The Frugal Speaker

How to Sell Johnny’s Specialty Desserts

2009-10-28T17:52:00.005-04:00

Johnny’s Bistro is a fabulous little restaurant, somehow hidden away in plain view on Main Street, right in the middle of Historic Downtown Ellicott City, Maryland.

Besides the fact that this place would make a great place to visit between sales calls, there actually is a more direct relationship between Johnny’s Bistro and making the most out of your next selling opportunity—and that correlation begins with my daughter, and yes . . . Johnny’s specialty desserts.

My daughter Kelsey recently began working for Johnny as a member of his small staff of “do just about everything” restaurant employees. Along with instantly beaming smiles at customers as they enter, finding them the best available seat in the house, cheerfully ringing up their lunch or dinner orders, and promptly delivering Johnny’s exceptionally prepared food to the table, she is also charged with the responsibility of making sure that the patrons are enjoying . . . well, everything.

One evening last week, as I picked her up after work, she jumped into the car and said, “Dad, you’re a really good salesperson. Do you have any suggestions as to how I can sell more desserts at work?” After the initial shock wore off (. . . my daughter was actually asking me for advice?!), I asked her to tell me more. She explained that the restaurant staff in general felt awkward about promoting desserts, and went on to explain that the problem had to do with the bistro’s system for waiting on tables.

The bistro’s system

After being greeted and seated, the customer is handed the regular menu as the wait person introduces the “specialty of the day” selections. After making their decision, in the style of European bistro service, a brief visit to the “ordering window” is required, where the customer pays for their selection and then returns to their table. The staff attentively handles everything else from here, in the manner of traditional restaurant table service. However, because the customer has already paid “up front” for their selection, of course, there is no final check delivered when they finish the meal.

So, what makes promoting desserts around Johnny’s so awkward in the minds of the staff? After a few more questions and answers, the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.

It appeared that the staff was collectively deciding for their customers that ordering dessert after the meal is an imposition, because it requires a second trip to the window to order and pay for their sweet selection. Given this misguided perception, the staff often did little more than passively talk about the dessert options, and sometimes, they would even “forget” to mention anything at all about it to the customers.

Now that the picture was clear, I gave my daughter the following suggestion.

A father’s advice to his daughter

It is not your job to decide on behalf of the customer whether or not they should order dessert. If you don’t promote the desserts, then in effect, you are making the decision to skip it for them. You have a responsibility to ensure that every patron that walks through the door of the restaurant has the opportunity to make their own decision about ordering dessert. It’s the right thing to do for Johnny’s business, and most importantly, it’s the right thing to do for Johnny’s customers.

Here’s what I suggested that my daughter might say to her customers before they finish their entrées:

It’s my job to let you know about the really great specialty desserts we’re offering today, and I want to make sure that I do my job well. So, in a few minutes, I’ll stop back and go over the tempting options with you. In the meantime, is everyone enjoying their entrée? Is there anything that I could bring to you at this time?

Introducing the concept of dessert before the customer finishes their meal will remove any feeling of awkwardness when she later approaches them to describe the options in more detail. Not only will the customer be expecting to hear more about the specialty desserts when she returns, but they will also be interested in helping her to “do her job well” by attentively listening.

So, what is the secret to selling more desserts at Johnny’s Bistro? It’s simple. Give each customer the opportunity to make their own decision about making another trip to the ordering window.

What do the specialty desserts at Johnny’s Bistro have to do with professional selling?

Actually, the principles for successfully selling more desserts around the bistro and successfully selling more products and services to your customers are identical. Every day, countless makeable sales are left “on the table” because the salesperson didn’t introduce some option, product, or service for the customer’s consideration.

Now, sounding suspiciously similar to the advice I gave to my daughter . . .

An expert’s advice to salespeople

It is not your job to decide on behalf of the customer whether or not they should buy your products or services. If you don’t promote specific options, then in effect, you are making the decision not to buy for them. You have a responsibility to ensure that every prospect you meet with has the opportunity to make their own decision about buying your products or services. It’s the right thing to do for your company, and most importantly, it’s the right thing to do for your customers.

Here’s what I suggest that you say to your customers before making a formal presentation:

It’s my job to let you know about the exceptional products and services that our company is offering, and I want to make sure that I do my job well. So, in order to fulfill my responsibility to you, I will make sure that you have a complete overview of the products that we have available. Before I begin, do you have any questions?

Letting your prospect know what they can expect before you begin the presentation is essential to making the most out of your next selling opportunity. It is an important step in the trust-building process, one that immediately communicates respect for their intelligence, and signals that you will protect their right of selection as you introduce your products and services.

And, your customers will also help you to “do your job well” by listening more attentively!

A rhetorical digestif

It’s true. After enjoying one of Johnny’s many incredible entrees, I may not be thinking about ordering dessert—that is . . . until my daughter describes Johnny’s signature lemon zest infused crème brûlée dessert one more time. That’s about all it would take to send me bolting back up to the window!

The Feel, Felt, Found Method – Canned Empathy

2009-10-11T11:50:00.003-04:00

Struggling with relationship selling? Then stop serving your customers instant empathy from a can!

Customer: I really don’t think I can afford this right now.

Salesperson: I completely understand how you “feel” about spending money. Others have “felt” the same way when they were considering this purchase too. What they have “found” is that it gets easier to work the monthly payment into their budget over time…

And then WHAM! On to the closing question!

Gag reflex fully engaged

Here’s my problem with the feel, felt, found method. If you learned this . . . ahem, “selling technique” under the premise that using it somehow demonstrates empathy toward the customer . . . you wasted your money on that seminar.

Folks, let’s get serious here for a minute. Using the tired old canned feel, felt, found method in response to a customer’s objection is about as empathetic as marching into a funeral home crowded with total strangers, walking directly up to the most distraught person standing closest to the casket and saying, “I am really sorry about your loss.” No you’re not.

Nothing about this objection-handling response even remotely resembles the use of empathy. In fact, it’s not a selling technique at all, it’s a tactic. And, in its purest form, let’s just call it what it really is—manipulation.

The promise of “that” seminar

Often touted to be a useful tool for creating rapport, establishing harmony, and building trust with the customer, the feel, felt, found, response to an objection really does none of the above. From a psychological perspective, it does only one thing. It temporarily redirects (manipulates) the customer’s attention away from their expressed concern. The operative word here is temporarily.

When sales are closed using tactics designed to circumvent rather than address objections, after the fact, customers often feel that they were pressured into making a purchase. And having felt that way before, many have found that they feel better the minute they cancel the agreement.

(Now truthfully, how did that feel—a bit manipulative on my part perhaps?)

Genuine empathy is a good thing

Make no mistake about it, interacting with genuine empathy throughout the sales process is a good thing. Responding to an objection with genuine empathy (rather than the canned variety) is a very powerful trust-building component, one that will substantially increase the probability that you will make the sale, and do so in a manner in which the customer feels exceptionally good about the decision they made.

So then, what does genuine empathy look like?

The essence of genuine empathy is found in listening

In his classic work, The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, Steven R. Covey begins the discussion on empathic communication by saying, “Seek first to understand, then to be understood.” When a customer raises an objection, in the spirit of Dr. Covey, why not seek first to understand by asking for more information?

Customer: I really don’t think I can afford this right now.

Salesperson: I know from personal experience, it seems like it’s never a good time to spend money . . . tell me a little bit more about your situation.

If you really want to create rapport, establish harmony, and build trust with your customer, begin by asking them to “tell you more” when they raise an objection. Once the concern is fully understood, you will be in a far better position to offer the right solution and ultimately, make the sale.

By the way, as for the feel, felt, found response—better check the expiration date on the bottom of that can. Serving it up as instant empathy will leave a bad taste in your customer’s mouth.

You May Have an Ethical Responsibility to Make the Sale! (Conclusion)

2009-09-28T10:54:00.001-04:00

A bit of self-aggrandizing

In the previous two posts, through the power of highly creative and transformative writing, I presented convincing and irrefutable evidence (“convincing and irrefutable”? Isn’t it great to be the author?), that you may have an ethical responsibility to make the sale. And, although initially, you may have had a difficult time getting your head around this concept, by the end of the last post, you were completely won over to my point of view. (You were, weren’t you?)

