The Sales Activator®

Features and Benefits

February 26th, 2009

“Because nobody who bought a drill ever really wanted a drill. They wanted a hole. Therefore, if you want to sell drills, you should deliver information about making holes, not about drills!”

Perry Marshall

If you’ve been in sales for a while then you’ll be completely aware of the importance of highlighting benefits when demonstrating how your products/services can fulfil each of the customer’s requirements.

Fundamentally a benefit is only a benefit once it matches the customer’s requirements. Think about it for a moment. Let’s suppose you wanted to buy a house and had a good amount of money to spend. Your absolute passion was to live in the countryside with acres of land so that you could wake up each morning to the birds singing their dawn chorus. You wouldn’t be remotely interested in a flash city apartment that was a real bargain, even if this apartment boasted of spectacular views over the city, the latest hi tech heating and sound system and 24 hour security. No matter how appealing the Real Estate Agent tried to make this apartment, it’s benefits would fall on deaf ears because they aren’t in alignment with your own specific requirements.

What’s the difference between a feature and a benefit?

● Feature = a characteristic of your products/services

● Benefit = the advantage that it brings to the customer

For example, one feature of a car might be the inclusion of airbags, the benefit of this feature being, the enhancement of passenger safety. If passenger safety is important to a particular customer then this will be a great benefit to highlight. Alternatively, if the customer is looking for an exciting ride and engine power, passenger safety is probably not going to be a hugely appealing benefit. Customers aren’t simply buying a product/service, they’re buying the benefits offered by that product/service that are aligned to their own needs and desires. When you emphasise benefits aligned to their requirements, you appeal directly to the customer’s personal and business motives. So, if you want to gain real competitive advantage, master the skill of presenting your products/services in a way that highlights how they match each customer’s specific requirements. Here’s how:

1 re-cap and summarise the customer’s requirements

Example: “You mentioned that you were looking for safety,

reliability, fuel economy and value for money.”

2 take each requirement and link to a relevant feature of your

products/services

Example: “Taking your requirement for safety, a major feature of

this car is the inclusion of a complete airbag system.”

3 then highlight the benefits gained from each feature

Example: “This enhances safety for every passenger and the driver.”

To help sales people learn this particular technique so they can use it with minimal preparation, it’s vitally important that they are fully aware of the potential benefits that every feature of their product or service can deliver. This expands their flexibility so that they become better equipped to ‘pick and mix’ what features and benefits will have greater leverage with each of their customers.

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Impact of Beliefs

February 26th, 2009

The sales results you create are based on your performance. Performance has many components for example, our activities and abilities that are typically where many organisations focus on. Yet beneath the surface, our beliefs about ourselves, our customers, our job, can either help or hinder our performance. You may have heard the expression, “Whatever you believe you can do, you will and whatever you believe you can’t do, you won’t.” It’s as if our beliefs (which are unique to us all) become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our beliefs can act as huge barriers that stop us giving 100 percent to something.

Three Stories that illustrate the impact of beliefs:

Ø On May 6^th 1954, Roger Bannister was the first man ever to run a mile in less than 4 minutes. Before this everyone had believed that this was impossible. Yet, in the same year 19 other athletes also ran a mile in less than 4 minutes….why? Because Roger Bannister had created the belief that it could be done and it was. Today, thousands of athletes worldwide run a mile in less than 4 minutes.

Ø Charlie Harris was a hobo (tramp/homeless person) in Chicago and was looking for a place to sleep on a very wintery and cold night. He discovered a trailer yard and broke into one of the trailers. As he closed the door of the trailer, it jammed and he couldn’t open the door. After lighting a match, with horror he realized that he was stuck in a refrigeration trailer and would probably die from cold. He did die that night and the coroner found that he died from hypothermia. Yet, the trailer he died in was in for repair and not working. Charlie Harris’s belief that it was refrigerated, killed him. (Story taken from Unlimited Power by Tony Robbins).

Ø The bumble bee has baffled scientists for years because aerodynamically it shouldn’t be able to fly. Yet, it believes that it can and it does!

Here are 6 beliefs that can have a positive impact on your team. Even if your team are not in full agreement with these statements at first, simply ask that they open their mind and act as if they are true. They will be amazed at the difference it creates to their life:

1. Every Individual is unique and their perceptions are true to them

Because we each absorb 2 million bits of information unconsciously and can only process around 7 chunks consciously we each have our own unique perception of the world around us. If everyone reading this was asked to explain beliefs, each individual would give a different explanation. So who’s right? Everyone is right because your perceptions are true for you. That’s why the more respect we have for every individual and the more we seek to understand the viewpoints of other, the richer our communication becomes. By respecting the opinions of others, doesn’t necessarily mean that we have to agree with them, we just have to acknowledge that every individual’s reality is the one based on their own unique perceptions.

