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Friday, May 15, 2020
Jeffrey Gitomerhttps://www.gitomer.comIncrease Your SalesTue, 10 Mar 2020 10:39:52 +0000en-UShourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.4.1- Memorable Customer Service …Where’s the Washcloth?https://www.gitomer.com/memorable-customer-service-wheres-the-washcloth-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=memorable-customer-service-wheres-the-washcloth-2Tue, 17 Mar 2020 10:35:10 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7350Two true stories from the travels of a weary sales trainer. I flew to Hawaii last spring. First time. Seven hours in the plane makes a person a weary traveler. I was met at the airport by my host, and given the traditional lei (necklace of flowers). Fantasy fulfilled. Gritty from the plane ride, I enter the lobby of the ...
The post Memorable Customer Service …Where’s the Washcloth? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Two true stories from the travels of a weary sales trainer.I flew to Hawaii last spring. First time. Seven hours in the plane makes a person a weary traveler. I was met at the airport by my host, and given the traditional lei (necklace of flowers). Fantasy fulfilled. Gritty from the plane ride, I enter the lobby of the Hawaii Prince Hotel walk over to the desk someone smiles at me says “aloha!”, and gives me a hot steamed, moist washcloth ah! Just the refreshment and revitalization I needed. WOW, what a great way to greet a customer, what a welcome! How do you greet your customer? Other than the price of the room, the lobby, and a few nicknacks in the room very little separates hotel rooms. A hot washcloth stopped me in my tracks. It was a surprise an unexpected moment of pleasure something small that separated the Hawaii Prince from all other (hundreds of) hotels I stayed in. What separates you from your competition? What made it memorable? It was such a small thing. But every time I check into a hotel I’m looking for the washcloth and disappointed when it doesn’t show up. Where’s the washcloth in your business? What standards are you setting? What makes people talk about you? What makes people look forward to doing business with you? What makes people tell others about your business? like I’m telling you about the Hawaii Prince Hotel. The British Air flight from Budapest was delayed two hours by fog in London. We’re already locked on the plane on the runway. Trapped like rats. Usually I’m so mad, I can’t see straight. But today was different. The crew was not American. It was British. The cabin crew supervisor (in Britain, the title is “Cabin Service Director”) Tony Adams grabbed the microphone and said, “There’s nothing we can do about the fog, but we can eat!” The crew was delightful. Serving everyone real food with fresh brewed coffee and tea. Everyone is full and we finally take off. About an hour into the flight, Tony Adams, announces “A bit more bad news, I’m afraid, it seems the fog has lifted, but the air traffic has backed things up another hour. For those of you making transfers don’t worry too much, this plane was supposed to take off for Sweden two minutes ago.” The entire cabin laughed. Five minutes later, Adams is on the loudspeaker again. “To pass the time, we’re going to have a contest. Guess the collective age of the cabin crew and win a prize. And there’s an additional prize if you guess my age exactly.” I was shocked and amused and so were the rest of the 150+ passengers. Fun on the airlines, imagine that. Everyone was talking and having a good time. The crew came through the cabin collecting scraps of paper from the passengers with their calculated guesses. The winner was announced over the loudspeaker. WOW! I was one of three winners who guessed his age “spot on” 46. Cool. My prize was nice, but not as nice as the feeling. “Are we strapped in and ready for landing, Sir?” The delightful flight attendant said in a jovial voice with her classic British accent. “It’s about that time.” She said happily. For the first time in 500 flights, I couldn’t wait to get my belt on. Tony comes on the microphone as we fly over London and says. “Below us is the House of Parliament, where John Major is temporarily in power.” The entire plane roared. They took a negative (obstacle) 3-hour delay, and turned it into a positive (opportunity) by making everyone extra happy. The good part when you do something out of the ordinary is that it not only creates a memory, it sets a standard. How do you follow it? The better part when you do something out of the ordinary is that it keeps you challenged to improve it each day. The best part when you do something out of the ordinary is that your competition is woefully lacking by comparison. On another British Air Flight, I’m getting ready to get off the plane waiting for the typical insincere, robotic message “have a nice day and thanks for flying ________ (plug in the airline’s name).” Instead, the lively first officer grabs the mike and says “Welcome to Paris. If you’re here for a business meeting, I hope it’s a successful one. If you’re here on holiday, I hope it’s a happy one. If you’re making a transfer, I hope it’s a smooth one. And when you’re flying again, I hope it’s a British Air one.” The people on the plane started to applaud. An unbelievable moment in customer service, the customer clapping for the vendor. When’s the last time your customers applauded you? FREE GitBit… There are three options a customer has to talk about you when the transaction is over. Want to know what they are?Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word OPPORTUNITY in the search box. The post Memorable Customer Service …Where’s the Washcloth? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Prepare for the New Year with Some Old Ideashttps://www.gitomer.com/prepare-for-the-new-year-with-some-old-ideas-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=prepare-for-the-new-year-with-some-old-ideas-2Tue, 10 Mar 2020 10:34:02 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7348I’d like to look at the table of contents from a great book on selling skills… Chapter 1… Begin by Talking Him Learn Your Customer’s Hobbies Personal Likes and Dislikes Base Your Approach on These Then Show Goods. Chapter 2… Use More Ear and Less Tongue Give Your Customer the Center of the Stage The Main Thing Is not to ...
The post Prepare for the New Year with Some Old Ideas appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>I’d like to look at the table of contents from a great book on selling skills…Chapter 1… Begin by Talking Him Learn Your Customer’s Hobbies Personal Likes and Dislikes Base Your Approach on These Then Show Goods. Chapter 2… Use More Ear and Less Tongue Give Your Customer the Center of the Stage The Main Thing Is not to Talk but to Sell. Chapter 3…Put Service before Samples Study Your Customer’s Problems and Needs Try to Help Him to Move His Goods. Chapter 4…Mention Quality before Price You Must Know Your Goods Through and Through Art of Dramatizing a Sale. Chapter 5…Don’t Talk No For a Final Answer Difference Between Making and Taking a Sale Some Examples of Real Salesmanship. Chapter 6…Get Down to the Brass Tacks Quickly Watch for a Chance to Talk Details of Delivery Techniques of Making a Sale. Chapter 7…Build Goodwill for Your Firm Sell You Company As Well As Your Odds How to Earn a Promotion. Chapter 8…Constantly Search for New Markets Make Several Missionary Calls Every Week Don’t Become a JogTrotter Chapter 9…Classify Your Time How to Value the Different Hours of The Day The Best Time to Make a Sale. Chapter 10…Keep Mentally and Physically Fit Vaccinate Yourself Against Worries Your Job Is Not a Routine One It Is All Creative Work. Chapter 11…Have a Stout Heart Be a Bit of a Philosopher Buck Up Your Customers A Tip to Wives and Sales Managers. Chapter 12…Create Welcomes For Yourself Turn Your Customers Into Friends Keep Your Selling on a Personal Basis. Pretty timely information, I’m sure you’ll agree. A book you’ll want to run out and purchase. The title of this book is “Tips for Traveling Salesman” by Herbert Casson and it was written in 1927. WOW! It’s great information that’s been rewritten 50 different ways since then. Why? To get salespeople to act. You see Sales people already know everything the problem is they don’t do it. Here are a couple of examples of knowing everything and not doing it: You know you should prepare for every sales call by doing research on the company and the person you’re meeting with before you make the call. Do you? You know you should listen to recordings an hour a day in your car. But do you? But hey, I’m sure you’re different. You always take the right actions, don’t you? You always implement the right sales strategy, don’t you? You always know what to do in every selling situation, don’t you? You’re constantly improving your professional and personal skills, aren’t you? When the prospect doesn’t buy it’s always his fault not yours, isn’t it? It must be because in 22 years of training salespeople, I’ve never had someone come up to me and say “Jeffrey, I didn’t make the sale, and it was all my fault.” Salespeople always have someone else to blame for their shortcomings. There’s a big difference in knowing something and doing something. It’s the difference between mediocrity and success. The self-discipline to use your knowledge must be employed daily with the self-discipline of patience. The change in your sales skills won’t come overnight, but I promise if you put your knowledge into action every day, and stick with it over time, you will win. And win big. Make the new year’s resolution to gain one new idea or skill each day and put it into practice as soon as you learn it. Gain the patience and the self discipline to implement this wisdom: You don’t get great at sales in a day you get great at sales day by day. FREE GitBit… Want a set of sales proverbs to get you rolling with a flood of new sales? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word Proverbs in the search box. The post Prepare for the New Year with Some Old Ideas appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - How do You Become a Sales Legend? What Does it Cost?https://www.gitomer.com/how-do-you-become-a-sales-legend-what-does-it-cost-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-do-you-become-a-sales-legend-what-does-it-cost-2Tue, 03 Mar 2020 10:16:03 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7342Authors note: Glenn Turner is my sales hero, guru, and champion all in one. In 1972 through his tapes, movies and books, Glenn Turner taught me how to sell, and the principles of achieving and maintaining a positive mental attitude. Yes, there were others (Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Earl Nightingale, Bill Gove, J. Douglas Edwards to name a few), but ...
