The ‘Book of Lists’ published every year in America, has accumulated and ranked a dazzling assortment of fascinating topics.

 Amongst them is the list of ‘mankind’s worst fears’

Do you think that ‘death’ is our greatest fear? – No that’s tied for sixth place with ‘sickness’

In fifth place is our fear of ‘deep water’
In fourth place comes our fear of ‘financial problems’
In third our fear of ‘insects and bugs’
In second place is our fear of ‘heights’

So what do you think ranks as our worst fear?

It is in fact, the prospect of having to stand up in front of an audience and make a speech or give a presentation.

Interestingly, the most common problem among inexperienced presenters is the ‘fear of fear’ the feeling that they will be unable to overcome this nervousness. This fear is normally multiplied by the number of people they are talking to.

The Value Of Nerves:

However, the adoption of certain basic principles will help to control nerves.

You will note that I say ‘control’ rather than eradicate – which leads to the first of these principles.

• Feeling nervous before and at the start of any presentation is not only natural, it is necessary. Without that keyed-up feeling, the adrenaline will not flow in the presenter and therefore the presentation will be flat and unexciting.

• Remember that of the three key elements in any presentation -i.e. the audience, the content & the presenter, the presenter is the least important.

• Also remember that you are not alone. Nearly every great orator, whether they are a politician, an actor, an evangelist or a great sales person, feels the same nervousness that you feel. (indeed many of them feel it worse)

In nearly every case the audience is on you side.

In Summary:

• The biggest fear is probably of ‘drying -up’ you will not do this if you are properly prepared with a good set of notes. If you are lost for a word, don’t worry, it will either come to you or the audience will supply it.

• Just before you are due to start, sit down in a chair and take two or three deep breaths.

• Make sure you have ‘warmed-up’ your voice before rising to speak.

• Be appropriately dressed for the occasion – smart attire adds to you confidence.

• When you stand up, ‘stand-tall’ with feel slightly apart and well grounded on the floor.

• Don’t fidget – relax.

Remember the only way to learn how to have full control of nerves is to practice making presentations whenever and however possible.

There are of course, a number of key elements within a professional presentation, for example: Planning and preparation, structure, verbal delivery, physical delivery, the use of visual aids and the management of the question and answer session. Each element is important and each needs to be planned thoroughly.

I think you will also enjoy “How To Deliver A Professional Presentation”

Today’s News: If you missed yesterday’s TSE Roundtable, you missed a really great show, and I know the audience will all have gone away with lots of new ideas for prospecting successfully. If you are a VIP member, you can of course dip into the archive anytime you like!

Hard to believe that it’s time for this blog to celebrate it’s third birthday!! So of course, that means a third edition of “JF’s Blogging Good Year” – look out for it in the next few days.

Everybody talks about the need to get to “Win-Win” but my experience suggests that  most people get there by accident.

A “Win-Win” negotiation can only be achieved if both parties are prepared to concede some of their ‘would like to have’s’ in favour of preserving their ‘must have’s’.

The way concessions are handled is a vitally important negotiating skill and can have a huge impact on the final result.

Below are ten tried and tested tactics to help you.

1. Discover and agree all the points for negotiation before it begins. Ensure that for each one of these points you have identified whether it is a fixed or a variable point from your perspective. (Variable means that there is some flexibility of movement.) If you have a separate meeting scheduled for your negotiation, it’s a good practice to send out you points for negotiation prior to your meeting. This ensures that both parties aren’t presented with any sudden surprises.

2. Increase the number of points for negotiation (if possible) because you increase the opportunities for a trade. If you only negotiate on price you are potentially setting the stage for a Win-Lose outcome. People very rarely buy on price alone, which is why it’s important to do a thorough fact find at the beginning of the sales process, to flush out the buyer’s list of requirements.

3. Always trade concessions (as opposed to giving them away). This means that for each point where you agree to a concession, you’ll want the buyer to make a concession in return. If you give a concession without requesting a return concession then you’ll be unlikely to get one afterwards. Therefore, it helps to preface your concession with the words ‘what if’. For example, “What if I offered you this (specify concession), what could you offer me in return?” As soon as you begin the process of trading concessions you are creating a frame for agreement, this underpins the belief that together you can reach an overall agreement.

