Top-Ten Skills of The Super Salespeople

Copyright and proprietary information. Reproduction of this document is prohibited without written authorization from ASHER.

VERSION D: AUGUST 2009

TOp-TEN SkIllS Of ThE SUpER SAlESpEOplE

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iThe Bottom Line

If you listen closely enough, your customers will explain your

business to you. Peter Schutz

3Asher 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 THE SKILLS AND PROCESSES USED BY THE SUPER SALESPEOPLE..................... 5Section 1.1 The Biggest Sales Problem (Finding Competent Salespeople) ... 6Section 1.2 The Five Factors for Success in Sales ....................................... 8Section 1.3 Sales Aptitude Assessments .................................................... 9Section 1.4 The Top-Ten Skills of the Super Salespeople ........................... 10Section 1.5 Marketing, Sales and Customer-Relationship Strategies ......... 11Section 1.6 The Top-15 Best Practice Marketing, Sales and Customer-

Relationship Processes ....................................................... 12

CHAPTER 2 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT/CUSTOMER CARE ................................................. 13Section 2.1 Management Techniques ...................................................... 15Section 2.2 Account-Management/Customer-Care Practices .................... 17Section 2.3 Customer Feedback .............................................................. 29

CHAPTER 3 STRATEGIC PLANNING ................................................................................... 32Section 3.1 Strategic Planning ................................................................. 34Section 3.2 Vision Statements ................................................................. 36Appendix One Strategic Planning Process .................................................. 254

CHAPTER 4 BRANDING AND STRATEGIC MARKETING....................................................... 38Section 4.1 Branding Strategies .............................................................. 41Section 4.2 Business Intelligence ............................................................. 43Section 4.3 Product/Service Lifecycle ...................................................... 45Section 4.4 Growth Strategies ................................................................ 49Section 4.5 Every Employee Can Be Part of the Sales Process .................. 51Section 4.6 Selling in a Soft Economy...................................................... 54Appendix Two Strategic Positioning, Market Segmentation and

Customer Segmentation ................................................... 256

CHAPTER 5 INTERNET ........................................................................................................ 57Section 5.1 Internet Marketing................................................................ 59Section 5.2 Websites .............................................................................. 60Section 5.3 Search Engine Optimization/Pay-Per-Click ............................. 61Section 5.4 Email ................................................................................... 62Section 5.5 New Web Tools ..................................................................... 63

CHAPTER 6 SALES AND MARKETING MANAGEMENT ........................................................ 64Section 6.1 Sales Managers Responsibilities ........................................... 66Section 6.2 Five Factors for Managing Salespeople.................................. 68Section 6.3 Four Famous Selling Fears .................................................... 71Section 6.4 Characteristics of Top Salespeople ......................................... 77Section 6.5 Selling Through Indirect Channels (Software Sales) ................ 83Section 6.6 Managing Independent Sales Reps ........................................ 85Appendix Three Compensation Programs and Goal Setting .......................... 261Appendix Four Recruiting and Interviewing Salespeople.............................. 264

INTRODUCTION ThE BIGGEST SAlES pROBlEM 1 Section A.1 The Biggest Sales problem (Finding Competent Salespeople) 2 Section A.2 The five factors for Success in Sales 4 Section A.3 Sales Aptitude Assessments 5 Section A.4 The Top-Ten Skills of the Super Salespeople 6 Section A.5 The four Major Business Growth processes 7

ChApTER ONE fOCUS ON A fEW TOp pROSpECTS 9 Section 1.1 prospecting 10 Section 1.2 Qualifying leads 16 Section 1.3 lead Management 17 Section 1.4 Telephone Calling processes 22

ChApTER TWO USE COAChES/INSIDERS TO fUllY UNDERSTAND CUSTOMER REQUIREMENTS 32 Section 2.1 Identifying Buyers and Using Coaches 33 Section 2.2 Understanding personality Types 37 Section 2.3 Matching/Mirroring personality Types 51

ChApTER ThREE ThOROUGhlY RESEARCh pROSpECTS AND ThEIR ORGANIZATION pRIOR TO fIRST CONTACT 53 Section 3.1 Selling Yourself to The Buyer 54 Section 3.2 Relationship-based Sales 62 Section 3.3 Researching Buyers Interests 67 Section 3.4 Guidelines for Initial Contact 68

ChApTER fOUR ASk QUESTIONS AND lISTEN 72 Section 4.1 Ascertaining Needs and proposing Solutions 73 Section 4.2 Becoming a Trusted Advisor 75 Section 4.3 Solution Selling 76 Section 4.4 Asking the Right Questions 78 Section 4.5 The Importance of listening 81

ChApTER fIVE BE A BUSINESS CONSUlTANT AND SOlUTION pROVIDER 87 Section 5.1 Overcoming the Salespersons fear 88 Section 5.2 proving The Value of Your Offerings 92 Section 5.3 Offering Solutions 94 Section 5.4 handling Objections 95 Section 5.5 price is Not The Most Important 98

ii

3Asher 2007

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 THE SKILLS AND PROCESSES USED BY THE SUPER SALESPEOPLE..................... 5Section 1.1 The Biggest Sales Problem (Finding Competent Salespeople) ... 6Section 1.2 The Five Factors for Success in Sales ....................................... 8Section 1.3 Sales Aptitude Assessments .................................................... 9Section 1.4 The Top-Ten Skills of the Super Salespeople ........................... 10Section 1.5 Marketing, Sales and Customer-Relationship Strategies ......... 11Section 1.6 The Top-15 Best Practice Marketing, Sales and Customer-

Relationship Processes ....................................................... 12

CHAPTER 2 ACCOUNT MANAGEMENT/CUSTOMER CARE ................................................. 13Section 2.1 Management Techniques ...................................................... 15Section 2.2 Account-Management/Customer-Care Practices .................... 17Section 2.3 Customer Feedback .............................................................. 29

CHAPTER 3 STRATEGIC PLANNING ................................................................................... 32Section 3.1 Strategic Planning ................................................................. 34Section 3.2 Vision Statements ................................................................. 36Appendix One Strategic Planning Process .................................................. 254

CHAPTER 4 BRANDING AND STRATEGIC MARKETING....................................................... 38Section 4.1 Branding Strategies .............................................................. 41Section 4.2 Business Intelligence ............................................................. 43Section 4.3 Product/Service Lifecycle ...................................................... 45Section 4.4 Growth Strategies ................................................................ 49Section 4.5 Every Employee Can Be Part of the Sales Process .................. 51Section 4.6 Selling in a Soft Economy...................................................... 54Appendix Two Strategic Positioning, Market Segmentation and

Customer Segmentation ................................................... 256

CHAPTER 5 INTERNET ........................................................................................................ 57Section 5.1 Internet Marketing................................................................ 59Section 5.2 Websites .............................................................................. 60Section 5.3 Search Engine Optimization/Pay-Per-Click ............................. 61Section 5.4 Email ................................................................................... 62Section 5.5 New Web Tools ..................................................................... 63

CHAPTER 6 SALES AND MARKETING MANAGEMENT ........................................................ 64Section 6.1 Sales Managers Responsibilities ........................................... 66Section 6.2 Five Factors for Managing Salespeople.................................. 68Section 6.3 Four Famous Selling Fears .................................................... 71Section 6.4 Characteristics of Top Salespeople ......................................... 77Section 6.5 Selling Through Indirect Channels (Software Sales) ................ 83Section 6.6 Managing Independent Sales Reps ........................................ 85Appendix Three Compensation Programs and Goal Setting .......................... 261Appendix Four Recruiting and Interviewing Salespeople.............................. 264

ChApTER SIX USE AppROpRIATE MARkETING MESSAGES 105 Section 6.1 Value-Added Selling 106 Section 6.2 Appropriate Marketing Message 107 Section 6.2.1 Killer Arguments 108 Section 6.2.2 Key Discriminators 110 Section 6.2.3 Ghosting Discriminators 111 Section 6.2.4 Return-On-Investment Analysis 112 Section 6.2.5 Testimonial Letters 117

ChApTER SEVEN RECOGNIZE ThE BUYERS ShIfT 119 Section 7.1 Closing When The Buyer Is Ready 120 Section 7.2 Recognizing the Buyers Shift 121

ChApTER EIGhT kNOW hOW TO ClOSE ThE SAlE 124 Section 8.1 The Closing point 125 Section 8.2 Closing Approaches 126 Section 8.3 Sales To Avoid 136

