That old Abbott & Costello routine has always made me laugh.
It's pretty easy to find on youtube. Check it out sometime, it is hilarious. And it reminds me of times when I have seen sales reps try and sell to the wrong person. Closing business requires us to deal with the decision maker.
Most time share presentations I have attended require both spouses to attend (should be obvious why). “I’ll have to check with my wife (or husband)” is an easy out. Once I sat through a time share presentation with my wife in Orlando. The salesperson was professional and did a really good job positioning the various time share packages. I asked him what percentage of presentations they close (as I could tell he was one of the top salesman) and he got a smug look and wrote down 30%. If both spouses were not there at the same time, the percentage would be under 5%. So they do a good job of making sure that selling to the right people is not an issue.
I remember it well. The deal was wrapped up and ready to be closed. I did a fantastic job of getting in there, scheduling meetings, developed tremendous rapport, gathered supporting background information, demonstrating my solution, tying it to their needs and goals, handling objections, justifying the cost and showing a gain, identifying the personal wins for the end users, showing how it would improve the workflow, and so on. But I left out one thing. I did not sell to the right people and excluded the executives who actually make these decisions. Even though the employees I was meeting with loved what I had to offer, the decision makers were left out and I was unable to align with them. And I did not win the business.
Common mistakes sales professionals make along these lines:
Letting someone else sell your process : In my story this is exactly what happened. We think we communicate how we can offer benefits to a business and may think that the end user really grasp the value, but you can NEVER allow someone else to sell for you. Important information is always lost in translation. It’s like when I used to sell advertising, I would call and ask for a decision maker to discuss the benefits of the advertising space I was offering. Someone would screen the call and ask what I wanted to talk to them about. Then would muffle the mouthpiece on the phone and ask, “Some guy is calling to sell you advertising, you don’t want any do you?” So I called back when she wasn’t there and sold him a product that would benefit him.
Not reaching up to the proper level: Many times executives give their blessing, get a process going, and then re-engage at the end (especially when money comes up), and that is typical. The problem comes up when we either don’t involve them at the beginning or get them involved when it is time to make a decision. Maybe we are afraid of them saying no, or muddying the waters or complicating the situation. But it is always better to get an idea of where they are at in the beginning, than to exert the effort only to find the company has other priorities that outweigh the benefits of what you offer.
Not identifying what the vision of key decision makers are: When we begin a process, we must understand the direction and corporate initiatives of the business. We must clearly comprehend how they evaluate a vendor and realize how it fits into their decision making process.
Not qualifying in the beginning: Qualify the level of interest and determine what the key business issues are before starting a process. Ask specific questions as to how they would use your product or service, and make sure they are ready to implement what you are selling. You sometimes need to sell against your product or service to gauge the level of interest. Better to find out in the beginning than wait till later.
Not asking who else will be involved in making a decision: In complex situations involving multiple people, multiple solutions, and several individuals on your team helping out; we MUST find out who specifically will be involved in the process and how they are involved and quarterback so everyone is singing from the same sheet of music. Discover who will need to be involved and at what stage.
Doing these simple things will allow you to know who is on first and you will not fumble through a sales process hoping you will earn the business. Being clear on the who, what, when, where, & why will make your life easier and help you focus on prospects genuinely interested in what you have to offer.
Until next time - respect the torch and ignite your passion
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Sunday, August 22, 2010
P6
A key in preparation are the 6 P’s. Proper planning prevents particularly poor performance. If your performance isn’t at the level it could be, here are some keys that may help turbocharge your results or performance. Results and performance aren’t necessarily the same thing. A result is the finality or conclusion of a thing, while performance is how you get there. If you are not happy with what you are getting, change what you are giving.
‘preparation’ is defined in this manner: The action of making ready or being made ready for use. You are getting the car ready for a trip. Think of what you would normally do to get ready for a trip.
Know your outcome:
This is paramount. If you are not clear on what your outcome is, then you are just going through the motions. When I sit down to set appointments, I have a clear idea of what I want and am determined to achieve it. If my goal is 2 appointments, then I strive for that and that is the PURPOSE for the activity. If I am honest, I have blocked off time to set appointments and gone through the motions and then the block of time is up and no appointments, then move on to something else. The difference is; when my mind is fixed on my PURPOSE, then I am more successful because everything about my lines up with my goal and purpose. Know your outcome first.
Develop a strong WHY?:
If you have a fuzzy WHY, as to the reason a prospect or client should buy from you, then you’d better go back and figure it out or move on to someone else. If you don’t have a strong reason WHY, and cannot detail it out for them specifically, then they will most likely not buy. I met with a company last week, and in 10 minutes gave them 3 reasons why they should implement my solution and I had a solid case. In another meeting the same day, I didn’t have as strong of a WHY, and guess what - I don’t think I will get the deal. You must be able to answer:
• Why will they buy?
