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Podcast Guest Famous!!

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Congratulations to Kevin Eikenberry (Eikenberry Consulting) who was quoted in the NYTimes. He’s a friend of ours who has been on our podcast, The Advanced Selling Podcast.

Here’s the link:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/20/jobs/20advi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. 

While not a big fan of Times political stance, I do admit I get Sunday version and Kevin’s input was well done. His comment was about “what do you do when you’ve bungled the presentation?” I can’t resist a quick comment:

1. Oh well. The more pressure you feel to do it perfectly, the more likely you are to screw it up. Be in the moment. Get detached from what people do or don’t do with it.

2. Be focused on them, not on you. I see this all the time–the presenter really wants to make an impression on people. So much so that he’s self conscious to the point of ignoring the audience.

3. Know you’re screwing it up as you’re doing it. You should be aware when something’s not going right. If you’re too self-absorbed you won’t be in the moment — and you’ll be blind to the fact that people are falling asleep (don’t laugh, I’ve seen that. And the presenter went right on talking). And if you become aware of it (here’s the $100,000 move), call it. Say, out loud, “I feel like I’m not connected with you. Can we stop and take stock of where we are?” For God’s sake. If it’s not going right, the worst thing you can do is keep digging a deeper hole.

Oh, and 4. If you’re presenting your solution too early in the sales process, then that’s a mistake in and of itself, even if it’s smashingly good.

“How Can I Regain Control of a Sales Process That’s Out of Control?”

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I got this question from one of my clients last week. The more I thought about it, the more I realized that this is a common problem for sales professionals–especially in complex (long) selling cycles.

Let’s start at the top. You are in sales to solve problems. The solving of your customer’s problems will pay you GOBS of money (more money than merely ‘selling them stuff’ will). You must recall that there is a natural order to life in sales.

Problem. The Process. Then Product.

When you begin a process, the customer problem should be at the top of the agenda. Every time you meet with your prospect, you start with “can we review the pain?” (Maybe not those exact words, but you get the idea).

The reader’s conundrum comes later in the sales process when things drag down–momentum gets lost. Here’s the revelation: The velocity is lost because the original problem has worked it’s way down the priority list. It’s nowhere on an agenda. It’s not top of mind anymore.

In fact, I’ve seen sales processes that get bogged down–and when I ask the seller, ‘when’s the last time your reviewed the customer’s problem?’ they say, “not since the first call.”

Hmmmmm. Something odd going on here.

The main reason you’re going through all of this work is not even talked about anymore???!!! Lesson: You must keep going back to the original reason–the primary purpose of the sale. Revisit the pain, often.

They Won’t. You Must.

But the prospect won’t do this on his/her own. You’ve got to do it. So that was my answer–unglamorous as it was. No cool, one-liner. I didn’t even resurrect the late 60’s sales move of, “if I could show you a way, would you buy today?” Just plain talk about what’s really happening.

==We’re going to be doing more ‘ask the coach’ in our blog. So fire up your fingers and pose your toughest challenge (or email us).

Want To Learn Communication? Don’t Watch Bush!

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I voted for him, but I’ve never quite seen someone so inept at communicating to people. His poll ratings reflect that–more than they do policy questions. If he’d have been in my seminar in January in DC and had asked me how to handle the Port deal (Dubai World Ports), here would have been my suggestion. (I know he won’t read this–this is really for you–the advanced seller). By the way, I’m not supporting or in opposition to the port deal. I’m merely pointing out errors in process.

TIP 1. Always say immediately what you’re going to say eventually. You can’t hide from the truth so why bother? Caskey: “GW, go on TV and say, ‘Folks, we are looking for ways to create better inspection at our ports and we are talking with some companies. Yes, we are even talking to some foreign companies. I’ll keep you posted.'”

TIP 2. Keep ’em posted. When will GW learn that he needs to inform us directly, rather than waiting until the media does it? The media leaves out important information that he could include. But if he can’t sit down and have a discussion with us, with some charts and graphs and graphics (yes, maybe even a PowerPoint), then you can’t blame us for listening to the media. Where else would we go to get our information? Come one George. Keep us posted. Not on spin, but on facts.

TIP 3. Keep the original intent on the table. In sales, whenever we get sidetracked with objections from our prospects, we always go back to the original pain–the orginal intent–why is the customer wanting to solve this problem? He should do the same. “Folks, here is what we found. That in order for us to run our ports effectively and safely–with a maxmimum of protection–we are looking at one of the largest companies in the world–Dubai. Here is why I’m leaning toward them….a), b) and c). Let me give you some of the ports they manage. Let me tell you what I heard when I talked to the countries they worked with. ”

But the bottom line is he didn’t do any of that. Some of you will say, “yes, but he didn’t even know about the port deal.” To which I would say, yeah, right.

