Newer sales representatives – and even some seasoned ones – often feel trepidation when it comes to actually asking for an order.

It is, after all, the moment of truth – a feeling not unlike asking that special someone out on a date for the first time. Whatever flirting or rapport building you’ve done is now being put to the test, and there’s a chance you’ll be rejected.

Well, there’s not much we can do about your love life; if that’s the kind of help you’re seeking, you’ve found your way to the wrong blog. But we can offer an approach that will minimize the anxiety that comes with closing a sale, and maximize your likelihood of getting the deal.

First, an observation: how you ask for the order is less important than actually asking for it. That may sound self-evident, but legion are the sales representatives who do a terrific job of identifying needs and setting the stage, but who never actually ask the customer or prospect for the order. Sometimes they forget. Sometimes they think it’s so obvious the customer will just take care of this part themselves. And sometimes, of course, they’re afraid.

So if we accept as a given that sales representatives must ask in order to receive, here is a particularly effective way to set the stage for getting the order. Two words:

Trial Closing

Trial closing. The single most effective way to make asking for the order easier and, in the process, maximize your close ratio. Simply put, trial closing does two things:

• It provides you, the sales professional, with litmus tests along the way, so you know if and how you need to adjust your sales process.
• It helps to “season” the customer or prospect to agree with you and/or to increase their candor. Both, by the way, are good.

That said, trial closing is not a random exercise. It’s a strategic tool that is best used within the usual steps of the sales process. Let’s break it down.

Building Trust and Rapport

As you and the customer or prospect get to know each other, part of your conversation should involve finding out who is involved in the decision-making process for purchasing a product or service like yours. As you learn this information, work into the conversation a question about whether those people can or should be involved in the process from the beginning. You also should learn everything you can at his point about their budget. The information you learn here will provide clues about what you’ll be up against when it comes time to close.

Setting the Agenda

Setting the stage for your time together is always a good idea. As you explain what it is you’re hoping to cover, and find out if there is anything different or additional that they’d like to cover, it’s appropriate to finish by indicating that – by the time you reach the end of the process – whether it’s that day or three months from now (depending on your sales cycle), you anticipate that you will have earned the right to ask them for their business. Ask if that is acceptable to them.

Providing a Company Overview Presentation

You tell them your company story, noting why you and they are in alignment and providing evidence of why yours is the kind of company with which they should be doing business. Again, you’ll conclude by asking if they would agree with what you’ve said, and if they can see why it would, indeed, be advantageous to work with you, providing you are able to meet their needs.

Conducting an Analysis

This part of the process is ripe with opportunities to trial close. As you identify personal, financial and organizational impacts, and understand which ones are causing the most acute pain, ask them – without immediately presenting your solution – if you were able to meet that need, would that be a reason to do business with you and your company. You have to vary the wording, of course, so it doesn’t get monotonous, but this can be a powerful place to truly make headway in the closing process, because, properly executed, they’ll be telling you precisely where you are hitting the mark or missing it.

Presentation

As you move through your presentation, matching your solution to their previously identified needs – based on impacts – you conclude each section by asking if they agree how and why your product or service is precisely what they need. If the answer is yes, great! If the answer is no, great! This gives you a chance to go back and address their concerns while you still have a chance to act on them.

Close

If you’ve done everything already mentioned, this step is probably just a formality. After all, you should have received numerous affirmations that you, your company and your solution are precisely what they need to ease their pain. That doesn’t mean you don’t have to ask, of course. Just that the asking should be a natural part of the discussion rather than an anxiety-ridden ordeal.

Congratulations, you’ve asked for the order and closed the deal. Your commission check is in the mail!

Come to think of it, if you close the deal and earn that commission, you’ll have some money in your pocket. And if you have some money in your pocket, you’ll be able to ask that special someone out on a date and be able to afford it if she says yes.

So, if that’s your goal, maybe you came to the right place after all. Happy Valentine’s Day!

Mike

I have seen many organizations push their salespeople to sell, even when everyone within the organization knows they cannot deliver.

