Sales Training Tips: It’s Not All About You You Know!
What are your goals? What are your aims? How many sales do you need to make this month? What is your annual sales target? What does your product or service do? How much sales activity do you need to do every month? How many cold calls do you need to make to close enough sales? How many networking meetings do you need to attend? How many client sales meetings do you need to run? How many sales presentations do you need to make? What does your sales conversion ratio need to be? What price do you need to sell at? What do you need to achieve in sales negotiations? What do you want to achieve in your sales role? What do you want to achieve in your life? What do you want your legacy to be?
All great questions, what do they have in common?Attend a typical sales meeting and you may hear the following questions thrown around…
What are our sales targets? What sales activity do we need to undertake? What are our sales KPIs? What do we need to do this month to hit our targets?
All great questions, what do they have in common? Have you got it yet?
They’re all about you and what you want. They’re all about your company and what your company needs to achieve and do. Most people live their lives on “Me! Me! Me!” but that’s not good enough when your clients live their lives on “Me! Me! Me!” too. To be a truly great salesperson you need the “Me! Me! Me!” drive and ambition but when you get in front of prospects and clients you need to be “You! You! You!”. We are, after all, supposed to be servicing our clients.
When did you last ask, “How can I help my clients this week?”
Targets, KPIs, activity reports, conversion ratios, sales skills – they are all very important and they are all things which I help clients with when helping with sales force development and sales training but in the midst of this important stuff we must not forget about our clients, their needs and their agendas. To achieve uncommon sales success in today’s challenging markets you need to demonstrate to your clients and your prospects that you really, truly believe and care about them and the only way that you can do this consistently is by genuinely, really, truly caring about them.
Sales training and sales seminar delegates often tell me that they cannot get their clients to open up to them fully. Many think that either a) this is not possible much of the time or that b) they are missing some magical technique that will enable them to achieve this in their sales meetings. Both thoughts are wrong.
Clients do not open up to salespeople because they know that they do not really care about them, because they know that they are not really interested in them, because they do not trust them to enough to share with them fully and because they know that they only want to make a sale.
They worry that anything they share with the salesperson will be taken down and used in evidence to sell against them.
You may think that this is harsh but if you take a deep breath, go inside and get honest with yourself, brutally honest, you know that it is true… at least some of the time! Even if not for you, for some of your peers and sales colleagues in any case!
Learning to truly care about your clients, to embrace this new paradigm of selling and to make your sales calls about your clients and not all about you is something that I cover in my sales training and sales development programmes. It’s incredibly powerful and effective to use and this non-pressurized and client-centric approach makes selling easy for even the most sales shy. For experienced salespeople, making your sales calls more client-centric will help you to build stronger relationships with your clients, sell on value not price, shortening sales cycles and close more deals.
Sales training question of the week: What can you do today to make every sales call you conduct all about your clients rather than all about you?
How Robert Fed The Ducks!
For the last few days I have been having a long weekend staying in Grassmere in the Lake District. Beautiful. And for once the weather has been beautiful too. Mid afternoon today I was sitting drinking a tea in Bowness by Lake Windermere and a little family (Mum, Dad, two year old boy) arrived to have refreshments too. They looked hot, thirsty and ready for tea. Mum sat down and Dad asked her what she wanted. “Tea,” she replied. He then turned to the boy, “Robert, what would you like?”
The two year old, wearing blue shorts and a white t-shirt and still standing up puffed his chest out, looked his Dad in the eye and stated, “Feed ducks!” Dad looked straight back at him and asked again, “What would you like to drink?”
“Feed ducks,” came back the reply.
“We can feed the ducks afterwards Robert but we are sitting down for a nice drink now, what would you like?”
“Feed ducks,” Robert shot back decisively and like a boy who was not to be messed with.
“Robert, we are having a drink now so sit down and tell Daddy what you would like,” said Mum.
“Feed ducks,” retorted Robert.
