1. prospect
2. interview
3. analyze needs
4. present
5. negotiate
6. close
7. service and follow-up
throughout the sales process, the salesperson should be continually…
• positively expectant
• enthusiastic
• asking questions
• listening
• qualifying the opportunity (for both parties)
• discovering hot buttons (what’s in it for them)
• building rapport
• establishing trust
• developing credibility
• developing a valuable relationship
• addressing objections
• planning next action steps
• confirming understanding
• asking for referrals
• seeking additional opportunities to serve & sell
• evaluating responses & results (positive/ negative)
• affirming decisions (minimizing buyer’s remorse)
Preparedness -- the quality of all true professionals in every arena.
Little is left to chance in the world of a professional. Challenges to meeting objectives are predicted and examined -- appropriate responses are prepared and practiced.
If it can be identified, thought through, and practiced in advance… it is.
Below is your preparedness checklist for those who sell. Because it’s general in its scope, you’ll find that some areas of preparation may not apply to your sales world and others may need to be expanded. While some of these items are the responsibility of other departments in many larger companies -- the professional leaves nothing to chance. Take full ownership of your preparedness and use what’s provided, create what’s not, and improve what’s weak. This is a guideline to examining your preparedness and a thought prompt in fine-tuning your process. If you lead a team, use it as a guide for sales training beyond product knowledge.
Preparedness -- a quality no professional can do without.
Print it out. Let it guide you. Pass it on.
see below..
sales newsletters the core fundamentals
sales quotes™ motivation & inspiration
prospects™ 50 leads for businesses
a professional’s checklist…
(all statements and responses should be written, practiced, and memorized)
regular sales communication
at least two compelling opening statements of value for your prospect in each format
in person
on the phone
on voice mail
by email
by letter
at least two different and specific follow up voice mail messages
at least five open-ended questions appropriate to your sales world
at least one stock email response for any communication repeated in more than 30% of your sales efforts (can always be expanded or shortened in order to personalize the communication) - areas to consider include:
initiating interest
follow up
secondary follow up
price inquiry
literature or collateral material request
appointment confirmation
creating of urgency
closing
thank you (business, referral, appointment, discussion, demonstration, etc.)
disqualifying
at least two points of true differentiation from your competitors
at least one statement that communicates a solid reason a prospect or customer should buy from you now (value/ urgency statements)
fully prepared standard presentations (for formal & informal presentations)
challenging communication
at least one response to each of the top three objections you hear from prospects and customers
at least one response to the “price is too high” objection
at least one statement to move the price sensitive prospect or customer to a discussion of value
at least one statement to comfortably exit a sales situation no longer worth your time
at least one response to the discount inquiry (“What can you do for me on the price?”) indicating a need for something more (or less) from the prospect or customer in order for a discount to be considered
closing communication
at least two closing statements
at least one statement asking for referrals
tools
proposal templates for each product or service you sell
contract/ agreement templates for each product or service you sell
three customer references prepared in all possible requested formats
verbal
letter
knowledge and/ or list of your company’s top five customers (in the event sharing this information has no negative competitive impact)
the open-ended questions…
information gathering
What prompted you/ your company to look into this?
What are your expectations/ requirements for this product/ service?
What process did you go through to determine your needs?
How do you see this happening?
What is it that you’d like to see accomplished?
With whom have you had success in the past?
With whom have you had difficulties in the past?
Can you help me understand that a little better?
What does that mean?
How does that process work now?
What challenges does that process create?
What challenges has that created in the past?
What are the best things about that process?
What other items should we discuss?
qualifying
What do you see as the next action steps?
What is your timeline for implementing/ purchasing this type of service/ product?
What other data points should we know before moving forward?
What budget has been established for this?
What are your thoughts?
Who else is involved in this decision?
What could make this no longer a priority?
What's changed since we last talked?
What concerns do you have?
establishing rapport, trust & credibility
How did you get involved in… ?
What kind of challenges are you facing?
What’s the most important priority to you with this? Why?
What other issues are important to you?
What would you like to see improved?
How do you measure that
the objections
1. lack of perceived value in the product or service
2. lack of perceived urgency in purchasing the offering
3.perception of an inferiority to a competitive or in-house offering
4. internal political issue between parties/ departments
5. lack of funds to purchase the offering
6. personal issue with the decision maker(s)
7. initiative with an external party
8. "it's safer to do nothing" perception
the sales professional’s checklist…
before negotiating begins…
do not begin negotiations unless you’ve had an opportunity to fully present your value proposition
understand the objections raised up to this point in the sales process and identify what your prospect’s or customer’s motivation (hot buttons) may be based on these objections
be prepared to articulate to the prospect or customer how your product or service will be used by them and quantify what value they’ll receive
be certain you’re dealing with a person with the authority to negotiate and make decisions
adopt the right negotiating attitude…
be confident in the value your product or service will return
be prepared to be patient which will lead to higher trust
be prepared to work towards a true win/win solution
know in advance at what point the agreement is no longer beneficial to you and your company and be prepared to walk away
during negotiation…
use open-ended questions to confirm your understanding of their needs
state your understanding of how the prospect or customer will benefit from your product or service—confirm this is accurate
be prepared for tactical responses from prospects and customers… whether it’s the flinch following your price quote or silence… don’t react, instead respond with more questions
listen
do not rush to fill pauses… be comfortable with moments of silence
be prepared to change the value proposition to support price concessions… support your price integrity by adjusting the overall value (change delivery times, follow up, service period, etc.)
seek to identify agreement on small items to help develop momentum to the negotiation…
summarize these agreements periodically
take notes to demonstrate your commitment to the negotiation and to help you find opportunities to summarize the smaller agreements verbally to the prospect or customer
after the negotiation…
if agreement is reached…
summarize verbally and/ or in writing the agreement for all appropriate parties
thank the customer or prospect for their time and reinforce the purchase decision
for your next negotiation, review the points that seemed to help move the negotiation process forward... study them... know them... use them
if no agreement is reached…
sincerely thank the prospect or customer for their time and commitment to the process
give the prospect or customer an "out"... this is an opening for them to come back to you and your company in the future
for your next negotiation, review the points that seemed to prevent the negotiation from moving forward... study them... know them... use them
he closing checklist…
• Is there value in my product or service for my prospect?
• What is the hard dollar value? (return on investment, money savings, etc.)
• What other value is there? (prestige, safety, non-monetary improvements, etc.)
• Does the prospect understand and value the benefits of my product or service?
• Is a decision to buy my offering better than a decision to create my offering in-house?
• What risk to the prospect must I minimize or alleviate in regard to this buying decision? (financial, time of implementation, opportunity cost, prestige, etc.)
• What urgency have I created to encourage the prospect to move forward now? (time to market, discounts, delivery incentives, guarantees, etc.)
• Why is buying my product or service a better decision than moving forward with my competitor or taking no action at all?
sample closing statements
(please note: any closing statement should be delivered or asked with confidence and an expectant attitude)
• Would you like to move forward?
• Are you ready to get started?
• Can we go ahead?
• We can start the process today with a credit card if you’d like.
• We can deliver it to you by the close of business tomorrow if you’d like.
• We can have it delivered by the end of the month if we can get a signed contract into the implementation department by Thursday.
• Should I forward a contract so you can get started?
• Would you like to try it for a quarter?
• It’ll take a few weeks to process and ship the order so if you’re interested in moving forward, we should start the paperwork now.
• Let’s get this off your plate and start the paperwork. What do you think?
• Let’s start the process so you can get onto your other priorities. Sound good?
