How do top earning salespeople improve their sales skills?

Whether you are a veteran sales pro or newcomer making cold calls, there’s always ways to improve your sales skills to be more successful.

Maybe you’re an expert at prospecting or your closing techniques are crushing it, but how can you really tell if you’ve reached your maximum potential?

Challenge yourself with these questions…

• What if you could qualify just one additional prospect each day?

• What if you could have one hour a day back in your schedule?

• What if you realized that half of your prospects aren’t as qualified as you thought?

• What if you could close one additional sale a week by modifying your closing technique?

• What if you never again felt uncomfortable closing a sale?

• What if you could finally close that huge sale you’ve been working on all year?

In order to dramatically improve your sales results (and your satisfaction in your sales role), take the time necessary to consider these questions as completely as you can. Answer them in great detail and with brutal honesty. What will you do differently, how will you measure new target behaviors, how will these changes affect your outlook? Then review with others whose opinions you trust and respect for feedback and validation. This exercise will enable you to review your written goals for 2016 and adjust as necessary.

How to predict the your 2016 year-end performance today

Now is a great time to assess your January performance month-to-date, and more importantly predict your future.

If you’re serious about having your best year ever in 2016, and you’ve not yet completed a detailed, written plan for success in 2016 (and beyond), then TODAY is the best time to start. I mean RIGHT NOW. I suggest you take some time to sit down with these questions.

Think about your answers. Challenge yourself. Write them down in minute detail. Get input from other successful people. Ask them to challenge you. Then go to work.

It’s quite simple: if you want to be better in 2016, you need to do more than simply WANT it. You need to make some drastic changes and you need to do this in writing.

Begin by asking yourself these questions, which will prompt you to add additional questions pertinent to your world:

• What sales behaviors / prospecting behaviors / marketing behaviors did you perform in January? How successful were they? What worked? What didn’t work? What do you need to do more of? What do you need to change? What are you avoiding doing that you need to do?

• What are you going to do to improve your industry and product knowledge in 2016?

• How many inactive customers will you revive and turn into regular customers again? What do you need to do to make that happen?

• What will you do to ensure you’re protecting your best customers, and adding more value to the relationships? How will you sell even more to them?

• How many new customers will you bring on this year? How do you plan to do that, specifically?

• What will you do to improve your physical, mental and spiritual health in 2016?

• What, specifically, are your sales and production goals for 2016? How does that break down into quarterly, monthly and weekly goals?

• How much more money will you make in 2016? How will that happen? What will you need to do, today, to take the first steps in that direction?

• What will you need to do to increase THAT number by an additional 10%

• What are you going to do every day to keep your attitude at a high level?

• How much time are you going to spend, daily, to improve your own sales skills? What will you do?

• How many quality referrals did you get in 2015? How will you get them in 2016? How will you qualify them? From whom? What will you do to turn them into sales?

• In which areas will you improve your personal, family, and spiritual life?

• How are you going to maximize the use of your time? Where will you cut out the time-wasters in each day?

• What have you been putting off that you will take care of within the next two weeks?

• Who can you help to feel special every day?

• What challenge, wish or desire–that you’ve never attempted before–will you finally achieve in 2016? How will you do that? Why?

• Where are you going to write all of this down so you can review and revise your plans regularly?

• What will it LOOK like when you accomplish everything you’ve just been thinking about? What will it SOUND like when you achieve these things? Most importantly, how good will you FEEL?

• Why COULDN’T you do all of this? What specifically can get in the way?

Any answer to that last one is not a reason, but rather a self-imposed limitation, excuse, or lack of desire or effort. The biggest deterrent to success looks us in the mirror every day.

How do you describe your best prospects?

Michael returned to the office after having (what he described as) a “great” sales call where he uncovered a “great” opportunity with a new prospect. His enthusiasm for getting to work on a proposal was only exceeded by his prospect’s expressed enthusiasm for receiving it. He wasted no time pulling his tech team together so they could analyze the requirement, identify the appropriate systems, determine costs, and estimate the time for development, installation, and implementation.

Michael completed the proposal in record time and scheduled a time to present it to the prospect during the following week. During the presentation, the prospect hung onto Michael’s every word and examined every aspect of the proposal. At the end of the meeting, he promised Michael that he would give the proposal his utmost and immediate attention and get back to him quickly — within the next few days.

That was eleven weeks ago!

Nineteen voice-mail messages and seventeen e-mail messages have gone unanswered.

Michael is still waiting.

Have you ever had a “great” opportunity turn into a not-so-great opportunity and you didn’t know why? If so, you’re not alone. Most salespeople have had a similar experience at least once. Many have had the experience more times than they care to admit.

Why do some of those “great” opportunities end up going nowhere?

In most cases, the “great” opportunities were never great to begin with. More specifically, the benchmarks by which “greatness” was measured were much too lenient.

So, what makes an opportunity “great”? What should the benchmarks be?

To begin with, great opportunities start with great prospects— “5-Star” prospects. And what makes a prospect a 5-star, ideal prospect?