Okay. I’ll knock it off now before you hit the unsubscribe button.

And now, with appropriate humility, “your author” will return to reality and continue the article

Picking up from where we left off the last post (reprinted with my permission), here is the series of questions I put forward for your consideration:

So where do we go from here? How can we fulfill the ethical responsibility we may have to “make the sale”, do it “without pressuring the customer”, and still avoid having to be “talked off the ledge” the next time we miss a sale?

To address these questions, let’s begin by examining yet another excerpt from the previous post:

If you approach a prospect knowingly lacking in skill, knowledge, passion, or professionalism—just sort of “winging it” to make the sale—then that, my friend, is unethical.

The operative word is knowingly

If you approach a prospect not knowing that you don’t know, that’s not unethical. It’s not exactly good for the customer, but it’s not unethical. In fact, if anything, it may point to a lack of morality on the part of your sales manager. If he or she knows that you don’t know (i.e., you are lacking in skill, knowledge, passion, or professionalism), and they still allow you to go into the field without the proper training and coaching needed to ensure success (a.k.a. make the sale), then perhaps it is their character that should be called into question.

Likewise, if you approach a prospect knowing that you don’t know all that you need to know, and yet truthfully disclose the limits of your knowledge, that too, is not unethical. Again, working with limited skill or knowledge cannot be considered an ideal situation for the customer, however, something certainly can be said for honesty—it is an indispensable attribute in the pursuit to fulfill the ethical responsibility you may have to (ultimately) make the sale.

And now, without further “ado” (archaic 14^th century phrases are such a hoot), I present the following literary segue to gently transition you to the next thought:

Winging it is what usually happens just before the pressuring begins.

Pressure is a poor substitute for professionalism

Simply stated, “pressuring the customer” is morally unacceptable. So then, how do you fulfill the ethical responsibility you may have to make the sale without the customer ending up feeling pressured? The answer is found in the quality of your presentation, and in the passion of your delivery.

When you deliver a passionate, well-rehearsed, and polished presentation, one in which customer need is first established, and then your product or service is clearly and logically introduced as the best solution to address the need, the probability that you will make the sale without the customer feeling any pressure to buy dramatically increases.

In order to inspire your customer to action, you must be prepared to present your product or service so passionately, so professionally, so perfectly, that it builds the customer’s desire to buy from you. The key to making the sale without pressure is to make the presentation so compelling that there will be little need to actually “close the sale” in order to make the sale. Do this really well, and the customer will all but fill out the paperwork for you!

Pressure is what the customer feels in the absence of professionalism.

Staying off the ledge

Regardless of how deeply skilled or knowledgeable you are, irrespective of the amount of passion or professionalism you exude, remember, keep things in perspective. It’s just not possible to make every sale. Should you feel any subtle “tinge of discomfort” creeping up on you someday after missing one, spend a few minutes in honest reflection and ask yourself why you feel the way you do.

If you can pinpoint something specific that you could have done better that may have made a difference in the outcome (i.e. “If I had only been able to better answer that one question…”, or “If I had just been a bit more enthusiastic that day…”), rather than looking for a ledge, challenge yourself to make improvements in that area before approaching your next prospect.

When you understand the important role you play in the customer’s decision-making process, honestly assess each presentation to identify any areas where the message may have fallen short of the mark, remain committed to continual improvement (skill, knowledge, etc.), and always strive to give each customer your very best—regardless of the outcome—you have fulfilled the ethical responsibility you may have to make the sale.

You May Have an Ethical Responsibility to Make the Sale! (Continued)

2009-09-03T09:27:00.002-04:00

And now, please return to “reader” and reality

In the previous post, cleverly disguised in the storyline of a self-proclaimed “fun-to-read” allegory (okay, so maybe “cleverly disguised” is a little bit over the top), I audaciously suggested that in some cases, a salesperson may, in fact, be morally responsible for failing to make the sale—a provocative concept that may be initially difficult to get one’s head around.

To comically illustrate my point, I placed you “the reader” into the role of an insurance salesperson who “didn’t want to pressure him” (your customer) into buying a policy, only to read about his freakishly untimely demise in the newspaper a few days later. Knowing that his wife and children would soon be headed down the road toward financial ruin, a “tinge of discomfort” came over you—a subtle indication that maybe, just maybe, you felt a little bit responsible for not making the sale when you had the chance.

Now, all kidding aside, professional selling is serious business. Strip the humorous bits out of the story (Skylab, idiot-proof multiple choice question, etc.) and you’re left with something that reads more like a Greek tragedy than a comedy. The sad reality is that this sort of thing really does happen.

Too often, sales are missed, that could have—and should have—been made. Missed, not because the customer didn’t have a genuine need for the product or service that was being presented, not because the customer “couldn’t afford it”, “wanted to think about it”, or “(fill in the blank)”, but missed for the simple reason that the salesperson lacked the inherent skills, knowledge, passion, or professionalism to properly compel the customer to take immediate action.

Ethical checkpoint

Let’s see if you agree in principle with the following statement:

To a greater or lesser degree—depending upon what it is that you’re selling—failing to make the sale could adversely affect your prospect.

Make sense? If you’re silently nodding you head in agreement, then you probably also agree in principle with the general premise of this article—that you may have an ethical responsibility to make the sale!

Okay, so let’s keep things in perspective. (I don’t want anyone looking for the highest ledge to climb out onto the next time they miss a sale...) Regardless of how skilled, knowledgeable, passionate, or professional you may already be, you’re certainly not going to make every sale. It’s just not possible. So relax. I am not implying that missing a sale here or there somehow makes you a no-good-horrible-unethical salesperson. However, I am suggesting this:

If you approach a prospect knowingly lacking in skill, knowledge, passion, or professionalism—just sort of “winging it” to make the sale—then that, my friend, is unethical.

Unfortunately, when a salesperson’s message falls short of the mark, leaving an otherwise makeable sale undone, the customer is left “at risk” in the future. Whether left “unprotected” (i.e., without insurance, a college fund for their children, a safer automobile, etc.), financially “exposed” (i.e., facing higher prices, expiring incentives, less attractive financing options, etc.), or otherwise “compromised” (i.e., their business is less competitive without the product or service, etc.), it is the customer that is most adversely affected when the sale is missed.

To be continued…

You May Have an Ethical Responsibility to Make the Sale!

2009-08-03T22:45:00.005-04:00

“…an ethical responsibility to make the sale? You’re kidding me, right?” Uh… no, actually I’m not.

Now, I do realize that suggesting that you may have “an ethical responsibility to make the sale” is a rather provocative concept, particularly in light of the more traditional discussions surrounding ethical selling practices. But, I encourage you to keep an open mind. Continue reading, and this article may become more than just a simple thought provoker concerning the subject of ethics.

Sales ethics 101

Let’s begin with a few well-established “ethical selling practices” talking points: Never pressure the customer, don’t oversell, be truthful, and promise only what you can deliver. Sound familiar? Well, let’s hope so. Although I am confident that you could easily add a few more “ethical best sales practices” to this short list, there is no question that following these simple guidelines will go a long way toward ensuring that customers are treated appropriately throughout the sales process.

So, where does “make the sale” fit into the ethical picture? That is a fair and reasonable question—one that requires a fun-to-read allegoric response followed by a (as close to idiot-proof as possible) multiple choice question.

The fun-to-read allegoric response

The scenario: You’re selling a life insurance policy. Your prospect is interested and can easily afford it, but tells you that he doesn’t want to be “pressured” into buying anything. You back off, assuring the customer that it’s okay to “think about it” (after all, no biggie—you just “closed” a good one on your last appointment), and you agree to “give him some space” and call him back in a few days.

The next day, in the freakish of all freaky accidents, your prospect gets pancaked by the last remaining unknown piece of Skylab as it plummets down to earth. In short order, without his income or an insurance policy to cash in, his wife will have to put the house up for sale, cancel the children’s future college plans, and they will be forced to put the dear family dog “Max” up for adoption (hey, dog food can be expensive!).