the sales time management checklist…
organize your time…
the money hours
• organize your day around the money hours-- the hours you can and should be talking with prospects and customers
• non-revenue generating activities are before or after the money hours
prospecting hours
• dedicate a certain percentage of money hours to prospecting
• vary the time of day you prospect to increase the probability of reaching prospects
• schedule it, do it, love it
follow up
• queue up and standardize your most frequently used follow-up pieces for easy production and distribution
• document follow up immediately-- do not set aside to document later
professional development
• schedule non-money hours for sales skill development or improving industry and/ or product knowledge
understand the value of your time…
sales days
• be aware of the sales days for each month and quarter
• know where you are in the sales timeline and plan accordingly
• download the sales day calendar
sales stats
• understand and track your sales stats so you may plan effectively
o dials to contacts
o contacts to qualified leads
o qualified leads to proposals
o proposals to contracts
o contracts to customers
o dials per hour
o follow up calls per hour
o follow up attempts before dropping
extra time
• choose a reasonable extra amount of time to dedicate to sales each day
(23 minutes each sales day adds one extra sales day each month)
productive down time
• always have something to read… always… for flight delays, waiting rooms and lines
• use drive time for sales development and phone calls (get a headset if you can)
the extra call
• one extra call a day is more than 250 extra contacts in a year
remember time management basics…
start early
• not only for the day, but also for the week, month and quarter
• start early on projects and sales appointments
plan ahead
• understand time for the month, week and quarter
• look ahead to sales days around holidays, end of the month and end of the quarter and plan accordingly
• be aware of the sales "timeline" for your product-- where you are in the month and where you are with the prospect
prepare yourself
• you're a sales professional-- prepare yourself for sales greatness with the preparedness checklist
respect time
• your time, your prospect's time, and customer's time
• professionals don't waste time and prospects and customers respect those who understand this… be punctual and be succinct
tic toc…
not receiving newsletters
the sales time management checklist…
organize your time…
the money hours
• organize your day around the money hours-- the hours you can and should be talking with prospects and customers
• non-revenue generating activities are before or after the money hours
prospecting hours
• dedicate a certain percentage of money hours to prospecting
• vary the time of day you prospect to increase the probability of reaching prospects
• schedule it, do it, love it
follow up
• queue up and standardize your most frequently used follow-up pieces for easy production and distribution
• document follow up immediately-- do not set aside to document later
professional development
• schedule non-money hours for sales skill development or improving industry and/ or product knowledge
understand the value of your time…
sales days
• be aware of the sales days for each month and quarter
• know where you are in the sales timeline and plan accordingly
• download the sales day calendar
sales stats
• understand and track your sales stats so you may plan effectively
o dials to contacts
o contacts to qualified leads
o qualified leads to proposals
o proposals to contracts
o contracts to customers
o dials per hour
o follow up calls per hour
o follow up attempts before dropping
extra time
• choose a reasonable extra amount of time to dedicate to sales each day
(23 minutes each sales day adds one extra sales day each month)
productive down time
• always have something to read… always… for flight delays, waiting rooms and lines
• use drive time for sales development and phone calls (get a headset if you can)
the extra call
• one extra call a day is more than 250 extra contacts in a year
remember time management basics…
start early
• not only for the day, but also for the week, month and quarter
• start early on projects and sales appointments
plan ahead
• understand time for the month, week and quarter
• look ahead to sales days around holidays, end of the month and end of the quarter and plan accordingly
• be aware of the sales "timeline" for your product-- where you are in the month and where you are with the prospect
prepare yourself
• you're a sales professional-- prepare yourself for sales greatness with the preparedness checklist
respect time
• your time, your prospect's time, and customer's time
• professionals don't waste time and prospects and customers respect those who understand this… be punctual and be succinct
tic toc…
the account review...
sales result
won || lost
sales opportunity
1. What’s the company?
2. What’s the role of my primary contact?
3. What’s the primary contact’s title?
4. What product or service was involved?
source of prospect
1. Was the prospect from my outbound prospecting efforts? If so, which lead source?
2. Was the prospect from an advertising or direct marketing campaign? If so, which campaign?
3. Was the prospect from a trade show? If so, which show, when and where?
4. Was the prospect a referral? If so, from whom? From what industry was the referral given?
5. Was the prospect an inbound inquiry? If so, thank the sales angels for this one.
decision maker/ decision process
1. Who was the decision maker?
2. What was the decision maker’s title and role?
3. Describe the decision making process.
4. Who else was involved in the decision making process? What were their titles and roles?
5. What was the time frame for the decision?
6. What third party influencers were involved?
7. Did I have direct access to the decision maker?
8. Was my primary contact the decision maker?
needs and objectives
1. What was the prospect’s specific need for the product or service involved?
2. Describe specific statements from the primary contact that define that need.
3. What objections were raised by the prospect?
4. What responses were used to overcome those objections?
________________________________________
The questions...
1. Tell me about your last three days at work-- beginning to end.
2. How many first appointments do you have each week?
3. What do you like and dislike about the sales process and why?
4. What do you like and dislike about the products or services you’re selling now and why?
5. What attracts you to the
6. What are your long term professional goals?
7. What do you do personally for your professional development?
8. What are your favorite selling books?
9. What type of sales cycle is most rewarding to you? A long cycle for a big ticket item or a series of smaller, more frequent sales.
10. As a sales professional, what do you see as your primary and secondary roles within a company?
11. In your current position, how much time would you say you spend directly with prospects and customers throughout the sales day and what specifically do you do with them?
12. Describe a situation with a client or prospect where you made a mistake. How did you handle the error?
13. Describe a couple of instances, big or small, where you took a different tack in achieving an objective than was the company standard?
14. Describe a time where a creative approach to meeting an objective didn’t work and what you did next?
15. What do you think are the most important skills in succeeding in sales?
16. What are your top three open-ended questions for initial sales calls?
17. In your current sales environment, describe the process you go through to qualify your prospects?
18. What is the largest group you’ve presented to (externally/ internally)?
19. How do you organize a presentation?
20. What do you like and dislike about presentations and why?
21. What do you see as the key issues in negotiating?
22. What do you see as the key skills in closing?
23. How would your present prospects and customers describe you as their sales representative?
24. Describe a time your company did not deliver on its product or service and how you responded?
25. Describe one or two of the most difficult challenges and/ or rejections you’ve faced in the past and how you responded?
26. How many rejections do you take in a typical week?
27. How do you move forward from a string of rejections?
28. What would you say your one or two biggest failures or mistakes were? What did you learn from them?
29. What are some of the challenges you see that are facing this industry?
30. How would those with whom you work now, across all areas of the company, describe you and the work you do?
31. Describe a time you led a group of people, the primary challenges you faced and how you handled them?
results
• income target
• less base salary
--equals commission/ bonus target
• commission/ bonus target
• divided by the average commission/ bonus earned per sale
--annual unit sales target to reach income target
• annual unit sales target
• divided by 12 months
--equals monthly unit sales target
• annual unit sales target
• divided by 50 weeks (assuming two week vacation-adjust accordingly)
--equals weekly unit sales target
activity
• average outbound calls per [day, week, month] (method typically used-phone, in person, etc.) to engage in an initial sales interview
• average number of initial sales interviews or demonstrations per [day, week, month] to find a highly qualified prospect where a contract or proposal will be developed and delivered
• average number of contracts or proposals delivered per [day, week, month, quarter] to close a deal
activity/ results formula
(given the activity averages and the results targets above)
• outbound call target per [day, week, month]
• outbound initial sales interview target per [day, week, month]
• outbound contracts or proposals delivered per [day, week, month]
development
• targeted future position or professional status
• targeted time frame
• targeted number of professional development classes or seminars to attend during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of professional development books/ audio tapes/ video tapes to complete during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of professional events to attend during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of comfort zone challenges for the [month, quarter, year]
• list specific titles or names for targets above that are currently known
additional organizational contributions
• targeted number of product or service ideas to be submitted during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of improvement suggestions to be submitted during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of company activities to participate in, outside the sales role during [month, quarter, year] (e.g., training others, strategy sessions, writing an internal newsletter, etc.)
• list specific ideas, suggestions and activities for targets that are currently known
professional mission statement
• professional mission statement for [month, quarter, year]
a professional's presentation...
I have...
• scripted (in writing) my standard presentation(s)
• outlined my scripted presentation as a guide for the actual
• scripted (in writing) responses to any probable questions or objections that may arise
• delivered my standard presentation(s) to at least two different people who have offered me feedback
• prepared appropriate standard presentation material for my expected audiences and forums (e.g., auditorium, small round table, conference room, hallway, etc.)
My presentation...
• focuses on the benefits of my offering as they relate to solving the specific problems of the prospect
• begins with the most important benefits and continues in descending order of importance, including only pertinent benefits
• has no unneeded statements (zero fluff-- ask, "does it really matter?")
• includes a very brief company background discussion only if it adds credibility to the product or service or if it's anticipated that the audience would like it addressed
• includes appropriate, customized and easy to understand illustrations where applicable
• includes opportunities for prospects to engage
• includes a powerful conclusion which clearly illustrates the benefits my prospect will receive as a result of buying my solution now
• is 10% shorter in terms of time than would be expected for a presentation which discusses a solution of its relative complexity
I will be sure to...
• minimize the preparation work on the part of prospect (e.g., acquisition of projectors, flip charts, markers, etc.)
• confirm all individuals necessary to purchase my solution will be present
• be enthusiastic and transfer my enthusiasm to the individuals in the room
• avoid reading directly from any slides
• avoid reading directly from my scripts and outline
• avoid using industry jargon unless i'm absolutely sure the attendees will understand it
• share my attention with all individuals in the room-- not only the primary decision maker
• confirm next action steps with all appropriate parties at the conclusion of the presentation
objective
• create immediate interest for further discussion… engage the prospect
method
• work through the following using pen to paper or fingers to keyboard…
What do I sell? (answer in the fewest words possible)
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
How do my customers benefit when they buy my product/ service?
If you sell to consumers, include the potential emotional added benefits of being liked, respected, more attractive, etc. if these benefits exist. If you sell to businesses, be sure to include the emotional benefits to the purchasing customer (the decision maker) in addition to the more specific benefits realized by the company (a good buy or product implementation can be the road to promotion or status within an organization). You’re looking for several true benefits, not simply features.
