Provocative title, right? It can be taken many ways. Clearly, in terms of achieving goals and having the things you want in life your attitude and the things you think are extremely important. What I'm talking about here is that between you and your customer, it doesn't matter what you think. The only important thing is what your valuable customer thinks.
I recently had an experience that humbled me and taught me a lesson. Those of you who have seen me work know that I tend to use a lot of humor in my presentations. I do so because I enjoy it, the people I'm working with seem to enjoy it and, in my mind, it's a way to keep you involved and to prevent you from getting bored while learning new techniques that might help you be more successful. This hasn't been a problem in the past. About a week ago, however, I actually lost an engagement I was very much looking forward to. Among the reasons my valuable ex-client gave me for choosing to not work with me further was that he felt some of my humor was inappropriate for his team.
Before you jump to conclusions, I didn't (and don't) use foul language or sexual innuendos during my presentations. But I did say some things that clearly offended this client. When the client shared his feelings with me I listened carefully, apologized and wished him the best. The truth of the matter, though, is that while listening to the things he felt were offensive my mind was saying, "Wow, how could you be offended by that? Are you nuts? Don't you have a sense of humor? Didn't you hear your entire sales team laughing along with me?"
Later, while thinking about the situation it suddenly dawned on me. Like everyone else in the world, I do the things I do because those things make sense to me. I dress a certain way, speak a certain way, train a certain way. To some extent it's true that you can't please everyone and it's also true that while I'm a good fit for most organizations I might not be a good fit for everyone.
But it's also true, and far more important to realize, that it doesn't matter what I think. The important thing is what this customer (and all customers) thinks.
I feel the humor I used was funny and completely appropriate. Does that matter? Not one bit. I still lost the gig and while, typically, no one customer makes my month or year I greatly value and appreciate everyone who does business with me. What matters here is that my customer didn't find my humor appropriate. To me, it's not about the money. Losing the money wasn't very important, you can always make more money. In fact, I didn't charge the client. What was important was that this customer felt let down and, to me, that's completely unacceptable.
So how does this apply to us as salespeople? How often do we sit across from prospects and clients in a selling situation and think to ourselves, "This person doesn't know what they're talking about. I hope this jerk will stop talking soon so that I can dazzle them with my brilliance." I suggest that by having this type of mind-set we often talk ourselves out of business, simply because what we think (even to ourselves) usually gets expressed in some way.
In order to be more effective sellers we have to be better listeners. Part of listening means turning off our inner conversations. You know, the little voice inside your head that's whispering to you almost constantly while the other person is talking. To be a more effective listener we need to come from the fact that the most important person in the sales relationship is the customer. They've got a situation, problem or need that you might be able to help with, fix or fill. If we listen through the filter of, "I hope they stop talking soon because I don't really care what you think, I just want to show you what I've got," we'll miss what the prospect or customer is saying.
By practicing turning off that inner voice and realizing that the customer has the most important things to say to us (how we can help them and how we can sell them) we'll deepen our relationships, be better listeners and close more business. Tough lesson for me to learn but it's the tough ones that make us stronger and better!
Make It Happen,
Jeff
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Look for the Fish That Are Biting
We salespeople are optimists! I like being optimistic and having that quality is one of the things that allows us to do our jobs well. Let's face it, typically more prospects say, "No," to our offering than say, "Yes." Unless you have a better than 50% closing ratio you hear the word "No" far more often than "Yes." If we weren't optimists, believing that everything will work out fine, we couldn't do our jobs very long in the face of the massive rejection most of us salespeople face each day. That's where the problem lies. The same optimism that makes us believe that "Yes" is right around the corner often blinds us to when people are saying "No" and we end up chasing every prospect equally. In a perfect world (one without clocks) that would be fine but in this world we have a limited amount of time. Unfortunately most salespeople act as if time is unlimited.
Since it's a given that we only have so many hours each day and each week that we can do what we do (sell) we need to find a way to make the most of every minute and highly respect the fact that we can only work with so many prospects at any given time. We also need to figure out how to decide which prospects are worth pursuing and which aren't. We need to know when "No" means "No" and when it means, "I need some more reasons to buy and then I might become a customer." One of the things that makes this difficult is that we salespeople are generally very likeable and people don't like to say "No" to us. They'll use different words and methods for saying "No" so that they don't offend us but we salespeople take those words to mean "Yes."
The first thing you should understand is that "No" is a gift. When a prospect tells you they're not buying, and they really mean it, they've given you the gift of time. If they really aren't buying you can shake their hand, tell them you've enjoyed meeting them and would love to do business with them anytime they're ready and you can move on to another prospect that might actually buy from you. In other words they give you time to go find a fish that might bite. I love when I get a real "No" from a prospect. I don't like it as much as I like "Yes" but "No" is a very close second. What I don't like, and try my best to avoid, is anything other than "Yes" or "No." Things like, "I need to think it over," or "I need to speak with my partner." (my accountant, the committee, etc.) These are the things that steal your time and your attitude and often mean you're not getting the sale but the prospect just doesn't want to use the word "No."
It's the same whether your selling your product or setting (selling) the appointment. You want to look for the fish that are biting. If you saw the movie, "The Perfect Storm," you'll remember that the fisherman on the Andrea Gale weren't having much luck. Their captain decides they should head someplace else. Why? Because he knew that it was foolish to fish where the fish weren't biting and it was far smarter to fish where they were biting. (of course it's a good idea to avoid being in the middle of three storms colliding while you're fishing but that's another story) It sounds so simple but take a look at the prospects in your current pipeline. How long have you been "chasing" them? What's your typical sales cycle? How far past your typical sales cycle are you? (the likelihood of closing a deal decreases dramatically the further you exceed your typical sales cycle) Are they returning your phone calls? Are they stalling you? ("Call me next week, month, quarter, century) If you're chasing the fish that aren't biting and devoting the same amount of time and attention to them as the fish that are biting (returning your calls, setting next action steps with you) you're not investing your valuable time wisely.
Not closing enough business? Perhaps you're spending too much time working with fish that aren't biting. Try another vertical. See if previous clients are ready to buy again. (previous or existing clients are generally far easier to see than someone who hasn't done business with you before) Fill your pipeline with new prospects while keeping your eyes and ears attuned to the signals that mean "No" and be sure to fish where the fish are biting!
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Since it's a given that we only have so many hours each day and each week that we can do what we do (sell) we need to find a way to make the most of every minute and highly respect the fact that we can only work with so many prospects at any given time. We also need to figure out how to decide which prospects are worth pursuing and which aren't. We need to know when "No" means "No" and when it means, "I need some more reasons to buy and then I might become a customer." One of the things that makes this difficult is that we salespeople are generally very likeable and people don't like to say "No" to us. They'll use different words and methods for saying "No" so that they don't offend us but we salespeople take those words to mean "Yes."
The first thing you should understand is that "No" is a gift. When a prospect tells you they're not buying, and they really mean it, they've given you the gift of time. If they really aren't buying you can shake their hand, tell them you've enjoyed meeting them and would love to do business with them anytime they're ready and you can move on to another prospect that might actually buy from you. In other words they give you time to go find a fish that might bite. I love when I get a real "No" from a prospect. I don't like it as much as I like "Yes" but "No" is a very close second. What I don't like, and try my best to avoid, is anything other than "Yes" or "No." Things like, "I need to think it over," or "I need to speak with my partner." (my accountant, the committee, etc.) These are the things that steal your time and your attitude and often mean you're not getting the sale but the prospect just doesn't want to use the word "No."
It's the same whether your selling your product or setting (selling) the appointment. You want to look for the fish that are biting. If you saw the movie, "The Perfect Storm," you'll remember that the fisherman on the Andrea Gale weren't having much luck. Their captain decides they should head someplace else. Why? Because he knew that it was foolish to fish where the fish weren't biting and it was far smarter to fish where they were biting. (of course it's a good idea to avoid being in the middle of three storms colliding while you're fishing but that's another story) It sounds so simple but take a look at the prospects in your current pipeline. How long have you been "chasing" them? What's your typical sales cycle? How far past your typical sales cycle are you? (the likelihood of closing a deal decreases dramatically the further you exceed your typical sales cycle) Are they returning your phone calls? Are they stalling you? ("Call me next week, month, quarter, century) If you're chasing the fish that aren't biting and devoting the same amount of time and attention to them as the fish that are biting (returning your calls, setting next action steps with you) you're not investing your valuable time wisely.
Not closing enough business? Perhaps you're spending too much time working with fish that aren't biting. Try another vertical. See if previous clients are ready to buy again. (previous or existing clients are generally far easier to see than someone who hasn't done business with you before) Fill your pipeline with new prospects while keeping your eyes and ears attuned to the signals that mean "No" and be sure to fish where the fish are biting!
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Just Be Yourself
I just got back from a bike ride along the ocean and while riding I "people-watch." Living in a beach community you get to see lots of different types of people, especially when the weather's nice as it is now.
I was noticing the amazing variety of people today. Men, women, kids. Some riding bikes. Some faster than me and others that I left in the dust. Some jogging, some running, some walking. Women in full makeup and high heels as well as others in workout gear and sweating up a storm. Fat men with their shirts off (ugh) and young guys with buff bodies that make me ride a little faster and longer so that I, too, can have abs that others can see instead of only in my dreams.
For now, my abs are hidden by a layer of...well, we don't have to go there. The point is each of the people I noticed today were being themselves and I was being myself. I didn't need to be anyone else and neither did they. So, what does this have to do with selling?
For years I've attended seminars and read books and newsletters (I still do) in order to learn what's out there and help improve myself. I can't tell you how many workshops I've attended that teach how you to figure out what "type" of person/buyer the prospect is and how to adjust your selling style to match their buying style in order to improve the odds of getting a sale.
One organization calls them Bosses, Users, Gatekeepers and Supporters. (BUGS) Another calls them Drivers, Analyticals, Amiables and Expressives. The list goes on and on. Supposedly, if you figure out what "type" your prospect is you can then change who you are or how you sell to better accommodate the way they like to buy. BUNK!
Just like I don't change who I am when I am riding my bicycle, I don't change who I am when I'm selling. I suggest that people, including your prospects, can "smell" a phony a mile away and changing who you are or how you are being with them will set off alarms in their heads. It's kind of like dating. (in fact, a sales call is very much like a date) If you meet someone and are on your best behavior, acting like the person you think they'd like you to be, you're going to be in deep trouble later on when you start acting like who you really are. If you like to eat ribs with your fingers (is there any other way?) would you use a knife and fork on a date so that the person sitting across from you doesn't see you getting bbq sauce all over your fingers? Probably not, so why would you act differently with a prospect just because of what type they are?
Don't get me wrong, if your prospect talks slowly and thinks slowly and you're a fast talker it's probably wise to slow down a little bit when dealing with this particular person. But changing your entire style and personality? Silly.
The fact is that buyers buy two things: relationship and value. I've dealt with value in this column before and will most likely deal with it again soon, as it is so important. Relationship is equally important. People buy from those they like and trust unless they have no choice, which isn't usually the case. How can you have a relationship based on like and trust if the prospect isn't getting to know the "real" you?
