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Should Sales Hurt?

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By Brooke Green

I was having coffee with a friend of mine today.  He’s a bright, strategically-minded guy, however, he made the oddest comment.  He is an owner of his company and is in front of prospects and clients on a regular basis.  He also happens to know a lot of high level people in the business world. 

We were talking about his sales process, and he said, “I don’t do a great job of getting in front of people, but once I’m with them, they want to buy.”  I asked him how he targets his accounts and he said “cold calls.”  WHAT!!!?  Here’s a guy with a rolodex full of people that respect him and would love to help him – so why is he making cold calls?

Should it Hurt to Grow Your Revenue?
I talk to business development people everyday that feel that it should “hurt” to grow your revenue. Why is that? Is the money worth more if you have to cold call, get lied to, chase someone forever and finally land a piece of business? 

Wouldn’t we rather use our rolodex, ask for referrals, and work with people that want our help? Ahhh–quick and painless and just as (or even more) valuable. When I asked my friend this, he kind of chuckled and said, “I guess so.” 

Is Revenue Growth Right Under Your Nose?
Think about the people that you know and the clients that you are already working with. Instead of working on a cold call script, work on a referral process. My experience is that people will gladly refer you, they just need to know how to do it.  Lay it out for them.

Don’t reinvent the wheel – roll with what you have.

Dear John – Saying Goodbye to Prospects in the Sales Process

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I don’t know how you feel about Karma, but I believe that in order for things to come into your life you need to make room for them.  The same goes for your Sales funnel.

If you have stagnant, energy-draining deals in your funnel, you must move them forward or move them out. It’s kind of like you have a mental bank account.  Stagnant deals are like the buddy who’s always borrowing a buck and promises to repay you. But you never see the money, and trust me, you’ll never see these deals.

If you continue to let the stagnant deals take up space in your mental bank account, it makes it tough for your mind to be “right” about the real deals that are in the funnel and out in the world waiting for you.

What to do?

How to get your sales process back on track?  I like to write  “Dear John” or “Goodbye notes” to these prospects.  It’s not that they’re bad people – it’s just bad timing, or maybe they don’t know how to say “no.”  Let them off the hook.  It could sound something like this……..

Dear (insert your prospect name here): Read more

Sales Strategies For The New Breed of Seller…

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I love this business!!! Where else can you invite total strangers into your office and have an intelligent, inspiring conversation about sales problems and how to fix them? And have everyone leave with hope that one can change outcomes–by changing their thinking.

Well, we just did that in a recent series of seminars. We had more than 100 people take part in the program over four days. Although this is a marketing tool for us, we used it more as a training forum for best practices.

Consequently, I thought our blog readers would like to know what the biggest challenges were (according to the input of the group). And then a few thoughts on what we recommended.

1. How do I position our company (and it’s value) when my customer continues to see us as how we were, not how we are?

2. How do we differentiate our solution and stop being a commmodity?

3. How do we keep the sales process moving–avoid it getting stuck in corporate games?

4. How do I train my people–who sometimes don’t think about selling in the right way?

5. My buyers are more sophisticated, having access to information, prior to our sales team showing up.

Without getting into detail on each one, here is the bottom line (as I see it):

1. You can’t communicate value if you don’t know it and believe it. Most of the time sales people want to “jump to the words.” What do I say to help customers get our value? Perhaps that’s not the first question.

Instead the first question should be: “what is our value”? Or, “how does our solution solve a problem the customer has?” Or, “What are some trends that are causing my customer problems in my area of expertise?” Ask the right questions.

2. Bryan Neale brought up this–if you are constantly talking in sales meetings about “how we get the prospect to say yes,” then your intent is out of whack. Stop doing that. Exchange that worn out intent, with the intent of helping your customer solve a problem. Then, and only then, will you take control of the process.

One of our attendees said it best when he said, “It sounds like the only way to control the sales process is to give up control.” There’s a good student. Simple to talk about. Tough to do. But if you want to accomplish obscenely wonderful things in your business life, you have to change your perspective around intent.

3.  Our capacity to innovate has exceeded our ability to communicate. This kind of goes back to #1. How do we communicate the REAL value of what we do? We do it quite simply–by stating it in a way that allows the prospect to say (or feel), “that’s me.” If you communicate your value by pleading and convincing and persuading, is it surprising that no one’s saying “that’s me”?