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
Build several opening statements for the different scenarios you might face (e.g., catching a decision maker without a screener, catching a decision maker "on their way out the door", delivering the opening statement to a screener who insists on knowing "what it is in reference to?", for voice mail, etc.)… Address each of the following in whatever order seems most appropriate for your particular sales world (just make sure the benefit to your prospect is mentioned within the first 10 seconds)…
• who you are
• where you’re from (i.e. company name)
• what you sell (in very simple terms)
• how your prospect will benefit from your product or service
• a question to gauge interest of the prospect
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
keep in mind
• maximize every word, syllable and pause
• the opening statement is not meant to close a prospect
• never leave a misleading or vague voice mail message- hit them with your complete and prepared opening (it should be short enough)
• never use industry jargon or unnecessary thousand dollar words
• avoid vagueness
words to consider using in your opening statement
• maximize, increase, grow [sales, customer retention, productivity, etc.]
• minimize, reduce, decrease, eliminate [expenses, customer service challenges, diversions, etc.]
• profit from
• specific, specifically
• save, conserve
• accumulate, acquire
• prevent
• fully
• immediate, now
phrases to avoid in your opening statement
These phrases may be used at other times during the sales process, but they have no place in the opening statement because they do not create immediate attention or encourage the prospect to engage with you and therefore can take away from the initial attention allotted by the prospect.
• How are you today?
• I’d like to learn a little more about your business to determine…
• We’re the leading provider of…
• We work with several of your competitors…
• I’d like to see if there are some ways we might work together
• Is now a good time to talk?
• Did I catch you at a bad time?
sample opening statements
Hi, [first name]… We provide [product/ service] in order to help people [take advantage of, minimize, maximize, prevent, etc.] [something of importance]… I’m calling to see if this might be helpful to [you/ and of your clients]…
Hi, [first name]… This is [sales name] with [company name]… We provide [product/ service] in order to help companies minimize their [whatever] expenses and maximize monthly sales revenue… I’m calling to see if this might be valuable to you and your team…
Hi, [first name]… [sales name] with [company name]… We help companies fully profit from their existing resources through our [product/ service] that [does/ has/ have whatever differentiating point or feature]… I’m calling to see if you’d be interested in discussing how it might help your [whatever] efforts/ initiatives…
Hi, [first name]… [sales name], [company name]… We deliver [product/ service] which might be able to save you more than [specific percentage] on your [whatever] expenses… Would you be interested in discussing how it might fit into your environment?
my opening statement for:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
my opening statement for:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
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my opening statement for:
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________
the objective
• create immediate interest for further discussion… engage the prospect
method
• work through the following using pen to paper or fingers to keyboard
What do I sell? (answer in the fewest words possible)
How do my customers benefit when they buy my product/ service?
If you sell to consumers, include the potential emotional added benefits of being liked, respected, more attractive, etc. if these benefits exist. If you sell to businesses, be sure to include the emotional benefits to the purchasing customer (the decision maker) in addition to the more specific benefits realized by the company (a good buy or product implementation can be the road to promotion or status within an organization). You’re looking for several true benefits, not simply features.
Build several opening statements for the different scenarios you might face (e.g., catching a decision maker without a screener, catching a decision maker "on the way out the door", delivering the opening statement to a screener who insists on knowing "what‘s this in reference to?", for voice mail, etc.). Address each of the following in whatever order seems most appropriate for your particular sales world (just make sure the benefit to your prospect is mentioned within the first 10 seconds).
• Who you are
• Where you’re from (company name)
• What you sell (in very simple terms)
• How your prospect will benefit from your product or service
• A question to gauge interest of the prospect
keep in mind
• maximize every word, syllable, and pause
• the opening statement is not meant to close a prospect
• never leave a misleading or vague voice mail message - hit them with your complete and prepared opening (it should be short enough)
• never use industry jargon or unnecessary thousand-dollar words
• avoid vagueness
words to consider using in your opening statement
• maximize, increase, grow [sales, customer retention, productivity, etc.]
• minimize, reduce, decrease, eliminate [expenses, customer service challenges, diversions, etc.]
• profit from
• specific, specifically
• save, conserve
• accumulate, acquire
• prevent
• fully
• immediate, now
phrases to avoid in your opening statement
These phrases may be used at other times during the sales process, but they have no place in the opening statement because they do not create immediate attention or encourage the prospect to engage with you, and therefore, can take away from the initial attention allotted by the prospect.
• How are you today?
• I’d like to learn a little more about your business to determine…
• We’re the leading provider of…
• We work with several of your competitors…
• I’d like to see if there are some ways we might work together.
• Is now a good time to talk?
• Did I catch you at a bad time?
sample opening statements
Hi, [first name]… We provide [product/ service] in order to help people [take advantage of, minimize, maximize, prevent, etc.] [something of importance]. I’m calling to see if this might be helpful to [you/ your clients].
Hi, [first name]. This is [sales name] with [company name]. We provide [product/ service] in order to help companies minimize their [whatever] expenses and maximize monthly sales revenue. I’m calling to see if this might be valuable to you and your team.
Hi, [first name]. [sales name] with [company name]. We help companies fully profit from their existing resources through our [product/ service] that [does/ has/ have whatever differentiating point or feature]. I’m calling to see if you’d be interested in discussing how it might help your [whatever] efforts/ initiatives.
Hi, [first name]. [sales name], [company name]. We deliver [product/ service] which might be able to save you more than [specific percentage] on your [whatever] expenses. Would you be interested in discussing how it might fit into your environment?
results
• income target
• less base salary
--equals commission/ bonus target
• commission/ bonus target
• divided by the average commission/ bonus earned per sale
--annual unit sales target to reach income target
• annual unit sales target
• divided by 12 months
--equals monthly unit sales target
• annual unit sales target
• divided by 50 weeks (assuming two week vacation-adjust accordingly)
--equals weekly unit sales target
activity
• average outbound calls per [day, week, month] (method typically used-phone, in person, etc.) to engage in an initial sales interview
• average number of initial sales interviews or demonstrations per [day, week, month] to find a highly qualified prospect where a contract or proposal will be developed and delivered
• average number of contracts or proposals delivered per [day, week, month, quarter] to close a deal
activity/ results formula
(given the activity averages and the results targets above)
• outbound call target per [day, week, month]
• outbound initial sales interview target per [day, week, month]
• outbound contracts or proposals delivered per [day, week, month]
development
• targeted future position or professional status
• targeted time frame
• targeted number of professional development classes or seminars to attend during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of professional development books/ audio tapes/ video tapes to complete during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of professional events to attend during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of comfort zone challenges for the [month, quarter, year]
• list specific titles or names for targets above that are currently known
additional organizational contributions
• targeted number of product or service ideas to be submitted during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of improvement suggestions to be submitted during [month, quarter, year]
• targeted number of company activities to participate in, outside the sales role during [month, quarter, year] (e.g., training others, strategy sessions, writing an internal newsletter, etc.)
• list specific ideas, suggestions and activities for targets that are currently known
professional mission statement
• professional mission statement for [month, quarter, year]
contribution
1. sales revenue generated during the past [time period]
2. number of units sold during the past [time period]
3. number of new customers brought in during the past [time period]
4. growth (percentage) of each figure above over the previously measured period
activity
1. number of outbound prospecting calls (dials or in-person) made during the past [time period] for new business
2. number of outbound prospecting calls (dials or in-person) made during the past [time period] for business from existing customers
3. number of initial sales interviews given during the past [time period]
4. number of presentations given during the past [time period]
5. number of proposals generated and delivered during the past [time period]
6. number of trade shows and/ or events (selling opportunities) attended during the past [time period]
7. growth (percentage) of each figure above over the previously measured period
sales process skills
Rate the general skill level in each area of the sales process that applies, on your preferred measurement basis (e.g., exceeds expectations, meets expectations, does not meet expectations, numeric, alpha, etc.).
1. prospecting
2. interviewing
3. needs analysis
4. presentation
5. negotiation
6. closing
7. service & follow-up skills
*note specific details where a rating is particularly high or low
Rate the skill level of each that applies, on your preferred measurement basis (e.g., exceeds expectations, meets expectations, does not meet expectations, numeric, alpha, etc.)
