In my presentation on Executing Smart Prospecting, I spoke on why Prospecting must be a hill to die on.  I also spoke on why most don’t prospect.  This is where I want to focus, because for too many – this is a stumbling block even for inside outbound phone sales people. Here are the 4 main reasons why call reluctance is crippling sales production:

1- Fear

2- Complacency

3- Laziness

4- No Time

Fear

The majority of call reluctance is a result of fear of rejection.  ”What if I get hung up on?”  ”What if I find out they chose another company?”  ”What if they say no?”  Sound familiar?  Which one holds you back from picking up the phone?  Here are some quick remedies and perspectives to combat this.  First of all, you are not in the game for the “no’s,” you are in the game for the “yes”.  You will receive way more no’s than yes’s so each “no” is one more “no” closer to the next “yes”.  Post this above your phone:  Some will, some won’t, so what who’s next?  The next time someone hangs up on you – say “Next!” and pick up the phone and make the next dial.

Fear of failure creeps in and gets us off the phone.  Some perceive “no” as failure.  Again- it is part of the process.  If you are afraid of mishandling a call or objection- the answer is to utilize and memorize your scripts and role play/rehearse before dialing.

Complacency

One problem in a strong market is the misconception that business is good.  When you are riding the tide of the market and only processing incoming business, you are losing more than you are taking in.  Your more assertive competitors are slowly eroding your base.  The strong market is giving you a false sense of security and because of complacency more fail in strong markets than weak ones.  Strong markets can change overnight and complacent performers are the first casualties.

Laziness

Prospecting is perceived as hard work to those who lack focus and discipline.  The herd always takes the path of least resistance.  In our instant gratification and pain avoidance society we are always looking for a magic pill- that is why too many overspend on lead generation. We will experience pain; either the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.  Top performers choose the former and that is why 5% do over 85% of the business.

No Time

Some well meaning and understandably “busy” producers may say or think they have no time and that they cannot process any more sales.  This is a problem- max capacity has been reached and a lid is on your business.  The solution is either time management disciplines or additional support.  We always find or make time for the most important activities in our day.  Top performers always make “Prospecting” a priority and even on the busiest days make sure some outbound prospecting is taking place.

The first step to overcoming call reluctance is to identify where you are letting yourself off the hook.  To determine if any reluctance resides within, take a few minutes to complete our Call Reluctance Survey

Also- order our Executing Smart Prospecting Tool CD to make sure you have your plan- database management system and scripts to execute properly.

“OK coach, what are you talking about?”

Think about all the ads you hear, see or read; the sales people who accost you in the stores you frequent and the various calls that come in at the most in opportune times. We are constantly bombarded with facts and figures, details, features and even prognostication about whatever the purveyor is concerned about.

The challenge is sifting through the chaff to get to the wheat. When we immediately start presenting all of the features about whatever we’re selling, we turn people off.

The same goes for those who are looking to hire or recruit business associates or independent contractors to join our teams. It matters not a whit what the venture is from Startup Company to network marketing venture, independent sales rep or corporate executive each of these potential partners wants to know what’s in it for them. Will they be looked at as another number or will they be a key cog in the success of the company.

A mentor of mine once said “Never throw a life preserver to someone standing in ankle deep water.” Our job is not to convince people we are right. Our purpose is to show them how what we are offering is going to provide the solution to THEIR problem. This means we must ask questions that will allow us to find out what our customers and potential partners are looking for. We need to dig deep, get to the personal and emotional areas that lead to discovering what’s going on.

So what does this have to do with “Nobody cares?”

It has everything to do with it. Nobody cares until they need to care. Our responsibility is to make them see the need, desire, want that what we are offering will solve. Failing to do so will lead to more frustration and angst.

We thrive in this economic environment when we step outside of the box, quit being order takers and become a professional.

My role as a coach is to facilitate and speed up that transition.

If this is you and you are tired of how this is affecting your performance- before you throw in the towel conceding there is nothing that can be done- I have great news!  You can control and perform in spite of these challenges.

