Archive - October 2016

Jim arrived at the office of Mark Hilson, President of the Hilson Tool and Dye Company early so he could sit in the parking lot and review in his head what he wanted to say. Jim practiced each step of his presentation in his head and exactly what he wanted to say and how he wanted to say it. He knew that his power point slides were perfectly in order and were just want he needed to land this account. He was confident in what this company needed because he has called on other companies like this and helped them just like he can help this one. Jim took a deep breath and walked into the building, “I’ve got this one down” he thought and proceeded in the door.

 

Once the pleasantries were over Jim got right down to business. “Mr. Hilson, I have been with my company for the past 4 years and our company has been in business for over 50 years. We are the leader in our industry and have worked with lots of companies like yours and are able to meet the needs that you have”.

 

“Well, that’s why I agreed to meet with you, Jim. We do have a need for a product like yours and this might be a good fit” stated Mr. Hilson.

 

“I’m glad you did” Jim said proudly. “Our product line has the best reputation for least failures on the job therefore downtime is at the lowest in the industry which will keep you up and running more efficiently”.

“Great Jim, but our service department isn’t sure if they can retrofit your model into our existing equipment”.

 

“Oh I wouldn’t worry about that we do it all of the time and with companies who have bigger problems then yours. As a matter of fact I brought a power-point presentation that I believe will help you understand why we’re number one in the industry”.

 

After the presentation, Mr. Hilson said, “Thanks for the presentation Jim but I am still a little concerned about our existing equipment and the retrofit we’ll need to do. We can’t afford any downtime with the change or production could be compromised”.

 

“Mr. Hilson, I understand that is a concern but we do this all of the time and don’t worry we can handle it.”

 

Fifteen minutes later Jim said goodbye to Mr. Hilson and promised him a proposal in a few days. After he left, Mark Hilson buzzed his assistant and said when that proposal comes in just round file it.

 

What happened? Jim ignored the real issue that Mr. Hilson wanted addressed and kept telling him what he felt was important. Guess what? No one cares what you think is important, only as it applies to them.

 

Jim missed lots of opportunity to really deeply understand what his prospects issues were and assure him that not only he could solve the problem but help Mr. Hilson understand how.

 

The result? Jim may very well have the best product for Mr.Hilson but he didn’t see it that way. When a prospect gives you a hint of a need address that need by asking really good pointed questions for example;

Tell me more about the retrofit concern?

Have you had that issue in the past in looking to change products?

What happened?

What did you do it address it at that time?

How did it effect production and at what cost?

 

These types of questions would not only have given Jim a real insight to the issue it would have also given Mr. Simmons confidence that Jim knew and could address HIS issue.

 

 

Quick wrap up;

• Stop telling about how great you and your company are (no one cares)
• Ask what some of their concerns are and then dig deeper to truly understand the issue
• Don’t be so quick with a solution, even it if is correct, you haven’t earned the right so early in the process to give one
• Listening is you best sales tool, not spewing your product knowledge

 

 

 

 

Ashley, a sales representative for a regional software company, makes several calls a week to new potential prospects to request a meeting to demonstrate her product. She gets lots of voice mails, speaks to lots of gatekeepers and sends a lot of emails with no response.

Every once in a while – statically five out of 100 – she will reach a potential prospect live. When she does, she is so excited that she doesn’t even recognize the excuse.

There are several excuses that a prospect will give a salesperson. What is most interesting is that the salesperson will likely not see them as excuses and believe them.

There are some examples that are almost always an excuse and not the truth. Let’s look at them one at a time:

The excuse: “Why don’t you send me/email me something?”

The translation: “It’s easier to ignore you through email.”

If this prospect were truly interested, she would take at least a few minutes and talk to the salesperson right then, just to determine if there is a need.

The excuse: “I’m in a meeting.”

The translation: “I have no time to talk and I’m hoping this illusion of interruption will get you off of the phone quickly.”

I love this one! So, you are in an actual meeting in your office, you don’t know who’s calling, but you pick up the phone anyway? Seriously? Salespeople fall for this one all of the time! At this point, the salesperson keeps calling, but the prospect now knows the phone number through caller ID and will just avoid the call.

The excuse: “We don’t have a budget/money at this time.”

The translation: “I just don’t see the benefit, and having no money will make you go away, at least for a while.”

Money is an interesting thing. People will find money for what they determine will bring them value. We often blow this one by trying to quickly show how our product will save them/make them money. The response: Yeah, right! (It doesn’t matter whether it’s true or not; you can’t shove your idea of value down a throat on a phone call.)