2. Communication is successful, only if it achieves your desired results

It doesn’t matter if you think you’ve communicated well or if you think you’ve been crystal clear, what matters is that your communication is received and acted upon in the manner you wanted. How many times have you said something to another person who has totally misinterpreted what you meant? Equally, sometimes we are on the receiving end of communication that makes us feel bad. If we can look beyond the communication and try to see a positive intention behind another person’s behaviour, then our relationships and interactions with people become more constructive and empowering. When we communicate with people and if they are ‘not getting’ our point, then the responsibility is ours to adapt our approach until they do. For example; if we have communicated a price increase and the reasons for that price increase, and our customers have not understood those reasons, the responsibility for this mis-communication lies with ourselves. Therefore we can only judge the success of what we have communicated based on the reactions we get from other people.

3. Resistance from another person usually signals a lack of rapport

Rapport is a vital ingredient when developing relationships because it builds trust and allows communication to flow. When that state of rapport is there, communication is a lot easier even if you don’t agree with the other person. When we don’t feel that rapport or connection we have a tendency to ‘nit-pick’ or find fault. Customers respond to people they perceive understand their position and are on the same wavelength. If we are encountering lots of resistance from a prospect or a customer, then it helps us to notice that we haven’t built sufficient rapport. Even if our prospect doesn’t agree with what we are saying, rapport enables us to have an open discussion where we can get an honest reason for their reaction rather than a ‘prickily’ brick wall.

4. Flexibility improves success

The greater your flexibility, the greater your chances for achieving what you want. If we accept that every person is a unique individual then we have to accept that each prospect and customer will require a different approach. Using the same approach with all prospects and customers is like playing the lottery, the chances of getting it right are extremely low. If we have high levels of flexibility that allows us to adapt to each prospect and customer’s style then we are able to build more rapport and reduce resistance.

Albert Einstein gave the definition of insanity as doing the same thing over and over whilst expecting a different result. As an example, think about a fly…..have you watched how many times a fly bumps its head trying to fly out of a window? I guess that’s why it’s a fly.

The more we are able to adapt, the more opportunities we create. If what you are doing isn’t working, try something different and if that doesn’t work try something different again. Flexibility of thinking and behaviour creates awesome sales people. Your team are also unique individuals requiring a unique approach with how you manage them. The greater your behavioural flexibility the easier it is to connect and develop better working relationships.

5. There is no failure, only feedback

Of course there is failure. If you take a driving test or exam you either pass or fail. Your sales people will either succeed in achieving their monthly sales targets or fail to meet them. The key is how you perceive ‘failure’. Every failure can be looked at as a learning opportunity that is beautifully epitomised by Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb. Despite more than 10,000 failures, he stood by his dream until he made it a physical reality. He said that every discarded idea took him one step closer towards finding the idea that would work. One of the most powerful self-coaching questions sales people can ask is, “What will I do differently next time?” or “What can I learn from this?” Sales people who make mistakes and learn from those mistakes have a tendency to do better than sales people who are scared to fail. Therefore if your team can be encouraged to see that when they don’t achieve their targets they have an opportunity to learn, because they have been given great feedback on what not to do next month.

6. Accepting 100% responsibility creates transformation

Every action you take creates a reaction that is based on the formula of cause and effect. Everything that happens is the effect of an underlying cause. Most people spend their lives operating at effect….”It’s not my fault I always end up in bad relationships.” “Life’s so unfair, things always happen to me.” “We’re in a recession, that’s why I haven’t achieved target.” “If I could only match our competitors prices, I’d win more deals.” True personal power can be achieved when an individual accepts 100% responsibility for what they create in their lives. To put it another way, you get one of two things; the result or outcome you want or the reasons why you didn’t (you may recognise these as ‘excuses’!)

The more you focus on the reasons (excuses) and blame circumstances beyond your control you push away your personal power. Therefore, if you believe that you are in control of the situations that life ‘appears’ to throw at you, then you are in control of your thinking and emotions, and therefore in control of your own life. This belief has given thousands of sales people the determination to breakthrough so many barriers and overcome countless challenges when at times it was tempting to wallow in self-pity. If something good or bad happens, ask yourself, “How did I create that?” This question enables you to tap into your brain’s infinite potential and it will give you all the answers you need. If you’re prepared to commit 100% to taking responsibility for your own life, the results can be extraordinary.

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Communication Styles

February 26th, 2009

We receive information through all of our senses - sight, sound, touch, taste and smell. Different individuals have different preferences in the way they think and communicate. If a person is thinking in pictures, then at that moment they will respond best to a person who can communicate by ‘painting pictures’ in their mind’s eye. Equally if an individual is thinking logically they will respond best to a person who presents facts, statistcs and logic with a sense of objectivity. Our preferred Communication Style can change in different contexts and situations. For example, a person who is highly logical in the workplace, may become more feeling orientated at home with their family.

Good salespeople are able to adapt their Communication Style to match the style of their customer.

