What Did You Say?

Of all the skills a salesperson needs to learn in order to increase their sales, which one do you think is most important? Let's take a look at just some of the skills a salesperson needs to possess and then discuss the one that I think is the most important. We will see if you agree.

Of course, you need to prospect for new clients. If you don't become at least average at the skill of prospecting, making a living as a sales professional gets to be a pretty tough gig.

How about great presentation skills? Yes, this is an area that will serve a sales professional, especially  a Salutary Sales Professional, well. You want to deliver a message that is important to your client and there are many good ways to do this, but since this is not the main message today, we will move on.

Can I ask you a question? Do you need to know how to ask your clients insightful questions? Well, yes, I would suggest this is a skill that sales professionals really need to polish. It will also serve them well.

Ah, rapport building! This is a really important skill for salespeople to master, right? There is no doubt that building rapport is a skill that can, and should, be learned by anyone that wants to be considered a sales professional.

"Closing" the sale is high on the list of most sales managers as to a skill that should be possessed by sales professionals. By the way, let's get rid of the word "closing" in sales.  I would hope we have evolved pass this point by now in the sales profession. Ask for the sale. What the heck are you closing? Nothing. What are you starting? Hopefully a long-term, mutually beneficial business relationship. I get a kick out of salespeople stating they are "power closers." Makes me want to lose my lunch. Definitely not the approach used of a Salutary Sales Pro.

Now, all of these skills are important to polish as a sales professional, and I would bet there are thousands of articles and books written to address each one of these skills individually. But, we have not mentioned the most important sales skill of all. The one that is probably talked about the least and should be mentioned the most. The one skill that will really help you excel in sales and as a Salutary Sales Pro. Have you guessed it yet? The most important sales skill is, did you hear it? Yes, you're right, it is the conscious act of increasing your active listening skills.

Calvin Coolidge once said, "No one ever listened themselves out of a job." I am here to tell you that "No one ever listened themselves out of a sale!" Think about it. Have you ever heard a client, family member or friend tell you they didn't purchase from a salesperson because "they listened so well. I just couldn't by from them!" Not a chance. You may have heard the salesperson didn't listen, but I can honestly say that I have never heard anyone say that a salesperson listened to well!

Listening is a lot harder than most people realize, believe or not. But if you are in sales, what do you want to get from your client? You want to get their story. How do you get that? You provide them with a story and then ask them what they have going on in their place of business. Then you listen. But, we can't listen to our customers the way we listen to our spouses, kids or other relatives (whom we should listen to even more intently than our clients!) which is to say we many times listen to them with one ear. We also generally listen to reply rather than to understand.

In the book "What Great Salespeople Do" by Mike Bosworth and Ben Zoldan, it states: "Everyone wants the chance to tell his or her story, but it's hard to find someone who will really listen." Isn't that the truth! You have seen the glassy eyed looked that others give you when they should be listening. Maybe you have given that look to others yourself.

There are a lot of "listening blocks" in the world today, and we will hit on those in our next post, but I wanted to leave you with this story. One event that happened while I was selling electronic security systems in which my listening skills were put to the test.

We were installing a fire system in a twelve-story building and drilling a hole in the floor of a janitors closet to run wires between floors. This was an old building and the blueprints were not always accurate. Well, there was no water pipe on the blueprints, but there was one between these two floors. The technician burst the water pipe, filled the bottom of the elevator shafts with three feet of water and burned up equipment in two different dentist offices. Needless to say, not a fun day. So, the owner of the company I worked for went to speak to the Vice-President of the realty company that owned the building. They got into an argument over whose company was at fault, whose company had more integrity and left each other in a pretty sour mood.

The order from my boss was to go back the next day, speak to the Vice-President and save the account. I thought to myself, this was going to be impossible. So, before I arrived in his office, I decided to sit and listen to this man until he stopped talking. What I didn't realize at the time of that decision was that it would be 30 minutes! Yep, sat there for 30 minutes pretty much getting my backside handed to me. He complained about the cost of the damages, the mess, the reputation of my company and the way he was treated by the owner of my company. I literally didn't say a word for 30 minutes (if you knew me you would realize how hard this was for me!) And at the end of this tirade, he finally asked me what I thought and what my answer was to this situation.

