The TWO Irrefutable Laws of Selling

There are two laws about the profession of sales that all salespeople (and marketing people) need to remember.  These two laws may have  very few exceptions to them but for most, these rules need to guide you in your approach.  Here is the first law:

Law #1—NOBODY wants to BUY or OWN what you are selling!

Most salespeople are taught (too often) to go out into the marketplace and extol the many various features and benefits of their products and services and tell wonderful tales about the companies that provide them.  They work for hours on the fine points of the presentation, the cool graphics on the PowerPoint slides, and the delivery of all of those to the prospective buyer.  On top of that, the way that they describe their company, products and services are peppered with terms and phrases that make a prospective buyer go “brain-dead” such as:

Vertically Integrated—Cutting Edge—Innovative—Industry Leader—Cost Effective—Premier—Unique–Scalable–Turn-Key—Value Added–Synergy—Next Level–Customer-Centric–Strategic

What does this drivel all mean to the customer?  NOTHING!!  In fact, these words more often today begin to shut down the customer’s interest.  Why, because they are tired of YOU talking about YOU!

Here is the fact:  NOBODY really wants to buy and own your stuff!  Even those of you that sell cool consumer products such as electronics, cars, and clothing have to think beyond what it is that you sell and get the heart of “the WHY” it is that they want it.  (Think image, differentiation, status, etc.)  for the most of us out there (myself included) the customer is looking to achieve, accomplish, or attain something that our product/service helps them with.  We need to focus on THAT, understand THAT, and get them to discover and admit THAT to us in the sales process.  Is it easy?  NOPE!  Why?  Because we are not programmed or trained to dig for their motivation and work to understand their needs.  We are taught to go give information and repeat a pitch!  Is it simple?  You bet!  How?  You need to change your thinking in advance so that you can change your approach throughout!  It’s all about THEM Stupid

Law #2—Customers don’t know how to BUY!

Sounds weird doesn’t it?  Think about though!  How soon and how often does price come up in the conversation today?  If you are not selling in a typical retail environment where there is a price-tag or a menu with prices, the customer seems to be primarily interested in the price (the cost) of your offering.  Customers may not know how to buy but they certainly know to ask “How much?”  Why?  Simple; because salespeople LEAD with their wallets way too often in their approach.  They enter the conversation with things such as “We want to make sure we get you the lowest price” or “Our product/service will save you money on….” or “we are the price leader in the market…” blah, blah, blah.  In other words, the customer has been trained to go to price soon and to go there often.

Salespeople need to stop SELLING and to start helping customers buy! 

• They need HELP making a decision!
• They need HELP understanding their problems!
• They need HELP assessing their current situation and their future needs.
• They need HELP analyzing past decisions that got them there.

They don’t need a walking, talking brochure vomiting on them!  But, too often, what they GET is just that!  Thus….”How much?”

So…what to do?  First off, stop being a self-centered, product pushing braggart with commission breath!  Get into every opportunity focused on the intent of learning, engaging, and discovering your customer’s “needs to buy.”  Get them OPEN and sharing information about their favorite subjects—themselves and their situation.  The more they are talking to you, sharing with you, and open to you…..the more often that they differentiate you, value you, and will choose to do business with you!

Understand this:  Most salespeople don’t get this!  Most salespeople are not trained to diagnose before prescription.  Most salespeople are NOT tough acts to follow! Learn these two LAWS of buyers and separate yourself from that crowd!

What if You Couldn’t Blame “Price” for Lost Sales?

Just recently, I was doing a presentation for a group of CEOs and key executives in the Northeast.  During the period before I began my session, I as meeting a few of the attendees and, like I often do, got into a “confrontational coaching session.”

The attendee was a sales manager for a company that sells a commodity (home heating fuel-oil) to the residential homeowner.  He and I were in a conversation which got into the importance of new sales due to the inevitable loss (attrition) of customers each year.  He stated that his company brought in about four thousand new customers each year and HAD to because they LOST about four thousand customers each year!  Whoa……..!  Who can afford to lose four thousand customers a year?

“WHY?” I cried!  What in the world could cause thousands of customers to leave every year?  He stated that ALL of these customers left due to price.  You see, they were the highest price in the market justified, no doubt, by high levels of service.

Each of us has a justification why we lose a customer whenever it happens.  In fact, many times, we own or work for a company that chooses to be a higher priced company with a higher priced product in the marketplace.  In doing so they/we have made a choice to bring MORE to the table than our competitors—to add more value!  We cannot simply MAKE more money, we must do things to EARN that additional margin and thus EARN that raise!  Too many times, as I suspect with this company, the additional “service” offered is simply lip-service!

Back to my story:  I stopped this young man from going any further and asked him to re-answer my question (“WHY do they leave?”) with a new rule imposed (my favorite rule):  He could not that say PRICE is why they left!  Although he fought to continue to go back to the PRICING issue, I simply would not let him.  I gave into the fact that a certain percentage (cross-industry standards of 3 years ago said 17%) of customers buy or leave based primarily upon price.  I figured that left more than 3000 customers—homeowners who, at least once, had said “I trust you and your company and I am willing to take a chance on you” had left for something in addition or other than PRICE!

