Focus on The Client – NOT the Sale

October 24, 2008 By Leave a Comment

Happy Friday sales world! I am getting ready to hop on a plane to Albany to visit an old friend but before I do I wanted to share a quick question I received this week. I also want to share my answer with everyone because I feel like it can benefit many here in the professional sales world. The question was: What are all the questions I can ask a customer to get all the necessary information I need to close a sale? This question is a little generic so I am going to answer fro a few perspectives.

I did not know what industry the reader is in and if the person is really a customer or a prospect? Jay Abraham, the marketing guru, talks about the difference between a customer and a client. A “customer” is someone who you do a transaction with; a “client” is someone who is in your care. That means you have an ethical obligation to understand what they want to accomplish and make sure you can help them make that wish a reality. Too many times I see a sales rep that is all about making the sales and getting the order. Unfortunately the prospect senses that the rep is out for them self and they start to resist. This is why you may feel some tension during the call because you are trying to “close” them. Nobody likes to be closed but they easily buy when the feel your solution will accomplish their goal. How do you change that… by focusing on the prospect and not the order. I don’t know enough about the reader’s situation to give him a list of questions. What I would suggest is that he asks questions that give a full understanding of what the prospect/client wants to accomplish. Then he can show his prospects how his offerings will help the them accomplish those wishes, hopes and dreams. If you have done that to their satisfaction then they will want to buy. There is no hard close just one simple question…what would you like to know Mr/Mrs prospect?  

That said, I do want to fully applaud the reader for asking a the question in the first place! This is the first big step at becoming a top performer – becoming educated.  It took a little while for me to figure that out (see the post about how I had to figure that out the hard way). Kudos to you. If you want some more education – sign up for my weekly newsletters. They are filled with good lessons (and tips, research and action items) that I had to learn the hard way so hopefully your wont have to.

Hope this helps!

Filed Under: Becoming a Top Performer, Building Relationships Tagged With: ,

The Top 7 Ways to Avoid All the BS When Dealing with Clients So You Can Get Down to Business

October 23, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Tired of not connecting with your Clients?

Tired of not connecting with your Clients?

In my last post I told you about my seven components to effective communication and I let you in on what I know is the be-all and end-all when it comes to connecting with a client or prospect – your intentions. (Go check it out if you have not already.)

I have had a few of you ask me to elaborate some more on the other components.  I realize that you have heard some of these components before but maybe not in this context. The main focus of these components are to eliminate the many pointless road barriers of communication that can put many of your deals “on hold” leaving you with a lot of wasted time and unnecessary frustration. How many times have you been frustrated by a stale deal because you did not take the time to “get real” (in a professional and polite way obviously) and ask the questions that need to be asked. I see this happen in business all the time. We are too afraid that we will step on toes, cross the line, or to step out of our comfort zone that we avoid asking the questions that need to be asked. And many of the times you will not only get the answers you need, but you will end up creating better communication between you and your client! 

So here are what I see are the Top Seven Ways To Avoid BS When Dealing With Clients:

1. Intention is the first and most critical communication skill we will discuss.  Your intentions are more important than your techniques.  People can sense your intentions.  Good intentions, stated poorly, are always better received than bad intentions stated masterfully.  Prospects always intuitively sense your intentions, which are the foundation to building or breaking their trust of you.

2. Asking for what you want is the second communication skill we will discuss.  It is amazing how many salespeople don’t ask for what they want.  Yet there are two major studies showing that, if you ask for what you want, most of the time you will get it.

3. Reflective listening is the third communication skill we will cover.  Many people do this naturally.  It is the ability to really listen to what someone is saying and repeat back to them what they said.  Many salespeople, however, don’t practice reflective listening.  Instead, they have a monologue going on inside their head while the prospect is talking, so they miss valuable information that the prospect tells them.

4. The fourth communication skill we will explore is Congruency. Congruency is the ability to listen beyond spoken words.  It is the ability to observe the speaker’s tone of voice, word choices, and body language in order to hear what is being said and what is “not” being said.  In other words, is the speaker fully expressing what is going on or holding back vital information that is needed to really help solve the problem?  Being able to read non-verbal cues will tell you whether the speaker’s words are congruent with – or match – the speaker’s true thoughts and feelings.

5. The ability to listen without filtering is the fifth communication skill you should master.  It is important not to apply your own subjective “filter” to what someone else is saying.  If you don’t filter, you will be able to fully listen to what the prospect is saying without jumping to conclusions, passing judgment, or creating a “story” in your mind about what you think is going on.

