Jonathan Farrington’s Blog

Closing a sale has always been the most difficult stage for inexperienced sales professionals - this is usually down to a lack of confidence and the fear of rejection. Here is some advice that will get you to those three magical words: “Yes, I’ll buy” - more easily.

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 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
• Stoking chin thoughtfully
• Nodding or smiling in agreement with you
• Upward infection 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?’

Its very directness appeals to the Driver or Expressive personalities.

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 Amiables and Expressives, both of whom need a continuous nudge towards decisions. (Be careful with Analyticals  who dislikes presumption.)

• ‘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 summarise. 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?’

Please note: To understand and read more about the four personality types mentioned in this article, go here:  “How To Relate To And Influence The Four Personality Types”

Today’s News: Well done America - thank God for sense and sensibility! Be assured that if Europe had been allowed to vote, it really would have been a landslide. Now we can get some sleep.

Just seven days to go, and there are still places left - we anticipate more than 500 front-line sales professionals will be registering - so do reserve your FREE place today and take part in this innovative and highly relevant event - it’s for YOU - just click on the banner below.

Over at Business Expert Webinars, the very bright Terri Dunevant is presenting:

The Staircase Principle Applied to the Salesperson
11/5/08 5:30pm EASTERN TIME
Details Here

Tomorrow: On The JF Guest Author Spot, is the man himself, Jeffrey Gitomer

People who are successful negotiators, always have a well thought out strategy before entering into the negotiation; are well prepared; self confident and structure the negotiation, so that they remain in control of the negotiating process.

The recommended structure for negotiations is:

• Establish the issues being negotiated
• Gather information
• Build a solution

Stage 1. Establish The Issues

Begin by agreeing an agenda for the negotiation i.e.
 
• What needs to be discussed and agreed?
• Who will be involved and what will be their role?
• What timescales are we working towards?
• What are the major issues that need to be agreed?

Many negotiators make the mistake of negotiating too quickly whereas skilled negotiators spend 20% more of their time asking questions and looking for alternatives.
 
Do be aware that professional buyers will want to gain your commitment on issues, such as: price, early on in the negotiation but you should never commit yourself to anything until you have established everything that is being negotiated.
 
Seasoned negotiators will often bring up an issue at the end of the negotiation, when you are vulnerable and likely to agree to a one sided (Lose-Win) concession, in order to conclude the deal. You can legislate for this ploy by asking the other side for their “shopping list”  before beginning the negotiation and refuse to accept any last minute additions to the list.

Issues will include things like price, delivery schedule, payment terms, packaging, quality of product, length of contract etc. At this stage issues are kept general and no concessions are made or agreements reached

Stage 2. Gather Information

This is a vital part of the negotiation and you need to remember that there are four kinds of information

• Information you have that you are willing to give to the other side
• Information you have that you are unwilling to give to the other side
• Information the other side has that they are willing to give you
• Information the other side has that they are unwilling to give you

You need to decide, before the negotiation, how much you are willing to share information and what your own information requirements are. This will set the climate for the negotiation and will determine the amount of trust that exists between both parties. Skilled negotiators are able to ask a range of open, closed and follow up questions and are able to listen effectively. They also wait until they have all their information requirements, before making concessions

Stage 3. Build A Solution

Having gathered information the next stage is to begin to put together a solution.  Usually this will take the form of the selling side putting forward a proposal, or opening bid. The opening bid should be ambitious, but defensible. You should always challenge an opening bid and refuse to let an unacceptable bid stay on the table.
 
Typically, there will then be a process of bargaining, concessions will be traded and movement take place, until, hopefully, agreement is reached. Concessions should not be given away for free and you should be wary about conceding on issues for which you are not prepared.

A final tip: The very best negotiators always enter into negotiation with a “three position plan”

That is: Best price, realistic price and fallback price – they never, ever accept less than their “Fallback price”

If you are serious about improving your negotiation skills, you will find some helpful additional reading here

Today’s News: Over at Top 10 Sales Articles, we have just posted the Top Sales Article Of The Month for October and I know you will enjoy it very much: That means that we only have two more monthly winners to find and we will then have our twelve finalists, who will battle it out for the Top Sales Article Of The Year award on New Years Eve.

The finalists so far are: Paul Cherry, Josiane Feigon, Ivan Misner, Mike Brooks, Mark Satterfield, Zig Ziglar, Kevin Eikenberry, Jill Konrath, Paul McCord and this month’s winner - so a pretty heavyweight group.

I will also be handing out The JF Awards again this year to worthy article communities and I will announce the finalists on Tuesday December 16th and then the winners, seven days later.