ChApTER NINE BUIlDING lONG-TERM RElATIONShIpS 137 Section 9.1 Client Service 138 Section 9.2 Account Management 140 Section 9.3 handling Customer problems 147 Section 9.4 Customer feedback 150

ChApTER TEN ASk fOR REfERRAlS 152 Section 10.1 Referral Marketing 153 Section 10.2 Generating Referrals and following Up 154

ChApTER ElEVEN USING fORMAl SAlES pROCESSES 156 Section 11.1 prioritizing Opportunities 157 Section 11.2 Twenty-Step New Business Capture process 159 Section 11.3 Ten-Step Sales process 162

OffERINGS fROM AShER 164

SAlES AND MARkETING BIBlIOGRAphY 168

QUIZ/BlANkS ANSWER kEY 169

IMpORTANT lEARNING pOINTS NOTE pAGES 170

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1Section A.1 The Biggest Sales Problem

Section A.2 The Five Factors For Success In Sales

Section A.3 Sales Aptitude Assessments

Section A.4 The Top-Ten Skills of the Super Salespeople

Section A.5 Characteristics of a Successful Salesperson

INTRODUCTION

The Biggest Sales ProblemFinding Competent Salespeople

The Biggest Sales Problem

Finding Competent Salespeople

The top 4% of the countrys salespeople sell _____% of the countrys goods and services

When you eliminate the large capital sales 20% of the salespeople sell 62%

2004 study at Harvard University of 100,000 business-to-business salespeople 25 year study by The Gallup organization of 3,000,000 salespeople (completed in 2005)

Study of 80,000 salespeople by H. R. Chally (published in 2007)

Section A.1: The Biggest Sales Problem

Demographics

280 million people 180 million working people 17 million outside salespeople 3 million inside salespeople 3 million sales engineers, sales associates, recruiters, estimators 2 million executives, program managers, sales managers and business development people

= 25 million B2B salespeople 2000 U.S. Census

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The Positive Result

4% of 25 million salespeople = One million super salespeople

The Less Than Positive Result

96% of 25 million salespeople = 24 million others

The 2007 USA turnover rate for outside salespeople was 37 percent

Bureau of Labor Statistics Department of Commerce

3

Section A.2: The Five Factors For Success in Sales

The Super Salespeople

1 Product Know their business, their customers Knowledge: business and their competitors business extremely well

2 Aptitude: Are born with a natural talent for sales

3 Selling Skills: Know and use the top-ten sales skills

4 Motivation: Are self-motivated, are in the right typeof sales position and are continually selling

5 Sales Are working in companies that have Processes: best-practice branding, marketing, sales and customer relationship processes to support them

And the salespeople have the values and discipline to follow through with them

Dr. Larry Craft

* Numerous correlation studies show that 50% of the results for outside salespeople are due to their natural talent (aptitude).

*

4

Section A.3: Sales Aptitude Assessments

Sales Aptitude Assessments

The idea that anyone can sell is nonsense Even in the best companies, 35% of the sales force does not have

the aptitude necessary to reliably achieve acceptable results

The total cost of hiring the wrong person is: $15,000 for a retail clerk $150,000 for an outside business-to-business salesperson selling

complex solutions

The natural talent of every person for any role in a company can be measured on a scale of 0 to 50 with a description of... Personality type, strengths and weaknesses How to best manage the person to maximize sales (or results)

Assessment can be used for numerous roles, including: Sales manager Inside salesperson Outside salesperson Customer service representative

Available on Internet 7/24/365 www.asherstrategies.com

Discover Your Sales Strengths

Definition of APTITUDE

aptitude n. 1. An inherent ability, as for learning; a talent.

2. The condition or quality of being suitable; appropriateness.

Wikipedia

5

1. Focus on a few top prospects Give them a lot of contacts

2. Use coaches (insiders) to fully understand customer requirements Match/mirror personality types with prospects Use neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) techniques

3. Thoroughly research prospects and their organizations prior to first contact Know how to get buyers to talk about themselves and their business issues

4. Ask questions and listen much more than they talk 5. Because of their superb knowledge, they can act as a

business consultant and solution provider Help prospects solve problems Know how to overcome objections

6. Provide appropriate marketing messages to prospects Killer arguments (weve done it before) Key discriminators (why they should choose us) Ghosting discriminators (why they shouldnt choose the competition) Business case analysis/Return-On-Investment (why fund this activity at all?) Testimonial letters (who says so?)

7. Recognize when buyers are ready to buy (Buyers Shift) 8. Know how to close the sale 9. Build long-term relationships with prospects and customers by

providing superb customer-care/account-management services10. Ask for referrals and use a process to follow up on them

The Top Ten Skills of the Super Salespeople

Section A.4: The Top-Ten Skills of the Super Salespeople** These skills are listed in the order they are normally used by super salespeople

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Branding Raise market awareness such that when an unqualified lead

becomes qualified, they contact you

Marketing Get qualified leads

Selling Use the first eight of the selling skills

(page 8) to pursue and close the qualified lead

Account Management Use selling skills nine and ten to Executeflawlessly Up/Crosssell Askfor,andfollowupon,referrals

How to Hire and Develop Your Next Top Performer

Section A.5: The Four Major Business Growth Processes

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They Persevere

Persistence trumps brilliance almost every time It is not the size of the dog in the fight; its the size of the fight in the dog!

Most salespeople give up after three contacts; on average, it takes ____ contacts to make the sale

When asked how many contacts they make before giving up, the most successful salespeople refuse to give an answer They pursue qualified prospects until the prospect buys or dies

2006 Survey by AMACON (NYC)

Wendy will be with you in a minute. In the meantime, feel free to pump

yourself up.

Have a Positive Attitude

Have an enthusiastic outlook (glass is half full) Have an enthusiastic answer to How are you? Are always excited and up

A positive attitude is contagious The more passionately you believe, the more persuasive you become

Charles Schwab

8

99

Section 1.1 Prospecting

Section 1.2 Qualifying Leads

Section 1.3 Lead Management

Section 1.4 Telephone Calling Processes

CHAPTER ONE

Focus on a Few Top ProspectsTop-Ten Skill Number One

Section 1.1: Prospecting

Generating Prospects

General Guidelines

Call three current customers every week and ask for referrals

Call three new prospects every day right after lunch

Make several appointments per week One in the morning One in the afternoon

Take a current or prospective customer to breakfast or lunch at least once a week

Go to at least one meeting a month for networking purposes

As appropriate, coordinate closely with marketing to follow up on the leads they generate

Your Sales-call Success Ratio is All in the Numbers The Sales Hunter

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Sizing Up Prospects

Readiness to buy depends on four variables Source of lead Timing Need Budget

Source (where they came from) Three points for a referral Two points because it came from a known source (e.g.,

website) One point for an unknown source (cold)

Need (the prospects reason for responding) Three points because of a mission critical need Two points for doing research for a planned project in the

future One point for curiosity

Timing (how soon they will make a decision) Three points for immediately Two points for three to six months One point for sometime in the future

Budget (do they have the money to pay for it?) Three points if it is in the budget Two points if budget has been requested One point for no budget

Action needed 12 points immediate attention 10 - 11 points start making appointments and using coaches Eight to nine points use email and phone Less than eight points shift to marketing

Opt-In Marketing

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Prospecting Networking Technology

Shorten sales cycle time by 25% Can turn cold leads into a referral Can help you find coaches for new and existing

opportunities Examples

Linkedin.com (free site that lets you search your online network by keyword, name, industry locations or title)

Spoke.com (combines basic corporate data from licensed vendors, web crawling and its user interface ... 35 million contacts)

Jigsaw.com (online marketplace where users can buy or trade business card contacts ... 5 million contacts)

Six Degrees of Separation (Dr. Stanley Milgram)

12

Generating Prospects in Your Existing Vertical Markets

Analyze your best clients to find your verticals (financial, healthcare, etc.)

Find other prospects in the same verticals. Use: Industry directories State and regional associations National trade and professional associations

Become an expert in the industry

Join trade or group associations Give talks and presentations at meetings

Put the information you gain in customer-focused newsletters

The Art of Sales Momentum

13

Starting Rich Conversations Immediately When Networking

Reveal something personal about yourself: (What do you think about this conference? I have been on the road a lot and miss my wife and kids.) People will respond in kind You gain intimacy

immediately When others volunteer

something personal, show empathy (Yes, thats true for me too.)

Strengthen the bond by looking for opportunities to give something to the other person Technical, professional or personal information

When approaching bigwigs or speakers, start with: I have followed your recommendations with great results. They will want to help you Do not be embarrassed to accept the help. It is a gift to let others help you!