• Why will they buy from you?
• Why will they buy from you now?
Develop a roadmap:
Now that you know your desired outcome, and developed a strong WHY, now is the time to develop a roadmap as to HOW you are going to accomplish it all. Start from the desired outcome and work backward and plug in all the steps necessary to get the desired results. Develop a timeline and work it.
Anticipate:
Anticipate everything you can think of. Anticipate what could go wrong, what the competition will do, what people will try and block the change, and how you will deal with it. On the positive side, anticipate how you can position yourself as a trusted advisor and industry expert. Anticipate how your solution will benefit the organization and how it will impact those involved.
Execute with confidence and belief: It also wouldn’t hurt to rehearse or even role play the presentation with someone else. In speaking with executives, they meet with a lot of salespeople and can almost sense if you lack confidence. I had an executive tell me that a major reason he bought from me was my competence and confidence when I spoke to him. You do not want to practice in the real work for the first time. Athletes spend more than 98% of their time practicing, doing drills, working on the basics. And mentally we should do the same. This will help a smooth delivery and minimize and nervousness while presenting.
Remember the 6 P’s and make it a rule to use preparation to eliminate what you do not want in the results you are receiving.
Go get ‘em and respect the Torch!
‘preparation’ is defined in this manner: The action of making ready or being made ready for use. You are getting the car ready for a trip. Think of what you would normally do to get ready for a trip.
Know your outcome:
This is paramount. If you are not clear on what your outcome is, then you are just going through the motions. When I sit down to set appointments, I have a clear idea of what I want and am determined to achieve it. If my goal is 2 appointments, then I strive for that and that is the PURPOSE for the activity. If I am honest, I have blocked off time to set appointments and gone through the motions and then the block of time is up and no appointments, then move on to something else. The difference is; when my mind is fixed on my PURPOSE, then I am more successful because everything about my lines up with my goal and purpose. Know your outcome first.
Develop a strong WHY?:
If you have a fuzzy WHY, as to the reason a prospect or client should buy from you, then you’d better go back and figure it out or move on to someone else. If you don’t have a strong reason WHY, and cannot detail it out for them specifically, then they will most likely not buy. I met with a company last week, and in 10 minutes gave them 3 reasons why they should implement my solution and I had a solid case. In another meeting the same day, I didn’t have as strong of a WHY, and guess what - I don’t think I will get the deal. You must be able to answer:
• Why will they buy?
• Why will they buy from you?
• Why will they buy from you now?
Develop a roadmap:
Now that you know your desired outcome, and developed a strong WHY, now is the time to develop a roadmap as to HOW you are going to accomplish it all. Start from the desired outcome and work backward and plug in all the steps necessary to get the desired results. Develop a timeline and work it.
Anticipate:
Anticipate everything you can think of. Anticipate what could go wrong, what the competition will do, what people will try and block the change, and how you will deal with it. On the positive side, anticipate how you can position yourself as a trusted advisor and industry expert. Anticipate how your solution will benefit the organization and how it will impact those involved.
Execute with confidence and belief: It also wouldn’t hurt to rehearse or even role play the presentation with someone else. In speaking with executives, they meet with a lot of salespeople and can almost sense if you lack confidence. I had an executive tell me that a major reason he bought from me was my competence and confidence when I spoke to him. You do not want to practice in the real work for the first time. Athletes spend more than 98% of their time practicing, doing drills, working on the basics. And mentally we should do the same. This will help a smooth delivery and minimize and nervousness while presenting.
Remember the 6 P’s and make it a rule to use preparation to eliminate what you do not want in the results you are receiving.
Go get ‘em and respect the Torch!
Sunday, August 15, 2010
What’s in a name?
It says in the bible “a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches.” It is also said of some that “their reputation precedes them”. And that can be good or bad. A good name or reputation can go a long way for us in life and in business. The key here is: What are others saying about us when we are not around? I for one want my reputation to exude professionalism, competence and integrity.
A while back I was calling on a client and in the meeting he asked me if I had ever worked with a particular company, to which I replied yes. Now unfortunately this was one of the rare occasions where I did not secure the business and was disappointed because it was a significant opportunity for my company. But one thing that I did do was to prepare for every stage of the process, do my due diligence, understand the needs of the organization, identify the personal wins, and had great rapport with the decision makers. Afterward I felt there was nothing more I could have done to win the business and when I did not get the deal, I was as professional and kind as I could be.