Five-Star prospects:

• Are willing to engage in a meaningful conversation with you when you initially contact them. You don’t have to chase them for weeks — typically after sending them the literature they said they needed to see before they would meet with you or even engage in a phone conversation.

• Have an unsolved problem (or specific benefit goal) for which your product or service is well suited.

• Are willing to share the information required to determine if your product or service represents a truly good fit in relation to their expectations.

• Are willing to take action in a reasonable, mutually agreed upon timeframe.

• Have expressed the desire to work with you and your company (rather than simply inviting you to submit a quote or proposal).

I’m not suggesting that you can’t close a sale with a three- or four-star prospect. You can. You will. Of course, it will almost always take longer, require more work, and typically be at a lower profit margin.

Great opportunities also meet three additional benchmarks which ensure that you are investing your time where you can obtain the greatest return on the investment. The first benchmark is necessity. At the very least, prospects must recognize and acknowledge the need for your product or service. Being interested, curious, intrigued, or simply wanting to know more about your company and the products and services it provides is not sufficient reason to invest your time with them. Your company’s web site or marketing materials can satisfy those needs. Until a prospect acknowledges and describes a business problem(s) that you can solve, and recognizes and expresses the necessity for your product or service (perhaps as a result of the well-crafted questions you asked), be wary of the time you invest.

The next benchmark is reasonability. Specifically, get crystal clear on the prospect’s ability to make a buying decision in a “reasonable” amount of time — in relation to your goals timetable. Make sure you fully understand the process by which the prospect will make their decision. Agree upon the “who, what, why and when” the decision must clear … is the number of “hoops” you must jump through reasonable? That is, does the time it takes to jump through the hoops represent a good use of your time and resources.

Another benchmark is feasibility — the likelihood of providing a best-fit solution based on the size of the investment of money, time, and effort the prospect is both willing and able to make in order to obtain it. If a prospect cannot make the investments required to accomplish the desired outcome, you have options: help the prospect reshape his or her outcome expectations to be more in line with the investment intention; offer a pilot program; get creative with terms or (last resort) abandon the opportunity for today. Don’t be afraid to abandon an opportunity that is not a good fit. Doing so is not only in your best interest, but in the best interest of the prospect as well.

Great opportunities begin with great (5-star) prospects, which in turn lead to great initial meetings. And the result of those meetings leads to one of several potential outcomes based on how well the opportunity measures up to the benchmarks of necessity, reasonability, and feasibility: you qualify the opportunity and establish exactly what will happen next (which is something that is in the best interest of both you and your client); explore an alternative solution or you disqualify the opportunity, move on, and not waste time with an “opportunity” that is likely to go nowhere.

Why do most salespeople continue to miss these basic selling principles?

1. Assuming the problem that the prospect initially communicates to you is the real problem. It’s normal and natural to assume this; however, it’s important to look deeper into each scenario. Like a physician, we must ask ourselves “is this the prospect’s real problem or is it just a symptom?” Before diagnosing and offering how we can address their challenges or solve their problems, ask more questions to make sure we’ll be getting at the root of their problem and ensure value to the prospect by supporting their true goals.

2. Thinking that your sales “presentation” will seal the deal. Your “million dollar presentation” is simply the proof that your solution will deliver the required results. Long before you present your solution, help the prospect discover the best reasons to buy from you – not telling them why they should. The prospect should know that they’ll be buying from you long before you present your final pitch or proposal.

3. Talking too much. Often, especially in the beginning of a business relationship, salespeople think they need to be doing most of the talking in order to control the situation, when they should be listening and asking questions. Keep in mind, if a prospect wanted a rundown of your products or services, he or she could just visit your website. A professional sales process is a conversation, and an honest and open one at that.

4. Believing that you can sell anybody anything. People don’t buy simply on your say-so. A prospect must go through a period of self-discovery before making the decision that your product or service is the right solution. Resistance is pre-programmed and people don’t like to be told what to do (nobody like to feel they’re being sold). A better approach than “selling by telling” is to ask key questions and relate third-party stories that allow the prospect to discover the benefits and advantages of your product or services. When you ask questions that lead to a discovery, the prospect then “owns” the discovery and the resistance disappears. After all, people never argue with their own data.

5. Over-educating the prospect when you should be selling. Have you ever witnessed a salesperson talk their way out of a sale? The initial goal in selling is to find out why, and under what circumstances, the prospect will buy from you. Asking questions comes first, and sharing your materials and specifics comes later. I worked for an organization that professed, “Sell today, educate tomorrow.”

6. Failing to remember that salespeople are decision makers, too. Every step of the way through the sales cycle, a salesperson must make critical decision as to whether to continue investing time in the relationship with the prospect. If you as the salesperson are a poor decision-maker, your lack of clarity and decisive action will be mirrored in your prospect’s behavior. Remember, the shorter your selling cycle, the more leads you close over time.

7. Reading minds. Always get the facts from your prospect about what they need and why. When your prospect is vague, politely ask for clarity. Veteran sales people are often the culprits of “reading minds” because they think they’ve seen it all. But when they jump to conclusions, they make erroneous assumptions that lead to wasted time at best, lost opportunities at worst. As the old adage goes, “to assume is to make an ass out of you and me.”