There are 4 different Communication Styles:

VISUAL

People who are visual often stand or sit with their heads and bodies upright and with their eyes LOOKING upwards. They move often, using lots of hand gestures and tend to be organised, neat, well-groomed and orderly. They think and process information by SEEING PICTURES in their mind’s eye, and are not distracted by noise. They often have trouble remembering verbal instructions because their minds tend to wander. A visual person will be interested in how your suggestion will LOOK. Appearances are important to them and they will want you to have eye contact with them when they are talking. They generally breathe from the top of their lungs that means they talk fast and have a higher voice tone. People with this Communication Style will use words such as:

● see

● look

● appear

● view

● show

● clear

● hazy

● focused

● imagine

● picture

● watch

● observe

● vision

● bright

AUDITORY

People who are auditory will quite often move their eyes from side to side. They generally remain fairly still and you may notice that they often turn their head slightly so that one of their ears can HEAR you better. They think and process information by SOUNDS that means they can be easily distracted by NOISE. Auditory people can repeat things back to you easily because they learn by LISTENING, and usually like music and TALKING on the phone. They learn by LISTENING to verbal instructions and HEARING and like to be TOLD how they’re doing. Typically this Communication Style will breathe from their mid-chest area that gives them good voice flexibility. The effect of this means that they will have a melodious and varied voice tone and pace that they also like to HEAR in others. Auditory people often TALK to themselves (some even move their lips when they do this), and they want to LISTEN to how your suggestions SOUND. People with this Communication Style will use words such as:

● hear

● listen

● sound(s)

● tune in/out

● tell

● announce

● talk

● speak

● echo

● whisper

● loud

● dialogue

● wavelength

● rings bells

FEELING

People who are feeling (sometimes referred to as kinesthetic) will often look down to the left as they search for FEELING what you are communicating. They often move and talk very slowly and will want to FEEL in a COMFORTABLE position if they are sitting or standing. Feeling people may play with a pen or their hair because ‘TOUCHING’ helps them to think. They respond to physical rewards and are COMFORTABLE standing or sitting very close to another person. This means that they are TACTILE so handshakes and pats on the back become important. They think and process information by how it FEELS to them and whether they can GRASP what you are communicating. They learn best by DOING or ‘walking through’ something and if they are making a purchase will want to TOUCH what they are intending to buy. Typically this Communication Style will breathe from their lower abdomen area, this means that they talk slowly and with a lower voice tone. They will be interested in your suggestions if they FEEL right and they have a good GUT INSTINCT about it. People with this Communication Style will use words such as:

● feel

● touch

● grasp

● catch on

● make contact

● tap into

● hard

● unfeeling

● solid

● relaxed

● heavy

● warm

● touch base

● comfortable

LOGICAL

People who are logical (sometimes referred to as auditory digital) will often look down to the right as they EVALUATE the facts and CONSIDER their options. They aren’t particularly expressive or demonstrative. Their favourite position is sitting or standing with their arms crossed and resting their chin on one hand as they objectively ASSESS the information being presented to them. They respond to research, facts and statistical data and learn best when there is a step-by-step PROCESS to follow. They think and process information by EVALUATING it against the CRITERIA of whether it MAKES SENSE. Typically this Communication Style will talk in a monotone voice almost as if they are REPORTING on their observations. This means that they sometimes create the perception that they are DETATCHED from their emotions. They will be interested in your suggestions if they MAKE SENSE and are LOGICALLY presented with supporting EVIDENCE. People with this Communication Style will use words such as:

● sense

● understand

● think

● learn

● process

● consider

● know

● discuss

● question

● decide

● perceive

● logical

● reasonable

● statistically

Really effective sales people:

● are aware of their preferred Communication Style

● can easily identify their customers’ preferred Communication Style

● instinctively adapt their own Communication Style to reflect their customer’s style

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Effective Telemarketing

February 26th, 2009

For many sales people, the telephone is an important resource that they use to develop their business. Yet, according to a study by Behavioural Sciences Research Press:

● 40% of established sales people experienced periods of ‘call reluctance’ severe enough to threaten their livelihood in sales.

● the average ‘call reluctant’ sales person loses more than 15 new accounts each month to their competitors.

Whether you’re telephoning to make an appointment or seeking information about a prospect, there are some essential pointers that can help you to become really effective when communicating on the telephone!

· People can hear when you read from a script, so prepare what you plan to say by writing it down, read aloud what you have written 3 times, so that it becomes installed within your unconscious mind. Then throw it away! From memory prepare some bullet points that summarise the content of your script and use these to refer to when on the telephone. This simple technique ensures that you can devote more attention to the other person and you’ll sound much more natural.

· Plan how you will respond to the objections you experience most frequently and be experimental with trying out different responses.

· Always dial each call yourself so that you feel in control and prepared. Ask for the contact by name and if speaking their secretary it helps to use the contacts first name as well. If asked who is calling use your full name and if asked the name of your company don’t be afraid to give it.

