Thoughtful Thursdays - A few words on personal selling

What are the characteristics of a successful sales person? Recall a buying experience where you had a choice of vendors to choose from and think about why you chose that person. I begin many sales sessions by posing this question to the group and create a list. The following are common characteristics:

• Knowledgeable
• Trustworthy
• Not too pushy
• Attentive
• Asks relevant questions
• Helpful
• Doesn't try to sell me something I don't need
• Truthful

I have had input from sufficient people to have a good sample size. What these lists tell me is that people generally agree on the characteristics a sale person they choose to deal with will possess.

After the list is created I ask one more question: "Are these characteristics that your friends demonstrate?"

All things being equal, people like to deal with people they like - go figure.

Do not underestimate the importance of relationship in your business dealings or the time it takes to develop this relationship. How long does it take you to make a new friend who you trust?

Good selling,
Richard

Thoughtful Thursdays - I can't take your call...

 

... personally right now, please leave a detailed message...

Voice mail, how do you handle it? Some tell me they never leave messages, others always do.

 

I always leave a voice message when given the opportunity. It is part of my overall sales process. In fact I also have a script prepared to remind me what to include in the message. I will also practice the message, there is nothing more annoying to me than listening to an unorganized rambling, unintelligible message, and I have to believe there are others that feel the same way.

 

Here are some suggestions for what to include in any message you leave:

• Who you are
• Your name and company name
• Who referred you (if applicable)
• Why you are calling
• Be clear and concise
• Call to action
• When you will call back

You want to be able to communicate this information in less than 30 seconds. That does not mean a one minute message jammed into 30 seconds. I do not set the expectation of receiving a return call, so I will always indicate when I will be calling back if my prospect does not have the opportunity to do so.

I believe that leaving a voice message is an opportunity to communicate with a prospect that is missed by many sales people. It establishes a reference point to measure your sales process on and allows you to plan your next actions so you can get on to the next call.

Good selling,

Richard

Thoughtful Thursdays - Yes, we do use that product/service...

...but I must tell you that we have a supplier we are quite happy with. I have your card and will call you if anything comes up.

Do you say "Thank you for your time." and leave or is there another way to approach this? Most importantly, are you prepared to handle this objection?

When I encounter this kind of objection, my immediate thought is "Game on", and what do I need to do to get the prospect to listen to me? I appreciate that they will get back to me if "anything comes up", but I certainly do not expect them to do so without having a good reason.
Today's sales thought is about providing that good reason for your prospect to contact you when something does come up.

• Ask if they would consider having an alternate source
• Have a follow up strategy to make sure you are not forgotten and execute it
• Prepare for a longer sales cycle - persistence is key
• Clearly demonstrate the value in considering you as a supplier
• Become knowledgeable about the prospects industry
• Challenge yourself to connect with the prospect on a regular basis
• Communicate your competitive advantage 

Good selling,
Richard

P.S. Did anyone else loose posts this week due to the day long Blogger outage? I thank my RSS feed for providing copy and enabling this re-post.

Thoughtful Thursdays - Dealing with the "but"

Thank you for presenting your proposal earlier this week. We like what you are offering, but we just can't afford to pay that much. There is a competitive situation we must consider. Is there anything you can do about your price?

Okay star, how will you handle this common objection? Are you prepared to respond? The way this is handled may make or break the deal.

Today's thought may provide you a few ideas on how to handle this kind of objection. Let's assume that your research is sound. You have correctly identified the needs and proposed your best solution. There is not much wiggle room with price and you are not prepared to just drop price to get the order unless absolutely necessary. There may be some points that need clarification.

• Is the customer making a fair product/service comparison with the competition?
• How far apart are the prices and what is the total impact over the entire order?
• If you are the incumbent, has the customer considered all the costs of changing suppliers?
• If you are not the incumbent, have you considered the cost to your customer of changing suppliers?
• Can you make up the price gap with value added services other than price of your product/service? Examples include improvement of cash flow or inventory planning.
• Is the lifetime value of the customer significant? Are they strategically significance to the long term goals of your business?

You are looking for ways to establish value that do not directly impact your proposed price. It may not always possible. By exploring all possibilities you are likely to secure a higher percentage of your business at the prices you want.

Good selling,
Richard