You (once mere reader, now important allegoric character) unwittingly learn of your “former” prospect’s fate when you open the morning paper and read the front page headline “Unknown Rogue Piece of Skylab Flattens Family Man….” After you finish the article and swish down the remaining puddle of lukewarm coffee in your cup, you pause in reflection for a moment, and you then (here comes the idiot-proof multiple choice question I promised):

A) make a mental note to delete his name from your callback list

B) wonder if his wife has insurance for herself yet

C) feel a tinge of discomfort that you failed to “make the sale” when you had the chance

D) decide to wear a helmet for the next several days—just in case

Please tell me you selected the letter option "C".

Go ahead—it’s okay to react defensively, I’ve been expecting it

Remaining in the spirit of the allegoric character you are still portraying, you would undoubtedly say to me, “Hey, what are you talking about? How can I be responsible for what happened to this guy? He clearly told me that he didn’t want to do anything, AND, I certainly didn’t want to pressure him.” (…desperately attempting to take the moral high ground to defend your argument.)

Okay, okay. So you’re not legally responsible… but morally? That may be a different story.

To be continued…

Please Don’t Judge Me (or your customers!)

2009-07-15T13:03:00.003-04:00

The Case for Impartiality in Both the Supreme Court and Your Sales Presentation

The appointment of a new judge to the Supreme Court of the United States is seldom a simple affair, often involving a collision of perspective between opposing political forces. Through the process of confirmation hearings, the inquisitors (Senate Judiciary Committee members) seek to validate amid other concerns, that the appointee will bring uncompromised impartiality to the decisions they render while sitting on the highest court in the land. (Trust me. If it was your case brought before the Supreme Court, the issue of impartiality would be of greatest concern to you too.)

Okay. So what does impartiality have to do with professional selling?

One of the most insidious forms of bigotry in professional selling is economic discrimination. Economic discrimination occurs when a salesperson makes an unfounded personal judgment about how much they think or feel a customer can afford, and then they alter their sales presentation to offer lower-end more moderately priced options.

When it happens (and unfortunately it happens all too often in many sales organizations), “unfounded personal judgment” forms in the mind of the salesperson before any interaction with the customer has taken place. Inappropriate opinions regarding the financial means of the customer are made by interpreting mostly visual things, like, the clothing they are wearing or the car they are driving—or at its unthinkable worst, their gender, age, or ethnicity.

Economic discrimination is widely known as prejudging a customer.

Not only is prejudging morally reprehensible, it is also an extremely costly practice for both the salesperson and the company. The salesperson who prejudges the financial capability of prospects suffers the negative results of lower overall sales averages and reduced earnings over the course of their career. From the company’s perspective, the negative impact of prejudging customers is exponentially multiplied by the number of salespeople engaging in this practice—to which the true costs in lost revenue may never be fully realized.

(Prejudging left unchecked in the organization will cause sales to be lost altogether. As customers figure out what’s going on, they walk out and seek the services of a competitor—someone who is willing to treat them in a more dignified manner. Not to mention the damage this will ultimately do to the reputation of the business!)

Prejudging a customer is not to be confused with tailoring the presentation!

There are times when changing your presentation is appropriate. There is little in common between the negative practice of prejudging a customer and “tailoring” the presentation to fit the established needs and wants of the customer. One takes place without the customer’s knowledge or input, while the other is done under their specific direction.

You ensure the highest ethical standard through top-down selling.

The only way to meet the highest ethical standard objective, and eliminate even the unconscious possibility of prejudging a customer, is to make every presentation using a “top down” selling model. Always introduce your very best products and services first, irrespective of price, to ensure that every customer is provided an impartial opportunity to make their selection. It is simply the right thing to do.

Closing argument:

Whether you have a case sitting before the nine Supreme Court Justices, or one of your customers is sitting through your next sales presentation, the value of uncompromised impartiality should be given equal weight. Wouldn’t you agree?

Six “Don’t Knock ‘Em Till You Try ‘Em!” Rules for Appointment Setting Success

2009-07-05T18:47:00.005-04:00

Unless your customers typically walk into your office, plop down in front of your desk, and request a presentation (ahem … right, that happens all the time), it is safe to say that very few sales are made without first securing an appointment. So, regardless of the potency of your killer presentation, your incredibly artful closing techniques, or your innate ability to instantly warm up with a client, your ultimate long-term selling success hangs on the simple effectiveness of your appointment-setting skills.

Let’s take a quick look at six basic rules for appointment-setting success.

The First Rule for Appointment-Setting Success

Knock, do not call. Why? It is much easier for a prospect to reject a salesperson over the phone than it is in person. And there’s another great reason to knock on their door instead of calling. When you meet a potential client in person, you begin to formulate a relationship. Instead of lumping you into the category of “just another salesperson soliciting over the phone” the client gets the opportunity to actually see that you are really a nice person (you are, aren’t you?) who is interested in helping them (and you do want to help them, don’t you?). Essentially, you are giving the client an opportunity to begin to like you— the key component to the development of a relationship built on trust. (Want to know just how important this “begin to like you” thing is? Dig out the Likeability Factor article from the blog archives or hit the link right here!)

Statistically, the probability of you successfully setting an appointment by knocking on the door and meeting the prospect is dramatically higher than attempting to do so over the phone. It’s just that simple.

The Second Rule for Appointment-Setting Success

Save your presentation for the presentation. When you approach the door, you have but one objective— to set the appointment. And to accomplish this, you must limit the conversation at the door to only that which you need to effectively set the appointment and nothing more.

Before a prospect sets an appointment with you, or even after they do, be aware that they may attempt to draw you into making a “pop-up mini-presentation” by showing interest and asking a few questions about your product, services, or company. When this happens, you must respectfully acknowledge the importance of their questions and assure them that you will provide answers and a wealth of additional invaluable information at the time of their appointment. Do not take the “interested question” bait! If you allow them to draw you into providing “more at the door”, they may wrongly determine that they don’t need your product or services before they have all the facts they would need to make an intelligent decision—wrong for the client, wrong for the company, and wrong for your bank account too!

The Third Rule for Appointment-Setting Success

Always set a firm appointment. And when that’s not possible, set a tentative or drop by appointment. But first, go for the home run. There is nothing better than returning to your prospect’s home, at a specific preset time, with them expecting you. (Well, okay, almost nothing better. In lieu of setting a future appointment, I’ll let you off the hook if you knock on the door and end up leaving with a check and a signed agreement in hand—but just this once.) Setting a solid appointment means that the prospect will organize their schedule to allow you time to deliver the information so that they may fully consider the benefits of your offer. They will be prepared to listen without interruption. A firm appointment always yields the highest probability for closing the sale. However, in the event that a firm appointment becomes too difficult to secure, then by all means set up a tentative appointment. Or in the alternative, if necessary, attain “tacit consent” approval to drop by one evening “when you’re in the neighborhood and you see their lights on”.

As a point of reference, let’s acknowledge that many sales are indeed made using the “tentative” or “tacit consent” appointment-setting approach. There is nothing inherently wrong with working this way, provided you are willing to master the art of working your way into the home under potentially less than ideal selling conditions. For some, this may be effective. For others, working harder up front to set a firm appointment will ultimately prove to be more productive.

Lastly, when you approach the door, be prepared to quickly shift the focus from setting an appointment to making a presentation in the event that the prospect is readily available. If you can comfortably gain an invitation to make an immediate presentation, by all means, do so. However, use caution here. Once you are inside the home, quickly assess the situation and make sure that you will have all necessary parties present and that they are otherwise undistracted before beginning the presentation. For instance, it is both a disservice to the prospect and a waste of your time to make a presentation to the husband without his wife present (regardless of how loudly he thumps his chest telling you that he wears the pants in the family and makes all the decisions—because he doesn’t), or to attempt presenting while several young children are commanding more of your prospect’s attention than you are. In this event, it is better to back out of the situation and work on setting up an appointment when both decision-makers are home or the babysitter is on duty.

