auto sales training price vs value

Most poorly trained salespeople tend to react to prospect price resistance by lowering the price because they feel that they must do this in order to win the business. Believe me there is a lot more to handling price resistance than is evident at the first pass.Any price will always seem high to a prospect or customer if their perceived value of your vehicle is low. Price resistance is one of the best ways to get a feeling for the value your prospect has for your offer. If price resistance is low or non-existent you can feel fairly sure that they have a high perceived value of your product or service.The key to effectively handling price resistance is to understand this simple, yet profoud, concept - people generally say they want low price, but what they really want is low cost. What is the difference?Low price is what a customer pays for your vehicle now. This is what is deducted from their checkbook and deposited into yours. Low cost is what they pay for your vehicle over time. For example, if they buy an inexpensive vehicle to save money, but it is in constant need of repair because it breaks down frequently - they had a low price but a high cost. Although they may have saved money initially, their cost over time will be much higher than if they had invested more in a better vehicle.In most cases in life we get what we pay for. Buy cheap and you get less value or higher cost. Buy expensive and you get higher value or lower cost over time. Granted this is not true 100% of the time but it is as a general rule.Price is what you pay for something. Cost is what it costs you over time.What are you selling - high value or low cost? Many salespeople would rather sell a higher priced vehicle than a low priced one. It is much easier to justify high price if the value is there, than poor quality and constant product/service problems when the value is missing.Remember, the key to success in selling is building strong relationships. Poor quality, even though customers save money, is not in their best long-term interests. How do you want to be remembered by your customers? Low quality - or a good value at a fair price?Consider for a moment the simple thought - if two people want to do business together they will not let the details get in the way. By the way, the converse of this is also true.

Original :: auto sales training price vs value

auto sales training 1 profit leak the

We found that as many as 50% of the people coming to dealerships do not go through the sales process because they are lost in the very first step - the Meet and Greet. This happens when the salesperson says "can I help you?" or "What can I do for you today?" and the customer responds with, "I'm just looking." Too many times this dialogue ends with the salesperson saying something like, "Ok, if you find anything you are interested in or have any questions let me know - I'll be right over here." If this happens 50% of the time and could be eliminated 100% of the time - sales can potentially double if all of the other steps of the sales process can be accomplished by that salesperson. The fist thing attendees will learn is how to help the shopper shop on your lot for the purpose of continuing to move that shopper "through the sales process" in order to..Help the customer shop smartly
Allow the salesperson and customer a chance to build rapport so that follow up and referrals can occur,
and, help turn shoppers into "Buyers" by putting everyone through the five step sales process.MEET AND GREETChoose a greeting that will not END with the customer shopping by themselves.Example: "Hello, Welcome to ABC Nissan! Thanks for coming to visit us today. My name is Sam and whether you are just looking and have a few questions or you find something you like and want to take it home, I CAN DEFINITELY HELP YOU TODAY". "Are you looking for a truck, SUV or car today?"To keep control you have to keep asking questions.If you use the suggested greeting provided here and the customer says "I am just looking" - Smile - Restate - your greeting starting with;"I completely understand and that is why I said...whether you are looking and have a few questions or you find something you like and want to take it home, I CAN DEFINITELY HELP YOU TODAY." - "Are you looking for a truck, SUV or car today?"REMEMBER YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN. (Memorize this script for a greeting).Mental focus in this step SMILE, SMILE, SMILE AND SMILE SOME MORE. Realize that you can help someone in any stage of their shopping experience, AND ALWAYS LOOK THE CUSTOMER IN THE EYE! You always need to have a smile on your face when meeting customers. A smile on your face will tend to get the same response from your customer. A smile will increase the opportunities of the customer liking you. A salesperson needs to make eye to eye contact with the customer in order to get their attention. NEVER WEAR SUNGLASSES WHEN MEETING A CUSTOMER! If a customer cannot see your eyes then you cannot make "CONTACT."THE SHOPPER - Sometimes you will be faced with the customer that insists that they are only there to shop. How do you effectively respond to this statement and bring the customer back into the SALES PROCESS without the customer becoming offended.ROLE PLAY:
" Hello, Welcome to San Diego Nissan! Thanks for coming to visit us today. My name is Sam and whether you are just looking and have a few questions or you find something you like and want to take it home, I CAN DEFINITELY HELP YOU TODAY. Are you looking for a truck, SUV or car today?""We are just shopping.""I completely understand and that is why I said...whether you are looking and have a few questions or you find something you like and want to take it home, I CAN DEFINITELY HELP YOU TODAY." - "Are you looking for a truck, SUV or car today?"If customer is negative or unresponsive to your first two attempts, the customer may still say something such as:"Like we said, we are just looking." 2nd time."All I will do today is assist you in gathering information. I'm sure you have taken the time to consider what is important to you such as equipment, model, price, color, trade-in value, financing options, payments, etc. What is the most important thing to you for your next purchase? Payments, price, color, room, horsepower?Listen - then ask...What...Why...How... to get all of the information needed. What price range or monthly payment range were you considering?- Were you looking for a sports car, sedan, van, truck or SUV?
- What colors were you considering?
- Do you have a vehicle that you are planning on trading?
- Do you know how much you owe for your trade? To whom?
- Do you have financing pre-arranged or would you like for me to provide you financing options and information?
- How long have you been shopping?
- What other models are you considering? Have you driven them?" (Key question for selling "your" test drive,).

Original :: auto sales training 1 profit leak the

rv sales training how much do you care

Zig Ziglar said, "A customer will never care how much you know until they know how much you care." Why do so many salespeople forget, or worse yet, not realize this? The golden rule of sales is, "Sell how you want to be sold."Nobody wants to be identified as a "salesperson." We all strive to be consultants. But when all we care about is selling our RVs, rather than finding solutions and bringing out emotions, we miss our objective and ultimately cost ourselves money.If you are the elite RV saleperson that shows customers you care about them, rather than just telling them, you are far ahead of the game. It is amazing the power of those words that so few salespeople actually ask prospects:What's important to you about buying your next RV?"Think about your own buying habits. Sure, we all want to receive the best price, but we also want to believe our needs are being met. It's only when these needs are not met that we focus on getting the cheapest price. Remember the last major purchase you made. The odds are it was not the lowest price around. As much as you hate to admit it and insist you received the absolute greatest price known to the human race, you know had you looked a little further you probably could have found it for less.But you were happy with your decision. It satisfied your needs and desires and most importantly, it was YOUR decision, no matter how good or bad the salesperson might have been. You bought on your emotions. We all do. Here's a news flash: prospects are no different. They do not want to be part of a process where they are forced to purchase your RV. They want to be part of a long-term business relationship, and a true partnership. This only happens when they can express their emotions.People do not always buy from people they like, but I know of very few people who buy from someone they don't. A sale is not just about showing people you care but why you care and what it means to them. After all, don't you?

Original :: rv sales training how much do you care

auto sales training five principles for

If you observe successful, professional vehicle salespeople, you will find that they use one or more of the following five principles to set the stage for successful closing action.1. Keep control of the interview.
You must have control of the interview (qualifying) so that you can set up your closing opportunities and use your closing techniques most effectively. This calls for adequate preparation of all elements of the sale before confronting the prospect.2. Let the buyer set the pace.
You can control the interview and still let the buyer set the pace with his or her own reactions, motives and personality. Recognize these differences in each buyer and move your presentation along accoringly. If you push too fast, you leave a confused and unsold buyer in the dust. On the other hand, if the buyer quickly absorbs what you are presenting, step up your pace. If you don't, you'll have an impatient, bored and equally unsold buyer on your hands.3. Give the prospect a chance to buy.
Too many salespeople give an effective sales presentation, then fail to ask for the order. They are afraid to ask for fear the buyer will say "no." Don't expect the prospect to tell you he or she wants to buy. Ask him or her to buy instead.4. Keep something in reserve.
Don't paint yourself into a corner with your presentation so you don't have anywhere else to go. Don't sail through all of your vehicle's features and benefits before making your first closing attempt. If it fails, you have no choice but to repeat yourself, hoping it will click the second time around. Keep a couple of good points in reserve.5. Recognize buying signals.
Few buyers will come right out and say, "I'm ready to buy." Be alert to the clues and tips a buyer can give you that will tell you when it's time to close the sale.Watch for tell-tale facial or physical expressions and then ACT! A lifted eyebrow, a smile of satisfaction or agreement, or a look of increased interest, can be your buying signal. Be sensitive to comments or remarks that indicate an interest in buying.Remember that buying signals can be flashed at any time during the process. Learn to recognize any hint from the prospect that he or she is ready to buy and CLOSE right then and there!