This all led to my meeting with another prominent company. I called and secured the appointment on my own, then attended the meeting. During the meeting, the prospect told me that he knew the decision maker at the other company very well, and that although they chose not to go with me, he told the prospect I was now calling on that he respected me and my company and that he would be wise to consider the services we offer and involve me in the process.
What do people say about you when you do not win? Did you offer your services in case something changed? Did you check in periodically to monitor how the change has gone? Did you contact them, just to extend yourself?
When we are out there marketing, making contacts, networking, establishing our presence, we are building our brand. Branding ourselves is an excellent way to distinguish ourselves from the pack. Here are a few simple things we can do to add value to our brand.
• Prepare for every interaction we have with the prospect
Whether we realize it or not people are evaluating us by how we look, what we way are dressed, facial expressions, voice tone, and a host of other factors which they may not even be consciously aware of. If you are prepared for the interaction and KNOW the outcome you want, then you have a clear path as to how what you want to accomplish. People will be able to tell if we are prepared or not and if you put the effort in on the front end you have a better chance of being evaluated in a positive light.
• Research the company and the person
Knowing details about the industry, company, competition is critical in setting ourselves apart. One thing I do to accomplish this is to prepare some questions I can ask that I am genuinely curious about. For example, if I see from their website that they are expanding, releasing new product, building a new facility, or anything relevant I prepare questions that will help give me insight about the company and show I care. If the person I am meeting with went a particular college, I will look up the record of the football team and see who they are playing next. I think the idea is pretty apparent. Be a detective and get curious about them.
• Follow up
You would be amazed how many of your competitors do not follow through regarding communication. After every face to face meeting, an email or some type of communication that recap’s what took place in the meeting as well as the next steps can be a great way to keep things moving in the direction you want. The point is, always follow up when you say you are and do it right away. I used to have a policy that I would not follow up with someone when the issue was negative unless they called me twice. What I have found out is that all I did was make them angrier by not getting in touch. Today I follow up immediately to communication and if I need to get others moving with me, I do that as well.
If you are the president of your own services company how would you want your company to be perceived? When a client or prospect thinks of your product or service, they will think of you as the face of the company. When you think of Microsoft, who comes to mind? Apple? Wendy’s? what about your lawn service? HVAC repairman? Anyone who came to your house to do work? You associate them with the company.
To a large degree we are in control of this and we should make every effort to leave a good impression with everyone we come in contact with. Many times I have pulled into a parking lot and bumped into someone entering a building, standing in the lobby, fighting for a parking space, only to find out it was the person that I was about to meet with for the first time. You never know who you will bump into.
Be the best you can be by putting your best foot forward and build that unique brand that is you.
Respect the Torch!
A while back I was calling on a client and in the meeting he asked me if I had ever worked with a particular company, to which I replied yes. Now unfortunately this was one of the rare occasions where I did not secure the business and was disappointed because it was a significant opportunity for my company. But one thing that I did do was to prepare for every stage of the process, do my due diligence, understand the needs of the organization, identify the personal wins, and had great rapport with the decision makers. Afterward I felt there was nothing more I could have done to win the business and when I did not get the deal, I was as professional and kind as I could be.
This all led to my meeting with another prominent company. I called and secured the appointment on my own, then attended the meeting. During the meeting, the prospect told me that he knew the decision maker at the other company very well, and that although they chose not to go with me, he told the prospect I was now calling on that he respected me and my company and that he would be wise to consider the services we offer and involve me in the process.
What do people say about you when you do not win? Did you offer your services in case something changed? Did you check in periodically to monitor how the change has gone? Did you contact them, just to extend yourself?
When we are out there marketing, making contacts, networking, establishing our presence, we are building our brand. Branding ourselves is an excellent way to distinguish ourselves from the pack. Here are a few simple things we can do to add value to our brand.
• Prepare for every interaction we have with the prospect
Whether we realize it or not people are evaluating us by how we look, what we way are dressed, facial expressions, voice tone, and a host of other factors which they may not even be consciously aware of. If you are prepared for the interaction and KNOW the outcome you want, then you have a clear path as to how what you want to accomplish. People will be able to tell if we are prepared or not and if you put the effort in on the front end you have a better chance of being evaluated in a positive light.
• Research the company and the person
Knowing details about the industry, company, competition is critical in setting ourselves apart. One thing I do to accomplish this is to prepare some questions I can ask that I am genuinely curious about. For example, if I see from their website that they are expanding, releasing new product, building a new facility, or anything relevant I prepare questions that will help give me insight about the company and show I care. If the person I am meeting with went a particular college, I will look up the record of the football team and see who they are playing next. I think the idea is pretty apparent. Be a detective and get curious about them.