8. Working as an “unpaid consultant” in an attempt to close a deal. Develop, in advance, an strategy for prospects who ask for additional work and information before making a buying decision. Ask your prospect to picture a scenario where you complete the additional groundwork and provide a solution that fits everything the prospect needs – then establish what happens next, specifically. Will they buy from you? If they can’t envision pulling the trigger even after you’ve done the additional work (a.k.a Free Consulting), or if they still need another step in the process, you need to back up in your sales process and deal with it now.

9. Being your own worst enemy. Never blame the prospect for stalling the process. Instead, look inward. It’s the job of the salespeople to assure the prospect and address detours. The only way to streamline the process is to continue to refine your own sales approach and technique.

10. Keeping your fingers crossed that a prospect doesn’t notice a problem. The best way to avoid a potential disaster is to address it before it erupts. Always come clean and be open and transparent if something problematic comes up along the selling cycle. The prospect will respect that you “came clean” and shared it, and together you can problem-solve, building a solidifying team approach to the issue.

* * * * *

As one who is passionately involved in sales and business development every day, these principles illustrate how an effective sales process is about sharing your company’s great talents and strengths, and connecting powerfully with those who are a strong fit to your work in terms of values, approach, style and outcomes. Being open, honest, and transparent about who you are and what you deliver, along with serving as an effective listener, decision-maker and team-builder, will help you achieve the sales you need and want, but also do something much bigger – help you find new ways to be of true service to others and the world around you.

Employ These Closing Rules – Dramatically Improve Your Sales Results

RULE #1: Trick Closes Don’t Work

The sales world is full of lore about how to close; most of it is pure nonsense. Specifically, the following trick closes keep popping up, sometimes in major sales seminars. Here are some examples:

• The assumptive close. Ask the customer to make a meaningless decision that assumes a decision has been made. Example: “Do you want that in the hunter green or the hunter orange?”

• The flyfish close. Promise something valuable then take it away if a decision isn’t made now. Example: “We have a special offer – a 15 percent discount – but only if you decide to buy now.”

• The puppy-dog close. Let the customer try the product for free in the hopes the customer will fall in love with it. Example: “We’ll give you the product free for your evaluation and only charge you if you don’t return it.

• The reverse close. Ask a customer who’s saying “no” a question intended to elicit a “no” that actually means “yes.” Example: “Is there any reason that you wouldn’t do business with our company?”

These “trick closes” are generally tired and ineffective – we’ve all heard them before and when we hear them again we feel manipulated. Any buyer with an ounce of sophistication will see a trick close coming a mile away — and is likely to think you’re a fool for trying it.

Of course, saying something is ineffective isn’t the same thing as saying it doesn’t work. A trick close may generate a sale occasionally, especially if the buyer isn’t too bright. That’s why some sales amateurs still use them. Even so, trick closes are insulting to the customer and destructive to the long-term customer relationship. Here’s why:

If a customer has already decided to buy, then a trick close (by definition) isn’t necessary. The only reason to use a trick close is if the customer has not yet decided to buy, hence the need to trick the customer into making a decision. With the trick close, you’ve forced the customer to buy something that he doesn’t yet want.

Now, it’s perfectly true that the customer may really need your offering and after delivery be satisfied (even delighted) with what it does for him, but at some level or another he will always know that you tricked him into buying before he was ready.
But that’s the best case scenario. If the customer doesn’t really need your offering, and only bought because you tricked him (and he didn’t know how to gracefully get out of the deal), that’s probably going to create some resentment. You’ll end up losing in the long run. So if you’re serious about really learning how to close, forget the tricks and learn the other five rules.

RULE #2: Think and Act Like a Closer.

The best way to learn something quickly is to emulate the thought processes and behaviors of somebody who’s already good at what you want to learn. That’s why people who want to learn to play tennis well study the attitudes and behaviors of tennis stars. It’s why aspiring actors have a fascination with those who are already successful in that field.

It’s easier to walk in the footsteps of giants than to blaze a trail of your own. The great “closers” in this world share two characteristics: they’re incredibly prompt and incredibly persistent. If they get a lead, they’re on that lead immediately. If they sense the time is right, they close the deal, right then and there. After they’ve closed, they always follow up immediately. So if you want to be a better closer, you’ve got to torque up your behavior so that you’re on top of things.

If you aren’t willing to be vigilant and inexhaustible in your focus and your ability to understand customer needs, you’ll never be a great closer. If you aren’t willing to constantly improve your skills at dialog and questioning, you’ll never be a great closer. If you aren’t willing to do the extra mental work to build confidence in your own ability, you’ll never be a great closer.

My best advice to you, if you really want to get good a selling, is to “shadow” somebody who is good at closing. Watch. Listen. Sense what’s going on. Then, afterwards, ask what was going through that person’s mind when they moved to each stage of the sale. Then, when you’re in similar situations, think “what would she do?” If you can emulate the thought process, it’s easy to emulate the behavior. You’d be surprised how much can be absorbed, and how quickly, using this method.