Tomorrow: My guest on the JF Guest Author Spot is fellow Top Sales Expert, Dr. Tony Alessandra
 

One of the main differences between negotiators is how confident they feel when negotiating. Typically, the more confident we feel, and the better we are prepared, the more successful will be the outcome of our negotiations.

Personal power comes from many sources. To build up and increase our confidence as negotiators we need to step back and analyse the sources of our personal power and compare them with those of the people with whom we are negotiating.

Power is not absolute. In most negotiating relationships the power balance moves with time as the negotiation progresses.

Here are just a few examples of sources of power:

Information Power:

Information power comes from having knowledge that will influence the outcome of the negotiation. Planning and research can increase our information power, as can asking the right questions before we reach the bargaining phase of the negotiation.

Reward Power:

Reward power comes from having the ability to reward the other party in the negotiation. It could be the power a buyer has to place an order for goods and services or the power a salesperson has to give good service and solve problems

Coercive Power:

Coercive power is the power to punish. This is seen most commonly in the buyer-seller relationship, but can be a feature of other types of negotiation.

Situation Power:

Situation power is the power that comes from being in the right place at the right time. A customer is desperate to place an order and you are the only source of supply in the short term. Having an effective network and keeping in touch with what is happening can increase your situation power.

Expertise Power:

Expertise power comes from having a particular skill which you can apply and which can influence the outcome of the negotiation. Improving negotiation skills helps you win better deals. Other areas of expertise could also help the outcome of the negotiation.

And Finally - Referent Power:

Referent power comes from being consistent over time. If people see you as having a clear, consistent strategy as a negotiator, you will increase your referent power.

Having standards that you stick to and being consistent will help to increase your referent power. In the eighties, Margaret Thatcher wasn’t universally popular, but was respected by many for being consistent in her views and behaviour. In the end she failed because her approach was too rigid and she was unable to adapt to changing circumstances.

You will find a number of other articles on negotiation here

Today’s News: Amazingly, Business Expert Webinars has just delivered it’s 100th session - incredible how time flies. This is the message I received from CEO, Lee Saltz.

Business Expert Webinars Delivers its 100th Business eLearning Training Session!
October 28, 2008, Minneapolis, MN – Business Expert Webinars (BEW), the leading provider of business eLearning, achieved a major milestone today when they delivered their 100th for-fee webinar.

“I am proud of this significant BEW accomplishment. I’m not aware of any other program that has
delivered 100 for-fee webinars in this short period of time. BEW has clearly demonstrated that people are willing to invest in business eLearning as a way to enhance the skill development of themselves and their employees. As the economy has tightened, companies and business professionals have been forced to find alternative strategies for skill development. BEW offers an affordable way to increase business aptitude on a limited budget,” said Lee B. Salz, President and CEO of Business Expert Webinars.

“The BEW platform is incredible,” says Jeb Blount, BEW speaker and CEO of SalesGravy.com. “It has provided professional business speakers with a venue to reach a global audience. Participants learn relevant information that they can immediately use in their business career.”

Business Expert Webinars began delivering for-fee webinars in May 2008 and has built a portfolio of over 150 business speakers, with a schedule of over 750 live business eLearning seminars on a wide array of subjects. “What makes BEW unique is that our speakers are not using these sessions as marketing events, but are using the technology to deliver their teachings to audiences around the world. Not only are BEW’s participants worldwide, but so are the speakers. We have speakers in Canada, France, Australia, Egypt, and the U.K. Our mission is to deliver high-quality, business education in a cost effective environment.” said Salz.

“As a result of delivering business eLearning sessions with Business Expert Webinars, I’ve been able to provide business professionals with new ways to affordably benefit from my services,” says Leslie Buterin, BEW speaker and founder of ColdCallingNetNews.com. “With training budgets being squeezed, BEW offers a means to develop teams without breaking the bank.”

About Business Expert Webinars
Business Expert Webinars (BEW) is the leading provider of business eLearning. BEW has an
international community of business speakers that comprises best-selling authors, award-winning
speakers, and business gurus delivering training for business professionals. For more information, visit
BusinessExpertWebinars.com.

Upcoming Event: On November 12th, Jill Konrath, Kendra Lee and I are presenting an open workshop, hosted by Landslide Technologies - it’s FREE, and I feel certain you will not want to miss it - just click on the banner at the bottom of this post, for full details.

Tomorrow: On The JF Guest Spot I am delighted to welcome back Kevin Dwyer, the second internationally acclaimed leadership guru to appear this week.

