To Make More Sales, Try Making More Friends By C.J. Hayden

"Learn to love, respect and enjoy other people." -- Dale Carnegie

In 1936, Dale Carnegie published "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Since then, his book has sold more than 15 million copies and is widely credited as being the first book in the modern self-help genre.

The core of Carnegie's simple philosophy is that one of the greatest human needs is to feel important. If you want to win people over to your way of thinking, they need to like you. And the way to get them to do that is to take an interest in them.

When learning how to sell better, we often hear the advice to ask questions and listen to the customer. This advice, though, is frequently given in the context of using questions to gather information helpful to the sales process, and to listen for clues that will help you convince the customer to buy.

What Carnegie suggested was that the true path to being a successful salesperson, leader, or well-liked individual was not to focus on your desired outcome, but to put your attention on the other person.

Here are Carnegie's six ways to get what you want by making people like you:

1. Become genuinely interested in other people.

2. Smile.

3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

4. Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.

5.Talk in terms of the other person's interests.

6. Make the other person feel important -- and do it sincerely.

Notice the emphasis on being genuine and on sincerity. Despite the fact that Carnegie was talking about how to persuade people to adopt your point of view, this really isn't some sort of manipulative sales technique. It's a recipe for making friends.

This idea wasn't just a personal theory of Carnegie's. To write his book, he interviewed the most successful people of his day, from Clark Gable to Franklin D. Roosevelt. He studied the writings of philosophers from Confucius to Benjamin Franklin, and the lives of famous leaders from Abraham Lincoln to Henry Ford.

Carnegie spoke with many professional salespeople, and also with many of their customers. Here's what he discovered: "Thousands of salespeople are pounding the pavements today, tired, discouraged and underpaid. Why? Because they are always thinking only of what they want... The world is full of people who are grabbing and self-seeking. So the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has little competition."

All the great salespeople I know are people others refer to with adjectives like "friendly," "nice," and "likable." When you see them across a room, you are drawn to them. When you get on the phone with them, you don't want to hang up. They seem to have the ability of making you feel as if their conversation with you is the only thing in the world that matters to them.

And they're not faking it.

What sort of shift might it create in your selling if you took Carnegie's advice to heart? If instead of trying to make sales, you simply set about making friends? Imagine what a difference it would make to how you dealt with everything from cold calling to attending networking events.

Picture yourself on a cold call, smiling, talking about the other person's concerns, and making him or her feel important. Visualize yourself at a Chamber of Commerce mixer, getting people to talk about themselves, and expressing your interest in what they have to say.

Showing a genuine interest in others not only makes them feel good, it makes you feel good. Instead of trying to convince someone of your point of view, your job becomes to see everything from the other person's side. Conversations that used to be challenging sales situations can instead become opportunities to make new friends.

If this approach appeals to you, here's what to do next in Carnegie's own words: "So, if you desire to master the principles you are studying in this book, do something about them. Apply these rules at every opportunity. If you don't you will forget them quickly. Only knowledge that is used sticks in your mind."

Copyright © 2004, C.J. Hayden
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C.J. Hayden is the author of Get Clients Now! Thousands of business owners and salespeople have used her simple sales and marketing system to double or triple their income. Get a free copy of "Five Secrets to Finding All the Clients You'll Ever Need" at www.GetClientsNow.com.

Getting Your Voicemail Messages Returned -- Helpful Sales Tips

There's an interview with Jill Konrath over at Softwareceo.com where she shares some good advice on "How to leave compelling voice mails" -- this is important if you need to reach the key decision makers in big companies. Remember, if you can't reach the decision maker in the first place, you can't get the sale.

I've included a few of the sales tips she provides in her interview below...

Voice mail tip #1: Don't leave a standard, self-serving voice mail.

Voice mail tip #2: Make your first sentence short and sweet.

Voice mail tip #3: Keep them listening with your second sentence.

* Read the complete interview with Jill Konrath -- where she shares other tips as well as goes more in-depth on each of points above.

-- Here's to your selling success, Josh Hinds :-)

Schedule Telemarketing Time For More Success By Stan Rosenzweig

Telephone canvassing, or cold calling, is the practice of sitting down with a long list of potential prospects you've never met and telephoning them, one at a time, to learn which of them needs what you sell and then arranging to sell it to them.

Believe me, nobody likes telephone cold calling. Salesmen don't like it because they perceive that cold calls are to unfriendly, unkind strangers who would rather see you in a California kickboxing ring, going one-on-one with Governor Arnold, than see you in their offices. It's true. They are. They would.

Prospects don't always appreciate cold calls, because they are from people they don't know, asking questions they don't want to discuss. These calls are unscheduled, intrusive and sometimes can be a general pain in the South Forty.

At other times, however, prospects do respond well to cold calls. They open up freely and give us the chance to sell them what they need.

So, here's the dilemma: If we don't like doing it, and prospects don’t always know when they like it done to them, why is it that we all MUST make cold phone calls part of our selling strategy? There are countless reasons. Here are just a few:

1. It's the fastest way to qualify prospects and maximize valuable selling time.

2. It’s also the fastest way to let them know what we do.

3. It's targeted. It's the best way to find the decision-maker.

4. It creates a quick personal relationship with the buyer.

5. It keeps us productive when store traffic is down.

6. It reaches prospects we’ll never run across in our other selling activities.

Every time you sit down to make telephone-canvassing calls, can you clear your mind of self-doubt? Concentrate on the goal of the moment and you will find that each new day will bring you new business, will raise you to new heights in professional productivity, and will give you a great sense of personal satisfaction.
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Stan Rosenzweig is a sales trainer, marketing consultant and author. He creates customized corporate sales training and directs strategic marketing, product development and cost management consulting for large and middle sized companies and offers free selling advice at www.salestipwebsite.com.

How To Shorten The Selling Cycle And Reduce Buying Stalls By Doug Staneart

The main reason for buyer resistance and selling stalls boils down to one simple fact: the reasons for not buying are bigger to the prospect than the reason to buy.

If you sell an intangible product or service, it may be even tougher to close down a sale because your product or service is not something people can see, touch, or feel. So the reasons for your prospects to buy have to be vivid, logical, and emotional. There has to be a reason for them to buy NOW, or they’ll put off making the decision until later.

When you sit down with a prospect, ask a lot of questions about the prospect related to your product or service to get the person to tell you what is important in his/her life.

If you are selling a tangible product, you might ask questions like the following:

-- What do you like most about your current product?

-- What do you like least?

-- If you could change anything about the product you have now, what would it be?

-- Has any needs changed hat makes buying a new product different than the last time you bought (bigger family, etc.)?

-- Why do you want to buy a new product?

If you are selling an intangible product, then questions like the following might be more helpful?

-- At this point in your family/career, are you more concerned with getting ahead, security, planning for the future, creating a legacy, being esteemed by others, etc.?

-- Is that different from what your focus was two years ago? Five years ago? Ten years ago?

-- Where do you see yourself in three to five years?

-- What kinds of things have to be put in place to in order for you to accomplish what you have planned?

The answer to these and other questions may help you determine what is most important to your prospect. Now, just look to see what types of products/services you supply that can help the prospect get what he/she wants.

For instance, if you sell insurance, you have to realize that NO ONE wants insurance, but they may want the things that insurance provides like security. Or if you sell real estate or cars, the car or house may not be nearly as important to the prospect as the status that each may provide. So if during the questioning period, you find out that your prospect is most concerned about security for his/her family, then you’ll show the prospect how the policy you sell will give the family security, or the house you have in mind is resistant to forces of nature, or the car you sell just won Motor Trend’s safety award.