RULE #3: A Sale is actually a SERIES of Closes.

It’s a myth that every sale has a single, all-important point where the deal closes Instead, while it’s true that some extremely simple sales processes have a defined close point, but complex sales processes (i.e. almost all B2B sales) have a series of points where the prospect makes a decision, even if it’s just the decision to let you pitch, rather than pitch you out.

Whenever you call on a customer, you should have an objective in mind that is specific, measurable, and appropriately aggressive.

Specific objectives aren’t feel-good goals like “I will get closer to the customer”; they’re goals that can be easily assessed and measured, such as “I will get a list of the key decision makers” or “I will ask for the business.”

Objectives should be aggressive, but appropriate to the stage of the sales cycle. For example, on a first sales call for a complex multimillion-dollar deal with multiple decision makers, it would be overly aggressive to set an objective like “I will close the deal today.”

Setting objectives doesn’t mean you can’t be flexible and adjust the goal while you’re in the meeting. But a great closer always has a direction and understands where the meeting needs to go in order to maintain momentum and win the deal.
Here’s a list of some of the “closes” that make up a closing strategy and are appropriate at each stage of the buying cycle:

Closes at Stage 1: Problem recognition.
• The initial contact agrees that there’s a problem.
• The initial contact agrees to sponsor you to her manager.
• The initial contact agrees to another meeting to estimate financial impact.

Closes at Stage 2: Define economic consequences.
• The initial contact agrees on an estimated financial impact of the problem.
• The initial contact provides a list of decision makers who would be interested.
• The initial contact agrees to sponsor you to present the problem to a working group.
• The initial contact supports your request to meet with the economic decision maker and other key influencers.
• You seek verification from the economic decision maker, i.e., the executive sponsor.

Closes at Stage 3: Commit funding.
• The decision makers reach consensus that money will be spent on this problem.

Closes at Stage 4: Define decision criteria.
• The decision makers ask you to create or edit an RFP.
• You test your solution for validation and seek comparisons with competitors.

Closes at Stage 5: Evaluate alternatives.
• A key decision maker allows you to present your solution to a larger group of stakeholders, who must be brought on board in order to move the deal forward.
• You ask for the business at the conclusion of the presentation.

Closes at Stage 6: Select vendor solution.
• The decision makers select your offering (the actual close).
• You continue to close through the negotiation to contract.
• You make a post-final presentation phone call to your contact for feedback.

Whenever you’re meeting with a customer, keep the customer involved. During the meeting you will (of course) identify the customer’s objectives, strategy, decision process, time frames, etc., and position your ideas, products, or solutions to satisfy those needs. That’s basic selling.

Your closing objective should be aggressive, but appropriate to the stage of the sales cycle. For example, setting a goal to “ask for the business” on the first sales call for a million-dollar deal is probably setting yourself up to fail.
This isn’t to say that you can’t be flexible and ask for the business on those rare opportunities where a deal gets fast-tracked. But you should always have a “stretch” objective for every sales meeting and make your best effort to close on that objective.

RULE #4: Fear is Your True Enemy

The main reason that sales professionals avoid closing is that they’re afraid. These fears include:

• Fear of failure. If I lose this sale, it means that I’m a failure as a sales professional.

• Fear of rejection. If I lose this sale, it means that the customer doesn’t like me.

• Fear of financial loss. If I lose this sale, I won’t make the commission and my kids won’t eat.

• Fear of management disapproval. If I don’t make quota, my boss will be unhappy.

• Fear of lost anticipation. If I don’t make the sale, I’ll lose the pleasant fantasy of winning.

• Fear of social blundering. If I ask at the wrong time, the customer will think I’m pushy.

The unifying factor in all these emotions, of course, is fear. The specific quality of that fear differs from person to person. Some folk don’t care that much about social rejection , for example, but hate, hate, hate to lose a commission. Other folk are happy to take a financial loss as long as they don’t have look like a fool in front of a customer. Regardless of the particular size and shape of your fears, the solution is the same.

Closing is like standing on the edge of a cold swimming pool. Slowly lowering yourself in the water is slow torture; better to just take a deep breath and jump.
How do you overcome a fear? Here are five basic techniques:

• Familiarity. The more you close, the easier it is to close. That’s why I recommended that you treat the sales cycle as a series of small closes. That way closing on the big deal isn’t a big deal in and of itself.

• Rehearsal. When it comes to emotions, your brain can’t differentiate between what it imagines and what’s actually happened in the real world. If you repeatedly rehearse closing in your mind, and while rehearsing force yourself to feel confident, your behavior in the real world will imitate your imagination.

• Reframing. This entails creating a comparison that makes the original fear seem trivial. Example: There are millions of Iraqi citizens who have to worry about being shot simply if they go to the store to buy some food, so what have you got to be afraid of?

• Association. Ever been to an amusement park? If so, you probably paid $30 to $50 to be frightened. The “fear” part of selling is like going on a rollercoaster — except that you get to some steering, so you’re more in control. So the “fear” is the exciting part of selling, right?