If you are a heavy drinker or drug user I'm not suggesting you should be drink or be high on sales calls but I do suggest you Just Be Yourself. People will either like you or not. Typically salespeople are "people" people. One of the traits of most great salespeople is their "likeability" factor. The "greats" are almost always the type of people that others immediately like. By being yourself, instead of worrying about what "type" the other person is, you can develop a real rapport which can lead to like and trust and, hopefully, a long-term profitable business relationship.
Forget all that other stuff. Just Be Yourself. You'll have more fun and close more business.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
I was noticing the amazing variety of people today. Men, women, kids. Some riding bikes. Some faster than me and others that I left in the dust. Some jogging, some running, some walking. Women in full makeup and high heels as well as others in workout gear and sweating up a storm. Fat men with their shirts off (ugh) and young guys with buff bodies that make me ride a little faster and longer so that I, too, can have abs that others can see instead of only in my dreams.
For now, my abs are hidden by a layer of...well, we don't have to go there. The point is each of the people I noticed today were being themselves and I was being myself. I didn't need to be anyone else and neither did they. So, what does this have to do with selling?
For years I've attended seminars and read books and newsletters (I still do) in order to learn what's out there and help improve myself. I can't tell you how many workshops I've attended that teach how you to figure out what "type" of person/buyer the prospect is and how to adjust your selling style to match their buying style in order to improve the odds of getting a sale.
One organization calls them Bosses, Users, Gatekeepers and Supporters. (BUGS) Another calls them Drivers, Analyticals, Amiables and Expressives. The list goes on and on. Supposedly, if you figure out what "type" your prospect is you can then change who you are or how you sell to better accommodate the way they like to buy. BUNK!
Just like I don't change who I am when I am riding my bicycle, I don't change who I am when I'm selling. I suggest that people, including your prospects, can "smell" a phony a mile away and changing who you are or how you are being with them will set off alarms in their heads. It's kind of like dating. (in fact, a sales call is very much like a date) If you meet someone and are on your best behavior, acting like the person you think they'd like you to be, you're going to be in deep trouble later on when you start acting like who you really are. If you like to eat ribs with your fingers (is there any other way?) would you use a knife and fork on a date so that the person sitting across from you doesn't see you getting bbq sauce all over your fingers? Probably not, so why would you act differently with a prospect just because of what type they are?
Don't get me wrong, if your prospect talks slowly and thinks slowly and you're a fast talker it's probably wise to slow down a little bit when dealing with this particular person. But changing your entire style and personality? Silly.
The fact is that buyers buy two things: relationship and value. I've dealt with value in this column before and will most likely deal with it again soon, as it is so important. Relationship is equally important. People buy from those they like and trust unless they have no choice, which isn't usually the case. How can you have a relationship based on like and trust if the prospect isn't getting to know the "real" you?
If you are a heavy drinker or drug user I'm not suggesting you should be drink or be high on sales calls but I do suggest you Just Be Yourself. People will either like you or not. Typically salespeople are "people" people. One of the traits of most great salespeople is their "likeability" factor. The "greats" are almost always the type of people that others immediately like. By being yourself, instead of worrying about what "type" the other person is, you can develop a real rapport which can lead to like and trust and, hopefully, a long-term profitable business relationship.
Forget all that other stuff. Just Be Yourself. You'll have more fun and close more business.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Negotiating - The Golden Rule
One of the aspects of selling I get asked about on a regular basis is negotiating. "How can I negotiate more effectively?" "What do I need to do to make sure I get my price?" (or as close as possible) "Given that the people I'm negotiating against have often been trained in negotiating techniques what chance do I have of closing a profitable deal?" These, and other questions, are posed to me on an almost daily basis so I'm going to give you my very best advice regarding negotiating.
DON'T.
Well, that was simple, wasn't it? That's right. My very best advice regarding negotiating is, "Don't do it." Don't negotiate. Ahhhhh, I can hear you right now saying, "But Jeff, I live in the real world and in this world you have to negotiate." Well, ducky, I live in the real world too and I don't negotiate. For sure I don't negotiate my price. Let me explain why.
I offer a service. Training, seminars, keynote speeches, consulting. My time is valuable, just as yours is. My services are valuable too. Just as your products or services are. I gave a lot of thought when I decided how to price my services. What is the value of my time and teachings? What is the "going" rate for similar services. How much money do I need to earn to be profitable? After careful consideration I came up with what I felt was the "right" price. It's a price that's fair and reasonable. (it turns out that my price is now too low for what I offer and I'll be raising my rates soon but that's another story) It's a price that when clients pay it to me I feel I've been fairly compensated for what I've delivered. It's a price that when my clients pay it to me THEY feel like they been treated fairly and received excellent value. So, if all those things are true, why would I ever negotiate?
One of the things you need to understand is that it's human nature to want to receive a fair deal. It's also human nature to want to receive the "best" deal you possibly can. But you also have to understand that a question regarding price (which usually sounds like this - "Can you do any better on the price?") is often just a question. It doesn't necessarily mean that if you don't do better on price that the prospect won't buy from you. Unfortunately, most salespeople don't think that way and as soon as they hear a price question they automatically drop their price. Dropping your price isn't negotiating, it's discounting. If you want to consider dropping price as negotiating then understand it's the weakest form of negotiation and it's what the weak salesperson does first.
Why do people try to negotiate with you but not when they buy tickets at the movies? Why do prospects expect a better price from you but not at the grocery store? We could go on with examples all day long but the reason is simple: At the movie theater the price is the price. Same thing at the grocery store. Did you see the movie "Borat?" In the movie the star goes into a hotel to book a room. When the front desk clerk gives him the nightly rate Borat makes a counteroffer. The clerk explains that the rate is the rate. Why should your rate be subject to negotiating? (mine's not) We train our customers how to buy from us. If we let them know that we'll discount once, they'll expect a price reduction every time they buy. Better to train them to buy on value so that price isn't a concern.
What you want to get really good at is defending your price. You must be able to explain to your prospect, in a way they'll relate to and understand, why your price is fair and reasonable. You must get very good at showing the value of what you're selling. People buy value and relationship, not price. What is the value of owning your product or service? What benefits will your prospects receive when they become your customer? How will it improve their life, business, profitability, etc? When you've done a good job of selling you've carefully pointed out the value and if you've done that the price question ("can you do any better?") is usually simply that. A question.
Now, since I do live in the real world I understand that you might not be in a position where you won't discount so here are some tips for better negotiating if you must.
1) Never give anything up in a negotiation without getting something back. If you give up something without getting anything in return you're discounting, not negotiating.
2) Know your walk-away point. Before negotiating effectively you must know the point where if it's one penny less you'll walk away from the deal.
3) Be willing to walk away. If you're not willing to walk away from the deal you can't negotiate effectively. This means you must have a full pipeline of prospects you're working with so that no one deal is too important. By having many opportunities to work on at any given time no one deal will run your life.
4) Know what you can add-in that will cost little or no money. For example, when I train salespeople I often include a follow-up session over the phone. While my time is valuable and worth money it doesn't cost me very much to do a follow-up session but my client receives great value from it. Before I'd ever drop price I'd offer to include an extra follow-up session or two. My client wins and so do I. That should be the goal of all negotiations, the client and you must both win.
5) Give the client a good reason to pay you your price. A while back I had a conversation with a prospect regarding training his team. It was a fairly good sized deal and I wanted to close it. When I gave the client my pricing he asked if I could do better. I explained why I was charging what I was charging. He asked again if I could do better. I explained, "Yes, I could chop $4000.00 off the price but let me ask you this: When I'm standing in front of your team and training them, would you like every thought in my head to be focussed on delivering the material in a way that they'll understand it and be able to implement it immediately or do you want the little voice in the back of my head to be whispering to me, "They chewed you down $4000 on price?" The client said that the initial price I gave him would be fine and the deal closed. Whenever you want someone to do something for you (in this case pay me my asking price) show them why it's good for them. (in this case paying me my full price allowed me to focus 100% on his sales team)
Here's another thought for you...when someone substantially drops their price to me I feel like they're a thief. I bought a snowblower a few years ago. I went to a local store and inquired about a model they had on the floor. I was told the price would be $600. I asked the owner if he could do any better and after a few seconds he replied, "If you buy it right now I'll give it to you for $450." I shook his hand a left the store without buying the snowblower, drove to Sears and bought one there. Why? If he could that quickly shave $150 off the price then he was ripping me off at his asking price of $600. What if I hadn't asked if he could do better and had accepted his asking price of $600? I don't do business with thieves.
Get good at defending your price and you'll find that you'll end up negotiating more effectively. You'll be happier, your company will be more profitable and your clients (if they're anything like me) will probably feel like they've been treated fairly.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
DON'T.
Well, that was simple, wasn't it? That's right. My very best advice regarding negotiating is, "Don't do it." Don't negotiate. Ahhhhh, I can hear you right now saying, "But Jeff, I live in the real world and in this world you have to negotiate." Well, ducky, I live in the real world too and I don't negotiate. For sure I don't negotiate my price. Let me explain why.
I offer a service. Training, seminars, keynote speeches, consulting. My time is valuable, just as yours is. My services are valuable too. Just as your products or services are. I gave a lot of thought when I decided how to price my services. What is the value of my time and teachings? What is the "going" rate for similar services. How much money do I need to earn to be profitable? After careful consideration I came up with what I felt was the "right" price. It's a price that's fair and reasonable. (it turns out that my price is now too low for what I offer and I'll be raising my rates soon but that's another story) It's a price that when clients pay it to me I feel I've been fairly compensated for what I've delivered. It's a price that when my clients pay it to me THEY feel like they been treated fairly and received excellent value. So, if all those things are true, why would I ever negotiate?
One of the things you need to understand is that it's human nature to want to receive a fair deal. It's also human nature to want to receive the "best" deal you possibly can. But you also have to understand that a question regarding price (which usually sounds like this - "Can you do any better on the price?") is often just a question. It doesn't necessarily mean that if you don't do better on price that the prospect won't buy from you. Unfortunately, most salespeople don't think that way and as soon as they hear a price question they automatically drop their price. Dropping your price isn't negotiating, it's discounting. If you want to consider dropping price as negotiating then understand it's the weakest form of negotiation and it's what the weak salesperson does first.
Why do people try to negotiate with you but not when they buy tickets at the movies? Why do prospects expect a better price from you but not at the grocery store? We could go on with examples all day long but the reason is simple: At the movie theater the price is the price. Same thing at the grocery store. Did you see the movie "Borat?" In the movie the star goes into a hotel to book a room. When the front desk clerk gives him the nightly rate Borat makes a counteroffer. The clerk explains that the rate is the rate. Why should your rate be subject to negotiating? (mine's not) We train our customers how to buy from us. If we let them know that we'll discount once, they'll expect a price reduction every time they buy. Better to train them to buy on value so that price isn't a concern.
What you want to get really good at is defending your price. You must be able to explain to your prospect, in a way they'll relate to and understand, why your price is fair and reasonable. You must get very good at showing the value of what you're selling. People buy value and relationship, not price. What is the value of owning your product or service? What benefits will your prospects receive when they become your customer? How will it improve their life, business, profitability, etc? When you've done a good job of selling you've carefully pointed out the value and if you've done that the price question ("can you do any better?") is usually simply that. A question.