· Use a spontaneous opening (you’ll be able to do this if you focus your attention on the other person) and get the OK signal that it’s convenient for the prospect to talk with you. (either verbally or non-verbally). If the prospect conveys that it’s not a convenient time then find out when they are prepared to talk with you. Your call will generally be interrupting them, which is why it’s important to be direct and get to the point quickly.

· Hook the prospect’s attention by using their name and providing a reason why they should talk with you. According to Tony Robbins, if people have good reasons to do something, they’ll do anything. It can be really useful before you make a call to develop two or three reasons why the person you’re calling will be pleased to hear from you because you are unconsciously projecting your positive ‘vibes’ that will be unconsciously received by the other person and you’ll feel more confident. If they have been referred, use that person’s name as early as you can because it will warm up their response and you can maximise the relationship.

· Build rapport by matching the other person’s voice speed and volume. Resistance can be dramatically reduced if you can immediately project that there is a similarity between you both. If your prospect is talking quickly, talk quickly, if they are talking slowly, talk slowly. This can be challenging because a natural reaction from sales people is to blurt out their scripted message as quickly as they can. Instead, using a message that is succinct and to the point, yet matching speed and volume can build a connection very quickly.

· Have clear expectations about what you want the call to accomplish. Is it to inform? To establish a need? To obtain an appointment? Unless you are in a telesales role you should NEVER attempt to sell your product or services over the phone, you are ‘selling’ the appointment.

· Clarify that you have all the correct information. For example, confirm you are talking to the right person and they have the authority and not just the title. Even if your call is not successful on the first attempt, you can ensure that their details are correct for future use.

· Research from The Results Corporation Plc shows that 60% of customers say “yes” after saying “no” 5 times, yet 44% of sales people give up after the first “no”, 22% after the second “no” and 14% after the third “no”. These statistics are important when prospecting on the telephone because a typical prospect will require 5 contacts from the sales person before agreeing to a meeting. That’s why successful sales people develop a Prospect Nurturing System that keeps them in regular contact with their prospects irrespective of how many “no’s” they encounter. As the contact increases many people’s reassurance rises as they become more familiar with a person or their company.

· Ask open questions to encourage the prospect to talk and if appropriate ask a couple of questions that probe for pain (Pain can be a powerful motivator).

· Don’t attempt to establish the decision maker and then talk to them in one phone call, if you don’t know who to speak to then that is a call in its own right. Set yourself a target, say four attempts to get through to the decision maker, if you still are unable to reach them, try a different approach. If you keep a call log of all your calls you’ll soon get to know which are the most productive times to reach the decision maker. For example, traditionally Monday morning is a poor time to cold call.

· The higher up the organisation you go then the higher and wider the barriers seem to become, with receptionists, secretaries and personal assistants all seemingly having no other purpose than to stop you getting through to the decision maker. Try outside the normal office hours that will avoid the receptionist and you may get straight through. Security staff are often a good source for information and they are usually more than willing to show off their knowledge about the company - they also have the time to talk! As a last resort, send a letter first explaining that you will be calling - therefore the receptionist is ‘expecting your call’.

· If you are using the telephone to qualify prospect information, you should aim to discover:

- Who should be talking to regarding the purchase of your product or service?

- Who else would be involved in such a decision?

- When do you believe a budget will be made available for such a purchase/project this year?

- What do you envisage that budget to be?

- Is the budget dependent upon anything?

- When is this purchase required by?

- Is there a particular reason for this timescale?

- Who else are they talking to? (Identified your competitors)

- What are they hoping to achieve? (Checks whether it is within your capabilities)

· Record what you are doing, how many dials you’ve made, how many prospects you were able to talk with and the times of your calls. Studying this information gives you a good reality check because you’ll know how many calls you need to make to get an appointment. (Click here to see an example Time Log sheet that can be used to identify best calling times) (Extract this from Jonathan’s PDF)

· At then end of a call where you aim is to secure an appointment, seek their commitment. For example, “I feel I understand what is required and that we can help, I’d like to discuss your requirements further in person, would Thursday or Friday next week be suitable?” Always confirm your appointment either by email or by letter because this provides you with another opportunity of ‘contact’ that helps the prospect with becoming more familiar with you and your organisation. Give appointments either at a quarter past or a quarter to the hour. This conveys that you are busy and presupposing that there are lots of other companies that want to see you.

· Your attitude and emotional state is a vital part of telephone effectiveness. Clear your desk of everything except your prospect records and diary. If your immediate environment is uncluttered it helps free your mind so that you can focus on each call’s objectives. Visualise your prospect smiling warmly when they receive your call. This will help you access a positive state-of-mind. Your unconscious mind can’t tell the difference between a real and imagined event. This mentally rehearses you in feeling good about picking up the phone. Stand up, take 5 deep breaths and smile! According to Deepak Chopra, our mind and body are totally connected. The way you move your body affects your mental state. After every call, review what went well before making your next call. This process enables you to act as your own motivational mentor!