A Brief Audio of The Program (20 minutes)
Here is a brief audio of the upfront portion of one of the workshops. It’s only 15 minutes (out of 2 hours) but wanted to at least give you a taste.

Download ExecSemBNBCAbridged.mp3

Lost Your Sales Mojo? Here’s How To Get It Back.

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By Brooke Green

There have been plenty of conversations in our sales training programs lately about something that hits all of us, the loss of “mojo.”  We’ve all been there – one day you’ve got a bunch of deals on the brink of landing, you’re counting your money, and within 24 hours those deals collapse and it becomes obvious to you that you don’t know what you’re doing!!  Now, that’s not the truth, it just feels like that.

Things fall apart because you don’t pay attention to your gut.  What happens when you don’t listen to the voice within?  You……

  1. Don’t ask the right / tough questions
  2. You know you don’t have all of the decision makers in the room, but don’t do  anything about it
  3. Skip steps of your sales process

I could go on and on, but basically you wimp out – you go to your prospect’s process because, at the time, it feels less painful.  How much pain are you feeling now????  So, how do you get your “mojo” back?

Being from Indianapolis, our minister couldn’t help but integrate the recent Colts comeback win into his message on Sunday.  As he said during our sermon, “hope saves.” Hoping isn’t enough, but it has to be alive to get you back up and out there.  Hope is a synonym for faith and trust in my book.  Go back to what you trust – YOUR PROCESS!

Remind yourself what your process is, how it has worked for you in the past, and how temporary pain saves you serious pain later.  Our minister also reminded us of the hope that the Colts hung onto when they were down 21-3 at halftime.  Coach Dungy didn’t remind them of their mistakes during halftime.

Instead, he reminded them of what got them to this point – their PROCESS, their game plan – sticking to what they know works, even when it’s painful.

So, don’t continue to beat yourself up.  Take the lesson and move on.  Trust what you know, stick with it.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you don’t, but you always know you did your best on your terms.

Closing Skills. Necessary? Or Just Annoying to the Prospect?

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I was reading Jill Konrath’s blog on closing skills. Thought I’d add my 5c to it. There’s actually nothing I don’t agree with in it.

Here’s my spin: In professional sales, you are a catalyst for change. Your role is to create an atmosphere with the prospect where truth can occur. If you’re reading this, it’s likely you’re in a relationship sale (vs. a one time sale). The absolute worst thing you can do is ‘get needy’ near the end of the sales process by focusing on closing the deal.

If your prospect–for one nanosecond–feels that neediness (or desperation) then their sixth sense kicks in and they begin to wonder, ‘what is this person’s intent?’

That isn’t a good sign. In most sales training, there is a fair amount of learning around closing skills. We are opposed to that. If you’re doing everything in the sales process well, upfront, then the close should be a natural part of the decision cycle. Not something that requires a move of some kind.

Here are three closing tips:
1. Get better at finding the problem. Sales is focused on problem  solving. When you are poorly trained at finding the problem, then closing skills won’t help you.

2. Have a sales process. The close should be nothing more than the next likely thing to happen as you’re guiding your prospect through the process. No magic moves needed. Most sales people have no process.

3. Ask the prospect when they want to begin solving this problem. You should be asking the prospect what he wants to do next in order to get his problem solved. Your wishes should not enter the picture. (Now, remember, I suggested in #1 and #2 that you should get better at finding the pain the prospect has–then the close is when the prospect asks you, “how quickly can you fix this for me?” Isn’t that better?

In Same Game New Rules, I talk about the process of selling and how vital it is if you’re going to acheive any sustainable sales success. I also say that the prospect needs to be selling you–and therefore, closing you.  That comes along with having a Problem Orientation to your sales philosophy.

Do it the right way and closing skills cease to be an issue. If your sales training program stresses ‘closing skills’ as an important part of the process, then they’re stressing the wrong thing.

A Sales Tactic for the Complex Sale

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Just a short post to tell you something I heard yesterday that was actually quite profound.

I had a client tell me that he has come to realize that when you’re selling something that is a significant shift in thought for the prospect, you have to do much more work upfront in the pain finding and economic justification step. Why?

Because the customer knows there will be a  ‘high cost to changing’ methods. Therefore part of the proposal needs to address this shift and how the selling company can help the customer implement the solution.