The excuse: “Call me after the third quarter.”

The translation: “Wow! I just put you off for at least a few months.”

Salespeople like this one because it gives them something they can follow up on – at least in their mind. This is where follow-up, in my opinion, becomes stalking. The salesperson keeps calling when this date arrives, and the prospect will not even remember she told you to call, let alone meant it when she said it.

The excuse: “We’re good right now, but you can check back.”

The translation: See the previous translation.

I say gee, thank you so much for allowing me to check back! You must really like me/be interested, etc. (Yeah, right.)

The excuse: “I’ll think it over and let you know.”

The translation: “I have no intention of reaching back out to you, but I asked for the next move to be done by me.”

This is no move, but sales people happily agree and wait and wait. What’s funny is they would rather take any of these excuses than hear whatever the real truth is – most commonly a no.

If we, as salespeople, could get comfortable with asking right up front for a “no” as an option, we wouldn’t be wasting so much time, energy and our control of the sales process.

 

Greta Schulz is a sales consultant for businesses and entrepreneurs. For more tips and tools, or to ask her a question, go to Facebook.com/schulzbusiness or email greta@schulzbusiness.com.

 

“I feel like nothing is working,” said Connie in frustration about her recent sales numbers.

“Whatever I do, it doesn’t seem to matter. I thought the economy was getting better but no one is going to buy right now”. I really think that once the economy truly turns around and people are feeling more confident, then things will start to move again, but until then, it’s just not happening”.

“I may actually have to get a part time job or something until that happens because I am scared that I cant pay my bills”. Ranted Connie.

 

Connie and I talked about some of the scenarios that she had been dealing with and she told me that people really like her product but the just can’t afford it right now.

“Greta I hear this everyday. People are just not spending right now. My numbers are down so far that I think it’s just a waiting game”.

When I hear Connie’s story it isn’t unusual but it is self-fulfilling. Why are some people thriving and others are in Connie’s boat? I truly believe it is less about the external situation and much more about the internal self-talk we have going on.

 

I have narrowed it down to what I call “ITALK”. I Talk is an acronym that I think might explain what’s going on.

I – Initial Situation. The initial situation here is that the economy went through a one-two punch that most of us have never seen the likes of before and hopefully once fixed, will never see again. The fact is this truly did change a lot of people’s way of life and certainly the way business is conducted today. The initial situation is what it is. It’s fact.

 

T-Thought. The thoughts that we create because of the situation we are presented with are completely ours. This is the filter we see the situation through. How do two people see the same situation differently? It is this filter that creates our thought. Connie’s thought is “people can’t afford it right now”. That is certainly a big assumption and we all know what happens when we assume…

 

A- Attached Feeing. The feelings that we have based on the assumptions we make are very damaging. They are damaging because of the depth of feelings or in other words ‘beliefs’ in the way we conduct ourselves. Connie was so scares she actually thought about getting a second job.

 

L- Lead Action. Our lead action is what we do because of our beliefs. It is the way we approach a particular situation and will be different in approach depending upon the belief. When Connie approaches a prospect she doesn’t have confidence to handle the money objection because she herself believes it. Therefore she is practically waiting for it to come and with it is either feeling defeated or is quick to offer a discount. Neither of which is the outcome she would like.

 

K- Known Result. The known result is what actually happens as a result of these beliefs. This is very difficult because you will almost always get the result you believe you are going to get. When you do, you say to yourself, “see, I knew it” and the cycle continues.

 

ITALK is the talk we have with ourselves. It is our internal dialog, our internal beliefs. In my opinion there is nothing more dangerous then this. No matter how many times someone tells you it’s not that way, your subconscious is much more powerful then your conscious or anything someone might tell you.

 

Fix your internal negative thoughts and you can change your outcomes. It’s not the economy…it’s your thinking that is hurting you the most.

Will training help your sales people?


 

This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as yes or no. There are certainly variables, and some are very basic. Here are some questions to ask:

• Is your sales training actually product training?
• Is it a one-day training that is packed to the gills with information?
• Is there follow-up coaching and maintenance to assure success?
• Are there activities set up to create true accountabilities, not just meet the revenue numbers?
• Are your salespeople trainable?

I recently read a survey of 500 small and medium-size businesses that I want to share with you.

This particular survey found 6 percent of salespeople are at the top of their game. They are consistently beating their goals. As a matter of fact, they set their own goals, depending on what they want to earn.

