Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

What is an Elevator Pitch? Quite simply, a short presentation designed to grab the attention of new prospects in a succinct yet comprehensive way.

Nobody seems to remember who first coined the term “elevator speech,” but I know it’s been around a long time and I am often asked to help design speeches for clients.

An elevator speech is a short presentation that you could deliver to someone in an elevator as it travels from top to bottom or vice versa. It must be compelling as well as descriptive. It should contain such punch that the other person would love to buy from you. Of course, you can use this in ways other than travelling in an elevator.

When cold calling, it is a good idea to have your pitch ready. When the buyer meets you in reception, deliver the elevator speech with enthusiasm and he or she is much more likely to agree to allocate time to you. On the phone, you can use this to obtain an appointment. You may want to use it in a sales letter where you introduce your company to the prospect. For those who attend trade shows, have your elevator speech ready for people as they approach your stand.

An elevator speech should meet these criteria:

• Keep it brief, long enough to convince, but short enough to hold the other person’s attention.

• Be articulate, use the right tone and speed so that you don’t rush the message.

• Make it sincere, the buyer must feel you’re a credible source.

• Be enthusiastic, use appropriate excitement when telling your story. Buyers take their leads from salespeople. Enthusiasm is infectious and if you are not enthusiastic about your products/services or your company, change jobs!

And it should answer these questions:

Who are we?

What do we do?

To whom do we sell?

What makes us unique?

How do we bring value to our customers?

An elevator speech might sound like this: “My name is John Brown and I work for Packaging R’us, a global leader in packaging technology. Our twenty European technical sales and service centres specialise in helping many Times Top 1000 companies solve their biggest handling, packaging and shipping headaches. Our product lines include packaging equipment and shipping supplies. Our customised solutions increase production uptime and through-put. Our customers tell us that we stand out because of our troubleshooting expertise, problem-solving creativity, and quality solutions. Last year, we won the Packaging Association Customer Satisfaction Award.”

Summary:

Do remember that knowing what you want to say and rehearsing it will make this sound natural. This may be the first time the buyer has heard it, but you don’t want it to be the first time you deliver it.

All this week over on Leadership Turn, I have been discussing the need to understand Social Styles when negotiating - it’s an interesting series.

That’s it for another week - lots of exciting events which will unfold shortly! As ever, wherever you are in theworld, have a great weekend - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot

“Promiscuous Prospecting” by Jill Konrath

“How many prospecting calls did you make last week?” That’s the first thing my sales manager asked me every single Monday morning. I dreaded those meetings because they put me in a no-win position.

I hated to lie, but if I told the truth I’d get in big trouble. My numbers were significantly and consistently below the sacrosanct corporate standards which were established to help us be more successful.

Behind these expectations was the pervasive belief that the more calls you make, the more sales you’ll get. Selling was simply a numbers game and I was clearly failing to do my job.

Yet month after month, despite my abysmal prospecting statistics, I outperformed and outsold my colleagues. This paradox confounded me. My manager was stymied as well since it was went against everything he’d been taught. But he didn’t stop too long to examine what was happening. Instead, he pushed me out the door to make more calls.

All this happened a long time ago when I first started selling. Sometimes I’m amazed at how little has changed.

I was working late in my office one night last year when the phone rang. When I answered, the voice on the other end of the line stammered, totally surprised to find me at my desk. He’d just read my article on voicemails and was checking to see if the phone number in the sample message was really mine. (It was!)

We got to talking about prospecting. He told me that he made 300+ phone calls a day. At first I thought he’d misspoken. No one could possibly make that many calls every single day. But when I double-checked with him, he reiterated that he called 300 prospects each day of the week.

Actually he was quite proud of this achievement. When he first got this job, he was in a large class of new hires. Now he was the only one left. No one else was “tough enough” to keep dialing despite the never-ending rejection.

I wasn’t quite so impressed. I told him I thought it was insane and that his company needed to rethink their sales process.

Promiscuous prospecting does NOT work. It never has and it never will. Follow these guidelines to get out of the “More is Better” trap which is absolutely ineffective for selling to big companies in today’s marketplace.
BE CHOOSY

To be successful in corporate sales be more selective. Calling indiscriminately on every prospective buyer is a total waste of your time.

Some firms are significantly more likely to buy your products or services than others since your offering has a greater impact on their business than others.

Figure out what it is. Perhaps professional services firms benefit most. Maybe you do best with rapidly growing companies. Possibly your best prospects are going through mergers.