If you have a personal example of a sale you’ve made in the past that was able to get the thing that your new prospect wants by buying from you, then by all means, tell the new prospect about this success. Be specific. Use proper names, time, and location, and your prospect will begin to picture himself/herself having received that benefit as well.

During the close, give them options like, 1) buy this now, 2) wait a year, 3) wait five years, 4) wait ten years, etc. Show them how much they will miss out on if they wait (higher premiums, less return.) Show what might happen if circumstances change between now and the time they buy.

Give them options, and they will probably choose to buy now.

Copyright 2005 Doug Staneart
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Doug Staneart, doug@sales-leader.com, is CEO of The Leader’s Institute, www.sales-leader.com, specializing in sales training, public speaking, and team building training for individuals and groups. He can be reached toll-free at 1-800-872-7830.

Selling – Remember These Ten Rules and Succeed By Bill Robb

There are thousands of books and seminars on how to succeed. What many don’t make explicit is the requirement to be a great salesperson – even if you’re selling an idea!

Here are the ten simple but powerful rules that will guide you in all your selling decisions.

* Helping. Get into the mindset of respecting and helping the customer. The hard sell today does not work.

* Knowledge. Know your product/service, customer and industry inside out – be able to answer almost any question.

* Benefits. Think of how each of the features of your product/service can benefit the customer and always mention that first – right at the beginning.

* Presentable. Be neat, presentable and clean and that includes smelling good too. Dress as the audience expects.

* Rehearse. Practice your presentation over and over gain. Use audio and video tape, do it in front of the mirror and ask friends and colleagues to offer suggestions. Do not underestimate this.

* The 70 – 30 rule. Listen more than you talk – ask questions – find out customers concerns so you can ease them away.

* Enthusiasm. Show enthusiasm, energy, friendliness and professionalism and show confidence in the product/service. Mention nothing negative – even if the weather is lousy.

* Easy. Make it easy to handle, try, test the goods or services and then make it so easy to buy.

* Boldness. Ask for the business.

* Friendly. People buy from people. Never argue or make the customer look silly.

Here’s a list of some of the things that annoy your customers:

* Spread himself out in my living room
* Used the toilet and didn’t lift the lid
* Had smelly breath/ body odour
* Tried to pressure me
* Didn’t listen to me
* When I said it wasn’t for me she insisted
* Tried to convince me I was wrong
* Talked down to me as if I was stupid or inferior
* Hinted that I was stupid for not seeing the value of what he was offering me
* Avoided answering my questions
* Kept saying bad tings about other companies
* Went over to my bookcase and took down a book and made some comment
* Kept talking about his children
* Didn’t have an order form needed to progress the sale
* Was too smarmy – kept using my name all the time as a sales technique
* Spoke too quickly and didn’t give me much time in the car – felt we had to hurry
* Made me feel I was bothering him – that I was interrupting him

Of course you don’t do any of these!
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Bill is managing director of Brilliant Web Workshops and is committed to discovering, demystifying, distilling and disseminating practical knowledge to help people do even better. He is putting most of his workshops online so people can do them anywhere, anytime. www.brilliantwebworkshops.com

Sales Process - The Secret to Closing More Sales By Alan Rigg

Most sales training programs that teach salespeople how to sell specific products or services do not mention business problems. This is an unfortunate oversight, as qualifying and quantifying business problems is the secret to closing more sales!

What is a Business Problem?

A business problem is any activity or outcome that negatively impacts a business. Examples of negative impacts include reductions in revenue, profits, customer satisfaction, employee productivity, job satisfaction, etc.

Here is an example of a business problem description:

"Many mission-critical software applications (e-business, manufacturing, point-of-sale, etc.) need to access relational databases in order to function. If a database has problems (goes down or suffers data loss or corruption), application downtime can cost companies tens of thousands of dollars per minute in lost sales, lost customers, and lost opportunities."

In the above example, the business problem is a database that is not functioning properly.

What is the relationship between Business Problems and the Features and Benefits of a product or service?

Features are what actually solve business problems. Benefits are what customers enjoy when the business problem has been solved.

The only features prospects actually care about are the ones that will solve their own specific business problems. If we randomly spew long lists of features and benefits at prospects, in effect we are hoping they are already aware of their business problems, and they will somehow figure out which of our (product or service) features will solve their business problems.

This is a very inefficient way to sell. Plus, we run the risk that our prospects will NOT figure out which features will solve their business problems. Or, they may become bored and "switch off" before we mention features that may actually be of interest to them!

If you are going to talk about features and benefits, discuss only those features that will solve your prospect's specific business problems! Of course, you need to identify your prospect's business problems if you want to have this kind of highly targeted discussion.

If your employer's product or service training programs do not specifically address business problems, you will need to do some digging to uncover them. Ask the question, "What problems does this product or service solve?" Another way to ask this question is, "What would motivate a prospect to make the investment required to buy this product/service?" Then, once you have made a list of the most important business problems, ask, "What questions can I ask that will help me figure out whether a prospect has any of these business problems?"

When you become an expert in business problems and related qualifying questions, your education will not be complete. You also need to learn the questions you can ask to quantify the impact of each business problem.

What is a Quantified Impact?

Quantified impacts are dollar values or percentages with associated time frames that can be assigned to specific business problems. In the earlier business problem description, the quantified impact was "tens of thousands of dollars per minute".

Quantified impacts are an invaluable aid to closing sales. How? If the quantified impact of a business problem exceeds the investment required to fix the problem, a buying decision is easy to justify.

The larger the difference between the quantified impact and the required investment, the easier it becomes to close the sale. If the quantified impact is a multiple of the required investment (for example, a quantified impact of millions of dollars versus a required investment of thousands of dollars), the buying decision becomes "a no-brainer".

IMPORTANT NOTE: In order for a quantified impact to add value to the sales process, your prospect must be the source of the numbers. Why? In general, prospects don't trust salespeople. Many have dealt with salespeople who were more interested in making sales than they were in providing value.

Plus, prospects recognize that salespeople have a vested interest in creating a compelling business case that can be used to support a buying decision. This causes prospects to discount any quantified impact information that salespeople provide. However, if the prospect is the source of the quantified impact information, they perceive it as unquestioned truth. This makes learning how to ask quantifying questions a valuable skill indeed!

If you want to close more sales, invest some time and effort in identifying the business problems that can be solved by your products and services. If you become an expert in business problems and the questions you can ask to 1) determine whether a prospect has specific business problems, and 2) quantify the impact of those business problems, you will close more sales faster and with less effort.

Copyright 2005 -- Alan Rigg
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Sales performance expert Alan Rigg is the author of How to Beat the 80/20 Rule in Selling: Why Most Salespeople Don't Perform and What to Do About It. His company, 80/20 Sales Performance, helps business owners, executives, and managers DOUBLE sales by implementing The Right Formula™ for building top-performing sales teams. For more information and more FREE sales and sales management tips, visit www.8020salesperformance.com

Gatekeepers By Sharon Drew Morgen

When I ask salespeople to define what a gatekeeper is, I generally hear: "Someone who keeps out people who will waste the boss's time."

But gates are two-sided - they open as well as close: a gatekeeper's job is actually to make sure the boss gets to spend his/her time efficiently.