Here are some easy and effective techniques:

1.  Shut your door.  I am not being sarcastic or stating the obvious.  The door is there for a reason.  If there is a lock – use it or put one on.  If you have a door but no lock- hang a do not disturb sign on it.  If it gets violated (and it will) politely ask your intruder to let you get back to them or to send an email.  After a couple of breeches – they will know you mean business and will be “trained”.

2.  Put a note and a calendar stating your availability/open door time.  If you are a manager- you might put a list where people could put their name on and you can call them in order at your “open door time.” In your messages- be cordial and polite in your message.  At the same time, don’t get hung up on what others may say or feel.  You may want to send an email out in advance letting everyone know of your new Open/Closed Door Policy.

3.  Reduce/eliminate your water cooler time.  The time suckers in the office love to congregate there.  If you don’t drink their water you won’t be part of their click anymore.  You might even be called names.  Excellent!  That is exactly what you want.  Whatever you ignore- eventually goes away.  Now- if they are your friends- they should be able to respect your wishes to leave you alone and maybe that will cause them to start doing their job as well.

I know many of you are thinking- that’s great Rich but I don’t have a door let alone an office.   Not to worry- here are some creative things you can do to keep people from interrupting you (especially during high payoff activity times):

• Put up a Stop Sign or Do Not Enter Sign in the entry or in front of your cubicle.  If they violate send them a violation warning.  This can be funny or the brunt of jokes –but the message gets across and the bad habit begins to die off.
• Wear a double ear headset.  This is like putting on draft horse blinders and drowns out the outside noise around you.
• If you are able to change your surroundings such as a private office (based on the increased performance you will realize) or a home office- consider that if it would help your production.

Some of you may have people that just don’t get it.  You close/lock the door or put up a DND sign and they continually push right through the barriers just to waste your time, how do you deal with that?

Try some of these tips or approaches:

“Could you please do me a favor? The next time you see my door shut or sign up- could you honor the fact that I cannot be interrupted?  Thank you, I appreciate that!”

“My barrier (shut door/sign) is there for a reason.  Can you email me or was there nothing important you wanted to discuss?”

You will find your appropriate response.  Everyone can be trained.  The key is your commitment to making your new process stick.  Take control of your circumstance and elevate your focus and discipline to your tasks and business growth activities.  Don’t let anyone or thing get in your way of your progress and success.

• The Complacent Performer Camp
• The Overwhelmed Performer Camp
• The Peak Performer Camp

The Complacent Performer

This one has surprised me the most.  Even after the biggest economic downturn our country has seen since the Great Depression, too many performers are running to Camp Complacency.  Think back to the hay days of 2005-06 where for many it was ducks on a pond. Business was coming in at an exponential rate. Any order taker could make a killing if they were positioned right.  What happened for too many was discipline went out the window and complacency and a false sense of security set in.

Ironically, history is repeating itself and way too early.  There is a false sense of security setting in that suggests no need for the disciplines and fundamentals.  Time blocking, business development and certainly prospecting are not needed because there is plenty of incoming to process.  A slight increase and optimism in the market and I am hearing red flag statements such as:

“Business is picking up, I am good.”

“We are hitting the busy season –I’ve got plenty of business – I will pick up on the disciplines in the fall.”

“I am way too busy and couldn’t process any more business if I wanted to.”

My response to this dangerous mindset is several points.  First of all, it is too early to call this a full blown recovery.  The signs are very encouraging and we have good reason to be hopeful.  However, our recent economic resurgences have only come in blocks of a few months not years.  Secondly, with all the attrition this economy delivered, the competitors maybe fewer in number but fiercer as a force to be reckoned with.  This is a good thing as competition makes us better.  However, your opponent is sharper and tighter than ever- which means you need to be as well.  Third, good isn’t good enough. Good is the enemy of Great.  We need to keep Insanely Great as our only goal because that is what your competition is focusing on.  Fourth, abandoning the key disciplines and fundamentals is setting you up for a drop in revenue once you are done processing the incoming low hanging fruit.  The Peak Performers never let this happen (see below) and for that reason always lead the pack.

