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Episode #422: Mailbag Monday from Down Under

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootIt’s a two-part question Mailbag Monday at The Advanced Selling Podcast.

In today’s episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale answer questions from Luke in Australia.

Are you looking for ways to help your prospect calls be more effective?

What if your prospect doesn’t talk or engage in your conversation?

Bill and Bryan will help you examine your messaging, context setting and your process. Are you bringing a “I hope they say yes in this meeting” energy to your conversations?

Learn how to focus on the right things and make your interactions more effective in this episode.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

Episode #420: Closing Deals on the Golf Course

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootThey make it look easy in the movies: Closing deals on the golf course. How does it work in real life?

In today’s episode, veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale share their 5-step plan for conducting business while you entertain clients.

Are you taking prospects to sporting events, concerts, or a round of golf?

Are you wondering how to maximize those opportunities?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, two non-golfers will give you their tips for managing expectations, knowing the appropriate etiquette and where/when to wine and dine your prospects in the sales process.

Don’t take Hollywood’s word for it— closing on the golf course isn’t as easy as it looks.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

Episode #419: Are You a Lonely Salesperson?

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advancedsellinpodcastgraphicbootAre you on an island all alone? If you’re the lone salesperson or feel unsupported in your sales role, this episode is for you.

Veteran sales trainers Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale share tips and strategies you can use immediately to reduce the feeling that you’re all alone with nowhere to turn.

Are you a consumer of the knowledge around you?

Do you surround yourself with people who are like-minded?

In this episode of The Advanced Selling Podcast, Bill and Bryan will give you their checklist of things you can do to help feel like you’re a part of a community and fighting the sales battle with others around you. Be lonely no more. Listen in to find out how.

Also mentioned in this podcast:

Salesperson Stereotypes and How to Avoid Them

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by Bryan Neale

If you’re reading this, you’re likely a salesperson or thinking of becoming one. What you may not realize is that you probably scream “SALESPERSON” when you simply enter a prospect’s office without even knowing it. I find many salespeople, including the most seasoned professionals, do things to perpetuate the stereotypical salesperson.

So what does the world think of “our noble tranche of peddlers?” In several recent sales training meetings, I asked my classes to do the old “I say a word (in this case ‘salesperson’) and you write down the first thing that comes to mind” trick. Here’s a sampling from the list they came up with:

  • Used Car Salesman
  • Greedy
  • Pushy
  • Talk too much
  • Aggressive
  • Money Hungry
  • Egotistical
  • Annoying

Ouch!  Nothing positive here. As a salesperson you ask, “What can I do to avoid being saddled with any of these descriptors?”

1-Recognize this is where it starts:  No matter what you do, people will pick up on the fact that you’re a salesperson and will form the above opinions of you UNTIL you give them a reason not to. If you even demonstrate a morsel of the behaviors above, you’re dead.

2-Think Differently:  A good deal of the training I do involves teaching people to think differently. Most of the negative characteristics above stem from flawed thinking. Salespeople either think they have to be a certain way OR their thinking drives them to behave accordingly.

3-Shut Up and Relax: The greatest sales calls are those where you as the salesperson literally don’t say anything. Calls like these typically involve the client sharing pains and problems you can help solve. You think you are breaking the rules by sitting there and listening vs. talking (and presenting) the whole time. Be OK with NEVER presenting anything. Often a very simple one-page synopsis of the client’s problem and how you intend to solve it is all you need. Don’t feel like you HAVE to present. You don’t.

4-Don’t Fake It: “Who you are screams so loud I can’t hear what you’re saying.” I love that quote. It’s so true. We all give off a VIBE that others can pick up and analyze. You do it everyday. You talk to someone who’s happy. You talk to someone who’s unhappy. Neither has to tell their state of happiness—you can just tell. Prospects are the same. They can tell when you’re after the sale. They can tell when you’re reaching for their wallets before they do. They can tell when you’re having a bad month.

Just be you. In the moment. Present. Objective. Nothing else.

Waiting is the Hardest Part

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By Brooke Green

What’s the hold-up?
Almost daily, I hear that one of the hardest aspects of selling is waiting for the prospect to catch up with you.  “Why do they take so long to make a decision? “ “They said they needed help.  I laid out my solution to fix their problem.  So what’s the hold up? “  Maybe this dilemma is a gift.

Discovery
Think about it.  Sometimes when we talk to prospects, we uncover problems that they didn’t realize they had; or, the problem is much bigger than what they had thought. Shortly thereafter, we work with them on how to solve that problem they didn’t realize they had – asking them to invest time, money, resources.

Then, when they can’t tell us immediately that we are the people they believe can help them fix this problem that is bigger or new to them, we get frustrated.

What is your intent?
We need to meet people where they are.  What does that mean?

A really good salesperson is really good at uncovering problems.  He/she also operates from a place of “how can I bring value to this situation?” not “how can I sell something?”  If your intent is to help, truly help, you’ll wait until the prospect can accept your help.

We’ve all been in the situation where we’ve pushed our solution on someone, and if they aren’t ready, it’s more painful for everybody than the original problem.

Sometimes it’s about the prospect believing that the problem is real, and then believing that you are the person that can help them solve it.  If you can help them get to that place (and be patient in the process), you become an invaluable resource, a trusted advisor.         

So remember, if it doesn’t happen on your time, it’s probably happening exactly the way it’s supposed to.

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.’