I've probably gotten approximately $500,000 in business as a result of the word or deed of gatekeepers.

How have I done this? By remembering a few simple rules:

1. whoever answers the phone is my client;

2. in order for a gatekeeper to open OR close the gate, she has to decide which category to put me in - in, or out.

3. it's the job of the gatekeeper to make sure her boss gets to speak with people who can help him/her do a better job.

My own secretary has a very unique habit of putting messages on the bottom of my In Basket when they are from folks she doesn't like - and she keeps moving these back to the bottom as I go through the pile. But I've come to trust her judgment (once I got over the initial discovery of her deception. Of course, I look there daily now, and just don't tell her.)

"WHY are these HERE?" I asked the first time I noticed a rather large grouping of pink message slips at the bottom of the pile. "I was WAITING FOR THIS CALL."

"He was rude to me, and I didn't trust him."

I address my follow up calls with her feedback in mind; she has saved me time, money, and effort through her gut responses. And she's never been wrong.

Here are two stories of how I got business from gatekeepers. Note that I was using Buying Facilitation with each of them, and taught them how to decide to choose me.

TWO CASE STUDIES

Case Study #1

I got the name of the Vice-President Southwest Region of DEC (Remember DEC? It's been subsumed by Compaq/HP.) Dave Heil was allegedly a dynamic, innovative thinker, and was located in Albuquerque, NM when I lived in Taos. His secretary Judy answered the phone.

Judy: Dave Heil's office.

SDM: Hi. My name is Sharon Drew Morgen, and this is a sales call. I know you're busy so I'm wondering if this is a good time to speak.

Judy: it's never a good time. Thanks for asking. How can I help you?

SDM: I'm wondering how you folks are adding new sales methods to any current sales training you're doing.

Judy: Can you get here next Wednesday at 8:10? Dave is on vacation til Wednesday, and his first meeting is scheduled for 8:30. He always gets in at 8:00, and I bet he'd like to spend 20 minutes with you before he starts his day. SDM: You're having him meet with me the day he comes back from vacation??

Judy: Yes. I speak with a lot of people trying to get through to Dave; you're the first one who respected me, and who trusted my involvement. I also know that Dave is always on the lookout for innovative material, and if your opening question was a representation of what you're doing, and I suspect it is, Dave will be interested in meeting with you. Can you come?

Of course I went. At precisely 8:10, Dave walked in with a dark tan. "Well, you must be a very smart person that I need to meet. Not many people get through Judy. So, who are you and why do I need you?"

I got the job; Dave Heil is still my friend and colleague 13 years - and several job moves - later.

Case Study #2

I was given the name of a small manufacturing company (company has since been subsumed by a much larger company) and told that they were seeking new sales training. I called in and spoke with the receptionist, Susan.

Susan: Hello. This is Company X. Who would you like to be connected with? SDM: I'm not sure, but maybe you can help me. Are you sure this is a good time?

Susan: I've got the time. What do you need?

SDM: My name is Sharon Drew Morgen, and this is actually a sales call. I've developed an innovative and ethical sales methodology, and am not sure if your company either seeks innovation, or has a desire to bring in new material. Can you tell me how your company chooses to bring in new sales material?

Susan: If you send me a packet with your stuff in it, and call me back in a week, I'll make sure it gets to the proper person.

I sent her a packet on Wednesday. On Friday, Susan called me back.

Susan: I put your material on the desk of our sales director. Two hours later he was fired, and he cleaned out his office. He either threw your stuff away or took it with him. Can you please send me another packet and I'll get it to the new person?

I sent her the packet immediately. The following Tuesday I got a call.

Joe: Hello, Sharon Drew. You don't know me, but the receptionist gave me a packet of information, and I promised her that not only would I call you, but I'd report back to her on what we decided. Since this is my first day, you must be a very important person. Who are you?

I began doing work with this company about 2 months later.

WORKING WITH, NOT THROUGH

For some reason you have been taught to view the person answering the telephone as a deterrent to getting where you want to get. But this person is your guide. And, since she decides whether you 'get through' or not, she's in control of the conversation. No matter how smart you are or how good your product is, no matter how much your prospect needs you or how much money you can make or save them, if the gatekeeper doesn't put you through, you're toast.

Whole books and programs have been devoted to 'getting through' the gatekeeper. But this person is a human being, with a job. And she is happy to help you. I've heard of sales people using an authoritative voice to show her they're important (um, they're in control, remember?

Doesn't matter how important you are to you - she's the one who determines if you're important or not); or sounding familiar and suave, as if they are friends with the boss already (and, you don't think she knows who the boss knows?); or using the name of a reference as if it were the boss's best friend (the boss rarely knows the reference well, or the reference would have already called the boss on your behalf and the secretary would be awaiting your call).

These are all ploys to 'get through'. Why not teach the gatekeeper how to choose to help you? Here are a few stories of what gatekeepers have done to help me over the years (Note: all of the following responses have been to my calling on a cold call, with no reference and no prior contact):

1. go into the men's room (literally) to get their boss to hurry up so he would speak with me and not keep me waiting;

2. tell me when the prospect would be available, with a clear calendar;

3. give me a specific time and date, and put my incoming call on the calendar so when I'd call in the boss would be awaiting my call (and, when the boss's calendar shifted even called me back to give me another time commitment);

4. told me the correct person to speak with so I wouldn't waste my time on the person I thought I needed ("Oh, you don't want to talk to HIM. He'll turn it over to her anyway, so you might as well start with her.");

5. told me to hang up and call back during morning hours when the guy would be, um, more able to have a cogent conversation rather than after his lunch break (This guy must have been REALLY productive in the mornings!);

6. given me lists of names to call in addition to the name I had, with an offer to get more names if I weren't successful with the ones I had.

ATTITUDE

A supervisor I was coaching from a large software company called to ask for one of the Project Managers. He used a very snooty, condescending voice.

Gatekeeper: Hi. How can I help?

Seller: Give me Stephanie please.

Gatekeeper: Stephanie is on holiday for two weeks. I'll take your name and have her call you back.

I asked this man to call the number again and this time I took the call. I believed there was something more than a vacation happening here.

Gatekeeper: Hi. How can I help?

SDM: Hi there. My name is Sharon Drew Morgen and I'm with XYZ company and…..

Gatekeeper: you're from XYZ company? Do you have any idea how long we've been trying to reach you? We've put in over a dozen calls to have you fix a problem here, and no one has called us back. I'm the Systems Analyst; let me get the Project Manager.

Stephanie: Hello. This is Stephanie. I hear you're finally calling me back, but it's too late. We've taken you off of our preferred supplier's list.

We fixed the problem (groveling works!), but my client realized that his attitude was quite annoying to the person on the other end no matter who answered the phone. He had assumed - hearing a woman's voice - that the person who answered was the 'gatekeeper' and he had to show her who was boss.

The Systems Analyst wasn't going to be treated that way by anyone. How many other times had prospects been 'on vacation' or at a 'meeting' because the gatekeeper was being verbally abused by a seller's attitude? If you act as if everyone who answers the call is your client - and everyone is your client! - you'll have an easier time getting to speak with the right person sooner.
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Sharon Drew Morgen is the author of NYTimes Best seller Selling with Integrity. She speaks, teaches and consults globally around her elegant, doable sales model, Buying Facilitation. Visit www.newsalesparadigm.com or www.sharondrewmorgen.com.
Phone: 512-457-0246
Morgen Facilitations, Inc.
Austin, TX

Sorry, But I'm Not Buying From You! By Gary S. Goodman

Former General Electric CEO and legendary manager, Jack Welch, nailed the problem recently when he said there’s just too much beating around the bush and indirectness in corporate communications. People are more interested in not hurting each others’ feelings than in improving productivity, and we simply need more frankness, says Welch.