Now, since I do live in the real world I understand that you might not be in a position where you won't discount so here are some tips for better negotiating if you must.
1) Never give anything up in a negotiation without getting something back. If you give up something without getting anything in return you're discounting, not negotiating.
2) Know your walk-away point. Before negotiating effectively you must know the point where if it's one penny less you'll walk away from the deal.
3) Be willing to walk away. If you're not willing to walk away from the deal you can't negotiate effectively. This means you must have a full pipeline of prospects you're working with so that no one deal is too important. By having many opportunities to work on at any given time no one deal will run your life.
4) Know what you can add-in that will cost little or no money. For example, when I train salespeople I often include a follow-up session over the phone. While my time is valuable and worth money it doesn't cost me very much to do a follow-up session but my client receives great value from it. Before I'd ever drop price I'd offer to include an extra follow-up session or two. My client wins and so do I. That should be the goal of all negotiations, the client and you must both win.
5) Give the client a good reason to pay you your price. A while back I had a conversation with a prospect regarding training his team. It was a fairly good sized deal and I wanted to close it. When I gave the client my pricing he asked if I could do better. I explained why I was charging what I was charging. He asked again if I could do better. I explained, "Yes, I could chop $4000.00 off the price but let me ask you this: When I'm standing in front of your team and training them, would you like every thought in my head to be focussed on delivering the material in a way that they'll understand it and be able to implement it immediately or do you want the little voice in the back of my head to be whispering to me, "They chewed you down $4000 on price?" The client said that the initial price I gave him would be fine and the deal closed. Whenever you want someone to do something for you (in this case pay me my asking price) show them why it's good for them. (in this case paying me my full price allowed me to focus 100% on his sales team)
Here's another thought for you...when someone substantially drops their price to me I feel like they're a thief. I bought a snowblower a few years ago. I went to a local store and inquired about a model they had on the floor. I was told the price would be $600. I asked the owner if he could do any better and after a few seconds he replied, "If you buy it right now I'll give it to you for $450." I shook his hand a left the store without buying the snowblower, drove to Sears and bought one there. Why? If he could that quickly shave $150 off the price then he was ripping me off at his asking price of $600. What if I hadn't asked if he could do better and had accepted his asking price of $600? I don't do business with thieves.
Get good at defending your price and you'll find that you'll end up negotiating more effectively. You'll be happier, your company will be more profitable and your clients (if they're anything like me) will probably feel like they've been treated fairly.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
It Takes Work!
A while back I was having a conversation with a business associate who, by most people's standards, is very successful financially. We're talking about a guy who is definitely one of the top 2% of earners, the kind of money that most people only dream of. During this particular chat we started talking about work in general and I made the offhand comment, "Hey, it's tough to make a living." My associate replied, "Jeff, it's not hard at all to make a living, but it takes work to get rich." I thought about it for a moment and realized that he had said something profound. It takes work.
In my business I get to meet a lot of people on an almost daily basis. Salespeople, sales managers, vice presidents of sales, presidents and CEOs. Often I'm asked, usually by salespeople and their direct managers, how they can make more money. My answer is, "It takes work." You see, I've discovered something interesting over the last few years. Almost everyone wants to be rich but very few are willing to pay the price. Whether you want to be rich or just make more money than you do now, IT TAKES WORK!
IT TAKES WORK to get up in the morning and adjust your attitude. Most of us wake up in a fog, stumble into the bathroom to take care of our morning business and then stumble down the hall to the kitchen where we brew up our first cup of coffee of the day. While downing that brew we think about how we'd rather be sleeping late, taking the day off, relaxing and enjoying life and generally start to dread the day ahead. Instead, this is time I suggest that would be better spent consciously creating the coming day, but IT TAKES WORK. Conscious creation of the coming day is exactly what it sounds like: creating your day. Instead of drowning in the muck of what's ahead you think about how thankful you are to be alive. How wonderfully the day is going to go. How happy you're going to be. How you're going to be a positive influence on others and how they're going to respond to you positively. How the things you think about and the actions you take are all going to work out beautifully. You visualize the sales calls you're going to go on and see the prospect reaching across their desk, smiling, to shake your hand as they say, "Yes, I want to do business with you." Conscious creation works, but IT TAKES WORK.
For salespeople, and I say this often, among the most important things you can do each do in order to insure your success is making sure you've got a pipeline filled with prospects. For most of us this means you need to prospect every day but, for most of us, this is a dreaded activity. It's also the one thing that solves almost every sales problem. Not enough in the pipeline? Prospect more. Not enough money coming in? Prospect more. Not closing enough business? Prospect more. Customers negotiating you down to nearly unprofitable levels? Prospect more. (so that you can negotiate from a position of strength - see last month's newsletter for more on this subject) For nearly half the questions I'm asked my answer is prospect more, but IT TAKES WORK.
As a sales trainer I work with salespeople and their managers sharing techniques and processes that can help them be more successful. I'm often asked, before being hired, about R.O.I. My answer, to the chief sales guru at the prospect company I'm talking with is always the same, "I can't guarantee any return on investment. I wish I could but I don't know what your sales managers and salespeople are going to do with the information I share with them once I leave. I'll do everything in my power to give them the tools they need to get more appointments and close more business than ever before but they have to implement those tools and IT TAKES WORK." IT TAKES WORK to actually pick up the phone and make cold calls. IT TAKES WORK to implement new techniques. IT TAKES WORK to try new things as opposed to doing what you always do. IT TAKES WORK.
How many of us have attended a seminar, read a book or a newsletter listened to a CD and learned something new that sounded like a good idea but never put it to use? (if you're not raising your hand right now you're a liar!) Most people I know have invested in a tape or CD series to improve or change something in their lives but they never listen to them. Is it because they don't want to? Is it because they are not interested in improvement? Did they just want to throw some money out the window? Probably not. I recently invested over $200 in a program designed to help you read substantially faster than normal. (the average person reads about 300-500 words per minute - this program claims to be able to get you to read as much as 25,000 words per minute!) It's been sitting on the floor near my desk for over a month. Because I don't want to read substantially faster? Because I don't think being able to read more books and newspapers would help me be more successful? Because I like reading slowly? No. The reason I haven't gotten past the first lesson is IT TAKES WORK.
I could go on and on with examples that would cause you to say, "Yeah, I've done that too." Want your relationship with your spouse and children to be better? IT TAKES WORK. Want your dog to be well trained? IT TAKES WORK. Want to have a better body? IT TAKES WORK. Want to have more money, more security, more success, more happiness, more of anything? IT TAKES WORK.
Here's my suggestion: Sometime this weekend take 30 minutes for yourself. Grab a piece of paper and write down all the things you're committed to. If you have a list of goals that you wrote out at the end of last year, or the beginning of this one, that would be a good thing to have for this exercise too. Take a look at your goals and see how far you've advanced toward reaching them. Acknowledge yourself for the things you've accomplished and the progress you've made. Make a list of the things you still need to do in order to reach the rest of your goals. Write down the actions you need to take, the people you need to contact, the books you need to read or anything else you need to do in order to make your life into what you want it to be. Now write down your commitments to those actions. Make promises to yourself. And then, KEEP THOSE PROMISES.
You can create the life you want, the health you desire, the relationships you dream of and the success that's avoided you most of your life (as if success didn't want to hang out with you) but IT TAKES WORK!
Make It Happen,
Jeff
In my business I get to meet a lot of people on an almost daily basis. Salespeople, sales managers, vice presidents of sales, presidents and CEOs. Often I'm asked, usually by salespeople and their direct managers, how they can make more money. My answer is, "It takes work." You see, I've discovered something interesting over the last few years. Almost everyone wants to be rich but very few are willing to pay the price. Whether you want to be rich or just make more money than you do now, IT TAKES WORK!
IT TAKES WORK to get up in the morning and adjust your attitude. Most of us wake up in a fog, stumble into the bathroom to take care of our morning business and then stumble down the hall to the kitchen where we brew up our first cup of coffee of the day. While downing that brew we think about how we'd rather be sleeping late, taking the day off, relaxing and enjoying life and generally start to dread the day ahead. Instead, this is time I suggest that would be better spent consciously creating the coming day, but IT TAKES WORK. Conscious creation of the coming day is exactly what it sounds like: creating your day. Instead of drowning in the muck of what's ahead you think about how thankful you are to be alive. How wonderfully the day is going to go. How happy you're going to be. How you're going to be a positive influence on others and how they're going to respond to you positively. How the things you think about and the actions you take are all going to work out beautifully. You visualize the sales calls you're going to go on and see the prospect reaching across their desk, smiling, to shake your hand as they say, "Yes, I want to do business with you." Conscious creation works, but IT TAKES WORK.
For salespeople, and I say this often, among the most important things you can do each do in order to insure your success is making sure you've got a pipeline filled with prospects. For most of us this means you need to prospect every day but, for most of us, this is a dreaded activity. It's also the one thing that solves almost every sales problem. Not enough in the pipeline? Prospect more. Not enough money coming in? Prospect more. Not closing enough business? Prospect more. Customers negotiating you down to nearly unprofitable levels? Prospect more. (so that you can negotiate from a position of strength - see last month's newsletter for more on this subject) For nearly half the questions I'm asked my answer is prospect more, but IT TAKES WORK.
As a sales trainer I work with salespeople and their managers sharing techniques and processes that can help them be more successful. I'm often asked, before being hired, about R.O.I. My answer, to the chief sales guru at the prospect company I'm talking with is always the same, "I can't guarantee any return on investment. I wish I could but I don't know what your sales managers and salespeople are going to do with the information I share with them once I leave. I'll do everything in my power to give them the tools they need to get more appointments and close more business than ever before but they have to implement those tools and IT TAKES WORK." IT TAKES WORK to actually pick up the phone and make cold calls. IT TAKES WORK to implement new techniques. IT TAKES WORK to try new things as opposed to doing what you always do. IT TAKES WORK.
How many of us have attended a seminar, read a book or a newsletter listened to a CD and learned something new that sounded like a good idea but never put it to use? (if you're not raising your hand right now you're a liar!) Most people I know have invested in a tape or CD series to improve or change something in their lives but they never listen to them. Is it because they don't want to? Is it because they are not interested in improvement? Did they just want to throw some money out the window? Probably not. I recently invested over $200 in a program designed to help you read substantially faster than normal. (the average person reads about 300-500 words per minute - this program claims to be able to get you to read as much as 25,000 words per minute!) It's been sitting on the floor near my desk for over a month. Because I don't want to read substantially faster? Because I don't think being able to read more books and newspapers would help me be more successful? Because I like reading slowly? No. The reason I haven't gotten past the first lesson is IT TAKES WORK.
I could go on and on with examples that would cause you to say, "Yeah, I've done that too." Want your relationship with your spouse and children to be better? IT TAKES WORK. Want your dog to be well trained? IT TAKES WORK. Want to have a better body? IT TAKES WORK. Want to have more money, more security, more success, more happiness, more of anything? IT TAKES WORK.