Identify companies that meet your best client profile and then pursue business with them. Target those firms where you have the highest likelihood of success and forget calling everyone else.
BE PREPARED

If you want to work with large corporations, don’t ever wing it. To get your foot in the door, it’s essential to research the organization.

Corporate decision makers expect you to have a general understanding of their business. They expect you to be up-to-date on trends in their industry and knowledgeable about how other firms are addressing the critical challenges relevant to your offering.

Figure out ahead of time what you’re going to say if you get voicemail or if you talk to a real person. Determine how you’ll address the common obstacles you invariably encounter. Practice saying these things.

Under the pressure of an actual conversation with a prospective client, I can assure you that you’ll sound like a blathering idiot unless you’re fully prepared.

BE REFLECTIVE
In my opinion, the biggest error with the “make more calls” theory is the assumption that your sales approach is perfect. If it really was, every time you connect with a decision maker should yield an appointment.

Since that doesn’t happen, it’s imperative to analyze the multiple variables that influence your success. As such, you might want to evaluate if you’ve targeted the right companies or identified the appropriate decision makers.

Take a look at what you’re saying in your voicemails, written correspondence or phone conversations. If you’re not getting in, experiment with different approaches.

If you encounter objections and obstacles when you do connect with a decision maker, consider what you might be doing to create them. In my experience, nearly all of them can be eliminated upfront by changing your approach.

Now back for a final moment to my own story. Unlike the seller who made 300 calls per day, I focused on finding those opportunities where I had a better chance of getting in.

I was intent on learning what it took capture a decision maker’s interest and gain an appointment. Everything was examined through the eyes and ears of my prospects.

This approach required me to continually change what I did. It required me to invest hours in preparation. I viewed it all as a grand experiment. Effectiveness was what counted, not numbers.

As I said earlier, being a promiscuous prospector doesn’t work. You have to get smart about it. When you start out, you’ll make more calls because you’re new at it and making more than your share of mistakes.

Focus on learning. It’s the only way you’ll ever get yourself out of the numbers game.

…. For more information about this topic, check out Finding Customers Who are Ready to Buy

Jill Konrath, author of Selling to Big Companies, helps sellers get their foot in the door of large corporations, create demand and win profitable contracts. Get a free Sales Call Planning Guide ($19.95 value) when you sign up for the Selling to Big Companies e-newsletter. For more info, visit Selling To Big Companies

You can download the first two chapters of Selling To Big Companies for free here

Tomorrow: “Elevator Pitches - Love Them Or Hate Them, We Still Need Them” -JF

In many companies, very little systematic thought is given to the design of a sales training programme. Very often one of the following fallacious schools of thought is encountered.

* “Salespeople Are Born Not Made”- therefore the selection process is the only step to getting the right man. Having been chosen, the new recruit is then either successful or not, without any help from the company. Research does not bear out this theory.

* “Must Know The Product From The Ground Up” - all training is therefore devoted to lengthy product training, working on the shop floor, progressing paperwork, etc. Whilst product knowledge is very necessary, it is questionable whether this is the right way to learn it or whether this is sufficient on its own.

* “Watch Me Son” - the new Salesperson is sent out with an old hand to watch (and  learn) the experienced person’s techniques. Thus the new salesperson may not only pick up bad habits from the experienced person (who usually is not as trained as a trainer), but also mere observation will not teach.

If a successful training programme is to be developed, it must be planned with careful thought given to the following questions:

* What are the key objectives?
* What should be taught?
* Where should it be taught?
* By whom? And most critical
* How?

For Example: Typical Objectives Of A Training Programme:

* Increased sales
* Reduced individual selling costs
* Increased individual earnings
* Reduced personnel turnover
* Reduced need for supervision
* Improved employee morale
* Stronger customer relationships

Therefore, the objectives have to be formulated in these terms, i.e. turning the company’s investment in personnel into an asset producing an increased return on that investment.
Summary:

Training is an essential part of the profession of selling, as it is in any other profession.
Training, particularly sales training is a lengthy and complex process if true learning is to take place (i.e. if behaviour is to be modified) Too often, insufficient thought is given to what is to be achieved, by whom and how. The whole situation firstly needs careful analysis with regard paid to the limitations of training, as well as to its value. Then the programme can be formulated and, very important, evaluated against specific objectives. Only in this way can we be sure that the training is in fact achieving positive results.
Finally, formal training can also have a huge influence on skills development, especially if it is implemented with two additional ingredients:

* The training must be based on what the salespeople need and should be tailored to address diagnosed performance gaps. Using a diagnostic approach – a formal sales team skills audit, saves an organisation money and time because there is nothing to be gained from teaching people something that they are already doing well or, conversely, that they don’t need to do in the first place. A well-targeted programme is far more likely to engage participants’ full interest because they’ll see its immediate relevance to their daily results.