6. Questioning style is the sixth communication skill we will look at.  It involves the ability to determine which questioning approach will work best to help us get to the truth, and then to use it to get a clear understanding of the prospect’s situation.  There are three different questioning styles that can be used, depending on the situation and what the prospect is saying.

7. How to have a difficult conversation is the last communication skill we will discuss.  How many times have we heard the prospect say something that we felt was incorrect or wrong, but we left it alone because we didn’t want to cause trouble?  Or how about when we accidentally misinformed a prospect about something that was critical, and we knew he or she would be angry when we called back to say we had made a mistake? 

And remember some of these may not always get you the answers that you want to hear but they will undoubtedly get you the truth! I encourage you to go try it for a week. Next time you sense that something your client/prospect is saying is not what you think is going on – ask them. Do you want that big fat deal that is a perfect fit for you and your business? – go ask for it! But always remember, you have to have good intention or else none of these will work.

Let me know what worked and what didn’t. And let others know – you can stumble, digg, email this post and much more by using the share this link below.

Thanks and all the best,

 

Filed Under: Becoming a Top Performer, Building Relationships, Dealing with Objections Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Most Critical Component of Communication Is Not One That You Can Learn

October 22, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Do You Know The Most Important Components of Communication?

Do You Know The Most Important Components of Communication?

Today I was spending some time putting together some good information for my weekly newsletters when I realized that there was one piece of information that I felt really compelled to share everyone. 

I have found what I consider to be the seven key components of communication: 

1. Intention

2. Asking for what you want

3. Reflective Listening

4. Congruency

5. No Filtering

6. Questioning Style

7. Having a difficult conversation

While each of these are a vital piece of the communication puzzle that successful people use in order to connect with and understand others, there is one that I deem as the most critical communication skill of all – intention. Why? Because people can sense your intention. Good intentions stated poorly, are always better recieved than bad intentions stated masterfully. Prospects always ituitively sense your intentions, which are the foundation to building or breaking their trust of you.

Everyone wants to focus on saying the right words or learning some fancy techniques.  However, your intentions are far more important than any technique you could learn!  Prospects can sense your intentions and they will respond in kind.

I have seen salespeople who were very awkward and clumsy from a skill’s perspective, but they closed a lot of business.  Why? Because prospects trusted them.  Prospects knew they were going to be taken care of and that the salesperson would deliver.

In contrast, I have seen sales reps that were very polished and had mastered the sales skills and processes that I have taught for so many years.  But they never closed nearly the volume of business they should have, because they were talking “at” the prospect instead of “with” the prospect.  Whether or not the prospects could express their discomfort to the sales rep, they were able to recognize that something didn’t feel quite right, so they would go off in search of another provider who was more trustworthy.

If you want more details on the other components of communication that I mentioned above you can either sign up for my weekly newsletters (in the right hand column), submit it as your question of the week, or simply leave a comment on this post.

What do you think is the most important component of communication?

All the best,

Filed Under: Becoming a Top Performer, Building Relationships, Having the Right Mindset Tagged With: , , , ,

Questions About Selling? Take Initiative and Gain the Advantage

October 20, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Have a Sales Question?

Have a Sales Question?

Over the years I have encountered all types of questions about selling. Some are pretty common but many times I have been asked very tough and intriguing questions.  Often I have my opinion as to how something should be handled. I recognize that there is more than one way to handle a situation so I am always in search of the best ways and practices. In my search for the “truth” I have had the good fortune of connecting with some of the best sales and marketing minds in the business. Until a few years ago, almost everything you learned about selling was based upon practical experience, conventional wisdom, some sales training and very little if any research. Now with Universities around the world offering degrees in selling they are compelled to research and publish their findings. I have been fortunate enough to have access to the latest sales research as it gets published.  Typically there is a 10 year lag between research findings and the sales force having access to that information. I have to admit the research is very academic and as about exciting to read as a scientific abstract on the cell division of an amoeba.  In spite of the dry reading there is one thing that I do glean from the research – proven statistical facts about sales practices… what works and what doesn’t.  This means that not only do I have my experience to answer the many questions I get asked on any given day, I also have knowledge and data to back up all types of questions.

So what does all this mean to you? I have decided to put together a little opportunity for all of my blog readers.  I invite you (and your colleagues, employees, friends etc.) to submit any questions you have (by filling out this form) at anytime during the week.  I plan to read through them and choose 2 – 3 of the best to answer on my blog each Friday.  This is one way I can give back to the sales community and dispel all the bad and outdated information that is out there.