1. asking questions
2. listening
3. qualifying
4. discovering primary issues of concern (hot buttons)
5. building rapport
6. establishing trust
7. addressing objections
8. planning action steps
9. confirming understanding
10. asking for referrals
11. seeking additional selling opportunities
12. evaluating responses & results
13. affirming decisions
14. developing credibility
15. developing a valuable relationship
16. maintaining a positively expectant attitude
17. managing selling time
18. territory management
19. sales tracking, reporting and general paper work
*note specific details where a rating is particularly high or low
general professional skills & characteristics
(use the following list as a thought prompt for general characteristics & skills evaluation)
1. work ethic
2. integrity
3. flexibility
4. decision making ability
5. willingness to take risks
6. communication
7. impact on others within the organization
8. leadership
product knowledge
1. new product/ service knowledge acquired during the past [time period]
2. new industry knowledge acquired during the past [time period]
professional development
1. industry or professional books read during the past [time period]
2. developmental audio or video material listened to or viewed during the past [time period]
3. classes or seminars attended during the past [time period]
additional contribution
1. product or service ideas submitted during the past [time period]
2. improvements suggestions (solutions) made during the past [time period]
3. company activities participated in outside the sales role during the past [time period] (e.g. training others, strategy sessions, writing an internal newsletter, etc.)
general overview (given above data points)
1. areas of strength over the past [time period]
2. areas of significant improvement over the past [time period]
3. areas needing improvement in the coming [time period]
suggested action steps
1. specific result focus for the coming [time period]
2. specific activity focus for the coming [time period]
3. specific development activities for the coming [time period]
4. other specific activities or areas for the coming [time period]
________________________________________
* If you’re formally evaluating a member of your sales team, either introduce or conclude (whichever you prefer) each area of evaluation above with appropriate overview statements that address and identify…
• particular strengths in that area
• specific areas of significant improvement over the previous time period
• specific areas where improvement is needed
… or include these statements toward the end of the evaluation, just before your suggested action steps for the coming time period.
Where there is no specific strength, improvement or improvement needed, avoid forcing verbiage and move on.
FIFTEEN POWERFUL OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS
By Mike Schultz and John Doerr
The best way we can serve our clients is by knowing what's going on in their worlds. And the best way to find out what's going on in their worlds is to ask them open ended questions?the kind of questions that get them talking about themselves.
Following are fifteen open ended sales questions you can ask that will help you get the full picture of your clients' situations and needs. These open ended questions are broken down into three groupings within the RAIN? Selling Framework:
• Rapport
• Aspirations and Afflictions
• Impact
Five Rapport Generation Questions: Ask these open ended sales questions to help you get to know your current or potential clients and establish an understanding of their current reality.
1. What's going on in your business these days?
2. If the Wall Street Journal were to write about what was going on in your industry (or your business) in the last few months, what would they say?
3. How has your business changed in the last few years?
4. What's it like doing your job these days?
5. Can you help me to understand what's happening in your world these days?
Five Questions to Uncover Aspiration and Afflictions: Ask these open ended sales questions to help you understand what afflictions (challenges) your client is facing, and what aspirations (goals) they have for their business.
1. What keeps you up at night? (An oldie, but goodie.)
2. In the best of all possible worlds, what do you think you could do with your business?
3. What's holding you back from reaching your revenue (or profit, or other) goals?
4. If there were no restrictions on you, what business difficulties would you erase? Can you tell me why you say that?
5. What does success look like for you and your business?
Five Questions to Uncover the Impact of Solving (or Not Solving) Aspirations and Afflictions: Ask these open ended questions to help put a monetary value on solving your clients' afflictions or achieving their aspirations.
1. If you could overcome these challenges, what would happen to your company's financial situation?
2. If you were to make this happen, what would it mean to your career?
3. How would implementing these changes affect your ability to compete?
4. How do you think senior management would evaluate the success of this initiative?
5. If you don't solve (insert the particular challenge here), what kind of difficulties will you face going forward?
As you ask any open ended questions, bear in mind that a most difficult task is not sounding too salesy when asking questions. While we've suggested wording here in this article, feel free to make the wording your own. Find your own voice when asking the questions.
Also, sometimes all you need is to ask one open-ended question and your client will share with you all the information you need to help them. Other times you may need to ask a few, but make sure you don't overdo it. You don't want to make your client feel as if he is on the witness stand.
One other tip: if your client answers a question but you want them to expand a bit more, ask them, ?how so,? or ?can you tell me a little more about that?? You'll be surprised at just how much you can learn, and the difference it will make in your ability to help your clients succeed.
Business Development Tactics
• Questioning techniques that work for uncovering needs
• How to craft compelling solutions and proposals
• How to (and how not to) use the phone for selling professional services
• How to build rapport, the foundation for trust
• How to set meetings with qualified prospects
• Ways to develop and refine your positioning statement
• How to ask for commitment for new business
• Strategies for responding to objections
Business Development Strategies
• Misconceptions professional services providers have about selling
• How sacred selling time can increase your sales
• How to avoid the services revenue rollercoaster
• Develop plans and objectives for each sales conversation
• Keys to self-motivation
• Focus on the highest potential selling activities
Closed-Ended Question Open-Ended Question
Do you get on well with your boss? Tell me about your relationship with your boss.
Who will you vote for this election? What do you think about the two candidates in this election?
What colour shirt are you wearing? That's an interesting coloured shirt you're wearing.
• Tell you what he or she considers to be important.
• Have maximum latitude to speak freely.
• Share more than just facts.
Listening to the answers of Open-Ended Questions helps you to:
• Gather information about the person's agenda.
• Clarify your understanding of what is being discussed.
• Connect with and understand the person better.
2. USING OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS FOR COACHING
A successful coach must understand the coachee’s agenda as well as the mission, vision, or beliefs behind the coachee’s strategies and behavior. As you read through the sample Open-Ended Questions below, imagine how you might answer them. Notice how your answers might reveal a lot about your background, beliefs, and feelings.
• What are your strengths as a teacher?
• How would you know if your lesson was successful?
• What have you considered as areas of growth for the year?
• How do you think coaching will benefit your teaching?
• If you were a student, what kind of teacher would you like to have?
• What do you feel contributed to your success today?
• Imagine it is the end of the school year. What would you want to say about the year?
3. USING OPEN-ENDED QUESTIONS IN THE CLASSROOM
By asking Open-Ended Questions you can stimulate students to think, find out their agendas, and develop greater understanding about how to work with them. Sample Open-Ended Questions include:
• What does that mean to you?
• What do you think will happen next in the story?
• How did you go about solving that problem?
• How did you make that choice?
• What information do you have about that?
• What would you do differently next time?
• Why do you feel that way?
• How do you typically handle interpersonal difficulties with your co-workers?
• What are the most important values to instill into today’s children?
• If you were president, what issues would you make your top priority?
• What situations are particularly stressful for you?
14 QUESTIONS" TO MAKE BETTER PRODUCT RECOMENDATIONS
You will need all these in order for you to give your best to any prospect.
1. How soon were you planning on making a purchase?
2. What other brands are you seriously considering?
3. What do you like or dislike about them?
4. How familiar are you with our brand?
5. How familiar are you with our dealership?
6. What type of boating interests do you have?
7. Where do you plan to do most of your boating?
8. How many people will go with you, on average?
9. What types of boats have you owned?
10. What type do you have now?
11. What, if anything, would you like to change about your current boat?
12. Who else will be involved in making the decision?
13. What kind of an investment or payment had you thought about?
14. How would you describe the perfect day on the water?
• What do you think about ...?
• What could you do about it?
• How could we fix it?
• I wonder if there's another way?
• What's your opinion?
• Just suppose that...then what?
• What would happen if ...?
• What else can we use this for?
• What is this like?
• Is there another way to do this?
• What if we added this?
• What if we take this away?
• Why do you think this happened?
• How do you think this works?
• How did you ... ?
• How could you ... ?
• How else could you do that?
• What's similar about these?
• In what ways are these different?
• What could you tell me about?
• What did you notice about ...?
• How do you think we could ...?
• Tell me about it.
Before I started my own coaching and training business, I worked for a national training company. We specialized in teaching presentation skills. I’ve taught hundreds of people how to create and deliver effective sales presentations. I’ve created 9 valuable steps to follow that will have you stand out from the competition.
1. Plan the Outcome
Before you begin preparing your presentation, plan the outcome. What do you want your audience to walk away with at the end of your presentation? Do you want the prospect to take action or are you at this point simply informing them of something?
2. Know Your Audience
Learn the names and titles of the decision-makers and others who will be attending the meeting. Do they already know something about your product or service? Before the meeting begins, take a few minutes and go around personally introducing yourself. This will greatly diminish those nervous jitters.
3. Practice Your Presentation
Get in front of the mirror and practice your presentation until you are extremely comfortable with it. Tape your presentation and then listen to it several times to fine-tune your wording. Get a good night’s sleep before the presentation!
4. Tailor Your Introduction
Design a concise and clear introduction specific to your audience. Based on your delivery and presentation, the audience decides in the first few minutes whether or not they like you as a presenter.
5. Start with an Overview
Let the audience know at the beginning of your presentation what you will be covering and how long you will be speaking. You can also write the agenda on a flipchart, include in your PowerPoint presentation, or have it as a handout.
6. Limit the Visuals
People are visual and often remember more of what they see than the words you say. Use visuals to enhance your presentation, but limit the number you use. The average attention span is about 20 minutes.
7. Be connected
Studies show that 92% of the impact of communication comes from how you look and sound—more than the words themselves. Making eye contact with a few specific audience members as you present establishes an immediate connection. Increase your volume when speaking so everyone in the room can hear you.
8. Call to Action
At the close of your presentation, review the important points you want your audience to remember. Let them know with confidence and conviction that you want their business, and what you propose as the next steps.
