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LinkedIn Ain’t Selling – Insights Into Social Selling
This post on social selling was originally published on Nov 17, 2016 and updated on Feb 13, 2019.
I often get asked to give a talk on the power of social media and how that works in the profession of sales. There’s still a lot of buzz around the topic of social selling and it makes sense with more professionals using platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter for business. But make no mistake, social media is not a substitute for strong sales skills and processes. …
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Sales Training Exercise – Build a Sales Starter that Grabs Attention
In an earlier post, I cited an example where a member of my sales crew had unsuccessfully tried a few times to engage a prospect during her sales opening. Yet when she asked a question that cut to the heart of her contact’s problem, her sales starter got her contact’s attention. And it earned her a meeting! …
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The Prospect’s Buying Process – Leverage Powerful Insights
The Specific Interest Statement in the Buying Process
To make the right diagnosis, the salesperson must align their sales process to the prospect’s buying process. The salesperson accomplishes this by making interim summaries throughout the process. For example: “Based on what you’re saying, you’re looking to address your number one or number two interest, and that’s going to address your motivation.”
This is where the salesperson makes a Specific Interest Statement. They can apply the product or service to the prospect’s needs and appeal to both the prospect’s logical and emotional reasons for buying. …
The Prospect’s Buying Process – Leverage Powerful InsightsRead More »
Sales Training Exercise – Resolving Common Sales Objections
In a previous post, I gave an example where I coached a member of my sales team on how to resolve common sales objections at the start of the sales process before the prospect brought them up.
Here’s a tip: If you review your past sales calls and you find you’ve repeatedly addressed a particular class of sales objections, don’t become a prisoner of hope. Don’t run through your sales process *hoping* your prospect won’t bring up that particular objection. …
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The Secret to Influence in Sales – Making Your Ideas Their Ideas
In a previous post, I spoke about empathy and sympathy and how it’s better to be sympathetic to the client’s situation vs being empathetic and joining them in the situation. Let’s delve a little deeper into that and see how we can use this to influence the sale process. …
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Buying Motives – Rocket Fuel for Your Sales Process
Before we jump into buying motives, let’s revisit our doctor’s office analogy for a quick update.
When a doctor starts asking questions to diagnose the situation, the questions he or she asks are simple at first. They are based on their own general historical experience and their own historical knowledge of you. For example, “What’s your age? When was the last time you went to the doctor? How do you feel right now?”
The questions get more complicated as they proceed. Then he or she weighs your answers to figure out what problem or problems might need fixing. Then, based on their expertise, they can arrive at a proper diagnosis. …
Buying Motives – Rocket Fuel for Your Sales ProcessRead More »
Empathy vs Sympathy: Are You a Part of Your Prospect’s Problem?
The Role of Sympathy and Empathy in the Sales Process
Here’s something I learned in my past about the roles sympathy and empathy play in the sales process. Keep in mind, you are sitting across from your prospective buyer because you want to help them solve their problem, not become a part of the problem. …
Empathy vs Sympathy: Are You a Part of Your Prospect’s Problem?Read More »
Anatomy of a Sales Call: Tailor Your Sales Process to Their Buying Process
Here’s an example of a retail sale that shows how evaluation and diagnosis both require the salesperson to get in the head of the prospect and tailor the sales process to the prospect’s buying process.
Not long ago I attended a U2 concert at Hard Rock Stadium in Florida with my family. We were down in the club level and I had all these salespeople from our client, the Miami Dolphins, talking to me. That’s when I happened to notice this one guy who works there as the head of Sponsorship. …
Anatomy of a Sales Call: Tailor Your Sales Process to Their Buying ProcessRead More »
Sales Tip from Lance’s Training War Chest – Talk Like Your Prospect
In the last post, I wrote of using your questions not only to get your prospect’s attention but to also keep their interest by selling to the gap. I also wrote that your meeting is shaped by the questions that you ask, the order you ask them and how you ask them. As I’ve said before, sales is an away game – it takes place in your prospect’s mind. So, you control the pace of the sale by getting in your prospect’s mind, focusing their attention on the challenges they face, and leading them to a place they want to be. A vital piece of this process is talking like your prospect to increase rapport. …
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Some Questions are Stupid – The Right Questions Yields Persuasive Influence
In the last post, we looked at a process using questions to identify and build a sales opportunity and selling to the gap.
In addition to building the opportunity, the questions your salespeople use shape their prospect’s mindset and perceptions, allowing them to achieve persuasive influence.
The questions your people ask are important. But so is how they ask their questions, when they ask them, as well as how they order them. In creating their questions, they need to be cognizant of all of these factors. They want to leverage them to create a favorable environment in their prospect’s mind, conducive to moving the sale forward.
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Some Questions are Stupid – The Right Questions Yields Persuasive InfluenceRead More »
The Secret to Closing Sales Is in Knowing What Your Prospect Wants
Do You Know What You’re Really Selling?
As I addressed in the previous post, much of your success as a salesperson will hinge on an effective sales starter. Contrary to the popular belief, there is no skill in closing sales – it’s all about creating a great opening. Your opening should quickly establish rapport with the prospect by engaging in brief pleasantries. But, you should also gauge how to make the best use of their time. Help them see that you value your time together. You’ll find substantial part of creating that value is understanding what your prospect really wants and why they want it.
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How to Use a Sales Starter to Quickly Secure Your Prospect’s Attention
Use a Sales Starter to Get Your Prospect’s Attention
Opening a sales call to get your prospect’s attention is no different than introducing yourself to someone of interest in your personal life. Both situations require authenticity, interest, and relevance.
Beginning the conversation hinges on a good sales starter – something that captures your prospect’s attention favorably. To make this happen, you can compliment a prospect on an achievement or positive quality. You can highlight a referral. Also, you can leverage statements that educate or even startle your prospect to capture your prospect’s attention. …
How to Use a Sales Starter to Quickly Secure Your Prospect’s AttentionRead More »
How a Sales Presentation used an Egg to Close a Financial Services Deal
In my training sessions and consultations, I find that many salespeople focus their attention on closing tactics. However, when you open your sales call correctly, execute your sales process in an above-board manner, and you wrap all of this in an effective sales presentation, the close happens effortlessly and naturally. Check out this example, showing when all of these items are aligned, the close happens naturally and organically. …
How a Sales Presentation used an Egg to Close a Financial Services DealRead More »
Insider Secrets to Reaching C-Suite Executives
How Do I Get to the C-Suite Executives of a Company?
In an earlier post, I reviewed one of the most common questions I get from salespeople: how do you reach the C-suite executives of a company? It reminds me that the natural impulse for new salespeople is to look for the silver bullet that will solve all their problems quickly, effectively, and efficiently. …
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