Posts Tagged "sales training"

Do Your Customers Like Your Reps?

March 22nd, 2016 |no comments

Most customers see sales reps as a necessary evil. They endure them because they need to, not because they want to.

But of course they like your sales people…Don’t they?

The 5 signs that your customers don’t like your sales reps are:

Customer will only see a rep on a set day. If your sales team bring value they will be welcome any day the can make it.
Buyers don’t return call’s or e-mails.
Customers cancel appointments, forget about them or are not prepared for them. (the less sever form of this is the buyer who gives them 10 minutes and sends them on their way).
Your sales people are stuck seeing low level gatekeepers with no access to real decision makers.
Appointment setting for next week takes forever – even when done by a professional appointment setter.

These are the symptoms that show your customers’ don’t want to see your reps.

Building relationships wont overcome this because the customer doesn’t want to have a relationship.

Start offering value and they will be welcomed.

This is an edited extract from my new book “Better Positioning Deeper Conversations More Sales”, Due out May 2016. To find out more and register for pre-release information click here

Questioning the mortar – Sales Skills

March 8th, 2016 |no comments

Getting information from a buyer can be a tough process. Sometimes they deliberately put up a metaphorical brick wall to keep the seller out.

If you question the bricks (specifications, lead times etc) you get the same information your competition does. It is also very hard to get through to the real problems – after all bricks are very hard.

Question the mortar – the weakest part of the wall. Challenge assumptions, words used and hesitations to find out what is really going on.

I bet your opposition isn’t doing this. They don’t have these sales skills.

This is an edited extract from my new book “Better Positioning Deeper Conversations More Sales”, Due out May 2016. To find out more and register for pre-release information click here

Consultative Selling – Partnerships In Action

May 28th, 2013 |no comments

With consultative selling, sales leaders focus on asking the right questions to build relationships.

My last exchange with a car salesman was a reminder of the role sales has in leadership.

After exchanging pleasantries with the salesman he asked the question:

Why are you looking for a new vehicle?

It may seem like a basic question, but the question is a calculated sales and leadership strategy.

In the last few decades there has been a change in the way people interact when making purchases. As more companies have entered the marketplace the landscape has turned in favor of the consumer.

Consumers have more choice than ever and salespeople have had to react accordingly.

The change in the way salespeople interact with consumers today is known as Consultative Selling.

The method works for salespeople on the front lines, but it also works at every level of leadership in any company or group.

The concept is simple, but it does take time to learn.

Just like the salesman I met when searching for a vehicle, you need to understand consultative selling to position yourself as a leader.

How Can We Do Business If We Can’t Be Friends?

May 21st, 2013 |no comments

We’ve talked about bad sales techniques. Let’s discuss relationship-based selling…

Pop star Michael Bolton has received flak for the last 20 years for his song, How Can We Be Lovers (If We Can’t Be Friends)?

Those that give Bolton grief are probably those that still use bad sales techniques.

When it comes to sales, clients need a little time, love and tenderness (okay, enough with the Michael Bolton references). You get the point.

Successful selling happens when real relationships exist between business and client. When clients feel they are truly friends with you there is a trust. From there the business relationship can grow.

Bad Sales Techniques You Still See Today

May 14th, 2013 |1 comment

Bad sales techniques never lead to long-term success.

We’ve all dealt with a pushy salesman.

Whether buying a car or being led into a sales meeting by a friend, it seems everyone has had a poor experience at some point.

An image that comes to mind is the Ned Ryerson character from the Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day. He gets a little too pushy with Murray’s character day after day until one day Phil just wheels back and hits him right in the nose.

That image gave people everywhere a reason to cheer. We’ve all been there.

The truth is that selling is important. We’re all selling all the time. It could be selling our kids on the idea of going to bed on time or selling our partners on a new business strategy. The trick is to use good selling techniques, not bad ones.

Every bad selling technique focuses on winning. Salespeople act as if they are competing against the customer. The result is a win for the salesperson, but a loss for the customer. Bad salespeople do whatever it takes to win even if it only results in short-term gain.

The most successful salespeople take a different approach where both parties are winners. They avoid the bad techniques of the past.

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