Posts Tagged Sales Coaching
Active listening – a forgotten key to sales success
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on September 5, 2012
When talking about sales skills, the first thing that comes to mind for many is asking questions. Asking questions, however, is not one-way. Often the best questions are ones that build on prior statements – resulting in a sales call that resembles a business conversation with a smooth flow between those participating.
This necessitates the sales person not only hearing what the customer says but actually listening to what’s been said. And, the customer must know you have listened. This means listening isn’t a passive activity – it’s an active sport. What do we know about listening?
Remember the old adage – “in one ear and out the other.” Unfortunately this is one of those cases where the old adage rings true. Research tells us that after listening to someone talk, immediately after you only remember ½ of what was said. And after 8 hours, you only remember ½ of that!
This means sales people need to follow the “100 Percent Rule” – sales people must take 100% of the responsibility for making sure the customer understands them. And take 100% of the responsibility for understanding what the customer says. Let’s explore seven best practices for getting that right:
1. Test Understanding. “That’s a need I haven’t heard you talk about. Before we move on could you just tell me more about …” Testing understanding invites the customer to continue to discuss or explain so you can achieve a more comprehensive understanding of their needs and opportunities.
2. Summarize What the Customer Says. Summarizing is a great way for sales people to demonstrate they understand what the customer’s saying. “From what you have said it sounds like your major concern with the existing support could be summarized this way …” Summarizing restates what the customer said in a way that demonstrates understanding. Here, it is important to distinguish Summarizing from “parroting” – the latter being a bad idea. Summarizing paraphrases only the essentials and is stated in your words.
3. Build Support. “That’s an interesting point – might there be other reasons for building that into the equation? For example, we’ve found in a similar case that …” Building support reinforces or extends the customer’s support or agreement by applying what you have learned from a previous experience or by suggesting its application to a new situation. In a business development conversation it can provide a proactive approach against competitive action and can provide additional answer to the question – Why us?
4. Take Notes. You can listen four to five times faster than someone can talk so use the time to evaluate what is being said and take notes. Do it in a transparent way because it indicates you are interested in what the customer is saying. One unintended outcome from talking notes is often the more notes you take, the more the customer will share. And, of course, by taking notes you’re more likely to recall what was said and what commitments were made
5. Evaluate the Entire Conversation. It is important to not only listen to what is being said, but also to listen to how it is being said, and to what is not being said. Qualifiers or evasive language is informative and the absence of information about a particular issue can be an important signal for future action.
6. Tune into High Fidelity Situations. Sometimes it is important to turn up the volume. When topics enter the conversation such as: new challenges, high risk issues, or key decision criteria, it is time to up your game. Plus it’s a good time to pay attention to non-verbal communication.
7. Be On the Same Page. It’s always a good idea to remember that a good sales call is all about keeping your eye on the customer. A classic trap is doing a really good job in talking about the wrong thing. This means periodically asking and really listening to the response as to whether the topic under discussion is a priority for the customer. If the answer is no – it’s time to change topics.
.
.
.
Originally posted by Richard Ruff, on the Sales Training Connection – September 16, 2011
.
.
.
Dealing With Your Emotions
Posted by Rick Pranitis in MOTIVATIONAL on August 31, 2012
Salespeople need to address emotions. It doesn’t help to obsess about rejection and disappointment. It’s easy to fall into the poor-me syndrome or fall prey to negative emotions, such as hurt, anger, or fear. But the most successful salespeople find ways to get over it, stay focused, and continue on.
When you’re feeling down in the dumps, rethink the way you evaluate sales performance. Instead of evaluating yourself on the number of closed sales, look at the progress you’re making in each component of the overall sales process. It’s very possible that you’re accomplishing positive things, such as securing more appointments, making more presentations, and meeting more decision makers.
.
.
.
Originally posted in Personal Selling Power ™ Daily Boost of Positivity – August 31, 2012
.
.
.
Five Clues You’re Not Going To Close That Deal
Posted by Rick Pranitis in GENERAL DISCUSSION on July 27, 2012
The seasoned sales person is always watching for something which could go astray in the sales process. Complacency and over confidence can be your worst enemy. You can be positive the deal is moving along smoothly through your pipeline only to discover (quite possibly too late) it’s stalled, or worse gone completely. Here are five clues you should be aware of – and some possible steps you can take to make sure you don’t spend your time on something which will never happen.
First Clue: The Potential Client Seems Indifferent.
A client who is interested in doing business with you should have questions and concerns. They should be engaging in a dialogue. Hesitancy is okay, especially early on in the conversation. However, if they don’t outright reject you and don’t have any questions either, you better be on the alert.
If you suspect this might be the direction of your discussions, try creating a more advisory relationship with your client. You can let them know you’ll help either to solve their problem or point them in the direction of another business that might be a better fit. Offering to help people find other vendors might seem counterintuitive, but it can go a long way to earn the trust you may need to win over a client. People have a tendency to share more with an advisor than a salesperson.
Second Clue: If there’s no hard deadline for a decision.
A mutual recognition of the urgency around a sale is the best indicator you’re on the right track to a close. At a point early in your conversation, ask potential clients about their timeframe. Those companies with a hard deadline you’ll want to prioritize highest.
If you’re having difficulty pinning down a definite time line with a client there are way you can help the client firm up deadlines. Depending on your product/service limited-time offers or discounts can be effective to create urgency around a sale. Perhaps point out what the competition is doing, or identify the financial risk involved in not acting quickly on the sale.
Third Clue: You discover you’re not dealing with the decision maker.
It is generally acceptable to start out talking with a junior-level employee who is vetting options and/or alternatives. But you should become suspicious if your conversations stall or if you’re not put in touch with the ultimate decision maker after a few conversations. It’s probably a sign the company isn’t serious about buying what you’re offering.
Getting past this roadblock can be somewhat difficult and challenging. It’s very likely the bigger the deal and/or the larger the organization, the more layers of management you’ll have to navigate. One effective strategy would be to create a presentation which your initial contact could easily show to their superiors and upper management. Create something which would pique their interest, and prompt a “top-down” request for additional information. You also might request a quick conference call with the senior-level person involved. Remember, trying to get around lower level decision makers is a sticky situation. You need to be always respectful of the person you are talking to and not undermine them.
Fourth Clue: Your price is too high.
When your service or product is dismissed solely on price, it’s because the client doesn’t see the value in what you’re offering and they believe they can find the same product or service for less or because you’re trying to sell more than they need.
If your competitors are offering a lower price, focus on how you can provide added value. But if you’re offering more than a client needs, you may need to re-think and scale back the initial proposal. You also could offer creative payment alternatives, such as incentives on the first purchase if the customer continues to buy more.
Fifth Clue: If you’re offered a boiler plate RFP instead of a conversation.
When potential clients ask for a proposal before agreeing to talk with you, it’s usually a sign they’re simply gathering price quotes from vendors. This is often also closely followed by a vague decision date, (see clue number two).
Before submitting a proposal, ask what the client is looking for and what criteria will be used to make the decision. Reaching a verbal understanding on those issues increases the likelihood you’ll have a better appreciation of what the client is really interested in. The problem with a submitted proposal prior to any discussion is there is no chance for you to get any immediate feedback on what may be wrong or off-track with it. When you can engage in a conversation you can work through all the nuances verbally and offer a value proposition which has a better chance to win the sale.
There are, of course, many more clues to be watchful of. These are what I’ve found to be the most frequently overlooked. I invite you to add to this list, along with your suggestions for a solution. And as always, your comments are welcome.
Follow On The Web!
