Sales Training Advice

Moving From Rejection to Motivation By Andrea Waltz

Josh Hinds — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:55:28 +0000

Let’s start with a little quiz. When it comes to rejection, are you the type of seller that…

A. Suffers through it, though unhappily
B. Deals with it well enough
C. Hates it, you’ve about had it
D. Never lets it “get” to you

There are many salespeople who never become comfortable with the rejection and no’s that they must deal with in their sales career. These are our ‘A’ people… the rejection and no’s that they deal with are probably the worst part of what they do. And typically, signs of this are things like call reluctance and low numbers in the “funnel” or pipeline. For our ‘C’ people… it’s enough to get them out of “sales” completely. For others like the ‘B’ people, they are able to view the rejection as just part of the process and move forward despite some bad feelings every now and then. Now, the ‘D’ person – that is a special breed. Somewhere along the line, they developed the mindset and skills to deal with sales rejection and make everyone else crazy with envy!

Now, what if our A, B, and C sellers could learn to do more than “tolerate” or “suffer through” failure and rejection and the no’s? Is it possible to reprogram yourself into more of a ‘D’ person? As far as we’re concerned the answer is, ‘yes.’

The very first thing you must do is to completely change how you view failure and success. We’ve all been taught and trained to operate in a world where yes = success and no = failure. But what if failure was actually the secret to success? Consider the fact that to a large degree, success is a “numbers game.” So, the value in increasing your failure rate is to literally improve your “chances at success.”

For any salesperson, the mere act of increasing the amount of product you show and services you offer increases both the yesses and no’s you will hear. Show more merchandise = more times you’ll hear NO… and the more times you hear NO, the more times you’ll hear YES! It is not only a fool-proof formula, but one of the great undeniable laws of the universe. The same goes for prospecting calls and following up with prospects who have said ‘no’ or ‘not yet’ in the past. Avoiding ‘no’ is not the answer for achieving what you want. Starting today, your strategy will be to hear “No” more often – a concept we call Go for No!

Those ‘D’ sellers we analyzed earlier have no magic power different than everyone else; they simply look at failure and rejection the way it should be viewed. They understand that rejections literally pave the way to closed sales. They understand that failure and success – yes and no – are not opposites; they are opposite sides of the same coin and they simply let the law of averages work for them. You can do the same and starting ‘going for no’ today!
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Andrea Waltz is the co-author of “Go for No!“, a short powerful story written specifically for sales professionals in every industry who must learn to harness the power of no to be successful. To learn more, visit www.goforno.com

- Share your thoughts and feedback on the above article below in the comments section. Your participation and shared knowledge may be the very things necessary to help someone become a sales-champion.

Selling to Technical People – How well do you work with Engineers? By Babette Ten Haken

Josh Hinds — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 19:07:28 +0000

It’s well known that engineers are conservative, risk-averse, overly cautious and extremely rational. So what’s wrong with that? Unless you both don’t have the patience to communicate with each other. Yes, communicate.

If you are in a position of selling to engineering-intensive companies, or working with a sales engineer to close a sale, it’s imperative that you take the time to understand how to communicate with technical professionals. And it’s more than rattling off a bunch of techie-sounding sales spiel.

1. Words are extremely important to engineers
If you are responsible for business development or sales, and perhaps don’t come from a technical background, then you are frustrated when engineers question the very words you are saying.

Semantics and syntax are critical to engineers. They use words sparingly and precisely, because they don’t want to engineer a solution over a mis-spoken term someone blabbered off in a sales meeting. That is why they scrutinize and question and, quite frankly, drive you crazy with their seemingly uber-analysis of what you say to them.

The next time this happens to you, ask them which term is problematic to them and why. You’ll be surprised at the collaborative dialogue your question may generate.

2. Yes, engineers feel they are smarter than everyone else. And they are.
Engineers have an incredibly taxing education in order to generate their degree(s). There’s no two ways around it. Respect this fact. That is why they were hired to do the jobs they do in the first place. Could you design the Mars Rover? I didn’t think so.

Ask yourself why their education makes you feel inadequate. Your perceptions could be a function of your own assessment of personal shortcomings, your level of confidence in yourself and your company’s sales process, and your own educational pedigree. Could it be that you really do need to finish that degree you started? If you feel this way with engineers, you’re always going to feel behind the 8-ball with somebody. So start by figuring yourself out first. Let the engineers be, well, engineers.