Go Submit Your Weekly Question and don’t forget to check back on Friday to see if your question was chosen. (fyi – even if you question was not chosen this week there is always the chance that I may address it in a later post or in the weekly newsletters.) Ask away!

Filed Under: Becoming a Top Performer, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Everybody Needs A Little TLC – The Trick Is Figuring Out How

October 16, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Machu Picchu

Machu Picchu

Sorry for the delay in posting. I took a long weekend and went to LA with some friends. For the last 15 years, every October, I go with 2 other friends on some exotic adventure trip. We have been trekking in Thailand, Angkor Wat in Cambodia, Scuba Diving in Indonesia, on safari in Kenya, climbing volcanoes and gorilla watching in Rwanda, the Amazon in Brazil and last year’s trip was to Machu Picchu in Peru.

This year the plan was to go to Laos and Vietnam but we couldn’t go because of major health issues with our aging parents (all 3 of us). So the booby prize was a long weekend to LA for some sun and fun. We played tourist the whole time going to muscle beach, Santa Monica pier and the Getty Museum which is a must see if you haven’t seen it. (I’ll share some pictures when I get them uploaded).

Andy and Jayme Brooks

Andy and Jayme Brooks

A special treat was driving up the coast to Venture where we went to see our good friend Andy Brooks. Andy used to be the executive chief at a high end restaurant in Washington DC (DC Coast) before moving to Ventura and opening up his own restaurant (called Brooks) with his wife Jayme. Andy is a great chief and a smart guy. In 18 months he had 6 articles written about him and won an award for the best wine list in California for under $150. I have always been amazed at how delicious and consistent his food is. I could go on and on but here is the thing that amazed me the most of all. Andy spent a lot of his evening talking going from table to table and giving each patron some special attention. Now Andy is a real outgoing guy so that is not too surprising but it is rare that I have been to a high end place and the chief came out to say hello.

 Andy knew how to read people and to give them just enough of what they wanted. Let me say that again. He wasn’t out there to get praise and recognition. He was out there to give each patron a unique experience in just they way they wanted it! Some patrons got a quick visit while others were more talkative and got a little extra time. Andy’s wife Jayme is an accountant during the day and greats people as the come to the restaurant at night. She is slightly on the quite side but a real joy to be around. She too knew how to read people. Each patron got a greeting that matched their style. Some got a hand shake, some got a hug and others received a warm and friendly hello. Both Andy and Jayme had mastered the platinum rule. The golden rule says treat others the way you want to be treated but the platinum rule says treat others they way they want to be treated. When you combine exceptional food (or product/service) with exceptional experience you get a following of raving fans. Isn’t that what we all want for our businesses? 

What do you do to adjust the way you interact with your customers and clients to enhance their experience? Let me know by leaving a comment at the end of this post.

Until next time!

Best,

Filed Under: Building Relationships, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , ,

Do You Know The One Key To Reaching Decision Makers?

October 8, 2008 By Leave a Comment
The Key To Reaching Decision Makers

The Key To Reaching Decision Makers

How badly do you want to reach your prospects? When salespeople tell me they can’t reach someone I ask, “How badly do they want to reach them?” If their loved ones were being held hostage and all it took to earn their freedom was to reach that person within one business day, do you think they would find a way? Of course they would. I could tell you story after story of salespeople who were not hungry enough reach their prospect and many stories of those who were. I can think of one man in particular who tried to get into an account for months but got nowhere. The account was reassigned to another rep and he had a meeting scheduled by the end of the first day. What was the difference? Desire! The new rep used email and phone calls to the main number, direct number, dialing the direct number +/- on the last digit and asking if the person he needed to get a hold of had an assistant. Pretty simple but work and determination paid off.

I once had a client who wanted to reach the CEOs of the Fortune 50. They tried everything but without success. I said give me 10 names and let me try for a day. I had 4 appointments scheduled by the end of the day. What was my secret? I found their letter to the shareholders on their website and identified an issue that was important to them that I knew my client could solve. Then I picked up the phone asked for their assistant and said, “Your CEO said this was an important issue in the letter to the Shareholders…is it really or was that just marketing fluff” (in a light hearted way). When they said it was important (always) then I asked if it was important enough to schedule a five minute phone appointment and did. It was very simple but the difference was that my self-talk was “I can reach anyone” and I was hungry to make it happen.   

Want to get my weekly Newsletters filled with the latest sales research, techniques, and resources that personally made a difference to me? Just quickly fill in the quick form on the right hand column with your first name and email address.  I promise to only send you helpful sales-related newsletters and I look forward to offering you some more powerful information to help you see the results you need. I would also love to know exactly what topics, deals, tips and tactics you specifically need help on. All you need to do is drop me an email or leave a comment on this post. Thanks for your time.