Rule #9-Stay Behind The Prospect

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[STAY BEHIND THE PROSPECT]

This is part two of many, on Rules we use in our trainnig with business-to-business sales teams.

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This means to be slightly less positive than your prospect. This might go against everything you’ve heard about professional sales….”be enthusiastic…it’s contagious.” I don’t find that to be the case.

If you’re going to be Selling From Strength, you have to create space for the prospect to convince you that they have a problem worth solving…and you can’t do that when you’re more positive than they are.  If a prospect says, “I’m not sure we’re interested,” you say, “I’m not sure you should be.” If a prospect says, “We already have a current supplier” you say, “Maybe you should stay with them.” If the prospect says,”Your solution is great, I want a proposal by tomorrow” that’s equally as dangerous…especially if it transgresses your process.

Here is where you have to slow them down by getting behind them. ”Wow, that sounds kind of quick…I’m still not sure I fully understand what you’re trying to fix. And if I don’t understand it yet, how am I going to be able to recommend the best solution? Can we take a step back for a moment?”

How is this relevant to me and my business? Mentally check back to the last few calls you made. Did you sound like you were needy for the sale? If you did, then you were too far in front of the process.

My suggestion is to play a game–with yourself. The game is, create the environment where they are convincing you. Afterall, they’re the ones with the problem, so why should you be convincing them to buy?

Are Your Canaries Still Breathing?

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You know the story of how canaries were used in coal mines–miners would take the birds down because their metabolism was sensitive to poisonous fumes. If the canary died, that was a leading indicator of danger for the miners.

As an advanced sales professional, you have to have your own set of canaries to serve as indicators for what’s happening to you in the sales process. The best indicators are words used by both you and your prospects. Here are three phrases that are warning signs your sales process is in trouble.

[1] “This is a done deal.” Typicalliy this is spoken by you when descibring the deal to your manager. As a sales coach, when I hear a person say this, I know the deal is in trouble. If you feel a deal is a “done deal,” then you will get sloppy. Usually, this sloppiness happens at exactly the wrong time in the process. If you find yourself saying this–or your people say it to you—beware. The deal is about to unravel.

[2] “That was a very good presentation.”  Usually spoken by a propsect after a lame presentation. You don’t want your presentations to be “good,” you want them to move people to “action.” When I hear I did a “good job” I know I fell short. If you hear that, say to the prospect, “I’m not sure I hit the mark. What didn’t you like about it?”

[3] “He just needs a little more information.”  Usually spoken by a sales person after the prospect has asked for more stuff. I have some bad news…there is never enough stuff (info) to share. If you’re hoping to fill up the belief gap (that gap that must be filled before a prospect will believe you have the right solution and act on it) with information, you’re dreaming. More information never sold anyone. What sells people is the pain they experience by not getting what you have. IF you can’t communicate that, then you’ll keep believing that information is what’s lacking.

These are just a few indicators that your sales process is messed up. I coach people that it’s better to do something about these indicators when you hear them, than to have your head in the sand.

Habits To Break

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Since the name of this blog is called Advanced Selling Strategies, I can think of no better post than to coach you a bit on “habits to break.” I see these habits so ingrained that you may not even think they are ‘bad.’ But they are.

[1]  Talking Excessively. I know–this doesn’t sound very advanced–but it’s simple. Just shut up and stop convincing people of how much you know. Let your buyer work a little bit. They will.

[2]  Presenting Before You Know The Problem. It’s hard isn’t it? Every fiber in your body is screaming to present your knowledge. But if you do it too quickly, they won’t have a chance to *make the connection* between what you have and what they need.

[3]  Doing Something Without an Agreement.  What that means is if someone asks you, as a sales person, to give them a price or give them a demo, slow down. Don’t do it unless you have a fairly good understanding of what will happen next. You control the process so never do anything without a clear agreement.

[4]  Having a Meeting Without an Agenda.  I see this mistake made even by seasoned pros. Always have an agenda on a first call. You can send it to them in advance, or you can bring it with you. But have one. It helps you. It helps them. Stop winging it.

[5]  Saving The Money Discussion for the End. In the sales process, talk about money early–right after the prospect admits his problems to you. You bring it up. But always do it in the context of the cost of the problem to be fixed. There are two sides to the economics discussion–the cost of the problem, and the cost of the solution. Cover both. Don’t let your buyer talk about the *price* side only.

Call The Game

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Calling the game is a strategy that you use when there is something going on in the sales process that could qualify as a ‘game’ being played by the prospect.

It typically happens when they begin to see you as a ‘salesperson’ who is interested only in getting the sale. In essence, many times when a game is occurring, it is actually you that caused it, especially if you have noticed yourself launching into pressure tactics and amateur salesmanship.