The post How do You Become a Sales Legend? What Does it Cost? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Authors note: Glenn Turner is my sales hero, guru, and champion all in one. In 1972 through his tapes, movies and books, Glenn Turner taught me how to sell, and the principles of achieving and maintaining a positive mental attitude. Yes, there were others (Napoleon Hill, Dale Carnegie, Earl Nightingale, Bill Gove, J. Douglas Edwards to name a few), but none like Glenn. I had never met him, only heard his tapes and watched his movies until last April. Twenty three years after I took his first lessons: What a rush. The following interview is compiled from several meetings. I have eliminated my questions from this writing, and am letting his answers form a story. I hope you enjoy it, and use the message to achieve as I did.Who is Glenn Turner? Glenn W. Turner is the king of network marketing. A sharecropper’s son, with an 8th grade education and a harelip (cleft palate), he turned a $5,000 (in 1967) investment into 300,000,000 (three hundred million) in five years. How did he do it? By having a great idea, and believing in himself. He thought he could. Turner created a company, developed a self-belief system that could not be penetrated, and then taught others what he knew to be true through the medium of network marketing. As an originator, you pay a price for blazing a trail. Network marketing is a household concept today, but back in the 70’s, it had the same stigma as “franchising” network marketing was known as “pyramiding.” And the strong arm of the law was reaching out to hammer Turner at every turn. “Many things led to civil actions against me,” said Turner as he gazed off reflecting on his lost empire. “Political pressures, bad press, jealous people, parents envious of their children making $20,000 a month, lawyers wanting more work if I told you some of the stories, you would tell me I should write a book well I did, and you can buy one today.” “Jeffrey, I tried to contact government officials about how to run my businesses legally, they said ask your lawyer. I just wanted someone to tell me what I could and could not do.” said Turner. “They would never tell me what the rules were partly because they didn’t know them, and partly because they had no laws to govern network marketing, specifically. They didn’t like me because I was too fast and too good. Government officials feared me. I was making millions and they were making thousands.” “In Washington, DC, 17 policemen joined me full time in my business, the police chief got mad, and had a “cease-and-desist” order issued on me. By the time I won in court, his people had to go back to work but they made more money in a week with me than they made in a year on the job and they didn’t get shot at once. (I got shot at by their boss.)” “In five years I received 1,800 awards including two honorary doctorate degrees, and had 1,100 civil lawsuits filed against me and my 78 companies. The way I look at it is you subtract the lawsuits from the awards, and I’m still 700 ahead of the game.” (That’s attitude.) “In those days it was who you knew, and I didn’t know anyone important. I was naive. I figured it was America, everyone was equal. I believed my teacher that we were in the land of the free. I was wrong. I was in the land of ‘pay to be free’.” “I spent millions carving legal pathways. Network marketing companies like Amway, NSA, Quorum, Herbalife, and Mary Kay are all legally operating today because Glenn Turner blazed a trail in the 60’s and 70’s, and took a fall in the 70’s and 80’s.” (Turner took a 300 million dollar fall.) “In my new book, Turner, Turner, Turner The King of Network Marketing, I’m able to tell details of what happened to me, and how those events shaped the network marketing industry as we know it today.” “When Dare to Be Great (Turner’s company) was hot, I was so real, I was unreal. I waved my harelip like it was a wand. I recruited thousands of people with no videos, conference calls or credit cards.” “My success was training people to believe in themselves and their dreams first, and then providing a path of encouragement for them to achieve. My greatest secret was me. I wiped away their excuses. If a sharecropper with an 8th grade education and a harelip could make a few million, anyone could.” End of part one. Clip and save. Part two will be here next week. FREE GitBit… Glenn Turner’s 10 rules for taking control of your mind. ? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word GLENN TURNER in the search box. The post How do You Become a Sales Legend? What Does it Cost? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Sales 101.5 – Just Plain “How to Make a Sale”https://www.gitomer.com/sales-101-5-just-plain-how-to-make-a-sale-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sales-101-5-just-plain-how-to-make-a-sale-2Fri, 28 Feb 2020 10:10:51 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7340Is there one “best” way to make a sale? No. A sale is broken down into elements. Each salesperson executes each element in a different way. Some are great at it. Some don’t even know the elements exist. Presented here are the 18.5 basic elements that comprise a sale. They are by no means all-encompassing but there are enough here ...
The post Sales 101.5 – Just Plain “How to Make a Sale” appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Is there one “best” way to make a sale? No.A sale is broken down into elements. Each salesperson executes each element in a different way. Some are great at it. Some don’t even know the elements exist. Presented here are the 18.5 basic elements that comprise a sale. They are by no means all-encompassing but there are enough here to make a sale. A big sale. Your key is not just knowing these elements (salespeople already know everything problem is they just don’t do it), but your skill at executing or implementing the elements. Don’t be reading this and say “Yeah, I know that.” Ask yourself “Do I do that?” and “To what degree of competency do I execute the element on a scale of 110?” That’s the real test. Here is the barebones list of 18.5 sales elements. These are not just elements to know these are elements to implement. These are elements that if executed properly, will lead to a sale: - Know the prospect and his business before you say a word. Walk in with knowledge then get real information.
- Be sure you’re talking to the final (only, all) decision maker(s). Why waste your breath? Worse you should never “let others tell others.” If you can’t present to the final decision maker, be sure you’re in the room when the final decision is made. No one can tell it (sell it) like you.
- Approach the prospect with friendly confidence. People buy from friends, not salespeople. People buy from those who have gained their confidence.
- Know the (find the) prospect’s true needs and wants. Question first. Talk second. Without knowing needs and wants there’s no need to make a presentation, no matter how good it is.
- Make sure the prospect is paying close attention. Take away all samples, brochures and other “fidgetable” items. For maximum advantage give your presentation out of his office.
- Make the prospect feel important. Sincere compliments. Asking his opinion. Praising success.
- Show the prospect that you care about him personally. Talking in terms of him not you. Offer a specific game plan for how your product or service will impact his business. Show empathy when appropriate.
- Ask drop dead questions. Build confidence with questions not a bunch of boring stuff about how great you, your company or your product are. People don’t care what you do unless it helps them. Questions lead to answers about what will help the prospect and create a buying atmosphere.
- Present a compelling message. Your ability to speak is as important as your ability to sell. Employ the prime motivational factors that guide us to action greed, fear, vanity and sympathy (guilt).
- Tell stories that emphasize a point or tie in a message. Tell stories that help the prospect visualize results and ownership. Facts are boring, stories are interesting. Facts are forgotten, stories are retold.
- Make powerful statements that give the prospect confidence. Talk about how you helped others. Talk about ways others have used your product or service to their benefit.
- Overcome objections and statements of doubt with questions not statements. The fast comeback line to an objection will often make the prospect doubt you even more. Ask questions that make the prospect overcome his own objections.
- Look for signals of trust. They will look you right in the eye. They will ask questions about ownership. They will ask your advice. They will seek your reassurance. No trust, no sale.
- Use testimonials as final proof, not as door openers. The prospect wants proof. The only proof you’ve got is the word of other customers. Use your proof to close the sale not open it.
- Gain agreement. Use questions like Do you see what I mean? Do you see how this fits your business? Do you see the potential impact on your productivity? Gain agreement throughout the sale not just at the end.
- Ask for the sale. Ask when you start, ask in the middle, ask at the end.
- Close the sale, solidify the next action, and get out. This is the final agreement. The key is mutual agreement on the next action. Be sure it’s a solid one or don’t leave.
17.5. Be friendly. Be funny. Be relaxed. Be sincere. This is how the sale starts, this is how the presentation is given, this is how the sale ends. In other words This is how the sale is made. Want to see an example of these elements in action? Watch the movie “The Bank Dick” starring WC Fields. About 1/3rd through the movie, Fields is approached by a salesman named J. Farthingham Waterbury. What follows is a classic (and funny) sales pitch. Fields buys then tries to retell the story. Get past the humor in this scene, and you will witness a perfectly executed sales presentation. A presentation that employs 95% of the elements above. To grasp the full impact watch the entire scene 34 times, and use this article as a checklist each time an element is employed. WC Fields, in case you live under a rock, was a movie actor, writer, director whose famous line, “My first wife drove me to drink. It’s the one thing I’m grateful to her for,” is almost as funny as his epitaph “I’d rather be here than in Philadelphia.” Ah yes, me too. FREE GitBit… Want to employ more humor in your presentation? I’ll send you 15.5 ways to be funnier when you present! Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word HUMOR in the search box. The post Sales 101.5 – Just Plain “How to Make a Sale” appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The Sales Actions to be Remembered are the One’s Broughthttps://www.gitomer.com/the-sales-actions-to-be-remembered-are-the-ones-brought-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-sales-actions-to-be-remembered-are-the-ones-brought-2Tue, 25 Feb 2020 09:53:23 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7337Often what makes people buy are the little things. Little memorable things. Little memorable things repeated over time that build enough good will, value, confidence, and trust to effect a sale. How memorable are you? How memorable are your actions? How many surprises do you create? How much magic do you make? If you’re not sure of the answer, ask ...
