Recently published research suggests that the average tenure of a sales manager is now just eighteen months!

These are pretty alarming findings, and during the course of this sixty minute debate, we not only intend to discover the facts underpinning theses findings, but also discuss how management is changing.

For example, we know that the role of a sales leader is to translate the organisation’s vision, mission, and values into a meaningful context that sales teams can relate to and feel excited by. If this is achieved, then the Sales Leader will have created a sales team with a shared mental model. This transforms an ordinary sales team into a high performing one

We also understand that for a group of people to remain “consciously competent” at optimum performance levels, they require frequent injections of stimulation, motivational guidance and prompting, otherwise they can easily lapse into” unconsciously competent” or worse “unconsciously incompetent” After all, the primary objective of a professional Sales Manager has to be: “To achieve consistently superior results, through the performance of every key individual.”

Today, more and more organizations are waking up to the value of building a strong coaching culture. Analogies to athletic coaching are common, but especially apt. Training alone does not guarantee that a great athlete will deliver a gold medal-winning performance.

Equally, top sales professionals need expert coaching support from their managers to stay at the top of their game. Whether coaching is delivered face-to-face, on the telephone, or via e-mail, those organizations that have a strong coaching culture attract and retain the best salespeople.

Management and particularly sales management, operates on, and obtains its results from the staff that are managed, this is precisely why the sales leader’s role is evolving – in fact, it is becoming crucial to the success or failure of most commercial organizations.

Join six of the foremost sales leadership experts on the planet for this Top Sales Big Debate.

Linda Richardson is the Founder and Chairman of Richardson, a global sales training business. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence for 2006 and in 2007 she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.”

Dave Brock works with organizations to help them achieve the highest levels of performance excellence. He is the founder and CEO of Partners in EXCELLENCE, a leading business consulting company. He has held executive roles in IBM, Tektronix, and other large technology companies and he is an investor, advisor, and director of several high technology start-up companies.

Paul McCord – is the president of McCord Training, author of the Amazon and Barnes and Noble best-selling book on referral generation, Creating a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals (John Wiley and Sons, 2008), and SuperStar Selling: 12 Keys to Becoming a Sales SuperStar, not forgetting Bust Your Slump, which he released last year.

Steven Rosen, is the founder of STAR Results. STAR Results is a sales leadership consulting, training and coaching organization dedicated to leadership development in the Pharmaceutical industry. Steven works with sales executives to; hire top performing sales reps, develop a team of top sales managers and achieve greater personal and professional success.

Ken Thoreson brings more than 25 years of experience in sales leadership and management to clients. The sales management thought leader shares his proven abilities in developing and implementing creative sales management strategies through frequent editorial contributions and speaking engagements about effective sales leadership and sales management.

Jonathan Farrington – is a globally recognized business coach, mentor, author, and consultant. He is Chairman of The JF Corporation and CEO of Top Sales Associates, the creator and CEO of Top Sales World and the man behind the Annual Top Sales Awards

Tuesday March 16th Time: 12 noon Eastern

Please register HERE

News: Congratulations to Paul McCord, who picked up February’s Top Sales Article of the Month over at Top 10 Sales Articles - you can read Paul’s winning entry, plus all of the March nominees HERE

Written by Christian Maurer (& Friends)

This is a recurring topic, often leading to heated and controversial debates. Many of these debates could be more constructive if those voicing their opinions would specify their point of observation and the perimeters observed.

The first clarification needed is about the perimeters observed, in other words, what we mean by “Professional Selling.”

Possible definitions could be:

• All the people classified in sales and sales related occupations in the Employment Projections Program 2008-2018 (EPP) from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics or similar other national statistics.

• All the people receiving compensation for helping people in their buying process.

Discussing the question in such broad terms is difficult as trends are averaged out, leading to generalizations which can easily be put in question when discussing the topic at a lower level of granularity: For example …

• Some people might want to distinguish between B2C and B2B sales situations.

• As an alternative, EPP classifications such as ‘retail sales,” ‘sales representatives services,’ ‘sales representative wholesales and manufacturing’ might be used.

• Others might argue that the industry for which people are selling within has to be taken into consideration. This point of view might be important to understand changes in the regulatory environment (e.g. pharmaceutical industry).

• Yet others might want to differentiate between transactional and complex sales situations.

Positions taken in discussing the question are also influenced by the point of observation: For example, someone holding a particular professional sales occupation might be more inclined to deny an unfavorable trend mentioned by someone having a more detached external view. This is then often the point where the battles with statistics arise, with the aim of having a more objective discussion. Yet, it is usually fairly easy to find statistics “proving” a certain point of view. Very often the above discussed level of aggregation is though ignored and such discussions became polemic again. Statistics based on opinion polls are the worst – sharing the opinion of the majority does not necessarily make a certain trend truer.
 