* Any training programme will be more effective when the skills that participants learn are reinforced on a regular and continual basis. For maximum impact, every level of management must reinforce training. Such reinforcement can come in many forms, but the best way is for the sales manager to serve as a “model of excellence” who provides an ongoing demonstration of required skills so salespeople begin to live and breathe them.

Tomorrow, a treat! Jill Konrath occupies the “JF Guest Author Spot” with an excellent piece called “Promiscuous Prospecting”

Meanwhile, over at Salesopedia, Clayton Shold is in conversation with the highly energetic Colleen Francis and you can catch the interview here

Finally, it’s launched!! The first volume of “Top Sales Experts Share Their Top Articles” and you can download your free copy by clicking on the widget in the left handside panel - enjoy!

The JF Guest Author Spot

“Follow Up Focus” by Diane Helbig.

How effective is your follow up? Do you follow up? So many businesspeople and salespeople fail to follow up with prospects, clients, and associates. However, follow up is a critical part of business existence and growth.

Many people tell me they just don’t have time to follow up. I submit they don’t have time not to follow up! The key to successful follow up is developing a tracking system. Decide what methods you want to use for touching the contact. This depends on results and desired outcomes.

The Sales Process:

When you are selling, your follow up can be the difference between getting the sale or not. Think about it – what is the point of making the initial contact (cold call or introductory letter) if you aren’t going to follow up with a phone call? Why bother? Do you really think the prospect is going to call you? Sometimes they do. More often than not, they don’t. You’re the salesperson. It’s up to you to show the prospect that their business is important to you. There are several ways you can stay in contact with prospects: calling, emailing, sending snippets of information you think might be of interest to them. Establish a program and stick to it. Like any habit, it gets easier once fully adopted.
New acquaintances:

When you meet someone at a networking event, luncheon, seminar, etc., ask them for their business card and follow up with them. Sometimes just a handwritten note is sufficient. Depending on who they are and the conversation you had with them, you might want to drop them a note and suggest a future meeting. Once again, you’ll have to follow up on the suggestion. Don’t wait for them to call you up. They might, but if it’s important to you to develop a relationship with them – prove it. Call them.
Old acquaintances:

Have you ever run into someone you knew in the past but for some reason you had lost contact with them? Whether they are someone you want to establish a current relationship with or not, send them a handwritten note telling them how nice it was to see them. If you have no interest in pursuing a relationship, wish them well. If you do want to keep in touch, suggest a meeting. And again, follow up on the suggestion.
Clients:

Some people are in constant contact with their clients so follow up may seem unnecessary. I submit that everyone should be following up with their clients on a regular basis. This can take the form of a survey, a drop-in, a note thanking them for their continued business and support, a small gift, and so on. Choose one or more methods depending on your client base, and establish the routine to make sure it happens.
Everyone likes to feel appreciate and important. By taking the time to follow up, you are letting the people you know and meet, that you value them. It’s so simple and yet can yield huge results.

Copyright © 2007 Seize This Day Coaching

Diane Helbig is a Professional Coach, and the president of Seize This Day Coaching. She works one-on-one and in groups with small business owners, entrepreneurs, and salespeople to help them create successful business development strategies. As a team, they embrace the possibilities. Diane’s website seizethisdaycoaching.com and her blog can be found here:seizethisdaycoaching.blogspot.com

Tomorrow, some thought provoking commentary on sales training!!

Many years ago, I realised that my organisation like most others, occasionally suffered what is commonly known as “The Peak And Trough Syndrome” or more usually, “Feast And Famine”. However, me being me, rather than blithely just sit back and accept it as a fact of commercial life, I determined to challenge it and front it head-on - this is what I came up with: 

The Sales Cabinet concept is a sophisticated process for analysing, planning, directing, and monitoring the activity of a sales team.

It is an essential tool for setting sales policies and the management, at whatever level, of a sales team, if not every sales call produces an order and there is a time lag between the first contact with a potential customer and that company placing an order. SC is also a valuable tool for marketing and business development personnel.

