What make a SALES CHAMPION? Sales Champions work daily to make themselves better & better!

 

Whilst  talking to sales manager  all over India, I have found that the term "salesperson" generates many responses. I seem to hear some of them over and over. A few of the most common are: pushy, high pressure, dishonest, huckster, hard sell...and it deteriorates from there.No matter how nice a person you are, some of us still need to work on one or more traits, which will help us be more professional.

Let's consider the key traits, which will make your contact with a client more conducive to a long-term business relationship.

IMAGE
It has been said that you never get a second chance to overcome a bad first impression. The first few minutes of a relationship are often the most important. People like to be right about how they "size up" others so it takes a lot more work to change a negative first impression to a positive impression in the first place. You will probably agree that those first few moments can often make or break a sales call. Creating a positive impression increases the probability that you and your products will be accepted.

Dress and grooming are only one aspect that forms first impressions (image). Equally important are voice inflection, posture, personality style and attitude.

During one of our seminars a participant said, "People have to accept me for what I am. I'm not going to change just to make the other guy happy." If being unique and not compromising is more important than making a sale, fine. But that attitude may not be a very profitable one.


YOUR ATTITUDE IS SHOWINGPeople don't seem to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character. In other words, if I think this is a miserable world to live in, then I live in a miserable world...and probably make it miserable for others to live in too.

Our attitudes are reflected in everything I do, including relationships with our clients. Our attitudes elicit different responses from our clients, so if I see them as jerks that can be manipulated, their responses will be entirely different than if I see them as fellow business people with whom I have a lot in common.

I can never be truly professional salespeople unless I develop a sincere respect for -- and healthy attitude toward -- our clients. Try thinking of them as valves through which your energy flows rather than as dams (obstacles) who will stop your progress. Only your positive attitude toward them will ensure the mutual trust, which is so vital to doing business successfully.

DEPTH OF KNOWLEDGE
In all sales positions, the company has the obligation to educate you about the specific product you are selling. The company operations manuals will provide you with technical skills and product knowledge. This knowledge however, rarely goes beyond that required to describe competently the product to a client.

I recommend that you set aside time on a regular basis during which you can deepen your knowledge (and hopefully your enthusiasm/love) of your field.

Your responsibility as a professional includes much more than learning elaborate descriptions. If someone Ire to say to you, "Tell me about the field you are working in," could you give them an interesting, in-depth explanation of how it started and where it is today? Perhaps you think that knowing the history or theory of your industry is not necessary for your day-to-day selling. The fact is that with an increase in knowledge comes an increase in confidence and authority. The result: longer lasting client relationships and more sales.




BREADTH OF KNOWLEDGE

It's also important to develop your ability to discuss a broad spectrum of subjects. Having depth of knowledge in your specific field without knowledge in a wide variety of topics puts an automatic limit on the number of people you can relate to and who in turn can relate to you. This is a serious handicap for a salesperson.

Anything worthwhile takes effort and this includes expanding your conversational horizons. A fast, concise and convenient way to know what's going on in the world is to subscribe to a news magazine which will expose you to science, politics, the arts, international affairs, etc. It is not necessary for you to have an opinion on all the issues, but being informed on them and keeping up to date by scanning a good daily newspaper will give you confidence and expand your conversational effectiveness.

SENSITIVITY
No matter how great your conversational skills may be, your efforts will be completely wasted if you are not sensitive to your clients needs. It is crucial to be aware of your client's "silent messages" which often reveal the real meaning behind the verbal ones.

I recommend that you study body language and try to be empathetic. Observe what people do with their bodies in different situations. Put yourself in their shoes so that you can be open to what's happening with them, but do it intellectually rather than emotionally.

For example, by studying body language and being empathic, you will be able to acknowledge when your client is too busy at the moment (foot tapping), and arrange to come back another time when they are more receptive.

ENTHUSIASM
It is literally impossible to be a top seller in your field without a contagious sense of enthusiasm. To prove this to yourself, try to think of one top salesperson you know or have heard about who does not have a genuine enthusiasm for themselves and their product.

Enthusiasm shows the client that you are sold on the product. Your enthusiasm, good eye contact and your overall sincerity will also tell your client that you're an honest person. This will motivate them to establish or continue a business relationship with you. They will become interested in you as a person. This is what you want, both for yourself and your business.

MATURITY
Maturity is a rather nebulous quality. It combines all the positive character traits I have already mentioned.

One of the things that distinguish a mature person is the ability to recognize the need to do things whether liking them or not. In addition, mature people accept responsibility for their actions. The result is they are willing to admit mistakes and suffer consequences as Ill as reap rewards.