9. Remember, You are the Expert!
There have been times before I give a talk when I think to myself, "Will I do a good job?" "Will I make a difference?" If you’ve had similar thoughts, remember you are the expert. Prepare yourself mentally before you speak by saying to yourself, "They will like me," and "I am good at what I do." Then go out there and show them your stuff!
Possible Sales Interview Questions
Employers/Interviewers: These questions can help you prepare to interview a potential Sales Animal for your company. We have accumulated some great sales questions to help gauge your interviewers sales skills.
Jobseekers/Interviewees: These questions can help you get prepared for your sales interview, think about your sales skills, and how you may answer potential interview questions.
If you have good questions that we can add to our list, please email them to us at info@salesanimals.com. Thanks for contributing!!!
General Sales Questions
Why did you go into the sales profession?
Why do you enjoy selling?
What is it you like about sales?
Where do you want sales to lead you in your career?
Tell me about the accomplishments you are most proud of.
Describe to me the details of your last three days at work.
What do you like and dislike about the products or services you’re selling now and why?
What attracts you to the industry you are in?
What are your long-term professional goals?
What do you do personally for your professional development?
Sell me this Pencil.
What are your favorite selling books?
As a sales professional, what do you see as your primary and secondary roles within a company?
Describe a time where a creative approach to meeting an objective didn’t work and what you did next?
What is the largest group you’ve presented to (externally/ internally)?
What do you like and dislike about presentations and why?
Describe a time you led a group of people, the primary challenges you faced and how you handled them?
What would you say your one or two biggest failures or mistakes were? What did you learn from them?
What are some of the challenges you see that are facing this industry?
How would those with whom you work now, across all areas of the company, describe you and the work you do?
Are you an individual contributor or do you sell as part of a sales team?
Tell me about the product you sold in your last job.
What kinds of rewards do you find most satisfying?
How do you keep yourself going when everyone around you is complaining about having a bad day?
Do you meet report deadlines?
What lead sources have you found most productive?
Does your company provide you with leads?
Sales Skills
Why do you think people buy from you?
What are the top two or three most important sales skills one should possess? Why?
Tell me about your two most satisfying sales deals and why they were your best.
Tell me about two deals you’ve lost. Why did you lose them? Who was the competitor you lost them to? What did you learn from losing them?
How do you deal with rejection?
What areas would your two most recent Managers say you should improve upon to become stronger?
Describe a situation with a client or prospect where you could have taken a different approach. What would you have done differently?
Describe a couple of instances, big or small, where you took a different approach in achieving an objective outside the company direction?
How do you organize a presentation?
What do you think are the most important skills in succeeding in sales?
What are your top three open-ended questions for initial sales calls?
In your current sales environment, describe the process you go through to qualify your prospects?
What is your biggest difficulty in selling?
Tell me about a recent sale that you lost to a competitor.
Give me an example of a recent difficult sale and how you closed the deal.
Sales Cycle/Process
What’s the average length of a sales cycle?
Describe your typical sales cycle.
What do you feel are the two most important things you need from a company to get off on the right track?
What do you like and dislike about the sales process and why?
What type of sales cycle is most rewarding to you? A long cycle for a big-ticket item or a series of smaller, more frequent sales.
Typical Week
How many first appointments do you have each week?
How many rejections do you take in a typical week?
In your current position, how much time would you say you spend directly with prospects and customers throughout the sales day?
What do you see as the key issues in negotiating?
How would your present prospects and customers describe you as their sales representative?
Does your company support the sales force?
Describe a time your company did not deliver on its product or service and how you responded?
How strong is your pipeline?
Describe how you present a solution to your prospective client?
At what stage in the sales process do you present the ROI to the prospect?
Describe one or two of the most difficult challenges and/ or rejections you’ve faced in the past and how you responded?
How do you move forward from a string of rejections?
Quota
Over the past three years, what percentage of your quota did you achieve?
What is your average attained quota?
Have you ever worked in a commission only job?
How were you rated in your last three performance reviews?
Closing Questions
Tell me about a time when you were in a “closing situation” and for whatever reason, the “decision-maker” couldn’t make a decision. What did you do? Did you get the deal?
What do you see as the key skills in closing?
Questions an Interviewee should ask
What are the three key factors that will assure my success in this position?
What qualifications does your company seek in a sales rep?
What is the manager looking for in a rep?
What products will I be selling?
What is the geographic territory?
Will I be working with a team?
Just like an athlete who doesn’t stay up to date with his game, sales reps who don’t prospect will be unsuccessful in generating new revenue. Prospecting, or the ability to generate and find new business is critical to being successful in sales. Without it, you are out on an island with no way back. Prospecting should be a painless process, unfortunately the majority of reps procrastinate and wait until there is little in the pipeline before beginning the process. The process has to take place on a daily basis.
FIVE MISTAKES THAT SALESPEOPLE MAKE
By Joseph Guertin
Joseph Guertin & Associates
Nobody wants to be their own worst enemy. Sales is a demanding profession, and you want to do everything in your power to make yourself more profitable.
After working with thousands of salespeople, I have found that there are mistakes many of us commonly make. Once eliminated, we can boost our sales and earning power dramatically.
Here, in no particular order, are my top five:
MISTAKE #1: GETTING INSUFFICIENT INFORMATION
In a courtroom, the judge would never cut the testimony short and make a hasty decision, based only on preliminary evidence, especially when more credible and detailed testimony is yet to come. But that is exactly what defeats many sales.
We cannot honestly say where we are in the sales process without a clear understanding of what is happening on their end. We wont often be privy to everything happening behind the scenes, but that’s no reason to handcuff ourselves by ending phone conversations and leaving meetings without a better understanding of needs, timelines and procedures.
What information do we need? In addition to product or service information, here are three critical points:
How important is this decision?
Everyone has felt the sting of that ‘sure thing’ sale which, at the last minute, gets put on the backburner because something else came up. In any changing business, new priorities can replace old ones in an instant. Your sale was a top concern yesterday, but when an equipment breakdown or staffing issue arose, new priorities took hold. It happens, but only if the sales process drags on too long, or if its priority is too low to begin with.
What is their buying process?
Is the buyer, alone, in the position to make the final decision, or will others be involved. Will approval go through a specific chain of command? Even door-to-door sales to consumers usually requires a second opinion, like a spouse, in order to complete the sale.
What is their timeline?
Is a decision imminent, or are they gathering pricing information for next years budget? It’s amazing how often this one comes up and, too often, the salesperson is unaware because they didn’t ask.
MISTAKE #2: ASSUME THAT PRICE IS THE ANSWER
Low price doesn’t always win the sale. But go ahead and ask your customer their most important criteria and they’ll often say “price, of course.” They’re not lying. But they haven’t been sold yet, either.
When it comes to price sensitivity, consumers come in three clusters. The first
is the low-price cluster. Some estimate this group to be about 15% of all consumers, business and consumer. They may have a directive to be frugal with the company budget, may have less means financially, or just a deep-rooted desire to get the most in any bargain, even if it results in a win-lose scenario.
Another, although smaller cluster, will always pay the higher price. They may want the best quality, and know that you get what you pay for. They may want the prestige that goes with owning the best. Either way, price, alone, is seldom an issue.
The third cluster, estimated to be nearly 75% of all buyers, live in between the low and high-end. They’re waiting to be sold. They want quality, they want service, and they want a good value. But, if there’s no clear distinction among their options, then the default buying decision becomes ‘price.’
To avoid becoming compared to others based on price alone, find their definition of value. Ask questions that will uncover their most important buying criteria. Sometimes, a basic question like “aside from price, what will be your most important criteria?” helps you find the way to differentiate yourself from your competition.
MISTAKE #3: A LACK OF PERSONAL BRANDING
Toyota, Heinz Ketchup, Hershey Chocolate. They’ve got branding. Their name says it all. Branding identifies a product, and its perceived value. Hallmark Greeting Cards built an empire with the phrase “when you care enough to send the very best.” Branding is who you are in the minds of your customers. Too many salespeople focus only on method. They go through all the steps to the sale, from asking questions to closing, but never differentiate themselves from the competition.
Ask yourself “what, specifically, do I bring to the sale?” Everyone says they’re service-oriented and will work hard for the customer. Now ask yourself, “What CAN I bring to the sale?” Forget the non-substance answers like ‘I’m service oriented,’ or ‘I’m a terrific listener.’ Instead, find your own, personal value. If you consistently come to them with intelligent discussion, research and ideas, you brand yourself as a value-added consultant. Continuously remind them that you’re working in their best interest with articles or web page links that address their interests and needs. Over time, you’ll brand yourself as the kind of person they trust, respect and want to do business with
MISTAKE #4: NOT ENOUGH TIME IN EACH DAY
Do you accomplish everything you set out to do in a day? Time is today’s currency, and every one of us fights the daily battle.
Finding time is the challenge. Taking it is the solution. Nobody’s going to give it to you. No customer is going to call and say “we want to buy…and you just leave those little details to us.” The interruptions will not stop.