In an attempt to have a more objective discussion on the topic, three major qualitative trends will be described to then derive possible implications on  the future of professional selling. You, the reader, can then decide whether the trend described is applicable to your situation. If this is affirmative, then one can decide separately whether one agrees with the derived implications for a particular situation. The question to ask is though not whether trends and implications are right or wrong – rather, the discussion should be whether they are applicable or not and the reasons why……

You can download the full white paper HERE 

Let’s face it. Even when your prospect has been BANT-qualified (Budget – Authority – Need – Timing) and even when they’ve said “send me a contract” a deal can disappear faster than you can say “This one’s in the bag!”

Before you know it, you’re left holding the bag and it’s empty.
 
Yes, a deal can go south at any time for any number of reasons and it’s painful – no matter when it happens or why.
 
Time is the biggest deal killer of them all. That’s because of lost momentum. The minute an opportunity’s momentum begins to slow, you’re at a high risk of the prospect abandoning the buying process. No deal is guaranteed until it’s signed. And there are plenty of events that can derail the sale when too much time goes by.
 
Among the deal-killing events that can happen are:
• Sudden change in budget status
• Company or departmental re-organization
• Buyer leaves the company
• Competitor gains traction
• Buyer enthusiasm for “change” diminishes
• Priorities change
 
To lower the chance of an event taking place that stalls the deal, you need to whisk the prospect from one step in the buying process to the next as expeditiously as possible.
 
Steps in a basic buying process:
1. Inquiry
2. Meeting
3. Proposal
4. Decision
5. Signature
 
That’s a minimum of 5 steps. In the real-world, there can be double or triple the number of steps in the buying process – or more. Is it possible to accelerate the process with so many steps? Yes.
 
In fact, accelerating the buying process is the main goal of most sales or marketing software solutions. To help you determine which solutions are right for you, we’re producing buyer’s guides on each of 13 key solutions. The first was the Next Gen CRM buyer’s guide published last month. Next gen CRM systems can accelerate opportunity momentum with new capabilities like; mobile access, marketing automation and social networking.

One of the biggest drains on opportunity momentum occurs during the tedious process of coordinating calendars to schedule interactions with prospects. Fortunately, there are several web-based appointment scheduling applications that change the dynamics of scheduling prospect appointments for the better.
 
Web-based appointment scheduling solutions eliminate the back and forth and make quick work of finding a mutually agreeable time.
 
With Web-based scheduling a prospect can view your availability online and schedule an appointment for a mutually convenient time with ease. You’ll see their newly added appointments appear on your calendar automatically without intervention.]

Web-based scheduling eliminates the hassles of appointment scheduling for every one which results in three things:
 
1. You’re more likely to advance the sale because of timely follow-up
2. You’re likely to fit more calls into your schedule
3. You’re likely to close more sales because a greater volume – of timelier calls – equals more    sales
 
It’s critical to engage a prospect at the height of their interest, eliminate unnecessary sales qualification steps, quickly improve your close rates and shorten your selling cycles.  Web-based scheduling software helps you do that. The proof is in the buyers guide.
 
Everything you need to know about web-based scheduling software is in our FREE Buyer’s guide:
 
Here’s what you’ll find in the Guide:
• Quick and easy ways marketing can get reps more sales meetings
• How hot prospects can bypass the top of the sales funnel and get right on sales reps’ calendars
• How to give your reps at least two hours more selling time per day
• Examples of the different ways reps use this software to get more meetings
• What to look for when choosing a web-based scheduling solution
• A downloadable features check-list to guide your selection of a solution

Download the Guide Now!

Want to stay up to date with all of the latest Smart Selling Tools?

Unsurprisingly, unprofessional or inexperienced salespeople do not know how to recognize an objection and deal with it.

They disregard what the buyer has said and carry on regardless and hence, lose the sale. Salespeople who do a wishy-washy job when selling, by not confronting objections and dealing with them in the right manner, will always come out with sob stories to defend their poor selling abilities.

Their excuse for losing the sale will be that the buyer gave them a tough time and complained about the product, service or idea. This is not so. What the buyer is telling the seller is that, based on their perceptions of the product/service/idea being offered, and what the seller has told them during the sales presentation, they could not make a decision.

In other words, the seller has not done a good job, it’s as simple as that.

Objection handling to the seller therefore takes place as a prelude to closing and it is in that context that objections must be viewed, rather than suspecting the buyer of throwing in a red herring in order to escape giving the seller a decision, or put him or her off course.