Original :: auto sales training five principles for

how to turn no into yes in your sales

Your sales approach: is it really working for you? Or could you fine tune it a little?Everything about sales starts with you. And in business first impressions really do count! So check your dress and your address before you begin! Do you give a polished impression or are you a rough diamond?Before you start work for the day check your mental attitude: are you feeling positive? Bright? Or negative and dull? This will require long term work on your self belief and developing for yourself Positive Mental Attitude.Do you feel confident in your self? In your presentation? In the products you promote?A good product self promotes so if you are failing to secure the success you deserve then seriusly consider the product: it could well be you need to source a better product range and a better company!Are you addressing the buyers? Do you sound confident? Are you in charge? Do you know your product information? Do you use your product? A car salesman will achieve great results by driving the car he sells: he will radiate good humour, confidence, professional knowledge from a standpoint of personal experience.Sales presentation is both an art and a science.Do you address your buyers by name? Do you consciously create rapport before launching into sales talk? Are you interesting? Do you have a story to tell? Can you give examples of how this product has solved problems for other clients? Letters of recommendation? Photos? A success portfolio?Most important of all, and most neglected: do you listen? Do you let your client have their say? Talk less about your product sales message and listen a good deal more to your client's point of view and time without number you will close the sale and secure repeat sales for your company.So skyrocket your sales today by working on your PMA, your self confidence, your knowledge of and belief in the quality of your product, polish your presentation, greet your buyer by name, smile, create rapport, and above all, be a good listener.The sales person who listens will succeed. Be a listener!What problems does your client have? What solution can you provide? Be bright, awake, top of the morning and truly expect to receive the order. I would rather buy from a cheerful genuine person than get a discount with a bad attitude! How about you?

Original :: how to turn no into yes in your sales

motivation in tough times getting your

Motivation can be defined as momentum that stimulates action. It comes from within you. Nobody can "make" you be motivated. It's up to you. So, how do you keep your motivation on a daily basis, and especially during these economically hard times?First, let's go there and talk about where LACK of motivation comes from and how it manifests itself into your life. Lack of motivation is usually caused by fear and lack of self-confidence. I've seen this so many times when working with under-producing sales professionals. Maybe you've been on a roll. Sales have been great. You've been the "golden players" on the sales team. Maybe you're struggling just to get out of the gate.All of a sudden someody or many people say "no." The economic climate changes. You lose a client or maybe more. Prospects dry up. Fear begins to set in about job performance, money, etc. If you are being highly scrutinized because of falling sales, fear and self-confidence set in and begin to spin out of control.Fear and lack of self-confidence will paralyze you from doing what you need to do to move forward. Where there is fear and lack of self-confidence, there cannot possibly be motivation.Ok. Enough of that! We all know what LACK of motivation can do. But when you're down there, how to get up again? How do you keep your self-motivated day after day in a tough marketplace full of competition and rejection?Let me give you 4 steps to recover your motivation, get out of the rut and get your "Mojo" back!1. Make A List: When you've fallen into a slump you might feel as though you're at the bottom looking up ad you can't dig yourself out. Your thoughts are spinning about all the things you should do, and need to do. It's impossible to figure out what to do and how to do it when your head is spinning! Make a list. Sit down someplace quiet, breathe and write down everything that is spinning around up there. After you've made the list you can then start to prioritize. If sales are down and you need to make 10 sales, the goal is to make sale. Notice I said "a sale" not 10, not 2, not 6. ONE. Whatever your goal is, chunk it out into smaller, more reasonable pieces that will give you success quickly. When you succeed at the first goal that success will spur you on to the next.2. Post Your Goal: Make your first goal real by putting in front of you. Also, put a positive spin on your goal. Don't just write, "One Sale" or "I need to make one sale." Instead write something like, "I can make one sale." Then post ion your bathroom mirror, on your refrigerator, in your car, in your home office, etc etc. Make this goal your mantra.3. Don't Quit! Make a list of 4 or 5 ways you can get to your goal. Who do you need to see? What referral do you need? Who in your network can you call on for help? Keep putting one foot ahead of the other, one step at a time. This is the most important step to get where you want to be.4. Squash Negative Thoughts:. For every negative thought that pops into your head and runs around in there, identify where that thought comes from. For instance, if you are thinking, "I'm a loser."Who said that to you? Why to you feel that way? When you've identified where the negative thought comes from, select an opposing thought to replace it. Instead of, "I'll never make my sales goal" think I will make my sales goal because sales is a numbers game I know I can win!Remember that sales is a numbers game. By setting goals and being consistent your Mojo will return and not only will you make your sales goals, you'll beat them! You are a winner. Act as if you are!

Original :: motivation in tough times getting your

getting in front of prospects three

Do you remember the saying, "It's all I who you know." Well there's another one that says, "It's not whom you know, but who knows you."Competition for sales is fierce out there. Many times sales are lost purely because of name recognition. Getting in front of new prospects is hetting harder and harder. Statistics show that you need to get in front of a prospect seven times before you can make a sale. Seven times! How can you get in front of someone seven times without making yourself feel like a nuisance and turning your customer or prospect off? It's pretty dicey stuff. While I was an account rep I often thought, "How can I do it differently?"Here are three things I did and have passed oto my sales teams and coaching clients. Now I'll share them with you.1. Make a referral: Make a referral to your prospect. Then follow up with a call to the prospect about the referral.2. Send a personalized note: In today's business arena where technology rules, a hand written note will surely stand out and get noticed. You can send a note asking for an appointment with a follow up date for when you will call.3. Catch them doing something good: Be cognizant when watching the news, reading the paper, and reading trade journals. You never know where you prospect (or your clients for that matter) will pop up. If it's in print, neatly cut out the article and have it laminated. Send to the prospect with a quick note such "Saw you in the news!" Not only will they have a permanent nicely preserved copy of their article, you will be remembered for sending it.
Should you see a news story on television, look at the online news for that station. If the story appears online as well, send the link and a note acknowledging their role in news story.These three easy strategies can get you remembered today without ever having to leave your office! With consistency and follow-up, you'll be in the door before you know it.

Original :: getting in front of prospects three

sales training what happens when

Salespeople can take lessons to start their day off right from Kellogg's Pop Tarts pastries, created November 19, 1965. Pop Tarts are the simplest food item, so why wouldn't a salesperson want to make their days that easy?1. Pop Tarts have a sugary filling sealed inside two layers of rectangular, thin pastry crust. Selling is a process, not necessarily an in and out call. For certain, there is the opening call and the decision asking call, those two layers in the process in between which everything else happens. Asking questions, listening to find your prospects needs and wants, a possible presentation, then very likely handling concerns, and even follow-up if the prospect postpones theirdecision time. The filling, those parts of the sales process inside the two layers of the opening and the decision points, make certain that the prospects needs will be met.2. Most varieties have frosting, but some do not. As a long-time believer in selling being about relationship building, the frosting on a Pop Tart is like the follow-up in selling. Find reasons, valid, relevant, business reasons to get back in touch with your prospect. Even better is to do a similar follow up with your customers.3. They can be eaten without being heated, but are often warmed inside a toaster. Toasting is the best way to enjoy a Pop Tart even though directions include a microwave in 3 seconds version. As someone who sells, particularly if you tend toward being an introvert, take a few minutes to warm yourself up before you either call on a new prospect or follow-up with one. Like toasting, spend a few minutes to get into a warm and receptive mindset.4. They are sold in pairs inside foil packages. Wouldn't it be fun to market in pairs? Maybe if you're more of an extrovert. There would be someone to bounce ideas around with, talk through strategy aloud with and even debrief a sales call. Consider hiring a coach to help improve your sales performance. At the very least, find someone who you respect who is successful in sales and ask for some mentor time with them.5. Pop Tarts come in a variety of flavors. Both salespeople and prospects come in different selling and buying styles. If you learn to listen for key factors and you talk with you prospect, you will learn how quickly they buy, if they have to talk with people to help make a decision, whether they can make the decision on their own or need a spouse or business partner. Then the work of the seller is to offer the right selling flavor - match the selling with the buying.The goal of getting the Pop Tart ready is to eat it. Regardless of whether you are more introverted or more extroverted, the goal of self-inspiration and acting on marketing activities that get results is to get a new customer. And just like with a Pop Tart, selling readiness happens on a daily basis for the best sales results.