3. Appreciate, honor and utilize the fact that you and the engineer are coming at the same issue from different perspectives.
Depending on where we sit around the table, we see the same things differently. Thank goodness for different perspectives! The world would be a boring place if everything were homogeneous.

Sales professionals are comfortable with extrapolation of not only quantitative, but subjective qualitative information which is not necessarily based on facts and figures. The sales profession doesn’t involve many theorems, formulas, or inclusion of tolerances. You just want to close the sale, right?

Engineers want to mitigate risk. Just as they scrutinize words, they will assess your information against actual formulas to determine the probability of risk. Think of your product and service offering as a nuclear reactor to the engineer. Don’t you think they want to buy-in to a stable, long-term solution? Make sure you have done your homework when collaborating on solutions with your technical colleagues. When you are proactive in anticipating their push-back, you are earning their respect as well.

4. Give yourself permission to turn on the analytical side of your brain.
The days of sales people who are a brochure on legs is over. You can learn a lot from your engineering colleagues by making the time to chat with them offline and ask them all of those questions you don’t understand. Engineers are taught to have all the solutions (which makes offering your solution frustrating, at times, I acknowledge).

But you don’t know what you could know until you ask an engineer that pressing question. And one question leads to another, which means you have broken down that barrier with your technical colleague. That’s where collaboration and learning happen.

Try these techniques out as you start your 2012 sales campaign and let me know about your experiences.
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Babette Ten Haken is Founder & President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, LLC. Her blog, SalesAerobicsForEngineersblog.com, is a destination site for sales and engineering professionals, new graduates and entrepreneurs who want to become “unstuck” from the status quo. Her book, Do YOU Mean Business? She can be reached at babette@salesaerobicsforengineers.com

-what are your thoughts on the ideas above? What have you found helpful in selling to engineers and highly technical people? Share your thoughts in the in the comments below.

The 4 Obstacles to Closing Sales By Brian Tracy

Josh Hinds — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 03:03:51 +0000

Did you know that there are 4 common obstacles that salespeople face when closing sales? There are several other reasons why the end game of selling is stressful and difficult, but here are a few that are most common.

Fear of Failure…

There are several other reasons why the end game of selling is stressful and difficult. First and foremost is the fear of failure experienced by the prospect. Because of negative buying experiences in the past, over which you could have no control, prospects are conditioned to be suspicious, skeptical and wary of salespeople and sales approaches. They may like to buy, but they don’t like to be sold. They are afraid of making a mistake. They are afraid of paying too much and finding it for sale cheaper somewhere else.

Fear of Criticism…

They are afraid of being criticized by others for making the wrong buying decision. They are afraid of buying an inappropriate product and finding out later that they should have purchased something else. This fear of failure, of making a mistake in buying your product, is the major reason why people object, hesitate and procrastinate on the buying decision.

Fear of Rejection…

The second major obstacle to selling is the fear of rejection, of criticism and disapproval experienced by the salesperson. You work long and hard to prospect and cultivate a prospective buyer and you are very reluctant to say anything that might cause the prospect to tune you out and turn you off. You have a lot invested in each prospect and if you are not careful, you will find yourself being wishy-washy at the end of the sale, rather than risking incurring the displeasure of the prospect by your asking for a firm decision.

Customers Are Busy…

The third reason why the end of the sale is difficult is that customers are busy and preoccupied. It isn’t that they are not interested in enjoying the benefits of your product. It’s just that they are overwhelmed with work and they find it difficult to make sufficient time available to think through your recommendations and make a buying decision. And the better they are as a prospect, the busier they tend to be. This is why you need to maintain momentum throughout the sales process and gently push it to a conclusion at the appropriate time.

Inertia is Hard to Break…

The factor of inertia is the fourth reason that can also cause the sales process to come to a halt without a resolution. Customers are lazy and often quite comfortable doing what they are currently doing. Your product or service may require that they make exceptional efforts to accommodate the change or a new way of doing things. They perhaps recognize that they would be better off with your product, but the trouble and expense of installing it hardly seems to make it worth the effort. They see no pressing need or urgency to stop doing what they are doing and start doing something else with what you are selling.

Everyone Buys at the Same Time…

The good news is that everybody you meet has bought and will buy, new products and services from someone, at some time. If they didn’t buy from you, they will from someone else. You must find the way to overcome the natural physical and psychological obstacles to buying and then hone your skills so that you are capable of selling to almost any qualified prospect you speak to.
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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.