Keith Ferrazzi

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Generate Leads By Looking for Chaos Look for chaos it leads to opportunity

Revenue problems Rapid growth Mergers and Acquisitions Competitors salesperson leaves Personnel changes Reorganizing/Reengineering CRM/ERP Implementation Recession

Chaos usually means prospects are open to new solutions From new providers (their problem is caused by their current provider)

Selling is a Womans Game

Other Lead Generating Techniques Look at classified ads looking for people in your market

Perhaps they should outsource the work to your company instead Especially in markets with very low unemployment rates

Optimize your website for search engines/use pay-per-click Generate leads at trade shows Use your field team

Those people closest to the customer generate the best leads Use internal cold-call specialists (telemarketing) Join business/nonprofit/industry groups Follow clients as they change jobs/organizations When at the prospects site, ask support people, Where did

you work before you came here? Can generate great leads

Give a lead to get a lead Outsource lead generation to a company that specializes in it

Antower and Company

15

Section 1.2: Qualifying Leads

Qualify Leads/Referrals By Asking Questions

Does this prospect fit the profile of our ideal customer group (e.g., Fortune 2000 manufacturer in upper midwest with over ten IT people)?

Does the prospect have a critical or urgent ______? A key driving force causing the prospect to take action

Is solving this need in the organizations budget? Can the prospect get the money? Is the budget approved?

Has a purchasing time frame been established? e.g., will a buying decision be made within 90 days?

Do we understand the decision-making process?

Have we identified the right decision makers who have the authority to buy? User, technical and economic buyers

Do we have a coach in or close to the customers organization?

Do we have a potential solution to satisfy the prospects need? Can we provide a credible hard ROI?

Are the projected revenues and margins sufficient for us?

What is the prospect organizations credit history and current financial condition?

Is this a buyer that we want as a customer? The New Solution Selling

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Section 1.3: Lead Management

Lead Management

It takes an average of _____ contacts to make the sale to a qualified prospect in business-to-business sales The average salesperson only makes ________ before they move on

A contact can be a: Personal visit Instant message Telephone call Audio postcard (salesforceaudio.com) Voice mail message Personal note Text message Copies of interesting articles Email exchange Social engagements Direct mail Newsletters Broadcast email Special reports Webinar Sporting event Tweet Facebook/Myspace

Use Client Dynamics software and/or Google alerts to email recent interesting new articles or blog entries

The thumb rule for contact frequency is once a month Use customer-relationship management (CRM) software tools to

manage contacts

Use standard voice mails to ease recording time in CRM Always leave an interaction with a buyer with an action item

for yourself, even if you have to suggest it When appropriate, send an email to the prospect thanking

them for the initial meeting and summarizing the agreed-to action items Within 24 hours of the meeting

Zig Ziglar

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Rationale Behind the 12 Contacts Rule(Business-to-Business Sales)

It takes time for the prospect to feel comfortable with you, your product/service and your organization

Prospect companys internal decision process/budgetary issues/timing

Prospect has other priorities (other stuff) Need to displace an incumbent or beat other

competitors

A Minimum Number of Quality Contacts Are Required

Of the 12 contacts required, the average buyer requires seven quality contacts prior to a sale Face-to-face discussions Discussions on the phone Active email/instant messaging/

text messaging exchange

Average salesperson makes only ______ quality contacts with each prospect

2000 Study at Harvard Business School

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Perseverance Pays Off

80% of all sales opportunities are closed only after the fifth contact, but (oops) . . .

Only ______% of the salespeople make more than five contacts

Psychology of Selling

Focus on a Few Top Prospects

Average salespeople make a ______ contacts on a ______ of prospects

Top salespeople make a _______ of contacts on a _______ top prospects

Selling to Very Important Top Officers (VITO))

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The Focus Formula

Based on how long it takes to make a contact, your average sales cycle time and the percentage of the time you are actually selling, make a rough calculation of how many prospects you

have time to touch twelve times during your selling cycle.

Example: ASSUMPTIONS Average time spent making contacts (quality and non-quality) is one hour Average sales cycle time is six months Average work hours in a day is eight National average for the % of time sales people actually sell

(for complex sales) is 27% Average number of contacts made to a buyer before the close is 12

CALCULATIONS

Make sure you are focusing on the correct number of prospects.

1,040 work hours in a six-month sales cycle27% percentage of workday spent actually selling

280 selling hours in the six months12 contacts to close the sale (each one takes an hour)

23 PROSPECTS TO FOCUS ON

X

=

=

20

Improving Time Management

At the end of the day, make a list of tomorrows action items

Prioritize the action items

Make action items that are related to more sales the top priority every day

Allocate a set time for each task Focus on managing your time, not

managing your tasks

Analyze how you spend your time in a daily log and review it at the end of each week Identify the top three things you do that

add value to the company Spend more time doing them Stop doing almost everything else

Identify items that should/could be done by someone else just as well or better than you

Shift them, delegate them or change the underlying company process

Identify others time that you waste; ask them for input Change your behavior

Identify the recurring fire drills Fix the processes

Analyze attendance at meetings Is there an agenda? An objective?

Use technology (e.g., CRM) to better manage information The Effective Executive

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Section 1.4: Telephone Calling Process

Warm Call Process

1. Introduce yourself2. Grab attention (the grabber)3. State reason for call4. Convey benefits to the buyer

Use killer arguments, ghosting discriminators or ROI Using metrics (e.g., ROI) is most convincing

5. Make a request for time

All five steps are usually completed uninterrupted in less than 15 seconds.

Used by top sales professionals to get what they want on the

telephone

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Introduce Yourself

Who are you?

Good morning, Mr. Brown. Im John Smith with Southern Security Systems.

In general, do not use first names on the first call.

Grab Attention

Why shouldnt I hang up right now?

Im calling at the suggestion of ... (your coach) I just read the article you wrote for the ... In researching your website, I noticed that ...

Customer Driven Sales

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State Reason for Call

Why are you calling me?

Im calling because weve just introduced a new technology that will affect your business.

Id like to briefly describe how we can be your backup supplier for packaging supplies.

Im calling about your need for office furniture for your new facility.

Convey Benefits to the Buyer

Whats in it for me?

Our single sign-on system will typically pay for itself in reduced call center costs in about six months.

Our product helps our customers cut production cycle time by about 30%.

Using our sales training, our three most recent clients have increased sales by 11 to 16 percent in the first three months.

Note: Using actual percentages and/or dollars gained/saved (ROI) for your current clients increases the

impact on the prospect by an order of magnitude

24

Example

Hello, Mr. Jones. Im Donna Smith from Trident Software Systems. Bill Short suggested I give you a call about your need to reduce internal call center costs. Our single sign-on system reduces these costs and pays for itself in about six months. Do you have a minute to discuss this?

Keys to Making These Calls

Keep it short, simple, tight and focused

Use the coach (Bill Short)

Keep it conversational (shouldnt sound like you are reading a script)

Combine steps if possible - Bill Short suggested I give you a call (step 2), about your need for office furniture. (step3)

Have an ROI (pays for itself in six months)

Make a Request for Time

Do you have a minute to discuss this?

Do you have a moment?

Have I caught you at a good time? Customer Service NOW

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If You Get Their Voice Mail

Use exactly the same procedure Match the tone of their message Call again, every 24 hours for three days

If you havent heard back, send an email

Responses to No

If the prospect says No I am happy with my current

supplier.

Sample responses We would appreciate the

opportunity to qualify as your backup supplier.

I appreciate your candor. Before I hang up, may I ask if your mind is completely closed to this idea, or is there a slight chance that you might re-examine this need at some future time?

The Art of Sales Momentum

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Improve Your Vocal

Stand up when making telephone calls Gives your voice more power USC study discovered that the brains information processing

power increases by up to 20% when standing

Use a mirror when making calls Makes it seem like you are in person Put a smile on your face Keeps you focused, increases confidence and increases sales

Take the time to speak clearly Keep your voice pitched as low as you comfortably can Listen to your own voice mail

Identify poor speaking habits

It is particularly important for people with _________ to speak slowly

201 Super Sales Tips

Impact of the Two Vs

This is how people remember you from your phone conversation or voice mail.