The post The Sales Actions to be Remembered are the One’s Brought appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Often what makes people buy are the little things. Little memorable things. Little memorable things repeated over time that build enough good will, value, confidence, and trust to effect a sale.How memorable are you? How memorable are your actions? How many surprises do you create? How much magic do you make? If you’re not sure of the answer, ask yourself these (fighting) questions: Am I beaten by competition regularly? Am I arguing and fighting price constantly? Am I fighting to get my calls returned? Am I fighting for sales? Yes to any of these means on the “memorable scale” your rating is in the “not very” category. Opportunities to surprise and create positive memorable actions are everywhere. Before, during and after the sale. Your job is to identify them and take action. Here are 16.5 surprise elements (broken down by sections of the sales cycle) that can make or break the sale: Building value first… - Get them leads or business. Stop by for fun. Deliver a name of someone interested in doing business with them. The next time you call, they won’t know whether you’re buying or selling. WOW. Help them build their business so you can earn yours.
- Have new information and answers. Use the fax and mail to get your prospect surprise information. Information to make them think. Information that lets them know you’re thinking about them. Fax something funny to make them smile and think of you in a positive way.
- Leave half of a message. Pretend you got cut off right at the good part (be sure to leave your name and number first).
Set the sales stage… - Have a personal welcome. A big banner, not one of those dinky signs with the letters that look like a menu board in a cheap restaurant.
- Give a gift. Something that the prospect can relate to. Something that matches his or her personal interests. Something that will make her smile.
- Show unbelievable enthusiasm. Enthusiasm breeds smiles and confidence. People like to be around upbeat happy people. Not many people are happy. Those who are happy, stand out. Do you?
- Have a contagious attitude. Attitude is the root of enthusiasm. You become what you think about. The self confidence and self belief you display are the basis for your credibility your belief system is driven by your attitude. A great attitude is rare. Be rare.
During the presentation… - Sit in his chair. Pure guts and fun. Get the prospect to leave his or her chair then sit in it. Wait till you see their look.
- Ask a drop dead question. A question that makes them stop and think. A question they never heard before. A question that earns their respect.
- State it in terms of them (not you). No one cares what you do, unless it helps them. Say how you help, not what you do.
- Know something personal something about/for them. Show them you know. Show them you took the time to find out.
- Serve great food. Everything you say, do, give and serve is a reflection of you and your image. You make an impression with every action. Serve the best to be perceived as the best. It only costs about 20 bucks to create a lasting conversationpiece. Associate you, your company and your product with the word BEST.
Off business experiences… - Memorable meals. Surprise them by arriving at their favorite restaurant. Have their favorite food delivered to your office and work through lunch..
- Tickets. Ball games and theater are wonderful memory builders. The secret is GO WITH THEM. Giving two tickets to a prospect defeats the process and ruins your chance to establish a personal information advantage. Another great place to go is your area planetarium (surround screen theaters). Take the prospect and his family on a weekend you’ll have a memory and an order.
- Mini Events. Meet the prospect at the (golf) driving range. Hit a bucket of balls and eat a fast lunch. Great way to play golf and make a deal without killing the whole day.
- Three way a lunch with a prospect for them. Can’t get the prospect to meet with you. Get a prospect or connection that can help your prospect to eat with you, and watch the decision change in about 2 seconds.
And the secret glue… 16.5. The link – use it if found. When you find out what you have in common with the prospect, you have a distinct competitive advantage. Maybe the advantage that swings the sale. Golf, college, children in the same activity, vacation spot, hometown anything you both like or do. One last note: When it’s over, say “thank you” in a memorable way. Everyone says thank you. Your job is to say it, and be remembered for saying it. A gift, a personal note, a referral. Creating magic moments is critical to the repeat business and referred business you get. The easiest way to identify your magic is List your magic. If your list is short, make some. FREE GitBit… Want the secret formula for using personal information to make sales? Sure you do! Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word FORMULA in the search box. The post The Sales Actions to be Remembered are the One’s Brought appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Fired by Your Salesperson? Whose Fault is That?https://www.gitomer.com/fired-by-your-salesperson-whose-fault-is-that-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fired-by-your-salesperson-whose-fault-is-that-2Fri, 21 Feb 2020 09:46:58 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7335Yours. When a salesperson leaves you for “a better job,” it’s a big red flag. If you say: “It’s all their fault,” or “if they had done this or that,” or “they weren’t that good anyway,” or “we’re better off without them,” you’re kidding yourself. When a salesperson leaves, don’t rush to judgment. Your first inclination is to say it’s ...
The post Fired by Your Salesperson? Whose Fault is That? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Yours.When a salesperson leaves you for “a better job,” it’s a big red flag. If you say: “It’s all their fault,” or “if they had done this or that,” or “they weren’t that good anyway,” or “we’re better off without them,” you’re kidding yourself. When a salesperson leaves, don’t rush to judgment. Your first inclination is to say it’s all their fault, later they become scapegoat for everything that ever went wrong with your company. Wrong. Whose fault is it that they left yours or theirs? My experience has shown me time after time, salespeople leave because of corporate, management or leadership failures not because of a better offer. Sure there was a better offer, but I submit that you created the opportunity for that offer to be considered let alone accepted. If your salesperson was happy and earning well, would they have left? No. I challenge you to find out why that one really left before they’re all gone. I challenge you to get real enough with yourself to get to the truth behind their leaving. Whether you want to admit it or not, here are the 18.5 major reasons salespeople fire you. How many of them are you going to deny? - Lack of sales training. Support growth (and success) by training. It’s an investment not an expense.
- Lack of support sales tools. Provide them the tools and technology they need to compete, or they will lose to the competition who does.
- Lack of support inside the team. Fighting between sales and production, or sales and inside administration = loss of enthusiasm and momentum
- Lack of support from immediate boss. Bosses who blame and badger are the losers, not the salespeople they chase away.
- Lack of support corporate. Unrealistic goals and quotas followed by reduced sales service support, canceled advertising, and stupid memo’s about “numbers” not being met. Wrong attitude about success (Arms folded what’s he doing? Is he hitting his numbers? Stay on him).
- Lack of leadership. Salespeople want to follow a leader with a plan.
- Unfilled promises to salesperson about money or process. If you promise a salesperson something about money, deliver on time or lose.
- Poor delivery repeatedly. The inability for salespeople to have their promises fulfilled to their customers. Salespeople take their promises seriously. They take it personally when their hard work to make a sale is destroyed by an unfulfilled promise.
- Poor service after the sale. Eliminates referrals, makes the salesperson look bad, reduces pride, causes belief in the company or product to diminish.
- Inability of product to perform the claims. Your salespeople must develop a belief system around a product, or it can’t be sold. Before they can sell it they must be sold on it themselves.
- Unfulfilled promises after the sale to the customer. Salespeople feel personally responsible for the promises they make.
- Negative attitude of the boss. Grumpy boss equals low morale, equals high staff turnover. Bosses create their own fate. What’s yours?
- Owner (or boss) does not command respect. If the boss is inexperienced, has questionable ethics, is moody, or is poor at selling it’s hard for him to earn the respect needed to lead (or keep) the team.
- Internal conflicts bickering. Fights that no one wins. Production fighting sales. Accounting fighting sales. Outside people fighting inside people. Why? No answer that makes sense. Who loses the fight? The customer.
- Not what they were told when they were hired. When you tell a prospective employee stuff about the company and the job they remember it. They believe it. They rely on it. And if it’s different after they begin working different is usually bad.
- Lack of acceptance (by either party). Not fitting in to the existing culture. Not feeling at home. Petty jealousies and arguments. Resisting change.
- Poor communication. From anyone to anyone that affects sales. Not being told, or finding out the wrong way leads to confusion, frustration, anger, and quitting.
- Unmet expectations. Told what it would be. Building a dream. Not seeing the dream come true for whatever reason exit, stage left.
18.5. Lack of action to begin to fix or alter the situation. When too much time passes between problem and solution or resolve, people become unsettled and disgruntled and look elsewhere. Here’s the secret: If you want to build great salespeople build a great sales manager. One of the best sales managers I know is Butch Allen at FOX 18 WCCB TV, Charlotte, NC. He is a great salesperson, he is a great listener, he is dedicated to self improvement, he treats his team with respect, he has a positive attitude, he offers lots of incentives, he encourages his team to win, he is firm about process and procedures, he sets goals with his team and helps them achieve them, he has productive upbeat weekly meetings oh yeah, Surprise! He also has low turnover. Someone got promoted last year, he had his pick of the litter, because his company was so attractive, people were fighting for the job. Are they fighting for your job? or fighting you? FREE GitBit… Want a list of the 12 characteristics of a great sales manager and ten ways to motivate and counsel salespeople?Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word SALES MANAGER in the search box. The post Fired by Your Salesperson? Whose Fault is That? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Where do Great Salespeople Come From?https://www.gitomer.com/where-do-great-salespeople-come-from-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=where-do-great-salespeople-come-from-2Fri, 14 Feb 2020 09:44:08 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7333Which came first, the salesperson or the egg? This is the enigma (or should I say the eneggma) of the evolution of the right salesperson. The mystery of finding, interviewing, hiring, growing, and retaining great sales people is critical to your success. Where do they come from? How do you hire the best one? How do you get them to ...
