C-Level, Relationship Selling Blog

Solve Selling Problems, Solve C-Level Relationship Challenges and Sell More Immediately

I've discovered a selling tool that is the best thing since the telephone, Blackberry or customer lunch.

Rather than read about it, watch this video.  I promise you'll love it.

The Most Effective Way to Put Pressure on a Buyer to Take Action Now

I was asked this question and thought many might benefit from my answer.  So here is how to put pressure for a buyer to take action now.

1.      What’s the action you want?  In B2B selling low level people can’t buy.  They can only recommend.  In B2C be careful of spouses, children and other influencers.  They can cause the buyer to hesitate.

2.      Fear, greed, pain, want are all drivers for people to take action.  So the first step is to find out which of these is motivating the buyer and the details of that driver.  If none are in play, there will be no action taken.

3.      What does the buyer want to do about relieving the pain, securing the want / greed, or eliminating the fear?

a.       If nothing, you’ve got to find another driver or move on.  This person will not take action.

b.      If s/he does want to do something, you’ve got to find out how this person wants to accomplish or get it.  Buyers don’t just buy the want, they buy their path to get the want.  So you’ve got to know and deliver both or you’ll meet resistance, which means delays.

4.      Feed back to the buyer how you can give him or her the want / greed or eliminate the fear / pain with the least risk of failure (or best chance of success) and with less effort than any other alternative.

5.      Ask how she feels about your presentation as described in #3.  If good, ask for the action you want.  If s/he doesn’t feel good, there will be no action taken.  Feel is the operative word, not, “What do you think?”

a.       If the feel is not so good, ask for an explanation of the concern or uneasy feeling and what s/he suggests you do about it. Do what s/he says - if you can - and then ask for the action again.  If you can’t, this person will not take action.

6.      Don’t assume you know any of the above. Without the words coming from the person’s mouth, you don’t know the drivers or their path to the drivers - no matter what anyone tells you.

7.      For details on how to do all the above look for my Interviewing and Presenting CD’s at http://www.sammanfer.com/Products/CDs.htm as well as a ton of free articles, etc.

To see the article click this Selling at the C-Level link

Closing Business during This Recession - The Low Price Issue

I was at an association meeting the other night doing some networking.  As I talked with people, it was amazing how inefficient people are in their selling and business development.  So I have five stories, each with a lesson that could help you develop business better.
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As I introduced myself to two ladies, I asked my favorite question.  “So ladies, what are your major issues as it relates to business development during this economic down time?”

“Pricing - my customers are selecting only the low prices,” said the one lady.  “Me too,” chimed in the other.  “And one even told me the price I have to get to.”

Now since I can’t keep my selling tips to myself, I offered these two suggestions:

1. Relationships at high level are the key.  Either these people will make it so that your higher price is accepted because they can depend on your work or they will tell you what price you have to come in at - ala the second lady.

So instead of spending all your time putting together a proposal with limited information from a spec writer, engineer, purchasing agent or administrator, use your time to network to the key decision makers to learn what’s important to them and show them how you can give it to them for this project.

2. Prices are usually too high because you’ve included too much of what key decision makers are unwilling to pay for.  So the key is to know what the influential and top people really want and what they are willing to take less of or forego. 

a. Everyone is going to say, “Well, I want it all.”  So you have to say, “I understand, but what’s really important?  What’s the deal buster or maker?  What will really be your deciding factors?”  “What are you willing to pay extra for?” You’ll have to push a little here, but it’s OK.  However, this has to be done with the person / people that have the power.

b. So the first lady says to me somewhere along in the conversation, “They should select us because we are giving them more.”  To which I said, “So what.  If they wanted more, they would have asked for it.  Besides, that ‘more’ is causing your price to be higher.

Now just in case you didn’t get the moral of this story, here is the summary.  Get to the leaders - the chief decision makers.  They can help get the job even if your price is higher, but within range.  Otherwise, they can tell you what to do, what to eliminate or minimize to get your price in line.

If getting to these leaders is an issue for you or your people, go to my website where you’ll find a ton of resources on this topic.  There are free articles, e-books, videos and pay for books, CDs and manuals and e-courses.

The Most Important Selling Tip

Over the years of being a sales force development expert, I’ve found the Most Important Selling Tip is to "turn a phrase" and go right back at them.  Get the person to tell you his or her thoughts.  It doesn't matter what someone asks you.  You must let them vent, unravel, let go, unload, reveal, etc. before you offer anything.  If they get their thoughts out of their heads first, you'll find them far more receptive to listen to you, and what you’ll say will be received with more of an open mind.  Even if someone seems timid, confused, wants to pick your brain, won’t speak, whatever, “turn a phrase” to get them to do the talking.