The Overwhelmed Performer

Now that business is picking up steam and as a result of implemented disciplines and fundamentals-they are way up from last year, The Overwhelmed Performer suddenly finds themselves staring at more business than they can process or deliver.  Perhaps they had to cut back on previous support staff in the lean times (understandably) or in general cut expenses to the point where they may be hamstrung to now perform in a timely manner.  My advice in general would be to:

• Stick with your disciplines.  Time blocking/managing and prioritizing your day and activities are more crucial now than ever.
• Keep prospecting time aside on your calendar.  Even though you may have to put a temporary hold or scale back- commit to putting time in to secure business in the future.  This will build your pending file and allow you to more confidently bring back your support layers so you can position yourself for more growth.
• Under promise/Over deliver.  At this point you are better to stop prospecting (short term- very temporarily) to make sure you can follow through as you say you can.  You need to build sustainable growth and keeping customers happy for future repeat/referral business is absolutely necessary.
• Build in margins.  We all have to make the bed we sleep in.  We say “yes” to everything – over book ourselves to a calendar we can’t keep and wonder why we are so stressed and our clients are angry at us. Take personal responsibility – book and commit yourself to that which you can keep.  Look at what you have on your plate and determine the order of priority –see what could be delayed- revisit what you can delegate.  Plan your work and work your plan.
• Commit to your Big 4.  Determine your 4 highest payoff activities. Schedule time to do them daily and do not compromise those activities or that time no matter what.  Start working to delegate the remaining low pay off activities as soon as you can responsibly do so.

The Peak Performer

The Peak Performer Camp is the one to be in.  The energy and optimism is high.  Business is moving forward at an impressive rate.  There is no let up on the key disciplines and fundamentals.  In fact it is just the opposite.  The Peak Performers are putting a greater emphasis now more than ever because they know this is the key to success.  Staying committed to the specific goals and plans set and reviewing-adjusting the goals are still happening.  Controlling time, clients and others expectations are never compromised.  They are scheduling Prospecting and Business Development time daily and don’t deviate from working on 3-6-12 months from now-everyday.  Here are examples from some of my Peak Performing Clients:

• Prospecting even in the strongest market.  In May I will be traveling to the strongest economic market in North America doing a combination of onsite activities with some Peak Performing Clients including a Mastermind meeting and face to face one on one sessions.  My client’s broker (Real Estate) is a classic example of a Peak Performer (very successful proactive etc).  He has had me speak on various topics for a group presentation in the past and when I asked him this time what he wanted me to speak on, he said “Prospecting.”  He knows the Achilles heel of too many of his agents is complacency, being too comfortable and taking the market for granted.
• Tightening the sales process even when sales are way up.  I have a client who owns a very successful high end window covering business. He dominates the market- is always working on himself and improving his business- implementing Good to Great practices etc.  He is aggressively advertising – opening new markets and it is paying off.  This year he is up 90% from last year.  In 2011 he was up over 10% from the year before.  He had me come in to his office for onsite training with his team to refine their Prequalifying skills.  “We’re presenting too much-putting out too many bids and not closing as many sales as we should” my client emphatically stated to his team.  After I made some of the team players a bit uncomfortable with the prequalifying steps that were missing in their approach, my client reaffirmed and said  “We need to be comfortable with being uncomfortable.”  He was challenging his players to up their game even when business was going through the roof.
• Commitment to continual self improvement.  I am working with a prospect who I hope to be doing business with very soon.  His company is #1 in our state (Oregon) in his industry in both transactions and volume.  He is killing it in the market.  His strategic plan is to triple his business by next year.  From what he told me – I believe he has a very good chance to make it.  What is most telling about his key to success is his commitment to continual self improvement and training.  He knows the value and wants his team to have the best available training and coaching as well.  Unfortunately, too many on his team do not have the same interest, discipline or drive to do better.  I guess that’s why they work for him- why his name is on the sign and why he makes money off of the business they generate.

Make sure you end up in the Peak Performer camp and never leave.  Don’t let complacency set in (ever).  Don’t get too comfortable.  Commit to yourself- family and company. Don’t settle for “good enough”- become Insanely Great!

Learn more about the components of someone who runs at Peak Performance

Contact us today if you want to move into Peak Performance and out of Complacency and Overwhelmed.

The best way to become a master of building instant rapport is to model the behavior style of the High Influencer – Steady (I/S) or Relaters.  The behavior traits of a Relater include extrovert or introvert; relational, warm, outgoing, friendly and non-threatening (see Behavior Style Selling).