The post Where do Great Salespeople Come From? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Which came first, the salesperson or the egg? This is the enigma (or should I say the eneggma) of the evolution of the right salesperson.The mystery of finding, interviewing, hiring, growing, and retaining great sales people is critical to your success. Where do they come from? How do you hire the best one? How do you get them to grow to be great? At a recent seminar on the subject, I began by asking five questions, so I could understand the audience’s needs better. To my surprise, the questions actually provided the solutions they were looking for. It gave the group an introspective look at their own salespeople and sales process — and at the same time gave them solutions. I’m going to repeat that seminar introduction for you right now. If you want to find out the secret behind attracting and growing great salespeople in your organization, go get a flip chart or a blank computer screen and take this self-analysis. Ask yourself these five questions. These five will lead to more questions and actions. The answers to these action items and questions will define the sales person and the sales process at your company. Those answers will lead you to the beginning of your search for the perfect salesperson, and will identify the strengths and weaknesses of your existing team. All secrets will be revealed if you just take a hard look at yourself. WOW. Here goes: - What constitutes a great salesperson?
Someone with characteristics like: Has a positive attitude. Is hungry. Can communicate well. Is self-motivated. Takes criticism well. Has a good track record. Is solution-oriented. Looks professional. Is persistent. Can take rejection. Here are the action items and questions: - List every characteristic you need in a great salesperson.
- Do your salespeople possess these characteristics?
- What are you doing to help them acquire them?
- Will you hire someone without them?
- Where did you (do you) find your great salespeople?
Salespeople don’t just appear — and they usually don’t respond to newspaper ads. Here are the action items and questions: - List the places you’re most likely to find a good person (competitor’s parking lots are not a place).
- Where are you looking for yours?
- Where did you find your present team?
- Did advertising work?
- Where should you network to find good people?
- What is your gameplan to find the right person?
- Why did your present team join you?
What made your present staff say yes to the offer you made them? What are the biggest benefits of working for you? Here are the action items and questions: - List the benefits and the lures of working for your company.
- Did you have to do a sales-job to get salespeople to join you?
- Are you attractive enough to get salespeople to call you?
- What do you need to add or change to attract the right salesperson?
- Why did you fire them?
It was all their fault — or was it? You’re the one who hired them. At one time you thought they were great. What happened? Here are the action items and questions: - List the reasons they were fired.
- What happened between the interview and the job performance?
- What could you have done differently?
- What do you need to add or change so that more don’t get the axe?
- Why did they leave (fire) you?
This is the toughest reality — and the biggest area of denial. They left for a reason — and it’s critical you find the truth and deal with it. You create the legacy for the destiny of your sales force, not them. Here are the action items and questions: - List the reasons you were fired (they left).
- What could you have done to prevent it?
- Will they continue to leave?
- Are you investing in your salespeople (to make them better)?
- What do you need to add or change so that more don’t leave?
5.5 Take positive action. Salespeople are your most valuable resource. Invest time in writing the definitions; creating and cultivating the environment necessary to attract them; identifying who’s right for your company’s culture; and making a proactive, positive plan to keep them. (Keep in mind the reality that unless someone sells something, there’s no reason for anyone else to come to work.) If you make your own chart of: - what characteristics you want,
- where to search,
- why they’ll join,
- how you’ll interview them,
- why you will fire them and how to prevent it,
- why they fire you and how to prevent it —
Your answers will be apparent — and the puzzle of getting great salespeople will be solved. Almost. FREE GitBit… Want a list of the 12 characteristics of a great sales manager and ten ways to motivate and counsel salespeople? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word SALES MANAGER in the search box. The post Where do Great Salespeople Come From? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Sales Fitness Exercises. Are You Doing Enough of Them?https://www.gitomer.com/sales-fitness-exercises-are-you-doing-enough-of-them-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sales-fitness-exercises-are-you-doing-enough-of-them-3Fri, 07 Feb 2020 07:03:16 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7331If you would do it later why wouldn’t you do it now? I met a guy on the plane who was an area director for a major shoe store chain. “Suppose I went into your store and the shoe I wanted was out of stock in my size what would happen,” I queried. “Well, that shoe store has the capability ...
The post Sales Fitness Exercises. Are You Doing Enough of Them? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>If you would do it later why wouldn’t you do it now?I met a guy on the plane who was an area director for a major shoe store chain. “Suppose I went into your store and the shoe I wanted was out of stock in my size what would happen,” I queried. “Well, that shoe store has the capability of finding those shoes in our other stores and then asks (tells) the customer to go to the other store to pick them up.” “Can’t you just ship them to my home?” I wondered. “No,” he said matter of factly. “We’re not set up to do it that way.” I turned the tables and asked the guy which he would rather have? “Delivered,” he said without a second of hesitation. “I’d rather have them delivered.” “What about your customer you think they’d want them delivered, too?” I challenged. “Yes, I suppose they would,” he said with that ‘what’s this guy going to say next’ look. “Who’s your biggest competitor?” I asked. “WalMart,” he said. “Suppose WalMart came out with a new service that would locate out of stock shoes for shoppers at other WalMart’s and deliver them to the customers home the same day they were ordered no hassle complete return privileges at any WalMart store think you might have to offer the same thing to be competitive?” “You bet we would!” was his knee jerk reply. WAKE UP CALL! HELLO ANYONE HOME? If you would do it after your competition does it to “meet” them, why wouldn’t you do it before they do it and “beat” them? If you would do it reactively, why wouldn’t you do it proactively? Why not beat them (your competition) to the punch? Why not make them react to you? Why not have them be perceived as the follower? Why not be the leader in service? Why not set the standard and let others try to catch you? I’m stumped. There isn’t one company or person reading this column right now that doesn’t have an opportunity to outmaneuver and outserve the competitor you hate the most yet sit there and wait for something to happen. Wait for your arch rival to take the lead. Why? You only have an opportunity to capture leadership once after that, you play #2. Ask Avis. They’ve been “trying harder” for 25 years. Enterprise RentACar is a different story. They took the bold position to deliver the rental car to the customer. And their competition HATES it. (And their customers love it.) They niched the replacement car market, delivered it to the door of the customer, and are now number one in rental cars. Call Hertz and ask them who’s Number One. Enterprise never wanted to be number two and using a proactive approach, beat Hertz at their own game, just by delivering the car and mastering one segment of the market and beat them so bad, that now Enterprise is entering the Airport market and Avis is still “trying” to do it the same old way. Pity. Most of these changes (innovations) are obvious. You see something new and say to yourself, “why didn’t I think of that?” Three big reasons we fail to see the obvious: - Too caught up in the daytoday “got to make more sales” trap of mediocrity. Failure to see the big picture.
- Too caught up on making money instead of becoming “best” at what you do. The greed factor blocking the leadership and creativity factors.
- Too wasteful of your personal time (news, dumb TV, ball games, bars) to focus and plan for true success. Upside down success priorities.
PROACTIVE OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: What new service or product offering could you make that would establish you as a leader in the field? PROACTIVE CHALLENGE: What would you hate for your competition to beat you at? PROACTIVE LEADERSHIP: What new service could you offer that your competition would HATE you for? Leaders don’t respond to trends, they set them. Are you in the field or do you lead the field? Your innovative proactive actions will determine your fate. And your field position. Be first. If you would do it reactively, why wouldn’t you do it proactively? is a haunting question. Don’t let it haunt you. FREE GitBit… The Loyalty Building Formula. The 6.5 solution oriented things you need to do that will get you on the path to measuring loyalty. Get yours now. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word LOYAL! in the search box. The post Sales Fitness Exercises. Are You Doing Enough of Them? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Glenn Turner Changes People’s Minds… For the Better.https://www.gitomer.com/glenn-turner-changes-peoples-minds-for-the-better/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=glenn-turner-changes-peoples-minds-for-the-betterThu, 06 Feb 2020 10:24:33 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7344Authors note: If you didn’t read last week’s article (here’s the link). Glenn is my sales hero, guru, and champion all in one. In 1972 through his tapes, movies and books, Glenn Turner taught me how to sell, and the principles of achieving and maintaining a positive mental attitude. The following article is the second part of an interview compiled ...