By then, several other attendees of the same session were settling in and starting to pay attention to our dialogue.  Some of these attendees were also customers and past customers of this gentleman’s company.  They also started challenging him on the “WHY ELSE do they leave?” line of questions.  It started to get a little defensive, a little heated, and aLOT interesting!  You see, he HAD to listen to some of these people.  They were his current and past customers.  They were telling him—yelling at him—that they did not choose to come to his company OR leave his company because of PRICE! They told him that they came because of SALES (and thus, due to the promises that were made by sales) and they left because of sales (and thus, due to the promises either made by another company’s sales rep or the promises NOT KEPT by the original company!)  What an eye opener for ALL of us!

Let me get to the lesson here:  We can look at many ways to improve the IMPACT of your sales approach out there.  We can address all of the ATTITUDE, SKILL SETS, and ACTIVITIES of your salespeople.  We can turn to prospecting, lead generation, lead pursuit, presentation, negotiation, objection management, closing and follow-up skills.  BUT, we need to look at HOW we deliver on what it is that we promise as well.  We need to look at HOW we truly differentiate our product and service in the minds of our customers.  A personal inventory is the hardest one to take.  But it must be done!  Do you and your people, through all of your processes and policies, truly stand out and WALK THE TALK of the sales and marketing promise.  If not, don’t blame price!

Where are the customer killers in your business?  Remember that every time someone chooses to “do business” with you or your company, they receive an experience.  Is it always as promised?  Is it always as expected?

Listen to me:  It’s is rarely ONLY a price issue.  Often times, your service and deliverables are so much like the competition’s (in the mind of the customer) that all the customers have to rely upon is what IS different…the competition’s price!  If you don’t stand out in their minds, you have to stand out in their wallets.

 

The Top TEN New Year’s Resolutions for Salespeople-Part III

Here is the final post of a THREE part series on New Year’s Resolutions for salespeople.  Grab you 1-2 of the Top !) and get to work this year.  And don’t forget to share these posts with 6 of your friends!  Have an awesome 2012!

FOUR Magic Pre-Call Questions

FACT:  There are 4 questions that, when asked internally (and answered) before every sales call, you LOSE LESS and always sell more!  Pay attention because here they are:

1-What is the purpose of this call? Seems like a simple question doesn’t it?  In fact, I ask this question repeatedly to salespeople every year on ride-alongs and field observations.  The most common answer that I get is, “The purpose of this call is to make a sale.”  Now, although I agree that the purpose of the sales cycle is create a customer and a profit, the purpose of every sales call is NOT to make a sale.  In fact, when one thinks that the purpose of every call is to make a sale, the conversations tend to be focused on the product, not the customer.  Instead, think about what you need to learn, uncover, or discover.  What are your targeted take-aways from the call?

2-What do we know?  Another simple question designed to help us to identify and inventory the information that we have about the prospect, customer, or client and their current situation, needs, structure, buying process, etc.  We cannot send in salespeople half-cocked with little-to-no information about the account anymore.  In fact, especially in the B2B sales world, there is NO EXCUSE today for a salesperson to be underprepared for a sales call.

3-What do we need to know?  This list is easy to make and yet rarely created in advance.  There are a variety of things that we need to uncover and discover throughout the sales process and if we understand in advance what these are, chances of making sure we cover all of these bases is better.

4-What do we need to get “out on the table?” The answers to why someone buys come from their motivations—not ours!  Those motivations are often hidden and rarely offered up voluntarily by the prospect, customer, or client.  With the proper preparation, focus and questions, however, they will often come up in the conversation.  You need to get these motives “out on the table” from the other party because when they say it, it is fact!  When you say it, it is suspect because you have an agenda—to make a sale.

**Action Step

Create a process by which you will have to answer these four questions OUT LOUD or IN WRITING before every sales call on the phone or in person.  Once these 4 questions (and subsequent and answers) become part of your routine/your habit before each and every call, you cannot help but win more often!   Challenge a colleague or your manager to hold you accountable for solid answers to these questions.  This is the NUMBER ONE thing you can do to be more effective in 2010!

THREE Closing Questions

A funny thing happened on the way to this challenging economy…we forgot how to close!   Salespeople today have faced so much stalling and price hesitance that they have gotten “gun-shy” about asking for the business once they have earned it.  I see this happening every day in the field and in our prep work with clients.  Too often, when sales take a dip and opportunities become fewer and farther apart, the salesperson hesitates to ask for the YES because they are afraid to hear the NO!  But more often today, I see salespeople that are taking on the role of “hesitant visitors” and “product demonstrators!”  They have lost focus on their role.  Although the purpose of every call is not to close a sale, every call must have forward movement towards the next call!   And that requires a CLOSING QUESTION!

**Action Step

Write down three specific ways that you will ask for the business (or the next appointment) on each call.  The questions do not need to be overly difficult to come up with (example: “So…do you see any reason why we should not go ahead with the order?”) and do not need to be over-analyzed. There are three main rules to remember once you have come up with your 3 closing questions:

#1—Write each closing question down 100 times and then read them out loud to develop the confidence to ask them. (Sounds silly?  How did we learn math as children?  Repetition is the mother of skill.)

#2—Earn the right to ask for the business!  Do the proper discovery…ask the appropriate questions…dig…diagnose…connect the value.

#3—Use these 3 questions regularly.   Too many times I see salespeople on the precipice of greatness in a sale and they forget to take that final step.  Closing is the natural conclusion to the professional sales process but you still need to ask!