Your Solution
Does your solution require a shift in how your customer thinks about things? Does the solution affect many people in your customer’s organization? If so, then think through your sales process upfront so that you aren’t getting ‘objections’ late in the sales process.

Comments?

High Income Selling Strategies-5 Rules To Govern Your Behavior And Actions In The Sales Cycle–For High Performers

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(A reprint from an article appearing in The Agora Business Center in 2006)

Everyone wants to earn more, but few are willing to change their behavior to do so. In fact, my experience tells me that most aren’t.

Yet, in my 19 years of work with the high sales achiever, I find that those people are different and worth examining. Most of them operate with a different set of rules about selling and the pursuit of new business. These new rules help govern their behavior and actions in the sales cycle. I have over 25 rules that I’ve documented, but here are the top five for you to consider:

1. Define what you want to attract.
High sales achievers are very specific about what they want to attract, both in terms of financial outcomes and business relationships. The Universe has an interesting way of delivering to you exactly what you order, so be specific on your order when you place it. The Universe doesn’t respond well to, “I just want to make more money.”

2. Bring up what scares you.
Most sales executive fears are an illusion. The worst thing we can do with fear is to ignore it. That feeling of fear is trying to tell you something and what it’s telling you is, act on it. If you’re in a sales process and you feel some fear about bringing up a difficult subject, then that’s exactly what you should discuss. Reveal what you feel.

3. Never coerce.
It’s been my privilege to work with some extremely high achievers in the profession of business-to-business sales. One thing I find about them is that they are ‘detached from outcomes.’ They spend no time “convincing, persuading, and defending.” And they spend little time trying to coerce prospects into their way of thinking. When you, a marketing and sales professional, begin to encroach on your prospect’s freedom, you become the pain and they’ll get rid of you. Tell people upfront “it’s alright if you decide this is not a fit at this time, let me know and I’ll be gone.” But do that upfront. That way you’re not 18 months into the process when you hear ‘no.’

4. Think “Process.”
The greatest businesses in the world have the greatest processes in the world. So why should a sales professional be any different? Of all the processes that the high sales achiever has, the most important one is the sales process. A great sales process is one where you can, in a step-by-step fashion, lead people from beginning to end with the constant understanding that some people will qualify “out of the process” and you can move on. Not only should you have a process, but you should also be indignant about the prospect’s adherence to it. (Here’s one of my favorite secrets: Great sales processes are better for the prospect because it helps them identify their problem quicker and create a better solution.) If you feel your sales process is only in your best interest, then you’ve got the wrong process.

5. Think ‘Leverage.’
One way to leverage your strengths is to hire other people and train them to do the things you don’t want to do. But as sales professionals–even as high achieving sellers — you might not have the latitude to go hire staff. But what you can leverage is “current relationships.” High achievers never make cold calls. Why would they? They have learned the power of referral marketing. They find a way to use their current client/network relationships to bring them new, ideal clients.

This is not as simple as “give me ten people you know, so that I can go make a sales call to them.” It is a thoughtful, strategic way to generate enough goodwill with your clients that they beg you to get them introduce you to their friends and associates. A great referral program doesn’t work if you’re not thinking “leverage.”

A Last Word
I know from the feedback from our sales professionals readers that you all strive for high competency in selling. I also hear that you are searching for a new way to sell, to communicate your value, to earn money. It is still our quest to help you be that person who earns enormous rewards in selling–without resorting to the same old, worn-out tactics that your worst nightmare sales person resorts to. You need something modern–modern thinking, modern strategy, modern language–to help you to that next level. Thanks to all for your continuous support of this blog and our sales podcast, The Advanced Selling Podcast.

Talking To CEO’s

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The Universe has a funny way of working. It seems to have the attitude of,  “I’ll allow it to happen when it’s ready to happen.” We see this in all phases in our life. We really want something—really bad. But we don’t get it. Then later, we realize we really didn’t want it. What if we were to get everything we think we want? Not so good. The Universe usually knows best.

It’s that way in business too. Everyone’s talking about how they have to call higher or get wider in organizations (call on the President.) But yet, when I ask what they’re going to talk about when they get there, I get mush.

Recently I did an exercise with a client called “Value Mapping.” We looked at the kinds of problems they could  solve for their clients, what kind of value those solutions would bring to their clients, and at what level that value was felt. 