The post Glenn Turner Changes People’s Minds… For the Better. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Authors note: If you didn’t read last week’s article (here’s the link). Glenn is my sales hero, guru, and champion all in one. In 1972 through his tapes, movies and books, Glenn Turner taught me how to sell, and the principles of achieving and maintaining a positive mental attitude. The following article is the second part of an interview compiled from several meetings. I hope you enjoy it, and use the message to achieve as I did.“I told them, 3 out of 4 who join my company won’t make it because they will listen to friends, relatives, spouses, and neighbors telling them: ‘It won’t work, and you’re a fool to try.’ Pukers I call them. People who have no guts, and don’t want anyone else to get guts.” Said Turner, talking as though he was on the platform 25 years ago. “Up until you’re six you get encouragement, by 14 you get discouraged. By the time you enter the “business card era” of your life, you’re without the courage and enthusiasm you had when you were a kid.” (Author note: Picture me at this moment listening with awe, and writing furiously at the same time.) “I showed people a way to get their enthusiasm and attitude back. Thousands did, and even though in the end the laws (or lack of them) made the company fail these people did not. Hundreds of them are millionaires today because of the concepts they learned with me. I taught them how to take back control of their mind.” “I dared handicapped, underprivileged and people who were being prejudiced against. I’m a champion for the underdogs. Dwarfs, blind men, handicapped people racial minorities, and women. I believed in them so much that they started believing in themselves.” “I spawned the greatest preachers, teachers, mothers, businessmen and businesswomen. Back in the 70’s, seven of my corporate presidents were women, who netted our companies a millions of dollars a year. This was before women were supposed to be leaders. Our training was so powerful that dropouts of my company became no #1 performers of other companies.” “Now it’s 1995. After 4 years in prison (released in 1992) on some of the most trumped up charges in the world, “I’m better, not bitter.” Said Turner grinning. “They took my money, but all the money loss and all the imprisonment in the world couldn’t break my spirit.” The magic of Glenn Turner is not network marketing or money. The magic of Glenn Turner is attitude – the control of his mind. I asked Glenn, “Do you know how many people your attitude message has affected?” He said, “I know one for sure, me! If I’m the best I can be for myself, then I’m the best I can be for others. I just gave the message, I was the messenger, the people were the ones who got the message and did something with it.” “My product was positive attitude. Still is. The most powerful success tool in the world is the human mind and 95% of Americans don’t control theirs. Their attitudes are controlled by negative things (local news, violence, politics, taxes, lawsuits) and negative people.” Turner’s advice to the reader: “Aching to make it on your own in the world? Want to quit your job and go out to grasp the brass ring of the entrepreneurial dream? Here’s the advice I’ve given thousands of people who started with me and made it big If I can, you can.” “As soon as you control your mind, you control your success and don’t take my word for it ask any millionaire.” Authors note: Meeting Glenn Turner was the thrill of a lifetime. There are not enough ways I can say “thank you” to him. Turner’s inspiration and lessons have provided me with sales skills and a positive attitude for the past 23 years. Find whatever books and tapes of his you can and heed them. They work. FREE GitBit… Glenn Turner’s 10 rules for taking control of your mind. Two pages of Turner wisdom and success information are yours for the faxing? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word GLENN TURNER in the search box. The post Glenn Turner Changes People’s Minds… For the Better. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - When You Answer a Prospect’s Question, Avoid Two Words…https://www.gitomer.com/when-you-answer-a-prospects-question-avoid-two-words-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=when-you-answer-a-prospects-question-avoid-two-words-2Fri, 31 Jan 2020 00:34:50 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7315When a prospect asks me a “yes” or “no” question, I never answer yes or no. When a prospect asks me any question, I try to answer in the form of a question or ask a question at the end of my answer. This establishes the two central objectives of selling… I’m in control of the presentation. I might be ...
The post When You Answer a Prospect’s Question, Avoid Two Words… appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>When a prospect asks me a “yes” or “no” question, I never answer yes or no. When a prospect asks me any question, I try to answer in the form of a question or ask a question at the end of my answer. This establishes the two central objectives of selling…- I’m in control of the presentation.
- I might be able to close the sale now.
When you answer a prospect’s question, avoid two words: Yes and No. If you answer a prospect’s question with “yes” or “no”, you may be going past the sale without making it. Think about it for a moment. When a prospect asks you a question, it is often a buying signal. How do you answer a prospect’s questions? As a salesperson, your highest skills are called upon when a prospect asks a question, or shows an interest in buying. Your first inclination is to answer the question in the affirmative, if you know it to be true. For example: “Do you have this model?” Yes. “Does it come in green?” Yes. “Can you deliver on Tuesday?” Yes. “Are these in stock?” Yes. All of the above “yes” answers are not only wrong, they are answers that prolong the sale unnecessarily. You are also inclined to answer the prospect in a straightforward manner. For example: “What is your delivery lead time?” Usually 2 weeks “How much notice do I have to give you?” 24 hours “When will the new model be out?” January 30th These answers are also wrong. Very wrong. The rule is…Use the prospect’s question to confirm the sale. In other words, after you get the prospect’s signal, form a response question that implies the answer, and confirms that the prospect wants to buy what you’re selling. It’s not as complicated as I just made it sound. Here are some examples of confirming questions… “Do you have this model?” Is this the model you want? If the prospect says yes, all I have to do now is find out when he wants delivery, and I’m finished. “Does it come in green?” Would you like it in green? “Can you deliver on Tuesday?” Is Tuesday the day you need it delivered? “Are these in stock?” Do you need immediate delivery? “What is your delivery lead time?” How soon do you need delivery? “How much notice do I have to give you?” How much notice do you usually have? “How soon can someone be here?” How soon do you need someone here? You can also answer directly, and still pose a closing question immediately thereafter. For example… “When will the new model be out?” January 30th. But we have special incentives to take the copier now. Let’s compare which will be the best way for you to go. Fair enough? “Do you have references?” Here is the list. If our references are satisfactory, when would we be able to get our first assignment? Here’s the magic process… - Recognizing a buying signal is the sales discipline.
- Being able to construct a response question (much more difficult) requires creativity and practice.
- Delivering the response soft and smooth is the mark of the master professional salesperson. And usually the one who makes the sale.
Is there a secret to perfect question formation and delivery? Yes! And the answer is the same as the immortal question a tourist asked of a New York City cab driver: “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?” Practice. If you answer a prospect’s question with “yes” or “no”, you may be going past the sale without making it. FREE GitBit… Want a list of power questions to ask when you begin to sell? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word POWER QUESTION in the search box. The post When You Answer a Prospect’s Question, Avoid Two Words… appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - How do Company Newsletters Make Big Saleshttps://www.gitomer.com/how-do-company-newsletters-make-big-sales-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=how-do-company-newsletters-make-big-sales-2Sun, 26 Jan 2020 05:34:22 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7298Easy. If you do it right. Does your company have a newsletter? Most companies do these days. If yours is a bunch of inside talk, photos of employee bowling parties, and birth announcements shame on you. The objective of a newsletter is to inform employees, vendors, and customers alike what’s really going on and feature vital information that affects the ...
The post How do Company Newsletters Make Big Sales appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Easy. If you do it right.Does your company have a newsletter? Most companies do these days. If yours is a bunch of inside talk, photos of employee bowling parties, and birth announcements shame on you. The objective of a newsletter is to inform employees, vendors, and customers alike what’s really going on and feature vital information that affects the way your customers impact (do business with) your company. You see, without the customers, the need for a newsletter is nonexistent. Why not make your newsletter a vehicle to increase sales, build customer loyalty, eliminate competition, increase referrals and let everyone live happily ever after? You can and the best part is, it’s easy and inexpensive. Newsletters tell news through stories. Let the stories be told through your customers. Make them the heroes. You can still tell stuff about your people (and if you’re adamant about telling everything about all your employees to every other employee make two separate newsletters). Here are suggested newsletter components. Not all have to be in every newsletter, but the common thread is customers and photographs: - Big headline about a customer with their name.
- Tell stories about happy endings that make the customer the hero.
- Talk about partnership strategies.
- Tell stories about industry trends and how they affect customers.
- How others are using our products (nearby or far away).
- Welcome new customers!
- Feature story about the success of a customer by using your product.
- Feature story about our employees and how he/she serves customers, the community and their family.
- Tell stories of employee achievement (ours and theirs).
- Feature story about product application in a customer’s place of business (it’s more important to know how your product is used than how your product is sold).
- Feature story about new product at a customer location.
- Feature story about heroic customer service.
- Lots of photographs of customers, customers, customers.
- Lots of photographs of employees and customers working together.
- Show the golf tournament, the trade shows, the seminars. Events where customers interact with employees
- Get personal about the philosophy of selling, serving and success.
- Show how your partnerships are working.