TWO Networking Events per Month

Again, I impress upon you the importance of getting out there and getting visible to the marketplace in which you choose to thrive.  Whether your opportunities to network come in the form of trade shows, mixers, association events, charity events, customer expos, luncheons, or learning events, you need to have a plan!  Just as important as it is NOT to be invisible in the Social Networking arena online, it is equally important to be physically visible in the events where your prospects and customers can see you!

**Action Step

Grab a calendar and schedule up to 24 events this year in which you can “press the flesh and kiss the babies!”  You need to get out and make connections for and with others.  Go beyond the obvious!  Join a morning leads group and get involved.  Get on the board of the associations to which your customers belong.  Volunteer in the charities that your customers support.  Start a running club….a biking club and invite prospects, customers, and clients—you can promote these through your Social Media efforts.  Remember that Networking and NOTworking are two different words.  These efforts are all part of a process and not simply events.  They take time, preparation, planning, execution, and follow through.

ONE Book per Month

Zig Zigler, known all his life to be an avid reader once said, “It’s not what I get out of the book that counts.  It’s what the book gets out of ME!”  I have rarely met anyone at the top of their game that has not spent considerable amount of time in the pursuit of getting better.  In the profession of selling, this is done through education, exposure, preparation, and practice.  Leaders are readers!   It’s as simple as that!   One of the greatest habits in which you can ever engage is that of reading.

Two of the biggest mistakes that we make as human beings are; #1-We don’t try to get better in the areas in which we currently do well AND #2-We avoid the things that we don’t do well.

**Action Step(s)

First, identify and write down 4 areas in which you need some improvement. Next, identify and write down 4 areas that, if you “moved the dial a few notches” it would mean more sales—even if you are already good at them. Next, identify 4 areas in which you need to learn something new in order to “stay ahead of the game” or to “catch up” with your customers.  Now, you have 12 topics to seek out education and to build a reading curriculum.  Go to Google or to Amazon.com and enter these words or phrases into the search bar and check watch what appears.  Suddenly, at your fingertips, you will have multiple suggestions on article and books from which to gain your education and to see what “the book gets out of you!”

Finally, a note of caution: It almost seems that New Year’s Resolutions are almost made to be broken and that it is often only a matter of time (days or weeks in most cases) that we are back to our existing routines and habits.  This suggested list of Sales Professional Resolutions may seem somewhat daunting as a group but if you grab 1-2 and make a firm commitment that you engage in this activity and this behavior for a solid year, I’ll bet you grow as a sales professional.  So….get to it!

The Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Salespeople–Part 2 of 3

It’s a New Year and those New Year’s Resolutions are pouring out of you. Here is Part 2 of a 3 part blog post (go back and read Part ONE) defining The Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for 2012 that will help you kick some serious butt in the sales world.  Pick a couple and get moving:

SEVEN Extra Minutes Preparing for Every Sales Call This Year

It has been my contention for years that the time spent preparing for the sales call creates the success of the sales call.  In today’s challenging selling environment, many salespeople are getting fewer opportunities than ever.  Thus, it is even more important to build the habit of greater pre-call preparation before every call.  Whether you sell over the telephone or in person, the majority of the pre-call preparation needs to be focused on the customer and their needs.  So…we need to learn (or re-learn) how to “THINK!”  Idea:  As we head into the New Year, it is a very opportune time for every salesperson to have a few deep conversations with their customers about their (the customer’s) goals for the upcoming calendar year.  A great way to engage the customer might be something like this; “Help me understand what it is that you MOST want to accomplish in 2012?”

**Action Step

List a series of topics (and corresponding questions) that you would like to see covered on each of your sales calls.  Where would you like to see the conversation go?  What answers from the customer would best help you build your case of value?   In my experience I have found that, if YOU do not decide, in advance where it is that YOU want to go, then the customer will often take you to where it is that THEY want to go…and too often that means discussing price!

SIX Specific “Thanks-Yous” to Your Internal Customers

It is my belief that anyone in your organization that touches the customer plays a role in sales.  In fact, it is this specific group of “non-traditional salespeople” that ensure your commission every day.  They deliver on the promises that you have made.  They make sure that your customer feels the love that you committed.  The serve, they help, they fix, they direct, they listen, they cure, and they deliver. They deliver the EXPERIENCE that you sold.  In fact, without what they do, you cannot do what you do!  When is the last time that you took the time to say THANKS?  Every other month this year, you need to identify and go out of your way to let someone know that you appreciate their efforts.  It is a fact that you are on the top or the bottom of someone’s to-do list every day.

**Action Step

Identify and write down the names of those individuals in your organization that play a role in your customer care/experience.  Who do they speak with when they have a problem?  Who deals with them  regarding their billing?  Who delivers your products/services to them?  Who handled their issues most often last year?  Now, immediately schedule the time to sit down with those people to express your gratitude for their efforts and to have a conversation about the GROWTH your customers.  Throughout the course of the year, you need to express your thanks (catch them doing something right) in 6 unique ways.  Ideas could range from a handwritten note to movie tickets to dinner gift certificates.  Praise in public or in private…but PRAISE their efforts and be thankful…because the things that get recognized and rewarded, get done again and again!

FIVE More Questions to Get to “WHY?”

