Relationships With Inactive Clients By Linda Richardson

Most salespeople work hard to find business, identify new prospects, and close the deals that are in the pipeline. As much as salespeople truly want to sell, it is surprising how few keep track of inactive and/or former clients.

It is commonly known that a person who borrows money invariably goes back to the people who lent him or her money, not the ones who said no. There is also the old story of Willie Sutton, notorious bank robber of the 1930’s, who when asked why he robbed banks said, “That’s where the money is.” In the same vein, clients who buy from you in most business situations are most likely to buy again from you if they have a need (unless, of course, it is a truly one-time sale or they were dissatisfied with the service or relationship).

Inactive clients should be contacted on a regular basis (depending on your business, at least one time each month or once a quarter) after you have made the sale or have provided the service. The calls can vary from getting feedback on how the product or service is working, to a relationship call (“I was thinking of you when …”), to calls to update the client to anything new from your organization such as, “We have a new or updated…I wanted to let you know…to post you about…” or to gain an update from the client on what or who has changed in regard to the client’s business. If you see something that your client would be interested in or that impacts your client, you can send it, make a call, or send an e-mail and enclosure.

Regardless of the reason, contact calls allow you to find out what is going on and keep you on the client’s radar screen. It also ensures you are there when an opportunity arises or spending starts if, and it is a big if, you ASK about initiatives.

Your goal in keeping in touch with an inactive client is to stay front of mind, show interest, maintain the relationship, and proactively identify opportunities. By keeping contact and finding out what is happening with the client, you can identify opportunities and position yourself for the opportunities you identify.

Especially with an inactive client, maintain contact with more than one client in the company to create a broader view of what is going on or coming up and to help ensure you stay connected if one contact leaves. Members of your team can also be used to keep in touch with their contacts in the organization to keep the connection going and to share information with your team.

One salesperson who almost lost a deal to a competitor hadn’t called her contact for four months. Why? She called twice and her contact didn’t return her call! Through sheer luck she learned of an opportunity and found out the client she had called twice had been on sabbatical for a few months.

Parenthetically, if your client does not call you back, your job is not done. Call again and again, and again and again. Check it out, and if necessary find someone else in the organization to call. Call at different times, e-mail, or try another avenue or contact. Simply checking with a company operator or calling another contact could have given the salesperson the information she needed and given her a perfect reason to uptier to her contact’s manager.

Also, maintain contact with clients who change jobs, even the ones who weren’t your primary liaison. Follow the client to his or her new company, wish him or her luck in the position, and gain information to determine what opportunities for you may exist.

Track inactive clients. Show interest in the client. Ask questions. If you don’t keep contact and know where the clients are and what is happening, they will remain inactive and so will you.

Clients do not feel they have a “relationship” with you if they only see you when there is a deal on the table. Maintaining contact with inactive clients not only makes sure you are there when there is a business opportunity, but it makes the client want to give the business to you. Your sales results are only as good as your relationships.

Spring is here: Call three of your inactive clients you have not spoken to for a few months. Prepare your message (for voice mail in the event you cannot reach him or her by telephone).

Pick up the phone and rekindle the relationship. Maintain rapport, learn something. Follow up the phone call with a quick, concise, high-impact (client-focused) e-mail. Even if a piece of business is not imminent and you do not find a hot opportunity now, at least you will not miss the next one!
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Linda Richardson is founder of Richardson, a leading sales training and consulting firm. Linda is a recognized leader in the sales training industry and is credited with the movement to consultative selling. Ms. Richardson has written 9 books on selling including her most recent, The Sales Success Handbook. She has been published extensively in industry and training journals and has been featured in numerous publications.

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How to Manage Profitable Key Accounts? By Paul Kidston

Before considering the profitability of Key Accounts, we need to agree on a definition. At the risk of simplifying a complex topic, here is the definition of a Key Account:

“Key Accounts have a long-term, mutually beneficial relationship with their supplier. They seek to increase the profitability of their organization through this relationship, and expect their supplier to participate in business planning and support for the products/services they purchase. Their unique relationship with a supplier is managed by a Key Account Manager whose job is to seek ongoing sales opportunity through business partnership and by fostering cross company relationships.”


That’s quite a mouth full. But are Key Account’s profitable? Consider the typical key account management life cycle.

Six Stages of the Key Account Life Cycle:

Stage #1: You Got What They Need...
In this stage, the account has found your product to be the right fit. They have decided to buy as much product as possible. They've made that decision based on price, proximity, relationships, product quality or a host of other reasons. You should know which one.