One absolute. The newsletter is an example of your company’s quality. It’s not just news, it’s your image. It must be professionally designed and produced. Here’s the distribution list: Your customers, your prospects, your vendors, and major people of community or industry influence. Here are a few more things to think about: Think the customer will share the story? A hundred times? You bet. Think those photographs will be shared by the people in them? A hundred times? You bet. Think the customer’s loyalty to your company grows? A hundred times? You bet. Think you may get a few unsolicited referrals from the gesture and the publicity? You bet. Use your newsletter as a vehicle to increase sales, build customer loyalty, eliminate competition and get more referrals. Sounds like a sure thing. Almost. Last piece of advice: do it before your competition does. FREE GitBit… Want a sample newsletter? An example of how someone else is using a newsletter to build their business. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “NEWSLETTER” in the search box. The post How do Company Newsletters Make Big Sales appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - 21.5 Early Warning Signals That The Prospect is Ready to Buyhttps://www.gitomer.com/21-5-early-warning-signals-that-the-prospect-is-ready-to-buy-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=21-5-early-warning-signals-that-the-prospect-is-ready-to-buy-2Fri, 24 Jan 2020 06:16:16 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7296Question: When is the buyer ready to buy? Answer: He’ll tell you if you just pay attention. The link between the presentation and the close are buying signals. Recognizing signals to buy is one of the “art” areas in the science of selling. Listen to the buyer. He or she will give you signals. As you give your presentation, the ...
The post 21.5 Early Warning Signals That The Prospect is Ready to Buy appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Question: When is the buyer ready to buy?Answer: He’ll tell you if you just pay attention. The link between the presentation and the close are buying signals. Recognizing signals to buy is one of the “art” areas in the science of selling. Listen to the buyer. He or she will give you signals. As you give your presentation, the buyer will gesture, question, play with your product, or in some way communicate that he is inclined to purchase. When you hear a buying signal, that’s your signal to ask for the sale. As a professional salesperson, your job is to recognize the buying signal and convert it into a sale. Recognizing it is the hard part. Rule of thumb: Any question asked by the prospect must be considered a buying signal. Here are a 21.5 signals (questions) to look for: - Questions about availability or time. “Are these in stock?… “How often do you receive new shipments?”
- Questions about delivery. “How soon can someone be here?”…”How much notice do I have to give you?”
- Specific questions about rates, price, or statements about affordability. “How much does this model cost?”…”What is the price of this fax machine?”…”I don’t know if I can afford that model.”
- Any questions or statements about money. “How much money would I have to put down to get this?”
- Positive questions about you or your business. “How long have you been with the company?”…”How long has your company been in business?”
- Wanting something repeated. “What was that you said before about financing?”…”Tell me about the again.”
- Statements about problems with previous vendors. “Our old vendor gave us poor service. How quickly do you respond to a service call?”
- Questions about features and options. (What will it or you do?) “Is the sorter standard or optional?”
- Questions about productivity. “How many copies per month is the machine rated for?”
- Questions about quality, guarantee, or warranty. “How long is this under warranty?”…”How long will this last?”
- Questions about qualifications. (yours or the company’s) “Can all of your people answer questions on the phone?”
- Specific positive questions about the company. “What other products do you carry?”
- Specific product or service questions. “How does the manual feed operate?”…”Do you select the person or do I?”
- Specific statements about ownership of your product or service. “Would you provide paper each month automatically?”… “Will you come by each month to pick up my accounting?”… “Suppose I like her and want her to work for me full time?”
- Questions to confirm unstated decisions or seeking support. “Is this the best way for me to go?”…”What would you do?”
- Wanting to see a sample or demo again. “Could I see the fabric samples again?”
- Asking about other satisfied customers. “Who else is using your product now?”… “Who are some of your customers?”
- Asking for a reference. “Could I contact someone you did temp work for using Lotus or WordPerfect?” “Do you have a list of satisfied customers?”
- Making buying noises. “I didn’t know that.”… “Oh really.”…”That’s interesting.”…”That’s in line with what we’ve been doing.”
- Asking for a test or sample. “Can I try this for a few days?”…”Can you send me a sample I can test?”
- Asking chicken questions. “Suppose I buy it and it doesn’t work?…”Suppose I buy it and it’s not the right size?”…”Suppose I buy it and it doesn’t work in our office environment?”
One “ask’ I did not put in the list, but should be mentioned is when the buyer asks you, “What’s the next step?” This is so blatant it’s not really right to consider it a signal it’s more of a hit in the face with a sledgehammer. 21.5 Your ability to convert the signal into a sale. Every one of these buying signals (questions) can be turned into a closing question that will lead to a faster sale if you do it right. How do you answer these questions? Good question! A buying signal. I’ll tell you next week. Recognizing a buying signal is critical to your success as a salesperson. You will go past the sale if you don’t. And many do. FREE GitBit… Want a list of power questions to ask when you begin to sell? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “POWER QUESTION” in the search box. The post 21.5 Early Warning Signals That The Prospect is Ready to Buy appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - You Can’t Get the Sale ‘Til You Ask for It.https://www.gitomer.com/you-cant-get-the-sale-til-you-ask-for-it/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=you-cant-get-the-sale-til-you-ask-for-itWed, 22 Jan 2020 06:10:34 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7294Seems too simple. Just ask. In most cases to get the sale — at some point you must ask for it. “Yes, Jeffrey,” you say, “but when do you ask? What’s the perfect time to ask?” How do I know? No one knows that except you. I can only tell you it’s a delicate combination of the prospect’s buying signals ...
The post You Can’t Get the Sale ‘Til You Ask for It. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Seems too simple. Just ask.In most cases to get the sale — at some point you must ask for it. “Yes, Jeffrey,” you say, “but when do you ask? What’s the perfect time to ask?” How do I know? No one knows that except you. I can only tell you it’s a delicate combination of the prospect’s buying signals and your gut feeling. How and what to ask are easier to define than when. Since the “ask” is a critical part of the sale, you’d better be prepared with a number of options for the how and what part. Important note: Here’s what never to ask. “What will it take for me to get your business?” or “What will it take to earn your business?” That’s an insult question. Great salespeople figure out what it takes, and then do it. More important note: Many salespeople are “ask reluctant.” If this is you, just realize the worst that can happen when you ask is that the prospect says “no” — which to any good salesperson means “not yet!” Big deal. How do you ask for the sale? Here are 7.5 ways. - Ask, “What’s the risk?” When you ask the prospect what risks are associated in doing business with you, real objections surface or (and here’s the best part) there are usually none that comes to mind. You say, “Well, Mr. Johnson, when would you like to start not risking?” and the sale is yours.
- Ask, “When is the next job?” If you’re making a sale where there are lots of opportunities (printer, supplies, temp help, construction, graphic design) you only need to get one job (order) to prove yourself.
- Ask for an indirect commitment. Could you arrange your schedule to be there at delivery? How many people will need to be trained? When can we set up training? (This is the assumptive position.)
- Ask, “What’s preventing it?” Is there anything preventing you from doing business with us? What’s in the way? What are the obstacles?
- If there’s an obstacle or objection ask, “Is that the only reason?” “In other words, Mr. Johnson, if it wasn’t for (objection) then we could.”
- Ask or communicate creatively — Go to the 5 & 10 store (pretty much dates me doesn’t it) and buy some plastic fence and a few plastic (rubber) people. Wire one person to the fence that most resembles (or would be non-offensive to) the prospect. Send it in a box to the prospect — and include a flyer declaring “National Get Off the Fence Week.” Tell the prospect he’s been thinking about it long enough, and what better time to get off the fence and place an order than during this special celebration week? Tell him he’ll be helping underprivileged salespeople all over the world by getting off the fence and placing an order. Create some laughter. Have some fun. Make some sales.
- Create an offer so good that you can end by asking “fair enough?” “Mr. Johnson, I don’t know if we can help you or not, but if you bring your most important examples to lunch on Friday, if I can help you, I’ll tell you. And if I can’t help you, I’ll tell you that, too. Fair enough?” Here’s another, “Mr. Johnson, give me a trial order and let me earn your business. If it’s not everything I claim and more, you don’t have to pay for it. Fair enough?” (“Fair enough” should always be accompanied by a “can’t say no deal.”)
And when all else fails: 7.5 Ask with humor. “Mr. Johnson, I finally figured out what it will take to get your business, all you have to do is say yes!” The more adventurous salesperson will add, “When would you like to do that?” Most important note: Ask for the sale when the mood is right. The worst possible place is in the prospect’s office. Best place is a business breakfast, lunch or dinner. Next best is your office. Next best is a trade show. The rule of thumb is: ask early, and ask often. The best way to master the skill is — practice in front of someone who can say “yes.” OK, that’s how and what to ask. When to ask is next week. Free GitBit — Want a list of power questions to ask when you begin to sell? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “POWER QUESTION” in the search box. The post You Can’t Get the Sale ‘Til You Ask for It. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Wanted – One Great Salesperson. Where is She?https://www.gitomer.com/wanted-one-great-salesperson-where-is-she-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=wanted-one-great-salesperson-where-is-she-2Mon, 20 Jan 2020 06:09:30 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7292The question of the century: Where do you find great salespeople? (The key to growing your business.) Answer: The great salespeople are working. They may not be happy, they may not be satisfied with their situation, they may be looking to change but they’re working. OK, so how do you let them know you’ve got the opportunity of a lifetime ...