For the full Sales Calls and Investigative Selling article with details and examples see my Advance Sales Training website Articles Page

Sales Management Must Enforce Change for More Sales

As I continue to evaluate and train more sales teams, it becomes painfully obvious that sales managers spend too much time selling.  Now we all know that’s wrong – give a fish vs. teach how to fish.  More painful is what sales managers seem to do the least, and that is coach their sales people on the what’s and how’s of selling – ride-alongs, show by example, feedback, etc. 

Sales managers know it’s wrong to keep selling, yet they continue to do it.  They use to do it.  They feel comfortable doing it.  They’re afraid what could happen to goals and quotas if they stop doing it.  And they don’t trust that others will be able to do it.  So they have a tough time changing because it’s all about the “doing”. 

People resist change because they are afraid to stop doing.  They feel comfortable doing, even if it leads them in the wrong directions.  For sales managers to be effective, they must stop doing and show others how to do. This is change, but to create change, one must focus on not doing.  Don’t focus on the change. 

For more on this sales management concept and sales training click either link.

The Keys to Selling in the 21st Century

Recently a trade magazine interviewed me and the questions they asked and my answers were excellent reminders of what sales people and managers need to practice to take their sales volume to the next level. 

Question 4:

What other key points are there to selling?

Answer 4:

In the 21st century selling will require Relationship Selling, Network Selling and Investigative Selling.  Building professional relationships are going to make a sales person be seen as a resource to protect or enhance buyers’ careers.  If you attain that status, these people will buy more and more from you and refer you to other as well. 

However, one has to learn how to use these relationships to get networked to others.  People will help you if asked, but rarely if they are not asked.  But, to make the process productive, what you ask for and how you ask for it will make all the difference between getting to the right people and getting to useless people for your initiative.  This process is Network Selling.

Finally, a sales person needs to investigate the critical drivers of an individual in order to provide to this person what he or she wants to buy.  People buy for their own reasons.  Everyone is different and with out knowing their triggers, a sales person will flounder or worst yet, be annoying.  But if you the sales person can make the connections between the desires and the deliverables, a relationship can be established and the cycle begins again.

For more on this topic see my relationship selling article “The Path to First and Follow-On Sales”

The Most Important Advice to Increase Sales

Part 1/4

Recently a trade magazine interviewed me and the questions they asked and my answers were excellent reminders of what sales people and managers need to practice to take their sales volume to the next level.  I will share these with you over the next four blogs.

Question 1:

What is the most important advice I can give for a sales person to increase sales?

Answer 1:

1. Exploit your existing customers.  They are the easiest prospects to get more business from. Most sales people do not spend enough time building relationships with the powerful people of existing customers to learn what issues they are facing, as it relates to the solutions they can provide.  A sales person’s time utilization should be 50% spent on existing customers, 30% on old and lost customers and 20% looking for new customers.

2. Get to the profit center leaders and the immediate staff of your customers to build professional relationships.  These are the people that will make final decisions and influence follow-on sales.  The sales person that sticks with the subordinate-in-charge or the delegate is leaving the selling of the real decision maker up to that subordinate.  This is real risky.  You may not get to these leaders and staff on the first sale, but there is no reason you can’t after the sale is made.

For more on this topic see my article A Primer for Executive Relationships 

Effectiveness and Efficiency Differentiates Great from Average Sales People

Good selling - the kind where you close most of what you go after, is all about efficiency and effectiveness.  And in order to enact these characteristics a sales person must have a selling process.  The best have a system they deploy almost every time they approach or seek a sales opportunity.  Usually it’s been honed by trial and error, and awareness of what worked and what didn’t with adjustments made accordingly.  Some had mentors that showed them what to do or model.  Others learn by going to training, reading, watching and being open to more ideas.  Some do all of the above and on their subsequent pursuits they become more effective and efficient.

Effective means accomplishing your goal i.e. make the sale, get a meeting, or meet the boss.  Efficiency is the amount of time, effort, or resources it took to accomplish your goal.  Average sales people are effective making sales to prospects they approach 30% of the time, and it usually takes a lot of time and effort to close these deals.  Good sales people are in the 70% range.  Higher than 80% means they are not pursuing enough new opportunities.

