactions working for your long-term success? Or, are they keeping you stuck either in failure or mediocrity?"
"Here's what I suggest. The next time anything happens with a customer, prospect, and your boss - whoever - get in the habit of saying to yourself any or all of the following."
"In sales these auto-pilot moves, responses, behaviors can help you sell more effectively but often they can sabotage your success because they are often unconscious and you are not aware that you are even doing them," says sales trainer and author Tim Connor.
Here are some examples from Connor. Read on to find out if you're operating on auto-pilot:
Let's say your prospect has decided to stall on a sale you thought was in the bag. How do you typically react?
Disappointment
Anger
Frustration
Creatively
Give Up
See it as a learning opportunity
Ask yourself what you could have done better or what you did wrong
"There is any number of reactions," says Connor. "The question is - what is your usual reaction to this circumstance? Whatever it is I'll bet it's the same every time this happens. Another question is - Is your reaction working? If not it may be time for a re-evaluation of what's in your auto-pilot."
How about when your prospect calls and decides to increase their order - what are your reactions?
Glee
Satisfaction
Feelings of success
Self-confidence
Surprise
Apathy
Indifference
Laziness
"Regardless of whether your reactions in either example are positive or negative isn't the issue," explains Connor. "The real question is - are your reactions working for your long-term success? Or, are they keeping you stuck either in failure or mediocrity?"
"Here's what I suggest. The next time anything happens with a customer, prospect, and your boss - whoever - get in the habit of saying to yourself any or all of the following."
- Why?
- Why now?
- What if?
- Why not try...
- I'm going to look for the benefits either long or short-term
- How can I creatively handle this?
- Is this the first time I've experienced this and if not how have I reacted in the past?
- Are my reactions working? Is my reaction moving me toward or away from success?
Give these tips a try and I think you'll find yourself moving from auto-pilot to fully engaged.
Learn more from Tim Connor, CSP World renowned Speaker, Trainer and best selling author of 67 titles, at his website, www.timconnor.com
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Meeting With C-Level Executives
A reader of sales trainer Colleen Francis' newsletter recently asked her the following question about meeting with C-Level executives. It's probably something you've wondered yourself, so read on for Francis' expert advice on grabbing the attention of execs, and how to keep them interested.
How much time does a C-level person give you in a meeting? In your experience as a vendor or a customer, in meetings that involve multiple people: 1. When do C-level people (CEO, COO, CIO, CFO, CLO, CMO, CSO, etc.), VP's and/or senior directors arrive at the meeting? 2. When do they leave? 3. What specifically captures their attention and engages them?
"In my experience, when a C-level executive arrives at the meeting and how long they stay depends greatly on your relationship with them," says Francis.
"If you have a direct relationship with the executive and they have been part of the process since day one, for example, they will generally arrive on time and stay for the entire meeting. If this is a first meeting, then I would ask and expect to get between 20-30 minutes of their time. Getting more than 30 minutes can be difficult, especially if the executive has never met you before, and doesn't know why you are meeting. If you can capture their attention during the meeting, subsequent follow-up meetings can usually be longer. Finally, if this isn't a first meeting, and you also haven't involved the executive in the sales process until the "presentation" or solution discussion stage, then you should probably expect them to stay only as long as they feel the meeting is useful to them."
"Of course, herein lies the problem - if you haven't included the executive in the sales process before this meeting, how do you know what will interest them? The key is to include senior executives in the sales process right from the start, and ask them questions about what engages them, so you can build your presentation around that information."
Every executive is different. In general, most executives are interested in:
Profits
Share price / shareholder value
Competitive advantage
Revenue.
"Whatever they're interested in, make sure to engage high-level executives early on, build relationships with them every chance you get - and ask them questions to find out what they're most concerned about."
Colleen Francis, President of Engage Selling Solutions, helps sales professionals everywhere make an immediate and lasting impact on their sales. She offers key note speaking, sales training and sales coaching, all delivered with a savvy, no-nonsense approach. Learn more at www.engageselling.com
How much time does a C-level person give you in a meeting? In your experience as a vendor or a customer, in meetings that involve multiple people: 1. When do C-level people (CEO, COO, CIO, CFO, CLO, CMO, CSO, etc.), VP's and/or senior directors arrive at the meeting? 2. When do they leave? 3. What specifically captures their attention and engages them?