This is wrong!

As a salesman you know what your organization can and cannot do, and the value it can and cannot provide. You need to be forthcoming with your customers and set realistic expectations. Honesty and integrity is missing in far too many sales organizations; don’t let yourself fall into the same trap.

If you do, you become part of your organization’s problem rather than helping to identify and implement a solution. As a sales professional, you understand better than anyone the needs of your customers. You know whether they are happy and satisfied with what your organization has delivered.

Use this feedback to help your organization improve its capabilities, deliver what is expected, and enable you the opportunity to increase your sales.

With honesty and integrity.

You, your customers and your organization will all benefit from this.

Dan

Let’s start with a definition adapted from Wikipedia:

A temptation is something that looks appealing. It’s usually used to describe acts with negative connotations and, as such, tends to lead a person to regret such actions for various reasons – legal, social, psychological (including feeling guilty), health, economic, etc.

Temptation goes back to the Garden of Eden – the tree of knowledge, the apple, the serpent, Adam and Eve and the fall of man. It is rooted in our DNA.

So how does this relate to sales?

The temptation to overpromise always leads to underdelivering, and so we must fight it at every level.

• Sales representatives are tempted to overpromise to secure the sale.
• Sales managers are tempted to overpromise to motivate their sales team to greater performance.
• CEOs are tempted to overpromise to provide confidence to boards and shareholders.

No good can come from overpromising and underdelivering.

Bear in mind that intentions are irrelevant; “results” are the only thing you are measured by. In other words, it doesn’t matter what you intended to deliver, only what you delivered.

So, how do you avoid the temptation of overpromising and underdelivering? By doing exactly the opposite – underpromise and overdeliver!

Avoid emotion at all costs!

This is a toughie because we are emotionally driven creatures and emotion sells. Generally though, those decisions / sales pitches / forecasts / projections are more a reflection of our desires, wants and needs then they are a reflection of the truth. Sometimes truth isn’t all that exciting, whereas emotion is.

When someone in business says, “I feel this” or “I feel that” instead of “I think this” or “I think that” – based on “x” fact, “y” fact and “z” fact – run as fast as you can the other way. Don’t be this person!

Emotions cloud judgment and generally always operate in that gray area between fact and fiction. Gray is the devil’s playground, and the playground of those who can pretty much rationalize any deviant behavior or philosophy.

Stick to the facts!

Just as Sgt. Friday used to say in Dragnet, “Just the facts, ma’am.” Stick to the facts and emotions will play a lesser role.

• What exactly are the terms of your agreement? Specifically?
• What exactly are the agreed-upon timeframes? Specifically?
• What exactly is the promised (and demonstrated) feature / functionality? Specifically?

Everything you state in terms of promises and delivery should be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time-sensitive!

Prove it!

Generally speaking, you should never promise something you have not accomplished consistently in the past. Using this rule, you should have proof of delivering on your promises. This proof can take many forms:

• Case studies
• Testimonials
• References
• White papers

A good question to ask yourself to make sure you can deliver on what you are promising is, “Do I have proof of having done this consistently in the past?” If so, then you are probably safe. If not, you are being driven by emotion rather than fact and you should reconsider your approach.

If you do these three things you will not fall victim to overpromising and underdelivering!

• Stay away from emotion
• Use facts
• Prove it

We are proud of the fact that in more than 10 years as a consulting firm we’ve achieved 100% success with every client that has fully implemented our recommendations.

We are more proud of the fact that we’ve always delivered what we said we would. Or more!

Be that person! Be that company! All the other pieces will fall into place.

Brian

Role-play your company image presentation while doing 20 jumping jacks. Perhaps close three times in between push-ups. Better yet, do 10 sit ups between every prospecting phone call. Is this a sales workout regimen? Of course not!

So what do we mean by a “daily sales workout regimen”?

Any change of habit or development of skill requires preparation and practice. Sales success requires the proper habits and skills, too. Therefore you must prepare and practice (work out) in order to be ready and able to perform (habits and skills). So, what are the types of “exercises” you should use?