I simply said, "I agree with everything you have said." He was stunned. I told him that I agreed that the mess was an inconvenience, but that there was nothing either of us could do now other than to get it back in order as soon a possible so the tenant's of his building stopped complaining. As to the cost of the damages, that's why we have insurance companies. Whatever they decided as to the percentage of damages incurred by each company, we would live with. That no, the owner of my company should not have argued with him. And lastly, I told him that any dealings with my company from this time forward would now be handled by me. If I didn't follow through with providing the service we  agree upon, "fire me." He looked at me and simply said, "ok, you can keep our business."

See, no one had listened to him. No one gave him a half-hour to get out all the frustration that he was feeling after having his elevator shafts full of water and ten floors of tenants calling him to complain, not to mention the dentist's who had to reschedule appointments and get their equipment replaced. It was a long half-hour, but it was worth it. We ended up putting fire systems in two additional office buildings they owned.

Active listening. That is one skill you will want to polish. Watch for my next post to get some tips on how to do just that.

Good Selling!

Funny Sales Stories from the Field

I happen to love funny stories from the sales field. Want a funny story from my past? Great! Sit back, relax and enjoy.

I was sales manager for an electronic security systems company and was training in a new salesperson named John. We received a call from a female prospective client named Lisa who was looking for a home security system. So we set the appointment to meet the next day.

John and I arrive at Lisa's house the next day, which is in a rural area, and she meets us at the main entry door that entered the lower level of the house. She invites us in and we make our way up the stairs to the main level of the home making small talk. Her first impression on us is positive and we make our way to the kitchen table, which is just off the living room. This is when we noticed something just a bit peculiar.

In the middle of Lisa's living room is a queen size bed completely surrounded by chicken wire! A structure that resembles a chicken coop, with two-by-four construction, is around the bed complete with a door to enter and exit this chicken wire room! John looked at me as if to say, "shouldn't we be asking about this?" Now I had been in security systems sales for awhile at this point and had seen some strange thinks, but this was near the top of my list. But, the one thing that I had learned when entering a home was not to be surprised or act like anything was strange or out of place no matter what I saw. So, I quickly shook my head "no" at John and acted as if EVERY house that I walked into had a queen size bed in the living room surrounded by a chicken coop. 

John and I talked with Lisa for awhile to ask her about her security concerns. We asked her why she wanted a security system and her needs were what you would think for a lady who lived by herself in a rural area. She did not want to come home in the dark and find someone in her home and there had been a recent rash of burglaries in her area. Nothing out of the ordinary about her needs or the conversation (up to this point) and no one made mention of the chicken coop with the neatly made bed in the living room.

Just as we were getting ready to provide her with the final proposal for installing a security system, she asked, "So, did you notice that I have my bed in the living room surrounded by chicken wire?" I responded that yes, I did and I didn't offer anything more. The she asked, "Don't you want to know why I have my bed in the living room surrounded by chicken wire?" Trying to remain the professional, I responded that I simply thought it had to do with a personal choice or maybe the way the sun woke her up in the morning if the bed were in the bedroom. She said, "no, that is not it at all. Do you see those power lines out the window?" I looked out the window and saw power lines which were about a mile or more down the road. I told her that yes, I saw them and that we passed those power lines on the way to her house. She said, "Well, the government sends mind controlling signals out at night through the power lines to control our thoughts. That is why I have my bed in the living room surrounded by chicken wire. By putting my bed in here instead of the bedroom, there are more walls between me and the power lines when I sleep and the chicken wire deflects the mind controlling signals sent out so the government can't control my thoughts. You know, you can never be too careful. That is another reason I want a security system. To know if the government has come into my house."

It is not until this point in the conversation that this lady showed herself to be a bit, can I say, "whacky?" John turned a few different shades of red and of course we did all we could not to laugh, which was not an easy task. We simply agreed with her that you can't be too careful and left her with our proposal to install a security system. Then we exited quickly!  We never did make the sale and I told John that I though it would be just fine if we didn't follow up with Lisa. I told him this client might be best left to the competition!