When multiple objections are expressed by the buyer, the seller can treat all of them as one and ask, ‘Apart from these objections, is there anything else that concerns you?’ if not, the seller then says, ‘If I could provide you with a solution or a valid explanation to those objections, you would be prepared to go ahead – wouldn’t you?’

The answer to this must naturally be ‘Yes’, so you deal with them by isolating each objection, writing them down on a piece of paper in the presence of the buyer, answering them to the point, getting agreement with the buyer that each one has been answered to their satisfaction and crossing them out as you proceed, until the sale is made. This technique is called the final objection closing technique.

It is very easy for a seller to confuse an excuse with a genuine objection. An excuse is where a buyer is deliberately trying to avoid making a decision. An objection is a concrete opportunity for you to find a way of dealing with whatever is troubling the buyer, and close the sale.

When the buyer starts to make excuses, start to manage them subtly, letting him/her know that you have gauged their game and are aware that they are prevaricating.

Objections are typically based on the following factors

• You, your company, product, service or idea

• Rumor or hearsay

• Cost (the amount of money required to run something) or price (the amount of money you would have to pay to own it)

• Quality

• Reliability

• Durability

• Packaging

• Competitive advantages or disadvantages

• Size

• Shape

• Color

• Function ability

• Weight

• Chemical composition

• Suitability

• Reputation

• Past performance

• Lack of desire to change

• Seasonal demand

• Fear, guilt, jealousy, anger

• Future growth potential (continued)

• Product, service or idea does not satisfy need

• Unwillingness to take risks

• Lack of urgency

• Cultural differences

The professional salesperson will meet these objections head on and defuse them – just like a bomb disposal officer would neutralize a bomb, rendering it harmless. You simply cannot ignore an objection!

News: Meanwhile, over on the World today …..

Today’s Top Sales Article: ”Back to Basics“ by Wendy Weiss

“I was never supposed to be a sales trainer, coach and author. I was supposed to be a ballerina. Many years ago however, I needed…”

And have you discovered the “Best Sales Blogs In The World” yet?  They are all here in one place, for your convenience …HERE

Plus, you can also download the latest Top Sales World white paper - “The Changing Face of Professional Selling” which was published just today. Written by Christian Maurer, it also contains contributions from Linda Richardson, Paul McCord, Jeb Brooks, Dan Waldschmidt, and me. FREE to download HERE

Today’s post focuses on the penultimate element of the buying/sales cycle – closing the deal, getting to “Yes”

You see, unless the person you are influencing offers an unconditional ‘yes’ to your proposals, you will need to do or say something that will generate a positive decision.

Here are two steps you can take towards getting a decision:

Step One

• Ask yourself ‘How does this person normally go about making decisions?’ Most people usually have a preferred way of making up their mind. Some people take their time to decide, others are happy to make snap decisions. You can sometimes push the latter, but you will need to tread more carefully with the former.

Step Two

• Have a variety of ways in which you can stimulate a decision.

Spot the Signals – Verbal and Non-Verbal

Knowing when to ask for a decision can be critical. Ask too soon and you may frighten the other person off. Ask too late and you may miss your best chance. Watch for signals that suggest the other person is ready to decide:

• Leaning forward, seeming more interested and involved
• Head up, good eye contact
• Stroking chin thoughtfully
• Nodding or smiling in agreement with you
• Upward inflexion in voice tone
• Requesting more information
• Asking you to repeat some points you made earlier
• Making notes
• Asking ‘What if …’ or ‘Suppose …’ questions
• Checking guarantees, support, follow-up plans
• Picking up your written proposal and double checking aspects
• Discussing implementation details

Dealing with Ditherers

A good way of avoiding a decision is to say ‘I want to think about it.’

Sometimes people do want time to think things through. But, very often, this can be an excuse or a put-off.

Ask:
‘What exactly do you want to think through? (Whatever you do – don’t pause here!) Is it the implementation schedule? Is the bottom line? Is it the timing?’

Once you have isolated the real reason, you are much better placed to respond to the objection.

Going For “Yes”

‘If you agree, shall we go ahead right away?’

If the answer is “no” ask: ‘What’s preventing you from going ahead?’

The Alternative Choice Question

This is less direct because you enable people to make a choice between two possible options.

‘When would you like to start – Friday or shall we wait until Monday?’
‘Which of these two do you prefer?’
‘Which support contract is most appropriate for you – this one, or that one?’

The Minor Decision

Here, you ask people to make a decision about a relatively unimportant aspect of the proposal. If they give the go-ahead, the assumption is that they agree to the whole idea.

