Communication Tip

I have often found that in sales you can never communicate too much. However, communication is a tricky thing. I can say something to you and even if we speak the same language you may interpret what I said differently than what I was trying to tell you.
So, how do you overcome communication barriers? Providing examples is a great way to get your message across in the manner in which you intended. A common example in sales-the sales person ask "who is involved in the decision making process?" The client may feel offended by this, because of course, they make all the decisions right? Wrong...So a better way to approach this may be to say something like "My experience has taught me that many times my clients have to jump through all sorts of hoops in order to get approval for their purchases. How can I help you stream line this process?"
Anytime you are able to help someone the barriers automatically go down and they feel more at ease about sharing information with you. In sales communication isn't really about what you say, but how you say it. Remember questions is sales should always be open ended, or start with: when, why, who, where and how.

"There is no such thing as bad weather, there is only being under prepared"

I love this saying-mostly because I live in Michigan where we have about 4 months of really nice weather and the rest is questionable. Having said that, I always keep a blanket, an emergency kit, and de icer in the trunk-just in case. I am prepared for bad weather-bring it!

This same principle is true of sales. There is no such thing as bad weather, or in this case, a client or prospective buyer... but there is such a thing as not knowing in advance what you are up against or being under prepared. Strive to know more about your customer than your competition. It is better to be prepared  for the obstacles that may arise during the sales process, because if you are prepared you will  have a back up plan. In addition, it will be a whole lot less stressful to deal with!

Mental versus physical labor

I have heard the debate many times about what is harder; mental or physical labor. I spent the weekend laying tile in my laundry room-by myself. Now, to an experienced tile layer this would have been an easy job, no doubt. However, this was my first time and I taught myself as I went.
I am finished now and I have to say my body is tired. My back hurts from bending, I am covered with dust and one of my favorite pair of jeans is most likely ruined-(my fault for not putting on old clothes I know better).
However, having said that I feel accomplished. I feel that my sweat and labor produced a beautiful end result! So, what does this have to do with sales? Well, here is the thing about sales...you can work your but off, pounding the phone, sending out emails, and marketing your product. However, at the end of the day it doesn't always yield a sale. It may be days, weeks or months before that tiny seed you planted turns into a sale. Sales area never ending process and like marketing, sometimes you never know when that seed will turn into a plant.
So remember this next time you have spent your entire day marketing and selling and at 5:00 you have nothing to show for it-other than being mentally drained. The seeds that you are planting today will eventually turn into a plant thru a sale or even a referral. So keep planting those seeds!

Cold Call Success

Turn cold calls into warm calls 

My experience has taught me that you can never, I repeat never ask too many questions. It is important for a sales person to understand the logistics of the organization you are attempting to sell a product or a service to. If a sales person doesn't take the times to research who is who, or why a person is looking to buy they are doomed from the beginning.
I recall a recent call to my place of business from a telemarketing. It went something like this: "hello, is the owner of the business available?" (sales rep to me) Me: Well, no he is not, he works in the field. Sales rep: " Ok, thank you." Click.
Now, I mention this particular call because I receive the same call from the same company once a week. I finally asked to be removed from their calling list. Having been in sales for a long time, ending the call at that point would not have been the best move. I would want to know who the owner of the business is, why they were "working in the field" and also what would be a good time to contact the owner. So why didn't the sales representative ask any additional questions? Because it was a sales dump and guess what, sales dumps NEVER work. I don't know about you, but I absolutely hate sales dumps! Engage me...spark my interest, get me talking!
As a sales person we have to remember the fundamentals of selling. Who, what, when, where & why? I recommend writing down a list of questions that relate to your industry and using those questions on every sales call that you make.  Think of your "cold call" as a first date. You want to learn more about this person to see if it will lead to something else. This will give you a foundation for starting the conversation. Now, once you have engaged your client the rest is up to.