Insight: This is an important stage. Great endings are the result of great beginnings! If you have established this relationship based on price, it will always be the common variable that propels you forward or backward in the profitability equation. Find ways to add value beyond price. You will be planting the seeds of success for the future.

Stages #2: You Supply What They Need...
In this stage, your company recognizes a sales spike in the account. Existing products are ordered more often to meet this demand, and accounts receivables start to build.

Insight: Management is torn between the opportunity of increased sales, and the risk of the associated receivables. They struggle to understand the account better to manage internal outcomes and expectations. Good investigation at this stage is critical. Poor information leads to poor decisions.

Stage #3: You Source and Support What They Need...
Once the account has crossed into Stage 3, the company has recognized the need to support the account. They seek out new products to support the growing purchasing appetite of the account.

Insight: Enter… Key Account Manager. This person will be able to partner with the account on product forecasting, help manage internal inventories and capacity, and mitigate flight risk through good relationship management.

Stage #4: Relationships Grow...
As the revenue of an account grows, the cross company relationships should grow as well. Presidents should be talking to presidents, VP's of Sales to VP of sales, and so on.

Insight: When these cross company relationships do not occur, there is a high risk of account meltdown. Key Account Managers should help facilitate these introductions and work with corporate executives, and department heads to build a cross departmental bridge.

Stage #5: Do we Still Like You? ...
At this stage in the relationship, the account has established selling cycles with your company. It will now assess you and your company based on the price they pay for product. When the perceived benefit of working with your company is greater than the cost, you are in a good situation.

Insight: Key Accounts are always growing and evolving. Therefore their needs change over time. As a Key Account Manager you must do regular monthly/quarterly review visits. This is a time for you to assess the account's current needs, follow-up on action items from the previous review, and present the value you have given them over the past planning period. Review meetings are critical in the long-term health of your account. Remember, if you are not meeting their needs, someone else will!

Stage #6: Relationship Maintenance...
When all the other stages have been managed properly your account will be profitable.

Insight: Keep up the good work. Key Account profitability is not a revolution, it is an evolution.

Key Accounts have a long term profit potential when built on the entire value equation…not just price. Remember, how you start and manage the Key Account Management process will largely determine how profitable your account will be. Good Key Account Management is good selling!
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Paul Kidston is the President and owner of Sales Training Experts. Sales Training Experts provides sales and sales management services in the areas of training, coaching, hiring assessments and sales force automation. Visit SalesTrainingExperts.ca.

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Boosting the Customer's Self-Esteem By Brian Tracy

Listening Builds Self-Esteem...
It has been said that, "Rapt attention is the highest form of flattery." When you listen intently to another person and it is clear that you genuinely care about what that other person is saying, his or her self-esteem goes up.

His or her feeling of personal value increases. He or she feels more worthwhile and important as a human being. You can actually make another person feel terrific about himself or herself by listening in a warm, genuine, caring way to everything he or she has to say.

When a man and a woman go out for the first time, they spend an inordinate amount of time talking and listening to each other. They look into each other's eyes and hang on every word. They are each fascinated by the personality of the other.

The more each listens to the other, the more positive and happy each of them feel and the stronger becomes the bonds of affection between them.

The Opposite of Listening is Ignoring...
You always listen to that which you most value. You always ignore that which you devalue. The fastest way to turn a person off, to hurt their feelings and make them feel slighted and angry is to simply ignore what they are saying or interrupt them in the middle of a thought.

Ignoring or interrupting is the equivalent of an emotional slap in the face. Men especially have to be careful about their natural desire to make a remark or an observation in the middle of a conversation. This can often cause the sales conversation to come to a grinding halt.

Action Exercises:

Now, here are two things you can do immediately to put these ideas into action.

First, take every opportunity to make the other person feel important by listening attentively to what he or she says.

Second, avoid interrupting the other person by slowing down and pausing for a few moments after he or she has stopped speaking.
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Brian Tracy is one of the world's leading authorities on personal and business success. His fast-moving talks and seminars are loaded with powerful, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to get better results in every area. Visit the Brian Tracy web site.

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Social Networking: The Next Frontier in Selling By Paul Kidston

The internet has revolutionized social networking. It has expanded our reach beyond the typical "grab and greets" to an interactive online world of real time relationships. Blogs are changing the way we define and manage our personal relationships. Is this revolution changing the way we do business with our clients? More specifically, will it change the way we sell in the future?

Most of us have seen news stories describing a disgruntled customer that slays a corporate giant on the alter of the internet. The weapon of choice: A Blog. Images of an Apple Computer demolished by a ticked-off customer resonate in our minds. An audience of over 12 million watches and a corporate giant bends its knees to meet the service demands of its customer. Clearly, blogs have provided a customer voice.