Take a shovel with you to every sales call this year.  The shovel is not to shovel more of your #%@ on them!  It is to dig a little deeper to get to the answer behind the answer.  Most questions can gather information and data.  Great questions get to the motives behind that information and data.  In other words, instead of just finding out about the who, the what, the when, the where, the how, and the when (all of these are important), ask FIVE additional questions to get to the WHY!  Rarely does any customer really want to buy or own what you are selling.  They do, however, wish to accomplish, cure or avoid something in their business or personal lives.  Your product or service can most likely help them do that.  Make sure your questions uncover their motivations. Get to the WHY!

**Action Step

Go back to the drawing board and write down the main 3 or 4 BENEFITS that your customers receive from your product or service.  What pains will it cure?  What problems will it solve?  What fears will it offer peace of mind to?  What goals will it help accomplish?  Make sure that the things that you list matter to the customer.   Remember also that, with the changing economic environment, customer’s motivations today may be different from last year.  Next, list a series of questions that you will ask to get to the “why” in the conversation.  Dig, dammit! Dig! There’s GOLD in those answers!

 

TEN New Year’s Resolutions for Salespeople to THRIVE in 2012!

Here it is that time of year again where everyone’s thoughts turn to self-improvement and new behavior.  The New Year brings up an entire host of New Year’s Resolutions for many people.  Commencing on January 1, new commitments will be made to “turn over a new leaf” and do something that requires change in the New Year!  It is in this spirit that I (again) offer a suggested list of New Year’s resolutions (ACTIONS) specifically for the salespeople on your team.  This is part ONE in a THREE-part series of blog posts over the next week to identify the Top 10 you need to do to make an IMPACT:

TEN Handwritten Thank You Cards Every Week

The habit of sending a handwritten Thank You card is a dying habit that has been replaced with email.  In my opinion, the art of communicating a heartfelt Thank You gets somewhat watered down if it is done ONLY in the form of an email.  So, in addition to your regular email courtesy Thank You, get in the specific habit of handwriting a personal note to two people every day.  The recipients of these cards may be prospective customers that you have just met, new contacts from a networking event, existing customers or clients that continue to do business with you, internal customers that help you do your job, or past customers that you’d like to invite back!

**Action Step

Order some Thank-You cards (now) that are specifically designed for YOU!  Although you can make a good impact with any nice Thank-You card, it is the card that is uniquely yours that will show that you went the extra mile!  You can even customize the cards with your own picture if you’d like.  Handwrite, hand-address, and hand-stamp each card for the best effect….and DO IT 10 times per week!

NINE Minutes Every Day on Social Media

Although this is most likely going to require some new education and exposure, this one area can help you become so much more connected in and visible to your marketplace.  The world of Social Media is rapidly becoming one of the fastest and easiest ways for a sales professional to create and permeate a brand, to add value to prospects, customers, and clients, and to remain connected and visible.  Social Media outlets are ways that you can create a “known for-ness” about yourself and come out from behind that vendor mask as a value-add contributor.  Initially, Social Media is not about selling anything but rather about giving of yourself (value.)

**Action Steps

Open personal accounts on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn that are designed for BUSINESS use (versus personal use.)  You may want to consider opening a blog account.  You can do this through a variety of sites such as WordPress. Don’t worry if you don’t have a handle on what to do or how to do it just yet.  You first need to get these accounts open.  Next, you need to READ—get some training—get some exposure to what to do on these various sites and why.  It is very important that you first define who you will be and how you wish to be perceived in the Social Media space.  Remember, if you are NOT visible in the areas that your customers are (or will be) then you are Invisible

EIGHT Unique “Touches”

Again, we come back to being visible to your marketplace.  All of us have past, existing, future customers to whom we must remain visible.  Although we mentioned 9 minutes per day needed to be spent on Social Media to do so, we must also create 8 specific touches for your entire marketplace/database that are unique and add-value. Examples will be found throughout this article and will include things such as a quarterly ezine/eNewsletter, specific articles sent to them, invitations to events, personal visits, handwritten notes, referrals/introductions, webcasts, training offerings, blog posts, and more.  Get creative and new!  Remember that each “touch” must be about adding value and differentiating yourself.  Selling is a CONTACT SPORT and the effort of building a “touch campaign” is to stay on the top of mind of your marketplace.

**Action Step

Think of no less than 8 unique ways to “touch” your prospects, customers, and clients this year and write them down!  Define what it will take to create each of these touches!  Now, start putting these in the calendar.  Eight touches throughout the course of the year (when you are NOT trying to SELL them something) will create a value-add exposure to you about every 1 ½ months. This consistency  will help keep you front and center in their minds and hearts.  Here is a hint for you; Integrate your Social Media postings and findings into your “”touch campaign” and link much of this back together.

Stay tuned for THREE MORE New Year’s Resolutions that will rocket your sales in 2012 on next week’s blog on Monday!  And…if you like what you’re reading, forward this post onto TEN friends that need a good kick in the “sales” ass for 2012! Until then, have an OUTSTANDING and SAFE close to your 2011!

All I Want for Xmas is a Extra Month!

How many times have you caught yourself saying it, “I just don’t have the time?” This is often especially true around the holidays. Think for a moment about what you might be able to accomplish if you had a 13th month next year? Would that help you get more of the results you are looking for?

When I speak about time management in my workshops and seminars, I often say, as I learned from Stephen Covey, “There are only two things you work on every single day. These two things are either “priorities” and/or “urgencies”.  Let me define them simply for you in my terms:  Priorities are your goals. Urgencies are everybody else’s goals. If you don’t have your goals clearly written down, you will more than likely find yourself working towards other people’s goals and towards other people’s successes.

