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It’s All about the Process.

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It’s about the process

 

Ryan, a software sales rep, had been having a rough day. He’d been bombarded with questions from several customers and gotten behind on work that he needed to finish before the end of the day.

He then got a call from Wayne, a prospect who introduced himself by saying: “I’ve heard great things about your engineering software package. I saw a demo about a year ago, and was not in a position to purchase it at the time. But since then, it’s become very apparent that I need to integrate it into my system.”

“Wow,” Ryan thought. “This will be easy. It’s about time something went right today.”

Then, Wayne said: “I need to know about the cost, the tech support and how soon it can be installed.”

Ryan immediately went into his pitch. He discussed tech support in detail, covered availability and other options, and explained that the price was $12,000, with 30-day terms.

Wayne’s response was unexpected. He said that $12,000 was quite a hefty price tag and he needed a couple of days to think about all of this more carefully. He’d call Ryan back next week.

Ryan did a double take. “What just happened?” he thought. “This sale was in the bag, a sure thing. He really needs it and now he’s thinking it over? He said he needed the software right away.” And that was the end of the call.

 

So, what happened? Ryan got lazy, plain and simple. He thought Wayne was sold. He thought that all he had to do was give him the information he needed, then write it up. He got fooled into assuming the sale without doing the work. He never got Wayne to talk about why he was looking now, with what seemed to be a real priority about buying the software. The entire transaction was conducted at the intellectual level, without any real understanding of the true need.

So, what happened? Ryan was lured into taking shortcuts. He mistakenly thought the prospect’s enthusiasm was a sure sale.

 

You need the time to qualify the prospect and make sure he’s real before giving out information or making your presentation.

In Ryan’s case, a couple of questions would have made a world of difference. He might have said: “Before we discuss pricing, help me understand why this software is so important. I want to make sure the application is correct for you. Would you mind if I ask you a couple of questions?”

It is so important to gather this information before you discuss price so you can truly have an understanding of not only why they want the software, but the consequence of not installing it.

Once you give away your information – whether on the phone, in a presentation or in the form of a proposal – you have given up any form of control and are at the mercy of the prospect.

Remember: It’s not about the sale; it’s about the process.

 

Greta Schulz is known as one of the best top sales speakers and trainers in Florida. She has made a name for herself in the sales training and business training community. From her best selling books to her weekly updated blogs and articles she produces nothing but the best Sales Tips for you.

For more sales training tips and tools, or to ask her a question, go to www.schulzbusiness.com or email greta@schulzbusiness.com.

 

The New Normal in Business Development

 

Are You Asking Questions??

The New Normal in Selling

What’s the new normal when it comes to developing business? This is not the old ‘ask a few questions, give your features and benefits and trial close’. The 70s wants their slick sales guy back. Today you need to be smart, curious and a true consultant to sell. Here are a few things that today are imperative in business growth.

1) Tell the prospect its OK to break up….Rejection is a result of trying to sell someone your product or service as opposed to tell them you what you are calling about, let them know it seems that because of what they do you could potentially work together, but (pull back) you don’t want to assume that you are a good fit. What you’d like to do is ask a few questions to see if the two of you are a fit and if not, we decide it’s a NO then we only wasted a few minutes? Sound OK?

This allows you to give a NO as an option right upfront. Then you have asked for it as opposed to a prospect pushing you away and that is the rejection.

2) Mining for customers is different today. Networking is the true key to finding and  keeping customers but most people do it wrong. Networking events ate not for direct prospecting! Recognize this scenario?

“Hey do you guys use promotional products? here’s a sample, we can really help you!!”..” NO! Instead I say go to an event and look for Strategic Alliances, people that you can refer business back and forth to as opposed to hitting your potential prospects so hard. We all know building business on referrals is the best way to do business so lets network for good alliances that you can refer business to and that is a good source for your referrals.

3) Research should be used for credibility. Research is essential today before you pick up the phone and call anyone. No excuses! The most important reason to do your research on their web site, Google etc. is to create good, quality questions to ask them to engage your prospect in conversation and truly understand their needs not to tell them that you’ve researched their company and since they do this, we can sell you that…

4) If you need to discount to get the business is almost always a result of onof these things. a) The customer doesn’t truly trust you/your product or service so there is only price to use as a differentiator or b) you haven’t truly understood the need for the product. I know need seems simple but it isn’t.