As sales representatives, we must be aware of the "instant information" challenge, and the impact to the bottom-line. Beyond blogs, product and service quality are measured by rating sites throughout the internet. As customers seek value, they seek information. If you are looking for a hotel room, you can find candid comments by previous patrons with a quick search on Google. This is true of almost all products and services. Twenty years ago, I was taught that a happy customer will tell 3 other people, and an unhappy one will tell 11. Today, an unhappy customer may tell 12 million people!

As sales professionals, we are accountable to our clients. The internet has brought us closer to them. These relationships are more real. Customer satisfaction has become more than a statistic. Unfortunately, customers are likely to write negative stories out of frustration. They write far fewer positive stories by comparison. Fixing service issues before they are scribed to the internet is preferable. Erasing or changing a story created by a disgruntled customer is difficult and maybe impossible.

Social networking, through the internet, has changed the way we do business. Sales professionals must take a more active role with their sales support teams. Whether you are a hunter or gatherer, you have a vested interest in the service your company provides. Be an ambassador for your customer. Provide feedback to your internal support team. Help management understand the important and recurring customer issues you have everyday. Use your skills of persuasion to help shape the customer satisfaction curve in your company.
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Paul Kidston is the President and owner of Sales Training Experts. Sales Training Experts provides sales and sales management services in the areas of training, coaching, hiring assessments and sales force automation. Visit SalesTrainingExperts.ca.

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The Psychology of Selling By Pat Evans

We all know there are two types of people: those who say, “My glass is half empty,” and those who say, “Isn’t that my glass?” I’m an “Isn’t that my glass?” person.

I have learned over the years that negative thinking is a waste of time. Blaming people is a bad habit that takes up a large part of a typical person’s day. I’ll prove it. Your homework assignment will be very simple: DON’T BLAME ANYONE FOR ANYTHING FOR THREE DAYS. This includes slow and/or moronic car drivers, your spouse or significant other, your children, prospects, and watch out for this one -- people in your own firm. If you mentally blame any person for anything, start over with a fresh three days. E-mail me when you have successfully completed the task, but keep in mind my life expectancy.

Blame can be split into two categories: guilt or shame. You suffer guilt when you cause an action. Shame occurs when you begin to believe you are a bad person because of some action you took. Shame has nothing to do with attaining sales quotas and is a destructive force. Guilt can be controlled by taking charge of your life. Act responsibly and you will be perceived as a responsible person. You will then evolve into a responsible rep or entrepreneur and accept blame.

When you sell, you always have to be thinking, you may have a better solution than what you are faced with. How can you negotiate like an entrepreneur so you can close more deals? I have many examples of this type of thinking but one of my favorites includes a hobby of mine. I have raced sailboats since I was eight years old. My present sailboat has a roller furling jib and mains’l. The outhaul unfurls the sail while a sheet or reef line furls it and vice versa. So every time I utilize a sail by unfurling it, one sheet retracts and one line elongates.

This is how you should visualize a close. If a prospect wants your firm to give a discount or throw in extras, answer yes, but first explain what you mean. For example, a prospect wants money off on a maintenance contract. Okay, but explain there are two types of contracts that you offer. Full price gives the prospect onsite response within four hours. The discounted contract offers a slower response so a technician will show up by the end of the next day. This means the firm’s mail or packages will not be sent or shipped out for one or two days. I never once had anyone choose the slow response discounted plan.

Write It down!

Isn’t that my glass? Every time you think to blame someone, turn it into a positive. Create a Franklin “T” inside your head and when a negative idea surfaces like the dread you may feel about possibly losing a deal, simply look on the positive side of the “T” and read off the counterbalance, I will succeed and win the deal. Will yourself to think in a positive format. You do not gain any advantage by thinking negatively.

If you feel someone messed up you should create a constructive series of questions to pose to the individual. “When can we expect __________ to occur in your department?” Do not dwell on mistakes. As Warren Buffett says, “If you don’t make mistakes, you can’t make decisions. You can’t dwell on them.”
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Pat Evans is the author of SalesBURST!! World's Fastest (entrepreneurial) Sales Training (Wiley; October 2007), past national spokesperson for NODMA, and was founder of EVCOR, a small business that eventually grew to $40 million in annual revenue and sold for $60 million. Visit www.EvanSales.com.

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The 10 Perfect Closing Questions By Pat Evans

Want to learn how to sell anybody? Good. Why not learn from someone who can sell YOU? Let's choose something simple like a pen.