As well as being a great friend, Kevin is one of the wisest men I know and I have never held it against him for being Australian!

Even skilled and seasoned negotiators struggle sometimes when it comes to trading concessions, prefering to take the swiftest rout to closure and thus leaving so much money on the table - here are my thoughts:

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 my Ten Top 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 through 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 12 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 buyer’s agreed requirements in front of you so that you can show them just how many of their requirements you have already met.

If you would like to read some additional articles that I have written on Negotiation, you will find them here

Today’s News: That amazing lady is running another FREE event today, Who? Joanne Black of course - here are the details:

There’s just one day left to register for the “Double Your Sales Velocity!” webinar.

Turn every employee into a high-performance sales engine who can find, get, deliver, and grow customer relationships.

Join No More Cold Calling Founder, Joanne Black, and Qube Learning’s CEO, Andy Kimball, as they share the best practices of high-performing companies, including how to:

* Increase conversion of your prospects to clients by 50%
* Expand existing customer cross-sell and up-sell opportunities
* Convert your customer-facing experts into sales rainmakers
* Increase your qualified lead pipeline by 30%
* Accelerate new product “time to money”

DATE: Wednesday, October 8, 2008
TIME: 11 a.m. Pacific / 12 p.m. Mountain / 1 p.m. Central / 2 p.m. Eastern
PRESENTERS: Joanne Black, Founder, No More Cold Calling and Andy Kimball, CEO, Qube Learning

COST: No Charge

Double Your Sales Velocity!
Space is limited. Reserve your Webinar seat: Register now

Tomorrow: On The JF Guest Author Spot - a favourite colleague, friend and world-class author and sales guru - Paul McCord: “Focussing Your Selling Efforts: What’s Your Niche?” Here is a taster for you -

“Are you a salesperson, professional or business owner who is trying to market to anyone and everyone in your market that might even remotely have a use or need for your product or service? If you are, why?”

More tomorrow…….

The JF Guest Author Spot

Keith Rosen MCC

If you eat healthfully and take care of yourself, then you will never need to go on a diet. A sound and practical philosophy, regardless of how challenging it may be at times to consistently do so.

This same philosophy holds true when it comes to selling. If you honor a well-balanced sales process, which includes everything from first contact to how you qualify a prospect, as well as how effectively you deliver your presentation, then you will not have to close.

Look what was being taught in the old school of selling. The old school taught salespeople to close, close, close. Salespeople were told to spend most of their time closing the deal. Trainers taught salespeople fancy closes to handle and overcome objections. Over the years, a new school of thought has evolved: the school of possibility. Imagine what would be possible if all the objections you typically hear at the “closing table” were prevented and defused throughout the course of your presentation.

There exists a choice a salesperson has to make. The first choice is spending minimal time on your presentation and spending the rest of your time attempting to close the prospect. The second choice is investing most of your time up front on a masterful presentation infused with well-crafted questions that defuse the most common objections you hear. This results in the prospect essentially closing himself, with minimal effort. Which school do you choose to be a student of?

Do you run into the same objection over and over again? If you see a pattern, wouldn’t it make sense to plan for or master a way to defuse these objections by preventing them from surfacing before they actually arise? Wouldn’t it make your job easier to put these objections or concerns to rest throughout your presentation? The end of your presentation should simply be the natural evolution of the selling process: earning the business of a new prospect.

If you can overcome an objection during the course of your presentation when it is still in its fetal stage, as opposed to waiting until the end of your presentation when it becomes a full-grown obstacle, you will find yourself spending less time closing and more time posting new sales.

Consider this: if you were building a brick wall, what would be easier; removing a broken brick that has just been laid or waiting until the wall is fully constructed? If you wait until the end, you have to tear down the entire wall just to get to the broken brick, and then spend the rest of your time reconstructing it.

The same holds true with your selling process. Remove the defective bricks or objections first in order to avoid having to do so later, when it just may be too late to do anything about it.

Keith Rosen is the preferred, authentic coach that top executives and sales professionals in many of the world’s leading companies call first. As a prominent, engaging speaker, Master Coach and well-known author of many books and articles, Keith is one of the foremost authorities on assisting people in achieving positive, measurable change in their attitude, in their behavior and in their results. Keith’s articles can be found in Selling Power Magazine and has appeared in feature stories in The New York Times, The Washington Times, Inc. Magazine, Sales and Marketing Management’s Ultimate Motivation Guide with Stephen Covey and The Wall Street Journal. For his work as a pioneer in the coaching profession, Inc. magazine and Fast Company named Keith one of the five most respected and influential executive coaches in the country.