What drives me crazy is the best work to get better while the average to poor don’t.  When I do a seminar or give an introductory presentation, it is the best sales people that hang on every word I say and ask questions to learn more.  The average and poor usually say the training or concepts don’t fit their business.  That’s because their impression of doing their business is ineffective and inefficient.  What these people need is a blast of open-mindedness.  Once they get that clue, they need to start hanging with successful people and taking steps to learn what works and what doesn’t.

Sale Managers are the same.  They may have been great sales people, which unfortunately is usually how they got promoted.  Now they have to work through others and this is a foreign skill to most of the independent, focused and successful sellers. Again, they need open-mindedness, hang with the best and get professional coaching to become effective and efficient.

Next posting, I’ll discuss the elements of a selling process.  And for those open-minded to learn more, see my Advanced Sales Training Tips website; read my articles and sign up for my Selling Wisdoms E-zine.

Sales Conditioning - What You Missed in Sales Training

The sales people that need to read this will never see it. They are all the ones who tell me good they are, they’ve been through sale training, and they know how to sell.  So if you know a sales person that thinks he or she knows how to sell, but would like to make more sales, forward this to him or her.

Today I met with a financial planner.  He asked me about what I do, and I told him I sell selling expertise.  He then proceeded to tell me about his selling expertise.  I disagreed with his antiquated philosophies such as: “Selling is a numbers game”, “You’ve got to convince the buyer that he needs this.”  and more of the little gems that went out in the 90’s.<br><br>

I tried to tell him you have to find out what the customer wants and find out what the customer feels he needs before you do anything.  He agreed and told me how he ask question after question to find out.

Well we got into my reason for being there which I tried to tell him.  But instead of listening and digging into my opening, he quickly went into telling me things and grilling me with detail questions, such as “What’s you house worth?” and “What’s you tax bracket?” etc.  This is what I call the interrogation.

Sales people always tell me they lead with questions and they do.  Unfortunately they are the types of question that make you want to leave.

So he then goes into telling me about the product where I should put my money, and all the and I got the idea.  However, he wants to go on and on.  He even goes to the white board and starts doing the numbers.  “I get it.  I get it.”  I plead.  “It’s a good product.” but I didn’t want a product, I wanted a plan.

After about an hour into this torture, I say, “I really don’t know that much about financial planning, but shouldn’t you be asking me what I want to accomplish or what kind of income I’d like to pay myself when I retire?”   “Oh ya.” he says and we started that discussion.

Now when I left I was impressed by the product he showed me, and I’m sure he wants the best for me, but I was not impressed that he paid little attention to my issues and concerns.  He meant well, but he came off as pushing product rather than a financially helping me - consultant.

Why do sales people feel they just have to talk and talk to get the customer to buy?....because they don’t know what else to do. 

Many make lots of money and these are the order takers.  The buyers see what they want and buy - this is buying not selling, or the buyer doesn’t have a clue and they trust this person - this is criminal.

However, when these same sales people are up against competition from other vendors or from the buyer alternative of “doing nothing”, they will lose 7 out of 10 times or more.  Yet, they will have every excuse in the book to justify the losses.

Most have their one (1) go-to tactic that they’ve used for years and made some sales.  This limits them.  Good sales people (defined by top 10% in their company for 3 consecutive years) have other tactics and are conditioned to use them.  The conditioning is the key.  This is what’s not taught or you can’t learn from a book or CD.  For example, “asking questions” is a tactic, but asking the wrong kind and not probing and moving prematurely into the presentation means they’ve never been drilled in using the tactic effectively.

I’ve learn this from my own experiences and having coached thousands of sales people in real life selling situations that to develop more tactics and get in condition to use them you’ve got to have a coach or tools to help you. 

That’s where my C-Level Selling Reference Manual, come in.  It is like having your own coach for the particular situation or problem you’re facing.  There is nothing like it on the market.  You find your issue and it works you through getting prepared to solve it using what fits your style.  Check out my relationship selling website and tell all you struggling sales friends to wise up and sign up for this blog. 

Highest Housing Prices Ever with the Lowest Volume in 20Years

That was today’s Headline - Orange County Register.  So what does that have to do with selling?  It means some real estate sales people know how to sell well. Well trained sales people make lots of money in up as well as down markets. 

Maybe your sales are strong right now and your market is good, but will happen to you when it tumbles - next November.  In the past few years thousands of people got into selling real estate because it was like falling off a log and very lucrative.  Some were barely breathing and making a very good living.  These are the ones who will say, “I’m experienced and I know how to sell.” However, the real estate boom stopped.  Now the fittest are surviving and doing it well.