Let's pretend you are a prospect and, to make it interesting, your job is NOT to buy a pen from me. Remember, don't buy from me.

Pat: "Hi, my name is Pat Evans. What is your name?" [I ask while shaking your hand]

You: "Bill Johnson".

Pat: "Bill, this is the pen you use now correct?" [Gesturing toward your BIC pen.]

You: "Yes."

Pat: "What do you like about the pen?"

You: "It's dependable."

Pat: "Great. What do you not like about it?"

You: "I tend to lose the cap."

Pat: "Fine." [I pull a more expensive pen from my pocket.] "Which of the two pens looks more professional?"

You: "The one you are selling."

Pat: "OK. Please allow me to summarize. This pen [I point toward the pen I am selling] is more professional looking and has a retractable point, which cannot be lost therefore it will last longer. Do you agree?"

You: "Yes." [Of course you agree. I ascertained that a few sentences earlier.]

[I lean to my left and pull a plain white piece of paper from my briefcase. I write PURCHASE AGREEMENT in large letters at the top and begin to fill in your name under PURCHASER. Dead Silence ensues for 30 seconds and then a voice is heard.]

You: "What are you doing?" [You look perturbed.]

[LOOK AWAY. WHAT WOULD BE YOUR RESPONSE?]

[OK, NOW PLEASE CONTINUE TO READ ON.]

[Never ever say, "I am writing up a purchase agreement for you to sign." Do you know why? If the potential pen customer is a type-A personality, he or she may blow up at you. I'm talkin' ballistic. This is why sales reps are afraid to ask for the order.]

Pat: [I recommend saying] "I'm simply writing down what we have talked about and I am going to leave it with you." [Do not say "OK?"]

[I look down and continue to write for 10 seconds more. I then look up. You now seem more relaxed. My question to you is who is in control at this point? Yes, I agree. Me; and type-A personality is not mad. Most reps are afraid to go for the close. They believe it is a timing issue and they may be too early. I have been closing sales fast for over 31-years and I still do not know when the best time is so I attempt to close very, very early and often.]

Pat: [I now flip the paper around and present it to you.] "Is this everything we discussed?"

You: [Scans the doc.] "Yes."

Pat: "Well, if you will please sign the order I would love to have you as a customer."

You: "I do not want to sign."

Pat: [I reach over and slowly pull the paper back so it now sits in front of me.] "If your firm was proceeding to acquire the pens would your name appear on this purchase order or would someone else have to authorize the purchase?" [This question allows an "out" for the prospect. He simply states someone else must sign and believes this answer will disconnect the sales process.]

You: "I would need to get another person to sign."

Pat: "When would you receive confirmation concerning approval?"

You: "One week."

[I write on the purchase agreement "THIS ORDER IS NULL AND VOID IF BILL CANCELS IT WITHIN 10 DAYS." I then slide the document back in front of you. This close is called a contingency close. Please note one of the largest dollar investments a typical citizen will make is a house. The housing industry is huge and contingency selling is a standard way to close a deal in the housing industry. My firms always allowed this type of close.]

Pat: "Please acknowledge the terms."

You: "I do not want to sign."

Pat: "That is perfectly fine." [I then pull the purchase agreement back into my possession.] "You have said the replacement pens are more professional looking and will last longer. I am offering the better pens at a discount so you only pay the reduced price, which is the same cost as your present BIC pens. I am not asking you to order the pens from me. I'm requesting your acknowledgement of the terms so I can hold the price for 10 days." [I slide the doc back.] "Could you please initial and date the doc so I can hold the price?"

The prospect usually starts to laugh because he now believes he would like to sign. To not sign now seems out of character. He signs and I have another fervent convert.

As you can see, the best and only true offense a sales person has is questions. I ask questions early and often. I never presume. I simply ask questions. I always ask two or more questions but once I receive two positive answers concerning the product… I close the deal. Most sales reps sign a new customer by getting a signature on paper or an acknowledgement over the Internet. The faster you can pull a purchase agreement out or start conversing about money issues the faster the conversation will lead to a close.

You may think this approach is aggressive yet to achieve any sale you must follow these steps. You agree the longer a close takes the more things can go wrong. Another competitor could discover the potential deal while cold calling for example.

When is the appropriate time to close? Don't worry about having perfect timing or being a psychic. Start talking about price as soon as you can. You will know faster if your prospect has the funds allocated and whether he thinks your retail price is fair.

Managers who have reviewed my firms' techniques thought high-tech sales had to be long and drawn out. Consultative selling was the correct way they said. Most of my sales people had a minimum of 10 years in the shipping software integration business but we had cut our teeth in the knock-on-doors mailing/shipping arena. You will find out that once a prospect realizes you know what is best for him he will want to talk price as soon as possible. Close faster. Do it now.