In my own small way I’m trying to remedy this situation, especially when I deal with salespeople. For example, I put out a request for a proposal and about ten companies responded. Quickly, I boiled the list down to five, called the references of the three in which I had genuine interest, and then I selected the contract winner.

Within minutes of making my decision, I phoned the others and told them, nicely but directly, that I had selected a different firm. (Of course, I left open the door to a few runners-up, in the event the chosen-one falters down the road.) Most of those I called were surprised, if not flummoxed by the fact that someone like me took the time to say, “Sorry, but I’m not buying from you!”

I did it for several reasons:

(1) It’s courteous, and what comes around, goes around. I’m a salesperson, too, and I appreciate frankness.

(2) It saves everybody’s time, and this improves productivity. I’ve calculated that I have to leave at least three non-answered voice mails or messages to figure out that someone is uninterested, or is possibly ducking my calls. These calls may be spaced over a week or two, and during that time I’m thinking I still have a living, breathing buyer when I’m really chasing a phantom.

(3) Although I have my vendor’s hat on when I’m selling, in many cases, I’m also a potential or actual customer. The person who fails to return my calls at Countrywide dooms her company to not even getting close to earning my mortgage business, the next time I need one.

(4) It’s a golden opportunity to give and to get high quality feedback. I would have gladly told any potential suitor how they missed the mark and why I made my selection, but no one asked! By the way, price had nothing to do with my choice. More subtle, but powerful and significant factors entered into the equation, which every vendor should hear about, so they can improve.

(5) It takes a lot of energy to avoid someone’s calls. Why waste the time of your receptionist by asking that he or she join your conspiracy by being forced to say you’re in a meeting, on conference call, or by lying with whatever the excuse of the day happens to be?

(6) If you waste my time, it becomes a cost of doing business, and I have to pass along this waste through higher prices, lower quality, or inferior service. Which would you prefer?

(7) There’s too much frustration and anger in the world, already. Why add to it?

So, then next time you have a choice, try using directness. In the long run, it will help us all.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, Copyright 2005
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Dr. Gary S. Goodman is a popular keynote speaker, consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books. He is the author of the Nightingale-Conant audio program, The Law Of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable. Gary teaches Entrepreneurship and Consulting at UCLA Extension, and he is President of Customersatisfaction.com and The Goodman Organization, in Glendale, California. He can be reached at gary@customersatisfaction.com.

Complacency and Fear are Sales Busters By Don Price

Prospecting is the engine that propels anyone in sales. Without consistently initiating contact with prospective customers to talk with, your sales will plummet and everybody loses.

Studies confirm that 80% of all salespeople fail in their first year because of the fears associated with prospecting. 40% of veteran producers with more than five years -- experience severe sales slumps due to fears associated with prospecting.

Fears are productivity busters that drain our energies and makes sales prospecting emotionally difficult. Fears most commonly recognized in the sales world are fear of rejection, fear of loss, fear using the telephone, fear of not be prepared, group selling and a host of others. All of which jeopardize existing relationships with customers and stand in the way of acquiring new customers -- resulting in loss revenue for companies and loss income for salespeople.

Eliminating those fears is something that is easy to overcome. But sales managers and trainers who tell sales rookies and seasoned professionals to do the things you fear most and it will go away -- haven't a clue of what harm is being done.

The person who is motivated, has sales goals and is reluctant to cold calls, self-promotion, selling to groups or any other forms of call reluctantcey is legitimately fearful. Forcing that person to make cold calls on the telephone is only imbedding the fear deeper. It is like pounding a nail into a person's leg and at the same time telling them to think positive and it won’t hurt.

Fears are feeling establish when we allow ourselves to, mindlessly, recite self-limiting thoughts. To overcome distressful gut wrenching feelings we must replace fear producing self-talk with non-fear-producing statements.

Sales, is a stressful business causing negative mind chatter in a person to conjure up all kinds of unpleasant thoughts. When prospecting, it is not at all uncommon for the salesperson to check out momentarily by going into a state of self-hypnosis reciting counterproductive, contorted and self-defeating talk. When that occurs, you need to replace it with self-enhancing self-talk, which will result in constructive emotional responses.

When complacency and stress sets in -- beware. Check what is going on with your self-talk. It just may be that you are slowly being contaminated. When you are having feelings of distress and despair over any form of prospecting, listen carefully to yourself. Are you hearing highly charge and emotional words like -- couldn't, terrible, awful, can't, hate -- that automatically invoke self-talk statements that are inhibiting your career.

Here is a simplified but useful way of reversing self-diminishing self-talk:

1. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths.

2. While you are exhaling, slow your self-talk down to the point that you are reciting, your words, in slow motion. Listen for your self-defeating talk.

3. Disconnect your self-defeating talk with goal-supporting non-fear producing statements.

4. Continue the reinforcement by visualizing a positive outcome along with your non-fear producing statements.

Your focus in this simplified exercise is to realign your emotional energy. Fear takes on many different forms and drains us of energy, while robbing us of many valuable hours we could be using more productively for prospecting and growing our business.
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Don L. Price – Coaching Minds To Succeed, Sales/Marketing & High Performance Success Coach, International Speaker, Consultant and Author of Secrets of Personal Marketing Power-Strategies for Achieving Greater Personal & Business Success -- www.donlprice.com

Sealing The Deal Over The Business Meal By Lydia Ramsey

Doing business over meals is a ritual that has existed for centuries. Taking clients to breakfast, lunch or dinner has long been an effective way to build relationships, make the sale or seal the deal. These business meals are essentially business meetings.

Knowledge of your product or your service is crucial to the success of the meeting, but so are your manners. Too many people jeopardize an opportunity because they fail to use good dining etiquette. Here are a few basic rules to make the experience pleasurable and profitable.

Know your duties as the host. You are in charge. It is up to you to see that things go well and that your guests are comfortable. You need to attend to every detail from extending the invitation to paying the bill.

Plan ahead when you issue the invitation. Allow a week for a business dinner and three days for lunch. Be certain that the date works for you. That might sound obvious, but if you have to cancel or postpone, you can look disorganized and disrespectful of your clients' time.

Select a restaurant that you know, preferably one where you are known. This is no time to try out the latest hot spot. Being confident of the quality of the food and service leaves you free to focus on business.

Consider the atmosphere. Does it lend itself to conversation and discussion? If you and your clients can't hear each other over the roar of the diners and dishes, you will have wasted your time and money.

When you make your reservation, let the staff know that you will be dining with clients. If your guests suggest a restaurant new to you (perhaps you are hosting clients out-of-town), call ahead and speak with the maitre'd. Make it clear that you will be having an important business meal and picking up the check.

Confirm the meal appointment with your clients the day before if you are meeting for breakfast or that day if you are having lunch or dinner. Things do happen and mix-ups occur.

Arrive early so you can attend to last minute details. This is the perfect time to give your credit card to the maitre'd and avoid the awkwardness that seems to accompany the arrival of the bill.

Take charge of the seating. Your guests should have the prime seats-the ones with the view. As the host, take the least desirable spot-the one facing the wall, the kitchen or the restrooms.