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Creating a Customer Profile

February 26th, 2009

In 1906 an Italian Economist called Vilfredo Pareto created a mathematical formula based on observing that 80% of the land was owned by 20% of the population. Dr Joseph Juran, a Quality Management pioneer also recognised this universal principle that later became know as Pareto’s Principle or The 80-20 Rule. This predictable imbalance has been expanded and applied extensively since it’s creation, and while the figures may not be exactly 80% and 20%, the notion that most of the results come from a minority of activities can help increase the ability to separate the essential from the non-essential.

Use of ‘Pareto Thinking’ is highly relevant and important when applied to sales people. For example, 20% of sales people’s activities will create 80% of sales achieved, which has enormous consequences on how to optimise and manage lead generation activities.

Generating leads is an important sales activity that plants the seeds of growth for sustainable business development. A lead is purely a name that you could refer to as a SUSPECT because their potential to buy is unknown. Before you can qualify leads to determine whether they have the money, authority and desire to buy your products/services you need to generate them! When deciding upon which lead generation methods work best for you and your organisation, it helps to have clarity on the type of customers that you’d like to attract. This means creating an Ideal Customer Profile that can begin to provide direction to your lead generation activities.

The following questions will stimulate your thinking when it comes to developing an Ideal Customer Profile:

● What size of organisation would you prefer to deal with?

● Typically, how many people will they employ?

● What market sector(s) do these organisations operate within?

● Who specifically will be buying your products/services and what are their titles?

● Where geographically would you like these organisations to be located?

● What does your organisation offer that is unique?

● What types of organisations will be attracted by this uniqueness?

● What do your best customers possess that you would like to replicate in others?

● Which of your existing customers were the easiest and quickest to convert?

● What similarities do these customers possess?

● Are there any specific criteria that prospective organisations should have in place, so that your products/services can be optimised?

Having a well-defined profile of your ‘ideal customer’ can prove to be invaluable when determining which methods to use for lead generation, and improves the effectiveness of marketing initiatives. You may also discover that the process for asking for referrals becomes easier and generates a better response, because you are providing the person with a tighter specification of what you are looking for - this concentrates their thinking towards the direction you have defined.

There are so many sources of leads that the process of generating leads can sometimes cause sales people to feel overwhelmed when tackling this vital sales activity. Every organisation is unique and can employ a variety of approaches in their quest to attract the attention of their target market. (This will become even clearer once you have created your Ideal Customer Profile). That’s why it can be extremely useful to invest some time analysing which lead generation initiatives worked well in the past, why they worked well and what improvements can be made to optimise their effectiveness. There are 3 areas that you may want to consider that can help evaluate different

lead generation initiatives with greater objectively:

1. Effectiveness – which lead generation activities produced the most quality leads?

2. Cost – what were the tangible costs for each lead generation initiative?

3. Time – how much time did it take to initiate and follow-up on each initiative?

1. Effectiveness

● What number of leads were generated?

● How many of these leads became qualified prospects?

● What business was generated from these leads?

● What is the projected probability of business generated from these leads for the next 12 months?

2. Cost

● How much did this lead generation initiative cost?

● Using the number of actual leads generated, what was the cost per lead?

● What profit contribution was made from leads generated over a 12 month period? (Gross margin from sales, minus the cost of the initiative.)

3. Time

● How much time did salespeople invest in following up on these leads?

● How much time did they spend on leads that did not become qualified prospects?

● What was the cost of salespeople’s time spent on this lead generation initiative?

Whatever lead generation initiatives your organisation chooses to implement,

Sales people can leverage these opportunities if they are able to provide timely follow up within 5 working days from receiving each lead because people’s interest cools off after time and many will forget that they even registered their details with your organisation.

Results from direct marketing can be transformed by combing this approach with a phone-based strategy. If your sales team are currently sending out letters and literature to generate leads, this approach can be much more effective if the letter/literature is followed up with a phone call within 3 days

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Closing with Ease

February 26th, 2009

Next to objections, closing is one of the most talked-about sales training topics among sales people and sales managers. Everyone wants to know how to close and how to speed up the buying process. Closing is easy when you have thoroughly appreciated each customer’s specific requirements and aligned the presentation of your solution accordingly. Closing is the

process of helping customers to make a decision that will benefit them. Successful ‘closers’ know that there is no need to use magic phrases or techniques because if they’ve effectively followed the sales process, closing the sale is the next step in a logical sequence. The expression “closing the deal” means getting the business. The phrase “the close” refers to the point in the sales process at which the sales person asks for the business.

There is a closing technique that can be used through your interactions with prospects and customers, Trial closing allows you to check the pulse or attitude of your customer towards your proposition. Trial closing ensures that both you and your prospect are on the same wavelength which adds to a

feeling of deeper rapport and general agreement. There are 4 important times during the sales process when trial closing can be hugely beneficial:

1. After making a strong selling point

2. At the end of your presentation

3. Before handling an objection

4. Immediately prior to closing

Trial closing gives you valuable insights into the customer’s perspective concerning what you have just said, and enables you to ‘layer in’ another agreement that helps move the customer to an ultimate close.