‘Where do you want your logo to appear – at the top of the form or do you think it would look better in the bottom right hand corner?’
‘By the way, how do you intend to resource the project?’
‘How should we deal with the Southern branches?’

The Assumptive Question/Statement

This question/statement works well with people who need a continuous nudge towards decisions.

‘After we start, I assume you’ll want a monthly update?’
‘You’ll notice significant improvements immediately after we start.’

And Finally – The Benefit Summary

Some people like to hear a review of the benefits they will receive if they agree to your ideas. A quick list followed by a decision question often does the trick.

‘Ok – let’s summarize. After we’ve made the alterations you will notice that you have extra time available for other things, you’ll start to save on budget and you’ll have a happier work force. So, shall we go ahead?’

The very best sales professionals never think about the closing stages, because it all happens naturally – they totally satisfy all the “buying criteria” – but that only comes with experience, and practice.

News: Over on the World today:

Today’s Top Sales Article: “Motivating Employees” by Dr. Tony Alessandra

“What motivates you and your employees? Many employers believe that money is the most effective motivator. The problem is that this method gets expensive and doesn’t work as well as …” More

This Week’s Top Sales Book: “How To Sell At Margins Higher Than Your Competitors” by Bill Brooks

“Do your customers assault your price with tactics like these?

“I can get it from somewhere else for less.”
“I can only pay $___.”
“All I care about is the lowest price.”
“How about you cut me a deal this time, and we’ll go with full price on the next order.”
“I’m buying a ton of this stuff – don’t I get a deal?”

Full Details HERE

During today’s excellent Top Sales Roundtable – “The Changing Face of Professional Selling” – we discussed the fact that “selling” is still a dirty word. Why?

It is true that business people in the UK – and apparently everywhere else in the world – have devalued selling for far too long and some managers have convinced themselves that they would do better if they did not employ salespeople – after all, good products sell themselves – don’t they?

As a consequence, until very recently, salespeople have done everything possible to avoid calling themselves “a salesman or a saleswoman.” They have developed a series of euphemisms such as – “Sales Engineer,” “Account Executive,” “Technical Sales Consultant,” etc.

Nowadays we must accept that we all sell everyday – doctors, lawyers, estate agents, architects and politicians. The fact remains that anyone who is in business has to sell themselves and their products – and the so called “Captains of Industry” – Branson, Roddick, Marshall, Hanson, Gates, Dell and Co. are thought the best salespeople in the world.

It therefore follows that the quality and success of our salespeople will ultimately determine the success of our companies. Certainly the world has become more competitive and, in order to survive and stay in business, we need to continually expand and develop the skill sets of our sales team.

Sir John Harvey-Jones said “Most companies fail not in their attempts to be innovative or creative. In this country most of them fail because they undervalue the importance of professional selling.”

Unfortunately, the task of selling never becomes any easier and as competition continues to intensify, sales people will face issues that can be extremely difficult to deal with – e.g. decreased product uniqueness, increased competition within ‘safe’ markets, longer sales cycles and shorter product life spans.

Every organization that intends to survive in the re-engineered environment which arrived after the recent financial meltdown must, in my view, respond to those realities.

In Summary

Our commercial functions, particularly the sales team, represent our forward line – our offense – If they are not scoring regularly, we cannot possibly achieve our overall commercial objectives – i.e. nothing happens until somebody sells something, and all of that investment in costly accounting software, new office equipment, expensive IT systems, etc. will count for nothing.
 
We can therefore say with complete confidence, that selling really is the key factor in the total marketing process.

I sell; you sell; we sell – everyday. Let’s be proud of that?

What do you think? 

News:

Over on the World today, the featured contributor is multi-talented Andrew Rudin

Today’s Top Sales Article is “Make the Jump!” by Skip Anderson

“Sales closing has something in common with skydiving. In both activities, there is a lot of preparation required; and when the time comes to take action, you simply must do it, or all the time and effort spent on preparation was for naught.”

What do you think

Before you even begin to look at engaging seriously in lots of networking effort, it is useful to look at your own temperament or disposition. This is your internal desire to network and to find value and enjoyment from the whole process of building relationships.

For some people this will be an almost irrelevant issue to debate. Their motivation to want to talk to people regularly and to network is naturally high. Talking to strangers in supermarket queues, at bus/train stops or even in the elevators is characteristic of such people. However, even if you really enjoy talking to people, it is a proven fact that most of us are not highly confident and highly motivated networkers. In fact, statistics reveal that only one in ten people is actually comfortable in striking up a relationship with a complete stranger.

Unfortunately, this means that their own misgivings, fears and doubts, potentially hinder the vast majority of people.