Here's my suggestion: Sometime this weekend take 30 minutes for yourself. Grab a piece of paper and write down all the things you're committed to. If you have a list of goals that you wrote out at the end of last year, or the beginning of this one, that would be a good thing to have for this exercise too. Take a look at your goals and see how far you've advanced toward reaching them. Acknowledge yourself for the things you've accomplished and the progress you've made. Make a list of the things you still need to do in order to reach the rest of your goals. Write down the actions you need to take, the people you need to contact, the books you need to read or anything else you need to do in order to make your life into what you want it to be. Now write down your commitments to those actions. Make promises to yourself. And then, KEEP THOSE PROMISES.
You can create the life you want, the health you desire, the relationships you dream of and the success that's avoided you most of your life (as if success didn't want to hang out with you) but IT TAKES WORK!
Make It Happen,
Jeff
W.I.I.F.M.
I assume you've figured out why you're a salesperson. If you're like most, you didn't go to college so that you could learn the skills you would need to embark on a career in sales. It's unlikely that when you were a child and someone asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" that your answer was, "A sales professional." In fact, most salespeople wind up in sales by accident.
Once in sales, however, many of us stay for the long run. Because it's easy? Nope. Because it's glamorous? Nope. Because other than being an entertainer, sports figure, doctor or lawyer it's a career where you can make the most money? (with little or no education) Yup! Usually, the reason salespeople become salespeople, and stick with it, is because it beats digging ditches and you have the opportunity to make a very substantial income.
So, you probably know why you "bought" selling as a career but do you know why your customers buy? I can sum up the answer with a simple acronym: W.I.I.F.M. which stands for "What's In It For Me."
The simple fact is that humans do almost everything they do because there's something in it for them. Since your customers buy from you because of what's in it for them, you must be very good at showing and telling them exactly that: What's in it for them when they buy from you? Will they increase profits? Will they save time? Will they close more business? Will they attract more customers? These are just a few of the potential benefits you might offer your customers. You see, people buy the benefit that your product or service offers them. The W.I.I.F.M. In my workshops I'm often stunned to discover that many people don't understand what a benefit is and if you don't understand that you might as well throw away your briefcase and find another career.
Most products and services have features and benefits. You must know the distinction between the two and which one your customer buys. Features are what something is or has. When you buy a car, it has a steering wheel. That's one of the features of a car. The car has tires. Another feature. But did you buy your car because it had a steering wheel and tires? You wouldn't have purchased your car if it didn't have those things but that's not why you bought your car. You bought your car because you wanted to be able to drive from point A to point B. That's the benefit of owning a car. (I understand that you bought the particular model car that you own because it might have certain features that you wanted but the overriding reason you bought a car was for transportation) And that, my friends, is what people buy - benefits.
Most salespeople give presentations filled with emphasis on the terrific features offered. When I bought my last car the salesperson almost lost the sale because he was pitching me on safety features as I stood there, listening, with my 5 year old holding my hand. After explaining to the sales clown that I knew Toyota was a safe car, and that he should move on because I had his money in my pocket and I only cared if the car went fast when I stepped on the gas and that the stereo sounded good, he continued to pitch me on the safety features. As he continued, I warned him that I was going to walk out. He finally moved on to what I wanted to hear and I bought the car. It had the features I wanted but also the benefits. It takes me from point A to point B quickly and the music sounds great. (my 5 year old liked it because it had a large blue balloon attached to the antenna. His benefit was that he would get to play with a balloon)
If you want to sell more you need to stop focussing on the way you want to sell and start focussing on the way your customers want to buy, and what they buy. Briefly describe the features and answer any questions regarding them but the emphasis should always be on how each item benefits your customer.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Once in sales, however, many of us stay for the long run. Because it's easy? Nope. Because it's glamorous? Nope. Because other than being an entertainer, sports figure, doctor or lawyer it's a career where you can make the most money? (with little or no education) Yup! Usually, the reason salespeople become salespeople, and stick with it, is because it beats digging ditches and you have the opportunity to make a very substantial income.
So, you probably know why you "bought" selling as a career but do you know why your customers buy? I can sum up the answer with a simple acronym: W.I.I.F.M. which stands for "What's In It For Me."
The simple fact is that humans do almost everything they do because there's something in it for them. Since your customers buy from you because of what's in it for them, you must be very good at showing and telling them exactly that: What's in it for them when they buy from you? Will they increase profits? Will they save time? Will they close more business? Will they attract more customers? These are just a few of the potential benefits you might offer your customers. You see, people buy the benefit that your product or service offers them. The W.I.I.F.M. In my workshops I'm often stunned to discover that many people don't understand what a benefit is and if you don't understand that you might as well throw away your briefcase and find another career.
Most products and services have features and benefits. You must know the distinction between the two and which one your customer buys. Features are what something is or has. When you buy a car, it has a steering wheel. That's one of the features of a car. The car has tires. Another feature. But did you buy your car because it had a steering wheel and tires? You wouldn't have purchased your car if it didn't have those things but that's not why you bought your car. You bought your car because you wanted to be able to drive from point A to point B. That's the benefit of owning a car. (I understand that you bought the particular model car that you own because it might have certain features that you wanted but the overriding reason you bought a car was for transportation) And that, my friends, is what people buy - benefits.
Most salespeople give presentations filled with emphasis on the terrific features offered. When I bought my last car the salesperson almost lost the sale because he was pitching me on safety features as I stood there, listening, with my 5 year old holding my hand. After explaining to the sales clown that I knew Toyota was a safe car, and that he should move on because I had his money in my pocket and I only cared if the car went fast when I stepped on the gas and that the stereo sounded good, he continued to pitch me on the safety features. As he continued, I warned him that I was going to walk out. He finally moved on to what I wanted to hear and I bought the car. It had the features I wanted but also the benefits. It takes me from point A to point B quickly and the music sounds great. (my 5 year old liked it because it had a large blue balloon attached to the antenna. His benefit was that he would get to play with a balloon)
If you want to sell more you need to stop focussing on the way you want to sell and start focussing on the way your customers want to buy, and what they buy. Briefly describe the features and answer any questions regarding them but the emphasis should always be on how each item benefits your customer.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Will a Motorcycle Accident Change the Way I Sell?
On May 5th, 2008 at 8:00 a.m. I checked the weather and saw it was a brisk, but sunny, spring day. I decided to use my motorcycle to go to an informal business meeting at 8:30 followed by a trip to the doctor to investigate a very annoying cough I'd had for over a week.
About a block away I thought about turning back to get my leather jacket instead of the mesh one I was wearing, and riding gloves, as it was chillier than I originally thought. I decided against it as I wasn't going too far. I dropped off some DVDs at Blockbuster and was heading to my meeting with time to spare.
Heading up Long Beach Boulevard, a major street with three lanes of traffic in each direction, I was checking out the traffic and the road ahead of me, as usual. On a motorcycle things can happen quickly so the smart rider is always looking 12 or 13 seconds down the road as that typically gives you enough time to stop in an emergency. I noticed a car in the left turn lane of the oncoming traffic and quickly evaluated that she was waiting to turn and not moving, obviously giving me the right-of-way.
I don't know what was really going through the driver's mind (she later said she just didn't see me) but she did turn in front of me and at that point it was too late for anything but an emergency stop on my part. In a moment that seemed surreal, I slammed on the brakes and the bike went down on its side, throwing me off onto the street. The bike proceeded to slam into the right side of the car that had turned in front of me. I went tumbling about 20 feet before I stopped. Somehow I got up and staggered to the side of road where I collapsed. I was amazingly fortunate. Fortunate that the traffic behind me stopped in plenty of time so that I didn't get run over. Fortunate that concerned people, including the 80 year old driver of the car that turned in front of me, came over quickly to help me. Fortunate that my injuries, while painful, have left me with all my limbs intact and working. I suffered a broken collarbone and some bruised or cracked ribs (the x-rays couldn't tell) and a bunch of abrasions to my hands (those gloves would have come in handy) and knees. It seems everyone knows someone who has either died or been paralyzed as a result of a motorcycle accident so I consider myself "lucky."
Did this event change my life? Change the way I think? Change the way I'll sell? Well, it certainly changed my life for a while. Having never had a broken bone in the first 53 years of my life I soon discovered that broken bones hurt. A lot. I lived on some very strong painkillers for a week-and-a-half before I was able to deal with the pain without drugs. I slept sitting up on my sofa as I couldn't lay down.
Did it change the way I think? Not really. For as long as I can remember, part of my philosophy has been to live my life as if I might die at lunchtime. I'm unwilling to lay dying and have my final thought be, "Man...I wasted my last morning on earth being angry or upset" so I choose to be happy and enjoy my life.
Will it change the way I sell? Nope. I still believe in all the things I believed in before but I'll share some thoughts that I shared in New Orleans a few weeks after the accident when I addressed the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau attendees at their annual convention. They asked me to come and speak about "Reducing Churn and Increasing Market Share." For those of you who don't know what churn is, it means your customers go away. In advertising they don't renew. In telecommunications it means they left you to go to another carrier. Since it's far less expensive to keep a customer than find a new one, reducing churn is something we should all strive for. Here are a few points I made in my talk.
1) Churn (losing customers) typically occurs because we didn't understand the goals of the customer. It's crucial, in the discovery phase, to engage the prospect in a conversation that uncovers their "real" goals. The word "real" is in parentheses because the prospect often doesn't know their real goals or can't articulate them. As salespeople we must ask the same question in different ways at different times of the sales process to make sure the prospect is giving us "honest" answers. If we don't help the prospect reach their real goals we can expect them to not be a client very long.
2) As salespeople we must use a sales process that spends much of the time gathering information. The emphasis of your conversation with your prospect must be conversational and must help you to discover not only what they are trying to accomplish, but also what makes sense to them. We have to ask lots of questions and some of those must include how the prospect currently handles whatever you're trying to sell them. If you sell advertising, you need to discover how they attract customers now. (Whatever they're doing now makes sense to them and we need to know that in order to sell them) Present less, question more. When it is time to present, make sure to focus on benefits over features.
3) Make the prospect feel special. We all like to be desired, we all like to feel important and special. Turn off your cell phone. (better yet, leave it in the car) Ask questions and listen actively. (if you don't know what active listening means, e-mail me and I'll explain) Focus on the prospect like they're the most important person in the universe. At that moment, when you're sitting in front of them, or speaking with them on the phone, they are the most important person in your universe.
4) Follow up. Stay in touch with your customers and prospects. Continue to let them know that their business is important to you and that you value the trust they put in you as a supplier. If you don't stay in touch with your customers, your competition will.
5) Stay positive. In this "challenging" economy it's easy to get negative. The fact is you probably need to prospect more to achieve the same results as a year ago. Do it. There are some businesses that are thriving even though gas prices are high. The customers are out there. Find them. Eliminate all negative self-talk and don't let others influence you negatively. Keep a good attitude. If A=1%, B=2%, C=3%, etc. what does ATTITUDE add up to? (100%)
As always, it's my pleasure to answer any questions you might have or help you with any selling situations which might be challenging you. Call or e-mail anytime.
Make It Happen,
Jeff
About a block away I thought about turning back to get my leather jacket instead of the mesh one I was wearing, and riding gloves, as it was chillier than I originally thought. I decided against it as I wasn't going too far. I dropped off some DVDs at Blockbuster and was heading to my meeting with time to spare.