Maturity means handling disappointments and setbacks without becoming self-destructive. These people know there are times when things won't go right and they know that those times won't last forever 

 

CONCLUSION

 

Even the most seasoned sales professional is a person in evolution. No matter how good you are you can be better. No matter how good you are the competition is getting smarter. Use a checklist to prepare your attitude, appearance, customer information, company and product information and the selling environment, so you can be at your best on every call. Study yourself, your product or service and your company to know what is working now. Reinforce the actions and tools, which are generating results. Learn from your successes as well as your failures. BEGIN TODAY ANEW.SHARPEN YOU SELLING SKILLS DAILY

 

ELIMINATE THE TIME WASTER IN SELLING

 

 Losers put off the important things that could make a difference in their lives. Winners put off low-value tasks and activities.

The first major time waster in selling is procrastination and delay. This occurs when you find every conceivable reason to put off getting there with people who can and will buy from you. Everyone procrastinates. There is always too much to do and too little time. The difference between successes and failures is determined by people's choices about what they put off. Losers put off the important things that could make a difference in their lives. Winners put off low-value tasks and activities.

 

Stop Wasting Time

According to sales research, half of all working time, in all fields, is wasted. Most of this wasted time is taken up with coffee breaks, phone calls, and personal business, or other useless activities that make no contribution to your work.

 

Resolve to Overcome Procrastination

The best way to overcome procrastination is to plan each day in advance, set priorities on your activities, and then make your first sales call as early as you possibly can. Get up and get going. When you launch quickly into a workday, doing something important as early as possible, you will work at a higher level of effectiveness all day long.

 

The Incomplete Sales Call

Another major time waster is the incomplete sales call, requiring a callback. This occurs when you have not thoroughly prepared your presentation or taken all the materials you need for your sales call. When you are with the customer, you find you're missing the correct order forms, or other materials needed to close the sale. You then have to make arrangements to go back and see the prospect a second time, something that often does not happen.

 

Inaccuracies and Deficiencies

You waste a lot of time in selling when you find yourself with a prospect, but without all the information needed to make an intelligent presentation. You may have the wrong facts, the wrong figures, or the wrong specifications. You have misunderstood what the prospect said she wanted and made a proposal that does not solve the prospect's problem or satisfy her need.

 

Lack of Product Knowledge

This weakness can cost you hours of hard work. It boils down to ignorance of the product or service you are selling. This is invariably caused by laziness on the part of the salesperson. Fortunately it can be very easily overcome with time and study.

 

Poor Preparation

Thorough preparation separates the sheep from the goats among sales professionals. The top salesperson takes the time to diligently study every detail of her product or service. She reviews and then reviews again. She takes notes. She decides in advance that no one will ever ask her a question that she cannot answer intelligently and completely.

 

Unconfirmed Appointments

Here's a common scenario. A salesperson sets off across town to see a prospect for an appointment. It was arranged in advance, so everything should go as planned, right? But when the salesperson arrives, the prospect has been called out of town, is in a meeting, or cannot see him for some reason. As a result, he has wasted the entire trip, including the time it now takes him to get back to the office. Sometimes a salesperson can lose half a day because he did not reconfirm an appointment.

ACTION EXERCISE

Plan every day in advance; make a list of everything you have to do, and then set priorities on your list; always start with your number one, most important task.

 

 

 

 

With best wishes

Dr Wilfred Monteiro

How to Handle Objections like a Sales Champion

 

Most salespeople think of objections as a bad thing... but they're missing the big picture. If your prospect raises an objection, that's actually a good sign. The fact that they're talking out their concern means that they're giving you a chance to answer it. If someone is completely uninterested in buying your product, they won't bother to object – generally they'll just sit through your presentation in silence (with arms folded) and then send you away. Here's a simple process to help resolve your prospect's objections.

Here's How:

1.       Listen to the Objection. 

Don't jump all over the prospect as soon as he says “But what about-.” Give him a chance to explain exactly what's bothering him. Don't just tune him out, either – listen. You can pick up some really valuable clues from the way a prospect phrases his objection.

2.       Say it Back to the Prospect.

 When you're absolutely sure the prospect is done talking, look thoughtful for a moment and then repeat back the gist of what he's said. Something like “I see, you're concerned about maintenance costs” is fine. This both shows that you were listening and gives him a chance to clarify. “Well, it's not so much the cost I'm worried about as the downtime.”

3.       Explore the Reasoning.

 Sometimes the first objections aren't the prospect's real concern. For example, many prospect don't want to admit that they don't have enough money to buy your product, so they'll raise a host of other objections instead. Before you launch into answering an objection, ask a few exploratory questions, like “Is product downtime a particular issue? Have you had trouble with it before?” Draw the prospect out a bit.