Best,

Filed Under: Contacting Decision Makers, Having the Right Mindset Tagged With: , , , , , ,

All Top Sales – Need your help!

October 6, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I am lucky enough to join in the All Top Sales Blog family. All Top recognizes what they feel are the best-of-the-best blogs in a variety of different fields and they have selected my blog for inclusion into their Sales category. Hard work pays. But now I need the help of my readers.  All Top has a variety of badges that I can place on my site (some of which are very clever).  I want to know what you think! Please look at the different badge choices I have to choose from and let me know which one you like best. You may respond by leaving a comment on this post or you can either find me on twitter or facebook and post your suggestion there.

Thanks for the help and I look forward to hearing your choice. Another blog post to follow later today.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

You have got to be kidding me! – The surprising question that most sales professionals should know but don't.

October 1, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Sales reps tug-of-war

Sales Executives playing tug-of-war

Selling is a funny profession.  We are taught to be enthusiastic, to ask questions, and to always be closing.  Yet that is the behavior of a “stereotypical” salesperson and for certain personality types is the worst thing you could do.  You know, the fast-talking, polyester-wearing, used-car-selling, snake-oil-hawking, I-only-care-about-my-commission type.  This kind of behavior only forces the prospect into a defensive posture, causing the “tug-of-war” game to begin!

If you don’t have a consultative sales process and don’t adjust to different buying styles (i.e., personality types), then you have a 19-58% chance of blowing your opportunity in the first few minutes.

To be successful, it is critical that you have a consultative sales process.  Some call this collaborative selling or diagnostic selling but the point is a good sales process is beneficial for both the prospect and the salesperson.  I have always found it odd that many sales organizations have no sales process or don’t follow the one they have defined. That is like a football team without a playbook!

Do you know the steps of your sales process?

Do you know the steps of your sales process?

I remember doing an analysis of a sales organization that had thirty sales reps.  They had been through a two-year certification process with a well-known sales training company. When I asked them if they had been certified, they all said “Yes.”  So I said, “Ok, let’s do a pop quiz.  Pull out a sheet of paper and write down the nine steps of that sales process.”  Not one person in the room could name even three steps of the process, even after I let them work in pairs!

That was a painful pop quiz because it showed they did not know the basics.  It was like giving a ball to a child who’s been to baseball camp and saying, “Throw me the ball,” and he says, “Do what?”

Professional salespeople know their sales process and can do it in their sleep. That allows them to focus on the prospect and not worry about what to do or say next.

Can you write down the steps of your sales process? Before you go ahead and say “yes” why don’t you take a a piece of paper and try it first. You may be surprised.

Cant name the steps of your sales process? If you need help on defining or developing a consultative sales process or if you just want to know more please contact me.  Consultative selling is one of my specialities and passions. I also give out weekly tips, lessons and recommendations in my newsletters that you can sign up for in the right hand column of this page. Also, please feel free to share this post or any others that you find helpful, with friends by selecting on the share this! button below or if you want to leave a comment you may do so by scrolling to the top of this post and selecting the comments link next to the title of the post.

Until next time!

Best,

Filed Under: Sales Process Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

If you dont need motivation then dont read this post…

September 24, 2008 By Leave a Comment

I had a client call me and ask about motivation and compensation plans. I get this question a lot so I decided to post my thoughts on this topic. Personally I think it is a matter of internal motivation. People who are motivated will do whatever it takes to be successful. They will take training, study books and DVD’s even if the company doesn’t provide anything. They will explore, discuss and practice what is working and not working and seek out coaching, training and advice without being prompted by management. They don’t ask “if” something can happen instead they look for “how” to make it happen. When a child wants to earn something really badly they say to their parents, “I will do anything” and then the child and parents negotiate how that can happen. Once the agreement is made you never have to push or prompt the child because they know the rules and they are really motivated to get what they want. Nobody had to motivate their kids to earn that first bicycle, buy their first car, go on their first date or finish college. It is the same thing with adults (same psychology just bigger bodies with bigger wants/needs). However we are all motivated by different things so it is a matter of finding someone whose motivation matches the opportunity you offer.