Heading up Long Beach Boulevard, a major street with three lanes of traffic in each direction, I was checking out the traffic and the road ahead of me, as usual. On a motorcycle things can happen quickly so the smart rider is always looking 12 or 13 seconds down the road as that typically gives you enough time to stop in an emergency. I noticed a car in the left turn lane of the oncoming traffic and quickly evaluated that she was waiting to turn and not moving, obviously giving me the right-of-way.
I don't know what was really going through the driver's mind (she later said she just didn't see me) but she did turn in front of me and at that point it was too late for anything but an emergency stop on my part. In a moment that seemed surreal, I slammed on the brakes and the bike went down on its side, throwing me off onto the street. The bike proceeded to slam into the right side of the car that had turned in front of me. I went tumbling about 20 feet before I stopped. Somehow I got up and staggered to the side of road where I collapsed. I was amazingly fortunate. Fortunate that the traffic behind me stopped in plenty of time so that I didn't get run over. Fortunate that concerned people, including the 80 year old driver of the car that turned in front of me, came over quickly to help me. Fortunate that my injuries, while painful, have left me with all my limbs intact and working. I suffered a broken collarbone and some bruised or cracked ribs (the x-rays couldn't tell) and a bunch of abrasions to my hands (those gloves would have come in handy) and knees. It seems everyone knows someone who has either died or been paralyzed as a result of a motorcycle accident so I consider myself "lucky."
Did this event change my life? Change the way I think? Change the way I'll sell? Well, it certainly changed my life for a while. Having never had a broken bone in the first 53 years of my life I soon discovered that broken bones hurt. A lot. I lived on some very strong painkillers for a week-and-a-half before I was able to deal with the pain without drugs. I slept sitting up on my sofa as I couldn't lay down.
Did it change the way I think? Not really. For as long as I can remember, part of my philosophy has been to live my life as if I might die at lunchtime. I'm unwilling to lay dying and have my final thought be, "Man...I wasted my last morning on earth being angry or upset" so I choose to be happy and enjoy my life.
Will it change the way I sell? Nope. I still believe in all the things I believed in before but I'll share some thoughts that I shared in New Orleans a few weeks after the accident when I addressed the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau attendees at their annual convention. They asked me to come and speak about "Reducing Churn and Increasing Market Share." For those of you who don't know what churn is, it means your customers go away. In advertising they don't renew. In telecommunications it means they left you to go to another carrier. Since it's far less expensive to keep a customer than find a new one, reducing churn is something we should all strive for. Here are a few points I made in my talk.
1) Churn (losing customers) typically occurs because we didn't understand the goals of the customer. It's crucial, in the discovery phase, to engage the prospect in a conversation that uncovers their "real" goals. The word "real" is in parentheses because the prospect often doesn't know their real goals or can't articulate them. As salespeople we must ask the same question in different ways at different times of the sales process to make sure the prospect is giving us "honest" answers. If we don't help the prospect reach their real goals we can expect them to not be a client very long.
2) As salespeople we must use a sales process that spends much of the time gathering information. The emphasis of your conversation with your prospect must be conversational and must help you to discover not only what they are trying to accomplish, but also what makes sense to them. We have to ask lots of questions and some of those must include how the prospect currently handles whatever you're trying to sell them. If you sell advertising, you need to discover how they attract customers now. (Whatever they're doing now makes sense to them and we need to know that in order to sell them) Present less, question more. When it is time to present, make sure to focus on benefits over features.
3) Make the prospect feel special. We all like to be desired, we all like to feel important and special. Turn off your cell phone. (better yet, leave it in the car) Ask questions and listen actively. (if you don't know what active listening means, e-mail me and I'll explain) Focus on the prospect like they're the most important person in the universe. At that moment, when you're sitting in front of them, or speaking with them on the phone, they are the most important person in your universe.
4) Follow up. Stay in touch with your customers and prospects. Continue to let them know that their business is important to you and that you value the trust they put in you as a supplier. If you don't stay in touch with your customers, your competition will.
5) Stay positive. In this "challenging" economy it's easy to get negative. The fact is you probably need to prospect more to achieve the same results as a year ago. Do it. There are some businesses that are thriving even though gas prices are high. The customers are out there. Find them. Eliminate all negative self-talk and don't let others influence you negatively. Keep a good attitude. If A=1%, B=2%, C=3%, etc. what does ATTITUDE add up to? (100%)
As always, it's my pleasure to answer any questions you might have or help you with any selling situations which might be challenging you. Call or e-mail anytime.
Make It Happen,
Jeff
Maybe I Should Take a Nap
I'm a morning person and most days I wake up rarin' to go. I make calls and return e-mails. I write material, plan upcoming speeches and workshops, go on sales calls and all the other 1001 things I need to do to keep my business running efficiently and effectively. Being a morning person, I have a lot of energy when I first get up so I plan my day accordingly.
I also know that I often "fade" mid-afternoon. Sometime around 2:00 or 3:00 I seem to lose my "spark" and often feel like I'm nodding out at my desk. (This doesn't happen for me when I'm speaking or training...an attentive audience keeps me juiced all day long) The little voice in my head starts whispering to me, "Maybe I should take a nap."
Being my own boss and working from home allows me some luxuries that you don't have if you work for someone else in an office. If I take a nap, I'll lose productivity since I can't be working while I'm sleeping but who's going to complain? The boss is me and while I may feel a twinge of guilt, I'll get over it.
So, do I take the nap? Well...I'd be lying if I told you I never succumb to the temptation. In fact, when I do give in to the urge I'm re-energized when I wake up which means I can go back to my desk and be more effective than if I had kept on working while not mentally and physically sharp. BUT, it doesn't happen often because like you, I need to make a living and every hour spent snoozing is an hour I'll never get back.
Even though I work for myself, I'm also working for others. I have three gorgeous young kids who I help to support so the first thing I do when I feel myself getting tired is I take a long hard look at their pictures. (which are posted, by the way, right above my desk so I can easily look up and see what I'm working for) Often that's enough to pump me back up to full capacity. I sometimes take a quick break...walk a block to the beach with my dog, do a run to the post office, or anything else that gets my blood pumping again.
You see, I realize that especially in a "challenging" economy, the pleasure of the nap is outweighed by the pain of the lost productivity and if I'm going to accomplish my goals it's usually far more important for me to get as much work done as possible rather than indulge myself in the sweetness of a catnap. These days I have to make more calls and see more prospects than last year, simply because many budgets are strained to the max and it's harder to find prospects that are interested and can afford my services. If you offer a product or service that makes sense to people almost everyone is interested but if they can't, or won't, pay you they aren't prospects right now.
This pain and pleasure principle can be of great use to you. We are almost always motivated by gaining pleasure and/or avoiding pain. If you can attach enough potential pain or pleasure to a goal you have a great likelihood of achieving it. For example...if you want to lose weight you might visualize yourself at the beach flowing out of your bathing suit while people point, stare and snicker at you. You might also see yourself laying on a hospital gurney being wheeled into the operating room to fix the heart damage you've caused with your overeating. Or, you might see yourself fitting into your "tight" jeans and having people look at you with admiration as you walk down the street. By attaching enough pain or pleasure to a goal you give yourself a much better chance of sticking with what you need to do in order to get where you want to go.
Should I take a nap? Well...it's only 12:45 p.m. as I write this and I'm still feeling pretty strong! I can't tell you how I'll feel in another hour or so but you can bet that if I start to fade I'll be thinking of the joy on my children's faces when I took them to Disney World last April and then on a Disney Cruise and was able to afford it easily. And I'll think of the days (thankfully in the distant past) when I used to get calls from bill collectors. I'm betting that my choice this afternoon won't include me snoring.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
I also know that I often "fade" mid-afternoon. Sometime around 2:00 or 3:00 I seem to lose my "spark" and often feel like I'm nodding out at my desk. (This doesn't happen for me when I'm speaking or training...an attentive audience keeps me juiced all day long) The little voice in my head starts whispering to me, "Maybe I should take a nap."
Being my own boss and working from home allows me some luxuries that you don't have if you work for someone else in an office. If I take a nap, I'll lose productivity since I can't be working while I'm sleeping but who's going to complain? The boss is me and while I may feel a twinge of guilt, I'll get over it.
So, do I take the nap? Well...I'd be lying if I told you I never succumb to the temptation. In fact, when I do give in to the urge I'm re-energized when I wake up which means I can go back to my desk and be more effective than if I had kept on working while not mentally and physically sharp. BUT, it doesn't happen often because like you, I need to make a living and every hour spent snoozing is an hour I'll never get back.
Even though I work for myself, I'm also working for others. I have three gorgeous young kids who I help to support so the first thing I do when I feel myself getting tired is I take a long hard look at their pictures. (which are posted, by the way, right above my desk so I can easily look up and see what I'm working for) Often that's enough to pump me back up to full capacity. I sometimes take a quick break...walk a block to the beach with my dog, do a run to the post office, or anything else that gets my blood pumping again.
You see, I realize that especially in a "challenging" economy, the pleasure of the nap is outweighed by the pain of the lost productivity and if I'm going to accomplish my goals it's usually far more important for me to get as much work done as possible rather than indulge myself in the sweetness of a catnap. These days I have to make more calls and see more prospects than last year, simply because many budgets are strained to the max and it's harder to find prospects that are interested and can afford my services. If you offer a product or service that makes sense to people almost everyone is interested but if they can't, or won't, pay you they aren't prospects right now.
This pain and pleasure principle can be of great use to you. We are almost always motivated by gaining pleasure and/or avoiding pain. If you can attach enough potential pain or pleasure to a goal you have a great likelihood of achieving it. For example...if you want to lose weight you might visualize yourself at the beach flowing out of your bathing suit while people point, stare and snicker at you. You might also see yourself laying on a hospital gurney being wheeled into the operating room to fix the heart damage you've caused with your overeating. Or, you might see yourself fitting into your "tight" jeans and having people look at you with admiration as you walk down the street. By attaching enough pain or pleasure to a goal you give yourself a much better chance of sticking with what you need to do in order to get where you want to go.
Should I take a nap? Well...it's only 12:45 p.m. as I write this and I'm still feeling pretty strong! I can't tell you how I'll feel in another hour or so but you can bet that if I start to fade I'll be thinking of the joy on my children's faces when I took them to Disney World last April and then on a Disney Cruise and was able to afford it easily. And I'll think of the days (thankfully in the distant past) when I used to get calls from bill collectors. I'm betting that my choice this afternoon won't include me snoring.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Your Attitude & Beliefs Make a Difference in Your Wallet
If you've read my newsletter before you already know that I typically discuss techniques to get more appointments, shorten your sales cycle or close more business. This month I intend to take on all three of those areas but not with "typical" technique training.
It would be hard for anyone in sales to disagree that attitude is important. Without a good, positive attitude it's difficult to accomplish all the things we need to accomplish each day, week and month as salespeople. But how does one develop a good attitude if you don't already have one? (by the way...if you don't already have one perhaps it's time to think about a career change!) One way is to get rid of "self-limiting" beliefs.
Self-limiting beliefs are thoughts we have about ourselves that get in the way of our success. It's that little voice in your head that is talking to you on a fairly consistent basis, telling you all the reasons why you can't, or shouldn't, succeed. (If you're wondering what little voice in your head I'm talking about, it's the one that just asked you, "What little voice is he talking about?")