Original :: sales training what happens when

sales training can salespeople stop and

The traffic light, patented in November 1923, happened before selling became labeled a profession. Over the years some salespeople may stray from the ethical and altruistic meanings originally given to the profession. Traffic lights and roundabouts, however, have always stayed their purpose.Color coded: In many cities across the world, selling actually happens at the red lights! Street sellers approach your car when you come to a stop to sell you a newspaper, wash your windshield or maybe someday offer you a cup of coffee. That may be the only straying from the original purpose of bringing your vehicle to a stop. Still the red light communicates a steady action - stop. Take your stop, cauion and go commands from the prospect. In business-to-business and most business to consumer selling, if your prospect gives you signs to slow down, then do it. If your prospect gives you signs to keep on, then continue with your questions, your presentation and your helping them to buy. This makes for easier selling.Sequenced: Years ago my husband and I wanted to buy a home delivery service. There was one company in our area so we called them and they sent a representative out to talk with us. My husband and I both generally are decisive. After we learned the basics and then the pricing, we were ready to buy and told the representative, "Let's do it." Unbelievably, he said, "Oh, no. We can't. I have to complete my presentation!" Informed and top sales people take their Stop, Caution, and Go commands from the prospect. If your prospect is ready to buy, then go with them. If your prospect has concerns, then they likely need more information and it is your role to find out what that is. Certainly there is more to traffic lights, like flashing, combinations and even pedestrian lights.For now let's consider life without traffic lights: European and Asian countries regularly use roundabouts, a traffic circle. At a road junction, vehicles yield and go into and around a central island. Studies in general prove roundabouts to reduce accidents. How is a roundabout relevant to selling? Just as you approach a prospect, Yield - ask questions to find out about the prospect. Slow down - take time to build rapport and focus on what the prospect wants and needs. Like a roundabout is one way, a salesperson's one way will get results if the one way is with more attention on the prospect rather than on the sale.Follow your customer's stop, caution and go commands, as you would follow a traffic light to avoid accidents or mishaps. When you do, you'll be more comfortable, gain more confidence and sell more to more people more often.

Original :: sales training can salespeople stop and

sales training salespeople let me sell

In the early 1900's con men would try to sell parts of the Brooklyn Bridge to immigrants in the USA. This is what coined the phrase, "If you believe that, I've got a bridge to sell you!" Then the Verrazano Narrows bridge, the world's longest suspension bridge formally opened between Brooklyn and Staten Island, New York, in November 1964. Think of this as a chance for a new bridge, one that leads to ethical selling. Would this new bridge serve to avoid any of these early unscrupulous and unethical scammers?What do ethics mean to you?When our actions are congruent with our moral values we behave ethically. Almost every profession has a code of ethics. Become familiar with yours. How often iyour behavior in line with this code? That's a simple test if your profession has a code of ethics. If your profession doesn't have a code, then ask yourself, when you take action, is the action acceptable and right in regards to all stakeholders - customer, company and self? It seems the early bridge scammers didn't have a code of ethics.Why might good people in a good organization do unethical things?The image of salespeople, maybe even dating back to before the bridge scammers, is usually filled with less than positive words like - deceiving, pushy, fast talking, exaggerating, and at least a dozen more. For a few years, in teaching an Ethical Leadership program for various organizations, I used the definition of morals as values defined by a higher authority to help an individual decide right versus wrong, good versus bad. Just as with morals and values, you want a higher authority for ethics. If you are in an organization without an ethical code considering referring to the UPSA, United Professional Sales Association, for their Ethical Code of Conduct. In just seven pages long, it has all encompassing principles and guidelines.Can ethics be as simple as integrity, honesty and responsibility?Your integrity includes your honesty and moral character. Just like moral concepts vary from one society to another, morals can be different from one profession to another. Values, like honesty and responsibility, are the beliefs or standards that guide our lives in defining importance and worth. Do you present your product and service honestly? Do you act with honesty and in good faith toward all concerned? Would you pass the three questions posed by Nan Demars, You Want Me To Do What? It's one of several quick ethics tests to refer do when you have doubt or uncertainty about what to do. Here are the three questions: Would you want to be treated the same way? What would my mother say? How would I feel if this was reported on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper?The 1970's scammers invaded Florida with swampland scams. It seems the bridge lesson wasn't learned even with the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. But what about you? What did you learn? What is your responsibility to remain ethical as a seller? As a wise person once said, "It's easier to know what is right than to do the right thing." Can you find an ethical code to guide you to do the right thing?

Original :: sales training salespeople let me sell

sales training top doublespeak traps

The annual Doublespeak Award is given to some public figure whose language is deceptive, evasive, jargon or confusing or euphemistic. While usually associated with public figures and corporate environments, some salespeople easily fall into the doublespeak traps without knowing it! Here are the top four doublespeak traps and how they can hurt your sales results.The deceptive trap. My son is in the computer security industry and is a highly sought after speaker. While there are many technical terms that he clarifies, his language is clean in particular when explaining a problem. He calls a software bug a bug; he calls a software fix a fix. It would be wise to ask questions of someone who mght use the deceptive double speak term, "a reliability enhancement." Just how true, how clean, is that communication? How true or clean do you speak?The evasive trap. What's your title? Health counselor, and you sell a health product? Insurance specialist, and you sell insurance? Strategic Alliance Manager, and you are in sales development? Come on salespeople! These kinds of titles are acceptable only after you at least admit to yourself that you are selling something or you're in marketing. Then if you want to clarify that you are interested in educating, or that you have a certain expertise, or that you value a long term relationship, add the rest of the title.The jargon trap. Every industry has its jargon! If you're a financial planner, why not use the word profit, or return on your investment instead of yield? Using jargon with your sales manager, with other people on your sales team, and other people who you work with might be acceptable. However, it can be annoying to a prospect of customer, so start speaking clearly with them and leave the jargon at home.The euphemism trap. George Carlin has a ten-minute tirade about words that tend to attempt to soften or hide reality - euphemisms. From shell shock, to battle fatigue, to operational exhaustion and now the euphemism, post-traumatic stress disorder - almost disguising the mental and emotional pain soldiers suffer from being in war. Consider the absurdity in this general business example: wasting time gets called project research and then technological survey. Carlin is emphatic that it is the context, the user and the intention behind words that make a word good or bad. What words for your product, service or industry do you use to cover up something that is lower quality, a problem or otherwise negative? Just use words that speak the truth. I'm with George on this.You say doublespeak is no big deal? William Lutz, professor of English at Rutgers University, authored The New Doublespeak: Why No One Knows What Anyone's Saying Anymore. What does that tell you about the big deal of it? It destroys your communication and is a barrier to trust. It both clutters understanding and puts a salesperson who uses it in a bad light.

Original :: sales training top doublespeak traps

sales training salespeople add four

What can salespeople learn from Ben Hur and Mickey Mouse? Both the movie and the cartoon premiered on November 18th in different years. In the debut, the first public appearance or the introduction, salespeople hold at least four stars, four ideas, to better engage their prospects in making that successful first impression.What is your goal on the first call? Depending on your product or service, most professional salespeople make the first call a get to know the customer call and to get a follow up appointment. Notice that the primary emphasis is not simply on getting to know you, your product, your service or your company. Unless you are selling pens behind a retail counter or are a retil sales clerk, your customer is not going to make the buying decision in minutes. What is your goal on the initial contact?Do you have a good fit for the prospect? All salespeople want to sell! But do you want to sell everyone? Ben Hur and Mickey Mouse, now classics, had a different audience. Not every customer will be a good fit for you, your company, your product or your service. During an initial contact it's a good idea to qualify and find out if this prospect is a good fit for what you're offering.How do you get to know your prospect and determine a good fit? In the movie industry, screenings and early viewings determine if and when a movie gets released. In selling, before you get to the initial meeting, do some research and prepare some questions. First, be prepared before you meet. Either research the company or talk with some of your connections about the person. This will spare you from taking time to ask low calorie questions like, "What is your current revenue?" or "Is this your only location?" It's more effective to research things like this, or save them until the follow-up call. Then, have a few strategic high fat open-ended questions, such as: "Tell me about your top two or three challenges." "What do you want that you don't have now?" "Oh, you've worked with 'The Other Company' in the past. What did you like about them?" You're qualifying and finding a fit during the initial sales call.How do you end the initial contact? If you want to hear applause similar to that at the end of movies like Ben Hur and Mickey Mouse's premier, your introductory call will balance the questions with listening - listening to all that you guided your prospect to tell you. If they qualify, if there is a good fit, then you want to ask for a decision, the next appointment, or make a recommendation for the prospect if the fit isn't right.Movie premiers are all about the movie stars. The glitz and glamour is usually focused on the actors. For an initial sales call to be successful, focus on your star - the prospect. If you have a goal, do some early research, have some thoughtful questions prepared, and then all along the way you have built rapport to continue the sales process. Is a four star initial sales call in your future?