So, why do I tell this story? To make a point! (Which all stories should do.) If I am training anyone who does in-home selling, do you think this story would resonate with them? Do you think it would give me some credibility with them since they participate in selling to people in  their homes? Do you think I might get some of their funniest stories about things they have seen in homes when selling? Do you think it could possibly lead to connection between me and this other person? Of course the answer to all these questions is a resounding yes.

Do you think if you can tell your client a story about working with a peer in their industry and show the positive results you have been able to achieve working together that you will make a connection? Again, your chances are high!

If you want to have the heart of your client, tell a story that will connect you. Go after the heart to get to the head. There is a Native American Proverb that goes;

Tell me a fact and I’ll learn. Tell me a truth
and I’ll believe. But tell me a story and it
will live in my heart forever.

Remember, we make decisions emotionally and justify them logically. Become a good story teller and watch your sales increase. Keep in mind that a good salesperson knows how to talk but a great salesperson knows how to tell a good story.

If you want an excellent book on how to construct a good story, read "What Great Salespeople Do - The Science of Selling Through Emotional Connection and the Power of Story" by Michael Bosworth. Mr. Bosworth is a NY Time Best Selling Author with two other great books to his credit, "Solution Selling" and "Customer Centric Selling" but I think his latest book is his best work.

Do you have any funny stories from the sales field that you would like to share? Please feel free to email them to me at rjs@mblstoryseekers.com with the subject line "funny sales stories."

Good Selling!

The Right Words, Smart Questions and a Good Story Can Win You Sales

Last weeks post addressed how the wrong word used and stupid questions can cost you in the sales profession. This post will address just the opposite, and we will add a bit of a twist. Let's discuss words that will help you move people, questions that will allow you to find out their biggest issues and then, we will get to the twist.

First, the right words and the power they possess. Here are some words that can be very influential in the world of  selling;

• You
• Free
• Show
• Emotions

I am sure that you like the word you, but I would bet my next paycheck that you love reading your own name even more. Tip: Be sure that you know exactly who you are addressing in any of your written communications with prospective clients. How do you think your customer feels about reading their name? Exactly. They love it! I get a kick out of email marketing that requests an introduction to the "right" person for their product or service, when in fact I am that person! They don't even know who they are emailing. Not the right approach for a Salutary Sales Pro.

We won't spend much time on the word "free" as we all know how much everyone likes free stuff. That being said, keep in mind that there is a danger to this word. Providing something for free will attract more potential clients, but that group will also include a fair share of people who will always want "free." This is a hard way to grow a business (or pay the bills).

If you are demonstrating your product to a potential client, do you inform them that they need to learn how to use the product or do you show them how to  use it? Big difference. If your client needs to learn how to use it, they have work to do and they probably have enough of that to go around. But, if you are showing them how to use it, they feel like you are being helpful.

And the final word, emotions. We all know that people make decisions emotionally and then justify that decision rationally. Emotions play the major role in purchasing decisions. Your potential client wants to feel good (as well as smart, beautiful, safe, etc.) about their decision to buy.

Asking smart questions is absolutely necessary for a Salutary Sales Pro. As you would expect, questions with who, what, why, where and how are going to be necessary for getting your prospect to open up. That being said, here are two questions that I think all salespeople should be ready to use at almost any moment.

• Can you help me understand that a little better?
• How can I add value to you? (Your organization, this project, etc.)

Get good at asking great questions.

Now, the power of using story in your sales approach is well proven. Don't believe me? Okay, let's try this.

Suppose I need to influence you into believing that it is important to struggle through certain aspects of your life. I tell you that struggle really does help you build character and that the struggle will make you stronger. I also inform you, and you might find it hard to believe, but your struggles are what make you the person you are today, and who you will be tomorrow. Would you be moved? Maybe. But what if I told you the following story to help you get through some of your struggle? 