One thing I look for is people who have a high money need or wants to make a lot of money. If the base is enough to cover their basic needs and be comfortable in life then the need to produce has been removed. So I prefer a plan that is enough to cover their basic needs but not be comfortable without selling. In a perfect world I prefer a rep given the choice between base + commission or no base + high commission would chose the no base plan because they see the opportunity and are motivated to make great money. That is why in general I am against caps on sales plans. You want no cap so a money motivated rep can keep on selling and make more. Don’t get me wrong money isn’t everything but for a business cash flow is the life blood and sales are what feed the cash flow.

What hinders many salespeople is a lack of motivation. If you disagree that motivation is the issue then look at activity level. If the activity level isn’t at the level of your best person then it is a lack of drive/motivation or lack of skills. If you think it is a skills issue then ask yourself what have they done on their own to improve their skills? If the answer is nothing then it is back to a motivation issue. If they are doing something on their own then they need some skills and drills and coaching until they master their craft.

All the best,

 

 

Do you agree? Leave me your opinions by going to the top of this post and clicking on the comments link and leaving a comment. Thanks for your viewpoint!

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Believe it or not… I was fired from my first job in Sales!

September 17, 2008 By Leave a Comment
Believe it or not - I was fired from my first job in Sales.
Believe it or not – I was fired from my first job in Sales.

A lot of people ask me how I got started in sales. Outside of the lemonade stand my friends and I would do as kids trying to earn a buck, my first real sales job was for a little software company. 

I ran a data center at one time in my life. I had bought some software from a company who ended up recruiting me for a sales position. They said that between my people skills, knowledge of how to manage a data center and familiarity with their software, I was a great fit. I have to admit I was scared to death. I never personally knew anyone in sales and the image I had was not a good one; some guy in plaid pants wearing an orange jacket who would sell their mother for the right price.

The President of the company, a natural born sales person, said give it a try for 12 months and if you don’t like it we will move you into a technical position. That was all I needed to hear and so I started a new career as a salesperson. There were 5 salespeople and not one of us had any sales experience, training or skills. So I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I called data center managers on the phone and asked if they would like a free demo. Most people said yes, and without any qualification, I would overnight a demo tape.

Now I had to chase all of these unqualified data center managers to see if they had looked at the demo. Most had not and so I would arrange a call back and the game would continue. After 12 months the president called me into his office and said he was letting me go. From his perspective, I had not made enough sales. As I started defending myself and reviewing the amount of sales I had made, it was clear something was off. After some discussion we discovered my sales manager, Robert, had taken a couple of my large deals and credited himself with the sale. I couldn’t believe it; my sales manager had stolen my deals! Unfortunately, the President had made up his mind and said he was going to let me go anyway. I was one angry sales rep! 

I don’t know about you but I hate to lose! I knew I could do this job and I needed to prove it. So I decided make the president a gutsy offer and said, “I will make you a deal. I have total conviction that I can do this. Give me 30 days of working for free, no salary, no commission. Let’s agree on the number I need to hit. If I don’t hit my number you owe me nothing and you get to keep whatever I brought in during those 30 days. However, if I do hit my number you pay me for those 30 days plus my commission and… you make me the sales manager.”

So for the next 30 days I ate, drank and slept sales. From the time the first data center manager walked in the door on the East Coast until the last one went home in Hawaii I was pounding the phones seven days a week. Then in the late evening I was absorbing everything about sales that I could find. I read books, listened to tapes and found a retired sales guy who was willing to coach me. I was out to do whatever it took to hit my numbers…failure was not an option!

I hit my numbers and I became the new sales manager of the company. I decided, however, that I was not going to fire previous sales manager, Robert who had stolen my deals. Some perverse side of me wanted to keep him around so every day when he came into the office he would be reminded of my victory. I thought he would resign but he never did.

I learned some valuable lessons from that experience and it started me on the journey of what it takes to be the best. I learned that in order to be in the top 1%, I had to learn everything I could about selling. I have studied every topic related to selling know to man. I had to study everything, live outside my comfort zone, take chances and learn from my mistakes.

For all of you who are on the journey to become the best in professional selling, I honor you for your courage and commitment. This is a great profession, and I truly mean that. Open your eyes and look around. In the hospital, the airport, the grocery store, your office and even in your car – everything you see was sold by a salesperson. Nothing happens without sales and without sales businesses fail and economies falter. The lifestyle, the income and the impact you have on the world is profound!

If you read this far I am hoping that you really enjoyed this post.  I encourage you to share it with your friends, family and colleagues but selecting the Share This button below and choosing your favorite way to share. You can digg it, facebook post it, even directly email it or any other option that you perfer. I also invite you leave a comment by selecting the comments link under the title of this post. Thanks and happy selling this week.

- Andy

Filed Under: Having the Right Mindset, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,
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