The post Wanted – One Great Salesperson. Where is She? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>The question of the century: Where do you find great salespeople? (The key to growing your business.)Answer: The great salespeople are working. They may not be happy, they may not be satisfied with their situation, they may be looking to change but they’re working. OK, so how do you let them know you’ve got the opportunity of a lifetime available? What’s the best method to recruit? How will you know where to find the right one? When you need a great salesperson, you need to look beyond traditional recruitment methods to be successful. The best way to recruit is face-to-face. There are two types of face-to-face recruiting: - Direct solicitation “I want you.”
- Indirect solicitation “Do you know someone who might be interested?”
Indirect is always the best (safest) because it does not put anyone in business or career danger, and it allows the other person (the one you may want) to make the first move. Here are 11 places to look, and one (.5) special thing to do, that will help you find a great salesperson: - Your vendors. A great indirect source because they’re in contact with so many people in your industry. (Note: You must deliver the message to them a few times before they act.)
- Present employees. You’d be surprised at the number of people working for you who would love to be in sales if given the opportunity. Employees make great salespeople because their product knowledge is in place, and they are eager to achieve. Bonus: because the employee was previously known to your customers in a non-sales capacity, customers will now see them more as consultants than salespeople.
- People who call on you. If they’re trying to sell you, they may buy you or know someone who would.
- Customers (DANGER). Taking a salesperson from a customer will result in a lost account, AND that customer will talk about what you did to EVERYONE in your industry and community. Use the indirect method only. Don’t solicit their salespeople. Just don’t.
- Competitors. Second best source. (Biggest danger.) Your reputation is at stake. If you steal one, be certain that he or she is NOT to bring anything from his old company. Taking their salesperson is bad enough, taking their business goes way beyond fair/legal play. No customer lists, customers, prospects, training programs no nothing. If you hire a salesperson from a competitor make it a clean, ethical, professional move.
- Trade Show. Best source. Everyone from your industry is there. This arena is especially good for finding unhappy salespeople in non-competing companies, but familiar with your customers and your industry. Trade shows are the most fertile and least politically disruptive area to find great sales people.
- Networking. Business meetings, chamber of commerce events, and business groups can provide a great connection to the right person.
- Word of mouth to the business community through your business friends. Like networking, use your business reputation in the community to get the word out that an opportunity exists in your company.
- Your present sales team. Their word of mouth is the most powerful (or the most damning). Are you treating your sales team well enough to get referrals?
- Headhunters. A dangerous method, because they may not know your industry and their objective is to collect a fee.
- Advertising. Yes, you can advertise but be creative. The local newspaper typically is the most expensive, least effective, and most time consuming because you get lots of unemployed salespeople. The good ones are working. Your local “business weekly” is a better bet, because it reaches the employed, and is read by the assertive. Trade publications (yours and your customers) are also OK. You might also try your own company newsletter. An article about the opportunity might pull just the person you’re looking for.
11.5 Be attractive. If you’re great, if you treat your salespeople great, the word gets out about you. Your sales team will be out on the street bragging about how great it is to work for you. People will call you. How do your salespeople talk about their job behind your back? Finding a great salesperson is challenging, but when you realize how important the right choice is, and how much money that choice can bring you (or cost you), it’s worth investing some quality time. Here’s a few more success strategies: Approach an individual low key. Make them qualify. Don’t sell the position. Make it attractive enough for them to buy it. Start your conversation with questions about them, not stuff about you. If you interview someone who says, “I’m in sales and I haven’t been able to find a job in 6 months,” DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT HIRING THAT PERSON. If someone has a bunch of hard luck stories you’ll be the next hard luck story if you hire him. Here’s a point to ponder: Experiencing high turnover? It’s time to conduct a self-evaluation. Turnover costs ten times more than the few bucks you’re trying to save by undersupporting, undertraining, or underpaying your salespeople. You can blame everyone and everything but most high turnover is caused by poor company performance, not poor sales performance. FREE GitBit… What to look for when interviewing a salesperson. I’d love to send you a form to help identify your best sales success prospect. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “INTERVIEW” in the search box. The post Wanted – One Great Salesperson. Where is She? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The Formula for Successful Customer Service Has Been Discoveredhttps://www.gitomer.com/the-formula-for-successful-customer-service-has-been-discovered-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-formula-for-successful-customer-service-has-been-discovered-2Fri, 17 Jan 2020 06:02:02 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7290The formula for successful customer service has been discovered; so has the formula for reducing the risk of heart attack. They have the same problem — Only one in twenty who know the formula will do anything about it. Knowing and doing are two different worlds. Employees dedicated to gaining excellence in the individual elements that make service — memorable ...
The post The Formula for Successful Customer Service Has Been Discovered appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>The formula for successful customer service has been discovered; so has the formula for reducing the risk of heart attack. They have the same problem — Only one in twenty who know the formula will do anything about it. Knowing and doing are two different worlds.Employees dedicated to gaining excellence in the individual elements that make service — memorable service — a reality. Here’s the list. Rate your present status from 1-5 for each element in the space on the left. 1=poor, 2=average, 3=good, 4=very good, 5=the greatest. ___ 1. Be friendly first. Service starts with a friendly person with a friendly smile, who offers friendly words. How friendly are you? ___ 2. Attitude precedes service. Your positive mental attitude is the basis for the way you act and react to people. “You become what you think about” is the foundation of your actions and reactions. What are your thoughts? Positive all the time? How are you guiding them? ___ 3. Your first words set the tone. All encounters with customers and prospects are yours to control. The first words you deliver sets the tone for the encounter. What word and tone choices are you making? ___ 4. There are 12 elements that make great service possible. None of which have ever been taught in school. Establishing and maintaining a positive attitude; Establishing and achieving goals; Understanding yourself, your co-workers and your customer; Having pride in yourself, your company and what you do; Taking responsibility for your actions, what happens to you, and the success of your company; Listening with the intent to understand; Communicating to be understood; Embracing change as a natural progression of things and of life; Establishing, building and maintaining relationships; Gaining the ability to make effective decisions…(which means taking risks); Learning to serve others in a memorable way, and, Working as a team to make everyone more productive. In order to serve — you must be prepared to serve. How prepared are you to serve? (managers…How are you preparing your people?) ___ 5. Know what you sell in terms of the customer. They don’t care about your product or service, they care about how your product or service is used to benefit them. Are you telling them in terms of them or you? ___ 6. Know how to serve in terms of the customer. They don’t care what your situation is — they only care about their situation, their problem. Are you serving them in terms of them or you? ___ 7. The customer has lots of problems besides you, and may just be using you as a frustration vent. Don’t take it too personally if they fly off the handle. Use the three most powerful secret words that begin to diffuse all customer problems. What are the three secret words? ___ 8. No one wants to hear why you can’t. Don’t tell them when or why you can’t — tell them when or why you can — enthusiastically! How do you tell a customer “no”? ___ 9. Recognize customers for what they are — your paycheck. The boss doesn’t pay you — the customer does. Next time you think the customer’s a jerk — remember he’s actually your next meal. Why not send him a thank you card? How do you treat your paycheck? ___ 10. Company policy and customer service are oxymorons. If you have a company policy, fine. Never quote from it, or hide behind it. “I’m sorry, that’s our policy,” is a chicken’s way out. Do you use company policy to offend customers? ___ 11. When you make them mad, it’s twelve-to-one they’ll leave or be leery. It takes 12 positive impressions to overcome one negative one. What do you do to recover from an angry customer? ___ 12. You are responsible, or it won’t get done. There’s a fine line between taking it personally, and handling it personally. Individual responsibility leads to happy customers. Do you take responsibility or try to pass it off? ___ 13. Take your job seriously, BUT don’t take their complaints personally. If you take it personally you’ll get upset, and lose your edge. If you take it too personally, you’ll lose your edge and your job. If you take it seriously — it’s you with them. If you take it personally, it’s you against them. What steps can you take to ensure keeping your cool? ___ 14. Your team will get stronger when you begin to build yourself. Teams are made up of individuals who work together — and get their own job done. What are you doing to be sure that your job is being done perfectly. ___ 14.5 Customers talk to other customers and prospects. They will talk about the way you treat them — good or bad. How are they talking about you? If your score is above 65, Tom Peters would be proud of you — and your customers are telling others. If you’re between 58 and 64 you’re doing good, but you’re still competing against the great ones with frustration. If you’re between 50 and 57, you’ve got a chance to be great — but lots of work is needed. Below 49, you’re not a pretty sight — you need make-up and lots of it. The real remedy is a face lift. Below 42, you need reconstructive surgery. Below 35, you’ve got 6-months to live, and it will take a turn-around and a medical miracle for you to recover. Below 30, you may be declared legally dead. FREE GitBit… the three secret words — how to say them and how to use them. Plus a bonus of three service success strategies. If you want to begin to resolve customer complaints immediately, just use these three words and strategies. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the words, SECRET WORDS, in the search box. The post The Formula for Successful Customer Service Has Been Discovered appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - All Our Representatives Are Busy Now. Get in Line.https://www.gitomer.com/all-our-representatives-are-busy-now-get-in-line-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=all-our-representatives-are-busy-now-get-in-line-2Wed, 15 Jan 2020 05:58:02 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7288Lousy service. We all get it, and get mad. The real question is are you giving it? “Of course not,” you say. “Not our company, we give great service.” My answer is two words “wanna bet?” Making customer service “real” is the challenge of this decade. Corporate America spends billions of dollars to train employees in “customer service”. The problem ...