Beyond being polite, where you seat your guests is strategic. When you are entertaining one client, sit next to each at a right angle rather than across the table.

With two clients, put one across from you and the other to your side. If you sit between them, you will look as if you are watching a match at Wimbledon as you try to follow the conversation.

Allow your guests to order first. You might suggest certain dishes to be helpful. By recommending specific items, you are indicating a price range. Order as many courses as your guests, no more and no less, to facilitate the flow of the meal. It is awkward if one of you orders an appetizer or dessert and the others do not.

As the host, you are the one who decides when to start discussing business. That will depend on a number of factors such as the time of day and how well you know your clients.

At breakfast, time is short so get down to business quickly. At lunch, wait until you have ordered so you won't be interrupted. Dinner, the more social occasion, is a time for rapport building. Limit the business talk and do it after the main course is completed.

When you know your clients well, you have more of a basis for small talk. However, because you have established a business friendship, you can eliminate some of the chitchat when time is an issue.

When you don't know your clients well, spend more time getting acquainted before launching your shoptalk.

Sometimes you simply need to use your own judgment about when to get down to business, realizing that if you wait too long, your clients may start to wonder why they were invited. If you begin too early in the meal, your guests might suspect that you are more interested in their money than you are in them.

Keep an eye on the time, but don't let your guests see you checking your watch. Breakfast should typically last an hour; lunch an hour and a half. Wrap up your business dinner in two to three hours, no more.

Handle any disasters with grace. With all your attention to detail, things can still go wrong. The food may not be up to your standards, the waiter might be rude or the people at the next table boisterous and out of control.

Whatever happens, make sure you are not the one to lose control. Excuse yourself to discuss any problems with the staff. Your guests will feel uncomfortable if you complain in front of or to them.

Limit the amount of alcohol you drink at the business meal. The three Martini lunch is mostly a thing of the past. However, cocktails and wine are still part of the business dinner. Since alcohol can have the same effect as truth serum, keep your consumption to one or two glasses.

When guests are drinking liberally and you sense trouble, excuse yourself and discreetly ask the server to hold back on refilling the wine glasses or offering another cocktail.

Your conduct over the meal will determine your professional success. If you pay attention to the details and make every effort to see that your clients have a pleasant experience, they will assume that you will handle their business the same way. Before long you could have them eating out of your hand.

(c) 2005, Lydia Ramsey. All rights in all media reserved.
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Lydia Ramsey is a business etiquette expert, professional speaker, corporate trainer and author of MANNERS THAT SELL - ADDING THE POLISH THAT BUILDS PROFITS. She has been quoted or featured in The New York Times, Investors' Business Daily, Entrepreneur, Inc., Real Simple and Woman's Day. For more information about her programs, products and services, e-mail her at lydia@mannersthatsell.com or visit her web site www.mannersthatsell.com

Seminars for Prospecting By Dan Hudock

The purpose of a 1- or 2-hour seminar is to attract potential customers for your product or service. The topic must be provocative enough to attract attendees, without sounding too much like a sales pitch with breakfast thrown in.

Topics can be about the latest advances and/or technology in your industry; the impact of the latest political, legislative, or economic changes; increasing profits, reducing costs, avoiding unnecessary expenses, and so on.

In an educational/public seminar, the goals of the seminar are to present yourself as an expert in your field-someone who understands and is knowledgeable about the problems and challenges attendees face-and someone who has solutions to those problems and challenges. You may want to bring in other experts, such as your strategic alliance partners, to present with you.

When you hold customer appreciation seminars, the client typically arranges for the facility and refreshments as a way to thank his customers for their business and provide added value to their businesses.

You benefit by exposing your products or services to the client's customers. You deliver the program and provide handouts. As an introduction, you can call invitees to confirm their attendance. If the attendees like what they see and hear, it may result in future business opportunities.

Seminars give you a chance to begin to build rapport with potential prospects. They are also a low-risk way for potential prospects to learn about your company, your product or service, and you.

* Excerpted from Sandler's President's Club Professional Development Program (trainer edition and workbook) ©2000 Sandler Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Dan Hudock is an owner of the Sandler Sales Institute in Pittsburgh, PA. He can be reached at (724) 940-2388 or dan@sandler.com. His web site is: www.dan.sandler.com

How to Revive a Dead Lead By Stuart Ayling

It’s easy to spend days, weeks, or months speaking with a prospect, working up to a decision to buy. This is especially true if your prospects are in larger companies.

Sometimes your lead can go dead. You’re not sure why, but your contact person just goes quiet – sometimes disappearing for good.

Was your price too high? Did you say something wrong? What should you do?

I’ve had a few clients in exactly this situation – one even had his prospect located overseas. And they report great results by using this simple procedure.

Usually in these circumstances you can’t contact your prospect by phone. This is a sure sign they have "disappeared". If this is the case for you, simply leave a voice mail message that you will send an email to them and ask them to “please take a moment to read it”.

1) Remove the pressure – assume they will say “no”.

Sometimes prospects think they have put themselves in an awkward position where they have to make a decision. They could feel backed into a corner. Sometimes they may be embarrassed because they have taken so long to come to a decision. Or because their superiors don’t agree with them. Or maybe they haven’t got the finances to buy from you.

Either way, they may suddenly back-off because they feel under pressure. You must take that pressure away by assuming they will not go ahead. Assume they will say “no” to your proposal.

2) Send a polite, non-threatening message.

Because you have probably had trouble contacting the person by phone, send this via email.

Your message needs to say something like you “Appreciate the time they have taken so far to discuss their requirements. And you understand they may not be in a position at the moment to use your service. But when they are ready to proceed you would greatly appreciate an opportunity to speak with them about a service to suit their needs.” Or use similar wording for your situation.

This approach gives your prospect a way to “save face”. It gives them a way out of a tricky situation. They now know that you are not “expecting” anything from them, so they can relax and tell you what they will really be doing.

It also helps you to build trust with that prospect. By taking this approach you are demonstrating that you:

* Understand they may be in a difficult situation.

* Are interested in the longer term, not just an immediate sale.

* Are still on good terms with them, and not annoyed by the outcome.

RESULTS

By using this technique my clients have found that their "dead" lead comes back to life. One of the following usually occurs.

Either the contact person feels bad about not letting you know what has happened, so they return your call or email and tell you.

Or someone else from the company returns your message and says something like "So-and-so doesn't work here anymore, so I have forwarded your message on to the-new-guy who has taken over that role."

You win - no matter what happens. You now understand what you need to do next to keep the sale alive.

(c) 2005 Stuart Ayling. MySalesTutor.com
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Stuart Ayling is known as the 'Sales Tutor'. Stuart offers a unique sales training eCourse at www.MySalesTutor.com. This 16-day course gives you the skills and confidence to handle any sales situation and close more sales. Stuart has developed this eCourse specially for independent professionals, service providers, and business owners, based on sales "best practices" and proven trust-based sales techniques. To get the eCourse visit www.MySalesTutor.com/ecourse.htm

Trade Show Networking Tips By Scott Ingram

Trade shows are a great place to network. People are there to meet other people, and learn about who’s doing what. These 6 tips will help you maximize the networking opportunities at any trade show.

1. Meet the exhibitors

The exhibitors at any trade show paid to be able to talk to you. Make an effort to visit as many vendors as you can. Learn about them and what they have to offer. You might also ask who their target market is, or who their ideal client is.