Here are some different examples of trial closes that can be very effective when used at the appropriate moment:

● “How does that sound to you?”

● “What do you think?”

● “Is this what you are looking for?”

● “If I can satisfy your concerns regarding this point, are you happy to proceed?”

● “It appears that you have a preference for this option. Am I right?”

● “Are we on track with this proposal?”

● “On a scale of 1-10, how well does this meet your requirements?”

Once you use a trial close, actively listen to what the customer says and observe their body language to assess their reaction. It’s important to bear in mind that trial closing doesn’t directly ask the customer to buy, it asks only for an opinion.

Above all else, you just need to be clear that your proposal is right for the customer and you have created a win-win relationship. Timing is everything when it comes to closing and there are a number of indicators that signpost when a close should be attempted. Only close if the customer is ready! That’s why an ability to read their buying signals correctly helps to determine this. With the trial closing technique, this becomes even easier. The best part of closing, besides winning the business, is that each time you close you get the chance to broaden and deepen the relationship and move it towards a partnership.

Here is a simple process to follow that will make closing a natural next step:

1. Ask pre-closing questions regarding time-frames, decision-making process, payment procedures and ongoing servicing requirements.

2. Use trial closing throughout the sales cycle and during each call.

3. Ensure that each customer call has ended with an actionable next step that moves discussions forward.

4. Before asking for the business, investigate whether the customer has any remaining questions or concerns.

5. Ask for the business in a confident way, maintain eye contact and then remain silent. (Silence is a very powerful influencer because most people aren’t totally comfortable with long pauses and instinctively feel a need to fill them).

Examples of good closing questions:

● “Well, (name) when would you like to do this?”

● “When shall we begin?”

● “Are you ready to go ahead?”

● “Which option do you want?”

When closing, think success! Visualise the customer saying “yes” and looking extremely satisfied. Visualisation will build your confidence because your unconscious mind feels like it’s already happened. If a customer rejects your close, make a second effort after you have found out why the customer is saying no. Address their reasons, check they are satisfied with what you have said and as appropriate, close again. Regardless of the outcome always leave the door open and end the call with an agreed next step.

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Building Rapport

February 26th, 2009

The ability to build rapport with customers and prospects is vitally important. Why? Because, if you have rapport with your customers, they are more likely to trust you, listen to you and communicate openly with you. This in turn enables you to interact more comfortably and work more effectively together. Rapport dramatically increases your chances of winning a sale. Additionally, Having rapport means that when there are tough issues to discuss, for example price increases, you can more easily find agreement and solutions and move on.

Classic research by Robert Birdwhistle looked at how face-to-face communication was received and responded to. His figures suggest that your impact depends on three factors - how you look, how you sound, and what you say. His research broke it down: 55 per cent body language, 38 per cent quality of the voice and 7 per cent actual words spoken. Rapport involves being able to see eye-to-eye with other people, connecting on their wavelength. So much (93 per cent) of the perception of your sincerity comes not from what you say but how you say it and how you show an appreciation for the other person’s thoughts and feelings.

When you are in rapport with someone, you can disagree with what they say and still relate respectfully with him or her. The important point to remember is to acknowledge other people for the unique individuals that they are. Rapport can be described, as ‘when two people are like each other, they like each other!’ Rapport builds trust and without basic trust communication can become stilted.

When communication between two or more individuals reaches its optimum it’s said that a perfect rapport has been established. On the other hand, when communicating with a customer or prospect is hard the situation becomes rapport-less. Some people we meet may inspire an instant connection and immediate trust, while another person can be very polite and charming yet we don’t feel any connection with them and our communication feels unnatural. When two or more people meet they immediately start an automatic process of comparison with the other. If the outcome of this process is judged that the other person is similar in some way then rapport is established. When people are in a state of rapport they tend to respond easier to our instructions, suggestions and influence. Rapport is often seen as the foundation of all good communications.

We have an inbuilt tendency to conform to the other person’s behaviours and if we instinctively feel that conforming is possible, then we will start the process of building rapport. As people this process happens instinctively and can be evidenced by sharing the same mannerisms, voice qualities and gestures. This means that when two people are in rapport they show a tendency toward a behavioral compromise. It’s easy to spot two close friends who share similar gestures, facial expressions, verbal expressions, and postures, to such a degree that they could be mistaken as being closely related. This is due to the fact that the long-term mutual rapport creates a strong behavioral bond. Even when these two friends disagree on something, they manage to keep rapport alive.

The process we use unconsciously to build rapport can be replicated with conscious awareness that is a useful skill for a Sales person to learn. This process can be likened to matching and mirroring a person’s behavior to create a perceived likeness. When we match a person’s mood, their gestures, facial expressions, we are better equipped to start experiencing how they feel at any given moment. Doing so, we obtain that the person observing us will find mirrored in us their emotional state, their way of living at that moment, and all this will increase the chances that they will see in us someone that they can trust.