Four Networking Types

In practice, you can divide people who attempt to build networking relationships into four distinct types:

• The Loner (little or no networking)

• The Socialiser

• The User

• The Relationship Builder or Networker

Although my aim is to consider the fourth of these in some detail as the role to which we can all aspire (if we are not already there), let’s briefly look at each of these types in turn.

The Loner

• Likes to do most things by themselves (because they do it faster or better)

• Doesn’t want to bother or worry other people

• Feels that their knowledge and skills are often superior to most people

• Only asks for help as a last resort (and when it may be too late)

The Loner is an easily recognizable type, because there are times when we all believe that we will do better ourselves than if we ask others for help.
 
The Loner will not usually want to bother anyone else, or necessarily see much point in doing so, believing that others will be slower and will set lower standards.

Unfortunately, the loner attitude is a major obstacle to effective networking. We need to shift our thinking greatly in this area. We should be more willing to let others assist and we should even ask for help more often.

The Socialiser

• Tries to make a friend of everyone they meet

• Tends to know people’s names and faces, but not what they do

• Is not usually systematic or ordered about follow-up – contact is random

• May not listen too deeply and is quick to move on

Although the Socialiser may have a wide circle of friends and contacts, he or she knows little of substance about personal skills and resources. As a result, Socialisers do not often share their skills.

The Socialiser is also a random networker, following little or no formal contact system.

The User

• Is likely to collect business cards without really connecting with people

• Tries to make ‘sales’ or ‘pitches’ on the first encounter

• Talks and focuses on own agenda, rather than ‘together’ information

• Has superficial interactions

• Keeps score when giving favors

Unfortunately, people of this type do network widely, but in a way that creates little benefit for themselves or others. Even worse, this kind of networker tends to create a bad impression and therefore can give networking an image of being about selling, taking, bargaining and keeping score.

The Builder

• Has a ‘giving’ disposition or abundance mentally

• Is generally happy to ask others for help or guidance

• Listens and learns about people carefully

• Is regularly on the look-out for useful information from which others can also benefit

• Has a well-ordered and organized networking system

This type of networker is what this post is all about – an individual who takes a long-term perspective on relationships with others and thinks more about what he or she can give or offer, than about the return.

This type is out there for others, or on call to offer help whenever it is needed. If they cannot help in person, they usually know someone else who can.

And Finally – Maintaining High Self-Esteem

Apart from the Builder, one factor connects the other three types in preventing them from networking more effectively. This is the issue of self-esteem.

The Loner believes in himself or herself, but not necessarily in others (especially relative strangers).

The Socialiser likes people, but also very much wants to be liked by others (and therefore does not want to ask for favors).

Finally, the User takes a relatively selfish view of “If I benefit or gain, I might reciprocate, otherwise I won’t.”

Of course, all of these types fear rejection, obligation, being too pushy or even looking weak. All of these fears or concerns about networking need to be lessened or overcome.

In a short post such as this, a topic as largely and potentially complicated as a person’s relative self-esteem cannot be covered at any level of detail. However, it is important to appreciate how low self-esteem can have a major impact on your networking efforts if it is not at least basically understood and addressed.

An individual with high self-esteem is likely to build their own confidence to want to network by having a positive, open and ‘can do’ attitude.

Conversely, an individual with low self-esteem is likely to lack confidence to start with. They will convince themselves (and others) that they have little that would be of interest to others in any network.

Did you spot yourself?

Actually, I have classified all of my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances ….. it makes interesting reading!

News:

There really is only one debate that matters today - “The Changing Face of Professional Selling”

Everyone it seems has an opinion, and today, a few good chums are going to share theirs – Joanne Black, Colleen Francis, Paul McCord, Jeb Brooks, Nigel Edelshain and Dan Waldschmidt. Me? Oh, I am going to Chair the debate.

Why don’t you join us and share yours? That is if you care about the future of this wonderful industry as much as we do!

12 Noon Eastern – that’s 5pm GMT

It’s FREE to register HERE

People negotiate differently – and behave differently – during the negotiation process. We can observe different styles of negotiation and how different types of behavior can affect the outcome of negotiations.

In commercial negotiations, some people negotiate quickly and take risks; others take their time and try to avoid risk. Some buyers are very loyal, others will automatically shop around. Some negotiators can be quite intimidating – to the point of being rude; others are quite passive and easily manipulated.

This makes selling and negotiating a real challenge. To negotiate with all these different buyer types, we need to be able to adapt our behavior and be flexible in our approach.

To begin this process, we can look at two aspects of buyer behavior – assertiveness and responsiveness.

People who are assertive are confident and know what they want. They are not afraid to put forward opinions and are willing to listen to the opinions of others. They are not afraid of conflict and will be more than happy to argue their case.