An additional 20 percent are doing well, but could do better. They are fairly consistent, but could really sharpen their tools a bit more and be unstoppable.

Then there are 74 percent who are not cutting it. Most of the people (about two-thirds) in the 74 percent bracket can improve if they get training.

The other one-third in this group are in the wrong job and really aren’t fixable. Unfortunately, we spend more time with these bottom-end performers and try to get them to improve, when our time and energy should be really spent at the top.

It doesn’t seem to make a difference what industry you’re in, or what type of company you are. Not sure? Ask yourself: What percentage of your sales representatives are consistently successful? Out of 20, two are typically successful, five are pretty good and the rest are not really cutting it. Out of a group this size, the Top 2 are trainable, but will not change what they are already doing right away. (If it ain’t broke ….)

Twelve or 13 will improve quite a bit with training, and the last five or six should be gone. We hold on to salespeople for much longer then we should.

Here is another brilliant comment about training: “I like to go to training seminars, even if I learn just one tip.”

You want a tip? Here’s one for losing weight: “Eat more vegetables and less carbohydrates.”

How’s that?

How about: “To be a better spouse, be a better listener.”

A tip is nice, but will not change behavior. It is, of course, the easy way to “get motivated,” but continue to do what you’re doing.

Sales tends to be a misunderstood phenomenon. We feel like the excuse of doing pretty well or getting close to the goal is OK.

Here is the question I ask salespeople when they say that: If your company’s payroll department says “well, we may not get to create and sign all of the paychecks this week, but we will do the best we can,” would your sales rep kick up his/her heels? You bet. So what is the difference?

 

Greta Schulz is President of SchulzBusiness, a sales Consulting and Training firm. She is a best selling author of “To Sell IS Not To Sell” and works with fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurs. For more information or free sales tips go to www.schulzbusiness.com and sign up for ‘GretaNomics’, a weekly video tip series or email sales questions to greta@schulzbusiness.com

Will training help your sales people?


 

This is the million-dollar question, isn’t it? Unfortunately, it isn’t as easy as yes or no. There are certainly variables, and some are very basic. Here are some questions to ask:

• Is your sales training actually product training?
• Is it a one-day training that is packed to the gills with information?
• Is there follow-up coaching and maintenance to assure success?
• Are there activities set up to create true accountabilities, not just meet the revenue numbers?
• Are your salespeople trainable?

I recently read a survey of 500 small and medium-size businesses that I want to share with you.

This particular survey found 6 percent of salespeople are at the top of their game. They are consistently beating their goals. As a matter of fact, they set their own goals, depending on what they want to earn.

An additional 20 percent are doing well, but could do better. They are fairly consistent, but could really sharpen their tools a bit more and be unstoppable.

Then there are 74 percent who are not cutting it. Most of the people (about two-thirds) in the 74 percent bracket can improve if they get training.

The other one-third in this group are in the wrong job and really aren’t fixable. Unfortunately, we spend more time with these bottom-end performers and try to get them to improve, when our time and energy should be really spent at the top.

It doesn’t seem to make a difference what industry you’re in, or what type of company you are. Not sure? Ask yourself: What percentage of your sales representatives are consistently successful? Out of 20, two are typically successful, five are pretty good and the rest are not really cutting it. Out of a group this size, the Top 2 are trainable, but will not change what they are already doing right away. (If it ain’t broke ….)

Twelve or 13 will improve quite a bit with training, and the last five or six should be gone. We hold on to salespeople for much longer then we should.

Here is another brilliant comment about training: “I like to go to training seminars, even if I learn just one tip.”

You want a tip? Here’s one for losing weight: “Eat more vegetables and less carbohydrates.”

How’s that?

How about: “To be a better spouse, be a better listener.”

A tip is nice, but will not change behavior. It is, of course, the easy way to “get motivated,” but continue to do what you’re doing.

Sales tends to be a misunderstood phenomenon. We feel like the excuse of doing pretty well or getting close to the goal is OK.

Here is the question I ask salespeople when they say that: If your company’s payroll department says “well, we may not get to create and sign all of the paychecks this week, but we will do the best we can,” would your sales rep kick up his/her heels? You bet. So what is the difference?

 

Greta Schulz is President of SchulzBusiness, a sales Consulting and Training firm. She is a best selling author of “To Sell IS Not To Sell” and works with fortune 1000 companies and entrepreneurs. For more information or free sales tips go to www.schulzbusiness.com and sign up for ‘GretaNomics’, a weekly video tip series or email sales questions to greta@schulzbusiness.com

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