Here are three strategies for finding time:
1) Schedule it (this is pretty basic, but it’s critical). Block out several hours every week as though it was time for your best customer, and use that time to accomplish those important projects.
2) Prepare for it. If new business is a priority, then print out a list of prospective customers, complete with name, phone and other notes, before the work week begins. Then you can spend your time taking action, not searching through files.
3) Be disciplined. I like the health club analogy. On January 1st, we’re all committed to fitness. That’s why the lines at Bally’s are so long. But, by the 1st of February, you can fire a cannon through there and not hit anything. Do you stay committed to a plan after the initial motivation has worn off? Challenge yourself, week in and week out.
Don’t just find time….Take It. Grab that clock and out a choke hold on it. It’s yours.
MISTAKE #5: NOT ASKING FOR THE ORDER
When did closing become a bad thing? Every day, countless sales are left ‘in limbo’ because the salesperson made their presentation, quoted the price, then left and waited for the customer to make up their mind.
There are two simple rules to closing a sale. Rule #1: you cannot force, trick or cajole them. Anyone who agrees to a sale today can easily talk themselves out of it tomorrow. Rule #2: the salesperson need to lead the close by leading the sale. That means being thorough throughout the selling process by uncovering needs, developing trust and presenting proposals that fill the customers’ surface and deeper needs, and then asking for the order. No tricks. No gimmicks. Just a straightforward statement like “if everything looks good, let’s get it started” or “should we go ahead and write up the paperwork?” This may sound basic, and it is. But it’s probably one of the biggest mistakes we make!
In every profession, from medicine to sports, professionals regularly work to improve their skills. Take 30 days to focus on these common mistakes and I can guarantee you’ll see and feel a tremendous difference.
Selling is a process
By Tim Connor
Connor Research Group
One of the biggest problems for many salespeople is not understanding that selling is a process, not an event. Effective selling is not just closing the sale, better prospecting or more effective sales presentations – although, all of these are important in their own way. Effective selling today is blending each of these together in such a way that the prospect trusts, believes and respects you and your organization, and wants and/or needs your product or service to help improve the quality of their life or business enterprise.
For many years, traditional sales training focused on the “close of the sale” as the most important element. Then the 70s and 80s rolled around and the hot topic was prospecting, qualifying and getting to the key decision-makers. Then it was the nineties and consultative selling. What will the next decade bring? Who knows for sure? What we do know now is that to sell successfully is only half of the task – the balance is keeping the business. Organizations expend millions of dollars annually to attract and sell new business. Then they lose it for any number of reasons and have to replace it. So the saga continues.
Selling is about finding good potential prospects who can benefit from your products/services, persuading them to buy from you, and then maintaining positive ongoing relationships with them to ensure repeat, referral business, as well as positive references.
Are you only focusing on any one particular aspect of the sales process as you sell? Are you weak in any particular part?
Each element of the process is intricately related to the others. For example, let’s consider prospecting. If you have a poor prospect, it will be difficult to give a solid sales presentation. It will be impossible to overcome sales objections, and closing the sale – forget it.
How about the attitude issues in the sales process? Let’s say you lack confidence in the quality of your products. That will affect your willingness to find new prospects. If you do find some, it will impact your ability to give a confident sales presentation, etc., etc., etc.
How about one more? Let’s say you have a fear of rejection. This will impact your willingness to ask questions to qualify your prospects and discuss sales presentation issues that may be perceived as less that ideal. And asking for the order? Well, not in this lifetime.
I am sure you see my point. If you are going to sell successfully, you can’t just improve one aspect of the sales process. You can’t make up for poor prospecting with tricky closes. You can’t make up for poor product knowledge with fancy footwork.
-They Take Full Responsibility
The Best of the Best never place blame on others for their failure or misfires. They realize that the only one responsible for their success or failure is the person that they stare in the mirror every morning. By accepting responsibility for everything, they NEVER become the victim of competition, market circumstances, pricing, or any other issues that are attacking their competition that whine, complain, and sit around waiting for the next big bad wolf.
2-They Guard Their Attitudes with Their Lives
The Top Producers understand that their Attitude is their most important asset to their success and they do everything they can to make sure they bolster it and protect it. They never hang around with those who choose to place blame, point fingers, complain, and bellyache. They go out of their way to associate with winners and successful people. Although they may get invitations to the pity parties, they never choose to attend. In addition, these cats NEVER feel that know it all. In fact, they always seek other’s opinions, knowledge, and experience. They believe anything is possible and you know what…most of the time, they are right!
3-They Feed Their Brains-Every Day
The Best of the Best got to that spot on purpose. They did not just wake up one day on the top of the heap. They actually worked hard to feed their brains the things that it needs to grow. They realize that the marketplace never stands still. They realize that customers needs will always change and they choose to stay ahead of the curve. Consequently, they read books, articles, and reports in the areas that demand their attention. They constantly “sharpen their axes” in the areas of salesmanship, customer service, empathy, and differentiation. They seek to become an expert in their field by increasing their knowledge every day on purpose.
4-They Plan-Prepare-Practice
The Top Producers always seem to have a plan. It all starts with major clarity on their goals. They are very clear on the WHY so the WHAT and the HOW become their focus. The Heavy Hitters go into every call with a purpose and a higher level of preparation. They have run through all the “what-if” scenarios. They have thought through, written down, and practiced the questions that they will ask. They have mentally run through everything from the customer’s prospective. They are prepared to “open” the customer more effectively and practiced at transitioning to the “close” of the sale. They know the solid IMPACT statements and questions at the right time because they plan them, prepare them, and practice them ALL the time.
5-They Brand Themselves in Their Marketplace
The Cream of the Selling Crop make sure that they are “known-for” something in the marketplace. They create a buzz about who they are and what they know or do by becoming visible to those who may use their product or service. They realize that being a vendor is a tough gig because vendors are a dime a dozen, unless the customer only wants to pay a nickel. The Best of the Best want to be known as the EXPERT. They do the things necessary to position themselves in the marketplace as THE CHOICE rather than A CHOICE. They take the time to write articles and have them published in magazines and newsletters that their customers read. They get out of their comfort zones and look to speak at industry events that their customers attend. They constantly and consistently “touch” their prospects, customers, and clients in a variety of creative and value-add ways to ensure top of consciousness in the minds of the buyers. Top Pros always seek to create “Only Me” value to the sale.
6-They are Willing to Lose
All too often, most salespeople don’t take the risk of asking for the YES because they are afraid to hear the NO. The Top Sales Pros understand that they are in the NO taking business. They also understand that their success is highly dependant upon their willingness to “crash and burn” in failure. Jeffery Gitomer once sated that “Most people won’t risk because they think they fear the unknown. The real reason that they won’t risk is because they lack the preparation and education that breeds the self confidence (self-belief) to take a chance.” The great Wayne Gretzky once said that “You miss 100% of the shots that you never take.” And so it is with the best salespeople: They get out in front and risk it all for themselves, for the customer, and for their career because they know that most of their competition will STOP when the pressure of the potential loss gets too high.
7-They Recognize Opportunity and Take ACTION Faster
Top Sales Professionals do not get more opportunities than all the rest. It just seems that way because they are always on “high receive” looking for it. They put themselves in situations where opportunity tends to be present. They understand that opportunity at first can look like problems, challenges, or adversity. They further understand that CHANGE is often at the base of opportunity. They realize that this is true from their perspective and from the customers-and thus, their lies the opportunity. They don’t hesitate. They don’t sit around strategizing. They take action! When most people are wondering if it will work, the Top Sales Professionals are getting the awards for getting it done! Events get attended with different purposes. Articles get read with different eyes. Conversations get heard with different ears.
8-They are a Resource
Top Producers are the go-to people for their customers. They have the answers to their customers’ questions and the solutions to their problems. They realize that the world is full of “Takers” that will come in and “take” the customer’s time, “take” the customer’s order, and “take” the customer’s money, but rarely, if ever, add anything of value to the relationship. Top Producers realize that, in order to continually be valuable to the customer, they need to become more than a vendor. They need to know the customer’s world as well or better than they know theirs. The Best of the Best always “bring something to the table” that changes the outlook of the customer and makes them think or perform in different ways. The Top Pros are there for more than the order; they are there through thick and thin, providing the value of their expertise and knowledge to those whom he cares about the most-his/her customer.
9-They Take Time to Re-Charge
The Heavy Hitters do a lot of things that most salespeople will not do. This takes time, energy, passion, commitment, and focus. All of the results that they get come from hard-work and dedication to the job. The Best of the Best not only know when to do these things, they also know when to “shut it down” and re-fuel. Even the fastest cars (the ones that are winning) in Nascar races have to make their occasional pit-stop to re-fuel and get ready for the next leg of the race. They cannot continue to win the race unless they do. So it is with Top Salespeople. In order to keep winning the race of professional sales, they need to have a quality of life outside the selling marketplace. The Best of the Best know that the only reason to be in this game (sales) is to have a better life and more of it! We find that these cats take longer/better vacations, schedule more time with their families, dig deeper into “outside work” passions/hobbies, and overall get more out of life than those who “work the grind.” They realize that enjoyment and passion are synonymous with success and if too much WORK goes into one area over another, the enjoyment and the passion start to fade.