4. Make concessions in small incremental amounts, gradually. If you offer up a large concession too quickly you could create the perception that ‘you loaded the deal’. It’s always best to aim to hold something in reserve for those buyers that are tougher with their negotiations, and present every concession as if it has huge value to you. When presenting concessions use features and benefits to really highlight the value that you are offering.

5. If the price changes, change the deal. This can help to maintain your credibility and justifies the reason for the price change. If you simply comply with a request to lower your prices then you imply that you were asking too much originally.

6. Use a calculator to quantify the impact of price decreases overall. For example, a couple of cents or euros on a large deal could equate to a huge amount over a twelve month period. This can be useful to show just how much you are offering in the long term. It’s a good idea to calculate the long-term value of every concession you are offering.

7. It can be disadvantageous to have your opening offer completely disregarded so encourage the buyer to go first with their offer if you can. Sometimes the buyer offers more than the sales person was prepared to accept, yet avoids having to do so because they kept quiet and let the seller go first. It also provides you with the opportunity to evaluate their opening stance in terms of the possibility of getting an overall result. If their opening offer is ridiculously low then they may not be taking the negotiation as seriously as you.

8. Make each concession really count. People have a tendency to appreciate what they have worked hard to get. If the winning of a concession is too easy then you are depriving the buyer of some emotional satisfaction. This is also an ideal time to request the opportunity to consult with another individual within your organisation. If the buyer sees that their requested concession appears to be outside of your own authority limits, then this helps to build the case that they have negotiated well.

9. Be creative when generating concessions. Work with the other party to generate a variety of options and brainstorm each option neutrally. You’ll be amazed at how many good ideas are created when this process is allowed to occur. You can help this process prior to the negotiation by seeking input and ideas from other people in your organisation. Often, getting some alternative suggestions from people who are not involved in the deal, can provide you with some refreshing new insights.

10. Leave price until last so you build a sense of agreement between both parties. Aim to discover what the buyer really needs when they request a particular price. At the end of a negotiation, the buyer has made an investment of time and has demonstrated a desire to do business with you by making concessions. Therefore, to reach a stalemate at this final stage will be viewed as a waste of their time. Before tackling the price, summarise all the concessions that you have made and where possible attach a value to them. This amount can look even more impressive if you total this over a twelve month period. Always have a list of the buyers agreed requirements in front of you so that you can show the buyer just how many of them  you have already met.

 I think you will also enjoy “Negotiation – Some Thoughts On Movement & Concessions”

Today’s News: Ok, lots of events coming up this week, first up….

Please don’t forget today’s Top Sales Experts Roundtable.

“What Top Producers Know About Prospecting That You Don’t”

Details HERE

Your FREE place HERE

Before attempting to handle any type of objection, it is important to begin by looking at the beliefs that sales people are holding in their minds. If they are focusing on what objections they believe they will encounter, they will unconsciously transmit these thoughts to their prospects.

Every moment, human beings perceive things on many different levels based on millions of bits of information being absorbed into the unconscious mind. Our conscious mind is not able to process all of this information and tends to select small chunks at a time.

At the most basic level there is neurological perception, the way we perceive sensory-based things. This level of perception is based upon the functioning of our end-receptors (i.e., our eyes, ears, skin, nose, tongue and mouth, inner ear, etc.). If there is damage in the end-receptor, our ability to pick up information from the energy manifestations in the world will be affected, sometimes completely cut off so that we perceive nothing, or in limited ways, or in very distorted ways.

At another level, an individual’s experiences and consequently their beliefs will influence and colour their perceptions. Ultimately, the only thing that can be ‘real’ for an individual is the ‘reality’ that they hold inside their mind. Have you ever experienced buying a new car and suddenly noticing how many cars of the same type as yours are driving around? This is because your car has been a recent, conscious focus for you so you see similarities with this new focus.

Objections start with a thought. You have to think about an objection to manifest and experience the objection. For years, Quantum physicists have been working to prove the entire Universe stemmed from a simple thought, and this is referred to as The Law of Creation. When an individual holds a particular thought for any length of time, they are focusing their attention on this thought. This attention will attract evidence of the thought into their lives that consequently serves to validate and strengthen their initial thought.

According to Dr. Fred Alan Wolf, Quantum Physicist, “The mind is actually shaping the very thing that is being perceived.” This concept has enormous implications for sales people who have a tendency to encounter the same type of objections repeatedly, because ultimately at some level they are not comfortable about a certain aspect of your company’s product or service. This means that their perceptions are being projected onto their prospects.