To speak with Keith about personalized, one to one or team coaching or training or to receive his free ezine,
call 1-888- 262-2450, e-mail info(at)ProfitBuilders.com or visit www.ProfitBuilders.com.

Today’s News: I am incredibly lucky to have a small, trusted group of advisors, of which Keith is a very important member. Another, my “Crazy Sister” Jill Konrath, is adamant that my writing style is “high-brow” - that probably has something to do with her catching me off-guard one time and me confessing my membership of MENSA: You can imagine the conversation - “My name is Jonathan… and I have been inducted into a society for ….” Something almost “Confessional”

The reality is that I have deliberately avoided subjects that might be termed “controversial”

I am talking about - my political views; corporate corruption; the hypocrisy within the Catholic Church; why we are experiencing the worst financial meltdown in decades……..

But not anymore.

From this Saturday, you can catch JF Uncut (I know, the mind boggles)

Every Saturday and Sunday, I’ll be giving you my take on the things that are really important to me - no holds barred - and totally unassociated with my usual Monday-Friday persona.

If you think you can hack it (expletives may be used) then join me.

First up, I am going to respond to this load of ********

My experience is that Jerry is a really nice guy, so it’s nothing personal - truth is, we are in this mess because of two emotions that have driven the finance sector for almost two decades - greed and fear. I’ll elaborate on Saturday. 

Tomorrow: Even skilled and seasoned negotiators struggle sometimes when it comes to trading concessions, prefering to take the swiftest route to closure and thus leaving so much money on the table - tomorrow my advice on how to gather up those last few cents.

The JF Guest Author Spot

Lee Salz

One of the biggest mirages in sales is the proverbial rubber stamp. Sales people believe that they have won the business, but have left a deal-killer in play.

It’s September, also known as back to school time. My neighbors and I escort our children to the bus stop for the first day of the new school year. However, we’re puzzled about the location of the bus stop. It isn’t in the same place that it was in prior years. Instead of the children walking down the street, just a few houses, they now had to cross two, very active streets to get to the bus stop.

Vigilant, we parents made calls to get the stop moved back to where it was before. It seemed to be a fairly easy process. We called the administrator who coordinates the bus stops and he easily acquiesced. The supervisor of the bus drivers visited the bus stop and agreed with us about the safety concern. The administrator told us that the paperwork just needed to get signed by his boss, but to let the driver know the decision was made to move the bus stop back to the old location. Victory was ours. Or was it? We left someone out of the process and what occurred next will sound painfully familiar to any sales person who works in a complex, multi-buyer, sale.

After the conversation with the supervisor and administrator, we went to what we thought was the new, old bus stop. The bus turned down our street, we gave our kids a farewell kiss, and awaited their boarding of the bus. Here comes the bus. There goes the bus. The bus driver drove past us as if we weren’t even there. Needless to say, we were furious and got on the horn. All roads led to Jack (name changed) who is the ultimate decision-maker on bus stops. He had not been consulted on any of these discussions or decisions and was blind-sided by this situation. “I see no reason to change the stop from where I assigned it, he barked.” We immediately knew this was going to be problematic. With the urging of the school and the parents, he agreed to “re-assess” the bus stop.

Following his re-assessment, he called each of the parents to inform them of his decision. “Well, I don’t think the bus stop is unsafe, but I’m going to move it.” Don’t think for one second that he used this opportunity to say that the parents’ solution was better than his. Instead, he didn’t move the stop to the requested location. He moved it across the street from where we asked him to assign it. He even changed the entire bus route to accommodate for his solution, a tremendous amount of work for a small issue. However, assigning bus stops is Jack’s domain. He owns it. He’s responsible for it. He is in control. No one is going to tell Jack how to run his business. He is a thirty-year expert in bus safety. However, this wasn’t a decision on expertise, it was old-fashioned bravado, ego. And, it is not limited to bus stops. It impacts every sales person who needs to engage multiple people in the buying process to get the account awarded to them.

As I hung up the phone with Jack, it dawned on me. I coach sales people on how to work strategically in an account and we failed miserably in this circumstance. One of the perils I share with sales people is leaving the ultimate decision-maker out of the solution development process. Think about a sale that you lost, that you thought you were going to win. And, you thought you were going to win because you had a great relationship with the administrator. You and the administrator had crafted the entire solution in such a way that he could march into his boss’s office for the proverbial rubber stamp.

Many years ago, I learned, painfully, that there is no such thing as a rubber stamp. Many sales people hear “rubber stamp” and feel confident that they are working with the right person. “The sale is mine!” If anything, the rubber stamp is simply the fuse on a stick of dynamite. Better get under your desk, your deal is about to implode!

