Archive for May, 2011
Published by
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May 31, 2011
As a sales coach I often ask a client, “how do you approach your prospects ?”
I am amazed at how often I find people using old school approaches.
Do you know what I mean ?
You walk in the door, chat up your client for a few minutes – struggling to find some way to get to your sales pitch…
Practitioners of “Old School” sales techniques say, (and this is a direct quote from one of the most oft-quoted, well-known, sales trainers in the industry)…
“Break the ice and attempt to establish some rapport at the beginning of your meeting… Try to establish some rapport. That should set the tone for the entire session…
“Try to determine what he wants. However, if you have a limited product range, you must quickly figure out how to sell the prospect with what you have to offer.”
So you, continue to do your level-best to formulate the “perfect” question to elicit the answer you are looking for.
Worse yet, simply “pitch away.”
Hoping they will eventually say,
”Stop! I’m ready to buy.”
Even worse…
You could tell the client about everything they’ll miss out on if they don’t purchase your product or service.
The purpose, of course, is to create so much pain that you manipulate your client into a sale.
Unfortunately, you may sometimes get the sale with these tactics, but you have totally eliminated a positive connection.
You’ve done absolutely nothing to establish trust or rapport.
And, you probably won’t keep the client for long!
Another variation of “Old School” attempts to convince you that the “only” way to sell is with features and benefits.
This is the “technique” that many sales people employ every day.
But why?
The underlying reason is that they haven’t figured out that sales is more than just “presenting the options” and letting the customer choose.
This approach assumes that if you can talk long enough, sooner or later your client will give up and say,
”Hey, I want that!”
I call this the “throw enough spagetti on the wall and some will stick” approach.
There is a way for you to get the prospect to tell you exactly what they want and it even shows you exactly WHY they buy.
I’ll get into the method tomorrow.
Technorati Tags: sales coach, sales principles
Published by
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May 30, 2011
I had a reader of one of my other sites asking the other day about how to close sales.
This is a sales coaching question I get all the time.
It’s sort of like asking how to win a baseball match in the 9th inning.
The fact is, if you are a long way behind it could be impossible to win in the 9th inning
Sales is the same.
Closing is a culmination of all the things that come earlier in the sales process.
This is what I wrote back to me reader.
Closing sales is all about how you open them, even what you do beforehand.
Before the sale, find out what you can about your prospect (if you are not retail where people drop in from the street). Learn the benefits your prospects could gain from using your product or service. Adopt a mindset that “I am here to hep”.
At the start of the meeting concentrate on building rapport. Asking questions to find out what the prospect wants (and needs). Here theSPIN Selling Model can help. Also, ask questions to find out how the prospect communicates and processess information, their hot buttons.
Next, present your offer only referencing the benefits of your offer that are RELEVANT to your prospect. Present your offer in their language in alignment with their thought processess.
Then, “shut up”. Wait till they speak. He who speaks first has bought. They may just ask a buying question there and then.
Finally, answer any objections that they raise.
Technorati Tags: sales coach, sales coaching
Published by
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May 27, 2011
Whenever you work with a sales coach it is likely they’ll be working with a few things, not just tactics.
A good sales coach would likely work with your attitude to sales, your beliefs about selling, your overall approach and strategies.
There are undoubtedly certain principles about sales that go with the territory (for those that do it really well).
I ran across this article the other day from Bryan Flanagan who is a sales trrainer / blogger that I respect.
He writes about “16 Professional Selling Principles“. As a sales coach, I suggest you read it.
Technorati Tags: sales coach, sales principles
Published by
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May 26, 2011
Some sales coaches try to complicate selling.
At its most basic selling is just about holding a conversation with your prospect.
As the salesperson you want to be asking more questions than making statements.
You want to be finding out what your prospect wants.
Speaking in language that they relate to.
Treating them with respect .
And you need to be looking to be of service.
The below article contains some good stuff but just seems to me to be overcomplicating things.
Sales Coaching complications.
Published by
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May 25, 2011
As a sales coach I would like to ask the question, “Are there words that increase the possibility of you making a sale ?”
Given that Kipling said, “Words are the most powerful drug used by mankind” it would seem likely that there are special words.
Plainly, THE MOST POWERFUL WORD is YOU. You should be looking to use the word You in your sales meetings a lot more than you use the word I. As I’ve mentioned before the idea is to be focused on your client’s needs but I’m sure this is restating what you already know.
But what other words have sales power ?
Well there are a lot of differewnt perspectives of this, you can read mine at the link below.
Power Words
Published by
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May 24, 2011
This is a quiz from Geoffrey James’ blog, it tests your Sales career IQ.
It asks questions to determine if you are a good fit in sales and if you understand where your career is going, could go or should go.
Do you think salespeople are born or made ?
Do salespeople make good managers ?
Take the quiz and compare your answers to the data.
I found it interesting, you may like it too.
What is your Sales Career IQ
Published by
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May 20, 2011
I ran across this post today from Geoffrey James about selling to a CFO.
It is interesting and I’m sure valid in many ways that Geoffrey focuses on the financial aspect of the deal.
With a title like CFO such a person is obviously gifted in and probably interested in Finance.
However, I have always believed that we sell to people.
Not some nebulous group of buyer but THE ONE, the one person in front of you or on the other end of the phone.
You sales approach should be specific to them and you should speak in a language that they not only understand but that speaks to the heart of who they are and what they believe. Sound difficult, it’s a lot easier than you think.
In any case I have copied a link to the article about selling to CFOs below.
There is some good content in there.
Selling to CFOs.
Published by
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May 18, 2011
A reader of my website asked me a question yesterday about feeling anxiety when they are in a sales meeting.
Anxiety is an interesting feeling, isn’t it.
It’s about taking something that might happen in the future and finding a way to feel bad about it now.
I replied to my reader with a couple of ideas about how she might deal with this anxiety.
If you suffer from sales anxiety you may like to read my reply. (link below)
I’d be interested to know if any others of you suffer from anxiety. Commenst ?
Anxiety During a Sale
Published by
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May 17, 2011
I have long been an advocate of a saying when it comes to sales (and communication in general).
The saying is,
“ask a question, then watch and listen”
People will tell you (or show you) everything you need to be able to sell to them (or more correctly, help them buy)
The following article sites a survey that was done by customers of a group of contractors and what they thought the most important thing a salesperson could do.
Have a read of “Shut Up and Listen“
Technorati Tags: sales coach
Published by
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May 17, 2011
Many a sales manager will lament that they do not have time for sales coaching or sales mentoring.
Well to use a well know sales objection technique maybe they don’t have time not to do sales coaching.
After all, where is the coalface ? Where are the sales coming from ? Filling in reports and monitoring things is fine but that’s after the event, isn’t it ?
I cannot understand when things are tough why a sales manager wouldn’t be out making more joint calls with his charges. Helping them improve their close rate.
The article I just read takes on this “I don’t have time to coach” comment.
I think it’s worth a read. At least this sales coach thinks it is.
Technorati Tags: sales coaching