-what are some ways you overcome the challenges that occur when closing the sale?

Sales Tips: Never Ask a Prospect These Questions By Andrew Sobel

Josh Hinds — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 12:00:00 +0000

You finally got the meeting you sought with a top executive at a prospective client. You prepare well for the session, researching the company and the individual you’re meeting with. After the small talk dies down, you ask your “killer” question:

“I’d like to get a better understanding of your issues. So, what keeps you up at night?”

Terrible question. Awful. Clichéd. One of my clients, the CIO of a large bank, told me that he kicks people out of his office when they pull out that question.

(I’ll get back to why it’s a bad question to use with a prospect you don’t know well in just a minute.)

Good questions can be incredibly powerful. But just as there are powerful questions, there are lousy ones. Here are some of the questions you should avoid:

1. Closed-Ended Questions

Anyone who has ever had to sell something knows that closed-ended questions are the least productive type of question you can ask. If you are trying to build a relationship with someone and want to understand how they think and what their issues are, you want to move as quickly as possible from closed-ended to open-ended questions. Some examples:

Instead of: “What’s your market share?” Try: “What are the main reasons you’ve gained market share in the last three years?”

Instead of: “When did you start your new job?” Try: “What’s the most rewarding part of your new job?”

Instead of: “How long do you want the training session to be?” Try: “Why do you want to do a training workshop?”

2. Judgmental Questions

Some questions are really just hidden judgments. For example:

“You didn’t really mean to do that, did you?”
“Why do you think you always arrive late?”

Judgmental questions stop the conversation dead in its tracks. They shut the other person down.

3. Sarcastic Questions

Sometimes we ask questions that aren’t really questions—they are just vehicles for sarcasm and anger, a blunt instrument to beat up on someone. I once heard a parent, for example, ask their high school junior, “Why do you think a competitive college is going to admit you with those kinds of grades?” Other examples would include questions like, “You’re so moody, why would anyone want a relationship with you?” and “Do you seriously think that is going to be acceptable?”

4. Clichéd Questions

“What keeps you up at night” is a cliché. Salespeople have been using that question for as long as there have been things to sell. In reality, most people aren’t going to share what really keeps them up at night until they develop some trust in you. Client executives tell me this is a lazy question because it shows you haven’t done your homework and thought about the conversation in advance.

Furthermore, it’s a “problem” question, and most high-level executives have delegated the operational problems to their subordinates to solve. They are more focused on growth and innovation than problems. If you know the person well, it may be a perfectly good question to use—”So, Brad, what’s keeping you up at night these days?” might be fine for an ongoing client.

Another cliché is “What has surprised you?” (Barry Glassner, President of Lewis & Clark College recently wrote an OpEd column in The Wall Street Journal on why that is a terrible question. See The ‘What’s Surprised You?’ Trap). Another one is, “What question haven’t I asked you?” That one smacks of “I am very cleverly trying to get you to be my advisor on what questions to ask,” and again, it’s been over-used. Finally, there’s this old salesman’s chestnut: “I know you’re happy with your current suppliers, but what could cause your management to bring on a new vendor?”

Better versions of these—or different, more appropriate questions altogether—are:

Instead of: “What keeps you up at night?” Try: “How is the new international strategy impacting your area?” or “How are you reacting to the new regulatory framework?” (e.g., approach it indirectly) or “What are the two or three initiatives that you’re putting the most resources, time, and attention into this year?” or “How will your leadership assess your performance at the end of the year?”

Instead of: “What has surprised you?” Try: “What have you been especially focused on accomplishing during your first three months at your new job?”

Instead of: “What question haven’t I asked you?” Try: “Are there any other issues we haven’t discussed that you think are relevant to the problem?”

Instead of: “What could cause your management to bring on a new vendor?” Try: “Can you share with me areas in which your current vendor is strong and areas in which they play less well?” or “When was the last time there was a shakeup of your suppliers? How did that happen?”

5. Self-Aggrandizing Questions Intended to Show How Smart You Are

At a dinner party a few years ago, a retired college professor sat across from me. He fulfilled every stereotype I’d ever had about excessively intellectual academics right down to wearing a bowtie and tweed sports jacket. He had the obnoxious habit of posing questions and then answering them. “I’ve asked myself many times,” he would begin, “Why is it that people so often say one thing and do another? I think this has to do with our tendency towards self-deception…” It was appalling.