The Dimensions of Sales Cabinet:

Sales Cabinet is an imaginery four drawer filing cabinet and each drawer represents not only a stage in the buying cycle, but also the critical tasks a sales team should be performing if they are operating in a “balanced” mode. The aim is to elevate as many of the inhabitants of the bottom drawer up to the top drawer as possible, whilst continually finding replacements for them.

The Buying Drawers:

We have two buying drawers, the top two. In the very top one, we keep our long term stable partners. We might well have preferred supplier agreements with them or a clearly defined and established purchasing history.

In the second drawer, we place the less well established clients, the occasional buyers or the one off buyers. A great deal of purposeful, strategic, objective-based selling can and should be done within these two drawers. In the precarious second drawer of the cabinet, every piece of business has to be fought for and often secured through sacrificing margin. Whereas in the secure environment of the top drawer, the inhabitants respect the added value we bring to the relationship and seek stability and value for money, rather than lowest price. However, developing and promoting Drawer Two occupants has obvious benefits to the growth and profitability prospects of the Company.

The Working Drawer:

In Drawer Three, we keep our prospects, potential customers who we have visited and qualified, but have yet to win the first order. Though this is a crucial part of the development of an ideal customer base, sales work in the Working Drawer is, in general terms, the least cost effective unless rigorous qualification processes are followed. Its importance and its costs make it, therefore, yet another important focus for the Sales Manager. What can we do to heighten our success with a major sales opportunity? When are we best to back off? How can we capture big opportunities more quickly? Etc.

The Marketing Drawer:

Drawer Four, is where we keep our suspects, those potential opportunities identified but not yet visited or qualified. As with most things in life, the more work that is put into the preparation phase of the sales process, the less effort will be wasted in the long-term. The selection of the right opportunities from the market place can ensure better sales, better profits and can reduce the cost of the sales work. Selection criteria have to be established and graduated by experienced sales personnel. Once in operation and proven, their continued use can be maintained by other members of the organisation who will develop, to a much higher level, the specific skills needed. Banks of qualified prospects can be built up if appropriate – ready for a concerted attack on a targeted part of the market place.

Summary:

When I first designed Sales Cabinet, I realised just how important it is that balance be maintained between the four drawers (where market conditions permit). Excessive top drawer 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 bottom two drawers is inefficient and will dramatically reduce the potential for growth, will increase the cost of sales unnecessarily and could well lower the reputation of the Company.

Sales Cabinet has since been successfully implemented by thousands of companies around the world - it works! 

Tomorrow, “The JF Guest Author Spot” and I have a real treat for you: “Focus On Follow Up” by Diane Helbig - you will enjoy it very much!

That was an observation by the way, not an order!!

All meaningful actions are performed for some reason or purpose. This is commonly called “motivation”.

Success in selling requires understanding these basics of motivation:

• Your motivation both as a person and as a salesperson

• The other person’s motivation both as a person and as a buyer

The most important fact to remember in influencing the behaviour and decisions of others is that – People do things for their reasons, not ours.

Every successful sale, then, is made not so much because of the excellence of your product or of your sales pitch, but because, consciously or unconsciously, you have found the human reason why your prospect should buy. You have found the door to their motivation and have opened it. The more you understand the function of human motivation, the more successfully you will sell.

In its simplest form, motivation emerges as a cycle. It starts with a want or need, expressed or hidden. Inherent in this is a problem, a problem that must be overcome in order to satisfy the want, that must be solved. Once solved, the want can be satisfied and the cycle is completed.

In terms of personal development there are several levels of needs. You will no doubt  be familiar with Maslow’s pyramid of need:

These needs are basic to everyone you sell to, live with, or encounter.

At the bottom of the pyramid are the Physiological Needs.  These include food, shelter, warmth, sex and sleep. They are instinctive needs common to all living creatures. Until these needs are satisfied, the higher needs are purely academic.

Then comes Safety which  is almost as basic. Security is another word for this need; security in one’s job, in one’s place in society…safety from unknown dangers…freedom from pain.

Love is a more sophisticated but no less essential need. Every human being wants others to care about them, to receive affection. They want to have the approval of others…to be understood…accepted…respected…to belong. And equally important, they  have a need to be involved…to care about and give affection to others. The two are inseparable.