The Fourth Rule for Appointment-Setting Success

Always remember to post-close the appointment. Make sure that before you leave the door, you confirm the details of the appointment you just set thirty seconds ago. Yes, repeat everything once again. This will help to ingrain the time and date in your prospect’s mind and demonstrates that you are a professional who carefully governs your schedule. While you’re at it, make sure to jot the time and date down on the back of your business card and hand it to them. (Hopefully, you just had a “no duh” moment after reading this suggestion.) Post-closing sends the message that this appointment is important and is a “not to be missed or rescheduled” event.

The Fifth Rule for Appointment-Setting Success

Never call to confirm an appointment. Calling to “confirm” an appointment is an open invitation for the prospect to change their mind and reschedule or cancel. A professional salesperson is in the business of making sales, not collecting orders. As such, you need to be prepared to accept a few “no shows” and “door kills” as the price you will pay for greater sales success. It simply comes with the territory.

When you do get stood up (and you will), approach the situation with positive expectancy. Assume that your prospect innocently forgot about the appointment or that something akin to an emergency came up. Leave your card with an “I’m really sorry that I missed you” type message written on it and promise to contact them to reset the appointment. (Just in case it crossed your mind, don’t even think about calling them on the phone ... go back and knock on their door again—and again if need be.)

The Sixth Rule for Appointment-Setting Success

Mail a timely appointment reminder confirmation card. While you should never call to confirm an appointment, given there is enough time before the appointment to mail your prospect a friendly reminder card, do it. A simple “This is to confirm our appointment for (time, date, place) —looking forward to seeing you and delivering some invaluable information!” type reminder will do wonders to ensure that they are waiting for you “with bated breath, and whispring humblenesse” upon your arrival. (Alas poor reader… Working in the proceeding Shakespearean idiom was done entirely for the author’s amusement.) Not only does this approach say “I am a professional” (and as such I expect you will be there when I come), it will also give a prospect who has legitimately forgotten about the appointment, a timely friendly reminder that you’re on your way.

And, The Final Rule for Appointment-Setting Success

Always remember the First Rule: Knock, do not call!

Well there you have it, six basic rules for appointment-setting success.

And remember, “Don’t knock ‘em till you try ‘em!”

Smile and Move: a reminder to happily serve (an excerpt)

2009-06-11T13:32:00.006-04:00

By Sam Parker

I want to be needed. You want to be needed.

We all want to matter to the world.

And the way we matter is through our service to others… by giving more.

If we want to matter and to be happy, if we want more freedom, more flexibility, more responsibility or more money, we need to give more to those we’re supposed to be serving.

We need to get over ourselves.

We need to smile & move.

To smile is to…

· Be awake, attentive, and engaged with others.

· It’s being thankful for our opportunities, for our people, and for the occasional chance we have to be in the path to serve.

· It’s being approachable and accessible to our customers, our subordinates, and our leaders.

· It’s complaining less because we all have work to accomplish.

· It’s smiling, really.

To move is to…

· Start our days early and go long more than once in a blue moon.

· It’s exceeding expectations for others and dismissing mediocrity in our work.

· It’s having a sense of urgency with our efforts, predicting and pre-sweating the details for others.

· It’s being resourceful and resilient when we fall short, making it all about results – exceptional results.

The truth is… You’re at my service and I’m at yours.

To enjoy more, we need to give more.

Sam Parker is cofounder of Give More Media, publishers of JustSell.com, author of the best book 212 the extra degree™, and coauthor of SALESTOUGH™ blogs at justparker.com. He speaks to groups occasionally, has a degree in marketing from James Madison University (1987), loves grilling a good steak and making handmade pizzas, writes run-on sentences every once in a while and makes every attempt daily to smile & move.

Many blogs enjoy posting the uplifting Smile & Move video (3 minutes) www.SmileAndMove.com/Video. It’s hosted on YouTube so it’s easy to imbed.

The Money Question

2009-06-09T11:40:00.005-04:00

Economic Perspective in Perspective

I love working with talented sales professionals. One of my favorite training exercises is to work around the room and ask this simple question: How much is “a lot of money” to you?

Talk about fun! (If you’re a sales trainer you really have to try this one.) Although I have conducted this group training exercise countless times, I am always amazed by the scope of the responses. Invariably, the figures offered by a group in response to this “money question” tend to range all over the place—from fairly frugal (I couldn’t resist) amounts to darn right large impressive sums.

In fact, one small group of about a dozen salespeople from Greensboro, North Carolina, actually responded from a low of five dollars to a high of fifty-million dollars! No kidding. It was pretty remarkable. I remember thinking to myself (during an apparent flashback moment to the days of 50’s sitcom speak), “Gee-wiz! Could the disparity in these answers be any greater?”

“So what’s the point of the exercise” you ask? Well, here you go. The money question clarifies the importance of understanding your prospect’s economic perspective.

“Economic perspective” defined

Each of us has our own individual concept of what “a lot of money” means to us—a financial viewpoint framed by our unique past and current relationship with money.

For example, if you’re currently pulling down a double six-figure plus income, enjoy tooling around the neighborhood in your paid-in-full red Lexus convertible, live in a multi-million dollar equity-stuffed estate home—and your broker successfully convinced you to move your retirement money into safe haven investments just before the stock market went ka-boom… then you are most likely to answer the money question closer to the fifty-million dollar mark. Make sense?

On the other hand, if you recently experienced the misfortune of standing in line outside the unemployment office, only to enjoy an unobstructed view of your newly repossessed PT Cruiser being towed down the street right in front of you… it may be safe to suggest that five dollars may feel like a small fortune to you in that moment.

Fortunately, the financial experiences of most prospects probably are not quite as extreme as these two examples. But, with that said, it is extremely important to understand and respond in terms of your customer’s economic perspective (not yours) any time the subject of money comes up in the sales process.

Moving right along

When a prospect says something like “I don’t have a lot of money to spend right now”, for one, the statement in context may more closely translate into “I only have a few hundred dollars in my back account right now”. For another prospect, say a bit more “well-heeled” (sort of a throwback expression there, too), the same exact statement delivered in an equally impassioned way, may mean that they are trying to get along with only a few thousand dollars of currently disposable income. A rather big and important distinction, don’t you think?

Now here’s the rub. (Sorry, that one’s really old school.) Unless you happen to be intimately knowledgeable about the details of your prospect’s financial situation before you begin working with them (i.e., you remember reviewing their tax return before being fired from your former position as an IRS agent, or you successfully hacked into their computer last night and stole their identity... that sort of thing), the minute they mutter one of those ambiguous statements about money, you’re probably going to default to using your own personal economic perspective to decipher what you think they are saying—and that could cost you a sale. (Especially true, should you be the salesperson who provided the five dollar answer in the Greensboro session…)

The money question training exercise demonstrates the importance of understanding economic perspective as it directly relates to closing sales. When the subject of money comes up, make sure that you’re clear about what the prospect is actually saying, before you launch into some ill-conceived objection-handling mode, before you drop down to presenting a less expensive item, and before you decide to call it a night and beat a path home in your PT Cruiser.

Disclaimer: The selection of automobile brands or models used within this article was completely random and included for rhetorical purposes only. Thereby, no implied endorsement for any vehicle is made by the author… well, maybe with the exception of the Lexus convertible.

On choosing happiness. What's your choice?

2009-06-01T19:21:00.006-04:00

By Jeffrey H. Gitomer

After is a self-defeating word. It robs you of the present, and resigns you to wait without taking any action.

You convince yourself that life will be better after something: After you get a new job, after you get a better job, after you get more money, after you get out of debt, after the economy rebounds, after your stocks go back up, after you get that big order.

You convince yourself that life will be better after an event: After you get married, after you have a baby, after you get a new house, after you take a vacation, after you come back from vacation, after summer is over, or some other action-procrastinating “after”.

Are you frustrated that the kids aren't old enough, and believe you'll be more content after they’re in high school or out of high school? Are you frustrated that you have teenagers to deal with? You will certainly be happy after they’re out of that stage. Certainly you’ll be happier after they’re in college, or is it out of college?

You tell yourself that your life will be more complete when your spouse gets his or her act together, when you get a nicer car, a new house, a raise in pay, a new boss, or worse, after you retire.