10- They Take What They Do Very Seriously Without Taking Themselves Too Serious
The Best of the Best in sales realize that they are in a profession. Just like all professionals, there are expectations that customers hold them to. A doctor has expectations that not only will she have a good bedside manner, but that she will know her area of expertise to such a degree that human lives may be placed in her care. A lawyer has expectations to know not only the law (today’s law) but to also know everything else about his area of expertise such that success or failure at the hands of a jury is entrusted to him. And so it is with sales professionals: The Top Pros know that The Profession of Sales is for Sales Professionals. As professionals, they know that the 9 areas that I have listed above require their constant attention. They realize that the solutions that they can and do provide for their customers can change lives and affect so many. And yet, with all of that in mind, they go into the battle each day with a light heart and a sound attitude knowing that they will hear "no". They realize that having FUN is a vital part of the game and that most people would rather do business with a friend than with a salesperson. And so they strive to be light hearted and heavily focused to gain the trust of the people with whom they choose to engage.
It has been said that Success
F act Questions
O bjective Questions
C oncern Questions
A nchor Questions
S olution Questions
Anxiety: Raising anxiety in our prospects can be a tremendous tool to uncover need and create urgency. One application is that anxiety can be raised anytime a prospect will not engage with you, whether it's during your prospecting attempts, trying to get a return phone call, or, most importantly, closing the opportunity. The idea is to get the prospect to consider the impact to them if they don't take action. In the two seconds it takes a prospect to consider your anxiety question, they make a journey that brings them to a place where they can recognize their own personal motivation for taking action. Anxiety questions are used to open a conversation that compels the prospect to consider that which has not yet been considered.
A compelling anxiety question is created using what you know that prospect cares about personally. Here are some examples:
• What's the cost of not taking action now?
• What happens if you don't start reducing costs this year?
• What's the impact to you if the cost management initiative is delayed?
• Are you confident that you will be able to support management's 35% annual growth plan without impacting costs?
• Other clients that we are working with are experiencing time to market issues due to high turnover, could that be happening here?
Cheat Sheet - Print Version
Things to Remember… Steps
Sales Process 1. Build Rapport
2. Uncover Needs with Questions
3. Focus on the Benefits
4. Use Trial Closing Questions
5. Handle Objections
6. Close the Sale
An Effective Mindset 1. Stay organized
2. Be focused
3. Balance life's needs
Creating Goals 1. Identify
2. Write S.M.A.R.T. goal statements (Specific Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, Time and resource constrained)
3. Develop Goals
4. Formulate an action plan
Improving Listening Skills 1. Paraphrase
2. Clarify
3. Summarize
4. Take notes
Listening Modes Visual
Auditory
Feeling
Types of Needs 1. Problems
2. Convenience
3. Savings or investment
4. Borrow Money
Building Rapport Be aware of nonverbal communication
Dress for Success
Shake the member's hand and smile
Use the member's Name
Ask Questions
Use eye contact
Be other-centered
The Importance of Questions Questions:
Uncover Needs
Build Rapport
Help control Conversation
Types of Questions 1. Open-ended (elicit information)
2. Closed-ended (verify facts)
Acknowledge a Member's Response to your Question 1. Paraphrase
2. Use Supportive Statements
3. Use Acknowledging Sounds and/or Words
Dealing with Negatives Show empathy and interest
Ask for details
Uncover positive feelings
Use the Feel, Felt Found Method
Benefit-Sell Statement After you determine the member's need (through questioning) you:
1. Match the features with the need(s).
2. Use a transition phrase to…
3. Link the features to a benefit or two for your member (WIIFM).
4. Obtain member's agreement by using a "trial close".
Trial Closing Questions Help determine if a member needs more information:
"Will this meet your needs?"
"What do you think about the benefits of these products?"
Handling Objections 1. Be prepared (gather information)
2. Accept them as questions, opinion, and concerns that have value
Answering Objections 1. Cushion the member ("I understand")
2. Isolate the primary objection by:
3. Paraphrase
4. Rephrase as a question
5. Ask a series of questions to clarify
6. Answer the objection with benefits
7. Close the sale
Closing the Sale Ask for the sale!
Reinforce the benefits!
• Planning
o Prioritize a "to do" list weekly
o Develop a weekly work plan
o Determine the objective of each call
o Communicate plan to Sales Manager
• Prospecting
o Lead development & maintain file
o Required number of cold calls per week *
o Required number of Needs Analysis per day *
o Review and adjust prospecting plan
o Create target industry profiles
o Conduct research
• Open the Sale
o Introduce yourself and Arrow Uniform Rental
o Ask open-ended questions and create interest
o Describe Arrow's sales process and ask permission to conduct Needs Analysis
• Needs Analysis
o Use open-ended questions to encourage conversation
o Guide the customer interview to develop complete information
o Summarize and conclude the interview
o Schedule the presentation
o Required number of Needs Analysis per day *
• Develop Solutions-Proposal
o List the program objectives, and related problems, in order of importance
o Choose products and services that address each objective and eliminate each current problem
o Review with Sales Manager
o Prepare the proposal and supporting materials (proposals should not include price quote)
o Review and rehearse the finished presentation
o Required number of proposals per week *
• Present Solutions
o Review the prospect's specific objectives and the problems to be solved
o Explain how the services proposed will help achieve each objective
o Show how the demonstrated products will help achieve each objective
o Summarize solutions
o Confirm that agreement has been reached on proposed solutions
o Required number of presentations per week *
• Close the Sale
o Ask the prospect for the commitment
o Sign the contract
o Thank the customer
o Required per week sales average *
o Required sales per week *
• Reports
o Weekly call reports are to be submitted to Sales Manager Monday mornings before sales meeting
o Quarterly sales reports are to be submitted at Quarterly Sales Meeting
o Monthly Expense reports are due last Friday of each month
o 30,60,90 day forecasts are to be updated the 1st Monday of each month
o Top 25 accounts to be updated 1st Monday of each month
. Establish Credibility. Develop a 30-second "commercial" to establish your company and yourself as consultants and problem solvers. Conclude the commerical with a question about what the person or organization does.
2. Send the Right Non-Verbal Messages.Make sure the non-verbal messages you send are those of quiet confidence (for instance, confident but not overbearing eye contact.)
3. Strategize Sequence, Venue, and Value.Meet more often. (Three thirty-minute meetings improve the quality of the relationship more than one ninety- minute meeting.) Change the venue. Be sure you are adding value on each call (both in-person and over the phone).
4.Be Genuinely Interested. Don�t be a proposal machine. Be genuinely interested in your prospect's/customer's world and in his or her problems/situations. People find you more interesting when you're interested in them.
5. Start with Easy Questions. Use easy to answer questions first and work your way to more difficult ones (e.g. "I'm just curious, how many employees do you currently have")
6. Plan Your Sales Call -- But Be Flexible, You must know, in advance, what you're going to say and what you're going to ask. You must also know the desired outcome of the meeting and the next step you'll be asking for -- as well as a "Plan B" next step in case you can't get agreement to "Plan A." Be flexible enough to follow the other person's lead if you feel the path they try to lead you down serves your purpose.
7. Ask For Details -- Don't Assume.If you get answers that are unclear or that you don't understand, ask some deeper questions to gain insight and understanding. Most people don't ask questions because they don't want to appear "stupid." It's okay to ask for further clarification -- in fact, that's your job. Don't make unwarranted assumptions!
8. Think -- Then React. You don't have to be a robot, answering questions immediately because you think it makes you look good. Smart people usually consider alternatives and then answer questions. It's okay to be thoughtful. When you do answer questions, do so with authority and confidence or admit you don't know -- and promise to get the answer promptly.
9. Use Open and Closed Questions. Most salespeople believe open-ended questions are good and closed-ended questions aren't. They each serve a purpose. Use each type when appropriate.
10. Tell, Then Ask. If you tell something about yourself and your own world, most people will open up more easily about themselves and their world. When asked a question follow it up with a question of your own.
11. Keep It Conversational It's not an interrogation. The best interviewers are genuinely interested and are able to get lots of information from their subjects while having a friendly conversation. Liberally use "softeners" like, "Out of curiosity" and I'm just curious.
12. Ask "DO" Questions. Sales is asking people what they do, who they do it with, where they do it, when they do it, how they do it and why they do it that way -- and then showing them how you can help them do it better. Remember to ask questions that are based in the Past, Present and Future. Sell Like You Mean It!™
A Twelve Step Road Map to Sales Superstardom
Step One - Principles of Sales: We start by grounding your salespeople in the basic underlying principles of successful selling. Topics include: Defining Sales and Why Salespeople Sell; Control–Who Wants it, Who Needs it, and Who Really Has it; The Three Customer Types–Acquisition, Development, and Retention; Understanding the Sales Funnel; Defining Your Sales Cycle; and Being the Dynamic Salesperson.