“Robert, we are having a drink now,” said Mum, “If you don’t behave yourself there will be trouble.” “Yes Robert,” agreed Dad, “Decide now or you will be sorry.”
“Feed ducks.”
“Robert, if you don’t behave we won’t have a drink,” said Mum.
“Feed ducks.”
Various items were picked up off the table, Mum stood up and Robert and the family disappeared off towards the edge of the lake where they stood peacefully and Robert got to… feed ducks.
As a motivational speaker and sales training consultant I see a lot of salespeople every day who could do with a shot of Robert’s tenacity and persistence. In sales seminars, I see a lot of salespeople who could do with a jolt of Robert’s determination and purity of focus. Robert got what he wanted by deciding what it was and then taking action until he achieved it. It wasn’t clever, it wasn’t pretty but it worked.
And a lot of salespeople and business builders that I know could do with being a bit more like Robert.
Too many salespeople spend their lives looking for a reason why they cannot ask for the deal, why now is not the time to close and why the client might say no. In my sales seminars, I teach cutting-edge sales techniques that take the pressure off your prospect and help them to make the right decisions for them. I help salespeople to get away from ABC (Always Be Closing) and apply truly consultative selling techniques and strategies…
But as Robert demonstrated, selling is all about tenacity and persistence and sometimes it doesn’t matter how you do it, you just have to take action.
The Sales Apprentice 2009: Sales Training Tips From The Hit TV Show, Week 12, The Final
The final of the Apprentice. Cool, professional Kate versus passionate, entrepreneurial Yasmina. Their brief, design and pitch a new brand of chocolate. Sir Alan said they were his best candidates ever and that it was his hardest decision yet. Either could have won. Yasmina did.
So that done (!), I thought I would sum up some of the core sales training lessons from this year’s Sales Apprentice…
On sales motivation and mindset…
- Top sales performers perform, they don’t talk about performing. Sales is not about what you say you’re going to deliver. Sales is all about what you actually do deliver.
- Sales success is all about action. Success in sales does not come to those who watch the game. Success in sales comes to those who pick up the ball and play their hearts out, right the way to the final whistle.
- Maintain your focus because sales superstars are focused. They know what they want. They work out how to get it. And they take action to achieve it.
- Sales success is about taking responsibility – responsibility for yourself, your sales activities and your sales results.
- Sales success is directly related to effort.
On prospecting…
- Know your client, know your client, k-n-o-w your client.
- Set objectives for all sales activities and prospecting calls.
- Get proactive and get your prospecting done. Procrastination and lethargy are the enemy of successful new business winners.
- Get yourself in the right mental state for cold calling. Attitude is your ability to access your skills.
- Know where to expend your energy. Working smarter is the route to success.
- Know your product. Know your product. Know your product.
On selling…
- Under promise and over deliver. Delivering on your promises is essential in any business.
- Develop trust and credibility if you want top class client relationships.
- Always give 100%. Nothing short of 100% if good enough if you want to be a sales superstar.
- When negotiating, sound like you believe in what you’re saying and plan your negotiation tactics and strategies.
- Sell on value and not price.
- Maximize the impact and effectiveness of your sales activities.
- Understand your clients, their markets and their needs. Your sales presentations need to be matched and tailored to suit their wants and needs and not just your own.
- Ask better questions. Listen harder. Seek to fully understand your clients.
- Know that people buy on emotion and justify with logic.
On presenting…
- To make powerful and persuasive sales presentations you need to know your stuff, you need to know what you’re presenting, you need a solid and proven structure.
- Know your audience. Know your audience. Know your audience.
- Do your preparation and planning.
- Have a call to action. People need an incentive and encouragement to buy now.
- Practise. Practise. Practise.
- Give 100% and be yourself.
On sales leadership…
- Watch out for sales terrorists in your business who focus everyone on the negative and undermine your business. In today’s turbulent economy you cannot afford to have negativity like this in your teams.