The truth is, the fact is, the reality is, there's no better time to be happy than right now.

If not now, when? After the economy gets better?

You may not be able to wait that long.

Your life will always be filled with challenges, barriers, and disappointments. It's best to admit this to yourself and decide to be happy anyway. Alfred Souza said, “For a long, long time it had seemed to me that I was about to begin real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”

There is no way to happiness.

Happiness is the way.

There is no after to happiness.

Happiness is now.

Here’s the answer: It’s inside your head FIRST and everyplace else second. Happiness is a treasure. Your (missed) opportunity is to treasure every moment that you have.

Stop waiting until you finish school, until you go back to school, until you lose ten pounds, until you gain ten pounds, until you have kids, until after you quit smoking, until your kids leave the house, until you start work, until you retire, until you get married, until you get divorced, until Friday night, until Sunday morning, until you get your new car or home, until your car or home is paid off, until spring, until summer, until fall, until winter, until the first or the fifteenth, until your song comes on, until you've had a drink, until you've sobered up, until you win the lottery, or until the cows come home to decide that there is no better time than right now to be happy.

And treasure the happiness of now more because you share it with someone special enough to invest your time in...

Happiness is:

Not a sale or a commission.

Not an economy or a budget.

Not a yes or a no.

Not a game winning hit or a last second touchdown.

Happiness is a way of life that is inside you at all times. It helps you get over the tough times, and helps you celebrate the special times.

Seems pretty simple to define on paper, but real difficult to manifest when the chips are down. My experience has taught me the difference between resign and resolve. You can resign yourself to what is, and hope or wait for a better day. Or you can resolve that you are a positive person who finds the good, the positive, the happiness, the smile, and especially the opportunity in everything.

Happiness is now, not a goal or a destination.

It’s not an after, it’s a before.

And it’s up to you. All you have to do is: decide.

If you want a few more ideas about internal, personal happiness, go to www.gitomer.com, register if you are a first time visitor, and enter the word HAPPY in the GitBit box.

Jeffrey Gitomer is the author of The Little Red Book of Selling and eight other business books on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development. President of Charlotte-based Buy Gitomer, he gives seminars, runs annual sales meetings, and conducts Internet training programs on sales, customer loyalty, and personal development at www.trainone.com. Jeffrey conducts more than 100 personalized, customized seminars and keynotes a year. To find out more, visit www.gitomer.com. Jeffrey can be reached at 704.333.1112 or by e-mail at salesman@gitomer.com

Is This The Best You Can Do?

2009-05-26T11:57:00.004-04:00

How Not to Negotiate Price

“Is this the best you can do?” Sound familiar? If your last several customers didn’t ask this question, the odds are pretty good that next one probably will. How you respond to this question may determine whether or not you make the sale— and I’m not talking about lowering the price.

When a customer asks you for a discount, the surefire quickest way to lose the sale is to give them even the slightest impression that you are considering their request.

It is critically important how you initially respond to an appeal for a discount. Hesitate, even for a nanosecond, or trip over a word or two, and your customer may well read your momentary indecisiveness as a sign that holding out for a better price may be a worthwhile cause. Offer up any reason for them to doubt your conviction and you may end up helplessly watching your otherwise “done deal” move into a “wait and see” holding pattern.

There are a few really good reasons why customers are inclined to ask for discounts.

The “avoid being taken” factor

To begin with, customers want to avoid being “taken” by a salesperson (taken: a slightly kinder gentler way of saying “ripped off”). Probing around and asking about discounts helps to confirm that they are actually getting the best price available. Remember, their life’s experience with other salespeople has taught them that negotiating often pays off.

The “avoid the embarrassment” factor

Customers also want to avoid the embarrassment of appearing less intelligent than someone else. One of their imagined fears (often grounded in the reality of an actual past experience) is that they will enter into an agreement, paying the full list price for some product or service, only to return home and later find out that their neighbor or brother-in-law purchased exactly the same thing for less.

The “less than professional” factor

There is another possible reason that may trigger a customer to ask you for a discount and that is— you! If you come across as the stereotypical salesperson, a little bit pushy, talking too much, plodding along through a somewhat uninspiring presentation— if you project anything less than a completely professional image— then you can bet that the customer will indeed be looking for a discount!

In the normal course of professional selling, it is certainly not unusual for customers to ask for discounts. But here’s what drives me nuts as a sales trainer. Even though customers ask for discounts on a somewhat regular basis— suggesting that learning how to effectively handle the question would be an economic “no-brainer” of sorts— unbelievably, the average salesperson often balks before spitting out a less than intelligent response. Or, they just sit there staring at the customer for a few seconds with a sort of empty-headed “dear caught in the headlights” look before saying anything.

In order to quickly dispel any notion that holding out for a discount could be worthwhile, a sales professional must always anticipate that their customer may ask for one and be fully prepared to respond appropriately and without delay.

Let’s have a look at a useful formula for responding to a discount request so that the next time you’re asked “Is this the best you can do?” you’ll know exactly what to do.

First, apply empathy: I can really appreciate the fact that you’re asking for the best possible price. If I were contemplating this investment, I would certainly ask the same exact question.

Next, make a value statement: Fortunately, we’re proud of the quality products and services we offer at XYZ Company and truly feel that our prices represent tremendous value in return for what we are providing.

Address any possible apprehension: You can feel comfortable in knowing that nobody else will be able to negotiate a lower price than the one that you are considering— that’s just not how we do business.

Suggest abstract savings: And, considering what you may have to pay for the same products and services in the future, the greatest savings are already built into today’s prices.

Finally, close decisively: I can assure you that the price you are considering today is the absolute best available and that you can feel confident in your decision.

Generally speaking, immediately handling the request for a discount along these lines, both empathetically and yet firmly will most likely put the issue comfortably to rest in the mind of the customer. It is unlikely that they will see any point in attempting to hold out for a better price.

Discounting lowers more than just price, it also devalues your firm’s credibility in the marketplace. It suggests that the products and services you are selling were not worth what you were asking in the first place.

Lowering the price to close a sale may seem like a better alternative than to lose the sale altogether, at least in the short run. However, the long term effect of discounting is troublesome. Unless you’re striving to establish the reputation as the “wheeler and dealer” in your marketplace, discounting adds up to a really poor business practice. It is mortgaging the future to save the present. Eventually, the negative effects will catch up with you.

At the end of the day, if you’re asking a fair price in return for quality products and services, and you stick to the general price list— raising value instead of lowering price— you will enjoy market credibility, build a strong commercial identity, and ensure the sustained loyalty of the customers you serve.

The Myth of the Elevator Speech

2009-05-18T11:26:00.022-04:00

By Doug Stern

I wish I had a nickel for every time a marketing director asked the elevator speech question: "What if someone asks, 'What do you do?' and you have 20 seconds to answer? What do you tell them before the doors open and one of you gets off?"

I think, therefore I am

Since professional service providers tend to spend a lot of time in their head, they're ready to pitch at the slightest glimmer of interest from another human being (prospect). The brain is the default filter for everything.

Lawyers, for example, might offer an elevator speech along the lines of "I add value to leading privately held companies by addressing the sophisticated legal issues relating to complex ownership succession."

Nice try

Or, they might turn themselves upside down and inside out figuring out, as one expert recently put it, how to "spark interest in the potential client without sounding like a salesperson."

Gotcha!

The question, however, is not about wanting a snappy summary of how you make a living. It's not about re-framing the question from the other person's point of view to come up with a non-pitch pitch.

While all of that is good (especially the part about not talking about yourself), it's based on a flawed assumption, one that assumes that everyone is being cognitive all of the time.

The truth about the question

When someone asks what you do, chances are they really don't want to know what you do. That's because the elevator speech question is really about people being people.

The question is about someone needing something to break the ice. They could just as well be saying, "Nice tie. It reminds me of my Uncle Miltie." To which you might respond in a similarly personable and engaging manner.

It's a reminder that the brain is just one of several organs that apply to sales and marketing.

Breathe

So, lower the bar. Loosen up. Connect.

Remember the true nature of the question and say something like... "I'm a lawyer, but I'm looking for something less stressful. I've applied for a position as a peace-keeper in Iraq. How about you?"