Salespeople need confidence. Confidence in their product, (or service) confidence in themselves and confidence in their ability to have a discussion with potential customers that ends with the customer choosing to do business with them. Unfortunately, we often sabotage ourselves without knowing it.
How many times have you left a sales meeting, after losing the sale, and had the "little voice" in your head say something like, "I blew it." Or, "I'm such a loser," "I'm such an idiot," "I stink at selling," or something like that? In and of themselves, those are just words but the problem is that your subconscious (or unconscious) mind is always listening to the things you say, whether out loud or only in your head. Say things enough times, either positive or negative, and your brain starts to believe them.
When you tell yourself, "I'm an idiot," or "I stink," enough times your subconscious mind begins to believe it and starts manifesting behaviors to match your internal language. If you tell yourself that you're an idiot, eventually your actions will start to prove it consistently.
Luckily, the reverse is also true. Get inside the mind of an Olympic athlete and your likely to hear things like, "I'm a winner," "I'm confident in my ability to finish the race first," or "I'm the greatest." Remember Mohammed Ali? While his ego certainly played a part in his constant declaration, "I'm the greatest," it was also a brilliant way to constantly tell his mind what he wanted it to hear, and believe, so that his mind and body would act accordingly.
Would you like to change your success in sales? Change your internal self-talk. Each time you catch yourself speaking negatively to yourself, gently turn it into a positive statement. Turn, "I stink at sales," into, "I am an expert salesperson who helps my clients achieve success." If you've done something stupid (we all do occasionally) turn, "I'm an idiot," into, "I'm brilliant and I made a mistake." DO NOT get down on yourself...this technique takes time and effort but will pay off with big results.
Your beliefs and internal dialogue can make a huge difference in your overall attitude and your paycheck. Give it a try for two weeks and see if it makes a difference. Write to me and let me know your results. Until then,
Make It Happen!
Jeff
It would be hard for anyone in sales to disagree that attitude is important. Without a good, positive attitude it's difficult to accomplish all the things we need to accomplish each day, week and month as salespeople. But how does one develop a good attitude if you don't already have one? (by the way...if you don't already have one perhaps it's time to think about a career change!) One way is to get rid of "self-limiting" beliefs.
Self-limiting beliefs are thoughts we have about ourselves that get in the way of our success. It's that little voice in your head that is talking to you on a fairly consistent basis, telling you all the reasons why you can't, or shouldn't, succeed. (If you're wondering what little voice in your head I'm talking about, it's the one that just asked you, "What little voice is he talking about?")
Salespeople need confidence. Confidence in their product, (or service) confidence in themselves and confidence in their ability to have a discussion with potential customers that ends with the customer choosing to do business with them. Unfortunately, we often sabotage ourselves without knowing it.
How many times have you left a sales meeting, after losing the sale, and had the "little voice" in your head say something like, "I blew it." Or, "I'm such a loser," "I'm such an idiot," "I stink at selling," or something like that? In and of themselves, those are just words but the problem is that your subconscious (or unconscious) mind is always listening to the things you say, whether out loud or only in your head. Say things enough times, either positive or negative, and your brain starts to believe them.
When you tell yourself, "I'm an idiot," or "I stink," enough times your subconscious mind begins to believe it and starts manifesting behaviors to match your internal language. If you tell yourself that you're an idiot, eventually your actions will start to prove it consistently.
Luckily, the reverse is also true. Get inside the mind of an Olympic athlete and your likely to hear things like, "I'm a winner," "I'm confident in my ability to finish the race first," or "I'm the greatest." Remember Mohammed Ali? While his ego certainly played a part in his constant declaration, "I'm the greatest," it was also a brilliant way to constantly tell his mind what he wanted it to hear, and believe, so that his mind and body would act accordingly.
Would you like to change your success in sales? Change your internal self-talk. Each time you catch yourself speaking negatively to yourself, gently turn it into a positive statement. Turn, "I stink at sales," into, "I am an expert salesperson who helps my clients achieve success." If you've done something stupid (we all do occasionally) turn, "I'm an idiot," into, "I'm brilliant and I made a mistake." DO NOT get down on yourself...this technique takes time and effort but will pay off with big results.
Your beliefs and internal dialogue can make a huge difference in your overall attitude and your paycheck. Give it a try for two weeks and see if it makes a difference. Write to me and let me know your results. Until then,
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Cold Calling is Dead! So, What Do We Do Now?
Lately I've been both reading and hearing that Cold Calling, as a way to set appointments, is dead. It's "old school", the techniques are outdated, and it just plain doesn't work.
A while ago I had the pleasure of working with a sales team of young, hip sellers in the advertising industry (who sell a really cool product!) and after we spent two days together one of the managers, a very sharp young man, commented that he felt that the time we spent going over how to cold call should have been cut by 3 or so hours, as cold calling "simply doesn't work" in his industry. He said that the people they're trying to get in touch with are incredibly busy and don't answer their phones. (sound familiar?) He went on to say that the people they're trying to reach have voice mail boxes that are always full. What he neglected to take into account was that in the single hour his team spent on the phones, applying the techniques they were just taught the day before, several team members set appointments and virtually every rep left several voice mails. So, before you start celebrating in Munchkinland and singing, "Ding dong, the cold calling witch is dead," you might want to consider that while I speak about, and train people on, many different subjects, cold calling continues to be the one most requested by clients. The reason is simple - cold calling over the telephone, when done right, continues to be the method of filling your pipeline with appointments that is most time and cost effective.
Anyone who knows me, or has been trained by me, knows that I wish it wasn't true. While most people have a strong dislike of it, I hate cold calling. I hate it more than you do. I hate it more than you and everyone on your sales team hates it. I hate it more than you, everyone on your sales team, and everyone you know hates it. I've spent significant amounts of time trying to figure out how to avoid it completely and eventually I'll write a book titled, "How to Avoid Cold Calling," but I have yet to find a way to avoid it entirely. If part of your job is developing new business then cold calling should, at the very least, be part of your appointment getting mix.
Are there other ways to get appointments that work, or at least turn a cold call into a warm call? There sure are, thank goodness! Here are a few that can be helpful.
Referrals are probably my very favorite way to get appointments. Referrals, when properly handled, immediately turn a cold call into a very warm one. Ask EVERYONE for referrals. I'm writing this on a plane taking me home from three days in San Francisco. I've already spoken with the gentleman sitting right next to me as well as the woman across the aisle from me asking them what they do for a living. Of course, they both asked me too. After answering them by clearly explaining what I do and the type of people I look to meet I asked both the question, "Who do you know that I should be speaking with?" Both asked for my card and one gave me a referral on the spot. Do I always get referrals every time I ask? Nope. But I always ask because immediately after asking for, and receiving, a referral I then ask if the giver will do me a "little favor." I ask if they'd be willing to call or e-mail the person they referred me to letting them know to expect my call and that they (the referrer) would appreciate it if they (the prospect) would accept my call. Does everyone who gives me a referral contact the referral for me? Nope. But I always ask and they often will. This becomes an almost certain appointment without the likely rejection of a cold call!
Networking continues to be another of my favorite ways to develop leads that can turn into appointments and again, if done properly, your cold call will become warm. I like it because it's social often results in referrals. Handle these referrals the same way you do any other by asking the giver to contact the person you're being referred to. Be cautious to invest your networking time wisely. You can spend all day every day attending networking meetings and functions. Look for networking groups with a professional facilitator and one that actually results in referrals. Too many groups are run by, for example, an insurance agent who also runs a networking group, or a chiropractor or a printer or any one of a hundred of different professions who run a networking group so that THEY can get more leads. A professional facilitator will help YOU get leads. If you're not getting leads from the groups you belong to find different groups. (If you need help with tips on how to increase the effectiveness of your networking check out my newsletter archives for an article on the subject) Social networking sites like LinkedIn and pay- for-lead networking sites like Salesconx can also be very useful in getting referrals and appointments. I'll admit I'm not an expert in this area yet but am learning more about them each day and have seen some success. (If you'd like to be connected on LinkedIn either send me an invite or e- mail me at jeff@jgsalespro.com and I'll be glad to invite you!)
Giving speeches is also high on my list of ways to develop leads that are warm. I'm a member of the National Speaker's Association and they suggest that of every ten people in your audience when giving a speech, at least one will have an interest in what you have to offer. The trick to giving speeches to develop leads is that the speech can't be a commercial for your services. However, when you speak on something related to your business you are viewed as an expert and people will approach you. There are MANY groups and organizations that are always on the lookout for speakers for their meetings. Call and offer your services for free. I get paid well for giving keynote speeches and training sessions but I'll speak with almost any group for 30 or 45 minutes for free, or a small honorarium, in order to get in front of someone who might be able to use my services. Even if nobody in the audience needs what you offer you can bet they know people they can refer you to.
E-mail is often used successfully to set appointments but, in my experience, it's not as successful as doing so over the phone. The reason should be obvious, over the phone when someone tells you why they won't meet with you; you have the opportunity to help them change their mind. In e-mail, it's much more difficult and the attempt to overcome an objection like, "I'm not interested," usually ends up sounding like a plea or a battle. Still, e-mail can work and should be a part of your appointment setting mix. Same for instant messaging. In both e-mail and IM the key is going to be in your message. You need to get to the point quickly (as is true over the phone) and be sure to include a request for the appointment. Without a call to action your message is simply a poor attempt at marketing.
These aren't the only ways to avoid cold calling but they're a few that have worked for me and many others. Develop a strategy that you think will work for you. Apply it and test it. If it's working, keep on doing it. If not, adjust and try again. It's my pleasure to help you so feel free to e-mail or call if you're having trouble getting enough appointments or developing more business in this challenging economy.
Make It Happen,
Jeff
A while ago I had the pleasure of working with a sales team of young, hip sellers in the advertising industry (who sell a really cool product!) and after we spent two days together one of the managers, a very sharp young man, commented that he felt that the time we spent going over how to cold call should have been cut by 3 or so hours, as cold calling "simply doesn't work" in his industry. He said that the people they're trying to get in touch with are incredibly busy and don't answer their phones. (sound familiar?) He went on to say that the people they're trying to reach have voice mail boxes that are always full. What he neglected to take into account was that in the single hour his team spent on the phones, applying the techniques they were just taught the day before, several team members set appointments and virtually every rep left several voice mails. So, before you start celebrating in Munchkinland and singing, "Ding dong, the cold calling witch is dead," you might want to consider that while I speak about, and train people on, many different subjects, cold calling continues to be the one most requested by clients. The reason is simple - cold calling over the telephone, when done right, continues to be the method of filling your pipeline with appointments that is most time and cost effective.
Anyone who knows me, or has been trained by me, knows that I wish it wasn't true. While most people have a strong dislike of it, I hate cold calling. I hate it more than you do. I hate it more than you and everyone on your sales team hates it. I hate it more than you, everyone on your sales team, and everyone you know hates it. I've spent significant amounts of time trying to figure out how to avoid it completely and eventually I'll write a book titled, "How to Avoid Cold Calling," but I have yet to find a way to avoid it entirely. If part of your job is developing new business then cold calling should, at the very least, be part of your appointment getting mix.