You may also enjoy “Why Buyers Resist & Object”

Today’s News:

Congratulations to Tibor Shanto, this month’s “Top 10 Sales Article Of  The Month” winner over at Top 10 Sales Articles with “How To Shorten Your Sales Cycle”

 Tibor now joins a very illustrious group and goes forward to the grand “Top Sales Article Of The Year” final, which this year will be broadcast live on December 22nd – details soon.

All of this means of course, that we have already posted October’s selection, and you can read them all and vote here

If you are a regular visitor here, you will know that I often discuss “Top 5% Achievement” and with the recent launch of AllBusiness’s competition to find and reward the very best salespeople on the planet, I thought it highly appropriate to share with you the criteria the judges will be using.

Recent exhaustive surveys suggest that only 5% of professional salespeople reach and remain at the highest level, which we call Level 3.

A further 15% attain Level 2 status, but the majority, i.e. a massive 80% remain at Level 1 in terms of potential achievement.

Level One salespeople sell products and depend on having the right technical solution for the customer’s specification.

Level Two salespeople sell solutions, which changes their image from sales rep to business consultant and positions them as a potential strategic resource.

Most salesmen and women manage to advance from Level 1 to Level 2 fairly easily but unfortunately, many find breaking through that final glass ceiling extremely difficult i.e. moving from competitive sales professionals to collaborative sales consultants.

Level Three salespeople are able to first identify and then capitalise upon the political component within the buying process. They develop and sustain strong commercial relationships at all levels within their accounts and these relationships endure because they are based on mutual respect and trust. Their clients feel secure, so secure, that they would be fearful of changing supplier.

Level Three salespeople rarely, if ever, lose an order that they really want because they are always in control of the sales cycle. They have identified that in marketplaces where product uniqueness and technical expertise are no longer enough, it is they themselves, that make the difference i.e. their superior skills.

Three additional areas, which set Level Three players apart from the rest, are:

Commercial Acumen:
Collaborative sales professionals have high levels of strategic awareness and they can communicate comfortably with board level players, i.e. the economic buyers using common language and terminology. Level 1 and 2 performers, unable to demonstrate credibility when discussing financial, commercial and political issues, are usually left behind and require assistance from a manager or director.

Competitive Courage:
In order to achieve consistent levels of success in today’s environment, it is necessary to be able to pro-actively target competitors and their client base. Any individual, who lacks the guts for a fight and is not comfortable with competitive selling, will severely restrict their potential.

Being Focused On Political Activity:
You can of course question the legitimacy of politics, but you cannot deny their existence. The sales professional that fails to recognise the importance that politics play in virtually every complex sale, will almost certainly consign themselves to a career at Level 1. No one ever said that we must take part in the political game, but recognising that a game is being played, whether we like or not is essential i.e. what you understand you can manage.

However, I fully appreciate that most organisations will not necessarily need to populate their sales teams with Level 3 performers even if they could find and afford them. There will always be tasks, functions and indeed markets where Level 2 or even Level 1 salesmen and women can comfortably exceed expectations.

What is important is that we ensure we have the right Level where we need it most i.e. round pegs in round holes. If an organisation is attempting to compete in a market sector where Level 3 skills are required and yet their team is predominately at Level 2 in terms of expertise, experience and development, they are unlikely to consistently win the business they need, in order to fulfil their financial ambitions.

What I can say for certain, is that successful selling has become an exclusive club of highly skilled professionals where, for example, product knowledge, time management skills, objection handling and closing skills are the cost of membership, not leadership.

Do you know a true sales star?

Who closes more deals and brings in business for your company or a company you know?

AllBusiness wants to honor the top-performing salespeople who are working hard in today’s competitive market. Tell us about the salesperson in your network who deserves the limelight.

Our panel of sales coaches and experts will select one salesperson each month from among the nominees. That person will be featured on our site and profiled in a feature article for AllBusiness and our sister site, Hoover’s. One annual winner will get a trip to San Francisco to create a series of videos showcasing their expertise and talent.”

You can find out who is on the panel, plus all the details HERE

Over at Top Sales Experts, the most significant sales related online community in the world, five of the world’s top sales gurus gather together every month to present timely, relevant, and specific advice, all in one 60-minute highly interactive online-show.

