A few weeks ago I read a blog post by Jim Keenan that focused on making requests. Too many sales people don’t ask for the things they need or that could help them increase their sales and grow their business.
Here are a few situations that sales (and business) people need to be prepared to ask.
1. Ask for help.
First and foremost, if you need help it is essential that you ask. Ask the top sales person in your company for ideas, advice and feedback. Ask your boss for coaching or direction. Ask people in your network for insights and suggestions to improve your results.
2. Ask for the appointment.
Too many people beat around the bush and don’t ask a new prospect for an appointment. This strategy can result in more meetings which will lead to more sales. Try asking, “Does it make sense for us to meet?”
3. Ask more high-value questions.
After 15 years of training sales people, I have found that the majority simply don’t ask enough high-value questions. High-value questions force your prospect or customer to think and will give you insight to their current situation, problems and desired outcomes. It sounds simple but more people feel uncomfortable asking these types of questions because they think they are too probing and they feel that their prospect will be offended.
4. Ask for clarification.
When someone says something that is vague or unspecific, seek clarification. Ask, “Can you elaborate on that?” or “Tell me more” or “What do you mean by that?”
5. Ask for commitment.
When a prospect or customer says, “Call me next week” pursue that statement by asking, “What day should I call?” If they say, “Anytime is fine” ask, “Does next Tuesday work?” Then ask what time is the best to connect with them. If they respond with, “Anytime is good” ask, “Is mid-morning at 10:15 a good time?”
6. Ask them to schedule the call in their calendar.
Once they agree to a specific day and time, ask them to place that call in their calendar and follow up by sending them an Outlook (or other time management system) appointment.
7. Ask for the sale.
Many deals have been lost because the sale person did not want to ask for the sale so after every sales presentation, sales call, or meeting, make sure you ask for the sale. It’s as simple as asking, “May I have your business?”
8. Ask for a referral.
Whether you get the deal or not, you should ask you contact if they would be willing to refer you to someone in their network. It helps when you can clearly describe your ideal client.
9. Ask for a testimonial.
When you have completed your work with that client, ask them for a testimonial. Video testimonials work best followed by an audio recording. At the very least, get a written endorsement of your work.
10. Ask why a prospect does not want to do business with you.
If someone does not choose you as their vendor ask, “I’m always looking to improve. May I ask what influenced your decision?”
11. Ask what concerns they have.
Most sales people I have worked with hesitate to ask this because they don’t want to know if their prospect has any concerns. However, my perspective is that you need to know this upfront so an unexpected objection doesn’t derail your efforts.
12. Ask who else may be involved in the decision.
You can easily phrase this by asking, “Who else will you need to discuss this with?” or “Who else do you consult with on decisions of this nature?” When they tell you, ask, “Can we set up a day/time to collectively talk about this?”
Summon up the courage and start asking. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
What do you think? Do you have others to add?
About Kelley Robertson
Kelley helps sales people master sales conversations so they can win more business and increase their sales. If you’re planning a sales meeting, conference or event and need an engaging & informative speaker, call him at: 905-633-7750 or Kelley@Fearless-Selling.ca. Here’s a quick video of a partial presentation: http://bit.ly/ef5P5l
B2B, B2C, Motivation, Sales Success, Successtags: articles, referrals, road warrior, sales hunters, sales presentations, what drives you, what motivates you
Feb
10
It’s no secret that selling is a challenging career especially if you are a road warrior.
To outsiders, life on the road often looks glamorous; driving across the state/province, racking up frequent flyer miles by flying to different cities, staying in hotels, dining on the corporate American Express, and spend your time networking, talking and meeting with people.
Yeah, right. (I trust you caught the sarcasm there…)
Road warriors know that the glamor of business travel wears thin pretty quickly.
Dealing with airport security, waiting in endless lineups, being away from family, sleeping in unfamiliar beds, and eating restaurant food for days on end can take its toll on sales people.
However, successful sales people have something that drives them. Something that keeps them going day after day. Something that helps them get past the less-than-enjoyable aspects of sales and sales travel.
For some people it’s the lure of the big deal; the thrill of the hunt. For others, it’s having a love of the product or technology while other people enjoy the challenges of selling and converting disinterested prospects into long-term customers or clients.