Original :: sales training salespeople add four

protecting client relationships in tough

Given the current global economic crisis, your existing client base has never been more important. Protecting and building on these key relationships is not only vital to ride out the difficult times, but also to ensure they stay with you for the long term.Increasing business with existing accountsMany companies make the mistake of concentrating too hard on winning new business instead of cultivating additional business with their existing clients. The matrix below explains the notion that selling existing products and services into existing relationships is the easiest sale to make. After all, if your client is familiar and comfortable with your offering, they're more likely to increastheir business with you. Furthermore, selling new products and services into these existing accounts is also a relatively easy sale to make. Existing products/services New products/services
Existing accounts Easiest Easy
New accounts Hard Hardest
Strategic investment in existing accounts makes good business sense for a number of reasons:Existing accounts tend to be more profitable than new business.
Key accounts are usually large generators of top line revenue for companies.
Long-held, prestigious accounts may enhance credibility with potential new clients.
There may be strong personal relationships in place at high levels.
Whatever the reason, these are the accounts that you never want to lose. They are accounts that are extremely valuable to your business both now and in an uncertain future.How do you protect these important accounts?When it comes to the protection and growth of your key accounts, a positive move is to ask your clients the following questions:Where is their business going?
How can you help them get there?
What can you do together to make it happen?
By leveraging your existing relationship with this type of analysis, you can really focus on building a partnership with your client.Great accounts that turn badClients often tell us about once-great accounts not being what they used to be because the account has become purely price driven.Invariably, they find themselves facing a ruthless tender process where all the value-adds have been forgotten. In many cases, the relationships they had with senior management are gone and they tend to now only liaise with procurement departments.All businesses are under pressure to strip out unnecessary costs and improve profits. Good procurement practitioners do this by simplifying the supply chain and creating as much supplier rivalry as possible. Chances are, your business is doing this right now to many of your suppliers.Of course, some suppliers are more important than others either because they offer a unique service/product or because they are so deeply embedded in the business. Some business inputs can be treated as a commodity where a quick tender can yield a nice result, while other suppliers are treated as business partners.Where do you stand with your key accounts?Procurement practitioners sort suppliers into categories and adopt a different approach for each. There are many models used but they usually look something like the below matrix.Buyer/Seller MatrixCategory Approach Commodity Supermarket Limit resources devoted to supplier dealings
Shop for the best price
Review frequently


Procurement Procurement Invest in a thorough buying process
Encourage entrants
Set price

Maintain NegotiateLow level relationships
Encourage new entrants
Negotiate price and terms

Partner PartnershipHigh level relationships
Backward integration
Collaboration
In our Clients-For-Life engagements, we help clients correctly position themselves on this matrix. Where you sit on this matrix is a function of how important your products/services are to your account and how difficult it would be to replace you.You will often find yourself in different quadrants for different accounts. It's important to respond to the account with a relationship strategy that is appropriate to where you sit in their buyer/seller matrix.It's an expensive and futile strategy to try and partner with an account where you are positioned as a commodity. Similarly, behaving like a commodity when you could be a partner to your client is a missed opportunity.A systematic approach to Clients-For-LifeWhen working with our clients, we promote a systematic approach to account management. Once our client has recognised the importance of developing existing accounts, there is usually a willingness to invest. It's then critical to choose the right account, make the right investment and get the account to support the investment strategy.

Original :: protecting client relationships in tough

5 ways to entice people to buy from you

Making more sales is the number one objective of any marketer. With little or no knowledge of how to attract people to buy their products, online marketers does not have chance to sustain the cut-throat competition of the present market situation. Let's discuss the five effective ways to entice people to buy.1. Avoid flashy advertisements. Flashy advertisements put off people more than generate interest. Make your ads simple, personal and attractive. They should be able to build a rapport with your targeted audience.Build trust with your customers by putting testimonials on your ad showing that people actually buy and are happy with your products.2. People like to know whom they are dealig with. Most of the time buyers first check out the credential of the people they are buying from. Make your buyers feel safe. Tell them their details are kept safe and confidential. Let them know that purchases made from you are processed through a secure server. Nobody wants to scammed.If you have a website, dedicate a page where people can learn more about you. Put down your details like address, e-mail, chat ID and telephone numbers. It is unlikely that people will go and verify the details but putting them up for others to see certainly make a big difference.3. Offer your buyers multiple payment options. Accept payments through Credit cards of debit cards. For people who do not have credit cards offer them to accept payments through Money Order or checks.If you are selling products online you will have customers who are skeptical to provide their details. These are the extra cautious; give them the option to pay through Pay-pal or Alert-pay etc. where they do not have to give out their card or bank account details to merchants.4. Offer discounts and bonuses. Create urgency for people to buy from you. Give them a time frame the offers are available. Create a situation they will not get the offers if they do not buy before the deadline.There will be times you will have curious people who will actually see if you are honest with your offer. Stick to your words.5. Provide good after-sales service. There is nothing more than having a helpful vendor. You want people to come back and buy from you. Thank them if they had made a purchase and invite them to come back. If otherwise, they do not buy from you or cancel their orders, ask them for a feedback so you can improve.

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recruiting firm owners finding great

We have been running an ongoing survey since January 2008 that asks "What are two or three things that keep you up at night as a recruiting firm owner?"Of the over 500 responses so far, finding, attracting, and onboarding successful recruiters is the overwhelming thing causing recruiting firm owners sleepless nights as it was mentioned by over 64% of the respondents. A distant second was managing cash flow by 43% of respondents. Probably not a huge surprise, but with over 500 responses, Our findings validate beyond a shadow of a doubt recruiting firm owners biggest headache. There are six deadly mistakes search firm owners make in this process. Each is tied to the other and if one 'link'n the chain is broken, the whole chain breaks:Owners are not clear on "why" they are hiring.
Owners have weak finding and attracting "systems" for new talent.
Owners do not have a defined interview process.
Owners do not have a defined onboarding system.
Owners have an "owners" mentality for new hire motivation.
Owners have poor follow-up systems for new hires.
Owners in a position to hire often think there is a dream or ideal profile of the "perfect" candidate. There is no such profile! The winners and losers come from the same places. The key to finding and attracting great recruiters starts with a strong vision put forward in the marketing/recruiting process. It continues with setting proper expectations during the interview. Also, more success comes to those with strong as well as defined recruiting training programs and onboarding processes. Lastly, if owners do not follow through and hold new hires accountable, no matter how good the new hire, many will not make it.

Original :: recruiting firm owners finding great

sales training salespersons universal

SOS, also known as Morse code, is a universal distress signal. For salespeople, a "Save Our Ship," becomes a "Save Our Sales" distress call. While everyone selling likely has their own SOS, here are five common sales calls for help.1. Cancelled appointmentsAre you confirming any appointments you set with prospects? Either the day before or the morning of, telephone or email prospects. I usually telephone. If something has come up for the prospect, I reschedule with them right then; they're already on the telephone. If they just don't show, that's an entirely different problem and solution. NOTE: never assume that a no show means not interested.2. Prospects buying from competitionAre you ging through all that you know how to do and losing sales to the competition? What about losing to the competition of procrastination? Examine your qualifying process. You have a qualifying process, right? At a minimum, early on you want to be certain of four things: you are working with someone with a budget for your product or service; you are talking with all decision makers; the prospect has indicated a need by conveying a problem they want to eliminate or a solution they need, and their timeline fits with your sales process timeline.3. Not following up because of whatever excuseI've heard most of the excuses: "I don't have time, I feel like I'm bothering people, I don't know what to say next, I don't have enough energy, I'm afraid." If you have this SOS call, run, don't walk, and get a sales coach. Selling IS about follow up.4. Poor presentation skills demonstrates lack of confidenceIf you are at any business function, or even social for that matter, you want to speak with confidence. Be confident with your elevator pitches. Drop the "ums," the "ya knows," and any other puffy fillers that chip away at your image. Why be careful even at social events? It is absolutely true that it is a small world; you are only ever about six people away from who you want to meet. Your ability to speak in a way that people want to listen to will help you meet them.Selling has a beginning and a continuation. It really never ends. Don't ignore the SOS coming from your lack of sales results. Instead, when you examine your sales results, get to the problems that are hurting you and then take a different approach to solve them.