Write It Down!

"CLOSE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE."
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Pat Evans is the author of SalesBURST!! World's Fastest (entrepreneurial) Sales Training (Wiley; October 2007), past national spokesperson for NODMA, and was founder of EVCOR, a small business that eventually grew to $40 million in annual revenue and sold for $60 million. Visit www.EvanSales.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

Alternative Ways to Cold Call By Pat Evans

Which employee in your firm fits the following description? The person sits at a desk at the entrance to a firm. The employee answers the phone, types, has a little bit of an edge, maybe does the mail and is trained to keep sales people and other foreign invaders OUT.

Yes, you’re right; it’s the receptionist…the “white blood cell” (WBC). The only person with “Don’t let anyone in who does not have an appointment” listed in their job description and the only employee with a “defend the fortress at all cost” mentality.

So, how do you cold call? How do you as a sales rep get by this person? Believe it or not almost all sales reps exit their car, walk in and try to converse with the WBC. How dumb can you be?

I would suggest you simply walk in a different door and experience a totally different reception.

Walk in through the shipping dock. Most people working the dock presume you are there to speak to a manager. You simply ask the first person you see,” Purchasing? I’m looking for Purchasing” or “I’m looking for the Sales Manager.” Make sure you walk briskly and act like you are supposed to be there.

I worked trucking docks for four summers to put myself through college. 99% of people unloading trucks don’t care who you are and are not as uptight as white-collar workers. This approach works. I used it when selling leasing and mailing/shipping systems. I cold called with saleswomen and salesmen. Once a rep realizes he/she can simply enter through a different door their prospecting becomes much easier.

Haphazard cold calling is not a profitable venture.

Call a prospect and instead of asking for the CFO or the President, ask for “accounts payable”. Why will the receptionist put the call through right away? Because she thinks you are asking for money and you would not be calling if her firm had paid its invoice on time. She is not paid enough to screen this type of call so she allows you past the gates. Once you hear, “Accounts payable” you simply say, “I’m sorry I wanted the CFO. Can you please transfer me to the CFO?” If you are passed back to the operator, hang up without speaking and call back at a different time of day to try again.

(I have never had to do this more than twice. It works.)

Ask questions and ask often. The more questions you ask the more money you will make.

Prospects are people just like you. They want to find a trustworthy supplier and depend on them.

You may actually save their firm time and/or money, but so many sales reps lacking in social skills have approached them that a roadblock is their knee-jerk reaction when any sales person appears.

Ask your prospect, “If I can prove mathematically that you are wasting money and supply you with industry references (industry references trump brand name references), will you purchase my product?” If you receive a YES, you are very close to a deal. If they reply NO, that’s OK. Simply ask the prospect, “How can I get your business?”

If you want to think outside the box, you need to realize “there is no box” on day one.
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Pat Evans is the author of SalesBURST!! World’s Fastest (entrepreneurial) Sales Training (Wiley; October 2007), past national spokesperson for NODMA, and was founder of EVCOR, a small business that eventually grew to $40 million in annual revenue and sold for $60 million. Visit www.EvanSales.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

Why We Make All The Mistakes, When We Can Learn From Others? By Ivan Misner

There are “tried–and–true” sales techniques that are so simplistic that it seems they cannot be really effective. Many times, we try to re-evaluate, improve upon, and complicate them. An experience I had once while on vacation reminds me of how we try to make some things harder than they really are.

I was in Hawaii enjoying the surf when, unbeknownst to me, the water became thick with Portuguese Man O’War jellyfish. Suddenly I felt a stinging sensation across my chest. I wiped my chest with my right wrist and arm and lifted my arm up out of the water. I saw the tentacles dripping off my arm and followed them with my eyes to the body of the Man O’War jellyfish about eight feet away. With mounting alarm, I shook the tentacles off my wrist back into the water and quickly swam out of the surf to the shore.

I ran up to the first hotel employee I saw, a cabana boy, who was serving drinks to a sunning couple just off the pool deck and urgently exclaimed, “I think I’ve just been hit in the chest by a Man O’War jellyfish! What should I do??”

“Are you feeling any pressure in your chest?” he wanted to know.

“No, none at all,” I replied anxiously.

“OK, OK, here’s what you need to do. Go on over to the market off the lobby and ask for some vinegar and meat tenderizer. You’re going to want to spray the vinegar onto your chest and then shake the meat tenderizer onto the same spot and rub it all around. You’ll be fine,” he assured me.