Personally, I love the freedom and flexibility. Of course, being self-employed means I don’t report to anyone or have a boss breathing down my back. However, I also know from experience that if I don’t work hard enough my sales will drop.
But that’s not what drives me.
What REALLY motivates me and gets my juices flowing is the opportunity to make a difference. To influence others and help them close more sales, earn more money and become more successful.
That what drives me to get up every morning to network, deliver presentations, make calls, ask for referrals, write articles for magazines and other blogs, and to post something here everyday.
So, what drives you?
What keeps you in the game?
What motivates you to get up, get out, and sell every day?
A couple of weeks ago I mentioned that my wife and I have visited several different wineries and that our experience at property varied, usually because of the interaction we had with the employees of those wineries. Since then we have visited more wineries as part of a client project. We encountered a variety of experiences and as a result we will recommend many different wineries to our friends and family.
Unfortunately, many businesses forget that people talk and they love to share their experiences. Whether it’s a great dinner at a restaurant or finding a good mechanic or a travel agent who takes the time to help you plan a vacation; if a person has had a great experience, they are more likely to refer that company to the people they know.
That’s the focus of this blog post: becoming more referable.
Referrals are one of the best ways to generate new sales. Here are five ways you can become more referable.
You can effectively articulate what you do. I have met numerous people at networking events who have failed to help me understand exactly what they do. To become referable you MUST be able to clearly state your value proposition.
You can describe your ideal client. At a recent networking meeting, I was asked what type of companies I work with. My answer was somewhat vague because I work with a wide range of organizations. In hindsight, it would have more effective for me to state who my ideal client is instead of listing the different industries I have worked with.
You refer people to others. One of the best ways to become more referable is to refer business to others. When you meet people, look for ways to connect people in your network to those individuals. When you refer business, you generate business.
You acknowledge the referrer. I have recommended other trainers and speakers to people and even though those individuals secured business because of that referral, I haven’t always received thanks for that referral.
You consistently execute. Whether you sell a product or service, people want to know that you can deliver what you say you will. That means offering value or creating an experience that meets or exceeds your customers’ expectations.
The more referable you you become, the more likely someone will actual send potential business leads to you.
Your ideal client are those “suspects” you target, not prospects
To be successful in sales, you must not just understand the selling process, you also must know where you are in the process at all times.
In no area is this more important than realizing who is your ideal client.
Too often top salespeople and managers make the mistake of “customizing” their ideal client depending on the situation. Much like the initial benefit statement, there is no customization. The reason is that delivering your ideal client refers to how you target “suspects” – not “prospects.”
What is the difference? With suspects, you don’t know what you don’t know- or simply you don’t know with who you are speaking- so how can you customize it?
suspects become prospects, prospects become hot prospects, and hot prospects become clients.
Of course, you will have customers (who are first prospects) beyond your ideal client. But when it comes to deciding which networking events to attend, which companies to cold call or door knock, and who are the best referral sources, knowing your ideal client- as defined per above is critical.
The best way to understand the ideal client is to ask yourself:
1. Can I create a list of potential clients by typing in criteria on the Internet – or speaking to the receptionist?
2. Can a referral source send me prospects without talking to others?
For instance, TBN Sales Solutions idea client is as such:
a. Company with between 10 and 100 salespeople
b. Company with between 50 and 1,000 employees
c. Revenues between $1 million and $100 million
d. Company has multiple locations
e. There is no director of training
f. There is a VP of Sales
d. Salespeople have had formalized training, but not in the past 10 years
(info can be answered by receptionist)
e. Outside salespeople (same as above)
f. Salespeople have salary plus incentive to surpass $100,000 (same as above)
g. Salespeople compensation part “farming” and hunting (same as above)
Exercise:
1. Look at your 10 best clients (or your company’s clients)
2. Write down 10 distinguishing characteristics of each
3. Narrow to 10 total characteristics (per above definition)
4. Now you know your ideal client
Lastly, your ideal client is that whose characteristics you – or a potential referral source – can discover without talking to the decision-maker.
Check out Todd’s website
here.