4.       Answer the Objection. 

Once you understand the objection completely, you can answer it. When a customer raises an objection, they're actually expressing fear. Your task at this point is to relieve their fears. If you have specific examples, such as a story from an existing customer or a few statistics, by all means present them – hard facts make your response stronger.

5.       Check Back with the Prospect. Take a moment to confirm that you've answered the prospect's objection fully. Usually this is as simple as saying, “Does that make sense?” or “Have I answered your concern?”

6.       Redirect the Conversation.

 Bring the prospect back into the flow of the appointment. If you're in the middle of your presentation when the prospect raises his objection, then once you've answered it quickly summarize what you'd been talking about before you move on. If you've finished your pitch, check if the prospect has any other objections, and then start closing the sale.

 

 

Mark of the Sales Champion: Anticipating Objections

 “Sounds wonderful. I'll take two million pieces  of whatever you're selling!”

Don't expect to hear these words during any sales presentation in the real world. In fact, what you will hear are objections like:

·         They're too expensive.

·         I never heard of your company.

·         I don't have time right now.

Ad infinitum. There are ideas on how to respond to objections during a sales call. However, before the presentation you should start to anticipate and respond to common sales objections. Sales Champions anticipate buyer objections and either answer them in advance or offer considered responses when they are presented. Understanding how a buyer thinks can help you build trust, a prime component of every transaction.

 People will buy something when they want it more than they want the money that it costs. All buyers are looking for value, the equal or greater worth in an exchange. Businesses buy because they trust that their purchase is of greater value to them than the price. They believe that they can turn a profit. The seller, too, sees the profit value of selling their products or services for money.

 

The key to answering sales objections is understanding what they truly are: questions. In most cases, objections are presented to ask you why the prospect should buy. It's often a delay tactic that prospects use because their questions and concerns haven't yet been answered. By anticipating common objections, you can answer them in your presentation even before they are asked.

Ø  Our products are less expensive than any other brand of similar quality.

Ø  XYZ ENTERPRISE  is a MARKET LEADER  with 25% of market share employing more than 1,000 people.

Ø  I can help you save more than  Rupees 25 lacs in the next hour by acting on my suggestions.

Planting responses to common objections within your sales presentation can diffuse the buyer's natural reluctance to make a decision.

An important aspect of preparing for your sales call is anticipating common objections of buyers and developing viable answers. If possible, make the case against the objection before it even develops in the buyer's mind. However, if the buyer does voice an objection, you should be ready with a well-thought-out answer. In fact, if a common objection isn't voiced by a buyer, smart sellers will bring it up.

·         As you consider your purchase, you may think that our products are too expensive. Let me respond to that …

·         I sometimes hear buyers ask to know more about our company. It's a good question. Our product  is …

Now make a list of the common objections your company's voice have them divided into three parts: The ones to anticipate and include in your sales presentation; the ones to be prepared with answers and the ones to ignore or refute tactfully or a tleast  refer to your  sales manager;  if they are true; asking for a genuine solution. 

With best wishes

Dr Wilfred Monteiro

 

 

 

WHAT IS THE MOST FORGOTTEN SALES TECHNIQUE

 

This is one of the most talked about sales training topics among salespeople and sales managers. Every salesperson wants to  close the deal quickly and effectively. The expression “closing the deal” means getting the business. “

 

Successful sales people  know that there is no need to use magic phrases or techniques, because if they’ve effectively followed the sales process, closing the sale is the next step in a logical sequence. a technique used in selling to assess the buyer's readiness to make a purchase decision.

  

Trial close is a sales technique wherein the salesperson uses certain variety of questions and observations using which they then try to find out the mood of the buyer regarding the product, whether he is interested in buying the product or not.

  

WHY IS TRIAL CLOSING SO IMPORTANT?

 In my experience as a professional sales consultant and sales trainer, I’ve seen far too many examples of salespeople talking about their product/service and then asking for the sale. As such, most salespeople don’t really know where they are in the sales process. When they try to close the deal there are too many impediments or unanswered questions on the part of the buyer and the answer is “no”. The salesperson doesn’t like the word “no” and doesn’t know how to respond, so he/she walks away with another lost opportunity.

 

The first reason to trial close is to understand where you are in the sales process so you know what is important to the buyer and where to take the conversation. The close” refers to the point in the sales process at which the salesperson asks for the business. Closing is easy when you have thoroughly appreciated each customer’s specific requirements and aligned the presentation of your solution accordingly. Closing is the process of helping customers make a decision that will benefit them.You got to guage where you really are at the selling process. 