Well, I must say that I was less than impressed with this bizarre advice. He was entirely too calm and that was entirely too easy to be a real solution -- not to mention that it was just plain strange. I figured he was doing a version of “let’s goof on the tourist,” so I moved on to ask someone else for help. Strangely enough, I asked two more hotel employees what to do about my injury, and got the exact same answer: vinegar and meat tenderizer!

I reluctantly trucked down the hall to the store just knowing that they were all back there laughing at the goofy tourist who was actually going to do a self-imposed “meat rub” on his chest. I was sure they had some barbecue grill going for when I returned to the lobby all slathered up with vinegar and meat tenderizer.

I entered the small market off the lobby and started my search for char-grilled products when I started feeling short of breath. Suddenly, very quickly and forcefully, I began to experience a crushing weight on my chest. Was I having a heart attack? Great! I’m having a coronary after wasting so much time talking to members of the hotel staff, who were trying to get me to rub meat tenderizer on my chest. I walked out of the store and staggered to the front desk, which by now was very busy with new guests checking in to the hotel. I made eye contact with the hotel manager and almost immediately, dropped to the ground, clutching my chest, barely able to gasp, “Man O’War!”

What happened next was a total blur. I seem to remember a small child yelling and pointing at me as I lay there in my bathing suit, gasping for breath.

“Look mommy, there’s a man on the floor.” The mother said something about staying away from people who do drugs. I looked over and tried to say no, not drugs -- jellyfish! But all that came out was gibberish.

The paramedics rushed to the scene. Finally, I was going to get the medical attention I needed. After determining what had happened, the paramedic opened his lifesaving kit, and I knew he was about to pull out a defibrillator. I made my peace with God and I braced myself for the big jolt. Instead, he pulled out -- yes, you guessed it -- vinegar in a spray bottle and some Adolf ’s meat tenderizer! He then proceeded to spray the vinegar and sprinkle the meat tenderizer on my chest, and thoroughly rub the mixture around. Within seconds, literally seconds, the excruciating pain began to subside. Within a couple minutes it was almost completely gone.

What I thought was a big “barbeque joke” on the tourist turned out to be a well-known cure for some jellyfish strikes. You see, the meat tenderizer contains the enzyme papain, which breaks down the toxin proteins and neutralizes them. It sounds too simple to be really effective, but it is, in fact, one of the best things to do in that situation.

Thinking back on it, I am amazed at how many people gave me the solution before I had to learn the hard way. Sure, who’s going to believe a cabana boy? I mean, what does he know, right? And the hotel employee -- OK, maybe there’s the start of a pattern here but, I have a doctoral degree -- I’m “smart,” and these guys have just got to be kidding me ... Right? And then the hotel manager as well ... OK, I admit it, at that point there’s just no excuse. I should have figured out these guys knew what they were talking about, and I did not.

I made one of the biggest mistakes that people in business (and especially in sales) make -- I didn’t listen to the people who have experience. I assumed that I just had to know better ... and the truth is, I didn’t know better.

There is nothing like experience. It beats education every day of the week. The only thing better is a combination of education and experience ... or a willingness to learn from other people’s experience. There are many basic sales techniques that any good salesperson knows to be effective. They don’t try to look for something more complicated or involved, because they know from their own experience, as well as the experience of others, what works in sales and what doesn’t work in sales.

You may hear things that seem too simple to be effective or ideas that you’ve heard before. Never dismiss them. Embrace them. Go get that vinegar and meat tenderizer, and learn from the masters that sometimes the simplest ideas can have the biggest impact.
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Ivan Misner is Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world’s largest business networking organization and co-author, with Don Morgan, of Masters of Sales: Secrets From Top Sales Professionals That Will Transform You Into A World Class Salesman (Entrepreneur Press, September 2007). Visit www.MastersBooks.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

Knowing Your Gems Leads To Masterful Selling By Dawn Lyons and Ivan Misner

What makes a consumer say "yes" to a purchase? Is it the product? The service? Is it you, the salesperson? People buy "stuff" worth tens of thousands of dollars a year. But, why should they buy from you?

To better understand buyers' motives, let's start by focusing on people skills. If we understand people better, we can understand why they buy, when they buy, who they buy from, and what they like to buy.

Your approach to prospects is so critical that we recommend you get GEMS training (a personality type model created by internationally-known speaker, sales trainer and self-made millionaire, Dani Johnson):

Here's a brief peek at each GEM in Johnson's system:

* Rubies are risk takers, go-getters, and like challenges. They like to win, be right, and are fast paced. They need control, authority, and thrive on commission. Their bottom-line approach helps them make quick buying decisions. Sellers, be prepared!