Step Two - Dynamic Questioning: In Steps Two and Three we cover the basic building blocks of selling skills–Questioning and Positioning Statements. Questioning skills covered include: Open Ended Probing Questions: Closed Ended Probing Questions; Trial Closing Questions; Power Questions–the Salesperson's Best Tool; Drilling Down; Question Organization and Flow.
Step Three - Statements That Sell: The second basic building block of sales is the Positioning Statement. Individual topics covered include: Creating Statements that Sell; Avoiding Powerless Statements; Powerfully Responding to Customer Questions; Putting the Benefits First: Why Benefit/Feature Statements Beat Feature/Benefit Statements Every Time.
Step Four - Prospecting: All successful salespeople prospect. We show your people the best practices in selling, including: Sources of Prospect Data; Creating Prospecting Times; Cold Calling the Painless Way; Farming your Referral Crop; and Capturing Prospect Data.
Step Five - Qualifying: We demonstrate the best way to qualify and feed prospects down the sales funnel. Topics include: Defining the Qualified Prospect; Making the Initial Contact; Who to Contact; and How to ask Qualifying Questions.
Step Six - Setting the Appointment: We show your salespeople how to get in front of the right people to sell. Topics include: Successful Telephone Habits; Who to Ask for the Appointment–and Why; Qualifying the Decision Maker; Getting the Prospect's Attention in Fifteen Seconds or Less; Asking for the Appointment; and Gaining Commitment over the Telephone.
Step Seven - Preparation: Salespeople that prepare win sales. We show your salespeople how to prepare for selling the Sell Like You Mean It!™ way. Individual units are: Sources of Prospect Research; Mystery Shopping your Prospect; Learning Corporate Priorities; Preparing Questions; Preparing Sales Tools.
Step Eight - The Initial Interview: Salespeople never get a second chance to make a first impression. We teach your salespeople how to win the sale from the moment they walk in the door, using topics including: Dressing for (Sales) Success; The Receptionist and Reception Area; Observing the Client's Office for Clues; Rapport Building the Right Way; Dynamic Openers; Needs Analysis–the Foundation for the Sale; Presenting to Needs; Qualifying the Decision Making Process; and Gaining Commitment for the Next Step.
Step Nine - Creating and Presenting Proposals that Sell: In most sales situations, the Proposal is the salesperson's opportunity to win the sale. Topics that help your salespeople win include: Defining a Proposal that Sells; Knowing What to Include in the Proposal - and What Not to Include; The Use of Sales Literature in the Selling Process; The Face to Face Presentation–Re-covering the Client Needs; Involving the Customer in the Proposal; and Where to Insert Trial Closes.
Step Ten - Dynamic Closing: If there's one part of the selling process that scares both salespeople and customers, it's Closing. We take the "fear" out of closing with our Dynamic Closing segment, which covers: The Close–the Natural Part of the Selling Process; Seven "yeses" Before the Big Yes; Setting the Closing Arena; Earning the Right to Close; Closing the Painless Way; and Helping the Customer to Buy.
Step Eleven - Overcoming Objections: For successful salespeople, the first objection is the best selling opportunity. Your salespeople will learn: Questions vs. Objections and Telling Them Apart; Handling Objections the Dynamic Way–the Clarify/Isolate/Resolve Model; Avoiding "Sales Words;" Gaining Customer Agreement; and Re-Closing.
Step Twelve - Follow Up: One of the weakest and least-taught aspects of selling is what to do after the sale–yet most customers are won for life, or lost forever, in this period. We show your people how to do it the Sell Like You Mean It!™ way, with topics like: Being a Good Winner; Following Up for Good Service; Asking for the Referral; Requalifying the Customer for Development or Retention Efforts; and getting High, Wide, and Deep. We also show your salespeople how to win while losing this sale in: Why a Loss Can Be Your Best Win; Keeping the Bridge Whole; Following Up and Starting the New Sales Cycle.
The Single, Greatest Sales Skill Ever!
The ability to ask the right questions at the right time is a priceless skill for any sales professional. Unfortunately, sometimes the way to asking the right questions can become clouded for one of any number of reasons. Here are ten principles that I guarantee you will find helpful when you try to understand your prospect's buying agenda.
Advance preparation is the first element of asking the right questions. You should already know exactly what you plan to ask your prospect before you get in front of him or her. You should make sure, however, that your questions do not sound canned in the way that you phrase them. This invaluable knowledge is gathered through successful, in-depth pre-call planning.
Most of your questions should be open-ended and indirect ones. When your prospect is expected to answer only "yes" or "no," he or she is discouraged from giving more information. This not only hinders your ability to get extensive information from your prospect, but it also sets a negative tone. Open-ended questions help prospects tell you how they feel, what they want, or what they think. Basic sales skills here-but something that should be practiced over and over again.
Strategically phrasing questions so as to get the prospect to relate how he or she perceives his or her problems, needs, or value-added expectations can help you to improve the chances of closing the sale. Get the prospect to do more than talk. When the prospect is asked the right questions, he or she will provide you invaluable answers in terms of how your product or service can be sold.
The fourth principle involves the identification of the one dominant drive that the prospect has. When you begin to notice a common thread that courses throughout your prospect's answers, you are usually homing in on the prospect's dominant need, problem or expectation. Once you are able to identify this thread, you should aim your questions in its direction in order to further your understanding of the way that your product or service can satisfy what the prospect is trying to accomplish.
You should attempt to ask several questions that will help you understand the prospect's buying motivations. These motivations are important, because if you focus on the motivations as well as the agenda of your prospect, you will stand a much better chance of finalizing a transaction.
The sixth principle, and a very important one, is to avoid offensive or insensitive questions. While you might think that this goes without saying, perhaps you should think again. Sometimes sales professionals fail to evaluate the way that they ask questions. What they might see as being polite may be overbearing to others. So, be sure to ask questions in a polite and inoffensive manner if you hope to earn trust from your prospect.
Starting with broad questions, then moving towards more narrow ones is another principle that is extremely useful. Broad questions tend to be less threatening than narrow questions, so start with these more general questions in order to produce more general information. After you have gained a basic understanding of your prospect's situation, you should move into more detailed questions which will allow you to point to the detailed ways that your product or service can aid the prospect.
Easy-to-answer questions will encourage your prospect to open up to you. People tend to avoid anything that they do not understand, and your prospect is no different. Trying to prove your intelligence and ability through questions with an extensive or specialized vocabulary will completely damage your chances of making a sale. You should stick to easy-to-comprehend questions in order to keep your prospect on the same level with you.
Asking the right questions will help you to guide the interview and to keep the tone positive. Some prospects might tend to continually stray away from the subject at hand-your sale-but if you know what you're doing when you ask our questions, you can avoid this time consuming practice. You can keep the tone of your interview positive by asking questions in a way that allows your prospect to agree with you. Studies have shown that most people prefer to agree than to assert themselves and disagree.
Finally, but most importantly, you should ask your questions, but be quiet and listen as the prospect attempts to answer these questions. Interruptions will, without a doubt, turn your prospect off to you. This may seem obvious to most, but you cannot listen to the prospect's needs as long as you are talking. Therefore, let your prospect do most of the talking as you are interviewing him or her. This will surely increase your chances of finalizing the transaction.
By keeping these ten tips in mind as you question your prospect, you will greatly increase your chances of finalizing any transaction. Asking the right questions is an essential component of selling, so in order to sell, you must master the art of asking the right questions. As long as you understand the prospect's situation, you can most effectively demonstrate the ways that your product or service can satisfy their problems be a solution to their situation, satisfy a need or help them achieve a goal. It's just that simple.
Consultative Selling Skills
Developing Problems Into Needs
Successful sales professionals understand the importance of selling to customers’ needs. But the top professionals understand how to actually create and develop needs before presenting solutions. This program teaches the process of developing problems into needs that can be satisfied by closing the sale.
Building Value
Every sales professional faces price concerns. This program considers price from the perspective of value. Our sales training teaches skills that position the sales professional to increase the perceived value of their product rather than lower the price.
Winning Questions
Once of the most important skills in professional sales is probing. This program covers the basic techniques of open and close-ended questions, as well as, the more advanced techniques of the reflective and directive questions.
Targeting The Needs
Understanding customer needs is critical to successful selling. This program focuses on identifying needs and directing benefits to meet the customer’s applications.
The Power Of Needs Based Selling
Selling to customer’s needs is true consultative selling. This program covers skills which create the foundation for needs-based selling that many experienced sales professionals do not understand.
Strategic Questioning
Senior sales people understand how to use questions. This program goes far beyond the basics of how to structure questions. What questions to ask and when to ask them is covered.
The Relationship Contract
Gaining commitment from prospects is what selling is all about. This program teaches the process of gaining commitment during the sales cycle.