Here’s the picture.  Housing inventory is very high and you would think prices would go down which they have by roughly 3 1/2%, but not all houses.  There are those selling houses here, getting top dollar.  Is that because the buyers said, “I want to pay top dollar?” I don’t think so.  It is the top realtors know how to sell to get top dollars.

Even when things are really bad, people still buy houses and the sales people who continue to live well sell them in a down market.

If you want financial security in the selling world Learn to Sell effectively.  Selling is a science and requires skills to execute consistently.  Continue to read this blog and forward it to those you know who want money, freedom and piece of mind.

Are You Willing to Follow One Key Secret for Freedom And Wealth

Recently I got involved with a project that has made lots of people multi-millionaires and it fits perfectly into my expertise of public speaking and selling.  As I tell people I know who have never ever wanted to hear about becoming better at selling about this project and how it can fit their businesses, they are all over me to tell them more.

Ironically it is about selling.  Making money is about selling - selling products, services, selling yourself or others.  Once transactions are made, so is the money.  Everyone wants the secret to making money, and the secret is selling, but no one want to know how to sell.  Few have ever learned how to sell, yet most feel they know how.  I don’t get it.

The easiest way to make big money by yourself and/or make big money and secure your position with any corporation is to be a top seller.  And, selling jobs are the easiest to get. So I don’t understand why people who are dissatisfied with their income level don’t learn how to become better at selling.  Obviously they are not that good.  And, spare me that what you have isn’t something enough.  I always think how good con men are.  They literally have nothing to sell, and until they get caught, they make great money.   

Well my project involves selling - getting to the right people, the ones that have a need and want to do something about it.  It involves showing that I can fit that need and closing.  Then, getting that person to buy more and refer me to others once they are satisfied.  This is classic selling and I don’t care what you’ve got, until you can sell, you’ll have a tough time making money.

If you don’t believe this, stand on a street corner with a $20 bill and hold it up for anyone to have.  You will watch lots of people pass you without taking it.   Until you start promoting it and someone buys in and see’s it for real, you’ll get tired of holding it up.

Learn how to sell.  That’s the secret and that’s what this blog and my sales training websites will help you do.

Sales Management: Invest in Sales Training If You Want More Sales

How Often Do You Find Yourself Saying:  "I wish my sales people could close just a few more deals." 

I recently sent out an inexpensive, dated ball point, pen to some prospects and said, “This pen may be similar to your sales people and managers.  Both get the job done, but are they good enough - to win new clients, stay ahead of competition and keep existing accounts satisfied?  If you think they are, read no further.  However, consider your success if they could be as good as your Mont Blanc or signing pen?”

Trends in your industry, your competition, your clientele’s clients, and comparison shopping available on the internet has changed buying concepts and styles dramatically in the past few years.  Selling success now requires relationship selling (leveraging people), network selling (getting to key decision makers), and investigative selling (learning exactly how the ultimate buyers want to be sold). 

Most sale people have never learned to deploy these skills efficiently, meaning they get the sale, but waste time (long selling cycles), money (give away price and terms), and repeat the same ineffectiveness on the next opportunity.

Well doing the same ol’ thing isn’t going to make this happen.  There is a great article on my website; http://www.sammanfer.com/Articles%20and%20PDF's/More%20Better%20Faster%20Article.html 

Read it and Consider this, if you knew how to get more sale out of your brokers, you would have done it by now. 

So invest now in sales training, coaching and consulting.  Mores sale are under your control.

Are You as Good at Selling and/or Sale Management as Tiger Woods Is at Golf

This weekend after winning his fifth golf tournament in a row a reporter asked Tiger Woods if he was at the top of his game. His response, “I’m playing well, but there are still a lot of areas that Hank Haney (his coach) and I need to improve.” Now if someone as astounding as Tiger Woods feels he still has to learn and correct more, this says a lot about the road to top performance.

How good are you and your selling people?

How much learning and correcting will you do to improve?

Take my test and assess yourself – if you dare - http://www.sammanfer.com/testyoursellingskills.htm

Management, Selling and Fire Extinguisher Training

I was at my usual spot getting morning coffee when I noticed the local Trader Joe’s employees outside going through fire extinguisher training with the fire department. The fire person would ignite a big bucket with gasoline and the employee would douse it. The process repeated until each person confronted a fire.

So I wondered, something as simple as using a fire extinguisher? As I thought deeper, TJ’s is making an investment to train their people - just in case. I realized that a fire is a scary thing and who knows how someone will react. At least with this training the employees actually pull the pin and spray a real fire. They probably also got a little lecture on different fires and circumstances. The additional beauty is they can take the experience and knowledge home - just in case.