Are there other ways to get appointments that work, or at least turn a cold call into a warm call? There sure are, thank goodness! Here are a few that can be helpful.
Referrals are probably my very favorite way to get appointments. Referrals, when properly handled, immediately turn a cold call into a very warm one. Ask EVERYONE for referrals. I'm writing this on a plane taking me home from three days in San Francisco. I've already spoken with the gentleman sitting right next to me as well as the woman across the aisle from me asking them what they do for a living. Of course, they both asked me too. After answering them by clearly explaining what I do and the type of people I look to meet I asked both the question, "Who do you know that I should be speaking with?" Both asked for my card and one gave me a referral on the spot. Do I always get referrals every time I ask? Nope. But I always ask because immediately after asking for, and receiving, a referral I then ask if the giver will do me a "little favor." I ask if they'd be willing to call or e-mail the person they referred me to letting them know to expect my call and that they (the referrer) would appreciate it if they (the prospect) would accept my call. Does everyone who gives me a referral contact the referral for me? Nope. But I always ask and they often will. This becomes an almost certain appointment without the likely rejection of a cold call!
Networking continues to be another of my favorite ways to develop leads that can turn into appointments and again, if done properly, your cold call will become warm. I like it because it's social often results in referrals. Handle these referrals the same way you do any other by asking the giver to contact the person you're being referred to. Be cautious to invest your networking time wisely. You can spend all day every day attending networking meetings and functions. Look for networking groups with a professional facilitator and one that actually results in referrals. Too many groups are run by, for example, an insurance agent who also runs a networking group, or a chiropractor or a printer or any one of a hundred of different professions who run a networking group so that THEY can get more leads. A professional facilitator will help YOU get leads. If you're not getting leads from the groups you belong to find different groups. (If you need help with tips on how to increase the effectiveness of your networking check out my newsletter archives for an article on the subject) Social networking sites like LinkedIn and pay- for-lead networking sites like Salesconx can also be very useful in getting referrals and appointments. I'll admit I'm not an expert in this area yet but am learning more about them each day and have seen some success. (If you'd like to be connected on LinkedIn either send me an invite or e- mail me at jeff@jgsalespro.com and I'll be glad to invite you!)
Giving speeches is also high on my list of ways to develop leads that are warm. I'm a member of the National Speaker's Association and they suggest that of every ten people in your audience when giving a speech, at least one will have an interest in what you have to offer. The trick to giving speeches to develop leads is that the speech can't be a commercial for your services. However, when you speak on something related to your business you are viewed as an expert and people will approach you. There are MANY groups and organizations that are always on the lookout for speakers for their meetings. Call and offer your services for free. I get paid well for giving keynote speeches and training sessions but I'll speak with almost any group for 30 or 45 minutes for free, or a small honorarium, in order to get in front of someone who might be able to use my services. Even if nobody in the audience needs what you offer you can bet they know people they can refer you to.
E-mail is often used successfully to set appointments but, in my experience, it's not as successful as doing so over the phone. The reason should be obvious, over the phone when someone tells you why they won't meet with you; you have the opportunity to help them change their mind. In e-mail, it's much more difficult and the attempt to overcome an objection like, "I'm not interested," usually ends up sounding like a plea or a battle. Still, e-mail can work and should be a part of your appointment setting mix. Same for instant messaging. In both e-mail and IM the key is going to be in your message. You need to get to the point quickly (as is true over the phone) and be sure to include a request for the appointment. Without a call to action your message is simply a poor attempt at marketing.
These aren't the only ways to avoid cold calling but they're a few that have worked for me and many others. Develop a strategy that you think will work for you. Apply it and test it. If it's working, keep on doing it. If not, adjust and try again. It's my pleasure to help you so feel free to e-mail or call if you're having trouble getting enough appointments or developing more business in this challenging economy.
Make It Happen,
Jeff
10 Tips for Selling in a Challenging Economy
The economy stinks right now for most of us but there are still plenty of opportunities! You can give in to the gloom or you can dig in and do the things you need to do in order to survive, and thrive, no matter what the economic indicators tell us. Here are my thoughts on how to prosper now:
1) Prospect like crazy. For most of us, the "low-hanging" fruit has dried up but there are still prospects that need what you have to offer. You might need to double or triple your prospecting efforts but the prospects are out there. Invest your time in finding them. Some of the top salespeople I know spend as much as 50% of each day prospecting. Do you? Be sure to let everyone know what you do and how you might be able to help them and ask everyone for referrals.
2) Make it easy for your prospects to find you. While your competitors are cutting back, I suggest that now is the time to market and advertise more than ever before. Keep your name in front of your prospects and clients regularly. If you don't make sure your prospects think of you when it's time to buy, your competitors will take them away.
3) Understand why people buy. People tend to buy from people they like and trust. Under-promise and over-deliver, keep your word and go above & beyond the call of duty. In this environment it's more important than ever to find ways that you can help your prospects succeed, even if helping them now doesn't immediately benefit you.
4) Understand why people buy from you. Customers buy based on the relationship they have with you and the value that you bring to them, not price. (in most instances) Make sure your customer feels appreciated and special, like they're the most important person in the universe. (They are!) Be interested in them and their world. Did you ever notice that when someone is interested in you, they're more interesting to you? Make sure you can clearly communicate the value that you bring to the table in a way that is readily apparent to those you sell to. Ask your best customers why they do business with you. The answers might be surprising and can help you know how to sell to others.
5) It's all about the benefits. Salespeople focus on explaining the bells and whistles of their offering. (Features) In fact, the customer is only interested in what your product or service does for them. (Benefits) While you need to discuss the features of what you're selling the main focus has to be on the benefits to the buyer. Go out of your way to make sure the customer understands the WIIFM (What's In It For ME) when they do business with you.
6) Stay in touch. Keep in regular contact with your clients and prospects. People like to believe they aren't just a paycheck to you. Show them they're important with calls, e-mails, newsletters, cards, etc. Be highly responsive to all of their communications, even those regarding problems.
7) Handle customer service issues quickly and with a smile. Little annoys a customer more than being ignored when they have a problem. Return all calls and e- mails promptly. (I return all calls and e-mails within 24 hours no matter where I am in the world) Be thrilled to take care of challenges. Quickly, and happily, fixing a problem not only leaves the customer feeling good about doing business with you, it often provides you with an opportunity to sell more.
8) Keep your attitude up. While it's easy to buy into the gloom and doom in the news, it does you no good. People prefer to deal with someone with a strong, positive, upbeat attitude. It feels better to you and makes you more attractive to others. Find things to feel grateful for and positive about every day. Stay far away from negative influences.
9) Sharpen your skills. Now is absolutely the time to invest in yourself and your skills. Read books, attend seminars, listen to CDs and watch DVDs. Like many others, the training market has taken a hit as companies slash budgets in an effort to survive. Little, however, is more important right now than investing in your personal development so that you are able to take advantage of every possible opportunity you come across.
10) Realize that this too shall pass. I recently attended a seminar given by world thought- leader James Arthur Ray, where he shared the following thought: (2 days ago I heard Tony Robbins say the exact same thing) Year after year, one season follows another. It's always been that way and it will continue to do so. Right now we're in an extremely cold, winter economy but after winter spring always comes. Do the things you need to do to make the most of this current situation using the steps above and you'll not only make it through the winter, (survive) you'll thrive and be among the forerunners of the spring when it comes.
Make it Happen!
Jeff
1) Prospect like crazy. For most of us, the "low-hanging" fruit has dried up but there are still prospects that need what you have to offer. You might need to double or triple your prospecting efforts but the prospects are out there. Invest your time in finding them. Some of the top salespeople I know spend as much as 50% of each day prospecting. Do you? Be sure to let everyone know what you do and how you might be able to help them and ask everyone for referrals.
2) Make it easy for your prospects to find you. While your competitors are cutting back, I suggest that now is the time to market and advertise more than ever before. Keep your name in front of your prospects and clients regularly. If you don't make sure your prospects think of you when it's time to buy, your competitors will take them away.
3) Understand why people buy. People tend to buy from people they like and trust. Under-promise and over-deliver, keep your word and go above & beyond the call of duty. In this environment it's more important than ever to find ways that you can help your prospects succeed, even if helping them now doesn't immediately benefit you.
4) Understand why people buy from you. Customers buy based on the relationship they have with you and the value that you bring to them, not price. (in most instances) Make sure your customer feels appreciated and special, like they're the most important person in the universe. (They are!) Be interested in them and their world. Did you ever notice that when someone is interested in you, they're more interesting to you? Make sure you can clearly communicate the value that you bring to the table in a way that is readily apparent to those you sell to. Ask your best customers why they do business with you. The answers might be surprising and can help you know how to sell to others.
5) It's all about the benefits. Salespeople focus on explaining the bells and whistles of their offering. (Features) In fact, the customer is only interested in what your product or service does for them. (Benefits) While you need to discuss the features of what you're selling the main focus has to be on the benefits to the buyer. Go out of your way to make sure the customer understands the WIIFM (What's In It For ME) when they do business with you.
6) Stay in touch. Keep in regular contact with your clients and prospects. People like to believe they aren't just a paycheck to you. Show them they're important with calls, e-mails, newsletters, cards, etc. Be highly responsive to all of their communications, even those regarding problems.
7) Handle customer service issues quickly and with a smile. Little annoys a customer more than being ignored when they have a problem. Return all calls and e- mails promptly. (I return all calls and e-mails within 24 hours no matter where I am in the world) Be thrilled to take care of challenges. Quickly, and happily, fixing a problem not only leaves the customer feeling good about doing business with you, it often provides you with an opportunity to sell more.
8) Keep your attitude up. While it's easy to buy into the gloom and doom in the news, it does you no good. People prefer to deal with someone with a strong, positive, upbeat attitude. It feels better to you and makes you more attractive to others. Find things to feel grateful for and positive about every day. Stay far away from negative influences.
9) Sharpen your skills. Now is absolutely the time to invest in yourself and your skills. Read books, attend seminars, listen to CDs and watch DVDs. Like many others, the training market has taken a hit as companies slash budgets in an effort to survive. Little, however, is more important right now than investing in your personal development so that you are able to take advantage of every possible opportunity you come across.
10) Realize that this too shall pass. I recently attended a seminar given by world thought- leader James Arthur Ray, where he shared the following thought: (2 days ago I heard Tony Robbins say the exact same thing) Year after year, one season follows another. It's always been that way and it will continue to do so. Right now we're in an extremely cold, winter economy but after winter spring always comes. Do the things you need to do to make the most of this current situation using the steps above and you'll not only make it through the winter, (survive) you'll thrive and be among the forerunners of the spring when it comes.
Make it Happen!
Jeff
Want to Sell More? Shut Up and Listen!
Let's face it, we salespeople LOVE to talk. In fact, many of us think we get paid to talk but I don't believe that's true. While presenting is part of our job, and the part we seem to like best (Closing is almost like the icing on the cake compared to presenting for most salespeople) if you really want to make more money in sales you need to speak less and listen more. In fact, I firmly believe that if you ask the right questions and listen carefully to the responses you get, your prospects will tell you everything you need to know in order to help them choose to do business with you. That's right, I just told you your prospects will help you sell them if you just shut up and listen!