• Role playing your company image presentation
• Scripting how to handle your most common sales objections
• Creating an email template to promote a new product
• Analyzing your wins and losses
• Taking what you learn to increase your close rates

With a physical workout regimen, you must change the muscles you work and the types of exercises you do in order to continue to develop; you must do the same with sales. One day you may work on your elevator speech – before, during and after your foot prospecting activities. The next day you concentrate on handling sales objections – before, during and after your phone prospecting session.

Be sure to prepare and practice the habits and the skills you need to develop. Set a schedule that enables you to cover it all while ensuring your accountability. And lastly, prepare and practice, but then also perform (live sales activities) and analyze so that you can better prepare and practice going forward.

All of this becomes your sales workout regimen and creates stronger sales results.

Dan

Does foot prospecting really work?

Well, any efforts that enable sales professionals to meet prospective customers and key decision makers are worthwhile. So, yes, of course foot prospecting works, especially if you wish to or must bring in new business.

How do you currently obtain new customers? Some salespeople wait for prospects to come to them through company marketing efforts or reactive referrals. But true sales “hunters” use methods such as phone prospecting, strategic emails, gathering referrals and, yes, foot prospecting.

Some companies/industries, such as pharmaceuticals and landscaping, use foot prospecting as the primary way they sell their offerings. Others, such as office equipment and payroll services, use foot prospecting as a method to gather future appointments. Some industries, like manufacturing equipment and construction supplies, even use foot prospecting to qualify and analyze prospects for future sales. My point is that regardless of your purpose in foot prospecting, it helps you move forward in the sales process.

As a sales consulting professional, I have had the privilege to go in the field with hundreds of sales professionals. I observe sales calls for everything from $10 parts to $1 million projects, in dozens of different industries. I am always shocked at how many sales people will spend their down-time grabbing a cup of coffee, checking email, or going home, rather than foot prospecting and perhaps gathering some additional sales opportunities. Ask yourself, how many sales people, if their first appointment is at 10 a.m., will be in the field or on the phone at 8 a.m. prospecting. In order for this to be effective, it does require some preparation to ensure you have qualified prospect lists so you know where to go when the foot prospecting time / opportunity presents itself. But, then again, true sales professionals have this list on them at all times anyway.

I am not saying that foot prospecting is the best form of prospecting, and certainly it is not the easiest. However, foot prospecting works – it did, it does, and it probably always will.

If you’re a sales professional not using foot prospecting as part of your approach, look at your weekly schedule and the time available outside of commitments, and try some foot prospecting. You may find you like it. Even better, you may find some additional sales opportunities!

Dan

“Danger, Will Robinson!”

Anyone of a certain age will clearly remember this urgent warning message from the beloved Robot to the adventurous young man on the classic TV series Lost in Space.

I use this reference not to reflect upon my youth, but to communicate an obvious message: If you do not have a robot to warn you of upcoming sales dangers, you need a solid sales strategy to eliminate them.

What might those dangers be? Ask yourself these three simple questions:

• Is your time being used effectively in order to maximize your sales results?
• Do you have a set of targeted accounts (by industry and market) that can increase success?
• When calling on accounts, do you have sales process that takes you from qualification to close?

If you answered “no” to any of these, you are susceptible to lower or less-than-possible close rates, revenues, margin and customer satisfaction; and fewer referrals, qualified appointments and product presentations.

Here are some short recommendations that will help:

If you answered no to #1, develop a strategy that considers where you should be spending your time (selling versus non-selling activities), and develop a calendar, plan or program that enables you to engage in the proper activities, with the proper contacts, as frequently as needed, in your to realize your desired results. For example, articulate and work toward a goal that says, “From 8 a.m. until 11 a.m. on the first Tuesday and Thursday of each month, I will set four appointments for the last week of the month.”

If you answered no to #2, look at who amongst your customers benefits most from what you offer, and why. Then create a successful customer profile including decision makers, size of company, market, industry, needs, situations they experience, etc., so you can make decisions on who should now be on your targeted list of accounts. For example, determine that “I will call on facility managers in the food industry on the East Coast.”