Self-esteem is equally essential. Every human being needs to feel that they are important in some sphere of life…that their presence on earth has meaning and significance. The mature person knows that this begins with self-respect. This need provides a tremendous motivational force.

Self-actualization is the highest need: for personal growth and achievement, for self-fulfilment, the best use of one’s capabilities, the fullest possible realisation of potential, within an honest understanding both of the limitations and scope of that potential.

People of course, are different. Their needs will vary in degree, in shape, and in the nature of their answers. But they are common to all. As you are alert to them, as you understand them, so will your success with others be measured.

How do people seek to satisfy their needs? Thorndike’s “Law Of Effect” supplies the answer:

“People tend to behave in a way to gain rewards and avoid punishment”

My goodness, my first week of daily posts and it has flown by - as ever, have a great weekend. - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot:

“Voice Mail Barriers - 7 Tips for Breaking Through”  by Rochelle Togo-Figa

So often when I’m speaking to groups or individuals, people ask me what I say in a voice mail message that gets the prospect or client to call me back. Many sales professionals and business owners are eager for the answer to that question. I have the answer for you and you may not like it: It doesn’t much matter what you say, because your call probably will not be returned. I know you may not be too happy to hear this, but it’s your job to call a prospect until you reach that prospect.

Of course there are prospects or clients with whom you have a relationship and who will call you back; however, assume that a new prospect will not call you back. Make your goal to reach a specific number of prospects rather than leaving messages. Be persistent, call at various times and on different days. When you do make your calls, have a prepared outline of what you want to say.

Here are 7 valuable tips to help you reach your prospects while avoiding voice mail.

1. Persistence pays off. Don’t give up. Call at different times of the day and throughout the week. Eventually you will get through.

2. Call when the prospect will pick up the phone. The best times to call are early in the morning (before 8:30 A.M.), late in the day (after 5:30), or during lunch. If the prospect has an assistant, there’s a better chance he or she will pick up the phone during the times when the assistant is not there.

3. Remember what works. You’ve been calling and calling the prospect, and get through. Write down that time, as it may be the best time to reach the prospect the next time you call.

4. Call the main number. An operator or receptionist will likely know if the prospect you’re calling is in or out of the office. If the prospect’s not in, they may know the best time to call back.

5. Call on Fridays. Friday is a day when many people tend to wind down from the week’s work and are more likely to pick up the phone. The prospect may be more receptive to having a conversation with you on a slower day.

6. Call around the holidays. Many sales professionals stop calling prospects around the holidays. They think the prospect has taken time off so they don’t bother. Actually, it’s an opportune time to call. The prospect may be catching up on paperwork and is more likely to answer the phone, since there are fewer calls.

7. Find the person in charge. Call Human Resources and say, “Perhaps you can help me. Can you tell me who is in charge of…?” Saying these words can lead you to reaching the decision-maker. People will help you when you ask them.
If you feel that you must leave a message, make it brief. Don’t leave your entire pitch or ask for an appointment. Let the person know why you are calling and that you will be calling back. Speak slowly, leave your name and company name, and say your phone number twice–just in case they are inclined to call you back!

ASSIGNMENT:
• Make a list of 5 prospects you’ve been trying to reach. Be persistent in making your calls and don’t give up. Remember, it’s a big part of your job to reach the prospect.
• Next to each name, write down a plan of action. Are you going to call them before 8:30 A.M., after 5:30 P.M., try the main number, or find the person in charge?

• When you reach the prospect, write down the time and day you reached them so you know the next time.

(c) All Rights Reserved.

Rochelle Togo-Figa, The Sales Breakthrough Expert, is the creator of the Sales Breakthrough System(TM), a proven step-by-step sales process that will help you close more sales, sign on more clients and make more money with ease and velocity. To sign up for her free sales articles and teleclasses on closing more sales, visit www.SalesBreakthroughs.com.

Great article which was last week’s “Top 10 Sales Articles” article of the week.

Tomorrow – “Buyer Motivation – What’s That All About?” Interesting post to finish the week!! -JF
 

Judging by the amount of articles I have read this week on the subject of “listening”, it would appear the world and his brother has something to say about it – including me!

Our role in the sales situation alternates between sender and receiver of messages.

The very best sales professionals devote a large portion of the sales interview to listening.

Creative ability is geared to perceptiveness. Our ears are as important to perception as our eyes.

Understanding people and human motivation demands alertness to behaviour clues. Among the most important clues is the words people use.

Human relations is helping others like themselves. Sincere listening demonstrates sincere interest.