- Utilize the skills of your team effectively. Different people have different strengths and different weaknesses and using these to best advantage is key.
- Be approachable and personable so that your team will communicate with you, confide in and support you.
- Encourage involvement and participation and create team spirit.
- Take responsibility and make decisions.
- Judge the reality of a situation not just what you believe it to be.
- Learn to delegate. Being a great leader is not about being able to do everything yourself.
- Get the right salespeople into your business to build high performance sales teams and get great sales results.
So that’s it for another year. What did you learn and what are you going to do differently to get the sales results that you want?
Better Business Focus Magazine, May 09
One of my articles was feaured in Better Business Focus magazine, the essential key for business owners and managers, again this month. Better Business Focus magazine focuses on the way in which successful businesses in the UK compete and manage their organisations. It focuses on how people are recruited, coached and developed; on how marketing and selling is undertaken in professional markets as well as in markets with intense competition; on how technology and the Internet is reshaping the face of domestic and home business; and on how people are being equipped with new skills and techniques. In short, it offers expert inspiration for a better business.
To read this issue click here now. Featured in this month’s issue are…
- Game of chance by Bob Apollo. Tips and tricks for practive pipeline management. Article for sales directors, CFOs and finance directors.
- Coming over clearly by Amanda Vickers. How to make the right first impression. Article for sales directors, sales managers and salespeople.
- CSR or so what? by Graeme Crossy. How to use CSR to open doors for your business. Article for entrepreneurs, business owners and managers.
- Entreprenurial tips by Theo Paphitis. 5 tips to help you to improve your business. Article for entrepreneurs and business owners.
- How the Bowen technique can help yourposture and increase your productivity at work by Jo Lunn. How to correct your posture and feel more confident and positive. Article for everyone.
- Your slip is showing by Barry Urquhart. How to be different and to maintain your standards. Article for business owners, managers and retailers.
- Time to manage by John Niland. Time management and finance tips for consultants and business owners.
- Successful selling lying on your back by Gavin Ingham. Tips for improving your sales skills. Article for salespeople, sales managers, sales directors and business owners.
- 10 strategies to ensure that your marketing is a success by Chris Cardell. Tips on how to market your business more effectively. Article for marketing personnel, business owners, entrepreneurs and managers.
To read this issue click here now.
10 Tips For Confident Cold Calling # Sales Training Video 1
I’ve been really busy the last few weeks with two of my sales seminars, Close the Deal and Sales Negotiation Skills, and speaking at several sales conferences so it has been a little while since I’ve posted onto my blog. Given the challenges that some salespeople and business owners are facing at the moment with trying to win new business I wanted to do something a little different…
This No Fear Cold Calling video, 10 tips for confident cold calling, will help you to be a more successful and more effective cold caller. Based on my forthcoming Real World Sales Skills book this mini sales training video was originally going to be a paid series of sales training videos but, with the exciting projects coming up, I decided to make it available for free!
This sales training video will be perfect for you if… you don’t like cold calling and you want to be more confident and more proactive, you’re indifferent to cold calling but you want more structure and more success and if you are a great cold caller but you want to sharpen your sales skills and keep your competitive sales edge.
In it you will find tips and strategies for:-
- Planning & preparing powerful opening statements
- Getting into the optimum cold calling mindset
- Getting your prospect’s attention fast
- Engaging your prospect in meaningful conversation
- Staying upbeat & up for it
- & much more…
If you like this video please refer it to your friends and comment on it. I have embedded it from Youtube to make it easy for you to forward to your contacts, colleagues and friends who are involved with selling.
If you want to know more about my cold calling books, audios, seminars, videos and programmes then check out these cold calling sales training resources.
How To Destroy Sales Rapport Real Fast!
As a sales motivational speaker I get the pleasure of working with thousands of salespeople every year and I get asked about many sales training challenges that they face. One area that rears its ugly head quite frequently is the act of reaching and building rapport with senior decision makers.