Here is what happens behind the scenes as your administrator visits with his boss. “Mr Jones, I’ve found a new supplier for our widgets. The sales rep is terrific. We’ve worked together and developed an ideal solution that makes everyone’s life easier and we’ll save 10% on our spending.” “Put it in my inbox,” says, Mr. Jones. Days become weeks as the administrator pings Mr. Jones about his rubber stamp, but no signature is forthcoming.

Finally, Mr. Jones develops an interest in his widget purchasing and surfs the web for potential suppliers. He meets with three of them and finds one to his liking. “This supplier is going to save the company 10.25%”. Guess who got the deal? However, the sales person never knows about this because the administrator is too embarrassed to call him. After all, the administrator said this was just a rubber stamp, you had been awarded the business. Communication with the administrator goes dark; he just stops responding to your emails and voicemails.

What sales people often forget is that as you go up the corporate ladder, business leaders maintain accountability for the lower rungs of their responsibility. Thus, they want to feel as if they are involved in the solution development phase, or at least be offered the opportunity to participate. When administrators fly into their office with what they feel is a great decision, they are rebuffed. And, for one core reason, EGO! While the administrator’s plan may very well be a great one, it is met with resistance for the simple reason that his manager was not invited to participate in the process. When he finally becomes interested enough to look at this issue, his goal becomes proving that there is a better deal to be had. In essence, this approach creates a saboteur of your deal.

If you are the sales person dealing with the administrator, how do you have the conversation where you share the concern of their manager not being involved in the process without offending? It takes a tremendous amount of finesse and strategic planning. However, if you truly have your client’s best interests at heart, it is easy. This is the ultimate key. If you are committed to ensuring that your clients achieve their goals, you can have this conversation. After all, you know that they won’t get what they want if you continue down this path. Need help with a strategy to have this discussion with your clients, send me an email: lsalz@salesarchitecture.com.

Lee B. Salz is a sales management guru who helps companies hire the right sales people, on-board them, and focus their sales activity using his sales architecture® methodology. He is the President of Sales Architects, the C.E.O. of Business Expert Webinars and author of “Soar Despite Your Dodo Sales Manager.” Lee is an online columnist for Sales and Marketing Management Magazine, a print columnist for SalesforceXP Magazine, and the host of the Internet radio show, “Secrets of Business Gurus.” Look for Lee’s new book in February 2009 titled, “The Sales Marriage” where he shares the secrets to hiring the right sales people. He is a passionate, dynamic speaker and a business consultant. Lee can be reached at lsalz@SalesArchitecture.com or 763.416.4321.

Today’s News: In fact this is the message I received last week with news of Lee’s re-incarnation:

Good afternoon,
 
As you know, I am very passionate about business professionals constantly looking at what they are doing and making changes to adapt with the times. Those that adapt, thrive. Those that don’t, become extinct. I practice what I preach and so it is time for a change for me. Sales Dodo has done me well, but it is time that I return to my initial vision.
 
My 20 year passion has been in architecting sales organizations, so much so that I trademarked the term sales architecture® many years ago. Before my first book came out, my firm was called Sales Architects and I am returning to those roots. It is much more descript of what I do which includes:
 
·      Formulate sales talent screening programs so companies hire the right sales people
 
·      On-board sales people through the Revenue Accelerator Program (RAP™) to provide structure and   measurement for new hires

·      Develop compensation programs using the Sales Behavior Objective (SBO™) methodology providing focus for sales activity
 
·      Construct a company’s sales architecture® framework for replicable, scalable results
 
My new website is SalesArchitecture.com and my new email address is lsalz@SalesArchitecture.com. At the moment, this site forwards to SalesDodo.com, but that will change in the next few days. Soon, it will be the other way around. The Sales Dodo info will forward to the Sales Architecture address.
 
The full transition will be complete within a week. I thank you for your continued support.
 
Adapt & Thrive!
~Lee

Exciting times for young Mr Salz and we wish him well.

Meanwhile over at Salesopedia Clayton Shold is interviewing another good guy, Dr. Drew Stevens, so you know that the interview is well worth listening to, and you you can do just that by clicking this banner:

And finally…….two great blogposts from two great friends: Paul McCord with - “Hearing and Seeing Is Believing? Hardly” and Jill Konrath with “Cogitus Interruptus: The Case For Focus”

Tomorrow: As the recession really begins to bite, I ask: “What are you doing to build brick-walls around your most important accounts?”