Sales Training Tactics

Half the time people think they are talking business, they are wasting time.
-Edgar Watson Howe

Think of the number of meetings you attend each week. What percentage would you say are a waste of time? If you are like many, that percentage is high. Because too many meetings take too long, get too little done and often only add to the confusion that existed before the meeting. Studies show that one key reason meetings are unproductive is because too much time is spent going over the same topics discussed in previous meetings.

So this week, follow these tips to a successful meeting (or sales call).

•    Have a clear objective. A good objective is what you want the people in that room to do as a result of you being there. In other words, it’s not about what you do, it’s about what THEY do as a result of you being in that meeting.

•    Simplify- Quit “re-visiting” old issues. Then pick no more than three action items that must take place as a result of the meeting. If you walk away with fifty things that need to be done, not all will get done. And the stuff you do get to will not be done as well as it should.

•    Shorten- Cut the time you set aside for meetings in half. The urgency to get things done will force you to trim the BS and help you accomplish more.

In short, be PRECISE. Which means exact, sharply defined or stated. And by following the lessons above, you will find you are about to get twice as much done in half the time.

“No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other’s worth.
-Robert Southey

Do you look at your customers as friends? And do they see you as a friend? And what is your definition of friend? Well, the dictionary describes a friend as a person you know well and regard with affection and trust. But as it relates to business, I have another definition. I believe a friend is somebody you care about so much that you feel you OWE it to them to keep them informed of the latest products and services you offer. Because if you truly believe in the benefits of what you sell, wouldn’t you FIRST want your friends to know about it.

But unfortunately, the word “friend” has been distorted by countless salespeople who believe that if they try to present too many new solutions to a “friendly” customer, they will suddenly stop being their friend. On the contrary! Because by delivering value to your “buddies” you will create friends for life. And your friendship will be built on a foundation of service, not a foundation of knock-knock jokes, indifference and sales guilt.

So this week, don’t forget that while many of your customers make you feel like you are part of the team, your friendship is NOT what they are paying for. They are paying for your professionalism, your knowledge, and your ability to match their needs with the perfect solutions. Keep selling them products and services that make their life easier, more efficient and more profitable and you will create value-based friendships that are nearly impossible to break.

The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing.
-Albert Einstein

“I’ve been in this business for over 25 years. I have run out of things to learn,” was one of the saddest comments I have ever heard from one of my recent seminar attendees. Stop learning? Don’t we need to learn from our customers so we can effectively serve them? Don’t we need to learn what our competition is doing? Don’t we need to learn how our peers and employees feel about working with us? Don’t we need to learn how much we DON’T know? Once you lose your hunger to learn, you lose the ability to positively affect everybody around you. And who would choose that? And it’s not enough to be open to learning; you have to aggressively seek opportunities to learn.

For example, this week try these three questions with your current customers…and family members:

•    What am I doing I should keep doing?
•    What am I doing I should stop doing?
•    What aren’t I doing that I should begin doing?

Because customers, peers, employees and family members won’t often seek you out to tell you how you can be more valuable to them, you have to ask. And when you ask, you show a willingness to learn. And once you create a habit of LEARNING, you will create a habit that creates some of the world’s top performers.

Stress is an ignorant state.  It believes that everything is an emergency.  ~Natalie Goldberg

Have you ever noticed how some people look stressed all the times? In fact, these same people often get stressed BECAUSE they have nothing to stress about. Problem is, many of these folks believe that the appearance of stress is a signal to others that they are super busy. But in reality, it is only a sign to others that they are STRESSED.

Think of some of the great leaders in history like Winston Churchill. One of the greatest assets he possessed while bombs were being littered on his country was his ability to stay calm under pressure. And think of great athletes like Michael Jordan or Peyton Manning. There is a calmness in top performers that becomes even more apparent when situations become difficult. While everybody around them is showing the pressure, they show control. And that control is what makes others want to follow them.

So this week, when the heat is on, don’t let anybody know it. Focus on the objective calmly, knowing people around you are watching how you handle it. And when they see you at your best, while others are feeling the heat, you will become the type of leader that others turn to when they need a top performer.

“Every person I meet has a lesson for me. But it is my responsibility to search for that lesson.”
-Brian Sullivan

Think about how many people you came into contact with yesterday. Now ask yourself, “How many of those people did I learn from, and what specific lessons did I take away?” If you can’t recall any substantive lessons, it’s not because they weren’t available. It just means you didn’t search for them. Truth is, all the knowledge we need to be top performers resides in the minds of the people we meet everyday. And the only difference between those that make it to the top and those who aspire to get there is top performers ask more questions in EVERY conversation they have. They realize they don’t get smarter by telling others all about themselves and their “product,” but rather by learning as much as possible from others.

So this week, add more who, what, why, where and whens to every conversation. And when you ask, LISTEN and learn from what is being said. Don’t think of your next question… just listen. And with your newfound interest in others, you will find the world’s most powerful search engine is not GOOGLE. It is YOU!

People fall down, winners get up, and gold medal winners just get up faster.

-Bonnie St. John

Bonnie St. John lost a leg at the age of 5. Several years later, she would go on to become the first African-American to win an Olympic medal in skiing as she was awarded a silver and two bronze medals in the 1984 Paralympics in Innsbruck, Austria.  This week on my radio program, I asked Bonnie to tell her story about how she won the Silver. She said, “I was leading in the slalom after the first run. Then in the second run, I slipped on an ice patch and fell down the hill. I thought for sure this would cost me a medal, but I got up and continued racing.  Several other competitors hit the same patch of ice and also fell…even the one who eventually won the gold.  The only difference, however, between her and I, and the Gold and the Silver, was SHE got up faster…and THAT won her the gold.”