"In my experience, when a C-level executive arrives at the meeting and how long they stay depends greatly on your relationship with them," says Francis.
"If you have a direct relationship with the executive and they have been part of the process since day one, for example, they will generally arrive on time and stay for the entire meeting. If this is a first meeting, then I would ask and expect to get between 20-30 minutes of their time. Getting more than 30 minutes can be difficult, especially if the executive has never met you before, and doesn't know why you are meeting. If you can capture their attention during the meeting, subsequent follow-up meetings can usually be longer. Finally, if this isn't a first meeting, and you also haven't involved the executive in the sales process until the "presentation" or solution discussion stage, then you should probably expect them to stay only as long as they feel the meeting is useful to them."
"Of course, herein lies the problem - if you haven't included the executive in the sales process before this meeting, how do you know what will interest them? The key is to include senior executives in the sales process right from the start, and ask them questions about what engages them, so you can build your presentation around that information."
Every executive is different. In general, most executives are interested in:
Profits
Share price / shareholder value
Competitive advantage
Revenue.
"Whatever they're interested in, make sure to engage high-level executives early on, build relationships with them every chance you get - and ask them questions to find out what they're most concerned about."
Colleen Francis, President of Engage Selling Solutions, helps sales professionals everywhere make an immediate and lasting impact on their sales. She offers key note speaking, sales training and sales coaching, all delivered with a savvy, no-nonsense approach. Learn more at www.engageselling.com
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Selling a Price Increase
When you get the news from the company big-wigs that your products are increasing in price, it's never a good feeling because now you have to tell your clients about that price increase. Will they go for it? Will they understand? Will they take their business elsewhere?
Mark Hunter a.k.a. The Sales Hunter recently wrote in his blog about this situation, and had an interesting point to share:
"A price increase must always be sold to two people," says Hunter. "Not only does the person buying the product / service need to be convinced, but also (and more importantly) the salesperson doing the selling."
"I strongly believe the biggest obstacle in selling a price increase is found in the salesperson," continues Hunter. "Far too often, the person trying to make the sale doesn't believe in it and, as such, doesn't have the ability to communicate with the sense of commitment and focus needed when dealing with this issue. Before attempting to sell a price increase, I would advise any salesperson to take the time to research both the background and the driving issues behind it. Then (and more importantly), determine the real value the customer will receive. Keep in mind that it's not really about the price. It's the value that is really being sold or bought."
Read The Sales Hunter's latest thoughts and comments about consultative selling, sales development, and sales motivation techniques at www.thesaleshunter.com/blog
Mark Hunter a.k.a. The Sales Hunter recently wrote in his blog about this situation, and had an interesting point to share:
"A price increase must always be sold to two people," says Hunter. "Not only does the person buying the product / service need to be convinced, but also (and more importantly) the salesperson doing the selling."
"I strongly believe the biggest obstacle in selling a price increase is found in the salesperson," continues Hunter. "Far too often, the person trying to make the sale doesn't believe in it and, as such, doesn't have the ability to communicate with the sense of commitment and focus needed when dealing with this issue. Before attempting to sell a price increase, I would advise any salesperson to take the time to research both the background and the driving issues behind it. Then (and more importantly), determine the real value the customer will receive. Keep in mind that it's not really about the price. It's the value that is really being sold or bought."
Read The Sales Hunter's latest thoughts and comments about consultative selling, sales development, and sales motivation techniques at www.thesaleshunter.com/blog
Monday, September 22, 2008
Quote of the Week
I love getting up in the morning. I clap my hands and say, "This is gonna be a great day." -- the late Dicky Fox, sports agent in the movie "Jerry Maguire"
Attitude is everything - go into your next sales call with enthusiasm and pride in what you do, and you too will be shouting, "Show me the money!"
Attitude is everything - go into your next sales call with enthusiasm and pride in what you do, and you too will be shouting, "Show me the money!"
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