Vocal (how you sounded) (_______ percent) Verbal (what you said) (_______ percent)

Study by Dr. Albert Mehrabian at UCLA

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Other Considerations

__________________ is the best day to call Call early or late and bypass the gatekeeper

Liaison Agency

Voice Mail Considerations

Voice mail is here to stay so integrate it into your sales efforts

Leaving a routine voicemail Use their full name and your full name Hello, this is Angela Green from the customer service

department of Southwest Airlines calling for Mr. Don Adams Slow ______ when you leave your phone number Consider leaving your name and phone number

__________________ Beginning and end Start by saying area code .... Gives them a chance to get ready to write Include the date and time of your call And, the date/time you can be reached

In your recorded message, clearly state when they can expect a call back, e.g., within one business day

J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Customer Satisfaction Survey

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Winning Over Gatekeepers

For some buyers, gatekeepers act as virtual assistant buyers They screen sellers based on their knowledge of the companys

needs and the sellers offerings Treat them like buyers! Respect their position! They can really help you (or hurt you)

If they ask, Is there something I can help you with, tell them Establish credibility by referencing the coach, the research

youve done or the triggering event that identified the company as a prospect

Show your value proposition with appropriate marketing messages

Remember their names; makes them feel important Mention their helpfulness to your customer Send them hand-written thank you notes Build rapport; turn them into your __________

Selling to VITO Selling to Big Companies

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Using Receptionists EffectivelyRECEPTIONIST: XYZ Company. How can I direct your call?

YOU: Hi, my name is Joe. May I have your name please?

RECEPTIONIST: This is Beth. How can I help you?

YOU: Beth, I need help. What is the name of the person responsible for buying office supplies for your company?

RECEPTIONIST: That would be Bill Hardnose. Hes not available. Would you like his voice mail?

YOU: Beth, yes, but before you do, could you give me his extension number and the best time to reach him?

KEY POINT: Once you have built a little rapport, you can ask a wide range of questions.

The Certifiable Salesperson

ASKING FOR HELP IS THE KEY TECHNIQUE

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Scheduling Sales Calls

Before 8:00 a.m. Less interruptions Customers agreement is a big buy signal

Breakfast meetings Less vulnerable to cancellation Saves prospect time Simple menu; more time for discussion Prospect knows it is not a social event

After 3:00 p.m. on Friday Prospects are more relaxed, more forthcoming, less

harassed and less defensive Getting a deal done late in the week provides a nice sense

of accomplishment for buyers How to Become a Rainmaker

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Section 2.1 Identifying Buyers and Using Coaches

Section 2.2 Understanding Personality Types

Section 2.3 Matching or Mirroring Personality Types

CHAPTER TWO

Use Coaches/Insiders to FullyUnderstand Customer Requirements

Top-Ten Skill Number Two

Identify the Buyers

* In most cases we need a yes from all three of these buyers. Strategic Selling

BUYER DESCRIPTION ASKS

User* Selects you to help them get their job done

Will your offering respond to my need?

Technical/System*

Gives technical approval Does it meet specifications/requirements?

Economic/Strategic*

Approves the money transfer to your company

What kind of return will I get on the investment?

Your champion in, or close to, the buying organization

What information can I give you to help you make this sale?

Section 2.1: Identifying Buyers and Using Coaches

33

Five Criteria For a Coach

Credible within the prospects organization

Knowledgeable of the organizations requirements

Person with whom you have credibility

Wants you to get the job

Can be inside or very close to the buyers organization The User buyer is usually the best possible coach Always useful to have multiple coaches

Strategic Selling

SHORT CUTTING THE 12 CONTACT RULEOne of the principal short cuts to the

12 contact rule is having a coach

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Percentage of Executives Agreeing to Meet with Salespeople

100%

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Coach No Coach No Coach

A typical 80/20 rule Executive Selling

Inside Recommendation

Outside Referral

Offsite Contact

Salesperson Letter Followed By Call

Salesperson Telephone Call

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Finding Coaches

Use your current customer base

Use your vendors, suppliers and consultants

Ask referral sources to be __________

Use channel partners

Ask everyone in your organization (use email)

Find areas where you can join forces with a salesperson from another company while avoiding direct competition (be each others coach) You get me into one of your accounts (FEDEX) In turn, Ill get you into one of mine (J&J)

Build relationships with salespeople in your prospects organization

Use social networking sites Linkedin.com Alumni Websites

Codebreakers; How to Close a Million-Dollar Sale in Two Sales Calls

36

Ego Drive

Ego Drive is the proactive dynamic behind human behavior. When it comes to completing their job duties or overcoming obstacles, individuals with high Ego Drive are risk-takers who place an emphasis upon the end result and back into the systems or relationships required to achieve it.

On the other hand, individuals with low Ego Drive are more ____________ and consistent and depend upon traditional systems, processes and/or relationships to achieve results.

Empathy

Empathy is the emotional/intuitive insight to perceive the needs of others.

When it comes to completing job duties or overcoming obstacles, individuals with high Empathy are more relationship-centered and emphasize social skills and personal insight.

Individuals with low Empathy are more task-oriented and emphasize self-discipline and efficiency.

Section 2.2: Understanding Personality Types

37

Personality Types

Strategic Selling

High Ego Drive (impatient)

Low Ego Drive (patient)

Low Empathy (task oriented)

High Empathy (people oriented)

34% * 39% *

8% * 19% *

* % of top salespeople with this personality type

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Driver

The Driver has a high Ego Drive coupled with Low Empathy, causing them to confidently and efficiently focus on the results of any effort. Their high Ego Drive produces impatience while their low Empathy keeps personal relationships from interrupting their on-task behavior.

Well-known examples of the Driver style are the U.S. General George S. Patton, former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, American director/actor Clint Eastwood, General Norman Schwarzkopf, music icon Madonna, Republican Senator John McCain, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

39

Driver Recognition Factors Work area is formal and often cold Desk keeps you at arms length Office doesnt contain many personal items Greeting is formal and firm; lacks charm Leans forward and looks through you Nonexpressive body/facial movements Not interested in your personal life; sometimes abrasive Direct and to the point; readily discloses expectations Opinionated; poor listening skills

Driver/Authoritative CharacteristicsDominating, forceful, competitive, tough, stubborn Ambitious, decisive, strong-willed, highly-motivated,

independent, goal oriented and assertive Fast talker/fast paced, high energy, action oriented Likes to take control; problem solver, independent Short attention span, impatient, intolerant when goals not

met; task-oriented; self-motivated Processes information quickly; initiates change Will talk forcibly about the bottom line, results-oriented;

doesnt get bogged down in details Good at putting things in context, efficient, workaholic,

impulsive, not a team player Cool demeanor; decisive, willing to take risksLess of a need for close personal relationships

40

Getting a Decision from a Driver

DO . . .

Use spoken communications; it reaches them better than written

Be punctual and precise Maintain good eye contact; exude confidence Be clear, specific, brief and to the point Stick to the big picture Come with organized support material Present bulletized list of recommendations Let them control the sales interview and tell you what they

want Selling points: money, time, efficiency, power, status,

shortcuts Let them make the decision via choices Tell them about other high profile decision makers who do

business with you

DONT . . .

Get into their space by leaning forward Appear disorganized Leave loopholes or cloudy issues Talk about details Emphasize a personal relationship Exaggerate features/benefits

41

Motivator

The Motivator has a high Ego Drive coupled with high Empathy, causing them to be motivated toward meeting and entertaining others. Their high Ego Drive produces an impatience for results and a need to be socially active while their high Empathy produces a relationship-centered need to relate to others.

Well-known examples of the Motivator style are former President Bill Clinton, comedic actors Jim Carrey and Robin Williams, talk show hosts Regis Philbin and Oprah, President Barrack Obama, and comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

42

Motivator/Persuasive Characteristics Expressive, personable, outgoing, optimistic, stimulating and

motivating Magnetic, enthusiastic, demonstrative, political, talkative and

good sense of humor Fast-paced and energetic; goal-oriented Thrives on options, possibilities, plans and change Creative, big picture type; dream chasers Not always strong on follow through; avoids details Desire to please; service driven; fun to work with Innovative, interactive, articulate, cooperative Likes new situations and meeting new people Warm personality; great communicator; big talker Excellent communication skills; enjoys selling and persuading Does not like making decisions

Motivator Recognition Factors Greets you enthusiastically; socially impulsive Work area is typically cluttered, disorganized Prefers close physical distance Has active/expressive body movements Work area contains personal information, toys Leans forward when talking Likes to talk about personal life Friendly, open and talkative; shifts subjects frequently Poor listener, easily bored Not good at time management Relies on hunches

43

Getting a Decision From a Motivator

DO . . .

Greet them informally with enthusiasm Use examples, stories and experiences Feel free to name drop; compliment them Provide a warm and friendly atmosphere Be ready for changes in direction; support their ideas Allow time for them to consider options Stay with the big picture Provide testimonials from people they perceive as

important Be patient Allow them to talk about themselves Allow them to express opinions/feelings Be interesting and entertaining, but brief

DONT . . .