People who are highly assertive can be seen as being aggressive, while people who lack assertiveness are often passive and get taken advantage of. There are times when it is appropriate to be more or less assertive and we need to recognize when these times are.

Responsiveness means the extent to which people are willing to respond to us and our questions. Some people are highly responsive and will give lots of information about themselves, their problems and needs. Others are unwilling or unable to respond in this way and we see these people often as being negative or difficult.

We are all different – some of us are naturally assertive and some of us are not. Salespeople tend to be quite responsive, but sometimes we lack assertion. An example of this is during negotiations.

When customers put us under pressure to reduce prices or give discounts, we find it difficult and uncomfortable and worry about damaging the relationship with the buyer.

There are four basic styles of behavior and these are determined by the way in which people relate to one another.

How can you ensure that you approach people in the correct way?

“Knowing About Social Styles” developed by Merrill and Reid, is a theory which I have discussed in several of my articles and it is very useful to have a thorough understanding of it when negotiating. In the Social Styles Model there are four basic “styles”, or preferred ways of interacting with others.

Merrill and Reid believe that a person’s social style is a way of coping with others. People become most comfortable with that style, in themselves and others.

In fact, I discuss this in further detail here “How To Identify And Communicate With The Four Personality Types Resident In Every Boardroom”

The Four Social Styles And How You Should Negotiate With Them

Driver: The Director.

• Assertive, but not responsive

• Task, rather than people oriented

• Decisive and determined

• Controlled emotions

• Set on efficiency and effectiveness

• Likes control, often in a hurry

• Firm, stable relationships

• Stubborn, tough

• Impatient

• Inflexible, poor listener

To Negotiate With Drivers:

•   Plan to ask questions about and discuss specifics, actions and results

•   Use facts and logic

•   When necessary, disagree with facts rather than opinions, be assertive

•   Keep it business-like, efficient and to the point

•   Personal guarantees and testimonials are least effective – better to
 provide options and facts

•   Do not invade personal space

Expressive: The Socializer

• Assertive and responsive

• Reactive, impulsive, decisions spontaneous, intuitive

• Placing more importance on relationships than tasks

• Emotionally expressive, sometimes dramatic

• Flexible agenda, short attention span, easily loved

• Enthusiastic

• Strong persuasive skills, talkative and gregarious

• Optimistic, takes risks

• Creative

To Negotiate With Expressives:

•  Seek opinions in an area you wish to develop to achieve mutual  understanding

•  Discussion should be people, as well as fact, oriented

•  Keep summarizing, work out specifics on points of agreement

•  Try short, fast moving experience stories

•  Make sure to pin them down in a friendly way

•  Remember to discuss the future, as well as the present

•  Look out for the impulse buy

Amiable: The Supporter

• Not assertive but responsive

• Dependent on others

• Respectful, willing and agreeable

• Emotionally expressive

• Everyone’s friend, supportive, soft-hearted

• Low risk taker, likes security

• Group builder

• Over-sensitive

• Not goal orientated

To Negotiate With Amiables:

•  Work, jointly, seek common ground

•  Find out about personal interests and family

•  Be patient and avoid going for what looks like an easy pushover

•  Use personal assurance and specific guarantees and avoid options  and probabilities

•  Take time to be agreeable

•  Focus discussion on how

•  Demonstrate low risk solutions

•  Don’t take advantage of their good nature

Analytical: The Clinician

• Not assertive, not responsive

• Precise, orderly and business-like

• Rational and co-operative

• Self-controlled and serious

• Motivated by logic and facts

• Not quick to make decisions

• Distrusts persuasive people

• Like things in writing and detail

• Security conscious

• Critical, aloof, skeptical

• Excellent problem solver

• Likes rigid timetables

To Negotiate With Analyticals:

•  Take action rather than words to demonstrate helpfulness and  willingness

•  Stick to specifics. Analyticals expect salesmen to overstate

•  Their decisions are based on facts and logic and they avoid risk

•  They can often be very co-operative, but established relationships take  time

•  Consider telling them what the product won’t do. they will respect you  for it and they will have spotted the deficiencies anyway

•  Discuss reasons and ask ‘why’ questions

•  Become less responsive and less assertive yourself

If you are serious about developing not just your negotiation skills, but also your all-round communication skills, I do advise you to familiarize yourself with the “Social Styles” model.

