Sales Training Tactics

Example is not the main thing in influencing others.  It is the only thing.  ~Albert Schweitzer

The best sales presentations to customers are ones that are pre-planned. There are specific objectives, prepared questions, a tight presentation, specific answers to common objections and a repeatable way to get customer agreement. Average and below average sales leaders, however, don’t practice what they often preach. They too often get on the phone or sit with their internal customers (aka their employee) to have a discussion or coaching session, but don’t do the same planning they would expect of their own employee.

First, understand that your #1 job as a sales leader is to develop your people. Which means you need to set aside specific and consistent time to do nothing but coach. And your preparation for your coaching sessions is as important as your salesperson’s prep for a sale.

So this week, before every conversation with a team member, think through the following:

• P reparation- What is the objective of your conversation? What do you wish that person to do as a result of your talk?
• R espect and Trust- What will you do or say to bring the walls down so your associate opens up?
• E ngage with questions-What specific questions will you ask to get the information you need to help them improve?
• C onvey Solution- What specific advice do you have? How will it help them? Why should they do it? When should they do it?
• I ndecision- What will you say if they have objections? Preparing your responses will insure you remain composed.
• S ecure Agreement- What do want? What will you say to get them to agree with you, and then commit to act?
• E xplore- What other opportunities exist to make them better?

By being PRECISE before your coaching sessions, you will be better prepared to get the most out of each employee. And that preparation will allow you to get even more out of your star performers as well improve your underperformers at a faster pace.

Sales Coach and Business Consultant Brian Sullivan,CSP helps salespeople and sales leaders perform at the highest level. For a free PRECISE Leadership preparation sheet designed to make each coaching session better, email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

Salespeople often understand the importance of questioning, listening, understanding needs, and then offering a solution. But too often, when it comes time to discuss price, the air of confidence that they showed while presenting the solution turns into a glob of uncertainty and subtle apology. To be a top performing salesperson or entrepreneur, you need to be as effective at delivering your financial presentation as you do your features and benefits. Below are some tips to keep in mind:

1. Remove the words: list price, about, in-between, it depends…from your vocabulary. These words tell the prospect you are weak and will drop your price in a heartbeat.
2. When you deliver your price, your tone and body language need to say that the prospect is getting a great deal.
3. Remain indifferent to the outcome. In other words, the prospect can’t feel that you are desperate to get the deal done. They must sense that you are willing to walk away.  Which means you better be willing to walk away.

So this week, understand that you control your financial destiny. Deliver a great product presentation backed up by an even better financial presentation, and you will maintain the gross profit margins needed to be a top performer.

Sales Coach and Business Consultant Brian Sullivan,CSP is the author of the book, 20 Days to the TOP- How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less. Sign up for his free 7 Part Video Series on Sales and Negotiations at www.preciseselling.com.

“Be yourself. But be your BEST self.”

During intermission at a recent sales seminar, a student walked up to me and said, “You mentioned customers need to feel that we care about them. But what if deep down I really don’t care about them. I don’t want to be fake.” After spitting up my Diet Coke while wondering if he was kidding, I realized he was not. My response was, “You have two options. Option one is to be true to yourself and find a profession that doesn’t require you to give a damn about others (no clue what profession that might be). Or option two…FAKE IT!”

Of course in communication, it is always best to be yourself…but by adapting you can be an even better version of yourself. In other words, it’s okay to be introverted in sales if that’s who you are. But if you being an introvert means you never make a cold call, then your current “authenticity” isn’t helping you. Same goes for you, Mr. “Never Shuts Up.” If this current authentic YOU means you are the life of the party but haven’t asked a customer, colleague or family member a meaningful question (and listened) in 18 months, then the “real” you isn’t cutting it. There needs to be a fresher version of the “authentic you.”

In short, the person you are now should NOT be the same person you will be next week, next year, or next decade. Replace the words, “This is just who I am,” with the words, “This is who I will be.”  One says contentment; the other says movement. Movement will allow you to be your BEST self.

Sales Coach and Business Consultant Brian Sullivan,CSP is the author of the book, 20 Days to the TOP- How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less. Sign up for his free 7 Part Video Series on Sales and Negotiations at www.preciseselling.com.

“When written in Chinese, the word “crisis” is composed of two characters-one represents danger, and the other represents opportunity.” -John F Kennedy

Have crisis in your business? (And I’m not just talking about your 401k statement in the past week!) If so, history tells us that now is the best time to become famous with customers, your company and your industry. Handle your obstacles well, and you will come out better on the other side. Below are steps to help you turn a tough time into a great opportunity.

1. Remain confident in your ability – Remember, your knowledge and skill is your greatest asset and one obstacle does not change that.
2. Assess – The problem often isn’t the real problem. Question yourself with who, what, why, when and how, and you will often find you were solving the wrong problem.
3. Reach out – You can’t go it alone. The good-will you have banked up comes with a return. But only if you use it.
4. Control Emotion – Remaining calm under pressure is what separates the great from the average. Emotion often gets in the way of logic. And you need logic (with some emotion) to make sound decisions.
5. Get moving – The quicker you solve the real issue, the quicker you can reap the rewards that come with a learning experience. Don’t delay.