• Redefinition — Fear is actually just a signal that you need to do something. If you’re afraid to ask for the business, it’s just your subconscious mind telling you that it’s getting close to the point where you need to ask for the business.

Put these techniques in your mental “bag of tricks” and fear of failure or rejection will be unable to hold you back any longer. The techniques are best applied in combination. For example, here’s the specific routine that works for me:

1. I notice that I’m putting something off because of a fear that it won’t happen.
2. I re-confirm that the goal is worth pursuing.
3. I “remember” that the fear is just a signal that this is a desirable goal.
4. I feel grateful that I have the opportunity to achieve that goal.
5. I briefly think about all the things that I don’t have to be afraid about.
6. I recall all the times that I’ve overcome similar fears.
7. I imagine myself taking the action that I’ve been putting off because of fear.
8. I repeat the above step 5 times, visualizing a successful outcome.
9. I use the momentum of all of the above to push me forward.
The above formula has allowed me, a relatively quiet guy, to pursue some goals and have some experiences that otherwise would have been completely impossible for me to achieve. And it’s certainly taken away any fear I ever had of closing a deal. Try it!

RULE #5: Always Be Checking

The best way to know when it’s time to close is to edit the old ABC adage from “Always Be Closing” to “Always Be Checking.” The idea is to constantly get feedback from the prospect about whether it’s safe to close. That way, when you do close, it becomes less of a “moment of truth” and more like a natural extension of the conversation that you’re having with the prospect.

At convenient points during the sales call (after you have positioned your message, responded to an objection, answered a question, etc.) ask a question that draws out more information and which reveals the prospects state of mind relative to the progress of the sale. Nothing elaborate, just normal conversational stuff like:

• How does that sound?
• How would that work?
• What do you think about…?

Asking for feedback not only give you critical information about the prospect’s problems and potential to accept your solution, but also increases your confidence when it comes to asking for the business or the next step.

When you’re checking, avoid leading questions like “Does that make sense to you?” or “Do you agree?” while nodding your head. Prospects will almost always respond to such questions by nodding along with you, without really agreeing. Instead, ask open-ended questions that encourage the prospect to provide you with vital information. Example:

INEFFECTIVE:
• Rep (nodding): “We have the best framistat in the business. Do you agree?”
• Prospect (nodding back): “Uh huh.” (Thinking: “Yeah, I hear you.”)

EFFECTIVE:
• Rep: “Do you think our service program could satisfy your needs?
• Prospect: “We need a global deployment for service.”
• Rep: “I can see why that’s important. We have international partners who deliver our services. How would that meet your concern?”

The best part about “always be checking” is that half the time the client will say preemptively close the sale for you by saying something like “So, when do we start?”

RULE #6: It’s All About Self-Confidence

The old “Always Be Closing” philosophy is often misinterpreted to mean hammering the customer until the customer buys. That’s too bad, because that interpretation of the ABC strategy creates a sense of overwhelming pressure. And that inevitably creates resistance to the sale because the prospect doesn’t want to feel that he or she is being manipulated or conned.

This isn’t to say that high pressure sales tactics don’t work sometimes. They can, and do. Otherwise sales pros wouldn’t use them. Most of the time, though, high pressure tactics backfire, even when they “work.” But most B2B sales involve a long-term relationship between two firms, so if you make a high pressure sale, chances are you’ve made your customer contact feel like a fool, and you’ll be persona non grata next time you need some business.

If you’ve been following the rules above, you’ve used checking to get feedback and to position your offerings. If so, you should be able to sense the rhythm of the conversation and whether the customer is ready to make a decision. Consider this five step process:

1. Summarize. Make a concise, powerful summary that reiterates the benefits of your offerings and its appropriateness for the prospect. Speak with confidence, but don’t let your voice slip into “sales pitch-eese.” Keep it conversational.

2. Final Check. Once you’ve summarized, do one final check – not for understanding but for agreement. Example: “I think we’ve pretty much concluded that our solution will solve your problem and save you money; how does that meet your objective?” Don’t be pushy and don’t ask a leading question like: “Do you agree?” This final check gives the customer the opportunity to surface any final objections that might interfere with the close.

3. Ask for the Business. If the final check doesn’t surface a new objection, be direct and ask for the business — confidently and clearly. Examples: “Will you give us the go-ahead?” or “What would you like to do next?”

4. Conclude with Confidence. Chances are you just made a sale, in which case it should be easy to conclude the meeting with confidence, energy, and rapport. But even if you didn’t get the sale, you want to leave the (almost) customer with the sense that you are a person with whom they want to do business. So thank the prospect and state your desire to work with the client in the future.

5. Follow up Immediately. This is where many reps stumble. They’re so elated at getting the business that they think the job is done and don’t take the necessary steps to make sure that the deal is executed and that the customer remains happy. What is your formal follow up strategy?

