Finding Your Sales Genius!

Sorry it has been a while! I commit to you that I will be more regular in posting to this blog...at least 1X per week. If you have interesting sales stories, great calls you could share, disasters, and sales call mishaps - please drop me a line a share them.. epowers444@optonline.net.

Sitting in the NYC subway the other day - I can't help but look around and notice the very unique and different faces, colors, dispositions -then we hit 14th street and these two colorful guys get on a start banging out a Santana song on the bongo drums - some folks start moving with the rythyms, others look away, some smile - I started a congo line on the # 3 subway. I immediately thought of all the sales persons I have know, sales management - and the different styles, dispositions, personalities and how they interact with prospects and clients.
What is your style? Is it defined? How would your prospects and clients define you?
Here are a few styles I have managed and come across;
- Hard Driver: he/she smells of sales, always looking to sell, loves the game, the 'kill', the conquest - and not highly concerned with the client at the end of the day. Check your wallet!
- Best Friend - he/she never takes their eyes off the prospect. Finds everything that comes of the prospects mouth to be the most interesting thing they have ever heard. Tells them what they want to hear. Immediately goes to 'Ego". Sorry- I was here to sell you a solution and I got caught up in the personal side of the story.
- Fat Guy in a Little Suit - doesn't do his homework, doesn't understand the prospects business, can tell great stories, picks up the bar tab, makes commitments but doesn't keep them - mismanages the prospect/clients expectations from the get go.
- Fair/Balanced - knows his/her business, professional salesperson, well respected, highest level of integrity - says what he means and means what he says, gets it done - wins clients for life.

I hope to think we are all fair and balanced. I suspect I am a blend of all these...! Which one is you? I bet you know someone in each of these categories.
Happy Thanksgiving to all!
Ed

Do You Want Fries With That?

You just got the deal! Congratulations! Did you undersell? Did you oversell? Did you leave additional opportunities on the table? Does the solution you just received a commitment on - completely meet the business and personal needs of your new client. Did you ask the question throughout the sales cycle?

A few questions you could pose during the closing process are "Is this all there is?", "Have we covered every issue?", "Does our solution/product/service provide the results you are looking for?", "Have we missed anything?"

Many times the answer to these questions result in larger engagements. Often times there may be an underlying objection after a verbal agreement that can be ferreted out with these type of questions.

Give it a try on your next sales effort - the responses may surprise you!

Say What You Mean, Mean What You Say!

Do your prospects and clients trust you? How do you know? Have you built a career on principles that are honest, ethical and trustworthy.
Dictionary.com defines trust as;
noun
1. reliance on the integrity, strength, ability, surety, etc., of a person or thing; confidence.
2. confident expectation of something; hope.
3. confidence in the certainty of future payment for property or goods received; credit: to sell merchandise on trust.
4. a person on whom or thing on which one relies: God is my trust.
5. the condition of one to whom something has been entrusted.

One way to build trust during the course of your sales process is to re-affirm the commitments you have made in writing soon after your meeting. Then you must deliver on those commitments. Over time your prospect/client can completely rely on you.
Another component of trust building is to provide an atmosphere of complete honesty/transparency - "no - our product cannot handle your business - however, we will be making enhancements in a later release that may meet your needs", "We will not be able to hit your target date given our current resource limitations"....

Building credibility and trust is not overnight. It can take years to build a solid trusted foundation. You will continually need to work at it - time, energy, and continually meeting expectations are the ingredients in the recipe of a long-standing client relationship.

Make It Personal!

The old adage - "People do business with someone they like and trust" rings true as you navigate a new relationship with your prospect. Trust built over time is the foundation for a longstanding mutually-beneficial relationship. Early in the sales process you will need to figure out what 'personally' motivates your prospect to do business with you.
"If this project is successful - I will get a promotion and a bigger bonus", "I will have more time for life/work balance because this product/service will streamline my workload", "My boss will get off my back", "I will be able to get home early to see my family" - finding this important bit of information in our sales process - is quite easy. If you get queasy asking direct questions you may be challenged by the approach.
Just ask, "What's in it for you if this project is successful? Perhaps "What changes do you foresee in your life once we finish this project?.
A key component of a successful sale is making sure that you always consider the personal impact to your prospect. The trust you will gain by doing so will be the building blocks for that trusted relationship that will bear fruit for a long time.

It's Summertime and the Selling is Easy.....!

PSP Quick Hit:
I have heard throughout the summer months from other sales professionals - "Why bother calling a prospect...chances are he/she is on vacation", Or "It is unbelievably slow right now". This is the common mantra heard throughout the sales valley like the summer cicada's song.
Most executives/prospects are not getting bothered by the numerous sales calls in the summer - don't you think this would be a good time to call? I do! They are not all on vacation!
You are not competing with the throngs of sales folks during the cool months. The executive may have more time for you. What a great way to fill the pipeline for a successful 4th quarter!

800 lb. Gorilla In the Room!

He's gonna eat your lunch and wreak havoc on the inevitable close! Have you ever been in a sales situation where it seems that there is always an issue or someone that is the hidden objection that you fail to uncover? The procurement VP sits quiet in the corner of the room and does not utter a word. There is an unstated objection that goes uncovered until the last minute...the 800 lb. showstopper!
I have found, and perhaps delight, in finding and taming the 800lb gorilla...er...I mean objection. If you do not catch it early the probability of closing this new prospect becomes diminished. One method I use is to continually ask the question - " Have you heard anything or seen anything to this point that does not sit well with you? Direct a pointed question to the quiet guy in the room - "Does this make sense to you?
Be prepared for the uncomfortable silence in the room - then the inevitable blind-sided question, concern, or complete shut down of the discussion. I would rather nip this gorilla in the bud earlier than later - your boss, your pipeline and shareholders will thank you for it!

The New & Improved - "Know Your Customer"!

I asked 10 C-level executives in my network - "How many vendors that meet with you know and understand your company?" - 7 out of 10 indicated that they felt the seller/vendor did little or no research prior to the first meeting! Wow!
Here are 5 items to consider - before you sit with a prospect;

1. With the infinite amount of information available in the public domain - you should at least understand the company business (high-level), recent news, revenues, public challenges, recent wins/losses. This can be obtained by many search engines, Hoovers, Google, Yahoo, etc..
2. Check social and business networking sites to find out as much info you can on the person you are meeting with. I met with a senior executive from a major financial services firm and uncovered that this person was a well-know musician in the 70's. What a great bit of info to start off the conversation and a relationship.
3. Degree's of separation - chances are you know someone who knows your prospect - ask your network for known connections to your prospect. I suspect that many of you reading this - don't do this!
4. Talk w/ other vendors that do business with your prospect. How did the sales process go? Get a preliminary read on what business drivers/pain they are having - and be prepared with a conceptual solution.
5. Last, but not least, send a preliminary letter with a series of well thought out questions that will help you be prepared, control the discussion and provide a preview of discussion topics to your prospect.

Good luck & happy selling,

Ed