A strong sales rep. begins by gaining an understanding of their prosects needs, what pains they have, and how those problems are affecting them.  Then the sales rep. creates a customized solution or shows how their ”out of the box” solutions will those their needs.  

Sales reps. must convince the prospect that their solution will solve the prospect’s problems and address their needs. Once the sales rep can demonstrate how the prospect will “win” by using their company, the sales rep to create a new ”win” or a new sale.   In sales, we must focus on creating win-win situation.

Mondays have been very rough for me lately.  Here is a quick history of my Mondays:

• Monday 1 - computer issues.   Being a small business owner with limited support, I was forced to resolve the computer problems alone - without the assistance of an IT department.
• Monday 2 - chair issues.  My office chair lost it seal, so the height of the chair was not adjustable.  I was going to ”tough it out” for the day.  However; by 8 am I was frustrated and was forced to make an emergency trip to the office store.   I beckoned the maintenance department, but they never came.  (Of course, there is no such department here.)  
• Monday 3 - no electricity until 10 am after a transformer went out.  

One thing I have learned is to “not sweat the small stuff”.  In the end, the three tragic Mondays (hope you caught the sarcasm) did not affect business.  In sales, we find that there are obstacles - both big and small - but we have to get through the obstacles and jump right back into business.   I had to put things into perspective and had to resume my sales activities.

I can only wonder what next Monday brings for me!

Wow!  I just love receiving telemarketing calls.  I would guess that I am clearly in the minority; but for me, it is always an opportunity to study their sales style and learn something.  Last Friday, I received a call for “the owner”.  The telemarketer and I bantered back and forth as I tried to learn who I was talking to and as she tried to reach “the owner” without revealing too much.  Finally, I grew frustrated when she did not provide concise answers to my questions and blurted out “we are not interested”.

At that point, she completely caught me off guard, by asking if my name was Melissa.  I replied yes.  Then she wanted to confirm that I was the owner of the company.   The tone of this particular call might have been different if she would have asked to speak with me by name rather than asking for the owner (which is so impersonal).

I would guess that she had not read an article in our eBook titled “Utilizing Contact Information”.   The telemarketer failed to use the information that she evidently had at her fingertips and lost the opportunity to persuade me to talk further.

So as you are making sales calls, always use the information you have to your advantage.  Ask for contacts by their first name - rather than by their title.

Wow!  The amount of economic news is overwhelming right now.  Stock market plunged and the credit market is in trouble.   I have talked to many business owners that are placing marketing efforts on hold and taking a “wait and see” approach.   While I understand their hesitation, I also know that “When the going gets tough, the tough get going”.  

Depending on your business and industry, now might be the time to engage in stronger marketing tactics.  We have worked diligently all summer long on business growth and are hoping those efforts pay off in the long run.  Those same efforts may not contribute to growth, but those efforts will hopefully allow us to maintain.

If your business wants to maintain, you may have to get more aggressive in marketing.  You may need to change your presentation to focus on financial savings and related aspects.   NOW is the time to increase marketing efforts - rather than the time to pull back and risk losing business!

By taking the correct baby steps towards new sales, you will be able to make major strides towards growing your business:

Know your footprint – Know what market your company best serves in terms of geographic, company size, and type of business.

Best foot forward – Make certain that your initial approach makes a strong impression.  Create strong marketing materials that present your company well.

One step at a time – Never expect or demand a one call close.  Start by introducing your services, educating your prospect, and then at some point, a mutual agreement to move forward.

Adjust your pace – Work with your prospect’s timeline.  Your prospect will tell you if you need to saunter, trot, or sprint.

Jump in with both feet – Once you seal the deal, be ready to meet their needs and demands.  The sales process may be over, but the tough part can often be keeping those new clients happy.

Remember – making major strides towards new sales begins with strategic baby steps.

When I was in college, I tried to start my first business; but quickly realized that sales is a tough game.  After days of making new contacts (in person and over the phone), I was disheartened and disappointed with the lack of results.   When I turned to my dad for support, he said “A good salesman gets kicked out of at least three places each day!”.  In fact, I remember hearing this phrase from my dad since early childhood. 

Now - I have come to understand this phrase really does have meaning.  If a salesman makes no effort, he is never rejected.    Even a good salesman must have rejection in order to achieve success.

In our case, we are reaching out via phone - rather than in person.  In order to obtain success and new leads, we must suffer through rejection.   However, if we bring forth strong sales skills and a needed product/service to the right target market; we will find success.

Rejection is part of the sales game and after X number of rejections, you are closer to a victory.  Never let rejection stand in the way of your success.

Sales is rarely a one-time one-call close.   It is a process because it takes time to develop a relationship with a business prospect.    Durable business relationships are built upon trust and credibility and that could take weeks or months to establish..  

In working through my sales and follow up calls this morning, I found that several people were apologetic because they were not ready to sign a contract or move forward right now.   I am always surprised by that, but yet it seems to happen so frequently.  

Over time, we must prove to be the right company with the right service.   Our future clients must know that they are making the right decision at the right time for their business.

We (as sales professionals) simply cannot rush them into making a decision, but must be patient.  Once all the factors are in alignment, we can move forward with a business relationship.  So in the meantime, never apologize for making certain all four right factors are in alignment and never put your prospects in the position of apologizing for not being ready.  

A true seasoned sales professional will never rush your decision and will wait for all factors to be right before moving ahead.   Remember - it takes four right corners to have a sales home run!

Hello all!

I received a telemarketing call this morning.  They were trying to help us with “all our copying needs”.  From the moment the caller introduced herself, I instinctively knew it was a sales call and quite simply did not want to converse.  How did I know it was a sales call?   Every word sounded like it was read from a script that she had repeated 1,000 times. 

This morning, I knew that I was one of a hundred people that she was to call today and instantly the door was closed to her.   If she would have approached the call differently, I might have been more open or apt to listen.  The caller lacked that personality and personableness that I have come to expect when selecting vendors.

Too often, we as salespeople, are so accustomed to using the same pitch time after time.   We forget that we have personalities that needs to come through - whether we are on the phone or greeting our prospects in person.  Our personalities enhances our sales and our presentation and we must use that each and every day with each and every prospect that we encounter!