Each TSE Roundtable addresses issues being faced by sales professionals everywhere, as we come out of the severest economic downturn ever.

This month:

To Register:

OR Why not consider becoming a TSE VIP Member? Via me, membership costs just $25 per year and you get to listen to this and every other Roundtable for FREE – plus so much more

Take the VIP Tour Today

PS: OK, if you are really hard up and still want to attend, just send me an email at jf@jonathanfarrington.com and I’ll pay your entrance fee myself

For companies to remain competitive now, their sales organisation must be able to respond positively to the changing economic tides.

As businesses strive to recover and re-establish customer orientation, sales partnerships and a strategic approach to selling, they are demanding more and more from their salespeople but ensuring that these new methods are widely practised and smoothly implemented falls to sales management.

Building Productivity:

Sales productivity is a strategic issue. That’s why problems in this area stem from salespeople being unclear about their company’s priorities i.e. what their message should be and what they should be selling.

The trend in industry of removing layers of management between the salesforce and the general manager presents a challenge to those sales managers who remain.

To begin with, the sales manager becomes an essential link between company strategy and what takes place in the customer’s office.

He or she must not only grasp the corporate vision but be able to communicate it to the sales force in terms of the real effects on sales practices.

Creating Direction:

Sales managers with an intimate feel for the selling process succeed because their staff regard them as part of the sales team but coaching the team is as important as playing in it. In other words, sales managers must be prepared to provide training, feedback and support to every individual within the team.

Once committed to the training process, they must routinely reinforce new ways of behaving in real sales situations. They must provide a clear sense of direction on a daily basis, not just at the monthly sales meeting / quarterly review / annual appraisal.

The very best sales managers engage in frequent coaching and feedback, even when their sales people work in remote locations. While encouraging salespeople to air their problems openly and discuss their concerns, sales managers must be able to offer clear and specific feedback for improving sales performance.

Rewarding Change:

The sales manager is charged with translating the company’s reward system into specific improvements in sales performance. Both salespeople and corporate managers count on the sales manager to recognise and reward outstanding achievement, formally and informally.

The process of promoting new attitudes about the customer and the role of the salesperson can be frustrating and slow. Reverting back to recent research there is compelling evidence to suggest that companies will see results sooner if they recognise and reward salespeople – “you get more of the behaviour and results that you reward”.

The trend in sales compensation appears to be away from commission to guaranteed salary, from compensation based on orders to compensation based on delivery and sign-off.

Interestingly some organisations we know, base their ‘salesperson of the year’ award on the basis of customer satisfaction or customer retention rather than sheer volume of orders or activity.

And some more reading for you..”The Most Successful Sales Managers”

Today’s News: Over at Top Sales Experts, we kick off a brand new feature in a couple of weeks time – “Sales Hardtalk” – a twice weekly hard hitting interview series, that you can download and listen to at your convenience. We recorded a dry run this week, when I interviewed Craig Klein from SalesNexus – it was very interesting and you can listen in here

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to,” said the Cheshire Cat

“I don’t much care where” said Alice

“Then it doesn’t matter which way you go,” said the Cat

“– So long as I get somewhere,” Alice added as an explanation

“Oh, you’re sure to do that,” said the Cat “If you only walk long enough.”

Lewis Carroll
(Alice’s Adventures In Wonderland)

Sound familiar?

Well it doesn’t have to be like that.

Every successful person you know has a game plan and maybe you should think about having one too!

Here is how I plan:

Always begin with long-term goals and work backwards. Your long-term goals are probably the most difficult to set anyway, so if you set those first, you accomplish the tough stuff right up-front.

Long-term goals should be five-year projections and three areas you may want to consider when you set them are personal accomplishments, status symbols and net worth.

Medium-term goals are usually three year projections and the same criteria can be used – but again think productivity not production and consider the activity that will be necessary to achieve success.

Short-term goals will demand most of your attention and these are usually a twelve-month projection although you can set ‘immediate goals’ which have a 90-day projection.

You must believe you can achieve all of your goals – otherwise you will not achieve them.

Setting a Well Balanced Diet of Goals:

It is essential to set personal as well as career goals to keep your life well balanced. If all your goals are connected to your commercial life, you will have trouble taking time out for family and friends because you will always be pushing towards the next career goal.