Get your goals in writing and then let these seven time management tips guide you to your success in 2012:

1. Begin  each day the night before. DO NOT go  home until you have decided what you need to accomplish the next day AND you have written it down.  Writing things down help keep you focused and focus precedes success!  Learn to think on paper Learn to plan on paper. Be careful!  If you put too much stuff on your list, you risk becoming overwhelmed—and then the list becomes a list of broken promises. Learn to say, “no” when something comes up throughout the course of the day, and something always comes up! When things do some up, write it down on your daily list.  Rank it against everything else before you take action on it.

 

2. Remember the 80/20 principle.  The principle says that 80% of the results that you get every day come from 20% of the things that are on your list. That means there are 1 or 2 items that are on your list every day that severely affect the outcome of the results that you get every single day. Therefore, be careful what you are working on.  Often we tend come into the office and focus on getting the “little stuff” out of the way first.  Resist this temptation and attack the most high-payoff activities first.

 

3. Rank it continually. Here is a simple way to rank your list every day.  Let’s call it:  The A, B, C, D, E list:

• Any “A” items that are on your list are “MUST DO” tasks. These are the non-negotiable items that often have serious consequences if you don’t get them done.  A word of caution here; Be careful how many “must do” items are on your list.
• “B” ranked items are “SHOULD DO” tasks.  These are the things that should get done but if they don’t there are only mild consequences. Never start a “B” task until all of the “A” tasks are done.
• “C” items on your list are the “NICE TO DO” tasks.  It might be lunch with a colleague or perhaps running an errand. These “nice to do’s” never ever get started until both the “A” and “B” items have been checked off.
• “D” items on your list are meant to be DELEGATED to someone else.
• The “E’s” on your list are those items you need to ELIMINATE.

4. Define your key result areas. You need to define the activities in which you need to be engaged every day and the skill sets necessary to continually perform these at a high level.  The list can be considerable if you take your profession seriously.  Define the areas in which your performance is the weakest and immediately seek to improve in these areas.  Most people avoid those things at which they are weak. Do the opposite and IMPROVE your weaknesses to get something done faster and more efficiently the 1^st time!

 

5. Take one bite at a time.

Q: How do you eat an elephant?  A: One bite at a time.

Many of us have large projects in front of us with big things we must accomplish. It could be a huge “to-do” list or one overwhelming task. The feeling might be, “I will NEVER get that done!” You might procrastinate or talk about it. You may just moan and complain until you are behind the gun in time.  Try focusing on each task and THAT alone. Start it; finish it. Get it done and get it off the list. In this way you will slowly start to move your way through.  Even the largest houses are built one brick at a time.  The most successful sales people built their book of business ONE account at a time.

 

6.  “Eat the big frog first.”  There is an old saying that says if you’ve got to sit down and eat a bunch of frogs, don’t stare at them for too long and if you are going to get started, eat the biggest frog first.  Every day, what do we do?  We come in to the office and we say “let me just clear this up, check these emails”, let me do this, let me do that, and the next thing you know, it is 4:00 and we have these big tasks, and big jobs overwhelming us!  We’ve got all these things going on and not only are we not productive with our time; we are not getting the things done that we need to get done!  This is the time to     take you’re A, B, C, D, E list out.  The first thing that you work on is the biggest frog.  You’re A-1 task is your biggest frog!      Sit down and tackle it.  Start it; work your way through it and finish it.

 

7. Develop and maintain a sense or urgency.  Put an exclamation above your head, put an asterisk on either side on it and that’s what you want to be your logo for life as a sales professional. (*!*) You are in a world where everyone needs something done and they need it done now!  The people who are the most successful in  the profession of sales are those who get it done better and get it done faster! Nike has built an empire around 3 words, “Just Do It”.  My 3 words are “Get It Done”.  Get it done and move on to the next thing.  That’s the hallmark of time management professionals.

I want to wish you the absolute best success in 2012 and remember, there is no such thing as the management of time. Practicing self-discipline along with these 7 strategies above will set you on your way to effectively manage the time that you have been given and ensure that you are working on YOUR priorities.

Most Salespeople STINK! Here’s Why:

In my observations over the past year I have seen many reasons why salespeople (and thus the companies for which they work) LOSE sales. Here are the TEN biggest reasons why:

1. They’re focused on what they sell rather than what the customer needs.
The typical salesperson comes into almost every sales interaction with the same intent: To tell the prospect as much as they can about the product or service that they offer and then get them to buy it. It’s no wonder that customers hide behind voicemail and screen us out! Who wants to be put through that? Sales professionals need to understand that customers are only talking to you because they have needs that they wish to have met. Instead of throwing up on the customer, the salesperson needs to find out what those needs are and how the customer wants them to be met. How can this be done? SHUT UP AND SELL! Ask questions and listen! (Diagnosis before prescription!)

2. They have little or no pre-call planning.
We wouldn’t expect our attorneys to go into court on the 1st day of a trial winging it would we? We don’t expect our doctors to go into the operating room without a plan. We assume that the sports teams that we watch have a game plan that they execute for every opponent don’t we? If we wouldn’t expect any of these professionals to “fly by the seat of their pants” when it comes time to earn their pay, why in the world do we allow our salespeople to do it?
The most valuable asset that our customers have today is their time. And salespeople are getting less of it–especially salespeople that are coming into the sales call unprepared and without a clear strategy. In what areas can your people be more prepared? Here’s a great question to ask: What is the purpose of the call? If you cannot answer this simple question (with targeted takeaways) then perhaps you will want to reschedule this sales call.