When asked, I'm liable to respond with "I'm a freelance writer. I'm working on a story about getting stuck in an elevator with a stranger."

The moral of the story? Granted, be able to describe what you do in English. But most people who ask "What do you do?" aren't signing up for the lecture, so don't give it to them.

Have a conversation instead.

Doug Stern (http://www.doug-stern.com) is a free-lance business writer and strategist. His clients have included leading law firms, engineers and architects, medical practices and other professional service providers as well as manufacturers and real estate developers--and he's written just about anything you can imagine. Contact Doug at 502-599-6624 or doug@doug-stern.com.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Doug_Stern

The Six Little Things for Sales Success

2009-05-14T12:48:00.004-04:00

It’s Not the Big Things That Make the Big Difference

In most sales organizations, the productive salespeople generally spend their time doing pretty much the same things on a daily basis. They prospect, make presentations, seek referrals, attend meetings, and… okay, they also spend time fixing the paperwork they screwed up on their last sale and calculating the commissions they’re about to make on the next— but that’s a subject to tackle on a different day. For the purpose of this article, we are going to focus on the more productive activities and refer to them as the big things.

Although primarily engaged in the same “big thing” sales activities each day, it is interesting to note that the results can vary greatly between two apparently equally capable, equally committed, and equally experienced salespeople. How can this be? Why is it that some sales professionals seem to consistently outperform others, given the same opportunity and similar levels of dedication?

The answer to this question is found in the details so to speak. It’s not the big things that they are doing that make the big difference— it’s the little things! More specifically, it probably boils down to five or six little things that the most successful salespeople in the organization are doing slightly better than anyone else that makes the biggest difference in their production results.

For example, there is a subtle, but very important “results distinction” between a really good presentation and an exceptional one. Although the “closing rate” difference may appear to be nearly insignificant in the short term, over time, the ever so slightly better presentation will ultimately generate more sales. Or, apply the “slightly better” concept to referral acquisition. Initially, gaining a few extra referrals each month may not seem like a big deal, but once again, when the sales results are tabulated over time, say the course of a year, some of those “no big deal” extra referral leads will have been undoubtedly converted into additional sales.

Okay, so here’s where it gets really interesting. A slight skill distinction between top sales professionals in just one or two key performance areas may best serve to determine the order in which they are called to the podium during the annual awards event. However, take that same small skill distinction multiplied by five or six key areas of performance and the exponential effect in sales production is not only impressive, but you’re also likely to be looking at the organization’s next sales director.

The principle of the six little things formula for sales success exemplifies the value of continuous improvement. If you are willing to set aside a few minutes every day and dedicate that time for your own professional development (i.e., polishing your presentation delivery, working on your referral acquisition techniques, etc.), in other words, striving to continuously improve your key performance skill set to ultimately do five or six little things better than anyone else— you will be well on your way to being one of the most highly compensated and promotable sales professionals in your organization!

On Handling Objections

2009-05-13T14:21:00.002-04:00

Everything You Really Need to Know in a Single Sentence

It is both easier and more productive to invest your time in mastering your presentation than it is to learn how to overcome objections.

Confucius Says... This is more of a "tweet" than a post! Stay tuned!

The Great Sales Crusade

2009-05-07T12:34:00.002-04:00

King Arthur on Leadership

(Adapted from the book Success Through Total Empowerment, first publication Copyright 1999, Kenton W. Davis)

Whether you believe that he really existed, or simply enjoy the romantic legend, King Arthur’s leadership style and the concept of his legendary round table offer us timeless lessons in human motivation.

According to Phyllis Ann Karr, author of The Arthurian Companion, the “Round Table” is fabled to have had a total of 150 seats, in which once seated, there was “no order of precedence”. Everyone had an equal voice in the matters of the day, and rank went unobserved. Empowered by the authority of the table, the knights rode out to do “good” throughout the kingdom. It is written that, from here, quests, missions, and even the Great Crusade, all started.

Many of today’s organizations may need to conduct their own Great “sales” Crusade of sorts. With the economy struggling, high unemployment, and consumers cautious about their financial future, sales are definitely harder to come by these days. And with sales down, bottom-line revenues are suffering causing the operating budgets of many businesses to be stretched dangerously thin.

All this adds up to an enormous amount of pressure being placed upon sales teams to produce. More specifically, the weight of this responsibility falls squarely on the shoulders of the sales manager, whom is ultimately charged with leading their team north of sales targets irrespective of the challenging market conditions.

Now imagine for a minute that our legendary hero King Arthur faced a similar crisis in his kingdom. Say, something along the lines of… the treasury was running dangerously low, an unusually large number of peasants and serfs couldn’t find a field to work, and Merlin’s confidence in his magic was shaken from the resulting unrest spreading throughout the kingdom. How would the beloved king of English lore have handled this situation? Would he have withdrawn to his royal chambers and attempted to single-handedly solve all the problems of the realm?

Not a chance. In fact, if King Arthur had ruled autocratically from the throne, he would have likely been “done to the turn” back in the day (which would have seriously messed up this colorful legend). Instead, when confronted with challenging times, King Arthur would summon all the great knights of the land, from near and far, inviting them to join him at an enormous round table in the status of equality. There, he would openly seek suggestions from his dignitaries as to what they would (or could) do to collectively solve the crisis in the kingdom.

Under pressure to meet sales targets, instinctively, average sales managers often withdraw to their office, close the door, and attempt to formulate the master “sales survival strategy” by drawing on their personal experience― a very anti-Arthurian thing to do (dangerously limiting the probability of mapping out a successful strategy, thus increasing the odds of their own personal turn on the spit in the future!). Instead, they should take a page out of King Arthur’s leadership book and invite their sales team members to participate in a roundtable session.

When you summon your sales team members to participate in a genuine roundtable session, where they are truly seated with “no order of precedence”, where problem-solving, idea-swapping and general brainstorming is encouraged, where the suggestions made are incorporated into the direction the team is moving, where no idea or suggestion is considered “foolish” and everyone’s opinion is respected, the results can be nothing short of magical. You will have tapped into the power of King Arthur’s legendary participatory leadership style and trigger intrinsic motivation within each team member. This will then serve to motivate them to overcome the current market challenges, to reach and exceed their individual sales goals, and to help the entire team meet the collective sales objective.

If your sales organization needs to go on a “sales crusade” to turn things around, send your team members off with the weapons they will need and the additional inspirational strength and courage to slay the “economic dragons” they will confront along the way. Make full use of King Arthur’s “Round Table” strategy for success!

Selling Through Personal Integrity

2009-05-01T12:46:00.003-04:00

The Highest Ethical Standards Approach for Success – Final Post

With consumer confidence hanging precariously in the balance these days, the slightest misstep by a salesperson can cause the “scales of trust” to tip away from making a sale— and rightfully so.

(Paragraph excerpted from Selling Through Personal Integrity, Frugal Speaker blog post, April 27, 2009, by Kenton W. Davis.)

Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of The Tipping Point, defines the title of this work as (the moment when) "the levels at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable". And now for the billion dollar question: Have the ever-increasing levels of immoral business practices finally pushed today’s consumer past the trust tipping point?

In the event that you’re one of the salespeople out there still pondering the answer to this question— not yet quite convinced that your future selling success will require a more ethical and transparent approach— your time would probably be better spent polishing your resume or planning your retirement party rather than reading the rest of this post.

As for the true sales professionals following this blog, those whom understand the cynicism expressed by today’s consumer toward salespeople is completely justified, those willing to take the necessary steps to ensure that they build a strong foundation of trust with their customers, and those willing to develop the right philosophy, provide total disclosure, and be an expert— your continued success in the future is virtually guaranteed.

Finally, let’s remember this: When a customer decides to buy from you they are in fact saying “I trust you”, and their trust is not something that should be taken lightly. Although the public has been inundated daily with negative news of fraud, schemes, and scams, making it much more difficult to earn the trust of the consumer, in that moment of decision— when the scales must tip one way or another and a sale is made or lost— it is you that will make the difference.