6. Leading Questions

Leading questions are like the one used by the apocryphal prosecutor who asked the defendant in court, “When did you stop beating your wife?” Leading questions are formulated to get someone to admit to something or to drive home a particular point. They are, like the false questions described earlier, inherently dishonest.

Other examples of leading questions include:

“When did you realize you would never make it as a professional musician?”

“How did you cope with the disappointment of not getting that job offer?”

Remember, good questions are sincere. They reflect a genuine curiosity. They are open-ended. They get at the “why” of things. They explore implications. They challenge assumptions. They help you connect on a personal level. They demonstrate your familiarity with the issues.
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Andrew Sobel is a leading authority on client relationships and the skills and strategies required to earn enduring client loyalty. He is the author of the business bestseller Making Rain: The Secrets of Building Lifelong Client Loyalty, among others. You can contact him through his website www.andrewsobel.com

Selling Strategies: Develop the Habit of Going the Extra Mile By John Boe

Josh Hinds — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 17:11:51 +0000

There are only two ways to beat the competition; lower your price or increase the quality and quantity of service you provide to your customers. Customers who buy from you because of a low price are not loyal and will jump ship when your competition offers them a lower price.

One of the biggest reasons most salespeople fail to succeed is because they view customer service requests as unpaid, administrative burdens rather than golden opportunities. By going the extra mile, you will stand out from the crowd because most salespeople are unwilling to even go the first mile let alone the extra mile.

Consumer surveys underscore the fact that customers don’t mind paying a higher price for a product if they’re satisfied with the service they receive after the sale.

Developing the habit of going the extra mile and rendering service above and beyond your customers’ expectations is a smart business decision that pays big dividends. Going the extra mile enhances customer loyalty, increases sales, and promotes positive
word-of-mouth advertising within your marketplace. One happy customer who is given exceptional service can influence more prospects to do business with you than $10,000 worth of traditional advertising.

Farmers understand the value of going the extra mile when they prepare the soil and plant their seeds in the ground. All of this work must be done at the correct time of the year and without compensation of any kind.

If the farmer does his job correctly, he can count on Mother Nature to reward his hard work with a hundredfold return. This natural law of increasing returns works exactly the same for salespeople who go the extra mile providing service for their customers as it does for the farmer planting his crop.

Here are some suggestions to help you get started going the extra mile.

1. Be proactive by calling five of your customers everyday to see if they have any service requirements that you can help them with.

2. Follow-up quickly by returning your customers’ phone calls and e-mails within an hour.

3. Show your appreciation by mailing a handwritten thank you note to your new customers after the sale.

4. When you receive a customer service request, make it your highest priority to handle it quickly.

5. Every six months, mail your customers a business related or motivational article to keep in contact.

6. Use your imagination and think out of the box to find new ways to improve the quality and quantity of service you provide to your customers.

7. Invite your best customers out for breakfast or lunch to build rapport and strengthen your relationship.

“There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.” – Roger Staubach
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John Boe presents a variety of sales training and motivational programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer to the platform. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.JohnBoe.com

-which of the seven ideas above did you find most helpful. Do you put any of the ideas to use in your selling career?

Sales Skills: What Are You Really Selling By Ty Bennett

Josh Hinds — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:25:53 +0000

I’m sure that many of you who speak, lead or teach don’t view yourself as being in sales. The truth is, however, we are all in sales. Whether its a product, a service, a vision, an idea, a strategy or ourselves that we are trying to promote, it is all sales. I think we would do better to embrace that principle and learn to sell effectively.
With that in mind – what are you selling?

Your answer may be a specific product or service, but what are you really selling? As an influencer you need to recognize what people are looking for, and start selling what they want. In other words, stop selling the features and start selling the benefits. What does your product or service provide that people will spend money to get?

Think of it this way…
You don’t buy a newspaper, you buy news.
You don’t buy life insurance, you buy security.
You don’t buy glasses, you buy vision.
You don’t buy awnings, you buy shade.

What drives people to buy is not the product or service, it’s what the product or service can do for them.

What does your product or service do? Does it prolong health, increase income, or accelerate productivity?

When you are selling, if you want to move from good results to great results, you need to know what you are really selling.
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Ty Bennett is the author of The Power of Influence. Described by Peter Vidmar as “How To Win Friends & Influence People for our day.” To learn more or get a copy of The Power of Influence — click here.