 

The second reason to trial close is to find out when it is appropriate to ask for the sale. Knowing when to ask for the sale is much more important than knowing how to ask for the order. I don’t believe in hard closing a customer – it is just too uncomfortable for me and I’d rather be a trusted advisor than a hard seller. If you know when to ask for the order, then how you ask for it is so much easier.

 

 This  should be used in your interactions with prospects and customers. Trial closing gives you valuable insights into the customer’s perspective on what you have said, and it enables you to “layer in” another agreement that helps move the customer to an ultimate close. Trial closing ensures that both you and your prospect are on the same wavelength, which adds to a feeling of deeper rapport and general agreement.

 

 HOW TO USE SALES CLOSING TECHNIQUES

 

A trial close usually takes the form of questions that ask for decisions on minor selling points; if the salesperson gets favourable responses to these questions, he or she can more confidently attempt to close the sale.

 

Here are some different examples of trial closes that can be very effective when used at the appropriate moment. Following are some common trial closing questions. Think about these in terms of how easy they are to ask and how much information you can get from your prospect.

 

·  “How does that sound to you?”

•  “What do you think?”
• How do you feel about what we have discussed so far?
• What do you think about the solution I’ve shared with you?
• How does what we’ve talked about sound to you?
• Based on what you’ve heard so far, what are your questions?
• If you had your way, what changes would you make to the proposal?
•  “Is this what you are looking for
• “If I can satisfy your concerns regarding this point, are you happy to proceed?”
•   “It appears that you have a preference for this option. Am I right?”
•     “Are we on track with this proposal?”

 ·      The close you choose should be based on what you know about the prospect and the type of close you believe they will be most open to. It’s important to choose your words wisely. Using the right persuasive language in your closing technique can have a big impact on the outcome of a deal. Here are 4 highly effective sales closing techniques that are popular with sales reps:

 

1. The assumptive close:

This technique involves using a phrase or language that assumes the close is a done deal. For example, you could close with, “What day do you want to receive your shipment?”

 

2. The option close:

Similar to the assumptive close, rather than asking for a prospect’s business directly, you ask them which option they prefer. For example, you could close with, “Do you want your shipment delivered on Wednesday or Friday?”

 

3. The suggestion close:

If you have good rapport with the prospect and they view you as a trusted expert, a suggestion close is a good approach. You could close with, “Based on what you have told me about your operations, I would suggest you receive orders on Fridays. Does this work for you?”

 

4. The urgency close:

Creating a sense of urgency places pressure on the prospect to make a decision, especially if you have identified that the client needs to make a decision quickly and is working on a short timeline. Think of the “limited time offer” as an example. However, unlike other closing techniques, this should only be used occasionally and by experienced sales reps who have a strong relationship with a client.

 

 

Remember though, these are all open-ended questions. You need to ask a trial closing question that will get the prospect talking so you can learn about where you are in the sales process and when is the right time to ask for the sale.

 

There are four important times during the sales process when trial closing can be hugely beneficial:

1.      After making a strong selling point

2.      At the end of your presentation

3.      Before handling an objection

4.      Immediately before closing

 

Once you use a trial close, actively listen to what the customers say and observe their body language to assess their reactions. It’s important to bear in mind that trial closing doesn’t directly ask the customer to buy; it asks only for an opinion. Above all else, you just need to be clear that your proposal is right for the customer and you have created a win-win relationship. Timing is everything when it comes to closing and there are a number of indicators, often produced by the trial close, that signal when a close should be attempted. Only close if the customer is ready.

 

The best part of closing, besides winning the business, is that each time you close you get the chance to broaden and deepen the relationship and move it toward a partnership.

 

Spending all that time doing the leg work, researching prospects, building rapport and understanding a prospect’s unique needs all leads to one thing – the close. Closing a sale is the goal, and if you are good at it, you will be very successful. As sales managers, we know that unfortunately, the close is perhaps the most difficult aspect of the sales process. Getting people to commit is a challenge, even if it’s to a minimal order.

 

 

CONCLUDING- Always Be Closing (ABC)

 

Closing requires putting in the work. You have to prepare for the many possible situations that lay ahead, including pushback and objections. Good sales reps understand that building to a close is a process, and it involves getting a series of commitments (or smaller closes) as you work your way through the sales process. At each step, you are further qualifying a prospect and moving them through the sales funnel. But, once you get to the final close, you have a variety of closing strategies you can employ.

 

Research is key. Sales reps need to find out everything possible about the client, their business, needs, issues, interests, and current solutions. Doing your homework will help you find great solutions and analyze factors that may potentially prevent or delay closing.

 

 

 

With best wishes

Dr Wilfred Monteiro