3. They act and sound just like everyone else.
Too many salespeople knock at the same doors and say the same things as all of their competitors. They show up and throw up and do “information dumps” on the customer, expecting that the customer knows how to “pick a winner.” Here’s the reality: 80% or more of sellers sound the same! Let your approach be your main differentiator this year. Don’t dance the same dance and sing the same song as the rest.

4. They do not LISTEN to the customer.
The customer has all of the answers as to why they want to buy. One major problem, however, is that most people (prospects and customers included) do not volunteer information all of the time. Therefore, our salespeople need to ask solid, relevent questions to pull information (answers that we seek) from our prospects and customers. Throughout this “dialogue” process, (when the customer is talking) I have witnessed salespeople merely going through the motions of listening. They sit still, nod, and look introspective as the customer speaks. (They aren’t listening…they are just waiting to talk!)
Many sales are created, many accounts are opened, and many careers are built upon one small piece of information that may come up at one precise moment in a sometimes lengthy sales cycle. So PAY ATTENTION! The customer may just explain your business to you.

5. They try to sell to someone who cannot buy!
Trying to get a decision, an order, a contract, or P.O. from someone who does not have the authority to buy is one of the biggest reasons why salespeople fail. Ask the right questions early in the sales process to understand the customer’s decision making process including WHO and WHAT’s involved. Just because the guy on the loading dock will listen to you doesn’t mean he can make a decision.

6. They bring NOTHING of value to the table.
Salespeople today need to understand that simply being there to take the order is no longer enough. Anybody can do that! A true sales professional in today’s marketplace needs to become a valuable asset to the customer by adding value at every opportunity. A salesperson needs to be “in the know.” They need to offer guidance, wisdom, and ideas to the customer. They need to know the customer’s marketplace as well or better than they do.
Whether it is through suggesting the occasional article, referring a piece of business, assisting in the training of customer employees, or simply grinding out a late night next to the customer, the sales professional must understand that the value that they add must create the perception of difference in the mind of the customer. It is the difference between being a vendor and being a partner.

7. They are unaware of who (or what) they are up against.
The competition for a prospect or customer’s time, attention, and money is greater now than it ever has been. We not only are up against competing companies and vendors in the marketplace, we are also up against things like internal competition, the current vendor, internal pressure to fund something else (another project), and indifference (no action). When we are up against others, we need to be aware of who they are, how they sell, what they say, what they offer, and what it costs. Getting blindsided by any competition is a direct result of lack of preparation (you need to know what you’re going to run into) and a failure to listen to the things both said and un-said by our prospects and customers.

8. They lead with price and cry when price resistance comes up.
This is a big one. I have hundreds of salespeople every year complain about customers getting more price sensitive and cheap. Too many times, it is the salesperson that actually brings up price very early in the conversation. They say things like, “Mr. Customer, we want to make sure that we get you the very best price that we can” or “I promise that we will definitely figure out the best way to save you money on this purchase” or “We have the best price in the industry.” These are the same people who get mad when the prospect or customer brings up the fact that they need a lower price! Well who do you think planted that seed?? We must be prepared for price concerns, but we cannot lead with our wallets! The more you focus on the benefits of ownership, the more they will.

9. They don’t have enough opportunity in the pipeline.
It has been said that the best sales strategy is a full pipeline of business. What does this mean? When salespeople have a lot of prospects that are in their pipeline of business, they intuitively make moves that position themselves and their companies in more of a positive, confident light. They do not waver or buckle to terms or pricing demands of customers. They have a greater tendency towards action. In contrast, a salesperson that has very little in his or her pipeline tends to come across desperate. These salespeople tend to bow to the pressure and buckle to the demands of prospective customers. Instead of working from a position of strength, these salespeople work from weakness and hope!

10.  They are NOT the right people for SALES!

Salespeople today need to have well-developed skills that were not as necessary in years past. Today’s economy demands a higher level of thought, strategy, and preparation. It demands an acute level of awareness of the buyer’s environment. Many of yesterday’s thoroughbreds are today’s donkeys. Some of them were adequate when the economy was healthy and robust but are severely lacking the skills necessary to consistently perform today. The marketplace of today (and the customer’s that you seek from it) demand and deserve a professional with BOTH the skill and the will to do what’s necessary. Do you have what it takes? If not, they/you need to move on!

Take a look at the performance of your sales team over the past year. How many of your salespeople are going to reach their goal this year? How many of them are heading out into this competitive market half-cocked? How many are “winging it” every day in hopes of divine intervention? How much value do they add? How well do they differentiate themselves and thus your company from the competition? How often do they run up against the “wall” of price resistance?

Don’t like the answers? Give us a call at Sales Coach International toll-free at 866-979-5296 and let’s develop a plan for a New Year that will get you the answers (and the results) that you seek!

Thanksgiving Thanks….Here are Mine!