• Follow up
You would be amazed how many of your competitors do not follow through regarding communication. After every face to face meeting, an email or some type of communication that recap’s what took place in the meeting as well as the next steps can be a great way to keep things moving in the direction you want. The point is, always follow up when you say you are and do it right away. I used to have a policy that I would not follow up with someone when the issue was negative unless they called me twice. What I have found out is that all I did was make them angrier by not getting in touch. Today I follow up immediately to communication and if I need to get others moving with me, I do that as well.
If you are the president of your own services company how would you want your company to be perceived? When a client or prospect thinks of your product or service, they will think of you as the face of the company. When you think of Microsoft, who comes to mind? Apple? Wendy’s? what about your lawn service? HVAC repairman? Anyone who came to your house to do work? You associate them with the company.
To a large degree we are in control of this and we should make every effort to leave a good impression with everyone we come in contact with. Many times I have pulled into a parking lot and bumped into someone entering a building, standing in the lobby, fighting for a parking space, only to find out it was the person that I was about to meet with for the first time. You never know who you will bump into.
Be the best you can be by putting your best foot forward and build that unique brand that is you.
Respect the Torch!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Winning questions
You’ve heard the old adage “telling is not selling”? It can really put the brakes on any genuine rapport building you have going for you when you are meeting with a client or prospect. You are probably an expert in your field, and if you are not, you should become one. The challenge with knowledge is that once you have it, you may tend to talk about it with authority.
I was in a meeting with a prospect a few weeks ago and the point person representing the company talked nonstop for about 30 minutes on a variety of subjects (only a few of which pertained to what I had to offer). He was the expert in his field and in his job. At a few points he got rather technical and tedious about the details of a piece of technology he was using. To be honest, when he mentioned details that I didn’t understand I got lost and it was difficult to find a pause to get clarification. So, I just let him go on and on and was looking for the next opportunity to fund an exit.
In order to keep the interest of anyone in a conversation we need to engage them and involve them in the conversation. Just because you are interested in what you are talking about doesn’t mean that the other person is. After all, each of us is a unique creature with different views and interests. If everyone in the world were like me; this world would be a crazy place and everyone would be the exact same way and want the exact same thing - BORING. My point is that everyone’s perspective is different and important to them. We need to connect with them in a way they can understand and relate to.
The key to doing this is very simple; ask questions and listen. You are probably saying to yourself, great point captain obvious. I wish it were more complex, or a secret formula, but that is how to keep someone engaged in conversation. You have probably found that people like to talk about themselves and discuss what interests them. So, ask questions about them. I have been amazed how much detail a complete stranger will offer up if I just ask a question and engage them in a conversation. Now not everyone is like that, but many are. People do like to talk if someone will listen.
Here are some keys to asking questions that will help you get information that can help you understand how to position your product or service.
• Build Rapport; ask about them, get them to open up to you. Don’t get too personal at first, as this may be viewed as invasive. Don’t be obvious about why you are doing this and a good rule of thumb is to take a genuine interest in the other person. People will sense if you are not genuine.
• Ask “have” questions. Examples are: “What do you like about what you have?”, “what would you like to have that you don’t?”.
• Qualify: Ask questions around how you can help them. Example: “If you had ___________ what would it do for you?” or “if you could do _____ how would that impact you?
The key in all of this is to ask questions. Ben Franklin said that the purpose of a conversation is to inform and to be informed. So make your conversations more interesting by asking questions that stimulate conversation points. To take it a step further, you can even pre-think your questions. Be a detective, get curious about them, their motivations, how they think. This will really separate you from the pack and give you an edge on your competition.
Respect the Torch and ignite your passion!
I was in a meeting with a prospect a few weeks ago and the point person representing the company talked nonstop for about 30 minutes on a variety of subjects (only a few of which pertained to what I had to offer). He was the expert in his field and in his job. At a few points he got rather technical and tedious about the details of a piece of technology he was using. To be honest, when he mentioned details that I didn’t understand I got lost and it was difficult to find a pause to get clarification. So, I just let him go on and on and was looking for the next opportunity to fund an exit.
In order to keep the interest of anyone in a conversation we need to engage them and involve them in the conversation. Just because you are interested in what you are talking about doesn’t mean that the other person is. After all, each of us is a unique creature with different views and interests. If everyone in the world were like me; this world would be a crazy place and everyone would be the exact same way and want the exact same thing - BORING. My point is that everyone’s perspective is different and important to them. We need to connect with them in a way they can understand and relate to.