Remember: Work smarter not harder. Setting personal goals gives you a life after business.

Put Your Goals in Writing:

Once you have formulated your goals it is time to make your final commitment to them by putting them down in writing. This is undoubtedly the single most important step in goal setting because until they are inscribed somewhere they are merely wishes and dreams.

After you have written them down, your mind will start seeking out whatever it will take to make them a reality.

Remember: The moment you start moving forward towards a goal, is the moment you start to succeed.

I recently published an ebook called “If  It’s To Be, It’s Up To You – Secrets Of  Effective Goal Setting“ which is a guide to…yep, you got it straight away - goal-setting.

Normal price is $19.95, but you can download a FREE copy here

Today’s News:

I have another treat for you today - good chum and colleague, Joanne Black, is in conversation with Clayton Shold over at Salesopedia - you will not want miss her.

“Joanne Black is a sales veteran who specialized in the art (or is it science) of prospecting.  Clearly she is an advocate of referral selling, listen to this podcast and you’ll understand why. You will also discover why she has no problem getting past the infamous gatekeeper. ”

Joanne Black is the author of No More Cold Calling The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust. America’s leading authority on referral selling, Joanne believes no one should ever have to make a cold call.

You can listen in HERE

When we agree to an idea or proposal, it’s because there’s something in it for us. It’s hard to influence people who can’t see what’s in it for them. Sounds one-sided, but it is true. Call it self-interest, selfishness or whatever. It is only human nature to ask, ‘What am I getting from this?’

People will say yes to your ideas if they meet their needs or match their view of life in the following areas:

• Principles and values
• Beliefs and opinions
• Needs and wants

So Give People What They Want & Need:

People agree to ideas and suggestions that match their needs or views of life. Underpinning all our lives are certain principles and values that we hold to be true. These become guidance for how we conduct our lives. They influence and mould our behaviour. They can differ greatly from person to person and successful influencers always take principles and values into account.

But how?
• Notice what principles and values drive other people
• Ask questions and invite comment and reaction
• Check with those who know them well

Some examples of principles:

‘Integrity and fairness are an integral part of business dealings.’
‘I think that older people deserve courtesy and consideration.’
‘Moral behaviour is part of the fabric of daily life.’

It would be unproductive to spend time attempting to dislodge these deep-seated principles. Instead, harness them to add leverage to your suggestions.

Beliefs & Opinions:

Beliefs and opinions can be transient or short-term. Remember when you used to believe in Father Christmas, the Tooth Fairy, giants and witches? Proof can easily dislodge a belief. So too can time.

An early step on the road to influencing others may include having to change lingering beliefs or convictions before you can proceed further.

‘I think that BubbleClean washing machines break down more often than the Tumblingsystem range.’
‘I think that all politicians are corrupt.’
‘I never make decisions on the 13th.’

Each of these beliefs can be dealt with by logical questioning or providing proof or data.

Needs & Necessities:

These are fundamental requirements – they have to be met if you are to influence others. Typical needs include: reliability, security, achieving a deadline, meeting a budget, keeping up to date.

‘Because of increasing competition, it is essential that we maintain an image and at the same time keep up to date.’
‘My team members are under great pressure, so it important to maintain their morale.’
‘The system must not only be reliable but secure, as well.’

Having uncovered needs, you may have to mould or reshape your ideas to dovetail with the requirements of others. Often, people have a hierarchy of needs, so it may be important to discover and use this:

‘Which is most important to you – reliability or security?’

Wants & Wishes:

Wants and wishes are not essentials, just a wish list: ‘Wouldn’t it be lovely … if only’. But their fulfilment can be the cherry on your influencing trifle, placed on top with a flourish, after the other person has agreed to your proposal.

Depends What’s On Offer:

Question: How will your suggestions benefit the other person?

The person or people you are influencing will interpret the benefits of your suggestions in different ways. Some will be interested in the features – the fine details, the nitty gritty of ideas. Others will say ‘How will I benefit?’ Others will seek out the advantages of proposals – how the benefits are different.

Features, Benefits & Advantages:

No doubt you are familiar with the differences between features, benefits and advantages, but it is worth re-iterating.

Features:

These are built-in aspects of your idea or suggestion – timing, costs, resources etc. They will remain locked up in your idea whether the other person agrees or not.