What are they trying to say? What impression are they trying to leave, howdo they want to be seen? What are they using it for? There are lots of questions to not only understand what a prospect needs but the true deep-down ‘whys’. Asking questions will let you also gain credibility and trust but not Selling and truly asking and listening….

5)  Listen and shut up!! Wow! If I could teach people that are in sales/business development to ask questions and listen there would be a lot more success in business!

Telling isn’t selling…but it comes from a good place. We are excited about what we represent and want other to be excited too but excitement doesn’t sell, questions and true engagement does.

Long ago we were taught to ask a few questions and when you hear a “ buying signal” jump in and tell them you can help with that and how. NO!

When you ask a question, wait for the answer and whatever the answer is, especially if it may be something your product or service can help with, the best next question is, “tell me about that”, then SHUT-UP!!!

 

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”. One of the Best Sales Speakers, She has a Second Edition “To Sell is Not To Sell” Out NOW

! 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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New Book, To Sell IS NOT To Sell, 2nd Edition!!

New Book, To Sell IS NOT To Sell, 2nd Edition!!

Sales Tracking- What do you do?

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Well I did it. I did the “It’s the first of the year and I have put weight loss on my resolution list” thing. Actually I don’t make resolutions but I did set a goal to get healthy. I have committed to eating properly, exercising and stop using the excuse of my travel schedule. How doesn that help your sales techniques?

That being said, on a recommendation of a friend, I tried Weight Watchers. It hadn’t been very long but already I see a difference, a small difference but a difference. Would it be nice to have dropped lots of lbs? Yep but just like in business and in sales, little bits at a time is smarter and has a much better chance for success.

I have heard from many of you telling me that you have set New Year’s resolutions to
include higher sales goals in 2016. A resolution and a goal are two different things. Let’s talk about how you should set goals for yourself.

Begin with your revenue goals. Not necessarily your company’ goals but your own. What do you need to get what you want? When do you want to be able to retire? How much will you need? If you don’t know these answers, you need to meet with a financial consultant and figure it out. Once you understand what you need to reach, add at least 5% because I am sure you have underestimated.

Next you will have to move to your daily and weekly activities. Begin detailing what you need to do every day, week and month to reach these revenue goals. I know you are now asking yourself how do you know what to put down since you probably haven’t tracked your previous activity enough to know what that is. Therefore you need to estimate on what your daily, weekly and monthly activity should be.

After you have guesstimated these numbers you will need to track them every day. You need to do this for at least 90 days to begin to have a true idea of what it will really take to meet your goals.

As long as you meet your daily goals, you will be successful day by day. That’s important. Most people look at the whole revenue goal and don’t break it down into small pieces. It feels overwhelming unless you break it down into small hurdles that can be jumped. If you can find ways to pat yourself on the back every day, then week, then month, you will not only meet your goals but you won’t give up after looking at the whole goal.

So I am not losing 20 pounds, I am eating 23 points a day…and that I can handle.

Greta Schulz is president of Schulz Business SELLutions in West Palm Beach, Florida. She is the best selling author of “To Sell is Not to Sell” with the second edition in 2016. A Florida Sales Speaker Greta does corporate training for fortune 1000 companies and she has an on-line training course for entrepreneurs. For more tips go to: www.schulzbusiness.com

What is REALLY in your Sales Funnel?

Sales Funnel

The sales funnel has become very interesting because it is very loosely defined. I have clients that tell me that have “about 20 people in their funnel” which to them means they have tried to reach them. I have others that put someone in their funnel when they have spoken to them once and have gotten the dreaded, “Ill Think It over” (which basically is a blow off), “Send Me something and Ill review it” Same thing, and others that have given a proposal and are doing the waiting game.

None are really correct.

 

The funnel truly had only a few true entrances;

1) Have you spoken to the prospect and have they AGREED to a next step of some kind? IF so, they go into the funnel.

2) You have set an appointment with them, in person, on the phone, Skype etc. That you have BOTH agreed on.

3) You are scheduled for a demo or a proposal etc and YOU KNOW the outcome if they like the recommendation.

 

That’s it. Truly.

The biggest danger in sales is, FOLLOW UP.. This is a bad word in sales because all of the work is on the sales person. there is no mutual understanding of next steps. Should this person be in your funnel, not a chance. Only when 2 people have agreed to move through it together.

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