Every year about this time, my family and I start packing up for a getaway for the Thanksgiving Holiday.  Whether we are visiting family or just getting away for some R & R with our immediate family, I always look forward to the “reflection time” that I will have once we get there.  As I get older, I often will take stock of and give thanks for three specific areas:

1. I “look back over my shoulder” at the things that I have been able to accomplish, the people that I have met, the business that I have done, the wins, the losses, and the growth during the previous 10 months.
2. I take full inventory of where it is that I am now and where I stand in reference to my goals in business, quality of life, relationships, health, spirituality, and personal /professional growth.
3. And I look out over the upcoming year and begin to outline and plan who and what I will connect with in my business and personal life.

Each year, regardless of the economy, I find myself adding up the many good fortunes that I have been able to leverage and also, like most, listing some of the challenges that I faced in accomplishing everything that I wanted to.  For the purposes of this article, I have listed the Top 10 Things for Which I am Thankful every year:

1. I am thankful for being given the blind faith and enthusiasm to believe that I can achieve most things to which I set my mind.  I have read many books on self-belief and attitude to the point where I guess I am just dumb enough to believe that it is me that, in fact, decides what it is that I get out of this life.
2. I am thankful for having a healthy sense of paranoia that forces me to be better prepared so that I am rarely caught by surprise on most types of business matters.  This healthy sense of paranoia reminds me that “time is rarely my friend” in the sales process and thus, pushes me to be more assertive when it might be more comfortable to not be.  It also forces me to continue forging ahead on new initiatives to differentiate because I am paranoid of “looking like the rest.”
3. I am thankful for having the desire to rise early each day and to attack the day for 2 hours before most people are out of bed.  I honestly feel that this gives me an advantage that any could take, but few do!
4. I am thankful for being introduced, early in my professional life, to the importance of goals and creating a blueprint for success each year.  The ability to write a plan and follow that plan has led to increased results every year.  On that same note, I am also thankful that, although they hear it often and know it to be true, most of my competitors DO NOT engage in this exercise.
5. I am thankful for getting re-introduced to “The Strangest Secret” by Earl Nightengale which states quite simply; “You become what you think about most!”  This book and recording keeps reminding me to keep my thoughts focused on the right things so that my results will follow.
6. I am thankful for my family and their love.  Without their support and belief every day, I would not be half the man that I am.
7. I am thankful for the opportunity that this great country provides me to build a business and decide my path.  Although things are somewhat of a mess in our nation’s capitol today, the fact remains that it is up to me to accomplish what I set out to….and this country puts no limits on me as to what I can become, what I can build, and what I can earn!
8. I am thankful for the AWARENESS that I possess to see opportunity and to sense challenge.  Whether that awareness is founded in my healthy paranoia or in my goal pursuit I do not know, but I am thankful for the ability to have my eyes wide open in most things and to be aware of most of the right moves to make.
9. I am thankful for each day that I get to wake up and go to work and sensitive to the fact that many wake up each day and cannot (or do not).  Every day I can learn and grow and CHOOSE to make myself a higher skilled, better educated, and more informed member of society through the things that I read, the people that I meet, and the risks that I am willing to take.  It is all in my control!
10. I am finally, thankful for my God who has kept character and kindness in the front of my mind and the center of my heart.  Without these two things, I would be worth of none of the above.

Focus Precedes Success–Part III

There are a handful of common things on which top salespeople put their focus regularly. I have FOCUSED on three of these areas for this Smart Selling blog so that my readers can get started (or continue) putting their constant attention where they need to:

This is Part III in this three part series about FOCUS for Salespeople:

III—Constant Forward Motion

I recently saw a Disney movie with my children called “Meet the Robinsons.” In the movie, there was a character from the future who kept saying “Keep Moving Forward!” “Keep Moving Forward!” Apparently, in the movie, the kid’s father was a great inventor who continuously, relentlessly spoke of looking ahead to what could be instead of focusing on what is. The movie, and that character, made me think of some of the top salespeople that I have worked with over years and how they have a habit of relentlessly moving forward with an enthusiasm not shared by their peers.

Many sales trainers develop and deliver training programs on CLOSING. I am a big believer in the fact that the OPENING and DISCOVERY process drive your CLOSING strategy. It is imperative that the salesperson is the Captain of both of these efforts. Like a quarterback on a football team, the salesperson needs to call the plays and keep the other participants (prospects, influencers, decision makers, etc.) involved and engaged in the process.

I find one of the easiest ways that top salespeople continually get to the next step is that they clearly define, in advance, what the next step is and then they relentlessly discuss it and ask for that next step on every call.

Top sales pros understand that many steps in the sales cycle do not result in the close of the SALE but all steps in the sales process should lead to the close of SOMETHING—a next step—and they get that by asking a simple “moving forward question” such as “So, Mrs. Customer, what’s our next step?”

By developing and executing the habit of asking “So what’s our next step,” the salesperson keeps the prospective customer involved and engaged in the buying process. They continue to gauge the prospective customer’s level of commitment by attaching a forward step after every stage (gate) that (together) they pass through.

Strategically, the top sales professionals also have a habit of focusing on “The NEXT step” in their day to day business actions. They do not get bogged down in projects or analysis. Instead top salespeople understand that ACTION begets ACTION.
In the effort of effectively PLANNING with THE END IN MIND, the top producers always focus on WHAT’S NEXT!

The top sales professionals have a tendency to focus on just a few things that drive the behavior and action that sets them apart from the competition. It has often said that THOUGHT drives BEHAVIOR/ACTION. In a selling environment today that demands more of the salesperson than ever, the areas in which they spend that thought become more important than ever. Remember that Focus Precedes Success—where is your focus today?

