How To Get To The Decision Makers – The New Reality of Selling

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It’s not often that we get to have an esteemed guest the level of Kevin Eikenberry (From Bud to Boss) but we have him on The Advanced Selling Podcast.

(Listen to the rest of the podcast “From Sales Person to Sales Leader” : http://www.advancedsellingpodcast.com/from-sales-person-to-sales-leader/)

Also on this week’s episode, Brooke Green talks about how we can cope with the recession by understanding the “new reality” of selling. Also, in our “Mailbag” segment, we address the ever-serious topic of ‘how to get access to decision makers.’ Enjoy!

How To Manage The Sales Process

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One of the most common issues companies have is in managing (controlling) the sales process once it begins.

In this episode, you’ll get advice from all angles!

Enjoy!

Shortening The Sales Cycle and Passing On Price Increases

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These two topics today — how to shorten the sales cycle by changing your perspective — and how to increase prices (if you’re in an industry that is passing on price increases to customers) seem like two distinctly different issues. But once you see these ‘whiteboarded’ you’ll see how they are connected. What connects them is the mindset of the seller.

Raw material and commodity prices are escalating rapidly. Oil, which accounts for a large part in the manufacture of anything is projected to reach $100 by the end of the year. Some project even higher. So, if you haven’t passed on increases yet, you might be soon. This episode will help you with the emotional side of this AND the tactical side.

The High Hazard of High Emotion

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We love emotion don’t we? When we see a coach ranting and raving on the sideline, we say, “Boy, look at that passion!!” Usually, what we mean is “He’s come unhinged-but it’s for a good cause.”

But is out-of-control emotion all it’s cracked up to be in the sales cycle? I say, “No.” Here’s why.

We have a saying in our business when we’re working with clients: “The only emotion that should be seen is the prospect’s demonstration of emotion of why they need to fix their problem.” Not only does your emotion (desire to sell the product, desire for the resulting income, ego satisfaction) not help, it hurts the process.

You want the prospect’s emotion to fill the air and the space between you and him. The more your emotion is on display, the less room there is for theirs to play out.

Catch Yourself

Believe me, this is hard for me to do…and I see it difficult for others. When your points are falling flat and your customer resorts to “Your price is too high,” you WILL get emotional. But it won’t come out as passion…yelling…screaming. It will come out as defensive. And the instant you go defensive, you’ve lost the battle.

Write down the thing that your prospect commonly says that drives you crazy. Then come up with a strategy/device so that when they say it, you stay calm and in the moment. Then you can, logically, walk thru how they got to that decision/conclusion.

And, of course, practice detachment. If it is not meant to be, then you must move on. But don’t use detachment as a way out of the process. Detachment is merely a ‘way of being’ so that you can logically sort out the truth.

How To Sell To Those Who Don’t Know You?

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How exactly do you handle it when you’re calling on someone who doesn’t know much about you? It’s a challenge for virtually every new business developer and in this episode, we devote two segments to it.

In the first segment, Bill Caskey retreats to the whiteboard to give you some ideas on how best to compete with their current vendor. And later, Brooke Green returns to talk about the entire ‘sales cycle’ that will bring about change for your customer (and business for you).

Whiteboard Wednesday Trailer

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Whiteboard Wednesday, a bi-weekly Web TV Show for Sales Professionals, is now available! The show is a tactical guide for any sales person to use in navigating the turbulent waters of professional selling!

If you want to change your results in sales or leadership, you must…must…change your thinking.

Once you do, you’ll find the business market quite easy to pursue. You’ll find that your confidence soars. You’ll find situations that used to frustrate you now become easy.

We suggest that every problem you have in business today is a result of old, antiquated thinking. Isn’t it time to change?

Stop Asking “What’s Your Problem?”

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They won’t have an answer for you…so stop with the asking.

We teach the concept of finding the problem when we guide sales professionals. Yet, how often we hear our clients come back and say “They didn’t have any problems. I asked them and they couldn’t think of any.”

OK. One gold star for asking the question. But two BLACK stars for not asking in the right way.

If your prospect is unaware of problems he/she has then asking them about them doesn’t help them much.

A better approach is to have a list of the 5-10 problems you help companies solve (or address).  Make a list of those and put them in a document. Then, as you begin your sales conversations with people, bring out the ones that are the most relevant.

Some will look at this as some kind of cheap trick–or crutch. We say it’s a great way to keep the conversation focused on the problem the customer has rather than on the product you have.

Do You Really Understand Your Sales Funnel?

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Bill addresses the sales funnel and some misconceptions people have of it. He also gives some advice on what to do with people who can’t decide.

I Love “Low-Hanging Fruit”

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Why does “low-hanging fruit” get a bad rap. Why shouldn’t every business-to-business sales organization be totally focused on low-hanging fruit? Answer: They should. In my world (the world of sales training), low-hanging fruit is defined as the following:

  • A business that has a problem that they are totally committed to admitting and fixing, and they don’t need a salesperson convincing them that they should do something about it.
  • A business organization that has the funds to devote to solving the problem. (In other words, they have the budget and/or will spend money to fix it.)
  • A company that is open-minded and looking for outside help in solving of inside problems. (Some companies aren’t, and if you’re an outsider then ditch them and move on.)
  • A client who doesn’t see you as a vendor—but sees you as a provider of a valuable solution that will improve the wellbeing of the people at the company. (The instant you get into you vs. 10 other bidders, get out.)
  • A company that gives you access to information and people. (They don’t hide the CEO, the CFO or the COO because there’s a policy that they don’t see salespeople.)

Believe it or not, there are companies around that have these characteristics. And if you define these as low-hanging fruit, then have at it. I would suggest that if any one of these elements is not in place, then you have to reach too high, which will take more time, which will cost more money, which will rob someone else in the market of your value.