Most salespeople believe that the two skills you need to be great at, in order to be successful in sales, are presenting and closing. While it's true that being a good presenter and knowing how to properly close a sale are good skills to have, in my 35 years of studying selling the best salespeople are always three things:
1) The best interviewers (question askers)
2) The best listeners
3) The best storytellers
It turns out that the key to selling isn't really in the presentation or the close; it lies in the questions you ask. Selling is all about asking the questions that help you uncover what makes sense to your prospect. Prospects, just like you and me, do everything we do because it makes sense to do so. For example, you're reading this article right now because it makes sense for you to read it. You dressed a certain way today, ate breakfast or didn't, spoke with people or didn't, etc. all because it made sense to you to do those things. Same thing with your prospects, including buying. Your prospects invest in certain products and services because it makes sense to them. As sales professionals, we need to ask our prospects lots of questions about what they're doing now with regards to what we offer because what they're doing now makes sense to them. For example, I sell sales training and keynote speeches. When talking with the V.P. of Sales at a company regarding the possibility of using my services, I'm going to ask him or her questions like:
"How do you train your people now?"
"When someone new joins your team how do you handle the initial training?"
"How do you train your average performers to increase their skills and effectiveness?"
"Have you ever used an outside consultant like me to train your team?"
Of course I ask many more but the answers to those questions help me to understand what makes sense to the person I'm trying to sell. If what they were doing now didn't make sense to them, they'd be doing something else!
You should notice that what I'm doing is engaging in a conversation with my prospect that's focuses on them. (The only thing they really care about - themselves) After I ask a question I do the hardest thing I can possibly do: Shut Up. I do that, even though it's difficult, because when I shut up it gives my prospect the opportunity to talk and answer my questions. And when they answer my questions I discover what makes sense to them! I listen carefully, I look them in the eye, I nod my head and encourage them to tell me more and I take notes so they know that I consider what they're saying to me important and because it helps me to remember what was said when I get back to my office and think about putting together a proposal.
It's the questions I ask, as well as my careful listening to the answers, which allows me to put together a great presentation for my prospect. I base my presentation on what they've told me they're doing now and after reviewing that with them I share ideas on how I can help them do it better. I'm always certain to include a V.P.S. (Verbal Proof Story) that tells them about a customer of mine who had a situation similar to theirs and how, by using my services, they lived "happily ever after." The V.P.S. is a strong presentation tool and helps the prospect get past the fact that you're a salesperson trying to sell them something. When you use a third party story it's almost as if the third party is endorsing you and doing the selling for you. After making my presentation I simply ask for their business and, once again, shut up and listen carefully to their response. Sometimes you have to wait until the sweat is dripping down your armpits before they'll talk, but let it drip! By asking the right questions and being silent you provide the space for your prospect to "open up" to you.
Practice shutting up and listening. You and your prospects will enjoy the sales process more. And, of yeah, you'll make more money too.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Most salespeople believe that the two skills you need to be great at, in order to be successful in sales, are presenting and closing. While it's true that being a good presenter and knowing how to properly close a sale are good skills to have, in my 35 years of studying selling the best salespeople are always three things:
1) The best interviewers (question askers)
2) The best listeners
3) The best storytellers
It turns out that the key to selling isn't really in the presentation or the close; it lies in the questions you ask. Selling is all about asking the questions that help you uncover what makes sense to your prospect. Prospects, just like you and me, do everything we do because it makes sense to do so. For example, you're reading this article right now because it makes sense for you to read it. You dressed a certain way today, ate breakfast or didn't, spoke with people or didn't, etc. all because it made sense to you to do those things. Same thing with your prospects, including buying. Your prospects invest in certain products and services because it makes sense to them. As sales professionals, we need to ask our prospects lots of questions about what they're doing now with regards to what we offer because what they're doing now makes sense to them. For example, I sell sales training and keynote speeches. When talking with the V.P. of Sales at a company regarding the possibility of using my services, I'm going to ask him or her questions like:
"How do you train your people now?"
"When someone new joins your team how do you handle the initial training?"
"How do you train your average performers to increase their skills and effectiveness?"
"Have you ever used an outside consultant like me to train your team?"
Of course I ask many more but the answers to those questions help me to understand what makes sense to the person I'm trying to sell. If what they were doing now didn't make sense to them, they'd be doing something else!
You should notice that what I'm doing is engaging in a conversation with my prospect that's focuses on them. (The only thing they really care about - themselves) After I ask a question I do the hardest thing I can possibly do: Shut Up. I do that, even though it's difficult, because when I shut up it gives my prospect the opportunity to talk and answer my questions. And when they answer my questions I discover what makes sense to them! I listen carefully, I look them in the eye, I nod my head and encourage them to tell me more and I take notes so they know that I consider what they're saying to me important and because it helps me to remember what was said when I get back to my office and think about putting together a proposal.
It's the questions I ask, as well as my careful listening to the answers, which allows me to put together a great presentation for my prospect. I base my presentation on what they've told me they're doing now and after reviewing that with them I share ideas on how I can help them do it better. I'm always certain to include a V.P.S. (Verbal Proof Story) that tells them about a customer of mine who had a situation similar to theirs and how, by using my services, they lived "happily ever after." The V.P.S. is a strong presentation tool and helps the prospect get past the fact that you're a salesperson trying to sell them something. When you use a third party story it's almost as if the third party is endorsing you and doing the selling for you. After making my presentation I simply ask for their business and, once again, shut up and listen carefully to their response. Sometimes you have to wait until the sweat is dripping down your armpits before they'll talk, but let it drip! By asking the right questions and being silent you provide the space for your prospect to "open up" to you.
Practice shutting up and listening. You and your prospects will enjoy the sales process more. And, of yeah, you'll make more money too.
Make It Happen!
Jeff
Even Teachers Need a Teacher
If you’ve read my words before you know that I’m a sales trainer and inspirational speaker. While I speak in front of all types of audiences, from teachers to psychologists to you-name-it, I make a substantial part of my income from teaching salespeople how to do their jobs better. You also know, if you’ve read me before, that I’m a big believer in the importance of attitude and mindset. What you might not know is that even those of us who are “cocky” enough to think that we have important lessons to share with the world, we need teachers too.
I’m constantly studying and I’ve been blessed to have some fabulous teachers over the years. My current teacher is a world thought leader whose name is James Arthur Ray. (www.jamesray.com) James is the first to admit that he isn’t teaching anything new but he’s a master at taking some of the more complex ideas of the ages and making them understandable and applicable to the real world. I was fortunate enough to recently spend three days in San Diego studying with him and would like to share some thoughts and ideas that I believe will be useful to you.
1) Stop competing and get creative – If you want to have more (more money, better health, fulfilling relationships, etc.) you must get over the mentality that says there’s a lack of resources and that we have to “beat the other guy.” The competitive mentality says that “there’s not enough to go around so I better get my share before the other guy gets it.” A far better strategy is to understand that there is an abundance of almost everything and plenty to go around for all. In order to access your “share” of everything you deserve in life you need to get creative and stop worrying about the “other guy” getting what’s “rightfully” yours. You ARE entitled to have it all. The other guy is too. I have several friends here on Long Island who train salespeople too and am always thrilled for them when they get business. There’s PLENTY to go around for all of us. Find creative ways to develop your business and attract customers to you and don’t worry so much about beating someone else.
2) Breakthroughs are almost always preceded by breakdowns – Over the last year many people have lost. They’ve lost their jobs, their cars, their homes and more. Some are still suffering but others have taken the opportunity to move forward. I’ve spoken to countless people who have taken this chance to form their own business and many are thriving. Whole losing your job almost never feels like a good thing at the time, deciding to take the leap and start your own business that quickly turns into a successful money-earner looks very good in hindsight. Risky? Sure. Was it risky for Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard and start his own little software company? Yup, but it seems to have worked out well for him. There’s a lesson in everything and while the lesson is often painful at the time we can use these challenges (breakdowns) to move us forward in our careers and lives. When life throws the bad stuff at you it’s time to be hopeful and even excited because the good stuff could be right around the corner.
3) Commitment is the key – My teacher shared a formula for success this weekend that I’ll pass on to you…
Decide, RIGHT NOW, what it is you choose to create.
Decide what you’re willing to give up in order to get it. (there’s a price to pay for everything)
Set a commitment and GET BUSY! You can wish and hope for the stars but getting more of you what you want takes massive action.
Is it easy? No. Will there be challenges? Almost definitely, but no one makes it to the top of Mount Everest without the pain and mind-numbing cold of the climb. I haven’t climbed that particular mountain but I’ll bet it feels pretty darned good when you’re standing at the top.
Make It Happen!
I’m constantly studying and I’ve been blessed to have some fabulous teachers over the years. My current teacher is a world thought leader whose name is James Arthur Ray. (www.jamesray.com) James is the first to admit that he isn’t teaching anything new but he’s a master at taking some of the more complex ideas of the ages and making them understandable and applicable to the real world. I was fortunate enough to recently spend three days in San Diego studying with him and would like to share some thoughts and ideas that I believe will be useful to you.
1) Stop competing and get creative – If you want to have more (more money, better health, fulfilling relationships, etc.) you must get over the mentality that says there’s a lack of resources and that we have to “beat the other guy.” The competitive mentality says that “there’s not enough to go around so I better get my share before the other guy gets it.” A far better strategy is to understand that there is an abundance of almost everything and plenty to go around for all. In order to access your “share” of everything you deserve in life you need to get creative and stop worrying about the “other guy” getting what’s “rightfully” yours. You ARE entitled to have it all. The other guy is too. I have several friends here on Long Island who train salespeople too and am always thrilled for them when they get business. There’s PLENTY to go around for all of us. Find creative ways to develop your business and attract customers to you and don’t worry so much about beating someone else.
2) Breakthroughs are almost always preceded by breakdowns – Over the last year many people have lost. They’ve lost their jobs, their cars, their homes and more. Some are still suffering but others have taken the opportunity to move forward. I’ve spoken to countless people who have taken this chance to form their own business and many are thriving. Whole losing your job almost never feels like a good thing at the time, deciding to take the leap and start your own business that quickly turns into a successful money-earner looks very good in hindsight. Risky? Sure. Was it risky for Bill Gates to drop out of Harvard and start his own little software company? Yup, but it seems to have worked out well for him. There’s a lesson in everything and while the lesson is often painful at the time we can use these challenges (breakdowns) to move us forward in our careers and lives. When life throws the bad stuff at you it’s time to be hopeful and even excited because the good stuff could be right around the corner.
3) Commitment is the key – My teacher shared a formula for success this weekend that I’ll pass on to you…
Decide, RIGHT NOW, what it is you choose to create.
Decide what you’re willing to give up in order to get it. (there’s a price to pay for everything)
Set a commitment and GET BUSY! You can wish and hope for the stars but getting more of you what you want takes massive action.
Is it easy? No. Will there be challenges? Almost definitely, but no one makes it to the top of Mount Everest without the pain and mind-numbing cold of the climb. I haven’t climbed that particular mountain but I’ll bet it feels pretty darned good when you’re standing at the top.
Make It Happen!
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