Benefits:

These are far more important than the features of your proposal. They translate boring old features into exciting statements which show clearly how others will gain.

‘This new hardware is made in Germany (feature) which means that we will save time and money on spare parts (benefit).’

Advantages:

These are comparative benefits e.g. – increased revenue, greater savings, and faster turn-around.

In Summary: The Benefit Balance Sheet

Most people do not agree whole-heartedly to an idea. There is usually something that niggles, however well you’ve addressed their concerns.

In the end, when we finally say yes to a proposal, it is because the benefits outweigh any disadvantages.
As you plan and prepare your influencing case, list all the benefits and advantages of your suggestions.

Use them to tip the balance in favour of yes.

Today’s News: Big day coming up for One Degree Connected:

Event Details:

It’s official… OneDegreeConnected.com is global, and to celebrate we’re offering you exclusive business information, tools & resources directly from world-renowned sales, marketing, leadership & motivational experts at our upcoming…

Sept. 24th FREE Global Launch WEB Event

“Bridging the gap between social networking, and creating new business within existing spheres of influence.”

 While most social media venues only serve the ‘social’ aspect of doing business, today’s highly competitive global market mandates that professionals not only focus on “who they know”, but start focusing more on “who they need to know”.

OneDegreeConnected.com has provided an outstanding solution to professionals across all industries, providing direct access — a true ONE DEGREE connection from within an already established referral relationship– to “who you need to know”, in a secure, non-solicited envornment.  Professionals are beginning to embrace this new tool as…

 ”The bridge between social networking, and a method of monetizing mutually beneficial relationships in both an ethical and responsible manner!”

To celebrate our global launch we want to GIVE BACK by offering you a special WEB EVENT packed full of timely guidance and insight from industry experts around the globe.

In addition to the beneficial presentations, you will also be eligible to receive ongoing guidance, special tools and access to resources that would normally costs thousands of dollars – all available exclusively to our attendees at no cost!

If you are unable to attend the entire event, Don’t Worry – as a registered attendee you will have access to each of presentations and any additional resources…. so you won’t miss a thing!

In addition to learning more about our B2B, unique multiple-referral tool, and hearing what the experts are saying about it… you will get insights and helpful business information from an outstanding list of presenters, including…………

You can find out HERE

The ability to leverage your probability for converting potential business in your pipeline is a vital part of the sales process and helps to focus your mind onto getting each prospect to the next milestone.

Speed of follow-through is really important because it helps to create a momentum that consolidates your relationship with potential new customers.

The following suggestions might help you accelerate your prospects through your pipeline, and increase your probability for winning more deals:

Agree the next steps with your prospect, and ensure that you are clear on the actions that will take you to the next milestone and closer to the sale.

Before agreeing any actions with your prospect, ask yourself if these actions are leading you towards a sale. If you can’t see the tangible reason for doing an action then you could find yourself in a never-ending situation of fruitless discussions that dilute your results.

Send an acknowledgement and confirmation of agreed actions to your prospect within 24 hours if possible. This conveys professionalism and provides another layer of reassurance for the prospect.

At the end of every telephone call and meeting with your prospect, agree a specific time and date for your next contact. Lots of your valuable time can be wasted trying to get in touch with a busy buyer!

A well-managed pipeline helps to improve the consistency of results achieved and creates a platform for more accurate sales forecasting. If pipeline management is not an integral part of an organisation’s sales process, this can result in a number of problems including; longer sales cycles, reduced forecasting accuracy, inconsistent and unpredictable sales performance, declining win-rates and an inability to pinpoint reasons for decreased results.

You can’t manage what you can’t measure, and if you can’t measure your pipeline then you can’t improve your productivity. There are a number of Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) that can be measured, monitored and managed to ensure achievement of sales targets:

KPI     

• Pipeline Opportunities – These should be measured in value and the number of opportunities in the pipeline.

• Opportunities by Milestone – Once these milestones and their different probabilities of closing have been calculated, these figures ensure greater accuracy of forecasting

• Average Deal Size -  This ensures better focus on larger deals and ideally will increase steadily each year

• Sales Cycle Time – Shortening this can have a huge impact because of the cumulative ‘saved time’ available for prospecting

• Profitability – Margins can be tracked to ensure that there is sufficient contribution to enable ongoing account handling

• Conversion Ratio – The number of opportunities won and the % of pipeline potential converted.