11 Sales Accelerator Thoughts for 11/11/11

We will never see another date that has the look like today (11/11/11)!  In light of that, I thought
I would offer my thoughts on 11 suggested thoughts to put into ACTION for salespeople to grow their business in the upcoming year. Pick any 5 of these and see your results skyrocket!

1-Get a Healthy Sense of Paranoia—Andy Groves first used this term to describe the culture hecreated at INTEL.  Every salesperson needs to be a little paranoid that “everyone is out to get them.”  The competition is not your friend so stay one step ahead.  Time is not your friend so NEVER let deals linger too long. The economy is not your friend so you need to look for ways to add value.  Often, it seems, the customer is not (initially) your friend so you need to focus your attention on them and helping them accomplish what they need…even if initially they don’t know what that is.  Just remember
to always be learning, growing, and adding value.

2-Up Your Awareness—Pay more attention to what is going on around you in the New Year!  Create a list of the things that you need to be “on the lookout for” everywhere you look. Be aware of what the competitors are doing.  Be aware of your customer’s pains (visible and invisible).  Be aware of opportunity to add value.  Be aware of timelines, urgencies, and ROI needs.  Be aware of how you look online, in person, and in writing. Be aware of current relationships and the current state of “passion and connection” in those relationships.  Be aware of your goals, your passion, your values. Pay attention or pay another way.

3-Read! More and more today, it seems that readers are leaders. With the digitization of the world, there is no excuse today to NOT have a book (or several blog posts) within arm’s reach at any given moment. Get in the habit of “feeding your brain” with positive, thought provoking, growth related material about the profession of sales. I heard (read) a great quote yesterday:  “If you aren’t fueling your own minds (through reading), you haven’t taken ownership of your performance.”

4-FIVE More Questions—If every salesperson today simply asked 5 more well thought-out, relevant, customer focused questions at every sales call, conversations would go deeper, more information would flow, and stronger connections with the customer woulddevelop.  Just FIVE more questions! (about them, their circumstances, their pains, issues, challenges, motivations…)  Here is a solid one, “Can you help me understand why…….?” Remember, the more they’re talking about them, the more they’re buying into you!

5-Write Your Goals for the Year—Just this once, give it a try. Sit down in the next 45 days and decide what you will accomplish and acquire this year.  Clearly define your goals for several areas of your life including business, quality of life, health and fitness, community, savings, spirituality, etc. Write them down in your goal book.  Set a deadline for each one with milestones along the way.  Make a list of everything that you need to hit the goal.  Organize that list into a plan by priority and sequence.  Take immediate action on that plan—first steps are the hardest. And commit to do something every day that get you closer to those goals.

6-One More Hour—Thiseconomy demands a bit more out of you today. So, in addition to upping your paranoia, awareness, reading, questioning, and goal focus, I suggest you get to bed one hour earlier and get up one hour earlier to start your day.  As I write this, it is 6:15am and I have been “at the desk” for the past 90 minutes.  You’d be amazed what you can get done with an additional focused hour every day—even if you use it to simply “get the engine going” with a cup of coffee, some exercise and a good book! (See #3 above.)

7-Rekindle 3 Old Relationships—Again, here we find technology is our ally.  Recently, I had an old college buddy of mine find and connect with me on LinkedIn. After 27 years, we finally got together and caught up with each other’s lives and careers.  What we discovered was that time goes by so fast and we forget so many things.  The same holds true with past customers as it does with friends and family with whom you’ve lost touch.  Reconnect with 12 past customers this year and invite them back into your life.  You never know what you’ll find.

8-Five (handwritten) Thank Yous a Week–Differentiate yourself and show an “Attitude of
Gratitude” beyond the email!  Sending the occasional handwritten thank you note to past and existing (and potential) customers is an easy and impactful way to be gracious, genuine, and unique. Think about it! FIVE people times 50 weeks is 250 people that you “touch” at a level deeper than your competition is willing to.

9-Give of Yourself—You are blessed with so many things.  Makethis the year to give some back.  Pick a charity or a cause.  Rally the support of others.  Donate your time and your focus with no expectation of anything in return.  Too many times, as entrepreneurs and sales pros, we tend to be focused heavily on OUR goals and OUR plans.  There are many people in need today of your value, your time, and your attention. Set aside 20 hours this year entirely to support something new that needs you…the return on that investment is immeasurable.

10-Decrease Your Invisibility—Dig in and be more visible online and offline to your
potential marketplace.  Join one more association and get involved. Book one more trade show and learn how to network with a purpose.  Start or improve your exposure on LinkedIn.  Set a goal to spend 1 hour
per week learning more about how to leverage LinkedIn as a tool to make you more visible and valuable.  Put yourself (the well-packaged YOU) out there more in 2012 and the rewards will come your way.

11-Take Time for YOU-A mentor of mine once told me, “The only reason to be in sales or to start a business is to have a better life and more of it!”  The profession that you (we) have chosen is loaded with challenge and opportunity, risk and reward, heartache and joy.  NOBODY has a job until the salespeople do their job!  Have strong pride in that fact.  But when all is said and done,
(and too many times there is more said then there is done), take the time to “check out of the grind” and check into your family, your life, and your health.

Happy 11/11/11!!