When You Try to Fool Yourself, You Always End Up Being the Fool

Top 10 Lies That Sales Reps Tell Themselves

Few habits are worse than self-deception. When you try to fool yourself, you always end up being the fool.
Here are the most common lies that sales reps tell themselves, the hidden truths behind them, and some sage advice for avoiding them.

LIE #1: I’m pretty sure the customer has a budget.

• Why It’s a Lie: Budget is either allocated or it’s not.
• The Real Truth: You haven’t fully qualified the lead.
• What Results: You spend time and effort on an account that probably won’t close.
• Your Reality Check: Confirm that a budget exists before expending much effort on an opportunity.

LIE #2: My pipeline consists only of fully qualified opportunities.

• Why It’s a Lie: Chances are there are some dead ducks in your pipeline.
• The Real Truth: Until you develop an account, you don’t really know if they’re qualified or not.
• What Results: You consistently over-estimate what you’ll be able to close.
• Your Reality Check: Weed out your pipeline on a regular basis.

LIE #3: This is a qualified lead even though they have no budget.

• Why It’s a Lie: If they don’t have a budget allocated, they’re not qualified.
• The Real Truth: You’re so desperate that you’re working the long shots.
• What Results: You live in a fantasy world where budget magically appears.
• Your Reality Check: The moment you know that there’s no budget, gracefully extract yourself from the “opportunity.”

LIE #4: I keep all my important customer notes in my head.

• Why It’s a Lie: You don’t have a photographic memory.
• The Real Truth: You’re too disorganized to write them down.
• What Results: Things start falling through the cracks.
• Your Reality Check: Get an iPad (or even just a yellow pad) and take notes during meetings.

LIE #5: Cold calling is bad way to generate new business.

• Why It’s a Lie: If it didn’t work sometimes, firms wouldn’t use it.
• The Real Truth: You hate cold calling because you’re lousy at it.
• What Results: If your pipeline dries up, you’re out in the cold.
• Your Reality Check: Keep your cold calling skills current, even if you don’t currently need them.

LIE #6: That customer will probably make a decision soon.

• Why It’s a Lie: You’re just guessing.
• The Real Truth: You haven’t found out how the customer makes decisions.
• What Results: Your forecast and quota get completely screwed up.
• Your Reality Check: Always find out how the customer buys, and then periodically check on the progress of that process.

LIE #7: I lost that deal because we didn’t have feature XYZ.

• Why It’s a Lie: Customers seldom buy (or not buy) because of a feature.
• The Real Truth: You failed to show how your current product has value.
• What Results: You never learn why the customer REALLY didn’t buy, so you never correct the problem.
• Your Reality Check: Dissect and debrief every failed opportunity to discover what you should have done differently.

LIE #8: I haven’t called that customer, but I’ll call later.

• Why It’s a Lie: Customers are always the top priority.
• The Real Truth: You’re putting it off because you’re afraid of bad news.
• What Results: You end up making things worse by ignoring a problem or keeping an opportunity live when it’s really dead.
• Your Reality Check: Whenever you feel reluctant to make a call, that’s a signal that you MUST make the call RIGHT NOW!

LIE #9: I lost that deal because the price was too high.

• Why It’s a Lie: Buying decisions are only made on price for commodity products.
• The Real Truth: You failed to differentiate yourself from the competition.
• What Results: In future opportunities, you let yourself get sucked into a price war.
• Your Reality Check: Find out what’s important to the customer and position your current product so that it uniquely satisfies those needs.

LIE #10: I’ve been so busy, that I can’t follow up on all my commitments.

•Why It’s a Lie: Selling is all about following up on commitments.
• The Real Truth: You’re probably in the wrong line of business.
• What Results: You end up with angry customers and angry management.
• Your Reality Check: Immediately (I mean RIGHT NOW!) locate and purchase a time management system, take the time to learn it, and then use it until it’s second nature.

Critical role of effective pre-call planning

Even though he was talking about battle, Napoleon put it best when he said, “To be outmaneuvered? Yes. To be surprised? Never!”

And that’s why it’s important to harp on the “basics.” One of the most important (but easily overlooked) is the critical role of effective pre-call planning. It simply can’t be underestimated. For every call, you ought to spend time preparing. However, some salespeople believe “winging it” is okay. They’re wrong.

Pre-call planning is the research, data-gathering, and preparation a salesperson must conduct in order to be fully prepared for a sales presentation. It involves both the physical and mental preparation required for success. In this month’s newsletter, we’ll go deeper than the most basic pre-call planning elements. Sure, you’ve got to know where your meeting is taking place, who you’re meeting with, and other information like that, but let’s talk about the more commonly overlooked things to consider before walking into a sales call;

Structure: What are the formal and informal structures within the organization? Who will be involved in making the decision to buy from you? What roles do people play relative to your solution? For example, one person might be using it while someone else will be making the decision about whether to buy in the first place.

Current Situation: Determine what’s in place already. What solution is your prospect using today? How can you leverage weaknesses in your competition? If this is a current client, what buying records do you have for them? What have they bought from you in the past? Having this knowledge is particularly important in case the person you’re meeting with doesn’t remember it.