Erect barriers Be cold, curt or tight-lipped Control the conversation or cut them off Emphasize facts, figures and abstractions Provide unnecessary detail Be competitive Be argumentative

44

Thinker

The Thinker has a low Ego Drive coupled with low Empathy, causing them to emphasize sales processes that involve preparation, organization, and detailed analysis of information. Their low Ego Drive produces a methodical, step-by-step approach while their low Empathy keeps personal relationships from distracting them.

Well-known examples of the Thinker style are Alan Greenspan, Spock (Star Trek), Columbo (Peter Faulk), golf professional Tiger Woods and former CEO and chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates.

45

Thinker/Analytical Characteristics Analytical, introspective; relies on structure and procedures to

complete duties Deliberate, distant and reserved Dependable, neat, conservative, logical, precise, perfectionist,

careful, deep and thoughtful Slow talker; slow and even paced, systematic, motivated by

security, precision and order Thrives on details. Processes a lot of info. Wants to know the whole story; skeptical, accurate Respects people who provide thorough analysis and organized

background information Cool demeanor, hates to be wrong

Typically ignores the emotional or feeling aspects of a situation Low need for acceptance

Thinker Recognition Factors Skeptical of the intention of others; insensitive to needs of others Has neat, well organized work area Greets you formally and without enthusiasm Dress and work area are conservative Shows no emotion Facial expressions nonexistent Over analyzes things before speaking; methodical Writes things down and takes notes Wants facts, figures, details Overly cautious Says I think rather than I feel

46

Getting a Decision From a Thinker

DO . . .

Be well organized and on time Provide written materials and thorough research in advance Be patient and persistent Carefully prepare; have detailed analysis; use email Provide facts and numbers Provide information in a linear fashion Be accurate and realistic; dont exaggerate, be precise; be logical Be polite Follow through on promises; missing a deadline is seen as a

personal affront Close only after addressing all concerns

DONT . . .

Get in their space by leaning forward Be giddy, casual, informal or loud Waste time with small talk Be disorganized or messy Jump from subject to subject Try to rush through decision making Be overly friendly Be overly expressive or emotional

47

Supporter

The Supporter has a low Ego Drive coupled with high Empathy, causing them to give more priority to close relationships. Their low Ego Drive produces patience and tolerance while their high Empathy gives them the ability to perceive the needs of the buyer and build long-term relationships.

Well-known examples of the Supporter style are Mother Theresa, former First Lady Nancy Reagan, American actress Grace Kelly, the late Princess Diana and actress and Good Ambassador Angelina Jolie.

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Supporter/Amicable Characteristics Amiable, well liked, sensitive to others, friendly Patient, predictable, reliable, steady, relaxed, modest,

noncompetitive, soft hearted, easy going Dislikes intellectual analysis, slow to change, possessive;

low ego drive Slow paced, consistent, patient, slow to make decisions Family-oriented, interpersonal, self-sacrificing Will pass your idea around the office to get full consensus;

team player; avoids risk Concerned with feelings of others; very empathetic Happiest when everyone is happy; enjoys relationships that

are open and honest Warm personality; service-driven

Supporter Recognition Factors Work area has photos of loved ones Greets you warmly with enthusiasm; sensitive to your

needs Has genuine interest in you; concentrates on you Has transparent facial expressions Easygoing and slow paced Agreeable; wants to please you Avoids conflict whenever possible; keeps opinions to

themselves Seeks advice from others Says I feel rather than I think

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Getting a Decision From a Supporter

DO . . .

Use casual, down-to-earth approach Give a slow-paced presentation Provide validation that is well established and conservative Emphasize personal relationship building Have patience, emphasize service to others Be tactful, appreciative Present yourself softly, nonthreateningly Be a good listener Encourage discussions of fears/concerns Keep personal notes (birthdays) Ask questions to determine needs Ask them for their help Discuss feelings instead of facts

DONT . . .

Erect barriers between you Be domineering or demanding Rush headlong into the decision process Force quick response to your questions Provide solutions with no structure Disrupt the status quo

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Benefit of Matching or Mirroring Personality Types

________% will eventually buy when personality types are matched or mirrored

Only _________% will eventually buy when personality types are neither matched nor mirrored

Selling diagonally across the personality types is most difficult (e.g., Driver to Supporter)

Another 80/20 Rule

Cargill Consulting Group, Inc.

The Two 80/20 Rules

Strategic Selling

80% X 80% = 64%Got a coach

Successfully match or mirror personality type

Chance of making the sale

20% X 20% = 4%No

coachFailed to match

or mirrorChance of

making the sale (cold call)

Section 2.3: Matching or Mirroring Personality Types

51

Neuro-linguistic Programming (NLP)

A new field that attempts to understand why some people are terrifically successful What they do differently in terms of thinking, language use and behavior

NLP research shows that these terrifically successful people build rapport quickly with others by literally matching them in both spoken and body language

As you communicate with others, match Postures Voice tones Hand gestures Buzz words Other body language Breathing rates

If you can accomplish this in a natural, unobtrusive way, you can quickly establish uncommon rapport with little effort The uncommon rapport happens subconsciously The other person quickly says to their subconscious, Wow, this person

is just like me. They are GREAT! Neuro-linguistic Programming for Dummies

To Effectively Mirror Personality Types

Give the buyer the necessary information, based on their personality type, to make the decision Not what you naturally want to give based on your personality type

Respond to their speed (fast or slow) Driver and motivator personality types are __________ decision makers,

talkers and thinkers Supporter and thinker personality types are __________ decision makers,

talkers and thinkers

Mirror their personality temperature (warm or cool) Drivers and thinkers __________ Motivators and supporters __________

Cargill Consulting Group, Inc.

52

INTRODUCTION


53

Section 3.1 Selling Yourself to The Buyer

Section 3.2 Relationship-based Sales

Section 3.3 Researching Buyers Interests

Section 3.4 Guidelines for Initial Contact

CHAPTER THREE

Thoroughly Research Prospectsand Their Organization Prior

to the First ContactTop-Ten Skill Number Three

Section 3.1: Selling Yourself to The Buyer

Good at Selling Themselves

We are all salespeople every day of our lives We are selling our dreams, plans and ideas to all with

whom we come in contact

You must sell yourself before you can sell your organization, your product or your service. The customer may buy you and not the product They wont buy the product without buying you

______% of buyers must be comfortable with sellers before the sale can take place.

Zig Ziglar

First Impressions

You never get a second chance to make a first impression It happens in ___________ seconds

Zig Ziglar

First impressions are very important People make up their minds about you in about

__________ seconds Psychology of Selling

54

The Subtle Importance of Appearance

Buyers unconsciously use your appearance to make inferences and draw conclusions Happens fast Can you sell a high-end car wearing cheap, unshined shoes? The prospects brain screams Warning: Incongruity! and starts looking for other mismatches, this time in your offering

Image consultants advise (as appropriate to your industry) Update your eyeglasses Whiten your teeth Wear a first class watch Keep your car neat and clean Shine your shoes and heel edges Use business cards with photo (as appropriate for your industry)

Dress should signal confidence, success, expertise, sensitivity, professionalism and attention to detail

When people dress more casually, they tend to act more casually and less professionally

Michele Nichols

Importance of Appearance

The impact of the three Vs Visual (how you look) (_____ percent) Vocal (how you sound) (_____ percent) Verbal (what you say) (_____ percent)

This is how people initially judge you Study by Dr. Albert Mehrabian at UCLA

55

We Make Up Our Minds Fast

People decide 10 things about you within 10 seconds of seeing you Your economic level Your educational level Your trustworthiness Your social position Your level of sophistication Your social heritage Your educational heritage Your economic heritage Your level of success in life Your moral character

Your goal is to create an aura of confidence and assuredness when you walk into a room Make sure your clothing

contributes its part

Your posture is one critical aspect Walk and stand with confidence Stomach in, shoulders back and head up

Breakthrough Networking - Building relationships that last

56

Appearance Is Disproportionately Important

You do not want to turn off the buyer because of the way you are dressed or the way you look 55% of how they judge you Most people have expectations of how you should look

dont disappoint them! Ask your coach (or the admin) How should I dress for

this meeting?

A $250 Billion Procurement

Which one would you choose as the joint tactical fighter aircraft for the 21st century?