Once you have spent some time getting acquainted with your prospect, it is important to blend your style with theirs.  Until then, it is best to style your initial approach after an I or I/S.  Remember that the prospect is trying to determine whether you are:

• Honest
• Trustworthy
• Ethical
• Genuine
• Aggressive
• Pushy
• Too passive
• Caring
• Competent
• Knowledgeable
• Threatening
• A good listener
• Sincere
• Pleasant to do business with
• Interested in helping them
• Out to make a fast buck

With that in mind, within a few seconds of the initial contact with your prospect, you must convey that you are:

• Honest, Sincere
• Trustworthy, Ethical
• Competent, Hard Working
• Non-Threatening
• Caring
• Putting their needs first

How do you accomplish all of that in such a short time?  Demonstrate those values with your attitude, words and actions.  In general, consumers still perceive salespeople as lacking integrity, and are wary of any that exhibit aggressive, self-serving and dishonest behavior.

The good news is that if you are an honest, ethical, morally sound person, you are way ahead of the game.  If you take the first step to convey your values in a credible way, you’ll separate yourself from and eliminate 90% of your competition.

Last Week’s Blog

My focus today is to take on The Art of Overcoming Objections.  Just like any other challenge or obstacle you have faced and overcome in the past- there are some simple yet effective strategies and approaches to overcoming objections.

• Validate their concern

The last thing you ever want to do with your client is to argue, disagree or arm wrestle them.  You must maintain calm, patient and stay in control of your emotions.  Never get angry.  Instead of disagreeing or discounting what the prospect says, agree in your response that you understand what they said.  There are many ways to do that. A great approach is Feel-Felt-Found.

“I understand how you feel, others have felt the same way and what they found……..”

Remember to always use “and” and never use “but”…The word “but” invalidates the concern.

• Ask open ended questions

Always ask questions that require an answer other than yes or no.  (The exception is when all objections are removed and it’s time to ask for the sale.  That will be addressed in the closing portion of this section.)

Objection Example:    “I am comparing against three or four of your competitors.”

Question Example:    “Which of my competitors are you comparing against?”

Get the prospect to talk and give you all the information you need to satisfy them.

• Practice Active Listening

Most sales people lose a sale because they talked too much and didn’t listen enough.  Practicing active listening forces you to listen because you must repeat back what you heard.  It keeps validating to them your concern to meet their need the right way and most of all that you are listening.

• Identify, isolate and overcome

The core skill necessary to overcome objections is in identifying, isolating and then overcoming the objection.  Too often sales people never get to the bottom line objection.  They get an objection or stall, make one feeble attempt to overcome, fail and let the prospect go.  When you successfully learn how to identify and isolate your objections, overcoming them becomes an easy process.

Identify: “What is your hesitation about moving forward today?”

Isolate:  “Is that your only concern or is there anything else?”

Overcome:  “If I could satisfy your concerns could I earn your business today?”

Contact Us Today and ask for a Free 30 minute consultation with one of our expert Sales Coaches to help you with any key objections that are keeping you from closing the sale.

There are some simple keys to moving from victim to victor and become a Master Objection handler. Step one is to understand what an objection is. Next- we need to overcome the fear of receiving objections. We help our clients actually embrace and welcome them because they are more than ready for them and know that for each objection mastered- they are that much closer to a pay check.

Objections and Conditions

Often a salesperson will confuse objections and conditions. If handled correctly an objection can be overcome and result in a sale or continue moving forward in the sales process. Conditions, however, are barriers and problems that cannot be overcome. Financial inability for one can be a condition. The prospect just doesn’t have enough money available or the qualifications necessary to acquire financing to secure your product.

By definition, an objection is a statement by your prospect that they want to know more information. The prospect is not saying no to you, rather if you can solve or handle whatever their request is or answer their question to where you satisfy and solve their need or problem. If you have effectively overcome their objection, you will close the transaction and win the sale.

A condition is a valid reason the prospect has that prevents them from moving forward. It is a total block to the sale that must be accepted by the sales rep. Conditions should be weeded out at the prequalifying stage. A master objection handler will walk away from conditions and not overspend in time, effort and energy trying to overcome the condition. They know a condition cannot be overcome.