I’ve been impressed with Trader Joe’s since I started going there during a labor strike at the major food chains in my area. The prices are very low and they have unique and interesting foods. What’s most impressive is the TJ employees are customer focused and real hard workers. They seem to be driven. It’s very different from the major chains. Yes, they are paid well, like others, but management has set a tone. They have clearly defined expectations and monitor the implementation. They train – ala fire extinguishers – and the people know exactly what to do. They recognize and reinforce productive behaviors.

Now think of yourself, your sales force and your customer interaction people. I know - they’re experienced. I hear it all the time. To which I say, I’m an experienced golfer with 40+ years, but I’m still an 18 handicap.

Times have changed and what have you done to stay current. What about management training? What are you getting and giving? Is management explaining expectation and showing how to accomplish them. Is your training a marketing dump with a kick in the pants and a “Go get ’em”? This I call, the curse of marketing, because it produces walking advertisements, which is how rejection became synonymous with selling.

Now have you been shown or shown your people how to sell; how to be customer focused; how to interview for motivation and needs; and how to show fit. Do you know how to react to the customers’ fires and douse them with solutions that extinguish their burning desires for satisfaction? Have you been to fire extinguisher training? Or are you experienced and expect that your people should know it.

Think about this. Who taught you how to use a fire extinguisher - probably the same person who taught you how to sell and manage selling – no one. So don’t expect to reach bigger selling goals doing the same old thing or introducing your new stuff. At some point you’ll burnout to competition and you’ll be fried.

Selling Is the Same As Buying - Will You Read My Selling Blog

You will have to be motivated to read a blog about selling. Can I motivate you? Possibly, but most likely you’ve already determined you need something and you’re willing to do something about it like click and read.

Will you read my blog? Well, if I hit what you want in the way you like to get it, you’ll come back. If not, you’ll keep looking. So let’s explore the first issue, motivation.

I met a new neighbor in my office complex the other day. He asked me what I do and I said “I help people sell, particularly to C-level executives.” To which he said, “Well I’ve been selling my accounting services well for the last 30 years.” This is not a motivated buyer for my sales consulting services – at this time. So I said, “Great” and moved on.

So the first task of selling is determining motivations. Getting 3 yes’s to the following questions is motivations.
(1) Do you have a problem, a desire or an unfulfilled expectation?
(2) Do you want to do something about it?
(3) Do you want to do it with someone other than yourself?
Selling is finding these people in your field of expertise, not creating them.

Buying is just the reverse. You and I buy because we want help with a problem or to fulfill a desire and we are willing to do something about it. It’s the same as selling, only in reverse.

Motivated buyer, meet possible provider. One goes clockwise while the other goes counter clockwise. Mesh “I’ve got a problem;” with “Do you have a problem?” Mesh “I’ve got to do something about it;” with “Are you going to do something about it?” Mesh “I don’t want to or can’t do it by myself;” with “Are you willing to do it with someone from the outside?” If the motivation isn’t on the surface or waiting to surface, there is no meshing – just annoyance.

I don’t like the way my condo looks. I will be renovating it. I don’t want to do the work myself – motivated buyer. If the contractor is any good, he will determine my motivation quickly by asking the three questions – or listening to see if I answer them without his asking. Otherwise he risks wasting his time if he assumes I’m motivated to buy just because I called.

Sound obvious. Well then, check it out. Next time you encounter a sales person, see if she’s asking - to determine motivation, or showing - trying to create it. Next time you approach someone you want something from, see if you’re pulling information or pushing your agenda. You can’t create motivation. Selling is finding who’s got it.

Don’t miss my blogs. We’ll go deeper.

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Sales, Relationships, Executive Connections, and Buying

This is the first of my periodic blogs on selling and other issues.  As my clients and e-news subscribers know, I tend to deliver knowledge on the end of a two-by-four.  Some like to learn with jelly on a spoon.  This isn’t that.  So you can write and tell me to light’n up.  I listen sometimes.  However, I’m mad about the way people sell.  I'm either ignored or pushed to buy.  I don't like either approach and I’m not going to take it any more.  My selling tips, relationship advice and Tak'n It To The Streets examples are for those who want to become successful selling their ideas, concepts, products, services or themselves.  My Topics:  Retail Sales, Business to Business Sales, Getting Positioned with Powerful People, Getting Hired, and Living La Vita.