You’re Not Being Tested

February 20, 2018 By 6 Comments

He walked into my office and sat down.  I asked him, “How you doing since our last session?”  He replied with, “I’m still struggling with confidence.  I wish I saw me how others see me.  I want to earn their (prospects) respect and when they come into the store, I want them to value working with me.  I want to offer them value, so they’ll buy from me.”

I asked him, “What do you think would be of value for them?”  He answered with, “The benefits of the machine.  What it can do.  To show them I know what I’m talking about.”

He obviously had been through the standard, new hire sales training program that emphasis’ features and benefits, with a summary test on product knowledge before releasing them into the wild.  This traditional onboarding program gives him great frustration, because he is not making his numbers and the month is closing in 12 days. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Change, Price, Questioning, Role, Technique

What is it going to take to win your business?

October 12, 2017 By Leave a Comment

If you must ask, “What is it going to take to win your business?” you have lost the battle.  Pack up and go home.  You need to and should know the answer to that question BEFORE you submit any proposal.

This is a sign of a desperate salesperson.  A person that needs to make quota, save their job, or save the company by making quota.  No matter the reason, value and/or profitability are absence from the equation.  Plus, you have lost control of the sales process, winning any future negotiations, or selling on value through any referrals.

The sales process is structured in a way to determine and define value.  What is most important?  What are the reasons for someone to change?  What are the risks if someone does not change? [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Price, Questioning, Technique

Prospects Define Value by Your Commitment and Persistence

August 2, 2017 By 1 Comment

Lately I’m hearing a lot of salespeople say they call prospects, leave messages and they never call them back.  Most times the prospect doesn’t answer the phone.  In an age where every phone has Caller ID it is a split second decision is quickly ignore the interruption.  When this is true most of the time, we want to ask ourselves, “Why?”

Salesperson Phone

The strongest influence in personal behavior is weighing the consequences of any action.  What are the consequences of answering the phone or returning a voice mail message of any unknown person?  Another factor in determining what we do and don’t is fear.  Combine those two and here is what the prospect is thinking; “I don’t know this person; I don’t know why they are calling; I’m busy; I’m afraid if I answer, I’ll never get that time back; and if I avoid it, it will go away.”  And guess what, you do.  You stop calling.  The prospect was right! [Read more…]

Filed Under: Cold Calling, Commitment, Prospecting, Role, Technique

What Are You Willing to Tolerate?

July 12, 2017 By 3 Comments

Last week I spent a day on a ride-along with a sales rep visiting existing accounts and meeting new prospects. The conversations during the miles we covered were mixed between business and personal topics. One personal story was about how the rep can’t find her hotspot at home, so she has been using the cell phone as a hotspot. I asked her how long the hotspot was missing and she said about 3 months. She was not sure if her daughter hid it or the dog ran off and buried it in the backyard.

The following week when the sales report came out, she fell short of her weekly goals.  I reminded her about the story she told me about the missing hotspot. I asked her if she is willing to tolerate substandard results at home, she will also accept substandard results at work and she will never succeed if she continued to believe she doesn’t deserve anything better than what she is getting. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Failure, Potential, Prospecting, Role

Whom Do You Admire?

June 21, 2017 By Leave a Comment

I remember growing up and wanting to be a doctor. My grandfather was a doctor and was allowed to smoke Dutch Masters President cigar’s in the house after dinner. I thought that was pretty cool. I’m sure there were other reasons I aspired to be like him, but cannot recall them today.

Recently I asked a new client who they admire and they were caught off guard. They replied with, “Well, I guess my father.” I asked, “How often do you see your father?” “About two to three times a year, I guess.” they answered. “What do you admire about your father?” I asked. Silence. He couldn’t think of anything. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Commitment, Failure, Featured, Role

Not Everyone is at the Cabin

May 12, 2017 By 4 Comments

How many people go to the cabin every week during the summer?  I don’t know the answer and I’m guessing it would be hard to know for sure, but I’m positive not everyone does.  Businesses are still open, people are still working, budgets are being determined and spent, challenges continue to exist and problems need to be solved. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Cold Calling, Commitment, Prospecting

Define Yourself

October 23, 2016 By 2 Comments

During a political season, each candidate defines himself or her­self before their opponent does it for them. As the campaigns heat up and issues are tossed around in the media and discussed with friends and neighbors, you can base your beliefs on what you believe to be true, based on your evaluation of each candidate.

The effort to “define yourself ” is not limited to just political fig­ures. You do it for yourself as a salesperson who constantly opens yourself up for acceptance and rejection in the role you play. You also take the risk of letting others define you, causing you to live according to their definition of you instead of your own. But by defining yourself, when you are rejected by prospects, criticized by others and judged by strangers, you will know their judgments to be untrue because you have decisively defined yourself. who-am-i
When you define yourself, you are consciously deciding what your goals and values are now and in the future. To help stay on track when you are tempted to accept and believe criticism, these goals and values determine your daily behaviors and priorities. Here are three questions to ask yourself about who you are and want to be. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Potential, Prospecting, Role

Fight and fail; the only option worth taking

October 12, 2016 By Leave a Comment

Lately it seems I’ve be learning a lot of lessons.  Which is another way of saying; I’ve been attempting new activities and not achieving the preferred outcome.  This is frustrating for me and I imagine the same for others who are constantly doing the same.

I don’t want to learn anymore lessons for a while.  I want a normal day of mediocrity, filled with a calm contentment and no surprises; like working on an assembly line for a few months. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Commitment, Failure, Potential, Prospecting, Role

I’m a First Responder to a No Soliciting sign

October 5, 2016 By 9 Comments

Last week I made a visit to my neighborhood mobile phone carrier’s retail store and noticed a ‘No Solicitors’ sign in the window.  This gave me pause before entering.  I thought – “I’m a Solicitor, what’s wrong with me.  Why don’t they want me to come in?”

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I peered through the glass like a school boy at a peep show, wondering what is going on inside that I was forbidden to see.  Others inside the store began to look at me and I finally mustered up the guts to pull the door open and walk in.

I stopped as everyone looked at me and said, “I saw the No Solicitors sign.  I’m a salesman.  I sell for a living.  What do you folks do behind the counter?  Are you salespeople?  Can I come in?”  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Cold Calling, Prospecting, Role

You Don’t Need to Educate Your Prospects

July 26, 2016 By Leave a Comment

At the beginning of class I usually ask the question, “What is the goal of your sales call; whether it is on the phone or in person?”  I always hear someone say, “I need to educate my prospect.”  I replied with “Educate them on what?”  They say, “On my products, our services, the company, my experience.”  “Is that where you want the focus during the rest of the meeting – on you?” I response.  “Well, they need to know what I offer in order for them to buy from me.” They say.  “And that’s your goal of the sales call?”  “Yes,” they reply. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Beliefs, Change, Price, Questioning, Technique
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