* Sapphires are stimulating, enthusiastic, and on-the-go people. They like fun, being the center of attention, and receiving tons of recognition. Enjoying people, influencing others' decisions, and being popular is their style. Skip the details with them, just make the buying process easy, fun, and spontaneous.

* Pearls are patient, relational, and incredibly harmonious. The quality time they spend with others is seen as supportive. Their relationships are longstanding and oriented to helping the team. Don't push them from their low-key approach, or your sales style will overwhelm and scare them away.

* Emeralds are effective, thorough, and detail-oriented. Their behavior of following rules, collecting data, and completing tasks pushes them toward excellence. These are the detail people who need to carefully conduct their research before making a buying decision.

Know thy Customer ... and Adapt Quickly
Masterful sellers learn to quickly asses the type of GEM their prospect is as they walk into their appointment (more often, they have a pretty good idea even before getting to the meeting). Knowing your GEM is critical to the success of each appointment. It definitely helped Glenn Antoine, president of eSystems Design Inc.

The following is his GEMS testimonial:
Two days following our GEMS training, I met with a potential client who was very stressful and in no mood for a sales pitch. It suddenly hit me. I was meeting with a Pearl -- a person who prefers harmony, rather than discord.

I dropped my agenda and inquired how I could help. After listening to the many stresses he had had that day and the previous week, I noticed a significant mood change. An hour later he was smiling, more relaxed, and open to my pitch. I gave a very brief description of our vision of the project. Lastly, I explained that I would leave information for his team to review, so they could deal with their more immediate challenges. My friendly follow-up call the next morning resulted in our selling them a new project.

My immediate return on the GEMS training was a $40,000 sale!

Wow, change your game plan mid-stream when it is apparent that your GEM needs different treatment, and see what happens. Glenn completely gave up his agenda to focus on helping his Pearl client. All he really did was back off and listen, leaving his material and follow-up for the next day.

Digging Deeper
To sell like a pro, we must understand why people buy, when they buy, who they buy from, and what they like to buy. Here are some examples of the why, when, who, and what for each GEM.

RUBIES
Why: They buy because they have to have it or just want it.
When: They buy on the spot ... typically before you can even finish your presentation.
Who: They buy from great salespeople who give a great first impression.
What: They buy whatever they spontaneously want, or the best, or the most expensive.

SAPPHIRES
Why: They buy because it's new and cool to have, and they want it.
When: They buy spontaneously, or when it's easy and they have the money.
Who: They buy from fun salespeople who aren't negative or rude.
What: They buy new, exciting stuff; they are shopaholics and will always find the sales.

PEARLS
Why: They buy because it is a necessity or it offers functionality.
When: They buy after a lot of thinking and ensuring it is right for them.
Who: They buy from people they trust, people who do not push or rush them.
What: They buy things for other people, or necessities for themselves ... nothing overboard; it must be within reason dollarwise.

EMERALDS
Why: They buy because it is the right choice; it is a correct and practical selection.
When: They buy after researching all the alternatives so they know it's the proper selection.
Who: They buy from people with integrity who do what they say and follow up.
What: They buy practical, above-average quality items that are efficient and long lasting ... things that make sense by adding value to their lives.

Every sales appointment is like going into a jewelry store. There are lots of GEMS around, and you just have to identify what type he or she is and polish them just the right way ... the way that brings forth the most luster.
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By Dawn Lyons, Executive Director of BNI San Francisco, and Ivan Misner, Founder & Chairman of BNI, the world's largest business networking organization, both co-authors of Masters of Sales: Secrets From Top Sales Professionals That Will Transform You Into A World Class Salesman (Entrepreneur Press, September 2007). Visit www.MastersBooks.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com

Do Ya Wanna Buy? By Don Morgan

To successfully close a deal, you have to invite the prospect to buy several times during the sales process. Other than low-ticket retail purchases, most prospects tend to avoid saying, "OK, I'll buy it" on their own initiative. They have to be coaxed to make this commitment. Master sellers know how to ask for the sale, and they don't interpret a customer's "no" as a personal rejection.

Closing a sales process is really very simple. All that is required is to learn a few simple closing questions and then practice them until you are a master closer. The closing phraseology used during this phase of selling is simple but carefully worded.

To truly master closing scripts, it's important to grasp the key communication principle of allowing the customer choice within the interaction. The choices are pre selected like a multiple-choice test.