We quickly arrived at the conclusion that much of the value was felt at the CEO level.  Yet, when I asked the account development people what kinds of conversations they had when they got in front of CEO’s, the answer was “We never talk to CEO’s.”

Again, could it be that they aren’t getting in front of CEO’s because they never thought about it? Probably not. I used to think our reluctance to call on CEO’s was caused only by our own self-image. However, I’m beginning to see that there is another issue. Our reluctance stems more from our ignorance of how they think and what they want to talk about than it does our self-image of deserving to be at that level.

Therein lies a nagging and continuous problem in the communication of your value to your client companies. That is – the person who gets the most benefit from your product seldom knows or is involved in the sales process upfront. That would be the CEO.

The first critical point in understanding the discussion you should have with a CEO is to understand how your value or your solutions impact the following areas. These areas I list are the five most relevant topics a CEO deals with daily.  So as you go through this list of five topics, scribble some notes at the end of each paragraph if you bring any value in helping them deal with these issues.

Profitability
Most CEO’s I know have a financial mind. They care about the net income of the company, either on a monthly, quarterly or annual basis. They also care about the trends and the indicators that lead to the final numbers. Does your solution have any impact on profitability?  If so, your conversation with this CEO is quite relevant. If not, maybe you haven’t looked deep enough. The prospect is not going to connect these dots for you. You’ll have to do it yourself.

Employee Retention
With a tight labor market (unemployment less than 5%), especially in key positions, the CEO knows that she has to hang on to her best people. If you provide a solution that helps make employee retention more successful, you will have her ear.

Revenue Growth
Every CEO cares about new business capture, client expansion, new markets and general sales numbers.  They may not care about the process their managers go through to get those numbers, but they do care about the end results. Do your solutions touch that at all?  Before you say no, check it out. Do a mind map, where you start at the left of the page with the problem your company solves—then move to the right with the total impact of that solution. I’ll bet you’ll find some connection between what you do and their revenue.

Market Capitalization
If you are calling on publicly held companies, market cap is a big issue. If you’re calling on privately held companies, “creating stakeholder wealth” might replace “market cap” as the relevant topic. Peter Drucker says, “Businesses are in existence not to create profit but to serve customers.” While I agree, “creating profit” is a first cousin to customer acquisition and wealth for the stakeholders (not just the owners, but the employees, clients, vendors and the entire array of support people).

Vision and Strategy
Most CEO’s, if they are not visionary, should be. Most CEO’s, if they don’t have a strategy, should have one. Sometimes the very simple notion of you asking the questions about vision and strategy will cause the CEO to think about it at a different level. Just because the CEO talks about his vision and strategy doesn’t mean the other people in the organization understand what it is.  j

john Kotter in Leading Change says, “Less than .05% of the time in a leader’s day is spent dealing with company vision.”  So one must never assume that the CEO has done a good job of communicating that vision down the chain.

So as you go through these five relevant CEO topics, do you see any that you could help her with? If there is no link, then say that. But if there is a link, then you can look that CEO square in the eye and say “Ms. CEO, we help organizations who are looking to increase market capitalization and who are looking to expand their customer base.  We’ve got solutions to those problems. You have to tell me whether these topics are relevant to you.”

Check Out Your Selling Language. Is it Empowering You?

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We did a role play the other day in one of our clients. I was looking for language (the words sales people used). After the exercise, the group got into a heated discussion about the language of the new selling philosophy. We then made a list of the words of Selling in the 1900’s. And compared that to selling of the 2000’s.

Read these and check out your language. The language of the 2000’s is empowering language that will keep you in control of the sales process.

The Old Language
 What do I need to do to get your business?
 Here is what this product does.
 Is there any way I could get a meeting with him?
 I really need to see you.
 Here’s what we do…
 How much do you want to pay?
 I’m so excited to be here and to tell you what we have.
 I think I can beat that price
 Features and Benefits (galore)

The New Language
 I’m not sure I can help
 Regardless of what the product does, what are your objectives?
 What kind of cash flow are you expecting?
 What are you hoping the Return on Investment to be?
 Have you done a financial impact study?
 How does this fit with your customers?
 Who else cares about getting the problem solved?
 Why wouldn’t you just keep using the same vendor?
 Let me share with you how our process works

Hope this helps you take stock of your language in your sales process. Check with your manager (or someone around you) to see what they hear.

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