If you answered no to #3, look at and document the typical steps of your sales process (what occurs first, second…), then determine what gets in the way (obstacles, objections) of you closing business. This analysis will help you determine the adjustments you need to make while conducting your sales activities. For example, you have lost sales due to your prospects feeling more comfortable with a competitor. Therefore, you must deliver better company image presentations.

Using your time properly, calling those you should be calling, and calling upon them with a sales process that works is a solid strategy. Be sure to document what is needed to accomplish this. The documentation helps ensure execution and provides a baseline from which to adjust.

Consider yourself warned!

Dan

Within the business community, there is a renewed focus on prospecting and driving new business. And business owners as well as sales professionals are realizing this can no longer solely be done within an existing customer base. The conclusion – companies and their sales staffs must prospect (yes, old-fashioned prospecting) in order to find and sell new customers – has been reached by leaders of most industries across the U.S.

For many, it has been far too long since “true prospecting” has taken place. So, where are the best fishing holes to find qualified leads for your products and services?

Here is an idea: all over the place! (I know…I know…)

Here are some more specific ideas:

• Look at associations and their memberships based on your targeted verticals. If you target project engineers at automotive manufacturers, go to the Society of Automotive Engineers.
• Use LinkedIn to uncover contacts at targeted prospects. If you are targeting Farmers Insurance, look up relative contacts at Farmers Insurance on LinkedIn / People / Search.
• Ask your customer base who they may know. Orthopedic surgeons know other orthopedic surgeons, so ask your existing customers who are physicians about other doctors they know.
• Review your targeted industries’ trade magazines, publications and journals. For the boat and yacht industries, for example, look for mechanical or body shops you can sell to.
• Review your targeted markets’ newspapers and other publications to identify new businesses that have opened to which you can sell your services.
• Buy prospect leads. Try a Google search of “buy sales leads,” but know these are not going to be 100% accurate. Typically we will realize a 70% accuracy rate. These can usually be purchased based on the size of the company, location, and industry code, and you can usually purchase only specific contacts within the prospect leads.
• Network with other sales professionals who may have the same or similar targeted prospects. These folks may know of projects or needs that perhaps you can help with. Someone who sells meat to a grocery store may know of a new grocery store opening that will need all new refrigeration equipment, for example.

The best prospectors (hunters) are always on the lookout for leads or ways to generate leads. This is a commitment, a way of thinking and a habit that you must have, develop and maintain.

Good luck and let us build America’s economy!

Dan

In a recent post, we uncovered some key points with regard to differentiating yourself depending not only on who you are selling to (purchasing agents or financial decisions makers) but also what you sell (commoditized products and services or non-commoditized products/services).

I’d like to dig a little deeper into this differentiation concept.

Differentiating commoditized products/services

Let’s start with the toughest first. Assume you are selling a commoditized product/service. For the purposes of this post let’s keep it simple and say commoditized products/services are those that can be purchased anywhere, in great abundance and with great ease. Groceries, automobiles, computers and supplies are all examples of such products. Auto services, churches and counselors are examples of services that are oftentimes commoditized.

So if you sell these products/services how do you differentiate yourself? Let’s start with what you should not do (that almost all sales people and companies do): You should not say you differentiate yourself based on service.

Why not? Find me an example of a product or service company that says they offer crappy service. Then I’ll retract my statement!

Of course everyone says they have great service. But, of course, they don’t. So this is not an effective differentiator (unless of course you can define what “service” means).

So how do you differentiate terms like service, convenience, selection or price?

• If service is your thing then you need to define what that means to the customer and why you are better — “Our technicians answer calls immediately, no call backs or waiting necessary.”

• If convenience is your differentiator, then you need to define what that means and why you are better — “We are the rare dental office that acknowledges people have jobs and need to work during the day, so we are open evenings and weekends.”

• If selection is your advantage, then define this as well — “We believe having computers, without all the peripherals that should accompany such purchases and cause you to shop in multiple stores, is not the best use of your time, so we are your one-stop-shop for all things technology.”