BOEING LOCKHEED MARTIN

57

Importance of Maintaining a Professional Image

APPEARANCE

IMAgE is what you reflect to others in your APPEARANCE, ATTITUDE and bEhAvIOR

DOs Clean shoes before putting away Organize closet by pieces and color Invest in a full-length mirror Keep a lint brush handy Stand tall Use good eye contact Maintain pleasant

facial expression

MISTAKES Chewing gum No eye contact Casual clothing Wrinkled clothing Stained teeth Chipped nail polish No smile Run in hosiery Scuffed shoes Hair unkempt Biting fingernails Poor choice of accessories Too many accessories (too

many rings) Standing with arms folded

58

DOs 100% POSITIVE ATTITUDE

AT ALL TIMES Maintain a can-do attitude even

in tough situations Challenge with respect and

understanding of others views Treat every person no matter

their position, race or gender exactly the same and with respect

Praise the success of others

MISTAKES Negative Complains Undermines the successes of

others Sarcastic Hyper-critical of others Gossips about the company,

co-workers, vendors Jealous of others Bringing personal issues into

the workplace

DOs Treat professional hat like a

part in a play - rehearse the lines and scenarios

Understand your role in the play

MISTAKES Sloppy speaking habits (i.e.

You Know?, Yeah!, Like) Aggressive Undermining the successes

and reputation of others

Importance of Maintaining a Professional Image continued

ATTITUDE

bEhAvIOR

59

DOs Speak clearly Maintain professional

character at all times Enunciate Pause for effort Use inflections Use proper grammar

MISTAKES Unpredictable Belittle people in front

of others Highly critical Impolite Not a team player - wont

share the spotlight Jokes at others expense Discriminatory Silent treatment

Professional Image Inventory

1. Take 1 minute and share your strengths

2. Take 1 minute and share your weaknesses

3. Strategize with teammate for improvements

4. Sign an agreement and share accountability

bEhAvIOR

60

Other Initial Impression Principles

Smile (shows interest, excitement, empathy and concern) Most men smile when

they are pleased Most women smile

to please

Make solid eye contact Maintaining good eye

contact denotes attention, concentration and true concern for what the customer is saying

Make it and keep it

Address people by their name British Airways boosted its customer satisfaction

ratings 60% by getting employees to address customers courteously by name

Have a firm handshake (web-to-web) with solid eye contact Both women and men Straight up and down; two or three pumps Avoid the bone-crusher, limp fish and double-handclasp

handshakes

Do not carry a ______________ into the first meeting Or too big a purse/handbag/pocketbook

Nothing Happens Until We Communicate

61

Gender Differences

When selling to women Listen and do not interrupt Men use interruptions as a control tacticit turns

women off Treat women equally in all aspects of business

Women thrive on emotional satisfaction from the sale Help them feel the sale

Women are interested in the product, not long stories Shorter is better

When selling to men Speak clearly and confidently Present the facts and hard evidence Have a sense of humor

Men respond to it better than women

2006 Survey by Miller and Miller, Inc.

Section 3.2: Relationship-based Sales

62

Meetings and Social Event Tips

Stand up straight Introduce people to other people Wear your name tag on the right so it is easier to read

when you are shaking hands Smile, make solid eye contact and repeat the other persons

name when being introduced; then ask them to spell it (as appropriate)

When meeting new people, ask how the other persons business helps people Then tell them about yours (Im an accountant. I help people

save money.) Power Networking

Be Interested in Other People

People want to do business with people they like and trust Buyers like and trust people who:

understand them are human focus on them are knowledgeable like them are spontaneous have integrity are honest make them feel important are interesting

Interesting people (to a buyer) are people who are ____________ in them

Dale Carnegie

63

Importance of Rapport Building

Decision makers are more interested in ________ than what you are selling (agrees with Ziglar).

What you say in the first minute of every sales call is one of the key factors in whether or not you make the sale

Decision makers will usually buy what they need (the business products/services that they are actually buying) only from sellers who demonstrate that they understand and appreciate the buyers individual interests (all about the person) Use professional/technical/business interests as the first

choice to get the converstation going

You Are Working Too Hard to Make the Sale

Build Rapport

Purpose Make friends and build trust 90% of buyers must feel comfortable with you first

Buyers will usually not immediately give you the key to the sale (i.e., telling you exactly what they need) They know that if they do, they will find it very difficult

to logically reject a compelling sales offering that responds exactly to what they need

Psychology of Selling

64

We Make Up Our Minds Fast About a New Salesperson

_____ SECONDS TO FORM A PRIMARY PERCEPTION DURINg AN IN-PERSON SALES INTERvIEW.


YOUR OPENING STATEMENT


Exactly the same in both cases



POSITIVE NEGATIVE

Trust (You understand my

interests.)

Mistrust (You dont understand

my interests.)

Open Mind (Tell me how you can

satisfy my needs.)

Closed Mind (You cant

satisfy my needs.)

Your benefits Your benefits

Facts about your company

Facts about your company

Your Price Your Price

SAlE _____ percent chance

NO SAlE _____ percent chance

Primary perception formedin first 18-39 seconds

65

Take Control of The Buyers First Impression of You

Devise an opening statement with an open ended question that gets them to talk about what they like to talk about

Conversation Starters In a Sales Interview

74% of prospects, especially Driver and Thinker personality types, find unsolicited small talk by the seller to be negative You want to get the buyer talking

Top salespeople will start the conversation and keep it going by getting the buyer to talk

The New Science of Selling and Persuasion

Identify professional, business and/or technical interests of the buyer beforehand If you can initially demonstrate that you understand and

appreciate the buyers interests, they will usually talk for an extended period (10-15 minutes), depending on personality type

As a general rule, dont start with personal information Getting too personal too fast can turn off some buyers,

especially Driver and Thinker personality types

As a last resort, decipher the cave artifacts (e.g., the pictures on the wall, the trophies in the bookcase) Use the artifacts to get the conversation going


66

Obtaining Information About Buyers Interests

(Business/Technical/Professional/Personal)

Use the following techniques Your internal coaches Google them Search services Zoominfo.com Facebook.com Spoke.com YouTube.com Wink.com MySpace.com Whitepages.com Plaxo.com Your external network Websites Use their customers, suppliers and channel partners Their salespeople Ask everyone in your organization (use email) Secretary-to-secretary network (exchange bios) Social networking sites (e.g. LinkedIn.com) Alumni websites

If you do all the necessary research, you will be able to get the buyer talking. This will give them a positive primary perception of you, which will eventually result in a 93% chance of making the sale to this buyer.

RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH


Section 3.3: Researching Buyers Interests

67

Section 3.4: Guidelines for Initial Contact

Guidelines for Your Opening Statement With a New Buyer

Keep it conversational and simple

Make a statement about their interest and ask an open ended question

Stay away from words that are too flattering (terrific, outstanding, etc.)

Keep it focused on business, professional or technical items of interest to them Use personal items as the last resort, unless you have

a strong, mutual personal interest (e.g., golf or French impressionist prints)

Mention your coach EXAMPLE: Good to meet you Bob. Bill Smith told me

about your program to mentor young engineers. How did you get the program started?

If you have nothing else, use their job EXAMPLE: Good

to meet you Bob. It looks like you have a great job here at the company. How did you get started here?

68

Selling on Emotion

Buyers buy for their own reasons Almost always emotion based (interests)

Not because the sellers proposed solution Usually based on logic

The buyer may use the sellers logic to justify the purchase (needs), but only after they have decided to buy based on ___________ (interests) They feel a connection with the seller.

Two Paradigm Selling

Additional Relationship Principles

The relationship building is over when the ______________ decides it is

The _____________ should never prematurely end the relationship-building discussion

In most great initial conversations, the _______________ does most of the talking The more the buyer talks, the better they feel about the seller

How to Win Every Sale

The sale today is not as important as the relationship tomorrow

Harvey Mackay

69

Natural Follow-up Rapport Building Open-ended Questions

How long have they been with organization? (7 years)

What has changed most about the business in the last seven years?

How did the buyer develop their personal knowledge of the industry?

What are the most exciting opportunities facing the company?

Who do they consider as their main competitors?

How does the company differentiate themselves from the competition?

What are their development goals?

What obstacles are in the way of reaching the goals?

Action Selling

70

Credibility Building Statement

May be required if a relationship-building period is not possible

Most successful business people can succinctly describe their offering in less than 15 seconds

Indicate that you have a potential solution to the buyers problem. Back it up with: Your success with other clients (killer arguments), or Your key or ghosting discriminators, or Appropriate ROI results

If appropriate, reiterate the success with the client who referred you

Sometimes called the _________________ speech

EXAMPLE: Bob, Bill Smith (your coach) told me about your interest in reviewing your business insurance portfolio. We help companies manage risk across the entire enterprise and our solutions provide a nice ROI for our customers. What types of risks are of most concern to you?