The best sales approach begins with a question. Listening for the answer is our guidepost to the right road.

Solutions to problems are based on what we hear in answer to the questions we’ve asked.

Good listening is the shortest distance between us and more sales; better sales, faster sales.

Good listening is a skill that requires much conscious practice.

There are many bad listening habits common to most of us.

• We label subjects dull and uninteresting and tune out.

• We look only for facts, not ideas.

• We stress the speaker’s manner of delivery and speech habits and ignore the contents of their words.

• We let our emotions colour and obscure the inflow. (We judge before we understand, and lose the thread.)

• We permit ourselves to be distracted.

• We pretend to listen but we don’t hear

• We go off on mental tangents.

These poor listening habits are “pick-pockets” that rob us into mental and sales poverty. Be alert to them and avoid them.

Good listening is real work. But there are many things in our favour. Average speech speed is 125 words per minute. We can listen six times as fast. This gives the listener a time advantage over the speaker.

The good listener applies the”EARS” formula to exploit this advantage. They:

Evaluate – search for evidence that the speaker might use to support their statements

Anticipate – tries to predict what the next point will be

Review – mentally summarises the main points the speaker has covered

Speculate – read between the lines to ask: “What is he/she really saying?”

It pays also to listen with your eyes as well as your ears. Frequently, a gesture, an expression, will reveal as much or more than words.

Remember too, communication involves four steps:

Step One: Sensing the message and the stimuli that goes with it

Step Two: Interpreting it (to be sure you understand)

Step Three: Evaluating it (never judge before you understand)

Step Four: Reacting (either verbally or non-verbally)

Some final hints on listening:

• Be neutral. Let the other person have their full say.

• Give them complete attention… and reinforcement.

• If appropriate, ask them to explain further.

• Rephrase their main points and “play them back” to them…to help them see if they have said exactly what they wanted to say, and to make sure you understand.

• Put their “feelings” into words. This will help them evaluate and perhaps modify their statement…and it gives further evidence of your understanding.

• At the appropriate time, get agreement. Summarise what you have both said as a preparation for the next step. If possible, have them suggest the course of action.
 

Over at Salesopedia later today, you will be able to catch my very good buddy, Clayton Shold in conversation with Anne Miller of Metaphorically Selling – I am really looking forward to that, she is a very smart cookie- you can find it here

Tomorrow, in the “JF Guest Author” slot, you will find: “Voice Mail Barriers - 7 Tips for Breaking Through” by Rochelle Togo-Figa – it’s a great article by an extremely professional and savvy businesswoman.

Enjoy - JF

The JF Guest Author Spot:

“The Power Of One” by Kelley Robertson.

One is a very tiny number. However, it can have a tremendous impact on your revenues. Here are some ideas to consider:

• Make one more cold call every day. One extra call a day equals 260 calls in a year. How many meetings could you set up with this number of calls and how many of those meetings could you turn into sales? Consider your current conversion ratio and think of the impact on your business.

• Suggest one additional item to every customer. This is particularly important if you sell lower priced items or work in a retail environment. Too many sales people are focused only on getting the initial sale. However, almost everyone has additional items, products, or services that could beneficial to their customers.

• Invest one day per month developing your skills. Many of the most successful people in business invest in themselves. They attend workshops, conferences, and participate in webinars and tele-seminars on a regular basis. Considering that the majority of people do not invest in developing their skill, you can quickly out-pace your co-workers and competition.§ Read one book every month. Expanding your knowledge will help you become more successful. Read books related to your industry or that will provide insight to helping you improve your skill in a specific area.

• Ask one more question during each sales call. Before you starting “pitching” your product or service, ask your prospect one more question. This question might give you the additional insight you need to more effectively position your product or service.

• Pause for one moment longer than usual before responding to a prospect’s question or request. Known as the pregnant pause, this often prompt the other person to blurt out something they had not intended to say. The secret behind this strategy is that most people are uncomfortable with silence and will begin talking to fill the “dead” air space.

• Get to the office one hour early. Remember the expression “The early bird gets the worm”. That one extra hour first thing in the morning can be the most productive time of the day. You have a better chance to reach decision-makers, there are fewer distractions, and you can often achieve more in that 60 minutes than in several hours.