The key is defining the advantage that enables you to differentiate yourself.

Differentiation through sales people

If you have sales people (or are a sales person), it is easier to differentiate in that you have one-on-one customer interaction, not just messaging.

Think distributor sales reps. These sales reps oftentimes sell commodities. In these cases, the sales reps need to add value to the sales process (especially if they charge more for their products/services).

• “We not only can provide you with the products you need, we also can help show you how to use them so that you can increase your efficiencies and save time and money.”
• “It’s not the tool, it’s how you use it. That’s why you want to buy through us. Yes, we have the tools, but we also show you how to maximize their use with your applications.”

See what I did here? I defined what the differentiator was and what it meant to the buyer. While this seems simple, pay attention over the next week as you shop online or purchase goods/services in person and actually take note of how many companies, advertisers, and sales people fail to do this consistently. I think you will be amazed.

Selling in a non-commoditized environment

If you are selling in a non-commoditized environment (niche markets with niche products/services), differentiation is more easily accomplished. You simply need to effectively state how your products/services benefit the end user.

Note I did not say what features you had that others don’t. Nor did I say what advantages you had that others don’t. I said benefit, which is a very important distinction.

A feature is the thing (or things) your product or service does, such as HDMI output on your laptop computer.

An advantage is why that feature is important, such as allowing you to connect to external HD displays.

The benefit is how the buyer’s life is improved by the product / service, such as flexible output options or the clarity of display for a better viewing experience.

The old adage, “it’s not what you say it’s how you say it,” applies here. I’m not speaking of tone or intonation. I’m talking about the language you use to present your company, your product/service and yourself. That – not your product – is what enables you to differentiate yourself from the competition.

Brian

For new sales representatives, there are lots of things that can cause heartburn:

Did I conduct a thorough enough analysis with that prospect? Did I present the correct solution? Did I close effectively? Will I meet my quota this year?

But one of the more “unusual” anxiety-inducing tasks I have seen among rookie reps is the first business lunch he or she has to conduct. Veteran business and sales professionals, of course, have been through this drill so many times they may not even remember the trepidation they felt in the hours leading up to – and certainly when sitting across the table for the first time at – a business lunch.

Relax. It’s actually quite simple, as long as you have some basic social skills, which you do, or you wouldn’t be in sales in the first place.

Food for Thought

Ask for the “date.” In some cases you’ll do this well in advance. In other cases, it will be a natural progression to a morning business meeting. Either way, asking if the prospect would like to join you for lunch should be done with confidence and poise. If a meeting is wrapping up and the lunch hour is approaching, for example, you might say, “Would you have time to grab a bite to eat?” In advance, you might say, “Once we wrap things up at our meeting, if time and your schedule allow, how about if we go to lunch?” It’s that simple. Nothing formal required. The prospect will either take you up on the offer or not. If not, a nice transition statement is something along the lines of, “OK, maybe next time.”

Pick your prospect up at their office or place of business. This obviously applies to cases where the lunch appointment is not tied to a meeting. Picking the prospect up helps provide extra time to break the ice, and makes the next step that much more natural.

Ask for their preference of location. As you’re walking out of the prospect’s office – or as you begin to exit the parking lot – ask something like, “OK, what’s your pleasure?” or “Just tell me which way I should go.” Asking in this way helps ensure that you honor the prospect’s choice, which goes a long way toward putting him or her at ease and helping you look gracious.

Don’t start into business immediately, unless the prospect does. Typically, you’ll have a few minutes between when you sit down and when the waiter or waitress comes to take your order. Instead of immediately starting to talk business, take the opportunity to build or strengthen your relationship by being “human.” Nobody – no body – is all business. Everyone has interests outside of the office, such as family, hobbies, sports, etc. Take a while to inquire about those. (“So, Bob, what do you do to stay busy when you’re not at work?”) These discussions can pay big dividends later on.