Original :: sales training salespersons universal

sales training salespeople get uplifted

Filled with music mostly from the 1950's and 1960's some Jukebox songs weave a tale of the life of someone who sells. Let's put a quarter in for some Jukebox music to make you smarter, take the pain of rejection away, improve your creativity and reduce your stress. As a salesperson or small business owner with sales responsibility, your thoughts, attitudes and actions are vital to your sales success. Here are the top picks:1. We Belong Together, Ritchie Valens. "You're mine and we belong together." Is that what you are thinking about your prospects? And just how are you showing them? Do you take your time to build rapport? Are you getting to know them? Then are you letting them get to knoyou, your product and your service?2. What's Your Name, Don and Juan. "What's your name? May I walk you to your door? It's so hard to find a personality, With charms like yours for me." Learn about primary personality styles with a model like the Personal Profile System or some other. An easy and exacting model of a prospects buying style will help you help them easier. If you open the next sales step sooner or later, depending on the buying style, you will find a perfect match of selling for your customer.3. Stop And Think It Over, Dale & Grace. This is the slow song of rapport: "We've got to stop and think it over. Before we say we're in love. Are we right for each other? Can what we feel be lasting love?" Ask early on a qualifying question like, "And are you able to move forward today if you find I can provide you with ...?" It is your role to ask at the appropriate time, often at the end of follow up meeting, for your prospect to make a decision. If you find there are concerns or objections, the next 50's hit is ready to play.4. Talk To Me, Little Willie John. "Talk to me, talk to me. Um-mm, I love the things you say. Talk to me, talk to me. Tell me what I want to know." Welcome objections. I remember an early selling situation where I was not communicating properly with a prospect on their sensory language pattern. I was using primarily visual words when she was clearly auditory. I was getting maybe, maybe, maybe until I made a question shift using auditory language. All of a sudden she was pouring out her concerns to me! Because of that, I could answer her questions and she signed training contract.5. I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry, Roy Orbison. "The silence of a fallin' star, Lights up a purple sky, And as I wonder where you are, I'm so lonesome I could cry." Lack of follow-up is the bane of salespeople. Yet the prospect wants to and even needs to hear from you. Maybe they aren't really lonesome, but they are waiting to hear from you. They want you to attend to their original interest. Plan a scheduled series of between five and twenty-one follow-ups.6. At Last, Etta James. "At last my love has come along. My lonely days are over, And life is like a song." Both the prospect and the salesperson will be singing this! The buyer, they want relief from the product or service you have. You the seller, you want that new happy, lifetime customer. Both buyer and seller really are headed in the same direction, but it is because of the skills of the salesperson that they will reach that same point, at the same time, together.

Original :: sales training salespeople get uplifted

sales training salespeople tips on

Unlike real barbed wire being cheaper, easier and quicker to use to get results to better control livestock and land, sales reluctance is costly, stubborn and slows down a salesperson's success. If a salesperson's product or service is that valuable, a salesperson will want to have various ways to cut through and strengthen their self-promotion.Go under. Barbed wire is a wall without being a wall, just like reluctance is a sales barrier which may not be recognized. Reluctance commonly shows up as fear of rejection, failure or being perceived as an impostor and pervades all parts of the selling process. Research by Behavioral Sciences Research Press has found that for sales call reluctancethere is usually a specific limited reason. Find out what causes your particular reluctance, then find a way to get it under control.Cover it with a blanket and climb over it. Rather than become entangled in the barbed wire of sales reluctance, identify your issues and set an action plan to get over it. Do you have an underlying belief that salespeople are scammers? When I lead sales training workshops I often ask, "What words would you use to describe salespeople?" A long list of negative words like, dishonest, pushy, doesn't listen, start to be spoken. When you are reluctant about follow-up, do you procrastinate to avoid seeming pushy? Consider changing that the belief to how what you have to offer brings great value to people and you owe it to them to help them.Cut the wire. Treat reluctance, like barbed wire, with respect. It could be that a salesperson's reluctance is there for good reason. Sometimes it stems because salespeople fear losing someone's approval. In working with one of my clients, once we put notes together for a sales script, they were able to call current clients and ask for referrals. Now it helped that on the first call they actually got some additional business, but they cut the wire and got into a confident calling state knowing that they would actually gain approval by their current clients. Help yourself with an approach that helps you to change what you say to yourself.Circumvent. If at all possible get over sales reluctance, this barbed wire of selling, quickly. You may not be able to get around it by yourself particularly if you have been plagued by it for years. This may mean hiring a sales coach, enrolling in sales training or finding an outside means to help raise self-confidence in the areas of sales reluctance.If you have any fear of self-promotion, think you bother people when you follow-up, or even find yourself procrastinating and thinking you are lazy on high priority sales activities, be sure you have good tools to get over, go around and cut sales reluctance. You don't have to stay inside the barbed wire. With awareness that you suffer from some sales reluctance, you can find a method to - cut the barbed wire of selling.

Original :: sales training salespeople tips on

why it pays to use a professional

Just because your elearning software allows you to record your own narration, it doesn't automatically follow that you should.You may think that recording the narration yourself, or asking your work colleagues to record it for you, will be the cheaper option. However, in the long-run this isn't necessarily the case. Here are six reasons why using an amateur voice - whether that's you or your friends - can be a false economy.1. You/Your colleagues may have a nice sounding voice, but it takes more than a nice voice to produce a professional narration. Voiceover artists have the experience and techniques to get the correct tone, inflections and pace.2. You may have the software to enablrecording, but do you have the right recording environment? A professional voiceover artist usually works within a home recording studio which is set up to provide an ideal acoustic environment. They can provide you with recordings that are free of background sounds, eliminating noises like the whirr of computer fans and air-conditioning systems.3. A professional Voice over artist has also invested more time and expense in their recording hardware. They will have access to more sophisticated equipment than your $10 USB mic, and they will also have the technological knowledge to get the best sound out of their gear.4. Long-form narration is a skill that not everyone has the talent for - even some professional voiceover artists prefer to concentrate on shorter voiceover projects and avoid projects like training, e-learning and audio book narration. The ability to read consistently throughout the whole course takes experience and confidence.5. Using amateur voices will require more re-takes and therefore will take more time to complete the project.6. When you send out your eLearning course to your client for review, they may well complain about the audio quality from your amateur voice recordings. You can then either spend time re-editing to see whether issues can be resolved without a re-record. Or alternatively, hire a professional voice artist to record the whole course again, but provide you with quality audio recordings with a professional sounding narration.

Original :: why it pays to use a professional

rv sales training i have to talk it over

When you hear the words "I have to talk this over with..." you realize you may have done something wrong. You didn't qualify the prospect very well, did you? OK, what do you do now?When others need to approve the deal, besides qualifying the buyer better, you must take four action steps.1. Get the prospect's approval.
2. Get on the prospect's side.
3. Arrange a meeting with the other decision maker.
4. Make your entire presentation again.If you think you can get around these steps, think again. It's obvious you're looking for shortcuts, or you would have properly qualified the buyer in the first place. If you would have just asked, "Is there anyone else who will be making the decision wityou?" this whole mess wouldn't be taking place.Back to the reality of the four steps. 1. Get the prospect's personal approval
" Mr. Jones, if it was just you, and you didn't need to confer with anyone else, would you be considering purchasing this vehicle today?" (the prospect will almost always say yes). I ask. "Does this mean you'll recommend our vehicle to the other decision makers?"Now go through a checklist that seems a little redundant, but you want to uncover any areas of doubt. So ask...o Is the price ok?
o Is the right RV?
o Is our service ok?
o Is our company ok?
o Am I ok?
o What doubts do I have?
o Do you like it well enough to own it?2. Get on the prospect's side
Begin to talk in terms of we and us. By getting the prospect on your side of the sale, you can now get on the side of the other decision maker.o What do WE have to do?
o When can WE get the other decision maker together? It's important that I am present because I'm sure they'll have questions that they will want answers to.
o Tell me a little bit about the other decision maker (write down every characteristic and personality trait).3. Arrange a meeting with all deciders
Do it any way you have to. Leave several alternative open times from your date book. Use the alternatives as a reason to get back and solidify your meeting with all involved.4. Make your entire presentation again
You only have to do this if you want to make the sale. Otherwise just leave it to the prospect. He thinks he can handle it, and will try his best to convince you of that.The best way for you to make this (or any) sale is to be in control of the situation. If you make the mistake of letting your prospect become a salesperson on your behalf, (goes to the partner instead of you) you may very well lose the sale.An alternative method...Ask the prospect if he's sure the other decision maker will want to do the deal. If the prospect says "Yes, I'm sure." You say, "Great! Why not just approve the purchase now (sign the deal) and get their approval. If you call me tomorrow and tell me "no" I'll tear up the purchase agreement. Fair enough?You can avoid and prevent this objection with three words...Qualify the buyer!The "I have to talk this over with..." scenario may also be a stall. The buyer may be giving you the brush off for other reasons -- those are the real reason(s) for him or her not purchasing now. Try one question that gets to the real issue."Is there a reason you're putting me off? Did I offend you in any way?"Try and get to the truth. In that truth lies the answer to your sale. And if you can get to that truth, the answer will be YES.