• Address objections one more time before giving up. Too many sales people give up too soon when faced with objections. I’m not suggesting that you beat your customer into submission in order to close the sale. However, I do recommend that you tackle each objection one more time before you give up.§ Send one more email to the prospect who has been sitting on the fence. Sometimes, people need that little push and encouragement to move forward. But in many cases their time is occupied by other projects and priorities which means they are not focused on your solution. Gentle reminders are often appreciated providing you don’t follow up so frequently that you appear to be stalking them. Even though they may not be ready to make that particular buying decision, you will help keep your name in their mind.

• Ask for an endorsement or testimonial one more time. Endorsements and testimonials are greatly underutilized by most people in business today. Quite often we ask a client for a testimonial but because they have other priorities, they forget. Call them or send an email and politely request the testimonial again.

• Suggest one more idea to help a customer improve their business. Schedule a breakfast meeting or lunch with your customers but instead of trying to sell them something, focus on learning more about their particular challenges. Offer solutions that do not include your products or services and your customers will begin to see you more as a partner than a supplier.

• Send one more thank you card or note. Very few sales people make the effort to thank their customers. You can stand out from the crowd by sending handwritten notes to thank customers for their most recent order, meeting with you, or sending an on-time payment. You can also send a note when you see their company mentioned favorably in the news

Kelley Robertson, President of the Robertson Training Group, works with businesses to help them increase their sales, negotiate more effectively, and motivate their employees. Receive a FREE copy of “100 Ways to Increase Your Sales” by subscribing to his free newsletter available at http://www.RobertsonTrainingGroup.com. Kelley speaks regularly at conferences, sales meetings, and corporate functions. For information on his programs contact him at 905-633-7750 or Kelley@RobertsonTrainingGroup.com.

Today is a very important day for my good friend David Bain of Purple Internet Marketing because it is the day that he launches “The 13 Pillars Of Internet Marketing”

In my view, it doesn’t matter what type of business you’re in or at what level your existing knowledge of Internet Marketing is ~ David’s seminars offer essential training for any business involved in, or intending to be involved in online marketing. I urge you to review “The 13 Pillars Of Internet Marketing” – I have done so already and I honestly learned so much. You will not be able to access details about the product until 17.00 hrs GMT but if you can’t wait, you can pre-register your interest here

Until tomorrow - JF

A vitally important sales activity is that of managing existing customer accounts to consolidate and grow the relationship. Yet unfortunately, when compared over time, the customers’ interest levels increase while salespeople’s interest levels tend to decrease. This creates a “relationship gap” and is due entirely to complacency.

Another major issue is that too often the salesperson fails to expand their “contact base” as this next survey proves, which results in vulnerability and exposure to competitive activity

Periodically, the Financial Times conducts a survey of British industry to establish how companies go about their purchasing. The survey is very comprehensive, broken down into many kinds of products and services.

Customer size (Number of employees): Less than 200
Average number of buying influencers: 3.43
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.72

Customer size (Number of employees): 200 – 400
Average number of buying influencers: 4.85
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.75

Customer size (Number of employees): 401 – 1000
Average number of buying influencers: 5.81
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.90

Customer size (Number of employees): 1001 +
Average number of buying influencers: 6.50
Number of influencers visited by salespeople: 1.65

From a Sales Director’s perspective, these are very worrying statistics.

In essence, without a sustained approach to ongoing servicing and support activities, customers that took months to win are ultimately lost because there was a lack of interest from their supplier.

To-days clients/customers are looking for vendors who can be business-partners, who are willing and able to share risks and who are able to properly manage the entire sales process.

Fact:
It costs seven times as much to locate and sell to a new customer as it does to an existing one.

Are you really making the most of your customer base?

Jill Konrath, my friend, fellow “Top Sales Expert” and founder of sellingtobigcompanies.com is organising a free Webinar this coming Thursday, June 7 2007.

According to Jill, you’ll learn seven new strategies that you can use right away to crack into corporate accounts, shorten sales cycles and differentiate yourself from competitors. These strategies go against conventional wisdom, but that’s why they work.

Jill’s seminars are packed with valuable information and hugely popular, so I would hurry up and register for this event. The event is sponsored by Landslide.

Tomorrow is my first “Guest Author” posting, and the article in question is the superb “The Power Of One” by Kelley Robertson but I won’t spoil it for you by providing an overview now – suffice to say, you will identify with it!

Several people have asked me if “posting everyday” includes Saturday and Sundays – simple answer “No” – even the “ever busy Jonathan Farrington” as someone called me last week, needs a little “R & R”

Until tomorrow - JF