Selling Strategies: Top Traits of Successful Salespeople By Steve W. Martin

Josh Hinds — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 14:30:00 +0000

If you ask an extremely successful salesperson, “What makes you different from the average sales rep?” you will most likely get a less-than-accurate answer—if any answer at all. Frankly, the person may not even know the real answer because most successful salespeople are simply doing what comes naturally.

Over the past decade, I’ve worked to determine just what those differences are. I have interviewed thousands of top business-to-business salespeople who sell for some of the world’s leading companies. I’ve also administered personality tests to 1,000 of them. My goal was to measure their five main personality traits (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and negative emotionality) to better understand the characteristics that separate them their peers.

The personality tests were given to high-technology and business services salespeople as part of sales strategy workshops I conducted. In addition, tests were administered at Presidents Club meetings (the incentive trip that top salespeople are awarded by their company for their outstanding performance). The responses were then categorized by percentage of annual quota attainment and classified into top performers, average performers, and below average performers.

The test results from top performers were then compared against average and below average performers. The findings indicate that key personality traits directly influence top performers’ selling style and ultimately their success. Below, you will find the main key personality attributes of top salespeople and the impact of the trait on their selling style.

1. Modesty. Contrary to conventional stereotypes that successful salespeople are pushy and egotistical, 91% of top salespeople had medium to high scores of modesty and humility. Furthermore, the results suggest that ostentatious salespeople who are full of bravado alienate far more customers than they win over.

Selling Style Impact: Team Orientation. As opposed to establishing themselves as the focal point of the purchase decision, top salespeople position the team (presales technical engineers, consulting, and management) that will help them win the account as the centerpiece.

2. Conscientiousness. Eighty-five percent of top salespeople had high levels of conscientiousness, whereby they could be described as having a strong sense of duty and being responsible and reliable. These salespeople take their jobs very seriously and feel deeply responsible for the results.

Selling Style Impact: Account Control. The worst position for salespeople to be in is to have relinquished account control and to be operating at the direction of the customer, or worse yet, a competitor. Conversely, top salespeople take command of the sales cycle process in order to control their own destiny.

3. Achievement Orientation. Eighty-four percent of the top performers tested scored very high in achievement orientation. They are fixated on achieving goals and continually measure their performance in comparison to their goals.

Selling Style Impact: Political Orientation. During sales cycles, top sales performers seek to understand the politics of customer decision making. Their goal orientation instinctively drives them to meet with key decision makers. Therefore, they strategize about the people they are selling to and how the services they’re selling fit into the organization instead of focusing on the functionality of the services themselves.

4. Curiosity. Curiosity can be described as a person’s hunger for knowledge and information. Eighty-two percent of top salespeople scored extremely high curiosity levels. Top salespeople are naturally more curious than their lesser performing counterparts.

Selling Style Impact: Inquisitiveness. A high level of inquisitiveness correlates to an active presence during sales calls. An active presence drives the salesperson to ask customers difficult and uncomfortable questions in order to close gaps in information. Top salespeople want to know if they can win the business, and they want to know the truth as soon as possible.

5. Lack of Gregariousness. One of the most surprising differences between top salespeople and those ranking in the bottom one-third of performance is their level of gregariousness (preference for being with people and friendliness). Overall, top performers averaged 30% lower gregariousness than below average performers.

Selling Style Impact: Dominance. Dominance is the ability to gain the willing obedience of customers such that the salesperson’s recommendations and advice are followed. The results indicate that overly friendly salespeople are too close to their customers and have difficulty establishing dominance.

6. Lack of Discouragement. Less than 10% of top salespeople were classified as having high levels of discouragement and being frequently overwhelmed with sadness. Conversely, 90% were categorized as experiencing infrequent or only occasional sadness.

Selling Style Impact: Competitiveness. In casual surveys I have conducted throughout the years, I have found that a very high percentage of top performers played organized sports in high school. There seems to be a correlation between sports and sales success, as top performers are able to handle emotional disappointments, bounce back from losses, and mentally prepare themselves for the next opportunity to compete.

7. Lack of Self-Consciousness. Self-consciousness is the measurement of how easily someone is embarrassed. The byproduct of a high level of self-consciousness is bashfulness and inhibition. Less than 5% of top performers had high levels of self-consciousness.

Selling Style Impact: Aggressiveness. Top salespeople are comfortable fighting for their cause and are not afraid of rankling customers in the process. They are action-oriented and unafraid to call high in their accounts or courageously cold call new prospects.