We will not be able to legislate our way back into “good standing” with the consumer. There is only one way to get there from here. The answer to renewing confidence and rebuilding consumer trust is to be absolutely certain that we are selling through personal integrity and applying nothing short of the highest ethical standards approach for success in every interaction with our customers.

Do it because it is the right thing to do!

Selling Through Personal Integrity

2009-04-27T20:47:00.003-04:00

The Highest Ethical Standards Approach for Success – Next Steps

If you’re truly serious about building a strong foundation of trust with your customers, you must be committed to providing them with full or total disclosure about every aspect of the product or service you are selling.

(Paragraph excerpted from Selling Through Personal Integrity, Frugal Speaker blog post, April 23, 2009, by Kenton W. Davis.)

In the previous post, we identified “providing total disclosure” as another important step toward building a strong foundation of trust with your customers. In this post, we touch on the importance of presenting yourself as a deeply knowledgeable professional.

The next step is to be an expert!

Building a strong foundation of trust with your customers requires you to be an expert in all facets of your business. Beyond delivering a masterful sales presentation, you must also possess an impressive level of product knowledge, be capable of correctly addressing any service and delivery related questions, and demonstrate flawless execution of the contracting and financing paperwork.

In a selling situation, are you capable of unequivocally answering, both factually and honestly, any questions that your customers might throw at you? The operative words here are, of course, “factually” and “honestly”. In today’s business environment, making it up as you go along, winging it, or simply not knowing the answers, will only serve to reinforce the current growing consumer perception that it is simply too risky to trust a salesperson. Whether shamelessly unethical or simply unprepared, none of the above can be considered an acceptable manner in which to respond to a customer’s question.

With consumer confidence hanging precariously in the balance these days, the slightest misstep by a salesperson can cause the “scales of trust” to tip away from making a sale— and rightfully so. The consumer deserves to be served by an expert, someone completely knowledgeable and ethically committed to earning their business.

Today’s successful sales professional must strive harder to be the consummate professional and present themselves as a deeply knowledgeable professional— an expert. They must be completely honest about what they know and what they don’t know, and committed to continually learning more about the products and services they are selling. They must bring an uncompromised level of preparedness to every interaction with the customer, while applying nothing short of the highest ethical standards approach for success.

Continue to stay tuned for success and the final post in this series!

Selling Through Personal Integrity

2009-04-23T22:39:00.008-04:00

The Highest Ethical Standards Approach for Success – Next Steps

When you develop and employ the right selling philosophy, you become a unique type of sales professional — one that customers will trust and actually desire to do business with.

(Paragraph excerpted from Selling Through Personal Integrity, Frugal Speaker blog post, April 20, 2009, by Kenton W. Davis.)

In the last post, we established the importance of developing a “do the right thing” selling philosophy as the first step toward building a strong foundation of trust with your customers. This next step falls into the category of “the more challenging bit”, and will likely test the ethical mettle of many sales professionals.

The next step is to provide total disclosure!

If you’re truly serious about building a strong foundation of trust with your customers, you must be committed to providing them with full or total disclosure about every aspect of the product or service you are selling. Total disclosure ensures that the customer has all the information they need to make an intelligent and truly informed decision.

Let’s take a look at how the Free Legal Dictionary by Farlex defines the term “full disclosure”: full disclosure n. the need in business transactions to tell the "whole truth" about any matter which the other party should know in deciding to buy or contract...

Not much wiggle room in that definition!

Although it may seem counterintuitive to purposefully enlarge the “fine print” in the business transaction before the sale is finalized as part of one’s standard selling procedure, this is exactly what today’s professional salesperson needs to be doing to ensure continued success in the future.

Your willingness to openly discuss every aspect of the sale with your customer, beyond the usual “features and benefits” roll up, financing and credit stuff, and the perfunctory review of legally required disclosures— even to the point of determining that the product or service you’re selling may not be right for them— is the level of transparency that today’s consumer will expect in return for their trust and ultimately their business.

Continue to stay tuned for success!

Selling Through Personal Integrity

2009-04-20T17:23:00.006-04:00

The Highest Ethical Standards Approach for Success – First Step

In order to repair the damage already done and earn back the consumer’s trust, the successful sales professional of the future will need to apply nothing short of the highest ethical standards approach for success.

(Paragraph excerpted from Selling Through Personal Integrity, Frugal Speaker blog post, April 16, 2009, by Kenton W. Davis.)

In the preceding post, we discussed how the constant negative news of fraud, schemes, and scams, combined with a struggling economy, has damaged the ethical image of the professional salesperson making it more difficult to earn the consumer’s trust.

Moving forward, we will be discussing specific steps you can take to build a strong foundation of trust with your customers and ensure your continued success as a sales professional.

The first step is to develop the right selling philosophy!

Your thoughts control your actions, not the other way around. More importantly, your thoughts are framed by your philosophy. Having the right selling philosophy is the single most important step toward earning the trust of your customers.

So, what exactly is the right selling philosophy? Simply stated, it is: Do the right thing and you’ll get the right results. Okay, so the basic principle is easy enough to understand. However, the more challenging bit is to determine what the “right thing” to do actually is— and then do it! For that answer, you need to look no further than the Golden Rule.

Harry J. Gensler, author of the book Formal Ethics, defines the rule like this:

The golden rule is best interpreted as saying: “Treat others only in ways that you’re willing to be treated in the same exact situation.” To apply it, you’d imagine yourself in the exact place of the other person on the receiving end of the action. If you act in a given way toward another, and yet are unwilling to be treated that way in the same circumstances, then you violate the rule.

In your career as a professional salesperson, when you are guided by a “do the right thing” philosophy, you work with your customers in the spirit of the Golden Rule, treating them in the exact manner that you would want to be treated if you were the customer. It means that the things you say and do remain the same regardless of whether or not someone is there watching you. It means providing your customers with an uncompromised level of personal and professional integrity— ensuring that your actions are always consistent with your words.

Although it may not be easily done, those whom truly embrace the do the right thing philosophy can overcome any negative associations that have been forged in the consumer’s mind by the recent unethical actions of so many in the news today.

When you develop and employ the right selling philosophy, you become a unique type of sales professional — one that customers will trust and actually desire to do business with.

Continue to stay tuned for success!

Selling Through Personal Integrity

2009-04-16T14:12:00.015-04:00

The Highest Ethical Standards Approach for Success

In a business era flooded daily with negative news of ever-widening “widespread corporate fraud”, the discovery of new Ponzi schemes, and seemingly endless consumer scams, today’s consumers are becoming increasingly cynical toward anyone selling anything— and can we blame them?

The short answer is “no”. From the consumer’s perspective, to blindly trust today’s salesperson is risky business. After all, it is hard to argue against the fact that a large portion of the financial mess we’re dealing with today can be traced directly back to one recurrent moment— the point at which someone sold something to someone.

Now, admittedly, it does sound a bit extreme to imply that “salespeople" are somehow responsible for triggering the recent economic collapse, and that is certainly not my intent. However, it is reasonable to suggest that consumers are fairly upset about the rampant lack of personal and professional ethics in today’s business environment, and that they place some of the responsibility for the current financial mess on salespeople in general.

Whether the consumer’s anger is sustained in the direction of failed corporations like Enron, for promoting and “selling” $90 stock shares a day before they plunged into worthlessness, or redirected toward someone like Mr. Madoff, the former Chairman of NASDAQ turned “salesperson”, who swindled his investors out of billions, or currently focused on the countless mortgage "salespeople”, whom overzealously promoted sub-prime lending practices that ultimately hurt millions of homeowners, one thing is certain:

It is going to be much more difficult to earn the trust of the consumer in the future!

Unfortunately, none of these events has served to enhance the ethical image of today’s professional salesperson. In order to repair the damage and earn back the consumer’s trust, the successful sales professional of the future will need to apply nothing short of the highest ethical standards approach for success.

The next several posts will be part of a series called Selling Through Personal Integrity, which will detail the specific steps you can take to build a strong foundation of trust with your customers and ensure your continued success as a sales professional.

Stay tuned for success!