News: No need to surf the good old “world-wide-web” It’s all here for you …

Over on the “World” today:

Article of the Day: “Creating High Performance Sales Channels“ by Dave Brock

Contributor of the Day: Read all about Keith Rosen

Plus: Have you signed up for the most topical debate of the year so far? Well, there is still time …

“The Changing Face of Professional Selling”

With: Joanne Black, Colleen Francis, Paul McCord, Jeb Brooks, Nigel Edelshain, and Dan Waldschmidt

Tuesday February 22nd at 12 Noon Eastern

Register for FREE HERE

The JF Guest Author Spot

Andrew Rudin
Why do people use umbrellas?

It’s not a trick question. But before you answer it, substitute your own product or service for the word “umbrellas.”

My client uses this Umbrella Question to help salespeople learn the importance of digging past biases when asking questions. Like all discovery, there are many pathways to the answer. Here’s one from a recent meeting:

“Why do people use umbrellas?”
“So they don’t get wet.”

“Why is it important for them not to get wet?”
“So they don’t catch a cold.”

“Why is it important for them not to catch a cold?”
“So they won’t get sick.”

“And why is it important for them not to get sick?”
“So they won’t die.”

Wow! Using an umbrella prolongs life!

The person who answered these questions had clear ideas about the connections between cause and effect. Whether or not you believe an umbrella will enable someone to live longer, the exercise underscores the importance of continuing the discovery past the obvious answer, “so they don’t get wet.”

An article I wrote, “The Right Sales Questions Will Get The Right Answers” describes a sales opportunity I lost by failing to do just that—to get beyond the obvious. It would have been great to know the Umbrella Question at the time.

The value of asking questions that dig beyond the obvious doesn’t just apply to sales calls. It applies to anyone who must understand needs, wants, desires, and motivations of the individuals who purchase from them. In a CRM scenario:

“Why do customers choose to call our contact center?”
“To place orders.”

“And why do they use the phone?”
“Because they’re uncomfortable using live chat.”

“Why are they uncomfortable using live chat?”
“Because they feel more at home communicating by talking to another individual.”

“And why do they prefer talking vs. typing?”
“Because they feel lonely.”

“And why do they feel lonely?”
Etc.

Think of how an organization might shape the Customer Experience by uncovering the root causes of customer preferences.

Whenever I buy pharmaceuticals for my dog, I place the orders through the call center of Drs. Foster Smith, a catalog retailer for pet supplies. The call center agents are invariably helpful and knowledgeable. Although I’ve never asked, I wonder how many pet stories they patiently endure as they guide callers through how to select the best squeaky toy for their dog.

Could the company already understand something that most companies don’t—that customers call them for reasons that go beyond one obvious answer—to place orders?

Andrew (Andy) Rudin is the Managing Principal of Outside Technologies, Inc., a sales strategy consulting firm that enables high-technology companies and organizations to effectively identify and manage selling risks and opportunities.

Prior to founding Outside Technologies in 2001, Andy worked over fifteen years in direct sales for several information technology hardware, software, and services providers, specializing in the industrial supply chain industry vertical. In these roles, Andy led collaborative teams to provide solutions for complex strategic business challenges. Web: www.outsidetechnologies.com

News: Most, if not all of you reading this post have an interest in selling. That logically means you also have an interest in the future of selling, right? Then you need to think about this ….

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, not the most intelligent, but the ones most responsive to change” – Charles Darwin

Whatever got you where you are today will not be sufficient to keep you there. A rapidly changing environment is the regular background against which organizations must develop.

Change is continuous and will become more rapid as we move forward over time. The one constant that we can rely upon in commercial life is change – everything is changing, everyday.

We can choose to embrace the changes, adapt, and thrive, or we can resist, and risk extinction.

The questions we should all be asking ourselves right now are:

What will the sales landscape really look like in five years time?

Who will survive?

How will they survive?

Who will perish?

Join seven of the world’s top sales experts and recognized thought leaders in the sales space, for what promises to be a highly thought-provoking debate.

In fact, don’t just join, join in! 

FREE to REGISTER: HERE

JF Guest Author Spot

Colleen Francis

Did you ever notice that the most excited prospect, the one who loves your product the most and can find nothing wrong with it, is also the prospect who has no power to say yes? Hesitation and questions about your product can come only from real decision makers. Why? Because hesitation caution, questions and objections are a natural response from any serious buyer about to engage on a substantial investment.

Despite the fact that hesitation is a natural part of the buyer’s decision-making process, most sales people don’t recognize why it happens, and in turn react poorly when it does. We need to ask ourselves: if all serious decision makers have questions before making a major purchase, should we be surprised when a prospect hesitates? More importantly, if hesitation and questions are a natural response from serious buyers, what is the best way to address them? The common approach for dealing with questions and objections is fatal to the sales process: PANIC.

How can we control our surprise and stop the panic?