Not all salespeople are successful. Given the same sales tools, level of education, and propensity to work, why do some salespeople succeed where others fail? Is one better suited to sell the service because of his background? Is one more charming or just luckier? The evidence suggests that the personalities of these truly great salespeople play a critical role in determining their success.
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Steve W. Martin recognized as the foremost expert on “Sales Linguistics,” the study of how customers use language during the complex decision-making process. His latest book is Heavy Hitter Sales Psychology: How to Penetrate the C-Level Executive Suite and Convince Company Leaders to Buy. Learn more about the work he does at www.heavyhitterwisdom.com

-There’s an old saying which states, “success leaves clues.” Considering that quote, take the ideas shared above on what traits the “most successful sales people typically have in common and consider ways you can go about cultivating some of those traits yourself.

What was your biggest take-away lesson from the ideas above?

Sales Strategy: Engage Your Prospect’s Learning Style By John Boe

Josh Hinds — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 09:33:32 +0000

The successful outcome of your next sales presentation will be determined largely by your ability to do two things very well; develop rapport with your prospect and adapt your sales message to engage his or her preferred “learning style.” The “learning style” theory was developed back in the early 1970s and has proven to be an extremely powerful communication model that every school teacher, parent, manager, and sales rep should have in his or her toolbox.

Simply stated, the “learning style” theory promotes the concept that people have a natural preference, based upon their dominate sense, in how they choose to learn and process information; visual / seeing, auditory / hearing, or kinesthetic / touching.

Unfortunately, far too many sales reps unknowing undercut their sales effectiveness by failing to recognize the need to engage their prospects’ learning styles. For example, if a sales rep determines that his or her prospect is a visually-based learner, it’s up to the sales rep to make the adjustment and incorporate more colorful graphs/charts, brochures, and other visual aids throughout the presentation.

It’s easy to quickly and accurately determine your prospect’s preferred learning style by simply paying attention to his or her most commonly used words and phrases.

Visual-based learners might say:

“I can certainly see your point.”
“That looks good to me.”
“Do I make my point clear to you?”

Visual-based learners like pictures and prefer to get their information in writing. Use colorful charts, graphs, and other visual learning tools to help them make a buying decision.

Auditory-based learners might say:

“That sounds good to me.”
“I hear what you’re saying.”
“That rings true to me.”

Auditory-based learners tend to hang on every word that you say. This type of prospect learns best through group discussion and tends to talk things out when making a buying decision.

Kinesthetic-based learners might say:

“I can get my arms around that concept.”
“This point really grabbed my attention.”
“Let me get a grip on what you’re saying.”

Kinesthetic-based learners prefer to learn by physically touching and doing. Keep this type of prospect actively evolved throughout the selling process by using demonstrations and other “hands on” learning tools whenever possible.

If you want your prospects to get the most benefit from your website information, sales presentations, brochures, and related marketing materials, you need to present the information in the most engaging way possible. Multiple forms of information delivery will give you the best possible chance of appealing to each of these different learning styles.

“To effectively communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” — Tony Robbins
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John Boe presents a variety of sales training and motivational programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer to the platform. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.JohnBoe.com

-what was your biggest take-away lesson from the article above?

Collaborate with Technical Colleagues and Close More Sales by Babette Ten Haken

Josh Hinds — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 12:30:00 +0000

How many sales dollars have you left on the table, chasing around decision makers and aligning their availability with that of a sales engineer from your organization? While this may be something you avoid like the plague, or only engage in when all else fails, don’t short change yourself of a great opportunity.

Be Proactive

Regardless of the corporate culture of your organization, if you sell solutions involving any type of technical interface, you are going to have to work with a sales engineer sometime during the sales process. My advice to you is to engage these resources early on in the sales cycle.

Technology is not a cosmic mystery

The technical aspects of the products and services we sell can appear cloaked in mystery. Our corporate sales culture may not have a solid relationship with our technical departments. With everyone trying to protect their jobs, perhaps some people think it makes sense to treat the technical aspects of our solution like a secret that only the techies hold the answers to.

And for those of us on the non-technical side of the table, we never really did learn how to fully use the left side of our brains. We see diagrams of manifold systems and hear techno-speak… and we panic.

I have to ask you: Why?

Collaboration makes you “more than”

It takes absolutely no effort, except for a collaborative game plan, to speak with one of your technical colleagues early on in the sale process when you are identifying viable prospects. As you start to do your homework about trigger events impacting these potential customers, contact your sales engineer.