Finally, do remember that there are no prizes for having a pregnant pipeline – the prizes are reserved for closed business.

The reality is that, for a number of reasons, 30% of the opportunities currently residing in your pipeline will not happen – do you know which ones they are? If you weed them out early, you will give yourself so much more time to work on those that will happen.

 You might well also enjoy: ” How To Manage Sustained Sales Growth Efficiently Reliably And By Design”

Today’s News: I am rushing this morning, so news is a bit “scant” – however, here are two good blog posts I think you will enjoy:

ShareQ4 Is Self Motivation Time… A How-To Guide for Salespeople  by Jill Myrick

ShareThe Power of a Sincere Compliment by Skip Anderson

“If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him you are his sincere friend.” Abraham Lincoln

Nowhere is this truer than in selling, where you are trying to persuade another, often a stranger, to make a decision they may not even have considered prior to your meeting.

The buyer-seller situation – like any human contact – is an exercise in human relations: the interplay, cause and effect of behaviour by two or more people on each other. In the buyer-seller situation, the seller must be responsible for shaping mutual behaviour.

What’s the difference between human nature and human relations?

• Human nature is the instinctive behaviour that governs action concerned with the self and with self-interest.

• Human relations are concerned with how we think and act in terms of other’s interests.

Successful selling demands that human relations be dominant over human nature.

Selling is not something a salesperson does to a prospect. Selling is something you do with the prospect in a process of discovery and interaction – human relations at work.

The greatest barrier to success in this process is the “Egocentric Predicament”. This consists of being overly and unnecessarily concerned with self. Our ability to be perceptive and concerned about others is inversely proportionate to our self-concern.

When self gets unnecessarily in the way, the fruitful cycle of good human relations stops producing.

The key to understanding and accepting others, is to first understand and accept oneself – starting with the realisation that, rather than strive for an unattainable “I should be” image, we should settle for our real self as “I am” – accepting shortcomings along with strengths.

The following points provide a practical answer to the “I am” versus “I should be” conflict.

Recognise it – and recognise that its source is rooted in the views of others.

Either (a) accept your “I am” image or (b) decide on attainable, constructive steps to achieve “I should be” in the future.

Our behaviour is a reflection of our attitudes; and our attitudes grow out of our values. Each is an integral part of the other. Do your life values make it easy for you to put the other person’s interests first?

Sincerity is a much-used word in relation to selling.

Integrity is a kindred word. Integrity implies a consistent kind of honesty: acting outwardly the way you truly feel inwardly. That’s why sound values are so important to your success with others. Remember: “People buy our product not so much because they understand the product… but because they feel that we understand them.”

There are many effective ways of doing this: The best way to create this kind of buying climate is to “transmit on their frequency.”

This opens their mind to you…makes them willing – and eager – to listen.

A sincere, specific compliment on a point of real meaning to them gets the other person talking about things of interest to them. It opens doors.

“Before I sell my prospect what my prospect buys, I must first see my prospect as they see themselves.”

In Summary:

Empathy is the magical word in the lexicon of human relations. It means feeling as the other person feels, not just with them. It means putting yourself in their shoes and shaping your attitudes accordingly.

Beyond getting the order, the plus factor in selling is to make people look good in their own eyes and in the eyes of others. Rather than sell to them, we help them buy.

We do this best by building their self-image. This helps them grow. And as we help others grow, we grow. To do this, we must be open and honest – this is the essence of good human relations.

These concepts are applicable to every facet of our lives and in selling, they pave the way to the truest and most fruitful success.

I think you might also enjoy…”How To Develop Rapport More Easily”

Today’s News: I was chatting to Tibor Shanto on Friday, who called for some advice and he expressed his delight at the commanding lead he has built up over at Top 10 Sales Articles  - have you voted yet? Just five days left of this month’s competition.

Two very good Masterclasses coming up on Top Sales Experts, and I shall definitely be listening in to both of them:

Turn It Up! Selling in a Tough Economy – Presented by Diane Helbig

Tuesday September 22nd 2009 1:00 PM EASTERN

Details HERE

Lead, Motivate and Manage a High-Performance Organization – Presented by Ken Thoreson

Thursday September 24th 2009 1:00 PM EASTERN

Details HERE