So this week, remember that great leaders are made in crisis. And by learning more from failures than even success, you will be given opportunities that wouldn’t exist in perfect times.

Sales Coach and Business Consultant Brian Sullivan,CSP is the author of the book, 20 Days to the TOP- How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less. Sign up for his free 7 Part Video Series on Sales and Negotiations at www.preciseselling.com.

Fall seven times, stand up eight. ~Japanese Proverb

There are only two ways for salespeople to excel. They either need to make more calls than the average salesperson or be better presenters in each call. Top performers do both. Today, let’s focus on what you need to do to increase your chances of being successful.

1. Think of a key product you need to sell this month.
2. Think of a specific number of sales you need to make to achieve your goal on that product. For example, let’s say you need to sell five.
3. Think about how many live presentations you will need to give to get to those five sales. If you are banking on a 50% close ratio then the number is 10.
4. Think about how many cold prospecting calls will you need to make to set up those 10 presentations? Perhaps it’s 40.
5. Look through your list of existing accounts as well as new prospecting list and make 40 checks next to those names.
6. Create at least three curiosity building prospecting questions that you will use with those 40 prospects.
7. Get at it!

The number you control most in this equation is the number of calls you make. By defining the number, you have set a finish line for your activity. While average salespeople are stopping after the third or fourth NO, you will stay focused on that number, knowing that each NO is getting you closer to a YES.

Sign up for a FREE Online Training Module on How to Become a Master Communicator by going to www.precisesellingonline.com.  This module will teach how to turn prospects into friends…and friends into customers.

A warm prospect reaches out and wants to hear about your solution. You set an appointment, do your homework and show up prepared to put on a Five-Star performance. You build trust, engage with questions and offer a solution you know will make them happy. In the end, the prospect tells you they like what they are hearing and tells you to follow up next week. You leave your materials and off you go. The following week you place a follow up call and the prospect tells you they still aren’t ready to move forward. You try again the following week and you get the same response. WHAT HAPPENED? It all seemed so promising at the initial meeting!

So how do you get the Do-Nothing Prospect to do something? It’s simple. You ask! Too many “solution” salespeople and sales “consultants” believe their job is simply to offer solutions and advice, and then let the prospect come to their own conclusion. That mentality is designed to reduce the pressure the prospect may feel. The unfortunate result, however, is that it often reduces the salesperson’s responsibility and potential impact on the end result. Truth is, a third of the prospects are going to buy from you whether you stink at sales or not. A third are never going to buy from you regardless of how good you or your solution are. Which means you are fighting over that middle third. The secret sauce in closing that middle third lies in two words…URGENCY and EXPECTATION.

Below are the steps to getting people to pull the trigger more quickly. Pulling the trigger doesn’t mean you get a YES every time. It just means you are getting the quick truth, be it positive or negative, faster than most. First, it’s important to understand just how important quicker decisions are. For every hour you spend chasing a customer who is never going to buy from you, you are sacrificing an hour that can be spent on other high-value activity. To avoid this, you need to do more ASKING!

1.    Ask…who makes decisions and how they are made EARLY in a sales presentation by asking, “Who as well as yourself is responsible for making decisions?”  Don’t wait until the end. This will prevent you from wasting words on the wrong people.

2.    Ask…for a meeting with the higher-level decision-makers. Don’t assume the person you are speaking to has all the buying power…even if they do. If they tell you they need to take the decision higher up, ask for an audience with that person. EXPECT to be at the table where the real decision is being made.

3.    Ask…your lower level prospect what they think may be important to the other decision-makers with, “What do the others need to hear to come to the conclusion that my solution is a good one?”

4.    Ask…what is preventing us from moving forward after you get the dreaded, “We are still thinking it over.”  Face it…sales isn’t for wimps. So why is it that so many sales “consultants” are afraid to pull the truth from the prospect.  Try something like:

“Sue, please help me to understand something. You mentioned that I addressed all your concerns and that you believe my solution is a good one. The proposal meets your budget requirements and yet I still sense some hesitation. What can I do to get you to move forward with this project and when?”

Is this pushy? No! Remember, you’re not a jerk (how’s that for inspiration). If you’ve done a good job matching your solution to their wants and needs, you have earned the right to ask. By doing so, you will either pull out a real objection and then be able to respond to it. Or you will learn that this may be an opportunity that you need to give a rest for a while.

5.   Ask…yourself how much you are worth. Understand that your most valuable assets are your time and expertise. There is a cost associated with chasing opportunities blindly.

So this month, focus on getting to YES and NO more quickly. No more assuming! A quicker YES means quicker commission. A quicker NO means more hours to fill your sales funnel with new prospects, find new ways to delight current customers, and more time to learn. And who knows, you may even have extra time to take in that baseball game with your #1 customers…your family and friends.

President of Kansas City-based PRECISE Selling, Brian Sullivan, CSP delivers seminars and internet training programs on sales, customer service, leadership and presentation skills to companies of all sizes. To sign up for his free 7 Part Video Series on How to Become a Sales Weapon, go to www.preciseselling.com or email Brian at bsullivan@preciseselling.com.