Overcoming the Fear of Receiving Objections

Some sales reps cringe at the word “objection”. Their palms get sweaty just thinking about the “O” word. If that describes you and if you would like to change and become a master objection handler then you need to follow the guidelines below. A master objection handler is not only ready to overcome an objection but eagerly anticipates them.

Guidelines for Overcoming Fear or Receiving Objections

1. Objections are not “no”, just a request for more information or clarification.
2. If prepared in advance, objections can be easily overcome.
3. If you successfully overcome an objection, you are one step closer to a sale.
4. If you don’t master objection handling, many sales will be lost as a result.

Preparing in Advance for Objections

Every industry/product/service has objections unique to them and there are common objections that transcend or cross over many or all professions. For example: “I want to think it over” is common to every rep. “Your price is high” is another common objection. The point is you probably know by heart the ten or so most common objections you will encounter in your sales cycle. The question is have you or your company taken the time to review each objection and come up with a strategic response that will allow you to prepare in advance and successfully overcome the objection each time it arises?

In my next blog I will discuss the best techniques to overcoming objections. Please contact us today if you want to learn more about how to master objections and win more sales.

Please contact me today.

After you receive objection upon objection and the typical stalls like: “I need to think about it” or “This is more than I have budgeted” or “I am going to stick with my current provider” or “I need to run this by my spouse/partner”; discouragement and self pity take over and you begin searching the depleted want ads looking for a JOB figuring minimum wage is better than all the wasted time with no check on the back end.

Before you throw in the towel and blame the prospect for “wasting your time” or begin feeling sorry for yourself- let’s examine the scenario.  First of all, when a sale fails- it is your fault – not your prospect’s fault.  Second, tenacious follow up is admirable and a necessary component for sales success- but does not guarantee a sale.  Third- we miss sales because we miss steps and usually have a marginal if any sales process to follow.

Before we can diagnose what caused the death of this sale and why the present failed we need to review the process.  The key steps in the sales process are:

1-      Building Instant Rapport: at the Initial Call in 10 seconds or less
2-      Prequalifying:  hard to sell easy- asking key questions about the
Individual/Company, Need/Pain, Interest/Desire, Motivation and Ability
3-      Delivering a Dynamic 6 Step Presentation: with key mini bridge closing questions
that lead to the ultimate-“Yes”
4-      Mastering Objections: getting to the bottom line objection
5-      Closing and winning the Sale

Since you were able to set a presentation- my guess is you built enough rapport and value with your follow up to earn the right to take your prospects time.  Unfortunately- sometimes that time is given just to get the chance to say “no” to you so you will go away.  In this case – the sale began to fail at the prequel.  Typically- we don’t ask enough
questions or the tough questions to determine if this person qualifies to take your time. (That’s right!- You need to talk to more people to say no to more people- this puts you in a position of abundance!) Asking key questions on ability- or interest in doing business with you- how deep their relationship is with their current provider could have determined whether taking the extra time to present would generate a sale.  Or if those objections could be handled in the prequel – or better yet addressed in the presentation; either way you are increasing the likelihood of a conversion.  It is imperative prior to presenting that you know your prospect has: problems you can solve, an interest in solving them, the motivation to solve them now, and the ability to invest in them self.  Presenting to all key decision makers and getting an “up front contract” prior to the presentation increases the likelihood the sale is yours.

The other reason this sale failed at the present is you failed to deliver a 6 step dynamic presentation that led to the ultimate “Yes.”  Here’s what I mean by a 6 step dynamic presentation:

1-      INFORM
2-      EDUCATE
3-      INSPIRE
4-      COMPARE
5-      PERSUADE
6-      MOTIVATE

Inserting the key mini- bridge closing questions between each step identifies all objections and allows you to handle them all prior to the sales ask.  The goal of the 6 step dynamic presentation is:

 ·Deliver key content in the right order
 ·Build value
 ·Offset commodity consumer mindset
 ·Address all objections before the final ask
 ·Show you are the right company/rep
 ·Eliminate your competition
 ·Remove all risk to the prospect
 ·Lead to the ultimate “Yes”.