Make an appointment to brainstorm with her. Then introduce yourself via email, if you don’t already know each other, and send her the link to your prospect’s website. In your email, discuss your approach to selling and why this specific company piques your interest. You’ll be surprised at how easy this process is and how engaged your sales engineer will become in advancing your sales cycle.

Account entry isn’t a solo act

Planning out your account entry strategy with the support of a trusted internal technical colleague can be the differentiator you’ve been looking for. You gain insight and technical acumen through collaboration.

Your technical partner, in turn, learns about the sales cycle and decision making process. And when you initially approach that prospect, you will be ahead of the curve regarding the issues impacting their business. You’ll be speaking from both sides of your brain, instead of being perceived as a stereotypic “brochure on legs.”

You make a great team

Prospects will recognize your foresight in teaming up with your technical counterpart, based on the types of questions you ask of them and the information you are in command of. As the sales process progresses, your partnership with your internal technical colleague will shorten the time to close.

Instead of waiting until the 11th hour to fit your engineer into the equation, they will have been part of the process all along. And since you’ve created a great partnership with your technical colleague, continue your team work on your next account entry strategy until this process becomes second nature to you both.

Forge collaborative selling partnerships with your technical counterparts in your organization. Think about the value this strategy offers your internal and external customers in terms of a shortened sales cycle, an increase in win ratio and a productive and profitable use of resources.

And your customers will benefit from the customer experience of working with you and your collaborative technical partner, as well. They will begin to reward you with repeat and expanded business, and those all-important referrals.
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Babette Ten Haken is Founder & President of Sales Aerobics for Engineers®, LLC. Her blog, SalesAerobicsForEngineersblog.com, is a destination site for sales and engineering professionals, new graduates and entrepreneurs who want to become “unstuck” from the status quo. Her book, Do YOU Mean Business? She can be reached at babette@salesaerobicsforengineers.com

-what was your biggest sales lesson learned? Share your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

Selling Advice: Be Prepared! By John Boe

Josh Hinds — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:00:00 +0000

It’s been said that salespeople don’t plan to fail, they simple fail to plan! How much time do you currently spend preparing for your client appointments? If you’re honest with yourself, the answer is probably not enough.

In my opinion, the single most common characteristic shared among all successful salespeople is the value they place on pre-appointment preparation, research, and planning. I believe that when W. D. Boyce founded the Boy Scouts of America in 1910 he selected “Be Prepared” as the organization’s motto, because he understood that preparation was the key to unlock the door of opportunity.

Being prepared for an appointment gives the salesperson a major competitive edge and boosts his or her self-confidence, credibility, and professional image. Prospects are truly impressed when they meet with a salesperson who has taken the time to customize his or her presentation.

Two thousand years ago the Roman philosopher Seneca remarked that “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Here are some time-proven suggestions to help you prepare a customized presentation the next time you get the opportunity meet with a prospect:

The Internet makes it easy to conduct research. Review your prospect’s website to familiarize yourself with his or her products and services.

Read the company’s mission/vision statements to gain an understanding of the organization’s core values.

Check out the most recent press releases to enhance your understanding of current events and initiatives within the company.

Research the latest trends and products within your prospect’s industry so that you are able to address any specific concerns in detail.

Be prepared to counter claims about your competitors’ products and prices. Be ready to respond to common sales objections such as; “I can get it cheaper elsewhere.” “It costs too much.” or “I want to think about it and get back to you.”

Have copies of your client testimonials ready to hand to your prospect. The most powerful testimonials are from clients within your prospect’s industry.

Make it easy to do business with you. If appropriate, have applications available to close the sale.

Be prepared to ask for referrals.

I’ve never met a salesperson who admitted to losing a sale because he or she spent too much time preparing for the appointment. The twenty minutes or so that you invest in researching your prospect’s company, products, and services is a smart business decision that will yield huge dividends during your appointment.

If you want to improve your professional image, build rapport with your prospect, and dramatically increase your sales effectiveness, I suggest that you take a tip from the Boy Scouts and always “Be Prepared!”

“It’s better to be prepared and not have an opportunity than it is to have an opportunity and not be prepared.” – Les Brown
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John Boe presents a variety of sales training and motivational programs for meetings and conventions. John brings over twenty years of experience as an award-winning sales trainer to the platform. To have John speak at your next event, visit www.JohnBoe.com

-what was your biggest sales lesson learned from above?

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