2. Make it fun!

Consider making a game out of your networking efforts. Try to meet at least one new person every 10-15 minutes. That’ll give you enough time to spend 5 or 10 minutes getting to know them. You’ll also have a few minutes left over to meet your next new friend.

3. Listen

When you’re meeting new people listen more than you talk. Try to find a common interest. Ask them about their business and their personal interests. This information will come in handy later when you follow-up.

4. Give people value, be a resource

Be listening for ways that you can help people. Direct them to the exhibitor you met earlier who might have a great solution for them. Tell them about the great drawing you just entered, and suggest that they do the same. Offer to introduce them to someone else you know at the event who you think they might be able to make a good connection with.

5. Use business cards

Business cards are a tool. After you meet someone be sure to ask them for a business card. Take a couple of seconds to make a couple of notes about what you learned about them. Before handing someone your own business card you might want to write a quick note that will add value.

Write the name of a website they might find useful (NetworkInAustin.com perhaps?), a book, another networking event. Anything that will make your card stand out, because you’ve show that you’re a valuable resource.

6. Follow-up

This is probably the most important tip of all. Your networking efforts at any networking event are unlikely to bear any fruit if you don’t take the time to follow-up with those you met. Be sure to make at least one, preferably two, contacts during the week following the show, with each person you met.

A hand written note and a voicemail. A brief phone conversation and an e-mail. Just be sure to reconnect so you can truly begin building a relationship.

Happy networking!
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Scott Ingram is the founder of etworkInAustin.com a networking resource for networkers in Central Texas. He also posts regularly to his Business Networking Blog where you’ll learn more about Scott as well as how to become a better networker. When he’s not out building relationships at trade shows and other business networking events you’ll find Scott out running with friends on the trails of Town Lake in Austin, Texas or spending time with his growing family which currently consists of 2 cats and dog and his expecting wife Emily.

The Five Most Common Mistakes Salespeople Make By Dave Kahle

Over the decades that I've been involved in sales, I've worked with tens of thousands of salespeople.

Certain negative tendencies -- mistakes that salespeople make -- keep surfacing. Here are my top five. See to what degree you (or your sales force) may be guilty of them.

Mistake Number One: Over concern with strategy instead of tactics

Gather a group of salespeople together around a coffee maker and listen to the conversation. After the obligatory complaints about all types of things, the conversation inevitably drifts to questions of strategy. How do I accomplish this in that account? How do I get this account to this?

In my seminars, I often hold a "clinic" where salespeople write down any sales-related question and submit it to the group for discussion. These questions are almost always related to strategic issues. In one form or another, they ask the same question: How do I achieve this effect in this account?

While this thoughtfulness is encouraging, it reveals an erroneous mindset. The belief behind these questions is this: "If I can only determine the right sequence of actions of my part, I'll be able to sell this account, or achieve this goal."

This, unfortunately, is rarely the case. These sales people, based on this erroneous belief, are looking for a solution in the wrong place. Almost always, the answer to the question is not a more clever strategy, but better execution of the basic tactics.

It is like the foot ball team whose players don't tackle well, miss their blocks, throw erratic passes, and fumble frequently. The solution is not a more clever game plan. The solution is better execution of the basic tactics. Learn to do the basics effectively, and the strategy will generally take care of itself.

The real problem with this over concern for strategy is that it seduces the salesperson's energy, substituting the pursuit of a better strategy for the real solution - better execution of the basics.

When I'm asked these "strategy" questions, I find myself asking the salesperson to verify the fundamentals. Have you identified the key decision makers and influencers in the account? Have you created trusting personal relationships with each of them? Have you understood the customer's situation at a deep level? Have your presented your solution in a way that gives them reason to do business with you? Have you effectively matched your proposal to the intricacies of the customer's needs?

This line of inquiry almost always reveals a flaw in tactical execution. It's not the strategy that the problem, it's the tactics. Focus on doing the basics first, and the need for a clever strategy diminishes.

Mistake Number Two: Lack of thoughtfulness

The typical field salesperson has, as a necessary and integral part of his/her personality, an inclination toward action. We like to be busy: driving here and there, talking on our cell phones, putting deals together, solving customer's problems -- all in a continuous flurry of activity. Boy, can we get stuff done!

And this high energy inclination to action is a powerful personality strength, energizing the salesperson who wants to achieve success.

But, like every powerful personality trait, this one has a dark backside. Our inclination to act often overwhelms our wiser approach to think before we act.

In our hunger for action, we neglect to take a few moments to think about that action. Is this the most effective place to go? Have I thoroughly prepared for this sales call? Do I know what I want to achieve in this call? Is this the person I should be seeing, or is there someone else who is more appropriate? Is it really wise to drive 30 miles to see this account, and then back tract 45 miles to see another?

Customers these days are demanding salespeople who are thoroughly prepared, who have well thought-out agendas, and who have done their research before the sales call. All of this works to the detriment of the "ready-shoot-aim" type of salesperson.

On the other hand, those who discipline themselves to a regular routine of dedicated time devoted to planning and preparing will find themselves far more effective then their action-oriented colleagues.

Mistake Number Three: Contentment with the superficial

There are some customers who have been called on for years, and yet the salesperson doesn't know any more about them today then he/she did after the second sales call. These are accounts where the salesperson cannot identify one of the account's customers, explain whether or not they are profitable, or identify one of their strategic goals.

Most salespeople have a wonderful opportunity to learn about their customers in deeper and more detailed ways, and often squander it by having the same conversations with the same customers over and over. They never dig deeper. They mistake familiarity with knowledge.

What a shame. I am convinced that the ultimate sales skill -- the one portion of the sales process that more than anything else determines our success as a salesperson -- is the ability to know the customer deeper and in a more detailed way than our competitors do.

It's our knowledge of the customer that allows us to position ourselves as competent, trustworthy consultants. It's our knowledge of the customer that provides us the information we need to structure programs and proposals that distinguish us from everyone else. It's our knowledge of the customer that allows us to proactively serve that customer, to meet their needs even before they have articulated them.

In an economic environment where the distinctions between companies and products are blurring in the eyes of the customer, the successful companies and individuals will be those who outsell the rest. And outselling the rest depends on understanding the customer better than anyone else.

Mistake Number Four: Poor questioning

This is a variation of the mistake above. I am absolutely astonished at the lack of thoughtfulness that I often see on the part of salespeople. Most use questions like sledgehammers, splintering the relationship and bruising the sensibility of their customers by thoughtless questions.

Others don't use them at all, practically ignoring the most important part of a sales call. They labor under the misconception that the more they talk, the better job of selling they do, when the truth lies in exactly the opposite approach.

And others are content to play about the surface of the issue. "How much of this do you use?" "What do you not like about your current supplier?" Their questions are superficial at best, redundant and irritating at worst.

The result? These salespeople never really uncover the deeper more intense issues that motivate their customers. Instead, they continually react to the common complaint of customers who have been given no reason to think otherwise: "Your price is too high."

Fewer sales, constant complaints about pricing, frustrated salespeople, impatient managers, and unimpressed customers - all of these as a result of the inability to use the salesperson's most powerful tool with skill and sensitivity.

Mistake Number Five: No investment in themselves.

Here's an amazing observation. No more than 5% of active, full time professional salespeople ever invest in their own growth. That means that only one of 20 salespeople have ever spent $20.00 of their own money on a book on sales, or subscribed to a sales magazine, taken a sales course, or attended a sales seminar of their own choosing and on their own nickel.