So what about your business? In this tough year, do you feel like you have “slipped on a patch of ice?” Well if so, NOW is the time to get up…and get up FASTER than your competition. Because there is only one gold, and it’s either going to you or them.

Here are three ways to get up faster in your business:

•    Get out of bed 30 minutes “faster” and earlier each morning.  Then use that extra time to learn something new about your Product, Industry or Competition.

•    Stop procrastinating! It’s time to quit talking and start doing. Write down a list of high value activities that might be painful but necessary to make you famous in your company then schedule time each day to do those things.

•    Network and Cold Call more than the competition. If you are speaking to 10 accounts each day, pump it up to 15 accounts each day.

And remember, the common fuel to “getting up faster” is URGENCY. Make your body feel it, then help others use it to make decisions more quickly. And by this time next year, you will look back on the autumn of 2009, as the greatest FALL of your career…the fall that couldn’t keep you down.

Customers don’t expect you to be perfect.
They do expect you to fix things when they go wrong.
-DONALD PORTER

“My life insurance was stopped when?!!!” were the words I used with a John Hancock agent this week as she told me they changed their policy and were no longer pulling monthly fees from my credit card. My response was, “Were you going to tell me so I didn’t put my family at risk?” Her response, “We mailed you something. It’s not our process to call customers. It’s your responsibility to check your account.” I could almost sense the “gotcha” in her voice. Furious, I demanded to speak to a supervisor who eventually delivered a resounding, “Sorry sir, that’s our policy.”

Next step…the full-blown manager and department head. Just as I wound myself up like a Jack in the Box prepared to once again eloquently and pathetically express my frustration, a woman warmly and calmly greeted me, asked me three questions, then said, “No problem, we will take care of it.” I hadn’t even had time tell her how I REALLY felt when she made it “all better.”  So what was the difference between associates one and two, and the eventual “solution” representative? Well I believe this woman, like all great service associates, EXPECTS to find a solution every time she faces an issue. Her desire to serve the customer outweighed her desire to serve the “policy.”

So this week, when faced with the challenge of doing the right thing for the customer, or doing the right thing for the “policy,” pick the customer. Or that customer just might take his “policy” somewhere else!

“Let us never negotiate out of fear. But, let us never fear to negotiate.”
-John F. Kennedy

How do you feel about negotiating? Are you afraid to ask for a better deal when making a purchase? Are you also easy to give a deal to those who ask you? Well, if that’s the case, it’s time to change the formula. It’s time to make it a HABIT to ask for more almost every time you purchase something. It’s also time to ditch the habit of lowering your price or throwing something in immediately when somebody asks.  To get better at this, try this exercise.

•    Create a list with three columns before every “selling” negotiation
o    Column 1: What they might they ask for?
o    Column 2: What am I willing to give?
o    Column 3: What will I ask for in return IF I give?

•    Then bring it with you to the negotiation

•    When they ask, look at your list, find something you CAN give, then follow up but asking for something in the third column in return for your willingness to negotiate.

By using this exercise to prepare for your next sales negotiation, you will be prepared to give, but not without getting something in return. And if you give, but also get, you then have the “makings” of a negotiation that leaves two parties happy they did business. And that formula creates success that is non-negotiable.

“I Email, Twitter and Blog…therefore I am.”
-Brian Sullivan

What is the first thing you do in the morning when you get in the office…or kitchen for that matter? Do you kiss your computer even before you kiss your spouse, kids or dog? To prevent communications technology from ruling or even ruining your life, do the following.

1)    Schedule email time- When in the office, only check email at specific times…for instance 10:00 and 2:00 pm. Then put an autorespond message telling others your email schedule. Checking email every five minutes can divert you from focusing on your most important objectives that day. (Time Savings 45 minutes each day)

2)    Honor the Email Sabbath- Pick at least one day during the weekend to go email free. You will get several minutes back that can be spent on better things…like cleaning the garage! (Time Savings 1 hour)

3)    Don’t Bring Facebook or Cell Phone to Dinner. Instead, talk to the face in front of you, and then get reacquainted with that little book on the table called a menu.  (Time Savings- 2 Hours of Apologizing)

By following these tips, you can get back 7 or more hours each week, which accounts to 15 days a year! That’s two full weeks of bonus time that can be spent prospecting for new customers, reading that recommended business book, or just hanging out with your #1 customers…your family and friends.

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”
Mahatma Gandhi

Two weeks ago while on family vacation in Colorado, a well-known philanthropic business executive named Tom Murphy (age 45) was tragically killed when a boulder fell from a mountain and struck his car. Two days after hearing the news, I found his obituary in the paper. As I read it, I was moved by the words used to describe Tom’s life. In fact, he did so much good for so many people they needed to use Kansas City’s biggest arena, the Sprint Center, to host his funeral. Tom left an enormous footprint.

As I set down the paper I wondered what my own obituary would say. And though it might seem a bit morbid, I thought it would be a good “life” exercise to write out my own. At points throughout I wondered if what I was writing was what I HOPED people would say or what they would actually say. This 15-minute exercise helped me to quickly think about what is most important. And I realized if there was any doubt about what would be written, NOW is the time to do the things necessary to take that doubt away. Because I have control over the content written after I graduate to the next life.

So this week, as uncomfortable as it may seem, think about what your obituary would say. Then get to your computer and write it out. This moving exercise will create urgency in you to love more, experience more and to share more of yourself with everyone you meet…a formula Tom Murphy figured out long ago.