“Good nature is worth more than knowledge, more than money, more than honor…” 
– Henry Ward Beecher

“How’s it going,” were the words I casually used as I walked past a fellow vacationer in a hotel hallway. The bearded man responded reluctantly, “It’s going.” That was it! No “Fine, how are you?” …or “Great, how you doing?” “Oh well, perhaps the guy is just having a tough day,” I thought. The next day as I carried my 3-year old’s floatie to the pool, there he was. As I walked past him I tried again, “How’s it going?” Sure enough, he responded with the same apathetic grunt, “It’s going.”

As I walked away I wondered why he had chosen to make THAT his response to a simple greeting. Why did he CHOOSE to be cold and uninterested in a stranger who was showing interest in him? So how do YOU greet strangers and even co-workers when you pass them in the hall? Do you look down at your feet as if the answers to life’s problems are on your shoelaces, or do you make the first “warm” move? If you said the latter, congratulations!

So this week, pay attention to every casual encounter you have and be sure to deliver your best. Because with each warm greeting and smile you deliver, you increase your worth and value to your customers, organization and world. In other words, your “stock” value goes up. But perhaps even more importantly, you help other’s “stock” value go up as well. And don’t be surprised if the gift of good nature that you deliver is returned in the form of more knowledge, more money and more honor…whether you intended it to or not.

Brian is the author of the book, 20 Days to the Top-How the PRECISE Selling Formula Will Make You Your Company’s Top Sales Performer in 20 Days or Less. To download a free iPhone App of 20 Days to the Top, go to www.preciseselling.com.

Tired of customers asking you to lower your price? Don’t be. They are supposed to…but only if they are smart buyers. In fact, professional buyers are trained to ask you for a discount five times. Good news for them is that most salespeople buckle after the first attempt. And the rest usually fall after the second. But here’s the good news. You don’t have to be THAT salesperson. The key to great negotiation is preparation and reluctance. First, you know you are going to get asked for a discount, so don’t seem so shocked when it hits. Prepare what you will say the next time you hear it.

For example, you might reluctantly respond with, “I would be able to match that price but that would be without the _______ and the ________. But without those features you won’t be able to _______”

By lowering the price they understand that they are NOT getting the same value. Lesson: NEVER give the same value AND lower your price.

Or perhaps you respond with this, “I am unable to match the price, but I would be willing to provide ______. But to provide that I will need ________.”

See what happened here. They asked for lower price (like they should), you provided something of value other than the price, and then asked for something in return. Often they won’t want to give that something in return and will just stick with the original price. But if they take it, you are STILL happy because you gave…but received something of value back.

So this week, be prepared to hear, “Is that your best price?” But then be even more prepared with pre-planned responses that will increase margins and set you up for your best sales year ever!

As president of PRECISE Selling, Brian Sullivan, CSP helps improve sales, customer service, negotiations, leadership, and presentation skills through seminars and Internet training programs. Follow him on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/Preciseselling

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” -Pericles

The same attributes that make great humans are the same that make great salespeople, entrepreneurs, managers and friends. Think of the people who have the most impact on us. What are their behaviors? How do they communicate? First, the best of the best are selfless in nearly everything they do. And selfless people give without the expectation of getting back. But you know what…they always get back more than they give.

And the same thing happens in business. Those that give more than what is expected will be rewarded with relationships that create customers and loyal associates for life. So this week, think about what more you can give. Perhaps:

• More thanks
• More knowledge
• More patience
• More time
• More respect
• More understanding
• More listening
• More volunteering

In short, by being the type of person who lives with the goal of leaving their mark on others, you can be nothing but successful. And the good news is, the by-product of being a really good person…is you sell a ton of stuff!

As president of PRECISE Selling, Brian Sullivan, CSP helps improve sales, customer service, negotiations, leadership, and presentation skills through seminars and Internet training programs. Visit him at www.preciseselling.com.

The Power of Thought

Take a minute to think of the last conversation you had with yourself. Were you nice or were you a nag? Was there a, “You can do this,” or instead a “You are such an idiot!” If your tendency is to be too hard on yourself…STOP IT! Because the self-nagging adds up. It also sucks the energy out of you and steals the confidence you need to be a positive influence in others’ lives.

The good news is…you have a choice to have your thoughts work for or against you. It’s like choosing the type of food you put into your body. Put in bad stuff to look bad. Put in good stuff to look good. Your mind is no different. Pollute it with negative thoughts, and you will be a negative influence on others. Nourish it with good thoughts, and you will positively impact everybody you touch.

So this week, whether in your car alone traveling to your next sales call or sitting in your office at the end of the day, pay attention to your self-talk. If it’s negative, silence it! Redirect that energy to a thought about you or others that just feels right. Make a habit of finding that energy within you, and it will frequently find its way to others. Touch a ton of people, and there is no way to be anything less than a true success.

Brian Sullivan, CSP teaches sales teams how to steal customers, sell deeper into accounts and discount less. Plus, he put’s on a heck of a keynote or sales seminar!  www.preciseselling.com shows you how.