The Next Level of Rapport

Building rapport comes from great questioning and listening

(STEP TWO)

71

INTRODUCTION


72

Section 4.1 Ascertaining Needs and Proposing Solutions

Section 4.2 Becoming a Trusted Advisor

Section 4.3 Solution Selling

Section 4.4 Asking the Right Questions

Section 4.5 The Importance of Listening

CHAPTER FOUR

Ask Questions and ListenTop-Ten Skill Number Four

Key: Ask Questions About The Buyers Needs

Section 4.1: Ascertaining Needs & Proposing Solutions

Market Knowledge

What your customers/prospects want you to know before you meet with them

What issues are of most concern in their industry?

What are the emerging challenges in their industry?

What problems are causing the greatest degree of confusion among their customers?

How are the industry leaders addressing these issues, challenges and problems?

What solutions are their competitors, industry experts and academicians proposing?

How do your products relate to these issues, challenges and problems?

How do your products and services relate to the solutions?

2007 Survey of 80,000 Business Executives by the H.R. Chally Group, Inc.

73

Top Salespersons Mindset Research the buyer(s), their business, their needs and the general

competitive landscape beforehand Prospects have very little interest in spending time educating you about their

business (especially C-level executives) Pump the coach for as much information as possible Needs are either pain or an opportunity (gain)

Your job as a salesperson is to thoroughly understand the buyers need and to help them

The most effective way to uncover the pain or opportunity is to ask questions and be a great listener You cannot sell them on the correct solution until you have sold yourself

that you can help them If you do, buyers will feel like they are buying not being sold to Once you have uncovered the pain/opportunity and you have decided on the

correct solution, offer a combination of your products and services KEY psychologies behind asking questions and listening

Their trust level increases and they open up even more They feel like they are in control of the conversation But you really are in control as you are guiding the conversation where you

need it to go to extract the information you need If you closely listen to all wants, needs and desires, your solution will be

exactly on target, and you will seem like a very intelligent salesperson If your product/service does not fit, say so and recommend one that does (even

if it is not yours) Do this once and become a trusted advisor for life The buyer knows that in your mind their interests come first It is more important to customers that the salesperson understands their needs

than it is for them to understand the salespersons products Neuromarketing: How Selling to the Old Brain Will Bring You Instant Success

74

Section 4.2: Becoming a Trusted Advisor

Which Salesperson Are You?

Average salesperson: Tells prospects what they want to hear Tries to make everyone his or her customer Focuses on closing first and foremost

Top salesperson: Remember that the prospect buys you first, before they buy

your product or service Uses permission-based phrasess so the prospect feels in control Focuses on adding value by providing solutions Wants to become a trusted advisor

Go Big...or Stay Home

Becoming a Trusted Advisor

The Trusted Advisor

Level One Sales Engineer

You are a subject matter or process expert in a narrow niche

Level Two Salesperson You also have expertise in related fields

Level Three Expert Salesperson

You are a recognized expert in your field

Level Four Trusted Advisor

Your customers know that you always have their best interest at heart and can find a solution to any problem they may have

75

Solution Selling

Todays savvy buyers want four capabilities from salespeople:1. Thorough knowledge of the buyers business, the general

market conditions for the buyers products and services and the buyers main issues

2. Thorough knowledge of how the sellers solutions can help the buyer improve their business performance

Higher Revenues Higher Margins Lower Costs

3. People skills4. Sales Skills

They want solutions to help them improve their business performance solution selling Not just products or

services

In order to sell solutions you must be a great questioner and listener

Executive Selling

Section 4.3: Solution Selling

76

The Classic Five Buyer Decisions (And Their Related Questions)

You Do I like and trust you? Are you honest, credible and knowledgable?

Your Organization Is your organization a good match for mine? Is it known for the types of things I expect from a supplier?

Your Product/Service Which of my problems will it solve? Or will it create new opportunities? Does it match my needs? How does the product stand up with the competition?

Your Price Is it a good value compared with competitive offerings? What must I invest(time, money, hassle) to gain the benefits? Is there an ROI?

Their Time-to-Buy How soon do I need to make up my mind? When do I need the results that the product will deliver? Shall I stall?

Action Selling

Section 4.4: Asking The Right Questions

77

The Classic Five Buyer DecisionsTo get the Buyer to make these classic five buyer decisions favorable to you, it takes three principal skills:

Relationship building (Get them to talk first) Questioning | needs analyses and proposing solutions Closing

Action Selling

Questions to Discover the Highest Potential Needs

The Buyer will usually describe the need as a problem, or as an opportunity

Once the need is discovered ask In your opinion, what is causing the problem (or behind the

opportunity)? (the root cause)

Then ask the question that usually gives you the need with the highest potential What are the consequences to your company and to you

personally if the problem isnt solved and the current situation drags on? (the emotional connection)

Answers to this question will generally increase the sense of urgency in the buyers mind

Now you have discovered the need with the highest potential and with a sense of urgency

Action Selling

78

If They Ask About Your Company

Im prepared to discuss our solutions, but if you could give me your thoughts on your main issues (the reason you set up the meeting) first, we can focus on what is important to you.

OR So that I can recommend the best solution, I need to understand ...

The Socratic Opener

Follow-up Questions Once Highest Potential Need is Discovered

So I can zero in on the capabilities that would seperate us from the competition, can you tell me who you are considering besides us?

What is your timeframe? (Urgency to make the purchase)

Who will make the buying decision?

Who influences the buying decision?

Who is affected by the buying decision?

What do you look for when choosing a new solution provider?

Is their anything else I need to know??

79

The Importance of Listening

95% of buyers said that salespeople talk too much __________________ before proposing solutions You sure are a good listener. I cant believe you are in sales!

74% of buyers said they would be much more likely to buy from a salesperson if the seller would simply listen to them

I never learned anything when I was ____________.

Larry King

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER INTERRUPT THE BUYER!

Section 4.5: The Importance of Listening

80

Listening Habits

Coveys Habit Number Five (of the seven habits) Active _______________

Seek first to understand (the buyers need)

Listening uses only 25% of our brain Other 75% thinks about what to say next, or Stops listening if the conversation is not stimulating

Seven Habits of Highly Successful People

Solution! Take Notes

Ask permission before you start: Do you mind if I take a few notes? I want to make sure I have your requirements exactly right. Keep eye contact Take bulletized notes only Only take notes about the customers business needs

It says, Im actively ___________ to you; what you say is very important to me and I am interested in solving your problems. Lets the customer know her words are valuable enough to

write down It inspires confidence in buyers; they know that you have

all the relevant information recorded It forces you to have 20/20 hearing It gets prospects to share more information It will help you focus on solutions

Listen to Win: A Managers Guide to Effective Listening

81

Top-Three Rules of Salesmanship

___________ ___________ ___________

Average salespeople talk _________% of the time

Great salespeople talk only _________% of the time

Never miss a good chance to shut up

Another 80/20 Rule Zig Ziglar

NOTE: THE REGRETTABLE DEFAULT POSITION FOR MOST MEN IN BUSINESS IS TO TALK.

82

Ten Reasons Why Most Men Talk Too Much (in Business Settings)

and Dont Listen

To show how smart they are

Ego

Men are from Mars (Problem-solvers) They hear the first hint of a problem and will quickly offer a

solution

They think they are in control of the conversation when they are talking

They prefer speaking to listening

They are too anxious to rebut the other persons point

They allow themselves to get distracted and dont concentrate on the buyer

They jump to conclusions before all the evidence is in

They dismiss much of what they hear as irrelevant or uninteresting

They tend to discard information they do not like

The Selling Advantage

83

The Most Famous Salesperson Question

Is there anything else I need to________________?

Other variations: Have I covered everything? Is there anything I have missed? Have I asked about every detail that is important to you? What other items should we discuss? What other concerns do you have? What question should I be asking that I havent asked...?