A man found the cocoon of a butterfly, One day a small opening appeared and he sat and watched the butterfly as it struggled for several hours to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far out as it could.

The man decided to help the butterfly, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily, but it had a swollen body and shriveled wings. The man continued watching that butterfly because he expected that at any moment, the wings would expand and be able to support the body.

Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent his whole life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It was never able to fly.

What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the constricting cocoon and the struggle to get through the tiny opening was nature's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings and legs so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom.

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in life. If nature allowed us to go through life without obstacles, it would cripple us too. We would never be as strong as nature intended us to be. As you go through this struggle, remember that nature is here with you and knows what you need.

Which moved you? The factual information that I gave or the story that showed the point? Story will always be a better communication tool than straight facts. Story gets to the emotion and wraps the facts into the story. I think it was Brene Brown who said, "stories are facts with a soul."

For more on using story in sales, watch for my next post.

Good Selling!

The Wrong Words and Dumb Questions Can Cost You in Sales

Words. A salespersons best friend...or worst enemy. They are your best friend if you use them correctly and your worst enemy if you use them incorrectly. You can use the wrong word at the right time and lose the sale. Use the right word at the wrong time and you receive the same result. How about stupid questions? You know, those questions that salespeople have been trained to use that only have one extremely obvious answer? Yea, those are the ones that drive me nuts too.

Here are five words to avoid in your next sales presentation, and yes, one in particular may surprise you.

Pitch - You don't "pitch" as a professional Salutary salesperson. A pitch is something thrown by a baseball player. A "pitch" is too stereotypically salesy. Please refer to your presentation. It sounds must better to the ear of your client. And speaking of your client, don't use the word...

Customers - Instead call them "clients" or "people I serve." What do lawyers have? Clients. What do you like to receive from the people you do business with? Service, and I mean good service. Customers just doesn't cut it anymore.

Obviously - Well, there really is nothing like telling someone that they are stupid, is there? Try to avoid this word as some people may take this as a condescending word, as in they're not smart enough to understand. Not the message you really want to send when you are trying to influence someone.

But - We all know that using this word means to disregard any words said before "but" is stated. It takes some practice to drop this word out of your vocabulary and replace it with "however."  Believe me, it's worth it.

Help - What? This word should be avoided? Yes, especially at the beginning of your sales conversation with a client. Why? Well, if I call you and tell you that "I help companies reach their sales goals" and they already reach their sales goals, what am I going to help them with? This also suggests that your potential client has a problem. And if they do have a problem, they surely are not going to admit it to you at this point. Tell your potential client that you "work with companies" or "work with sales teams." It sounds much better.

Get these words out of your presentation vocabulary and you increase your chances to quickly connect with your clients. You also lessen the chance of being looked upon as just another salesperson.

How about those dumb questions that many salespeople have been trained to use over the years. You know the ones I am talking about. Here are just three examples of dumb questions salespeople ask.

Stupid Question #1 - "If I could show you a way to save money, you would want me to, correct?"

Nothing like telling your client that they should avoid being stupid and that is exactly what they hear when this question is asked.

Stupid Question #2 - "It makes sense to buy a high-quality product, doesn't it?"

No, I like to purchase the lowest quality,  highest price garbage that I can. Really! If a salesperson asks this question of me, I answer with; "Its your job to convince me you represent a high-quality product, isn't it?" That makes them squirm.

Stupid Question #3 - "Can you tell me a little bit about your business?" What does your prospect hear? They hear that you have not done your homework. What is your prospect thinking? I don't have time to educate you and I don't do business with people who don't do their homework.

You want to ask questions that reframes the way you client looks at their current practices. If you ask a question that makes your client say "I never thought of it that way" or "I never looked at it in that manner" you have succeeded in reframing their outlook. And that will differentiate you from the competition. 

Be careful in the words you use and the questions you ask. Turn the tables on yourself and if you were sitting in your client's chair, how would you feel about the words and questions being heard? If you just winced a bit, so will they.

Watch for my next post where we will go over some words you should be using and some questions that will help you reframe your client's outlook.

Good Selling!