If we have built sufficient rapport it then becomes possible to lead a person towards where we would like them to go, or what we would like them to do. At an unconscious level they will know that by refusing it (shown by not matching or mirroring you) they will be refusing to build rapport, with themselves. Through unconscious identification they are already convinced that you are experiencing what they are experiencing, therefore anything you will manage to do they will feel that it’s something they can do as well.

There are a number of suggestions that can help your rapport-building skills:

The quickest way to build rapport is to match the other person’s rate of breathing
By matching a person’s breathing, you’ll find it easier to match their voice qualities (If you use peripheral vision - expanded awareness, similar to the one used when driving a car, you become more sensory aware of the smallest details about the other person)
You don’t necessarily need to match each gesture exactly, you can match a pen tapping movement with a foot tapping movement at the same pace
Never match regional accents and if you are female, some male postures may not look appropriate to match
Paying attention to the other person really helps build rapport because the more you notice, the more you can match
Take a genuine interest in getting to know what’s important to the other person. Start to understand them rather than expecting them to understand you first
Pick up on their key words, favourite phrases and way of speaking and build these subtly into your own conversation
Notice how someone likes to handle information. Do they like lots of details or just the big picture? As you speak, feed back information in this same portion size

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The Communication Model

February 26th, 2009

Before looking outwards at our prospects and customers, we need to look at ourselves, because each of us is a unique human being with our own desires, dreams, problems and thoughts. To understand how we can communicate and therefore sell more effectively we need to understand the human communication process.

Every moment our unconscious mind absorbs over 2 million bits of information through our senses. We are bombarded moment by moment with sights, sounds, smells, tastes and touches. Yet according to Professor George Miller from Harvard University we can only process around 7 chunks of information consciously at any given moment. That’s an awful lot of information that our conscious mind chooses to ignore or to be more accurate, delete! This means that every individual will process information based on what they a focusing on at that time.

The information that enters our unconscious mind goes through 3 filters to get to our conscious mind. We delete most of it, because there is no way that our conscious mind could cope with what is held in the unconscious mind. We distort the information based on our current situation. For example, a child may interpret the ordinary sounds of a central heating system very differently if they are left alone in the house. This is why, sometimes people can completely misinterpret what we are saying to them, they are distorting the information because they are focusing on a different meaning to the one we wanted to convey. We also generalise information. For example; once we have learned what a chair looks like we can instantly identify other ‘chairs’ even though we haven’t seen every type of chair. We can generalise the way most doors are opened, how most cars are driven and even how to identify when a person is either male or female.

After the information has been filtered into our conscious mind, there are only 4 things we can do with it inside our heads…we make pictures, sounds, we talk to ourselves or we have feelings. The combination of these things creates an emotion that has an effect on our physiology. For example; if we feel embarrassed we might blush, if we feel angry we may tighten up our muscles. Every thought we have effects our body and the way we move our body effects our thinking. Our mind and body are totally interconnected. If you look at a person suffering from depression, often they are round shouldered, they look down a lot and many of them will be using a lot of negative self talk “why does this always happen to me?” “I’m useless, what’s the point?” Contrast this to a person who feels really confident, they stand upright, their shoulders are back and they use eye contact. Because every thought we have effects our body this means that our emotional state effects also effects our behaviour which consequently effects and influences the results we get. Therefore, if we want to change aspects of our lives, including the way our prospects and customers react to us, first, we have to change our own thinking.

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Activity Based Planning

February 26th, 2009

Selling is both an art and a science. To put it another way, a sales person’s skills determine their level of artistry at selling and their strategic planning provides a scientific platform for their sales activities. One of the characteristics that makes a sales person successful is careful use of their selling time. Time is something that doesn’t stop, yet how it’s used, effects performance that can leverage the impact of sales activities. To influence sales results you need to work on your sales activities. For example, all the sales activities you have undertaken in the past have produced your current results. The sales activities you do today will create your future results. Therefore, there is always a time delay between activities and results. Focusing on activities in a well-planned way naturally increases results. The Sales Platform concept is a sophisticated process for analysing, planning, directing, and monitoring the activities of sales people.

The Sales Platform

buying platform

EXISTING CUSTOMERS

working platform

PROSPECTS :

Visited but not yet buying

market platform

SUSPECTS :

Defined but not yet visited

The Sales Platform features three main elements:

1. Buying Platform – This comprises of existing customers who are purchasing from you on a one-off basis or a regular basis. This segment of the platform requires two strategic sales approaches:

Sales actions that reduce the risk of losing customers (a proportion of customers are lost over time due to a variety of reasons)
Sales actions that can generate incremental business from existing customers (it’s easier to get new business from existing customers compared to prospects)

2. The Working Platform – This comprises of prospects who have been visited yet aren’t currently buying. This segment of the platform is extremely time intensive yet is a crucial part of the development of an ideal customer base. The sales approach in this segment is to accelerate prospects through the pipeline until they become a customer.