Original :: rv sales training i have to talk it over

4 factors to consider when choosing a

Gender - Would your students respond better to a female or male narrator?� This may depend on the type of eLearning course you are developing and the audience it is intended for.� Younger children may prefer a female voice for a training course. An industry that is particularly male-orientated may prefer to hear a male voice.Age -� This refers to the Age of the Voice, rather than the age of the Voiceover Actor.� Some voiceovers have a more mature sound than their years, other voice actors specialize in providing child-like voiceovers which work particularly well voicing some online animations.� Again, the age of the audience should be taken into consideration.� Training programs devloped for a company who recruits mainly younger staff will lend itself to a fresh, younger sounding voice, to give a modern, funky edge to its narrations.Style -� The nature of the training program will heavily influence the style you will ask your voiceover artist to narrate the script in.� If it is a language training module, the style should be slower, clear, paying particular attention to enunciation and diction.� The script writers should also keep in mind how the narration should be said - if they are after a more relaxed conversational tone, its important that the script is written to take this into consideration.� Instead of "do not" write "don't" for example.� Small adjustments can help loosen up the script to produce a less formalized tone.Accent - Do you choose an accent native to your viewers and listeners?� Do you go for a more international feel?� A British RP accent is sometimes chosen to represent an international training program where listeners will be from a wide spectrum of countries.� This could be a decision made on an assumption that a British RP accent will be the most widely understood accent.

Original :: 4 factors to consider when choosing a

how to hire a professional voiceover

Once you have identified a potential voiceover artist that you would like to work with, here are some steps to follow to making the hiring process go as smoothly as possible.1.� If your script is already written email the full script for a quotation.2. If the script is still a work in progress email an approximation of the final length in either time or number of words. A word count is preferred over a page count as font size and style, margins and layout can all influence how many words are on a page.� Don't forget to mention that the script is to be used as a elearning narration.�3. If you are choosing between 2 or three voiceover artists, why don't you ask each to record a short secion from the script to help with the casting decision.� Most voiceover artists are more than happy to record this free of charge and understand that it may involve several people to get a final casting decision.4. Your voiceover artist should then be able to provide you with a quote and estimated turnaround time for the recording.5. If you are working to a tight schedule or tight budget do let your voiceover artist know the constraints you are working to.� Most voiceover artists will do their best to accommodate your requirements.6. With regards to the quote, confirm whether the quote includes editing into the individual screen/slides.� Also confirm whether the quote is for a full-buyout, 1 year license or 2 year license.�7. Confirm the audio format you require and make sure the voiceover artist can deliver in the specified format.� Also check which delivery method they will get the audio files to you.� Methods can vary from uploading to your FTP server, CD overnight, or via an online file transfer system such as Yousendit.com.8. Confirm the payment options with your voiceover artist.� Some voiceover artists request a 50% deposit before recording can begin.� Many voiceover artists are happy to receive payment via paypal, cheque or bank transfer.�

Original :: how to hire a professional voiceover

bad habits can break sales

Retail clothing sales can be an unforgiving business. Even if you have good sales process you can still blow sales with bad habits. Here are some small ways you can put off customers that were ready to buy.Number one is poor hygiene. First impressions are huge when it comes to sales. Your appearance plays a massive role in. You do not have to be Brad Pitt or Angelina, but simple hygiene goes a long way. Unshaven, grungy teeth, body odor, wrinkly stained clothes, and messy hair are just a few things customer will pick up on instantly. No one is going to spend much time with a stinky sales person. Taking the time to properly care for your hygiene is a way of showing respect for your customes and fellow employees.Number two is laziness. When a customer walks into store you should appear busy. There are always plenty of things to do in a retail store, such as putting items back on clothes hangers, re-organizing racks, sorting products, and stacking unused hangers. If you are just sitting at the counter on your butt it sends the message that you do not care about your job they will assume you do not care about them.Number three is being unprepared. Nothing is more aggravating for a customer than trying to get information from someone who does not have any, but is trying to pretend that they do. The more you know about your product or industry the more sales you will get. This is the key to building confidence and trust with a customer that is essential for a sale to take place. Additionally you need to know your way around your store. It may seem obvious to you, but for someone who has just come in your store is a maze of store displays and clothes hangers. If a customer has to follow you all over the entire building because you do not know where a specific item is or even if you carry a product you willNumber four is nervous habits. Constantly biting your lip or fidgeting with clothes hangers while a customer is talking to you can drive customers away. Sometimes we do not even notice we are doing these things ourselves and it can be hard to break these habits. One way is to have fellow employee keep an eye out while you are dealing with customers and help remind you with a subtle hand signal, clearing of the throat.

Original :: bad habits can break sales

sales training how top salespeople can

Thanksgiving in the USA is November 27th this year. Just like turkey producers have been filling the grocery stores to sell more turkeys, professional salespeople need to fill their sales pipeline to continue to convert leads to customers or clients. How does the stuffing of the bird compare to the stuffing of a sales pipeline?1. Prepare Stuffing SafelyPreparing turkey stuffing is like preparing yourself with product knowledge, people skills and sales ability. Additionally you have to add your attitude, your actions and your self-confidence. The stuffing, the professional salesperson, takes time to get all characteristics in line and in integrity for the process to be successful. It's imprtant to be in total integrity with all your actions or your stuffing, or else the filling of your pipeline will be sabotaged. This just might be the step to hire a coach.2. Stuff LooselyStuffing a turkey is like adding leads to your sales funnel: too much dressing and it overflows and burns. In the selling process, prospects can drop out of the sales funnel at any stage. Potential clients go from a large number of initially interested persons, on to the narrow end with a smaller number of the initially interested people who will actually buy.3. Cook ImmediatelyAfter you have a fair number of prospects to get to know, there will be some that are ready to buy sooner than others. How many times must you call a prospect for the right timing? Assuming that everything falls into place when you call them, and the pain is so bad you are in the right place at the right time, how prepared are you? As a sales professional, design a system that allows you to stay in touch with each true prospect.4. Use a Food ThermometerIf you have too many non-qualified leads in your funnel, you can have an overflow, but not enough sales results. Yes, the funnel looks full, but you need to take the temperature of leads to decide when they are someone to spend time with. In difficult economic times people change their buying or decision-making style and the timeline may be longer. When economic times are thriving, the timeline may be shorter. Regardless of the economy, research from SiriusDecisions finds that sales of more complex solutions of any type in the business to business sector, has on average a 22% longer selling cycle, and 3.5 more people involved in the buying process. Whether it's the economy or the complexity of the sale, it is critical to steadily fill the pipeline.5. Let It RestJust like your turkey stuffing, you put together the right mix of marketing ingredients to attract prospects to you. Your sales assessment of the prospects needs and wants helps guide your time with them so that when they are ready to move along in the sales process, you are ready to guide them to a decision point to buy. There comes a time a client still may need to think it over or talk it over. While you may want to get a decision when you are ready, at times you have to follow-up and rest. Rest doesn't mean stop in sales. Rest means to allow for a short break and recharge with planned, purposeful follow-up.6. Refrigerate PromptlyWith proper follow-up, customers do say, "Yes, I'm ready." Of course many times the seller needs to prompt the yes by asking for a decision. In follow-up with valid and personal business reasons, salespeople continue to build trust. Always be ready also to continue to ask to move forward with your product or service. That is a sales professional's role.Many turkey recipes don't go on to say eat and enjoy! In sales, it's important to stop and recognize each success. While disputed by sales coaches and trainers, sales always was, and always will be, a numbers game. Numbers are as important to the sales pipeline as stuffing is to a turkey dinner.

Original :: sales training how top salespeople can

sales training introvert salespeople

Just as Nixon enacted Auto Speed Reduction Day for energy conservation in 1973, introverts in business who sell may want to declare their own Sales Speed Reduction day for energy conservation. Extroverts, more like solar powered items, continually and speedily energize by doing things. Introverts, more like a flashlights, need to stop and replace actually batteries to keep on going.1. Sales and marketing plans usually include a degree of networking. Be selective about the events you go to. As an INTJ in Myers Briggs types, I usually go early and speak with three to six people and then I'm free to either sit and eat, just wander around or leave. Selectivity and purposeful introductions arekey to my success.2. Schedule your days so any extroverting - speaking engagements, networking, even one to one meetings - can be done after you have some quiet time before and after. This allows you to pace yourself. In particular, you want any activity that restores and refreshes you. Selling can be enjoyable this way!3. Email is a great way of communicating for introverts. You can control the conversation more easily. Don't hesitate to draft an introduction or follow up email and let it sit in draft mode. Then before you "speak" you've satisfied that innate need to think first.4. Maximize your planning side to minimize crunch time. If you start preparing for a sales presentation or making a proposal well before the deadline, this lets you manage both time and energy.5. Remember that introversion can look like shyness, but it isn't. Professor Bernardo Carducci of the Shyness Institute at Indiana University defines the difference this way: an introvert hangs around the edge of a social or business event to preserve their energy; a shy person is reluctant to join in because of the risk to be judged.6. Understand yourself as an introvert. Since we need more time to restore our energy, select enough speed reduction activities to protect your energy. Hire a coach if necessary who understands the introvert's care.No one is solely introverted or extroverted. Being an introvert in sales doesn't mean there is something that needs to be fixed. There's nothing broken. We're in the perfect position as introverts to do more 'being' instead of 'doing.' The truth is even extroverts may find it stimulating to slow down on occasion.

