Sales Blog for Sales and Sales Management

When you think of buying what is most the most important contributing factor? Convenience, price, value added, features and benefits, expertise of the sales person? I could add a few and work to find the item that is in your mind but then I'd defeat the purpose of todays post.

You see the point is this. That what ever contributing factor you have in your buying process you probably 'impose' on your buyer. In other words you sell to your comfort zone.

Stop doing that and start finding out how the prospect buys.

Ask why the prospect is taking time out of their busy schedule to visit with someone that does what you do. Ask to what degree do they think that their current method of doing business contributes to their problem or current dissastifaction.

Ask how long the problem has existed. Ask what happens if they don't fix the problem. Ask how the current provider reacted when they (the prospect) told them (the current provider) that they were un-happy and 'shopping'. Ask how they go about making decisions like this when a change is required. Ask what objections do they have to making a decision once you've demonstrated a solution to a problem and demonstrated your competency to become their new partner.

Out of all those questions the one in bold is the one that is key to help you find out the buying process of the buyer. Then you can develop your strategy to successfully make them a new client.

Sales people historically talk too much on sales calls. No matter how much training they receive or how much they role play, eventually most sales people end up showing up and throwing up. There was a time when telling the prospect how wonderful the product was wasn't such a deal killer. That was before the era of the microchip and the internet. Now your prospect may actually know more about your company and it's products and services then you do.

How often are your repeating information about the product and services that your company offers? What do you mean Tony? What I mean is that the buying process over the last 25 years has changed dramatically. The information that you once held as leverage to generate interest is now published in the trillions of data in the internet. The buyers buying process has changed as a result of this easy access to information. Not only do they know about your company but they also know more about the competition. Unless you've done your homework then you are at a significant disadvantage. In addition you are probably starting out your initial interview in the wrong step or phase of the buyers buy cycle.

Starting today you MUST begin your meeting with the intent of finding out why you are even there. In the early stages of the buying / selling process your potential buyer is in one of three phases: 1)Gathering information to decide if they have a problem. 2) Have decided that they have a problem and gathering information on solutions. 3) Have decided that they have a problem, they want to fix the problem, have researched you and competitors, and now they are narrowing the selection pool.

Your job is to find out where they are in their process and then address the issues they have not those that you think they have.

Last week I had breakfast with a very good friend of mine, Mark; a graduate from the University of Michigan. Hmm. You're probably saying "didn't I just read or hear something else about Michigan in your newsletter, blog or sales java?" Yes you did. It was about Bo Schembechler. As I read the book, I thought about my friend and said to myself ‘we just have to get together.' You see, he grew up in Barberton, Ohio just like Bo did. In addition, he and his brother played on the state champion basketball team and played basketball at Michigan while Bo was still coaching; he knows Bo.

We're having breakfast and he is telling me all these great stories about Michigan, and Bo and going to Michigan, Ohio State Games. One of the stories is about his brother, who happens to be an associate athletic director at the University, and has been for 10 years.

As the story goes his brother is with Bo and their talking about his new job etc. and he tells Bo: "A year ago I was a practicing attorney. When I called on a CEO, doctor or president to schedule appointment to meet and discuss our firm and my services, I could never get in to see them. Now that I'm in charge of tickets for football and I call about their season tickets, I get surgeons to leave surgery to talk to me." What a great story about selling!

Most of us won't have the clout of the person in charge of season tickets for anything, much less tickets for a Division I football program. But the point of the story here is that unless you have a compelling reason for someone to come to the phone, stay on the phone and ultimately schedule an appointment with you, then you are dialing for dollars and you end up with the same miserable appointment results as other sales people. Keep in mind that I don't care if all or your calls to prospects are referrals, unless you have a compelling reason for someone to meet with you, you may have an appointment, but you still won't convert that appointment to business.

Does your ‘pitch' sound like everyone else's? "Hi, my name is Tony Cole, I'm with Anthony Cole Training and I'd like to come by and tell you how our training and development program can increase your sales and improve the productivity of your sales force. Would Tuesday at 2:00 or Wednesday at 10:00 be better?" Makes me want to puke.

Just substitute my name, the company name and what it is you sell and you sound like everyone else out there trying to sell this ceo or president on the idea of inviting you in and taking some of their time.

Let's start easy:

- Tell them your name and shut up.
- Tell them that you're not sure (say it exactly this way) that it makes sense for you to be talking can you tell them why you called.
- Then tell them the benefits you clients have derived from doing business with you. (My clients are companies that have realized more significant consistent predictable sales growth since hiring our firm. As I said I'm not sure it makes sense for us to be talking but if you don't mind tell me how would you in one word describe your sales growth over the last 3 years)

Now if you've done your homework and you are calling on companies and individuals in a market segment that you KNOW is having trouble with consistent and predictable sales growth, what answers do you think you might get? Slow, down, flat, miserable, awful, we're struggling etc. When you hear that kind of response do you think you have a prospect? Damn right you do! Now you can get an appointment with someone that is interested in solving a problem and not just kicking tires or meeting with you because you were introduced.

Get it? Good, now re-think your calling and appointment approach and give people a compelling reason to meet with you and buy from you.

Oh, by the way Mark, thanks for the story.

Oops, almost forgot, I also asked Mark to help us grow our business and Mark agreed to bring seven people to our next standing room only executive briefing on hiring "A" players. Thanks Mark for that too.