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Archive for January, 2011

Being Afraid of Asking “That Question”

By Carol Rosdobutko

Why do we think that by asking a question we’ll hurt the prospect’s feelings? What you need to remember is that that you are not responsible for how a prospect reacts to a question that you ask.

Clients share with me daily the questions they’ve avoided asking for fear of upsetting the prospect. Sometimes they get frustrated with themselves because they feel they lost a sale or an opportunity of a sale because they lacked the guts to ask questions. They would rather bite their tongue than ask a question that they think might make the prospect uncomfortable.

The other day someone shared with me that they left an office hoping for the call to place an order. They weren’t sure they were going to get the sale, however, the prospect did give them enough positive signs they were sure the sale was forthcoming. They knew there were additional questions that they should have asked but they didn’t want to take a chance and possibly hurt the prospect’s feelings. By not asking the questions they’re hoping the prospect will somehow come to a conclusion that what they have to offer is best and they’ll place the order. What they don’t realize is that by not asking the questions, neither prospect nor salesperson is really sure of the fit.

Have you ever wondered what prevents you from asking questions? The answer I hear most is fear; fear of the unknown, fear of the prospect’s reaction and fear that they could jeopardize the sale. Let’s explore some of the worst things that could happen by asking the question or not asking the question.

What is the worst thing that could happen if you asked the question?

If you’re on the phone, they could choose to hang up.
They could choose not to answer.
Yes they could get upset, frustrated or angry however it has nothing to do with the question.
You might get a pleasant surprise when they answer and tell you that no other salesperson has ever asked ‘that question’ and you get the sale.

What is the worst thing that could happen if you don’t ask the question?

You’ll never know the answer.
You may not get the sale.
You may not get invited back for a second meeting.
You’ll spend time waiting for a response even though your gut tells you the sale has gone somewhere else.

You aren’t the only one who is afraid of hurting a prospect’s feelings. The challenge is to figure out why we think we’re responsible for some other person’s feelings. The truth is we aren’t, and the sooner we realize that the better off we’ll be and then, watch your sales increase.

Here are a few tips to help overcome your stigma that asking questions may hurt the prospect’s feelings.

Practice asking questions with a colleague, your manager, your Sandler Trainer, your significant other or a friend.
Let the prospect know that you have a question to ask them that might make them uncomfortable. Ask for their permission to ask it. Then go ahead and ask.
If you feel it, say it gently.
Relax and take a deep breath before asking the question.
Remember, you are not responsible for how someone reacts to a question you ask.

It’s interesting how we let the concept that we may hurt the prospect’s feelings impact how we conduct ourselves in a sales call. Remember – asking a question will not hurt the prospect’s feelings. Only the prospect can choose to be upset by the question that you asked. If you feel it, say it, gently and you’ll be surprised at the result.

Carol is a Sandler Trainer in Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

Illustration by Rob Green

Posted in Behavior + Attitude, Customer Relationships, Overcoming Obstacles, Prospecting | Comments Off

Is Your Sales Force Holding Your Future Hostage?

By Bill Bartlett

I love small businesses and their owners. I spend much of my day marveling at the great accomplishments of this hearty bunch of entrepreneurs who pursue their dream and formulate the backbone of our business society. They are the lifeblood of this country. there is a soft spot in my heart for the struggles they endure as well as the challenges they must overcome to succeed.

Unfortunately, some small business owners fuel problems that don’t have to exist by focusing more on their product or service than their sales force. Having quality products and services is only half the goal; the other half is the development a high performing sales staff to present them in the marketplace.

I had an enlightening conversation with a small business owner recently about the current downward state of his business and the options he was exploring to reverse the trend.

I asked, “How many of your company problems would disappear if your sales staff would sell more of your products?”

His response startled me.

“All of them,” he said, “but there’s nothing I can do about that right now. My sales force is telling me that we have to ride it out and hope we can survive.”

My first thought was, “Do you realize that your sales force is doing a better job selling you this idea than they are selling your prospects on a reason to do business with you?”

Unfortunately, this dialogue happens all too frequently due to the complexity of our new business environment and the complacency of some salespeople.

The disturbing fact was that the business owner felt helpless to do anything to remedy the situation and was willing to accept what the salespeople were telling him as gospel. Low and mediocre performing sales teams are conspiring to keep their jobs by convincing their bosses that it’s not them, rather like Clinton said to Bush during the 1992 election, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

In reality, there is a shared commitment for success that both business owner and salesperson must accept. Here are some specific actions that the can be taken to guide sales teams to greater success:

1. Set realistic sales goals and create daily action plans to achieve them: Stretch your salespeople to take action, but be realistic about what can be accomplished.
2. Develop behavior models that insure high performance and uncovers mediocrity: Understand that the right behavior combined with the right hire will yield success.
3. Brief and debrief all key sales calls: Take the time to meet with salespeople to review the strategy for key sales calls and then, after the call, review what actually happened.
4. Use team selling to model success: Make joint calls to model the proper behavior and coach the strategy and tactics that need to be modified.
5. Make prospecting for new business the number one priority for the sales force: Direct your salespeople to get in front of more new prospects each week. This is the lifeblood of your future growth.
6. Better penetrate your existing customers: If you sell multiple products or services, set a goal to make sure each customer is presented the opportunity to purchase your full line.
7. Eliminate the time wasters that sap the time of high performers and give the low performers excuses for poor results: Analyze meetings, processes, outdated systems, etc. to determine those that are preventing your sales team from more field time… and get rid of the roadblocks.
8. Make sure the outside sales staff is not stuck performing the duties of the inside service staff: All internal departments must step up and be more effective in order to eliminate the consistent need to follow up by the sales team.
9. Look for unproductive activities and excuse making: Formally address the busy work and whining syndrome that many low performers exhibit. This behavior is not only annoying but also creates a negative environment that pulls the entire company attitude down.
10. Terminate low performing sales people as a sign of respect to those who are committed to the success of the company: Send a message that high performance is rewarded and low performance is punished! You owe it to the company to get rid of those who are not contributing to its success.

Is your sales force holding your future hostage? Many business owners choose to avoid this question because it’s a difficult one to ask, but the answer is the key to true entrepreneurial success.

Bill Bartlett is the president of Corporate Strategies & Solutions, a Sandler Training Center in Naperville, Illinois.

Posted in Adapting Sales Techniques, Behavior + Attitude, Motivation | Comments Off

Video: You Never Have to Like Prospecting, You Just Have to Do It

Let’s admit it. No salesperson likes making cold calls. Prospecting is perhaps the most stressful and anxiety ridden aspect to sales.

This fact brings us to Sandler Rule #7, “You Never Have to Like Prospecting, You Just Have to Do It.”

Sandler Trainer Bill McCrary explains that when people say they don’t mind prospecting, what they’re really saying is they are willing to tolerate the short-term anxiety and awkwardness in order to meet their goals. To avoid the inherent stress and frequent sense of rejection involved in cold calling, remember to focus on the end results and that prospecting just comes with the territory,

Posted in Behavior + Attitude, Customer Relationships, Overcoming Obstacles, Product Positioning, Prospecting, Sales Development | Comments Off

What Are You Unwrapping for 2011?

By Carol Rosdobutko

What are you unwrapping for 2011? – a wonderful surprise or regrets because 2010 didn’t end the way you had hoped? This is typically the time we reflect on what happened in the previous year and vow to make sure that things will be different in the New Year.

What is it about the beginning of a new year that makes most of us say “things will be different this year, I’ll set goals, I’ll follow through with my resolutions, I really want to get fit, sell more, spend more time with my family and on and on”? We all have good intentions but how many people do you know that commit their goals to paper, share them with the people they trust and achieve what they’ve set out to do? The answer is relatively few. Have you ever wondered why?

People say they want to change and they set lofty goals with good intention however the part they forget is “the plan”. How are they going to achieve that lofty goal? In the sales world if someone wants to generate $20,000 of additional commission in one year one of the first questions they need to ask themselves is “Is this realistic?” If the answer is yes, then what needs to be done to achieve it? One of the biggest mistakes we make is setting goals in the first week or two of January thinking that we have the entire year to achieve them however what we don’t realize is that our behaviour starting from the day the goals are set is what will allow us to achieve the desired outcome. Set a plan, break it down month by month, then take it a step further and break it down week by week and then the biggest step is what do you have to do on a daily basis to achieve your goal? We forget or may not realize that our daily behaviours or actions are what will allow us to succeed in achieving our goals.

Sometimes we feel pressure from our bosses, friends or family to make changes however we may not feel the same way. Until we acknowledge that we have a problem, an issue, a situation that is totally uncomfortable and causing grief – whether that be not selling what you believe you are capable of, losing weight, cleaning out that garage or any number of other things that we say we need to change, we will not change our behaviour. Think about the last time you committed to doing something. Did you take action within the first 24 hours of saying you were going to do it? Remember – set the goal, build the plan and do the daily behaviour and you will get the desired results.

One of the interesting things about making change is that the drive has to come from within. Perhaps in the past you may have said you were going to change however never followed through with the plan to make it happen. What if this year you make that commitment to change just one thing and you share that with the people that are close to you. The exciting thing about sharing it with people is that you may find they are willing to help you achieve whatever it is that you’ve set out to do. Someone may be able to introduce you to a company that needs your product or services or offer to help you build that deck.

Changing our behaviour whether that be in our business life or our personal life is a commitment only we can make to ourselves. So, what are you unwrapping for 2011?

Carol is a Sandler Trainer with Sandler Training Calgary, Alberta, Canada.