Order something that’s easy – and clean – to eat. This isn’t the time to order a slab of ribs dripping with barbecue sauce. It’s not the time to try something experimental that you’re not sure if you’ll like. Stick with something like salad or a chicken breast that you can eat with plenty of natural pauses for talking, and that you can eat without having it end up all over your hands, shirt or lap.

Respect your prospect’s right to eat. Watch for the right moments to end your statements or to ask them questions. Don’t ask a question just as they’re taking a big bite of food and need to chew. And don’t conduct such an inquisition that they don’t have an opportunity to eat at all. Pace yourself, and make sure they’re working through their meal at the same speed with which you’re working through yours. This may take some practice, but in time you’ll find that it makes the conversation flow more smoothly and that they’ll feel more comfortable.

Ease into business talk naturally. This can be done by resuming a topic that you had previously been discussing, or by opening a dialogue as you might if the meeting was at the conference room in their office. (“So, Sue, can you take a minute to describe what you’re currently doing to handle your X business process?”) From here, the rest of the discussion can flow as it would at an office location.

Pick up the Check. When the waitress or waiter brings the bill, be confident and natural as you reach over and pick it up. Usually, a prospect will anticipate this and not even ask questions or offer to pay. If he or she does, however, you can simply say, “It’s my pleasure to pick this up, Joe,” or even, “I’ve got it.” If they do push further, you might graciously say, “How about if you pay next time?”

Tip prudently. Keep in mind that you’re sending nonverbal messages with your choice of tip. If you don’t leave one at all, or leave one that is unnecessarily small, you may appear to be cheap, and could potentially be communicating to your prospect that you anticipate them to place an inordinate emphasis on price, as well. If you over-tip, it may appear that you or your company have too much margin, and don’t place the same value on a dollar that they do. For decent service, 18-20% is customary and appropriate. If you’re not adept at calculating the percentage as you continue to engage in conversation, practice doing so.

Drop the prospect off and be sure to set next steps. Just as with any sales appointment, you want to be sure to close for next steps. As for the dropoff, usually it’s most appropriate to leave your contact in the parking lot of their office or facility. Be sure to shake hands and – again – be sure to close for the next step.

Simple enough? Probably the best thing to keep in mind is that your prospect is human, too. Everyone eats, and most people enjoy social interaction. So concentrate on building the relationship even as you’re building business.

Mike

(We love a great dialogue. What’s the funniest thing that’s ever happened to you at a business lunch? Share your story!)

Where do I begin?

Heck, we all make mistakes. In fact, many of us can admit we make mistakes every day. I mean, how can we ever become better if we are already perfect? Mistakes allow us to learn, grow and develop. I would have to say that my biggest sales mistakes were as follows.

Not realizing it is up to me.

Whether my shortcomings are a low close rate, not gathering referrals, deficient gross margins, lack of a business plan, not enough leads … I must find ways to improve. Whether it is me that develops a solution or I find someone who can provide one, it is up to me to get it done. To the extent we allow ourselves to blame others for our shortcomings, we paralyze our ability to improve.

Not realizing it is about the customer.

My responsibility as a sales professional is to understand my customers’ needs and wants, and then to present solutions to satisfy those needs and wants. To truly focus on the customer, I must ask good questions, listen and hear the responses, clarify and confirm what I hear and present my solutions in a way that aligns with their needs and wants. Presenting what I have hoping I match a need or want and then hoping to successfully close the sale, is not focused on the customer’s needs and wants. It is focused on my own. This is heard and even felt by astute customers, and it puts you at risk of losing sales.

Not realizing it is about analyzing and changing.

I have an opportunity every day to find out what will work and what will not. I lose valuable time and money if I want better results but continue to do the same things the same way. I must analyze what is working and why, and what is not working and why, so that I can identify potential opportunities to change and improve results. I must set specific action items and have a plan to change. Change does not happen overnight. It takes time for me to build new habits.

Sales can be much simpler than most of us make it. Simply make it about the customer, assume accountability for what it is you want, and analyze and change along the way so that you can reach even greater success.

One man’s advice.

Dan