First, let’s look at the best way to reduce the overall amount of prospect hesitation you are experiencing. Quite simply, the most effective way to reduce hesitation at the end of the selling cycle is to call high early (to executives), and to be proactive in addressing concerns.

Bring questions or objections up first. As a preventative measure, if you run into a certain objection a lot, bring it up first. For example, if you know that your price is never the lowest, you might suggest this to your prospect early in the sales cycle:

“Bob I appreciate all the information you have provided regarding your project, and based on what you have said, I think our products may be able to help you. However, I want to tell you up front that although we are not the most expensive option, we are not ever the cheapest. Knowing this, does it make sense for us to continue with this process?”

If your prospect is going to hesitate and raise questions about your product eventually, you are better to be proactive, bring them up early and tackle the concerns head on so you can move through the sale with ease.

Now, let’s assume you have done all the right things and you still have hesitation or objections at the end of the sales cycle – don’t worry.

It happens to even the top 10% of sales people some of the time. What should you do?

It’s important to understand the real meaning of objections. Prospect hesitation should come as no surprise if you think about it this way: Anyone, yourself included, who is about to make a large investment thinks twice about that decision before they commit. When a prospect is seriously considering your product, it is natural for them to be nervous and re-evaluate the criteria to make sure that they are not making the wrong decision. With software sales, real prospects, ones with decision-making power, almost always become critical at final decision-making stages They are examining their own internal justifications and knocking the idea around vigorously to be sure it is not defective. But remember, prospects do this because they are seriously thinking about engaging! A large investment is at stake, and saying yes is risky.

Viewing objections as negative and ignoring them until the end of the selling process causes sales people to panic, and revert to aggressive non-consultative selling skills. We stop asking questions, stop caring about the customer’s concerns, and our confidence disappears. We talk too much, defend our position and practically beg for the order – maybe we start discounting? The deal begins to evaporate as an aggressive defence is launched, fighting for our point of view, rather than working towards an understanding of our prospect’s real issues.

Next time, try to avoid adversarial tactics and panic. Remember that your prospect’s hesitation is just a defence mechanism designed to protect them against the risk of making a wrong decision. Your job is to help them discover that engaging with you is the right decision.
Improve your hesitation-handling attitude.

• Pre-empt the prospect’s objection. Bring it up first and deal with it together early on

• Help the prospect discover their own answer for the question. Be curious, ask questions and find a way to lead the prospect to their own answer

• Remember that hesitation is a natural part of the buying process. It’s a sign that your prospect is seriously interested in buying, not a sign that they are trying to end the deal.

Examine your behaviour.

Why are you panicking? Are you doing something to provoke this behaviour in your prospects? Maybe you can prevent or reduce hesitation from occurring:

• Keep your sales funnel full of prospects so that losing one will not be a big deal

• Record common hesitations and questions and look for trends and patterns

• For reoccurring questions, prepare an effective response in advance. Practice these responses with someone outside your sales and marketing department. Try other customers, engineers or consultants

• Use your new responses and track the results you are getting

Appreciate your prospect’s hesitation and try the following new techniques:

• Don’t panic, and stay in control. To be in control requires that you are prepared. Practice and prepare optimal responses to most common questions about your product, services and company

• Ask questions, to truly understand your prospect’s reality. Don’t make statements, especially defensive ones

• Acknowledge when a prospect’s position is correct. For example, “Bob you are right, we are not the lowest price product available on the market”

• State that you understand their position, even if you don’t necessarily agree.”Bob I can understand that you are not happy with the price, have you seen something lower in the market?”

• Try making statements that are just a tad more negative than your prospect’s. . “Does this mean its over between us Bob?” or “I guess price is the only deciding factor?” Going negative will help build the momentum for your prospect to swing back to the positive

• Question, question and question again until you’re sure you understand

• Ask your prospect for suggestions on how the business could move forward

• Reintroduce them to their original GAP analysis – balance their problems against your offered solution

• Be creative – Ask you prospect up front, “if I can’t find a solution to this objection, does that mean that it is over between us?”

Remember

Selling is about helping your prospects solve a problem, not about trying to force them to see your point of view. Objections mean your prospect is asking for help, and you are in a position to help. Be prepared, ask questions, listen, don’t panic and engage.

Colleen Francis, Sales Expert, is Founder and President of Engage Selling Solutions (http://www.engageselling.com/). Armed with skills developed from years of experience, Colleen helps clients realize immediate results, achieve lasting success, and permanently raise their bottom line.

Start improving your results today with Colleen’s online newsletter Engaging Ideas and her FREE 10 day intensive sales eCourse: http://www.engagenewsletter.com/ Web: http://www.engageselling.com/