Opportunities: Make a list of possible opportunities with this particular client. Be sure to think about more than the most obvious. In other words, the reason you’ve been granted a meeting with this prospect might only be the tip of the iceberg. For example, are there other problems your prospect might be facing that you can help with? What lies beneath the surface could be the difference between an average sale and something tremendous. Be sure to consider all possibilities.

Landscape: What attitudes do the people you’re meeting with have about your offering? Are there people who – for one reason or another – might be resistant to you or your company? Take the time to consider what the landscape looks like.

Essential Collateral: If there’s a particular piece of collateral material you can’t go without, be sure to bring it. This also goes for warranty documents, testimonial letters, case studies, etc.

Whatever You’ve Promised: If you’ve already spoken with this prospect, what have you promised to bring? Don’t forget it! That mis-positions you as disorganized and that’s never a good way to begin a meeting!

Leverage: What current clients or other resources can you leverage during a call with this prospect. Is there a way to use resources that you (or your company) have developed to maximize the time you’re spending with a prospect? For example, do you already do business with a client of this prospect? How could you leverage that relationship to maximize this meeting?

This list is certainly not exhaustive. And, to that point, it’s important to remember that there’s a balance when it comes to pre-call planning. It’s definitely easy to get lost in planning and spend too much time preparing for a sales presentation. It’s up to you, as a professional salesperson, to be sure that you have enough information to succeed without wasting time.

Finally, here’s a bonus tip: Don’t forget to confirm your appointment! There’s a pretty good chance (especially with today’s super-busy people) that you’ll be forgotten. Nothing’s worse than taking the time to prepare for a meeting…only to discover all your time and energy was wasted.

Silence is Golden (so … Shut Up) – Part II

Many people who sell a product or service mistakenly think that they must do most of the talking.  WRONG.

Most don’t realize how incredibly powerful silence is. I recently discovered just how effective when I recently observed an experienced sales professional discussing a deal with a prospective customer this past week.

The customer started describing his situation and after a few moments he paused – briefly. It was seemingly an opportune time for the sales person to make a comment or talk about her product and service. The temptation was great. However, she remained silent, sensing that the customer had more to say. Her intuition proved correct – a few seconds later this customer continued talking about her needs, and when she had finished discussing her point he paused. Still the sales person refrained from speaking and her customer began talking again.

During this subsequent monologue the sales person learned the exact information that she needed to close the sale without resorting to discounting. If she had spoken during those moments of silence, she may still have closed the sale … but not as effectively.

The next time you meet with a client or customer – either face-to-face or over the telephone – make the decision to keep quiet. Resist the temptation to talk immediately after they have spoken. Instead, pause for a few moments. Because most people are uncomfortable with silence they will automatically say something.

Here are a few other situations when biting your tongue will benefit you:

1. After you ask a question, shut up. I know, I’m being rude but I’ve seen far too many sales people answer their own questions instead of holding back and allowing their customer to talk. Really … it’s incredible (in fact, many sales people don’t believe me until I replay  recording of their conversation). Keeping your mouth shut allows your prospect the time to tell you what’s on their mind and encourage them to give you more information. Without practice, this can be extremely hard to do. It’s not easy to refrain from talking after asking someone a question.

2. After you ask for the sale, shut up. When you ask a person to make a financial commitment (a.k.a.  a buying decision) you need to give them time to think about their decision and to respond. Far too many sales people talk themselves out of a sale by continuing to speak immediately after asking for a commitment. I recall one sales person recently telling me he would give me time to make a decision even though I had told him I wanted his product.

3. When you are not sure what to say next, shut up. From time to time, I have found myself unsure of what I should say after a comment made a prospect or customer. In these situations, an effective approach is to remain silent. It takes practice, patience and a lot of control. In most cases, the other person will fill up that dead air space and give you information you would not have learned otherwise.

4. When people express disappointment, shut up. In situations of conflict our natural tendency is to immediately explain why something went wrong or to immediately offer a solution. However, allowing people the opportunity to vent almost always gives you the chance to offer the best possible solution. Many years ago I had a disgruntled employee and I gave her time to express her opinions. After several minutes of heated words and angry dialogue, I discovered that all she really wanted from me was the opportunity to vent her frustration. In another situation, my customer actually told me what he wanted done which was less than I had originally planned to offer.

My experience has repeatedly taught me that some of the best sales people are also the quietest. And it’s because they actually hear what their customer or prospect has to say. They learn what’s important to that person. They find out the motivating factors behind the purchase. They allow the other person to dominate the conversation. And let’s face it, the majority of people will always talk when given the opportunity.

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10 Seconds of Golden Silence

If you’re like most professional sellers, silence drives you crazy. After all, most of us have been trained to deliver polished presentations to prospective customers … we’ve rehearsed , perhaps been coached and/or criticized; we’ve been taught to “dazzle the prospect with our expertise.” When you’re meeting with a prospective client and there is a brief lull in the discussion, I’ll bet you jump right in to fill it. Am I right?