If you followed these steps, you either would have flushed out the objections/conditions at the pre-qual and didn’t set the present (saved time) or would have addressed and overcome by being better prepared and delivered appropriately.  If all these steps are
taken and the sale still fails – you either missed a step or mis-managed the objections you encountered.  I will talk about that on the next blog.  If you want to learn more about the specifics within the 6 steps including the key mini bridge questions, simply click on the links below:

6 Steps to Delivering a Dynamic Presentation

Mini Bridge Closing Questions

This chronic curse and poisonous well that too many draw from is over spending in lead generation products.  I am not saying all lead generation products and services are bad or unnecessary.  But for a vast majority- it is perceived as an easy way to grow business and eliminate the dreaded discipline of daily prospecting.  Let’s face it- the more incoming leads you have to work with could mean an increase in business. 

The real issue is lead conversion.  What happens once you are in front of your lead is more important than getting a lead in front of you.  The bottom line is leads are all around you- waiting for you to intentionally reach out to them with a valid reason for your call.  The best news is – these leads cost you nothing. 

Once in front of them, you need to effectively:

• Build Instant Rapport in 10 seconds or less
• Prequalify hard to sell easy
• Deliver a 6 step Dynamic presentation that leads to the ultimate conclusion (Yes!)
• Master any objections you may encounter
• Close the sale

This is your sales process.  Having a bullet proof sales process you take your prospect through once you are in front of them dramatically increases your conversion ratios.  If your process is not in place – contact us today so you can learn more about how we can get your ratios up immediately.

Core Selling Skills Overview Video

Hey Tim, why are you asking this?  Great question, here’s why.

Right now is the perfect time to reflect on 2011 and be proactive for ’12.  And, to help you with this here’s a SMART approach to get you moving.  So relax, go to a quiet place, grab your favorite beverage, and reflect on what’s happened as you plan your future.

Are you ready?  Good!!

S = SPECIFIC.  Once you’ve determined how you did this year, let’s layout your goals for 2012.  This will be 3-5 specific goals that you will accomplish.  What will your income be?  How big of an organization will you have?  What will you do with your family?  You get the idea.  What’s important to YOU?  The more specific you are the better you’ll see your objective. 

M = MEASURABLE.   This is where the rubber meets the road.  It’s not enough to say “I want to make more money.” How much will you make? Each goal must be quantifiable.  When you look at your goal(s), how will you know if you’re moving in the right direction or have achieved it?  Take a look at where you are at now and where you want to end next year at.  The difference between the two is the GAP that must be bridged.  Knowing what that is will allow us to work together and know what to do.

A = ACTION.  What are the actions steps needed to accomplish these goals?  Do you know what to do?  ARE WE ON TRACK IN ASSISTING YOU ATTAINING YOUR GOALS AND MOVING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION OR DO WE NEED TO RAMP IT UP?  Is there anyone else that you need to get support from?  What are you willing to sacrifice or set aside on a temporary basis to allow you to accomplish these actions?

R = REASON.  First, let’s visualize it’s December 31^s 2012 and we are celebrating your victories because you’ve successfully achieved every goal you’ve set.  HOW DO YOU FEEL? Write that feeling out.  Make it so vivid that you can SEE, FEEL, HEAR, TASTE and SMELL IT.  This is awesome.  Make it that way.

Second, it’s December 31^st 2012 and you haven’t fulfilled any of your goals – OUCH.  Write out how you’d feel.  Are you OK with that?

T – TIMELINE.  Now, layout your timeline for accomplishing each goal.  Break this down by quarter, month, week and day.  This will act as your roadmap on your 2012 journey to keep you focused and on track.  And, it will allow me to assist you in maintaining that focus.

Once you’ve finished this exercise then what?  File it away? NO!!  First, put it where you can see it everyday. Carry your goals with you, share them only with those who will support your effort and encourage your success.  Send a copy to your mentor/coach.   This will allow us to be constantly checking each area so by next December we’ll be toasting your accomplishments.

My desire for you is that you have a most blessed Christmas and Holiday season and that 2012 will be your best year ever.

Be Awesome,

Coach Tim