The key to doing this is very simple; ask questions and listen. You are probably saying to yourself, great point captain obvious. I wish it were more complex, or a secret formula, but that is how to keep someone engaged in conversation. You have probably found that people like to talk about themselves and discuss what interests them. So, ask questions about them. I have been amazed how much detail a complete stranger will offer up if I just ask a question and engage them in a conversation. Now not everyone is like that, but many are. People do like to talk if someone will listen.
Here are some keys to asking questions that will help you get information that can help you understand how to position your product or service.
• Build Rapport; ask about them, get them to open up to you. Don’t get too personal at first, as this may be viewed as invasive. Don’t be obvious about why you are doing this and a good rule of thumb is to take a genuine interest in the other person. People will sense if you are not genuine.
• Ask “have” questions. Examples are: “What do you like about what you have?”, “what would you like to have that you don’t?”.
• Qualify: Ask questions around how you can help them. Example: “If you had ___________ what would it do for you?” or “if you could do _____ how would that impact you?
The key in all of this is to ask questions. Ben Franklin said that the purpose of a conversation is to inform and to be informed. So make your conversations more interesting by asking questions that stimulate conversation points. To take it a step further, you can even pre-think your questions. Be a detective, get curious about them, their motivations, how they think. This will really separate you from the pack and give you an edge on your competition.
Respect the Torch and ignite your passion!
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Focus on what you do best…
Every product or solution has weaknesses and strengths. Every company has weaknesses and strengths. When I purchased my last vehicle a little over a year ago, I contacted several dealerships and compared 3 vehicles in the same class. Two of the three salespeople I spoke to went to great lengths to compare how their vehicle stacked up to the others and in effect sold me on their competitors. They compared feature for feature, MPG vs. MPG, how many awards their model received, and blah, blah, blah.
The other salesperson didn’t talk about anything except their vehicle and its strengths. I already liked the body style and the room inside was perfect for me. He was almost casual about selling me the car. I was pretty interested because they had one in my color (Black). We negotiated on the price, and he quickly saw things from my point of view on price and we had a deal. He never talked about the competition or their vehicles other than in a complimentary manner. So far I am pleased with the car.
I have been in many competitive sales situations in several industries and it has become clear to me that to position yourself in the best light, you should put yourself and your product in the same light as that car salesman. Here are a few keys that might help.
1. Talk to your strengths: Discover the needs of the prospect or client and connect how you can help them. Most of your questions and comments will revolve around this. You should be able to tell stories around how your product or service has impacted companies you have sold.
2. Avoid discussing weaknesses: Obviously you don’t want to be dishonest, so don’t. What I am saying here it that you discuss briefly when needed and move on. It may or may not be a big deal to the customer, but focusing on it at length will put you in a defensive position.
3. Frame the conversation around how this will benefit them: After customer stories, figure out a way to help win the business by painting a clear picture of them using your product. If there is a way to quantify the result, then show it to them in a way they can understand.
Lastly, people don’t but because you are an outstanding salesman, they buy because you understand what your product can do for them and are able to articulate it back to them. If you can get them to tell you in their own words how it will help them, that’s even better. By focusing mainly on your strengths and becoming clear on how you can help, it can help you position yourself as a trusted advisor, rather than an average salesman.
Ignite your passion.
The other salesperson didn’t talk about anything except their vehicle and its strengths. I already liked the body style and the room inside was perfect for me. He was almost casual about selling me the car. I was pretty interested because they had one in my color (Black). We negotiated on the price, and he quickly saw things from my point of view on price and we had a deal. He never talked about the competition or their vehicles other than in a complimentary manner. So far I am pleased with the car.
I have been in many competitive sales situations in several industries and it has become clear to me that to position yourself in the best light, you should put yourself and your product in the same light as that car salesman. Here are a few keys that might help.
1. Talk to your strengths: Discover the needs of the prospect or client and connect how you can help them. Most of your questions and comments will revolve around this. You should be able to tell stories around how your product or service has impacted companies you have sold.
2. Avoid discussing weaknesses: Obviously you don’t want to be dishonest, so don’t. What I am saying here it that you discuss briefly when needed and move on. It may or may not be a big deal to the customer, but focusing on it at length will put you in a defensive position.
3. Frame the conversation around how this will benefit them: After customer stories, figure out a way to help win the business by painting a clear picture of them using your product. If there is a way to quantify the result, then show it to them in a way they can understand.
Lastly, people don’t but because you are an outstanding salesman, they buy because you understand what your product can do for them and are able to articulate it back to them. If you can get them to tell you in their own words how it will help them, that’s even better. By focusing mainly on your strengths and becoming clear on how you can help, it can help you position yourself as a trusted advisor, rather than an average salesman.
Ignite your passion.
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