In my early days as a Sales Manager, I observed that the average salesperson, after asking a question, waits no more than 2-3 seconds before rephrasing the question, answering it themselves or moving on to another topic. And my experience shows that normal sellers have no idea that they’re doing this.

Here’s are some examples of what I’m talking about:

“May I ask you a question: What are the two or three things that you or your company could do in the upcoming 12 months that would dramatically impact your sales results? (One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand …)

“I mean, if you really thought about it, what’s causing you the most trouble in your sales efforts? (One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand …)

“I’ve been studying a lot about the challenges that salespeople in this industry struggle with these days. They’re really having trouble getting their foot in the door of big companies. Once they’re in, it’s often difficult to get people to change from the status quo. In today’s business climate, corporate decision makers are very risk averse. I don’t suppose that’s the case here? Which of those issues are causing you the most frustration? (One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand …)

“Have you thought about how you could make it easier for you? For example, what specific marketing initiatives would impact your sales results?” (One one-thousand, two one-thousand, three one-thousand …)

All good questions … unless they are fired one after another without pause. Hopefully you get my point about the continual rephrasing and butting in that many sellers do after they ask a question.

Waiting for It

What I really wanted to point out is what was lost because of the lack of silence.

Here’s the first question again: “What is the one single thing that you or your company could do in the upcoming twelve months that would dramatically impact your sales?”

It’s a good, provocative question. Decision makers can’t answer it with a simple pat answer. It gets them stop and think, “Hmmmm. What would that one thing be? New offerings? More calls? Additional money in our marketing budget? Which would have the most impact?”

That’s what you want them to do. Then, when they answer, you’ll learn a whole lot about what’s going on in their organization, what the big challenges are, the decision maker’s perspective on the issues and solutions, and so much more.

But they can’t think of all that in just 2-3 seconds. They need much longer to ponder the question, to play around with it in their mind and to sort through their options. In fact, they need 8-10 seconds to formulate the start of their answer. And once they get talking, they think of more ideas.

10 Seconds of Golden Silence

Here’s my challenge to even seasoned sales professionals: After you’ve asked a meaningful question, keep your lips together and count to ten (I think I first heard the term 10 seconds of golden silence in a training session I attended many years ago, so it’s not mine but I love it). You will not believe how hard this is to do. In fact, most can’t do this without hard work and practice. Don’t believe me? Go ask someone a meaningful question right now, stop talking, start counting and see how far you get (and how uncomfortable you become after  just 2-3 seconds of silence). You may be surprised just how powerful the desire to speak becomes.

Nature abhors a vacuum … and humans in conversation want to avoid silence. If you embrace this advice you’ll begin to notice that if you can keep silent (no matter how uncomfortable it will become) the other person will resume talking. They get uncomfortable with the silence too,  and by allowing them the time to “fill the silence” you allow them the time and opportunity to fully express themselves and in the process you learn more about what is really important to them (a win-win, don’t you think?).

The Costs of Butting In

When you cut them off at only 2-3 seconds, you lose in more ways than you can imagine.

• You don’t get the full benefit of your good question. You never learn all the good stuff they could be telling you if you’d just kept your mouth shut a little longer.

• When you don’t learn all this info, it’s so much harder to sell anything because you don’t know how your offering can make the biggest difference to your prospective client.

• Besides that, your prospect thinks that you’re self-serving and only interested in achieving your own objectives. (Isn’t that what you think when people keep cutting you off?)

• You don’t establish a positive relationship with the person, so they really don’t want to meet with you again.

And all this happens because you don’t know how to count beyond three.

Making Silence Work for You

The value of silence in selling is rarely talked about. Most sales people focus far too much on what they’re going to say next. Instead, I suggest that you try a bit more silence. Ask a question, stop talking, lean back, and start counting to yourself. Start at “one one-thousand” and keep right on going. If you hit ten one-thousand and still don’t have a response, then you can rephrase or interject something. But not before.

At first you’ll be absolutely miserable doing this. Nothing will seem harder. You’ll start squirming, dying to start talking, explaining, and/or “educating.” Don’t do it! Keep counting silently to yourself. In my experience, the other party will start talking again (and what they have to say will be important, I promise). One of my most memorable sales calls got me in front of the president of a growing, successful mid-sized firm. While I forget the question I asked, I’ll never forget maintaining eye contact while I sat in silence for 2 minutes, 21 seconds (there was a clock on the credenza behind her desk) until the president finally started talking again. I earned her trust, we signed a contract and worked together for years. I cannot begin to describe to you how incredibly powerful the temptation to fill the silence became. As a result of my silence in this moment I learned a lot more about the president and her vision, which in turn prompted me to ask better, more pertinent questions and uncover the most important issues to her.

If you can refrain from presenting, explaining and/or “educating” your prospective customers, and if you can keep quiet at the right time, they will start talking. You’ll learn a whole lot more. As long as you really listen (with genuine curiosity … the subject of an earlier post), you’ll gather more pertinent information, strengthen your relationships and in the process become a more valued resource. Your partners in dialogue will think you’re smarter, more credible and more caring. And you will develop a deeper, clearer appreciation of the other person’s point of view.

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