Many succesful salespeople who prospect new clients effortlessly every day can be pushed out of their comfort zones by asking them to contact CEOs, MDs and COOs. The ability to find, locate and build rapport with senior decision makers is critical if you want to be a sales superstar.
Unfortunately, many mistakes are made in this area as many salespeople freak out when they are faced with a senior decision maker. Here are 9 mistakes that can put a downer on your meeting fast.
- Trying too hard to get rapport. Desperate is not attractive and shows you up as junior and less important than them.
- Talking to them in too much detail. Too technical, too detailed, too many buzz words. Confusing your CEO is not a good plan!
- Criticising anything, anyone and particularly your competitors! Good salespeople do not have to criticise others. The value they add speaks for itself.
- Telling secrets that should be kept. Senior decision makers will not engage with you if they fear that you might disclose confidential information.
- Assuming business rapport is personal. Business rapport = trust + confidentiality. That does not make you best friends.
- Being late for your appointment. Senior decision makers are protective of their time. Keep them waiting at your peril.
- Being indecisive and negative in your outlook. Senior decision makers make decisions. They like people who do the same.
- Talking rather than asking questions and listening. Many salespeople talk too much when nervous. This will destroy your credibility.
- Asking questions, asking for commitments or closing at the wrong time. Senior decision makers are just that, decision makers. Do not bully them into making decisions. They won’t.
For more on this subject join my sales newsletter and keep your eyes open for my forthcoming book No Fear Selling.
What Are Your Favourite Sales Questions?
All sales training experts and sales gurus alike, myself included, extol the virtues of asking good questions. Asking the right question can develop rapport, increase credibility and turn a sale around.
As part of my Real World Sales Tips project I thought that it would be fun to find out what your favourite questions are to ask your clients and prospects.
To get you started here are a few from Real World Sales Skills…
- How do you currently go about…?
- How long have you been operating that way?
- When you considered the options why did you choose that solution?
- How has that solution performed against those criteria?
- What issues have you had with…?
- How often? Who was involved?
- What effect did that have on…?
- Who / what else was effected?
- What options have you considered to resolve this?
Scroll down the page to see other people’s questions and to post your thoughts and ideas.
How To Listen For Hidden Client Objections
Salespeople and business people know that listening skills are essential yet when I run sales training seminars I am constantantly amazed by how poorly most people listen to their prospects and clients.
This may well be that people have had too little sales training in this area, it may be that they hear what they want to hear or it could be that they just don’t care.
Whatever.
The ability to listen, not only to what is said but to what is not quite said, is essential if you want to improve your sales skills and increase your sales results. Check out this excerpt from my forthcoming new book Real World Sales Skills: How to Sharpen Your Sales Skills & Win More Sales.
Listen for hidden objections.
Earlier on we talked about incongruent tones. Now we’re going to talk about their close relative, the hidden objection. Hidden objections represent a block to the sale which is either not stated or is wrapped up in something else that the client said and therefore easily ignored or missed by the salesperson.
Take this example towards the end of the sales process. Read it out to yourself…
Sales: “Are you happy with that, Mr Client?”
Client: “Yes, I am happy with that element of the solution.”
Now read this second version out to yourself but lightly stress the underlined word…
Sales: “Are you happy with that, Mr Client?”
Client: “Yes, I am happy with that element of the solution.”
See the difference? The stressed word may well mean that they are happy with that but not with some other part of your solution.
To be a great salesperson you need to be a great listener and to be a great listener you need to listen out carefully not only to what is being said and what you want to hear but also to what is not being said or what is not being said overtly or directly.
Most salespeople would carry on with this sale assuming that they were doing well here. Unfortunately, they would be wrong. A sales superstar would pick up on this subtle difference and explore the real meaning of what is being said.
Excerpt copyright 2008, Real World Sales Skills.
Subscribe to GavinIngham.com
Follow Me!
What’s Hot!
Work with Gavin