But…
Calling the game is difficult. It requires you to a) know when it’s happening (when every bone in your body might be telling you to ignore it, b) keep them OK while addressing it (while keeping yourself OK with addressing it), and c) address it straight on.

This post will give you practice at calling the game. Now, one note: the intent of this is not to imply that people play tricks on you—or are out to get you. It is human nature that people play games when there is pressure in the relationship–or when they are Not OK for some reason. Don’t think of ‘calling the game’ as something to “do to” someone else. Think of it was a way to create more honest, meaningful dialogue with your prospect.

Most Common Games

1. Not Being Honest. This happens everyday. It has its source usually in some kind of lack of trust (or lack of apparent pain). It happens when you know there are problems, yet your prospect refuses to share them with you. You asking more questions won’t help. They’ll continue to lie. It has a couple of face; “Aren’t I Cool?” “You’re Just A Salesperson” and “Your Competitor Is Really Good.” All of these have at their root a need to feel OK.

2. Withholding Information. “If I told you that I’d have to kill you.” People get freaked out when asked for information. Yet, you, as a problem finder and solver, need certain information to know what the diagnosis should be. This usually happens because of lack of trust, they don’t know what you’re going to do with it (afraid it may come back to bite them), or they don’t know (and they might be embarrassed about that).

3. Not Taking Action. This occurs after you’ve been through the sales process and they still aren’t taking action. They continue to give you stalls and objections far after they should. The game here is “Postpone the solution.” Or “Hope the problem goes away.”

How To Call The Game
Here are some tips on calling the game.

1. Decide that it’s in their best interest if you call it. In other words, call it from a place of high intent, without trying to catch them (don’t play “Gotchya!” with them. That’s a game sales people play.

2. Make the message neutral. Two ways to do that. 1) Use “I” messages. “I’m feeling like..” or “I must have said something earlier that caused us to get here.”  Or 2) use neutral language as if you and he are looking down at these two people: “Here’s where we are right now.” Or, “Here’s what I think might be happening.” Or, “As I look at where we are right now, I observe that we……”

3. Ask if they’re feeling it too. This might be tough, because they might lie again and say ‘no, not feeling it.’ Pick your spots when you use this. This is truly a bonding experience though if they are feeling pressure and they are free to admit it. You can also say ‘you may not be feeling this’ or ‘you may not have the same impression.’

4. Deliver the call. Say what it is you’re going to say. Don’t make it long and drawn out. Don’t get verbose and say “do you know what I mean?” or “Do you know what I’m trying to say?” Just say it and leave it be.

5. Ask for help. After you’ve said your piece, ask them if they have any ideas on how we might continue. What they say here will go a long way toward knowing if this is a person you can trust to get out of the game.

6. You can always leave. In our philosophy of selling, you have to deliver optimum value to clients. That’s what this is about. If a prospect lies to you, how can you possible deliver your highest and best value? That’s why ‘calling the game’ always has an option of ‘you can leave.’

Sure We’re Sane, Or Are We?

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I’ve always heard the definition of insanity is: Doing the same thing and expecting different results. But I happened on another definition the other day that I think it applies to the business world. That definition is: Trying to manage things we can’t control.

When you think about it there’s a whole lot more things we can’t control than can. Yet we make a valiant effort to create certain outcomes–when certain outcomes are going to happen no matter how bad we want them.

Take the average sales process.

We work, and we work, and we work trying to create an optimum process that ushers people from the suspect stage to the prospect stage to the client stage. Granted there is quite a bit of “influence” we can have on that process. But control it? No way.

So in my training I tell people that creating some influence and input into the process is quite sane. Trying to control it is total insanity.  By determining what is “in” and “out” of our control we can create a clearer pattern of thinking that allows us to do the next right thing in an attempt to influence the outcome of the sale–yet stop short of driving ourselves crazy when we are dealing with complex, irrational (and sometimes insane) buyers.

Raise The Yellow Flag!

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It’s your responsibility as the seller to raise the yellow flags. What are yellow flags? They are those objections that customers usually raise–but in our method, it’s up to us to raise.

If you are going to control the sales process–which you should–then you have to be the one raising objections. The person with the power in the sales process is the one with the objections. That’s why we teach salespeople never, ever try to overcome the prospect’s objection.

Instead, think of all the things that could get in the way of the sale and make that your Yellow Flag List. Not talking to the right person? Yellow Flag it. Never bought from you before? Yellow Flag it. They haven’t convinced you they really have a problem worth solving? Yellow Flag it.

Stop using the old selling system of Persuade, Convince and Defend. Instead, be more discernng about who you work with. Make them come to you!