Communicating Options ...
Get in the habit of allowing the customer optional responses at the onset of the sales interaction:
- When would be the most convenient time to meet for you?
- Morning or afternoon?
- Early or late morning?
- The beginning, middle, or end of the week?
- Would you like a more complete presentation that will take 45 minutes, or should I plan on a 15-minute overview at first?

By offering options to the customer, you give him partial control over your meeting. This signals your desire to respect his needs and to be a partner in his buying venture. As the transaction progresses, there are other ways to offer customers a choice, such as:

1. Which color do you prefer?
2. Will the product be mainly for business or family use?
3. Will your full staff or just senior staff take the course?
4. What is a better time to deliver the product, morning or afternoon?

Selling cars taught me that customers have very definite ideas about preferences, even if they can't articulate these at the outset. When we give our car customers a choice in selection of their new car (fabric, color, transmission, style), we convey our desire to share in the responsibility of getting just the right product to satisfy the client's special requirements. Giving them choice also makes them feel like a VIP, which certainly helps close the sale!

To communicate choice, sellers must have full product knowledge and discover how to match the product's features to the client's desires, which are often not articulated. Building choice into the sales interaction helps to draw out the client preferences.

Master Selling Scripts ...
Use sales scripts that communicate choice from the meet-and-greet phase right through to closing, product delivery, and follow-up. A simple sequence of three closing scripts is useful to close a sale for most products and services. Once you memorize the questions and practice using them, your closing ratio will improve. The questions are easy to insert into a sales conversation, yet they still allow the customer choice of three optional answers.

These questions get inserted into your directed sales conversation that bounces back and forth between casually and formally discussing many topics related to the customer and to the product. After your product presentation is completed, casually inject in the conversation the closing question. Following are some examples.

Closing Question 1
Do you feel this product/service/program/organization/concept would be of benefit to/enjoyed by people?

The response will be some form of yes, no, or maybe.

A "yes" means the client sees the merits of people owning the product, and is likely to be considering the idea of owning it. This signals to the seller that it is OK to move forward.

A "maybe" means the person is thinking about issues or features of the product that may not fit his immediate needs. The seller must discover if the prospect does not understand some aspect of the product or service, and then answer these questions or objections with the proper information before moving forward.

A "no" means that the client does not like the product and sees no personal application for it or anyone else in his organization. The way to move forward is to thank the client and (if you feel that a rapport was established) ask, "Although you cannot see merit in this product, might you be able to refer a friend or colleague who might like it?" You can also try to refer the customer to some other vendor who might better meet his needs, thereby doing a friendly deed that will come back to you... sometime. (What goes around comes around.)

With a "yes" answer (or a "maybe" that has been converted to a "yes"), you can move along in your sales script. If you have a firm "no," you will want to move on quickly to the next prospect in line.

Closing Question 2
Do you think that this product would be beneficial to your business?

You can substitute the word "business" with other terms as applicable (life, family, organization, or program) depending on the circumstances. With this question, you are getting a little more familiar with your client, and are seeking to build on her general interest and turn it into her commitment. Again, you will get one of three responses (yes, no, maybe).

If you get a "yes," then the customer feels the product will not only benefit people in general, but will also directly benefit her or her business. At this point, you almost have the customer's agreement to own the product. Her only other concern may be with the price or some other logistical issue that will show up in a "maybe" response. But you are getting close, and you need to help your client overcome any final reasons for concern.

If the client feels your product or service will benefit people and it will benefit her own life or business, very little remains to separate her from agreeing to buy.

If the answer is "no," then ask when she might want to reconsider owning your product and work toward scheduling a follow-up meeting. Once you get such a meeting scheduled or noted in your calendar, now is the time to ask for a referral (covered above).

Follow the formula. If you have a "yes" or have overcome the "maybe" response, move right into the final stage.

Closing Question 3
Would you like to fill in the paper work so you can begin using the product?

If your interaction and communication was more formal, you will use more formal wording to the question; alternatively, a more casual exchange should be used if you have had a more informal, comfortable sales exchange. "Charlie, shall I roll it out for you?"

You will have to decide on the exact words to polish off the deal, but with practice you will soon master the best scripts.

Using three semi-open-ended closing questions will allow you to direct the conversation toward a conclusion to your business. As the seller, you remain in control of the professional task of selling, while respecting the client's time and integrity.
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Don Morgan, founding national director of BNI Canada and executive director of BNI Chicago, and co-author, with Ivan Misner, of Masters of Sales: Secrets From Top Sales Professionals That Will Transform You Into A World Class Salesman (Entrepreneur Press, September 2007). Visit www.MastersBooks.com.

*brought to you by SalesTrainingAdvice.com