Sales Techniques and Tips

2009-12-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

Hate Cold Calling?

Here is an exerpt from a great article by Ari Galper titled: “How To Genuinely Enjoy Cold Calling”

These three points are THE most important aspects of improving your prospecting efforts and start to really enjoy your job!

1. Be Yourself

Engage people in natural conversation. The more natural you are, the more comfortable you will feel. This makes the other person feel more comfortable as well.

Avoid playing a role, especially reading from a script. Most people can tell when you’re using a script. There’s nothing personal about it, and they pick up on that.

Being artificial puts you in the “typical salesperson” category, which is exactly the role most of us detest. It doesn’t feel authentic. And unless you’re a born actor, it makes you feel skittish about cold calling.

Give yourself permission to follow the rhythm of natural interaction. Allow the conversation to “breathe.” Let it be the kind of conversation you would have with a friend.

Practice this and it can turn your cold calls into pleasant conversations. And you may actually look forward to meeting that new person the next time you pick up the phone.

2. Get into the Other Person’s World

Shift your mindset away from what you have to offer and focus instead on what their problem is.
So many of us have been trained think about our services and products, that we don’t think about the client’s point of view. We aren’t really interested in their issues and how we can help solve them.

Be interested in their world and their challenges. You’ll find this intriguing. Most of us have a natural flair for problem solving. We enjoy “fixing things.” So find out what’s going on with the person you’re talking to.

Make sure the solution you have really does “fix it.” Get rid of any hidden agendas and truly listen. Let them know you’re interested in them and their world.

Move outside your own sales agenda to focus on the needs of others. This makes you a better human being and helps you leap past the fear of cold calling.

3. Let Go of Expectations

Never assume anything beforehand. Allow the conversation to be one of exploration and discovery. Stay focused on the dialogue instead of any private agenda.

Determine whether it makes sense to continue the conversation by truly listening. Never presume your prospect should buy what you have to offer, even when it seems they’re a perfect fit.

You are not calling to create a situation that is focused on your personal gain, but on helping the other person. Simply have a conversation to explore whether you can help them in some way. This takes pressure off both of you. You’ll be more relaxed and they’ll be more honest about where they stand.

Believe me, once you start applying these perspectives it will transform your day-to-day worklife. Instead of dreading cold calling, you’ll anticipate the adventure of creating a situation where everybody wins.

Ari Galper, founder of Unlock The Game, makes cold calling painless and simple. Learn his free cold calling secrets even the sales gurus don't know. To receive your 10 free audio mini-lessons visit http://www.UnlockTheGame.com

What are the Best Sales Questions?

2009-06-03T15:08:00.000-07:00

After 25+ years in sales, I have lost track of the number of sales calls that I have been on in my career, but the one thing that stands out more than anything else, is the use (or lack thereof) of the proper sales questions to ask in a call.

When I got started in professional sales, my mindset was that I had to WOW the prospect with my slick sales presentation (okay, flipchart) and impress them with how much I knew about the product I was pitching (the Lanier Messenger!).

Even worse, I was focused solely on delivering the script that I was taught in the sales training class, that by the way, I had just kicked butt in! I mean, it worked so well in training that it had to be a hit in the real world right? Sound familiar to anyone?

It took me a little while to learn, but if I had to identify just one thing that has contributed to my selling success during the last 25 years, it would have to be the questions that I ask during a sales call. So, what do you ask in the sales call? The answer is… it depends!

Huh?

In my opinion, the worst mistake you can make in any sales call, is to approach it with a canned script or preset list of questions that you are determined to ask, no matter what the situation is. It’s important to observe and adapt to the environment that you’re in, read your prospect and everything that is going on around you, and then ask RELEVANT questions.

The really good sales people can ask questions, listen to the answers, assimilate the information they have received and then generate the follow up question(s) on the fly… without breaking a sweat! Sounds easy huh? Well it’s not really, and that is why sales is the hardest, high paying job or the easiest, low paying job you will ever have!

Asking the right sales questions is a complex topic and one that I will build on over the next several weeks, but to get you started, here are some things to think about as you prepare for your next sales call.

1. Who are you meeting with and what is their title?

2. Based on their title, what do you think is important to them?

Operational efficiencies (productivity, lower overhead)
Building Shareholder value
Gaining a competitive edge using technology
Saving money
Gaining market share

3. Google the person you are meeting with. Find some Commonality:

Are they on any social networks? (start with Linked-In)
Find out who they are, where they have worked, how old are they, do they have any kids, etc…
Have you done business with any of their former employers?
Do you know anybody they know?
Do you have any similar interests?
Have you lived in the same places?

4. Reach out to your social network. Do you know anyone who has sold to them?

5. Google the company. See what people think about them (strengths / weaknesses, lawsuits, rants, raves)

6. What industry is your prospect in and how is that industry doing in today’s economy?

7. Who are your prospects competitors? How well are they competing in their space?

8. Are they publicly traded? If so, check out their financials (gold mine!)

9. Check out their website;

What is their main positioning statement on the site?
What is their mission statement?
What are their hot buttons
Get the vitals (number of locations, employees etc…)
What products / services do they sell and where do they sell them?

11. What is their biggest source of revenue? More importantly, is this revenue in jeopardy for any reason? (economy, competition, old technology etc…)

Bottom line here is that you need to think like a private investigator and gather any and all information that you can on your prospect and their company. Some of it might be of little to no value, BUT, you might land on the one thing that is the hot button to a successful sales call.

Once you get all the information you can gather, start to build an image in your mind about what your prospects life and working environment is like. More importantly, put yourself in their "place"… imagine yourself in their job, on their side of the desk. Start to think about;

How do you want to be approached in a sales call?
What drives this person to make a decision?
What benefit will they derive from your product or service?
What will buying your product or service do for them personally? (promotion, less work, job security, recognition, more money)

If you get good at this technique, the questions to ask your prospect will just start flowing out of you naturally… trust me, try it!

Starting TODAY, Stop thinking about being a “salesman” and start thinking like the customer. You will learn more about them, build longer lasting relationships, and most importantly… you will have more successful sales calls!

Now Go Sell Something And Make Some Money!!

Sales Hangout - Sales Questions

Sales Techniques and Tips

What are the Best Sales Questions?