How To Become a Rainmaker

84

Summarizing Buyers Requirements

Just prior to offering solutions, _____________ the buyers requirements back to them Use your notes

The summarization cements in the buyers mind that You were really listening, and you really understand their

issues You will propose solutions that will respond to the real

requirements No buyer wants a salesperson to come back with solutions to

the wrong problem


Arguing With Customers

PROBLEM: Sometimes customers are wrong

You usually cannot win if you argue

If you do win the argument You might lose the customer

Use __________________ to lead them to the correct solution

Best Practices in Customer Service

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INTRODUCTION


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Section 5.1 Overcoming The Salespersons Two Fears

Section 5.2 Proving The Value of Your Offering

Section 5.3 Offering Solutions

Section 5.4 Handling Objections

Section 5.5 Price Is Not The Most Important

CHAPTER FIVE

Be a Business Consultantand Solution Provider

Top-Ten Skill Number Five

Section 5.1: Overcoming The Salespersons Two Fears

Overcoming the First Fear

Know your stuff! Better than anyone else

Knowledge builds your expertise and increases your persuasiveness

The top salespeople are the knowledge giants Top salespeople also know the competitions business

better than the competition does If needed, take a sales engineer with you

Dale Carnegie

Knowledge is Power

The quality of a persons life is in direct proportion to his/her commitment to excellence,

regardless of the chosen field or endeavor. Vince Lombardi

THE SALESPERSONS FIRST FEAR

The salespersons fear of their own lack of knowledge of what they are selling

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Build Total Trust with Customers

TRUST = Personal Characteristics + Knowledge

Important Personal Characteristics Honesty Integrity Straight forwardness Ability to listen and empathize

Knowledge of your business (products/services) of your competitions business of the customers business of the general competitive landscape

Being a good person is not enough to build trust You must also be able to deliver value

Lack of trust kills more sales than the other top three reasons combined

Miller Heiman

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Techniques for Overcoming the Second Fear

Rationalizing that it was not us that was rejected It couldnt be us, the customer is stupid. Unfortunately, in many cases, it was us

It wasnt a NO; it was a NOT NOW They may change their mind in the future Build the relationship

Realizing that sales success is a numbers game No attempt = no sale Each day as you are about to go home,

make one more call

Considering the rejection as a success because it is a learning experience Analyze the loss to determine reason for rejection Get feedback from the customer

Focus on high probability sales (e.g., with coaches) Not ones that will result in more frustration

Selling Power

THE SECOND FEAR

The fear of being rejected by the prospect

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Techniques Used By Top Salespeople

Totally overcome the fear of rejection Use visualization techniques Do all functions of the sales process a little bit better

than the average salesperson

Top _____% sell 55 times as much as the other 80% Top _____% sell 16 times as much as the other 96%

A 2005 Study at Harvard University of 100,000 Business to Business Salespeople

Consequences of the Fear of Rejection

Average salesperson gets going at the crack of eleven and spends only 90 minutes per day selling

Only 20% of sales calls are successful _____% of the people in sales positions in the U.S.

leave the profession every year The importance of salesforce training cannot be over

emphasized A 2005 Study at Harvard University of 100,000 Business to Business Salespeople

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Section 5.2: Proving The Value of Your Offering

THE BUYERS FEAR

The Buyers fear that they do not fully understand the value of your offering

Overcoming The Third Fear

To overcome this fear, use a small group of demonstration partners (your best customers) who will welcome your prospects into their company to see your solutions in ACTION

In return, give them something (e.g., better pricing)

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Selling Your Company

Once you have sold yourself by building rapport, asking questions, listening and uncovering high potential needs Sell your company

Sell three areas quickly What does our company do? (standard) What is it known for? (standard) Are we a good match for

the buyers company? (must be customized) Use the classic

marketing messages: Killer Argument Key Discriminators Ghosting Discriminators ROI

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Section 5.3: Offering Solutions

Sell Your Product

Cite no more than three offerings The maximum the brain can handle

Include the gain for the customer Gain = Value Cost Value is the combination of three areas for the buyer Financial (ROI) Strategic Personal (e.g. make them look good)

Include your marketing messages (top reasons your clients buy from you) Killer Arguments Key Discriminators

Ghosting Discriminators Return-on-Investment

ALL DISCUSSED IN CHAPTER SIX

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Handling Objections

Objections are generally great news! Objections tell you

What you have to do to make the sale Where you werent clear or effective Where the prospect needs more information

When clients have no objections, the success rate is low When clients have a few objections and you can satisfy them, the

success rate is _____% Face them candidly and answer them completely and convincingly

2004 Survey of 200 Sandler Sales Franchises

Brainstorm Buyers Likely Questions and Objections Beforehand

If you have really understood the customers needs and proposed a perfect solution, there will be few objections

If there are unanswered questions or objections, the sale usually cannot be made in the call

Objections are usually the way prospects mask pleas for help and information

The buyers questions and objections usually provide the key to the sale Script their likely questions and objections, and your responses, beforehand

Zig Ziglar

Section 5.4: Handling Objections

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Turn Objections Into Objectives

Listen carefully Restate the objection in your words and get agreement Reframe the objection into a mutual prospect/salesperson

objective (Prospect) Your delivery time is too long (Salesperson) So our objective is to get you the product when you

want it, correct?

The benefits of the change Tone of the language goes from adversarial to positive The prospects yes response is an invitation to continue Permission has been granted to ask more questions to fully

understand the prospects concern

Use the feel, felt, found response I understand how you feel Some of the other customers felt the same way when they first

heard of our solution But once they implemented our solution, they found the that they

got a substantial ROI 22 Keys to Sales

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Responding to Objections

NEvER gET ThE SLIghTEST bIT DEFENSIvE Pause before answering Restate the objection

Even the slightest degree of defensiveness will turn most buyers completely off You come across as a know it all

Find a way to agree . . . thats a good point

Probe to fully understand the objection Ask permission . . . Do you mind if we explore that idea a bit?

Satisfy the objection

Gain agreement and move on Yes, You Can

Learn to Overcome Objections by Role Playing In Company Sales Meetings

Ask all salespeople to write down the top objections they hear and how they overcome them

The usual top-four categories are: Bad experience with your company Product lacking needed features/benefits Competitors offering a different deal Price

Reality Times Web Site

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Buyers Priorities When a Commercial Service Contract Exceeds $1M

Quality of the providers staff (90%)

Enthusiasm and commitment (80%)

A vendor who listens to clients goals and needs (79%)

Reputation (73%)

Initiative (70%)

Overall grasp of clients business (70%)

Demonstrates confidence (70%) In 2008 Survey by Rogen International

Price is NOT in the Top Ten

Whats Important When Customers Choose Their Vendors

Salespersons competence (39%)

Total solution provided (22%)

Quality of offering (21%)

Price (18%) 2007 survey of 80,000 business customers by H.R. Chally Group, Inc.

Section 5.5: Price Is Usually Not The Most Important Reason

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Federal Government IT Procurement Officials Priorities

Reputation for delivery on time, in budget, in scope (57%)

Quality of proposed technical solution (55%)

Domain knowledge (31%)

Price (27%)

Program management (24%)

Innovation (22%)

Quality of staff (22%)

2006 survey of 470 Federal government IT procurement officials asked to name the

top three factors for award Campbell Communications, Inc.

Price Usually Not Most Important

Multiple surveys show that price is not the top priority for buyers

Most buyers buy based on value; an emotional combination of price, quality and service

______ ranks as only the fourth to sixth most important consideration

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Insights Into Price Objections

Buyers need to obtain the right products/services/solutions to help their internal people support their customers Buyers get fired

when they buy products and services that do not satisfy their internal customers

A price objection is the quickest and easiest way for a prospect to get rid of a salesperson that they do not like

Buyers are trained to bring up price on a continuing basis to test the waters Some Buyers are compensated on the % of price reductions

they can obtain

Concentrate on benefits (that justify the price); not features Show the ROI (It trumps price objections) Sell on value before discussing price

The Best Seller

SIR, THE BUYER WILL SEE YOU NOW.

Knowledge of these factors allows salespeople to not cave on price so fast

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Role of Purchasing Manager is Changing

Used to focus just on price Now needs to understand the total cost of ownership

Quality Service Price

Lower-level buyers focus on price only; higher-level buyers focus on increasing revenues, lowering costs, increasing productivity, increasing margins

The pressure is on the purchasing manager to get the right partner

The Verghis Group

I WONDER IF IT WILL WORK? AFTER ALL, HES A SALESMAN AND SHES A

PURCHASING MANAGER.

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Response When Your Price Exceeds Their Budget

Propose alternative payment structures Extended billing across two budget years Phased implementation

Look for shared funding sources e.g., if ROI is good, perhaps the Facilities Managers reduced

maintenance budget can help pay for your solutions Rescope your offering such that you preserve your value Reduce fidelity, resolution or other areas of robustness Prioritize needs and fund the most important first

Top-Ten Skills of The Super Salespeople

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