Your True Selling Motives Revealed

2009-04-13T13:20:00.006-04:00

The Eyes Are the Windows to the Soul

Your customers will see your true selling motives— guaranteed. From the moment they meet you, they are measuring everything you say and do. With the skill of a police sketch artist, they quickly begin to form a “values composite image” of you. By the time that they are finished, this mental image, and the resulting “gut feeling” they develop from it, will determine whether or not they trust you enough to do business with you. It’s just that simple.

The celebrated phrase “the eyes are the window to the soul”, helps to explain how your customers will make this important evaluation. While you are making your presentation, your customers will be peering right through those “windows” of yours, searching for clues that will help them evaluate your motives.

If you’re thinking about making a sale, mentally calculating how much money you’re about to make… good luck. It is highly unlikely that your customers will ignore the two giant dollar signs that appear in your eyes, suddenly trust you, and end up deciding to buy from you. Conversely, if you’re focused on representing the best interest of your customers, setting aside any thoughts of personal financial gain, the reflection is very different. Your customers will see how much you truly care, trust will develop, and they will be far more likely to buy something from you.

While you’re working with your customers, some of them may be conscious of the “values assessment” they are conducting, perhaps even providing you with verbal clues that they are sizing you up (i.e. questioning how long you have been in the business, asking if you are paid by commissions, etc.). However, most will simply decide whether or not to trust you based on the unconscious “gut feeling” they develop.

If you want to make more sales today, and enjoy a corresponding increase in earnings throughout your career, first do a little personal reflection. Decide what is really important. Suspend any thoughts of sales quotas, commissions, or other compensation, before you meet with your next customer and focus completely on representing their best interest. You’ll be amazed at the results.

Desire and Drive

2009-04-08T11:08:00.003-04:00

The Essential Components of Success

Throughout much of my career, I have been directly responsible for the initial recruitment, selection, training, and career development of many successful sales professionals. From entry level positions, through the strategic leadership level, I have learned that the greatest predictor of long-term success has little to do with how “experienced or talented” one is when first venturing into a new opportunity. Instead, I have discovered that the essential components for long-term success simply boil down to one’s level of desire and drive! When people possess a true desire to help others, along with the drive to do whatever it takes to reach their objectives, any potential experience or talent deficiencies are quickly overcome.

At the most fundamental level, experience can be defined as: the total accumulation of lessons learned. It represents nothing more than the depth of someone’s accessible potential in any given moment, with the operative word being potential. Without the desire and drive necessary to do something meaningful with their potential, the level of one’s “experience” is rendered quite worthless.

There is a popular maxim telling us that “knowledge is power”. I have a slightly different opinion. Yes, knowledge is important, but not necessarily powerful. In its purest form, knowledge represents little more than the ongoing collection of interesting information. Rather, it is the application of knowledge that becomes powerful. This is exactly where desire and drive step in. One must have the necessary desire and drive to continually apply their knowledge before it becomes powerful!

Take a look around you. All of us know someone who fits the profile of the classic underachiever. Although they may possess all the knowledge they need to achieve greatness, they default to the comfort of complacency in exchange for average performance and results. What’s missing? Desire and drive!

My recruiting and development philosophy is simple. If you possess enough desire and drive, it will take you anywhere you want to go. Experience and talent will ultimately follow.

Extrovert vs. Introvert

2009-04-03T15:12:00.004-04:00

Which is Better Suited for Sales Success?

Interestingly enough, when the question is asked, “Who do you think makes the best salesperson, the introvert or the extrovert?” most often the response is, “Why of course, the extrovert.” However, this age old belief may not necessarily be true.

The extrovert has long been typically viewed as the personality type best suited for sales. They are often described as “the life of the party”, the one most likely to strike up a conversation. On the other hand, the introvert is most often seen as the “quiet, more contemplative” one.

Throughout my career, I have seen both of these personality types successfully develop into outstanding sales professionals. So, which personality type is actually better suited for sales success? The answer is neither.

The stereotypical strength of the extrovert, the ability to strike up a conversation with just about anybody, about anything, can easily work against them when it is time for the customer to make an important decision. They will likely have a fairly easy time “networking” potential customers, but they may have a more difficult time “closing” them. They may have to work harder to present themselves as a knowledgeable expert and slow down a little bit to compensate for the widely unfair “fast-talking salesperson image” that they are often tagged with.

The stereotypical strength of the introvert, their perceived intelligence and credibility, certainly works in their favor when presenting the facts and figures, but can cause challenges in other areas. They may appear too quiet or come across as “aloof” in their interactions, which may make “relationship building” with the customer more difficult and compromise sales in that respect. Remember, people buy from people they like. The introvert may need to work on their “likeability factor” in order to be most effective.

Whether you consider yourself an extrovert or an introvert, it will have little affect on your probability of success as a sales professional, as long as you realize that your greatest strength may also be your greatest weakness. If you are conscious of “who you are”, then you can work on developing some of the traits of your counterpart personality type to achieve balance and maximize your success potential.

Become Their Assistant Buyer

2009-04-02T20:11:00.003-04:00

Your New Sales Job Description

Rather than seeing your job as a salesperson, “selling to people”, start seeing the work you do differently. Stop selling to your customers and start representing them instead! Become their assistant buyer.

Becoming your customer’s assistant buyer fundamentally changes your job description. You are no longer responsible for bringing in revenue for your company. Instead, you now work for your customer. Your primary job description now reads: To help my customers select the products and services they need, at the best possible price, while always working to represent their best interest!

When you adopt the role of assistant buyer, you figuratively move around to the customer’s “side of the table” and become integral in the decision-making process. When you truly begin representing the best interest of your customers, the negative customer-salesperson polarization that typically develops when someone is “selling” something disappears, giving trust a chance to develop. And, when that happens, you’ll no longer be selling to your customers; you’ll be making decisions with them.

When you change your job description to that of an assistant buyer, you may be surprised at the sales results that follow. Everybody wins! The customer wins, your company wins, and you’ll win too!

Presentation Excellence

2009-04-01T09:20:00.005-04:00

The Art of Becoming a Presentation Black Belt

Becoming a Black Belt in the martial arts requires hours upon hours of repetitive movement. A simple block, kick, or punch, is performed over and over again until it is entirely instinctive. When attacked, the martial artist is trained to respond without thinking. At this level of experience and achievement, there is simply no hesitation while the mind contemplates a response, everything is on automatic.

While training, students of the martial arts learn “katas” or “forms”, which, by definition are series of specific interconnected moves that resemble a sort of dance or ballet (minus the punching, kicking and blocking stuff of course). The purpose of practicing and executing forms is to tie together many individual techniques in a logical string of movements that is designed to train the student how to defend against multiple attackers coming from many directions.

Forms are used for training or exhibitions. In a true self-defense situation, the martial artist would not revert to a specific form they have learned to protect themselves. However, learning forms is of tremendous value to the development of martial arts expertise. What may happen in an actual self defense situation, is that the martial artist would draw from the mixture of techniques and forms he or she has learned and automatically link portions of each together into the perfect response to the threat— and it all happens unconsciously!

Much can be learned about presentation excellence from this martial arts analogy. What if you practiced not only what you needed to say, but how you delivered your sales presentation with the same degree of discipline as an accomplished martial artist? What would happen if your responses to customer comments and concerns during the presentation were handled automatically (because you were so well prepared), and yet perfectly crafted (so as not to come across as mechanical) to respond to each customer’s individual situation? What if you mastered the presentation, essentially becoming a Black Belt of sorts in your chosen profession— can you imagine how much more effective you would be?

Fortunately, when presenting the benefits of the products and services to customers, you will have no need to physically defend yourself. However, you are responsible for protecting “the message” so to speak, making sure that you’re delivering the information about your company’s products and services with the skill of a presentation expert.

The achievement of presentation excellence does not occur without effort, it requires personal discipline. In order to be fully prepared to handle whatever concerns a customer may throw our way, and to move fluidly through the presentation connecting one important point to another— to achieve presentation excellence— takes a “Martial Artist like” commitment.

Now Grasshopper, you know all you need to know to become a “Presentation Black Belt”. Practice your presentation daily, practice until it is reflexive, then; practice it some more!