Don't believe me? Take a poll. Ask your salespeople or your colleagues how many of them have invested more than $20.00 in a book, magazine, tape, etc. in the last 12 months. Ask those who venture a positive answer to substantiate it by naming their investment. Don't be surprised if the answers get vague. You'll quickly find out how many sales people in your organization have invested in themselves.

Sales is the only profession I know of where the overwhelming majority of practitioners are content with their personal status quo.

Why is that? A number of reasons...

Some mistakenly think that their jobs are so unique that they cannot possibly learn anything from anyone else. Still others think they know it all. They have, therefore, no interest in taking time from some seemingly valuable thing they are doing to attend a seminar or read a book.

Some don't care. Their focus is hanging onto their jobs, not necessarily getting better at them. But I think the major reason is that the overwhelming majority of salespeople do not view themselves as professionals and, therefore, do not have professional expectations for themselves. They worked their way up from the customer service desk or they landed in sales by chance, and they view their work as a job to be done, not a profession to grow within.

They are content to let their companies arrange for their training or development. And between you and me, they would prefer that their companies really didn't do anything that would require them to actually change what they do.

These are the five most common negative tendencies that I see. It may be that you and your colleagues are immune to these dampers on success. Good for you. But if you are not immune, and if you spot some of your own tendencies in this list, then you are not reaching your potential for success.

You have tremendous potential for success -- for contentment, confidence and competence - that is being hindered by these negative behaviors. Rid yourself of these negative tendencies, and you'll begin to reach your potential.

Copyright 2002 by Dave Kahle
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If you would like assistance structuring a sales system or sales development program to suit the specific needs of your company, you can reach Dave Kahle at 800-331-1287 or by visiting his web site.

7 Phrases You Can't Say in Sales By Doug Smart

7 Phrases You Can’t Say in Sales
(Because They Will Undermine Your Credibility and Drop Your Closing Rate)

Years ago, George Carlin listed seven words you can’t say on television. Then HBO came along, said all the words, and the world of television changed forever. Now, I know that even before you read the seven no-no phrases in sales, you might be tempted to think, oh, whatever these are they will eventually become acceptable, too.

There are two big problems with this reasoning.

1. Television has been around for about sixty years so it is still a youngster experiencing growing pains; sales started way back when the inventor of the wheel made a few extras to sell to friends.

2. The seven sales phrases are already being said by salespeople and they are delivering decidedly mediocre results. They live on because veteran salespeople say them and novice salespeople ape them. The cycle continues.

The big challenge with these words is that they undermine the credibility of salespeople and they encourage defensive barriers to spring up in the minds of the prospective buyers. Talk about salespeople shooting themselves in the foot! These phrases either degrade what could be a great sale down to a pedestrian transaction or they scare off buyers. And worse, less experienced salespeople think they are supposed to say these phrases in order to entice buyers. Here is a word to my sales colleagues: No matter whether you are selling products, services, and/or ideas, avoid using these phrases! They will make buyers distrust you.

As you read these seven, think of yourself as a buyer not a salesperson. (Did you ever stop to consider that over the course of your life you will most likely buy more products and services than you will sell?) As a buyer, imagine you are in situation in which a salesperson has recently made your acquaintance. Test your gut reaction. Do any of these seven make you want to buy – or do they make you want to run?

Here are the seven deadly phrases in sales. Actually, one of these is a pair of words, not a phrase. But all of these leave the same unpleasant after-taste as one bad word.

Trust me. Instructing people to trust a salesperson is pretty much like setting up a too-familiar joke whose punch line is going to be “you are an idiot so just give me lots of your money now.” The pairing of trust and me signals buyers to put up their defense shields and turn on their BS filters (for Better Sense, of course).

Trust is one of the two concepts that the more somebody asks for it, the more elusive it becomes. Trust – like love – cannot be requested effectively. Although it is plentiful, it has to be earned to be genuine. And besides, it is the buyer’s prerogative to decide whom to trust, when, and how much. Asking for trust will actually hinder the salesperson from getting it. (P.S.“Believe me when I say…” is in the same league.)

I’m your friend. It is tempting for a salesperson to think a buyer is a new friend after the two share fifteen minutes excitedly discussing a mutual experience or passion. This happens, for example, when both share an obsession for golf and both once played the course at Pebble Beach in their youth.

However, too many salespeople mistake rapport for friendship. The two are not the same. Friendship requires an emotional investment and real commitment. Friendship takes time, energy, and some sacrifice. Friendliness is a great way to ease any tensions in the sales process but over-friendliness can raise resentment in buyers’ minds.

Nobody can sell this cheaper than me. Nobody? First off, the world is a big place with a lot of others selling things a lot like what other salespeople have. If the salesperson really has the world’s lowest price on something and can do business both legally and profitably, instead of wasting time one-on-one with prospects, he or she should put up a website and rake in the dough. And second, the problem with bragging about being cheapest (besides triggering buyers’ skepticism) is that it is a lousy way to make a profit.

A more satisfactory approach is to show the value of the product, service, or idea. Value takes into account integrity, experience, service, reliability, trustworthiness, uniqueness, desirability, return, and how the buyer will be better for buying. Promoting value ahead of price is a rock-solid strategy for long-term success.

We are the best! Okay, maybe there are a few situations in which this is credible. And I am not opposed to the power of positive thinking as a confidence builder. But the truth is buyers have learned that ninety-nine percent of the salespeople who say it are lying. A phrase like this turns on their BS filter. Best, like beauty, is in the eye of the buyer – not the salesperson.

Always and never. This pair stands on the same quicksand as “We are the best.” They sound like exaggerations and are frequently perceived as stretching the truth. For example, how truthful do these two statements sound? “We always provide quality service.” “Our delivery drivers are never late.” Many people simply don’t take always and never at face value.

A few years ago I did a series of training programs for engineers from several Miller Brewing locations. I asked each to write the words always and never. Then I asked each to express as a percentage what the words meant. As you would expect, some saw always as a one hundred percent occurrence and never as zero percent. But the unforgettable thing was that twenty-five percent saw them as somewhere in between.

To many, always and never were so abused they became synonymous with frequently and occasionally. For example, “I never lie” was readily perceived as a lie and was reinterpreted to mean “I occasionally lie.”

What you need is... This is actually a great phrase after high levels of rapport and trust have been developed. But even then this is pretty presumptuous on the part of the salesperson because he is not the one who has to live with the purchase. Just a few days ago a salesperson, with whom there was not much rapport or trust, told me “What you need is this computer.” That may have been so, but the salesperson did not ask questions -- so he knew little about me, my situation, or what I wanted to accomplish. I didn’t care what he thought I needed. I listened, learned a few things, walked out the store, and bought one elsewhere. (See number one.)

This is perfect for everyone. This is another statement that is hard to accept as true (Is H&R Block perfect for everyone?). Before adding this one to the list I tried hard to think of one commercial product or service that really is perfect for everyone. The closest I could get was bottled water. But then I thought, “If the brand of bottled water you sell is indeed perfect for everyone, why do you have competition? Doesn’t the mere existence of stiff competition indicate that for some buyers other brands are more perfect for them?” Okay, you don’t sell bottled water. But re-read the above substituting your stuff for bottled water.

Some other phrases, such as “The check is in the mail,” undermine rather than build. No matter how well intentioned, when salespeople use these seven phrases, and related phrases, buyers hear something that is questionable. This can cause buyers to react protectively and be selective about what they choose to believe. That results in fewer closed sales. A smart strategy for salespeople is to steer clear of these seven toxic phrases.