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the simple and key technique to handling

You've just finished giving your presentation to your prospect, and you shown him all the benefits and reasons why he should take action, now, and purchase your product. Everything was presented in a very logical manner, and he was supposed to say, "Yes."But he didn't.You've just been told no, and given some objection or reason why your prospect doesn't want to make a purchase or make a decision, now. For a moment, all that head of steam that you were so neatly and professionally building up, has just collapsed like a withering balloon. You're facing your prospect, trying to figure out what went wrong and how to salvage the sale. How can you convince this person that they are wrong by notchoosing to buy from you, right now?Every sales person has been in this exact same boat, more times than we will ever want to admit to or remember. However, it is very important to remember that being told no, right after making your close and asking for the sale, is a fairly common experience. It does NOT, however, mean that your sale is now doomed. It does NOT mean that your prospect has automatically shut you off. And...most importantly, it is vital to remember that your prospect is saying no to the product/proposal you are offering, and NOT saying no to YOU.There many ways to overcome and handle objections. This is not the purpose of this article. Instead, what I am going to give you is an important tip on how to TRANSITION from hearing an objection, to proceeding to handle it. This technique works on any kind of objection that you will come across, and it's very easy to master.First of all, always keep in mind that if you try to tackle your customer's objection, head on, as an objection, then you are setting the stage for an adversarial situation, and in that scenario, you will never win. Your goal is not to make your prospect wrong, but rather to lete your prospect be RIGHT.When your customer voices an objection, do NOT immediately respond to it. Jumping right in and attacking the objection only makes your customer more defensive and also makes them believe you really didn't hear nor understand what they were saying. Instead, count to 5, in your head. As you are counting. slowly nod your head so your customer sees that you are truly listening and comprehending what they are saying. Doing this will work wonders in bringing you and your prospect closer together.Repeat the objection back to your customer, but repeat it in the form of a QUESTION. "Well, Fred, I definitely can understand what you're saying, and it's a very good point. In fact, many of my clients also felt the same way, when they were considering this deal. Am I correct in believing that you do feel that this makes sense, but you're concerned about.....(state the objection, here)?"When your prospect then AGREES with you on this question. Simply ask them if this is their only concern. (never use the word "objection" to your customer)Your next move is to say the following: "So, Fred, would it be reasonable to say that if we could find a way to effectively address this issue, to your satisfaction, then there really would be no reason to not move ahead with this?"Once you get that second agreement/commitment. Proceed with addressing your customer's concern, and then re-close.You will find, that if you remember to use these simple steps, your closing percentage will greatly increase.See you at the top!

Original :: the simple and key technique to handling

finding alternate lead sources within

Many sales reps often overlook valuable lead sources within their own company, and spend precious selling time looking for leads outside their office doors. They attend networking events, travel to conferences and trade shows, partner with other sales reps, and research potential external lead sources, but rarely consider all the invaluable sources of information around them.What they fail to realize is that some of the best sources for leads and customer information are fellow employees who work with current customers as part of their everyday job. For example, coworkers in customer service, human resources, accounting, and administration are dealing with and speaking to important customr contacts every day. They are often made aware of key information in their ordinary conversations that could be very useful to reps. This information can help reps adjust their sales strategies and ultimately lead to significant sales. If a sale rep can determine who "touches" their customers on a regular basis, they can establish a steady information and lead source within their own company.By first considering the kind of information they would like to gather from a source, a sales rep can begin to develop potential internal sources and guide their sources' conversations with customers. Desired information might include insight into the account, if there are nay new contact people in place, if there are any pending organizational change, or if new products or services are being introduced. Using this information, a sales rep can very likely discover additional needs within an existing customer organization that they can help to address.Some ways a sales rep can guide and train internal sources to provide leads:Providing a list of questions or information to gather as the conversation allows.
Including them in account planning sessions or territory reviews. This elevates them to be part of the team and communicates your vision and direction.
Following up on a consistent basis. This reinforces how serious you are.
"Giving back" with some form of bonus. A gift certificate or dinner out are always appreciated, and will keep you in their mind whenever an opportunity arises.
Mutual respect and better communication are critical success factors in generating internal leads and creating internal partnerships. A sales rep and internal resource must respect the role each person plays in the company and their unique value to the customer. Internal partnering will open the lines of communication between different departments, ultimately strengthening the company while also generating additional sales.

Original :: finding alternate lead sources within

increase sales jumpstart your lead

Are you getting the sales you need? If not, consider diversifying your lead generation techniques. Cold calling and direct mail are common approaches to lead generation however there are many other ways to make your leads flow.Break down your territoryIt's important to break down your sales territory into manageable "chunks" so you can identify your best sales opportunities. By doing so, you can more easily determine who to target and how to best establish and nurture a relationship with those prospects.Generate leads in existing accountsIt is much easier to find new opportunities with existing customers than it is to find new prospects willing to buy. While not all customers have immediae opportunities, don't neglect your customer-focused lead generation efforts. Although they may not have any needs today, it is highly likely they will buy from you when future opportunities arise if you keep them up to date on your value and expertise.Identify others who can help youEnlist lead generation assistance in the form of partners. Partners might include a formal business partner of your company; someone who offers services complementary to your own or with similar business goals; or people within your own organization who interface with customers in different ways, such as customer service reps, technical support, accounting, and product development professionals. Teach them your value proposition, and guide them in how to identify new leads for you.Use emailEmail can be a very effective way to generate leads because it provides a way for prospects to respond easily. Some things to keep in mind when implementing an email campaign include: use a quality database, limit the number of emails you send at one time, create effective subject lines that will get a person's attention, structure your content to avoid spam blocking, use links effectively, and follow up on a timely basis.Webcasts, conferences and other approachesOther creative ways to generate leads include hosting different types of events such as webcasts, forums, or sessions at association meetings. Attending and speaking at industry conferences and trade shows can highlight your expertise and generate a host of new leads. Press coverage of your company's products or services is also a great way to draw people's attention.

Original :: increase sales jumpstart your lead

your value is like a homemade chocolate

Selling is a lot like baking. I love to bake. Every Sunday I make 3 batches of chocolate chip cookies for my family of three growing boys. Friends who stop by know the cookie jar will be full and ask to dip in. No kid or adult is immune and they can never stop at just one.Yum! These are good. Do you use real butter? What kind of chocolate chips do you use? How do you get them so soft?I shouldn't have another, but may I? Can I please have another?Even though my homemade chocolate chip cookies are definitely not low fat, people eat two, three and four at a time - more than they ever intended, but what the heck? Their senses take over as the cookie melts away in their mouth. And their hesitaion goes out the door.Your clients are the same way. If they love, love, love your consultative recommendations, advice, and observations they'll buy more and more. Make their job easier. Check in on them even if you aren't working a current opportunity. Bring them new ideas and make recommendations you believe will best fit their businesses. Always be willing to listen and brainstorm. Help them financially justify their investment while only selling solutions that will benefit their businesses.Sell your value. Show your clients the value of working with you. No doubt you hear these phrases every day. But when clients are pressuring you for a price break, it isn't always as easy as it sounds.Will clients really pay more to buy your stuff? Yes! They buy Starbucks and Krispy Kreme donuts instead of generic because they value the taste. They'll buy your value, too, if you appeal to their senses.While your clients' budgets may say they should shop around, or they shouldn't buy that extra service level, they will buy - and buy from you. They'll do it because they feel confident in decisions you help them make. They can taste the success you're helping them achieve melting in their mouth.The memory of that success lingers, just like the memory of a homemade chocolate chip cookie.In my opinion, if you're going to take the time to make homemade cookies, you shouldn't skimp on the ingredients to save calories or money. If you skimp, they're no better than the packages or tubes you can buy at the store - and definitely not worth the effort to make or eat. Adults don't see any reason to eat them. Kids will pass them by; and they certainly aren't going to recommend them to their friends.The fact that I perfected my recipe over years, and don't skimp on the ingredients or the time to make them, has my family not just satisfied but bragging. Friends are coming back for more. New friends are coming out of the woodwork.Your value will linger, too.Your client will not only pay for your value, but tell everyone they know about how pleased they are! Before you know it, you'll have a great testimonial for proposals, an eager reference, and referrals flowing your way.I was speaking with a client this week who actually apologized for spreading our name "all over the place!" He said he probably should have told me so I could prepare our team, but he'd been so busy he hadn't had a moment. He'd sent some referrals to look at our website and listen in on some audio conferences we were running. He hoped that was okay with me.Okay? That's value as good as a homemade chocolate chip cookie!

