Tag Archives: business

Zip the Lips

Every once in a while, I meet a salesperson who proudly proclaims, “I’ve got the gift of gab.” In sales, that “gift” is more aptly described as “the curse of chatter”.

Successful sales professionals know that sales are really more about listening than they are about talking.

Those with the curse more often engage in product or feature-speak than they do in providing customer-focused solutions or opportunities.

Customers don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care….and caring is demonstrated by listening.

Listening is by far the most important and difficult skill a sales professional can learn and practice. The salespeople who annoy and alienate prospects the most are those who claim to be good listeners but follow every customer objection with a “yah, but….”

There is no room for the word “but” in a good listener’s vocabulary. To be a professional listener you need to:

Earn the right to ask questions by learning something about the prospect’s business before you make a call. Prepare with open-ended questions that encourage the prospect to express their views and feelings.

Demonstrate you are listening by taking notes. (Always ask permission to take notes, “Your input is important to me; do you mind if I take a few notes?”)

Paraphrase and summarize what you hear. Don’t start a debate.

Use the language and needs you hear the customer express when you make your presentation.
Make certain that every benefit you present relates to a need you heard the prospect express.

There’s a lot more money to be made being interested than there is in being interesting. So why not, shut your trap, bite your lip, zip the lips, and make some money!

Your Patience Will Pay

You’ll know it when you see, or should I say, feel it… a business owner with a true passion for their business!

There’s at least one or more in every business category. They come in all shapes and sizes… an attorney or a veterinarian, an autobody repair shop, a roofing contractor, an accountant, a dentist, or an auctioneer.

You’ll know they have a passion for their business because they speak at a more excitable octave. Their eyes are open wider and brighter. They’ll explain their business in more vivid detail, and there is simply a different aura in the room.

You’ll know it when you feel it!

When you do, have patience. Take your time. Don’t try to sell them too quickly.

These are the businesses that really want to grow. Ask deeper questions and do more research so you can create a presentation with a strategy that includes better ideas and solutions that will produce positive results. Then, you’ll have a client for life!

Nearly all of us are in sales, and sellers want to sell. But when you meet a business owner with a passion for their business, slow down!

Your Patience will Pay!

Questions – Keep a Couple in Your Pocket

My dad had a lot of little sayings that had far greater meanings than just the few words spoken. Things like, “Can’t never could do anything”, “Do as I say, not as I do”, “Believe only half of what you see and none of what you hear”, and this one, “It’s best to keep a couple in your pocket”.

I think the saying “keep a couple in your pocket” originally meant to always keep a couple of coins or dollars on you, and more than once it referenced keeping a few pieces of candy for later in the day! But I also recall him saying, “You don’t need to tell them everything up front. Hold back some of your questions, thoughts, and knowledge for a more appropriate time. Sometimes, timing is everything”.

Others might say something like, “hold your cards close to your chest/vest” or “don’t show all your cards until it’s time to play”.

Regardless of how you express it, using this wisdom in sales at the appropriate time can have a powerful impact.

One of the areas in which I used this wisdom was when conducting CNAs. I would ask all of the normal questions, but, in many cases, I would intentionally hold back two or three questions. Then, at the end of the meeting, I would say to the prospect, “We’ll go back to the office, prepare our ideas and put our recommendations together for you. In the meantime, if I have a few additional questions, do you mind if I call you or set up another appointment to discuss?”

In addition to asking better and deeper questions upfront, this is where we start to separate ourselves from our competition. In a few days or a week, we would call the prospect back and either ask the questions or set up another appointment. I would say something like, “Mr./Mrs. Prospect, I believe we have some really good ideas put together for you, but I do have a few additional questions before preparing our final suggestions. Do you have 10-15 minutes to sit down and discuss?”, or if they don’t have time to meet face-to-face, ask them, “Do you have time to answer a few questions?”

The reason, and goal, for doing this is that subconsciously, we are going above and beyond what other media reps might be doing by putting additional thought into their business, and going the extra mile by thinking the process completely through.

This little tactic is not necessarily a game-changer. You’ll still need to have a great idea, but by keeping a “couple of questions in your pockets” and asking them at an appropriate time, you can certainly capture their attention enough to help position yourself differently from your competitors!

…and in the case of candy, you will never be disappointed that you kept a couple in your pocket!

Self-Evaluation on Every Call

“Without proper self-evaluation failure is inevitable.”    – John Wooden

Hopefully, self-evaluation is something you do yourself or it’s a process your management team leads you through at least one time a year.

Do you self-evaluate every performance? Meaning, after every sales or service call that you make do you consciously ask yourself what you did well or what you could have done better?

If you are not doing this now, start! Conducting a quick self-evaluation immediately after a call will dramatically improve your overall performance.

Ask yourself, what did I do well? What things did I say, what facts, figures, or stats did I use that had a positive impact on the meeting? Did you complete your desired task for this call?

Likewise, was there any part of my performance that I wish I could undo? Did I spend too much time on small talk? Did I talk too much about our stations and not enough about his/her business? Did I cut him/her off? Did I talk too much, period?

Admitting to yourself that you did something wrong or that you have a flaw is never an easy thing. However, by doing so, it will help you to not repeat them.

There are hundreds of big and little things that we do on each call. By consciously asking yourself and conducting a self-evaluation after each and every call, it will help you better prepare for future meetings and ultimately make you a better salesperson.

“I Don’t Have the Budget”

It’s one of the most common objections a salesperson receives… but when a customer or prospect poses this objection, is it true? The answer… maybe, or maybe not!

Recently, several media reps posed this question to us, “I’ve had a lot of people say to me lately that they don’t have the budget. How do I reply to that?”

You might try this, “O.K., Mrs./Mr. Business Owner. I appreciate your honesty in sharing that with me. But, let me ask you… If I had an idea that you felt would help grow your business, would you be interested in hearing it?”

Then… wait for their response.

They can either reply by saying, “Well yes, I guess I would.” Then you are free to either present your idea or get busy and come up with one. Or…

They can say no! If they do so, well… they simply aren’t a very good prospect and it’s time to move on to prospects with more potential. I would suggest saying thank you and asking if you could reach out to them from time to time to see if things might have changed.

If you’ve found success using another response to this objection, we’d love to hear it. Please click here and share your thoughts.

We hope that you enjoy our weekly ENS on Sales. If you would be open to sharing ways that you use ENS on Sales, or how you find it helpful, we’d love to hear your comments.

Additionally, if you have suggestions or ideas on topics that you would like to see us address in future ENS on Sales, please send us your thoughts at [email protected].