Copyright 2004 by Doug Smart
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Doug Smart helps select, develop, and retain exceptional sales managers and salespeople who are passionate about thier work. He is the author of “Grow Your Sales by Selling Smarter Not Harder.” He is a consultant and speaker who has presented 2,000 paid presentations around the world. For a free subscription to “Grow Your Sales" eNewsletter visit www.GrowYourSales.org

Your Sales Process Isn't By Paul Johnson

A lot of energy is expended within selling organizations as they try to identify, adopt, and administer a sales process that works for them. The holy grail of selling is to find a foolproof method for creating a customer, the ultimate finished product of the perfect sales process. Prepare to be disappointed.

Webster's tells us that a process is "a particular method of doing something, generally involving a number of steps or operations." By performing specific actions in a certain order on allowable inputs, we can produce a finished result that meets a predefined design specification. This works well in manufacturing, and in recurring activities that we find in other areas of our businesses.

We may even have certain processes that we use while we sell. But when we talk about the whole of selling, we need to avoid using the term "sales process" because no such thing exists. That's because there is nothing we can do to reliably produce a customer as a finished result.

Here's why: if we try to apply a process to the way any product or service is sold, an important variable in our sales process would have to be the Buyer. Unfortunately, the Buyer is the last thing that we can control, or should want to control. Therefore, we have to rethink the notion of a selling process and consider if a process applies at all.

Yes, There Really IS a Process The process that the seller needs to pay attention to is the one that the Buyer uses. All Buyers go through a process as they prepare to make a purchase. If we can understand how that process works, we can tune our sales approach to make it easy for the Buyer to make a positive decision that favors us, and do it faster and more frequently than they might otherwise.

We all go through a multi-step process as we prepare to make a purchase. The incremental steps associated with a buying process define distinct Buying Stages. Throughout the buying process, significant psychological shifts occur within a Buyer, causing them to move from one Buying Stage to another.

These shifts in Buying Stages, or Inflection Points, can be influenced by the activities of a salesperson and marketing organization, and the application of tools and tactics that are appropriate to the current Buying Stage. Let's explore the concept of Buying Stages and how they work.

Buying Stages Alerted: The first Stage for a Buyer to move to is typically the Alerted Stage. Here, the Buyer is simply aware that our company and offering exists, and may someday satisfy a need. Most advertising and marketing communications efforts are aimed at moving the Buyer to the Alerted Stage.

When you first see a television ad for a new car model, you are now alerted to the fact that the model exists and which company makes it. However, you may have no current need for a car at all, much less that particular product. While that manufacturer has succeeded in moving you to the Alerted Stage, nothing will happen unless and until you decide to engage with the person or company making the offer.

Engaged: When you decide the timing is right to investigate a product and take steps to contact the supplier, you have reached an Inflection Point and have moved to the Engaged Stage. In the Engaged Stage, you have called the 800-number, sent an e-mail, or walked into the showroom and talked with the seller.

You may have been in the Alerted Stage for days, months, or even decades before deciding that the particular product or service is appropriate for a current need. Your timing – not the seller's – determines when your activity marks an Inflection Point and moves you to the Engaged Stage.

Qualified: Once you engage with the seller, an exchange of information usually takes place where you as the Buyer attempt to get some high-level questions answered. You want to determine whether or not the offering is worth spending even more time later to investigate the specifics of how it will fulfill your need.

You may ask questions like, "How big is it?" or "Exactly what does it do?" and "What is the price range?" If the answers are satisfactory, you've reached another Inflection Point and reached the Qualified Stage.

Qualified implies that you have had your high-level questions answered satisfactorily and are willing to invest more time considering a purchase. Likewise, the seller has often asked a few questions of their own, to determine your suitability as a prospective customer. It's important that both sides believe that a purchase is possible; otherwise no further activities will take place.

Exposed: Assuming both parties choose to move forward, the seller is often invited by the Buyer to present the highlights of the offering and the potential benefits. This could be a brief presentation or demonstration to acquaint the Buyer with the core value proposition and competitive differentiators.

Once the Buyer has seen enough to decide to move forward with their buying process, another Inflection Point is reached and the Buyer moves to the Exposed Stage. At this point, the Buyer may or may not be ready to immediately move forward with pursuing an in-depth investigation, proposal, and so on.

Oftentimes, car purchasers stop into a showroom to look at a new model just to find out how much it is, how it feels to sit in it, and to determine whether the vehicle has potential as a future new car. The Buyer may be months away from being able to do business because of a current lease that will not expire for several months, or other conditions that require delaying the purchase.

The exposed Buyer has enough information to determine whether or not the offering should remain on their list for consideration, either now or in the future.

Selling is All About Buying - A Buyer will continue to pursue their buying process, moving from one Buying Stage to another, at their own pace. As sellers, our job is to help these Buyers wherever we can!

Not all buying processes are the same. The actual Buying Stages associated with a buying process will change based on the category of Buyer and the offering. What won't change is that each Buyer will continue to move through distinct psychological stages appropriate for their category and the offering until they decide to reach the Closed Stage and become a customer.

By focusing on the buying process instead of the sales process, the attention stays where it needs to be: on the Buyer. By being alert and recognizing where each Buyer is in their buying process, the salesperson can be most responsive to the Buyer's needs. Now salespeople can readily support the Buyer the way they need to be supported at each Stage to make their buying process move forward smoothly and quickly.

To support the salesperson in their efforts to help the Buyer move past Inflection Points to each successive Buying Stage, we can make sure the salesperson has the proper tool set. Tools may include telesales scripts, needs analysis guides, qualification ranking forms, collateral, and even technology like software.

Additionally, training becomes an important success factor associated with your support of the buying process. Training must go beyond the products; we must make sure that selling skills are appropriate for each Buying Stage, and that the salespeople are properly trained on how to apply each tool to best support the buying process at each Stage.

Sales Communications Focusing on the buying process is what Sales Communications™ is all about. While marketing communications speaks to a general population of Buyers, Sales Communications takes it right down to the individual.

Sales Communications makes the organization's marketing efforts personalized to the specific Buyer, recognizes the unique needs of the Buyer, and equips the salesperson with the complete toolbox to make it easy for the Buyer to come to a positive decision for the benefit of the seller and Buyer.

Sales Communications will allow each salesperson to describe the progress of a selling opportunity in terms of the condition of the Buyer instead of what the seller did. In other words, it doesn't matter whether we've given a demonstration or delivered a proposal. It only matters where the Buyer is in their buying process. Now we can talk about a prospect as Engaged, or Exposed, and everyone in your organization will clearly understand how far along the Buyer is in their buying process.

Identifying the buying process associated with your offering will give you the structure you need to support the Buyer. You'll be able to apply the proper tools and tactics to help each Buyer move through their buying process toward a positive decision. By teaching your salespeople to recognize Buying Stages and their associated Inflection Points, and apply the proper tools and tactics, you'll be able to sell the way your Buyer wants to be sold. You'll be helping them buy the way they like to buy, because they'll be using their process, not yours.

Sales processes may not work, but buying processes work every time.

© Paul Johnson. All rights reserved.
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Paul Johnson of Panache and Systems LLC consults and speaks on business strategy for systematically boosting sales performance using Shortcuts to Yes™. Check out more salesforce development tips at http://panache-yes.com. Call Paul direct in Atlanta, Georgia, USA at (770) 271-7719.