Original :: your value is like a homemade chocolate

show your clients the money

Are you wondering how to close those opportunities lingering in your funnel? While these are admittedly challenging times for many, I still see lots of sales being made. So what're those sellers doing differently? They're showing their clients the financial justification behind their decisions.Ask Clients if Their People, Processes or Budget are Causing Their Biggest Issues This question will help your customer pinpoint where their biggest challenges exist and you can begin to develop a plan to resolve the situation together. In today's economy executives need your help to discover the financial justification behind their decision to work with you - for themselves and their board. They wat to be confident they are doing the right thing. And if you can show them the money, you'll close the business.So, now's the time to master financial questioning with your clients. And you don't have to have a Masters degree in accounting like I do to do it!One IT seller I was working with couldn't get his prospect to close even though the prospect's computer system crashed twice a month like clockwork. The prospect felt the pain for the multiple hours the system was down, told the seller he really wanted to fix it, but couldn't bring himself to open his wallet to do it. It just wasn't in his budget and business was too slow.In good conscience the prospect didn't feel it made good business sense to invest in fixing a problem that only happened a few times a month.With my coaching the IT seller worked with his prospect to identify the impact the downed computer system was having on his business. He questioned his prospect about:Revenue his business wasn't able to generate when the system was down
Customer dissatisfaction when they couldn't schedule appointments
Duplicate work that occurred across the staff
Lost invoicing when the system didn't recover properly
Employee dissatisfaction when they couldn't do their jobs and had to work overtime
The seller examined every financial impact he could think of that the downed system was having on his prospect's business. He helped his prospect realize that the status quo really was costing his business much more than a consistent service contract would! When the prospect saw all the money he was spending, he signed immediately.This seller didn't need an accounting degree to ask financial questions and show his prospect the money. So how can you do it with your opportunities?Think about all the issues resulting from your prospect's business issue and the impacts they could have on his business
Use your questioning skills to help the prospect determine which impacts are important to him
Document your findings in your proposal to provide your prospect the financial return he needs to justify and sell his decision internally
Now you can show your prospects the financial gain they'll get by moving forward with your recommendations. You'll find yourself selling in spite of the current economic environment, and your client's business will reap the rewards.

Original :: show your clients the money

are you selling to customers or clients

The terms may seem interchangeable, but for those who recognize the subtle distinctions, you may be leaving a wrong impression. This is important to know if you want to be perceived as a consultative seller to others. By not using the correct term in meetings, presentations or even casual conversation, you may be hurting your ability to get ahead with important clients.I often find myself switching between these two terms, knowing I want all our prospects and clients to perceive me as a consultative partner to them rather than a vendor sales rep, yet uncertain I have "earned the right" to call them clients. But even before we've earned the right, don't we need to act as if we have?Remembethat old adage, "dress for the position you aspire to"? I think this is a similar circumstance. We must not only treat our prospects and clients the way we always expect to treat them, but also speak of them as if they have already achieved that level.From my perspective a client is a person whose business you have a vested interest in, and for whom you perform as a partner within their business. Not everything you provide is billable. And not every opportunity you are awarded was shopped with the competition for the best price.You are a respected part of your client's business. Every time you meet with your client, you bring a new idea. They value your expertise and recommendations, even seeking them out. While you want to be successful yourself, your primary objective is to make their business successful because you know your success stems from their success.In contrast, customers are people who you help meet a need. They have a problem. You address the problem. You may invest long hours in determining the right solution. They may invest a great deal in purchasing the solution, but they don't recognize the value of your recommendations. You don't take time to present new ideas, perform quarterly review meetings, or call them spontaneously.While you like customers as people, neither of you are investing in a long-term relationship. Customers may deal with a specific seller so long that a friendly relationship is established, but there is rarely a vested interest to the extent that a business partnership is established.So, which would you rather have: clients or customers? Personally, I'd like every customer to be a client, because it means they respect the full value of what I can bring to them as a consultative seller, and what our organization can provide to their business. I have fun working with clients, and they enjoy working with me. We make each other successful.The big question is: how do we turn customers into clients?First, we change how we refer to them. They are clients.Next, we examine why we aren't doing those things for our customers that we do for our clients, like bringing a new idea to every meeting, helping them identify unique ways to address their strategic business objectives, or holding a project review meeting with their staff.Finally, we change. We treat our customers like clients. If they don't see the value after all our efforts, they may select different vendors. But then, they really weren't our clients in the first place, were they?The people we're doing business with can easily sense if they're being treated like a client or a customer. If we treat clients -- the people who should have our respect, attention and receive valuable input from us -- as if they're only "placing orders" through us, we'll fail as consultative sellers. And ultimately it's the clients that make us all more successful.

Original :: are you selling to customers or clients

tough times call for tough training

With the downturn in the market, good staff are still surprisingly hard to find, particularly at the operator level.A colleague in the hospitality industry, spoke about his challenges:"Good staff have become rare. Everyone's competing for the same pool of labour. The young, often with limited education, unskilled and without any career in mind, are just working for a couple of months until they find something they like. Our organisation is understaffed. Sick leave is on the rise, morale is down, productivity and efficiency are low. On top of that, the supervisors are overworked. We are caught in a vicious circle."What can he do? The number one solution, both short and long term, is trainig. Often people think of "training" as only skill and knowledge building. However there are additional plusses from good training - motivation and a positive attitude. These can be even more important than the skill and knowledge development. Training takes time and money - two resources that are in short supply at the moment. However, both can be overcome with a little creativity. Before thinking about the type, content, length of training etc, there is one principle that must be at the forefront of every manager's mind:"We are training our people to be the best in the business."This is irrespective of how long they may stay with you, how junior they are, how inexperienced, or how de-motivated they might be. It must be a case of:"We attract the best people. When they leave us, they leave with far more skills than when they arrived."People must want to work for your organisation - this requires that you build a reputation. Your people must be seen as an asset rather than a cost. This can only start when the CEO and top people share this view - this attitude will show in their behaviour. Those of you reading this who are in the sales business, have probably heard of James Levenson's philosophy "From the cleaning people to the CEO, everyone is an important salesperson." (Levenson gave a speech back in 1974 called "And you think strawberries are for eating". It's one of the best sales leadership speeches ever given - look it up on the web, it's still there!)The type of training?Customer service training is the best because it incorporates all the skills that are transferable throughout the organisation, including management. What's more, it can help the bottom line.Who should attend?The training must start with the top team. All the top managers must undertake the training first. Then, each manager or supervisor in the organisation (including the CEO) must act as a sponsor to one training group - i.e.. he / she (in addition to having undergone the training first) must participate in the training of another group in the organisation. The sponsor should be there to support the trainer, follow up with participants individually and hold short team sessions with people on how they have applied the training. (These meetings can be as short as 5 minute sessions. In one organisation, they were called the "5 minute update" - very powerful and motivating.) Who should conduct the training?You may have a good internal trainer. Alternatively, there are two choices. A very good external trainer, or convert one of your managers into a trainer. Turning your managers and supervisors into trainers (particularly in tough times) can be both a cost saving and a great boost to their personal skills - most people also find it highly motivating. How long should the training be?Ideally at least a two-day workshop. However, in some businesses there is a lot of shift work and getting people together for any length of time is hard. In these cases it may be necessary to break the training up into small modules of 1 to 2 hours. Pay people to come in early or stay later. The benefits far outweigh the small costs.Good follow-up systems, such as having the staff measure customer satisfaction (themselves, not the standard "fill in the form") adds greatly to the training effectiveness. In fact this is essential. At the start of the training, staff should be encouraged and coached in how they can measure their results. Then give them the responsibility of doing just that. How to make the training cost effective?Once you've run a pilot session, why not offer it to other organisations in your area? They are facing similar problems to you, so why not get some revenue from your investment? Yes, you can even offer it to your competitors! With this strategy, you will start to build your reputation as the "best employer in town" - people should be saying, "I want to work there". How to get the best staff?Make sure to stress the training and career development you offer. Even your adverts, should say "We don't expect everyone who joins us to stay forever. However, when you do join, we will guarantee you the best training and career development. In addition, if you want to make a career with us, we can offer a great future". Why is this training "tough"?Much easier to focus on and quantify, cost reduction. Cost management strategies, whilst important, can often send the wrong messages.Far better to run some team meetings and ask the staff "We are all going through a difficult time at the moment, what are your suggestions on how we can better manage our costs and still maintain our level of customer service?" You might just be surprised at some of the suggestions you get.This happened with cleaners in a large university. Not only did they reduce costs, but they were soon running sessions for other maintenance people across the campus population of 12,000! Two cleaners even made presentations to the Board of the university and to groups of up to 200 other maintenance and administration people - truly amazing results. Tough times call for tough training.

Original :: tough times call for tough training