3. The Market Platform – This comprises of leads that have not yet been qualified as prospects that have the potential to become customers. This segment of the platform is the vital preparation phase to replace lost customers and grow existing business in the longer term. The sales approach in this segment is to select the right type of opportunities that have the potential to become prospects. Banks of qualified prospects can be built up if appropriate – ready for a concerted attack on a targeted part of the market place.

In an ideal situation and based on the market conditions there should be a good balance between all three platforms. Excess Buying Platform activity will constrain the growth of the business into those areas that are identified as the opportunities of the future. It is also a symptom that the organisation has got itself into a rut or a ‘comfort zone’, that the communication of policy is poor, that management is not controlling the work, or that people lack the confidence to tackle new areas (or a combination of all of them). Too much emphasis on the Market and Working Platforms is inefficient and will increase the cost of sales unnecessarily. Without a strong base of long-term customers, this will dramatically reduce the potential for growth, and could well lower the reputation of the organisation.

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Negotiating Behaviours

February 26th, 2009

A skilled negotiator will create high levels of rapport and be sensitive and empathetic to the people they are negotiating with, yet can still be hard on the issues. The ability to separate the people from the issues and recognise that negotiations, are often fraught with emotional intensity can help sharpen the focus on the interests of the other party to better balance perceptions. If the negotiation doesn’t appear to be going anywhere and your prospect is behaving like a bully! You might feel angry and frustrated. You may already have considered simply agreeing to their demands. In difficult negotiations, there are 4 vital behaviours that can increase your resourcefulness and consequently your opportunities for getting to Win-Win.

1. Manage your emotional state. Build rapport by matching the other person’s style, pace and approach until you have achieved a ‘connection’ Personalise the negotiation by using “I” rather than your organisation’s name. This demonstrates your belief in your proposal and highlights your credibility.

In the face of feelings like anger, disappointment, frustration, confusion, and resentment, we often react without thinking. In such a situation mentally detach yourself and think about it before you respond. It helps to reframe attacks and tactical manoeuvres as feedback that the other person’s interests have not been fully acknowledged. Stay focused on your goal of reaching an agreement.

2. Look for quick mutual wins to build the belief “we can agree”.The more abstract your communication the more likely you are to reach agreement. Therefore, seek to gain agreement at an abstract level first, then get into the detail. For example, if 2 people were wanting what appears to be very different things, such as a) nuclear disarmament and b) more resources spent on defense, if you looked at finding out both sides highest intention, you may discover that ‘peace’ was the desired outcome for both people. Therefore, at this abstract level they have found agreement so the negotiation can continue by gradually getting more detailed. Questions that chunk up your prospect into the bigger picture include:

- For what purpose?

- What’s your intention behind (negotiating point)?

Seek to address the easy/quickest areas of agreement first to reinforce the process of agreement is simple and straightforward. If you discover an area where agreement may not be reached quickly then agree to leave it until later. If some points become contentious it can help discussions if you both move your body, because the mind and body are connected, physical movement helps to create mental movement. That’s why a walk can work wonders during tough negotiations. Provide regular summaries of what you have both accomplished to install the belief that the negotiation is making progress. Some sales people will write out all the points to be negotiated on separate sheets of paper, then, ask each point is agreed they move the paper to a different place so that the buyer can physically see the progress being made which serves to motivate the entire process.

3. Use active listening skills and ask questions to give you a greater understanding of the other person’s viewpoint. Giving good attention to people makes them more intelligent. Poor attention makes them stumble over their words and appear stupid. You are best positioned to change someone’s mind after you have listened to that person. People tend to close down and stick to their position until they feel heard. The goal of active listening is for you to hear and understand other people – their words, thoughts, and feelings, and to let them know you’ve heard and understood them. Acknowledge their motivations, feelings, and point of view, even when you don’t agree with what they are saying. Your goal is to understand the message, not judge the validity of what they say.

4. Build trust by negotiating fairly. Demonstrations of power erode trust. If you are on the receiving end of this type of behaviour, describe your observations, and the consequences of continuing the current process. For example: “You know, you’ve named what seems to me a low price, and so now I’ll name a higher price, and then we’ll each insist on our position until one of us gives in. I don’t find I’ve done my best negotiations working like this.” Then propose a different way to proceed, for example: “It would help me to understand

the criteria of a fair offer if we could take a look at some of the relevant standards in this industry.” Before beginning the negotiation it can help to agree the ground rules and stick to them. Act with integrity and hold a healthy respect for the intentions of the individual you are negotiating with. There is always a reason why a point of negotiation is important to the buyer and if we can appreciate more about their underlying reasons, this knowledge can be used and acted upon.

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Features and Benefits

Impact of Beliefs

Communication Styles

Effective Telemarketing

Creating a Customer Profile

Closing with Ease

Building Rapport

The Communication Model

Activity Based Planning

Negotiating Behaviours

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