The post All Our Representatives Are Busy Now. Get in Line. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Lousy service. We all get it, and get mad. The real question is are you giving it? “Of course not,” you say. “Not our company, we give great service.” My answer is two words “wanna bet?”Making customer service “real” is the challenge of this decade. Corporate America spends billions of dollars to train employees in “customer service”. The problem is that the lesson gets lost somewhere between the training room and the on-the-job execution. It’s not that people who serve don’t know what to do they just don’t know how to do it. As I travel the country, I’m exposed to all kinds of businesses every day. For the most part I find service to be average or below. Excellent service is rare. Another personal observation is the bigger the company, the worse the service. Employees of big companies (with some rare exceptions) tend to be uncaring, buttcovering, work 95, it’s not my job, it’s someone else’s fault kind of people. And worse, their “vice-presidents-incharge-of-dumb-moves” have decided to completely eliminate human beings from answering the phone. Automatic voice attendants are the scourge of American business most lead you to infinite hold and every single person (customer) who has to endure it, hates it and the company it’s attached to. It’s actually a good thing this crap exists, because it gives small entrepreneurs a chance to nibble some business away from the big boys and they do. In my business experience, I’ve encountered hundreds of horrible episodes (that turn into tales) from enterprises that deal in directory assistance, online computer services, any airline, pizza delivery, major hotel chains, airport car rentals, power company “customer service” departments, the phone company, “service departments” at automobile dealers, and so on into the night. Bad service knows no bounds. I’m not talking little problems I’m talking full blown problems caused by people who have a chip on their shoulder, and get indignant when a customer gets mad. I love when they say, “They don’t pay me enough to listen to this.” They don’t get the fact that if it wasn’t for customers, there would be no pay. I’ve also had great experiences, lots of them. But mostly from small companies. Like the owner of Telephone Answering Service (my answering service), J.W. Lee called me personally one time at my hotel in Toronto, to tell me my messages couldn’t be paged to Canada and asked me how I’d like them handled until I returned. WOW. That’s service. It’s not the employee’s fault, its the companies fault for poor training, dumb management decisions that reduce service levels for the sake of profit they were unable to make elsewhere (I wonder why), failure to understand what customers want, and failure to hire happy people. Now there are exceptions. But if you’re reading this and think it’s not you, you’re dead wrong. Poor service is everywhere. Good service is so rare that books are written telling of isolated instances of memorable service and they sell millions of copies. The words “your call will be answered in the order it was received” are the biggest insult you can give to a customer. The translation is “get in line like everyone else, pal we’ll answer it when we get around to it.” Walk into a bank, hotel, or anyplace you stand in line waiting to be served, and the clerk (who is often representing a multibillion dollar company) greets you (his life’s blood) with the friendly “NEXT” or “who’s next” or “over here.” I love checking into a hotel after a three hour plane delay in the rain, and the front desk clerk greets me with their new slogan “I’ll be with you in just a second.” Man, that’s what I call a greeting. When this happens to you don’t shoot the messenger. Shoot the person who trained the messenger. What’s the solution? Next week stay tuned… The post All Our Representatives Are Busy Now. Get in Line. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Keeping Good Salespeople is Harder Than Finding Them.https://www.gitomer.com/keeping-good-salespeople-is-harder-then-finding-them/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=keeping-good-salespeople-is-harder-then-finding-themMon, 13 Jan 2020 05:54:02 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7286Hiring a great salesperson is one thing. Keeping him or her on the team is another. Often the manager or boss is too busy scrutinizing and measuring the salesperson’s performance, and ignoring their own part of the partnership. The part necessary to support, build and keep a great team. What are you doing to keep your salespeople? Here’s a list ...
The post Keeping Good Salespeople is Harder Than Finding Them. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Hiring a great salesperson is one thing. Keeping him or her on the team is another.Often the manager or boss is too busy scrutinizing and measuring the salesperson’s performance, and ignoring their own part of the partnership. The part necessary to support, build and keep a great team. What are you doing to keep your salespeople? Here’s a list of 24.5 elements to build and grow a stellar sales team: - Structure a fair compensation package that is commission based. The more they sell, the more they earn. People get into sales because it’s got the potential for great financial rewards. Create an attractive package.
- Give them the tools to sell with. Invest in the best support tools money can buy. They help salespeople sell, and they’re a reflection of the quality of your business in the mind of the prospect.
- Equip them with 21st century technology. Or they will die at the hands of the competitor who is equipped. Smartphone, tablet, laptop computer at a minimum.
- Have the best company in the world. Someplace with a great reputation where they’re proud to work.
- Have an inside team of people that does not fight with, or resent salespeople. Sales wars (battles between sales and production, administration and credit) end up killing the customer.
- Be the best boss in the world. Have the same consistent positive attitude you expect of your people.
- Have a manager who is a better salesperson than anyone on your team. Otherwise the respect factor, and pull-the-wool-over-the-eyes factor increases.
- Reward sales with money. Nothing happens until a sale is made. Have a generous compensation package that rewards success. If they succeed, pay them well.
- Acknowledge achievement. Have award certificates (not just for sales) to show employees they have achieved excellence or exceeded a goal.
- Recognize in front of others. Have victory celebrations. Ring a big bell when a sale is made. Instill pride for sales.
- Have incentives and contests to keep it competitive. Dangle the carrot, whet the appetite, get them to go for the brass ring. The bigger the prize, the bigger the effort.
- Reward repeat business. If a customer reorders, it means they were satisfied with the way they were sold and served. Pay a larger incentive the second time.
- Reward referrals. When one customer refers another customer, it’s the most profitable sale. Referrals are hard to get (earn). But once you do, it’s the easiest sale to make pay handsomely someone has earned it.
- Reward business taken from others (accounts from the competition). Taking business away from the competition is a big event that should be celebrated, rewarded and dissected to see how to repeat it.
- Reward testimonial letters received. Testimonial letters are the only proof you’ve got. Pay a big reward for the letters that overcome objections.
- Have regular sales meetings. Air out the field or phone problems, let salespeople have a chance to discuss their challenges and successes. They will learn from the leader and each other. Have an agenda and follow it.
- Have regular sales training. A weekly sales meeting should include 15 minutes of training. Weekly meetings, a quarterly 1-day training, and an annual 2-day retreat, are minimum standards for sales growth.
- Have regular personal development training. Your team must grow personally in order to achieve sales growth. Train in attitude, goals, responsibility, listening, pride, communication and change growth elements fundamental for success.
- Set realistic and achievable goals. Work on sales goals with the sales force. Get them to agree that they’re realistic and achievable then get them to write a plan for their achievement.
- Every six months ask your sales team what you need to do to help them make more sales. Get them to write a blind (no name) report about situations and needs. Act on them.
- Have them print out sales reports every week by prospect status. Don’t track sales people by time (what they did on Tuesday). Track them by account. Look at the sales cycle and the followup activity. If you have laptops and contact management software (CRM), a sales report is a one button act.
- Don’t talk trash behind their backs. Don’t grumble about their poor performance, Help them or fire them.
- Reprimand in private. No one likes (or deserves) to be ridiculed in front of others. The best way to reprimand is over a meal and have a game plan for improvement.
- Encourage them. Banners, letters, posters, words and phrases of “you can do it” goes a long way towards getting it done.
24.5 Don’t let them run you. Tell them what you expect, and follow through to be sure it’s done. Salespeople have all the power you need to achieve your success if you harness it. This list is by no means complete, but it’s a solid foundation to keep your team at peak performance. To ensure the success of your sales team, measure performance two ways, theirs and yours. There is also a huge side-benefit; when you have a great, productive, high earning team, the word gets out. The “law of attraction” kicks in. Good salespeople will call and want to work for you. What a great dilemma to have. FREE GitBit… Want an agenda for a great sales meeting? A meeting that’s charged, upbeat and productive? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “AGENDA” in the search box. The post Keeping Good Salespeople is Harder Than Finding Them. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - I Wanna Be a Success! I Wanna Be a Success!https://www.gitomer.com/i-wanna-be-a-success-i-wanna-be-a-success-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=i-wanna-be-a-success-i-wanna-be-a-success-2Fri, 10 Jan 2020 05:49:04 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7284What does it take to become a sales success? Why do some people make it to the top? Or, more to reality, why do some people who have the top talent, wallow in mediocrity? Big questions. While the answers to questions of what it takes to “make it” are subjective, there are some common characteristics and principles that are attributed ...
The post I Wanna Be a Success! I Wanna Be a Success! appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>What does it take to become a sales success? Why do some people make it to the top? Or, more to reality, why do some people who have the top talent, wallow in mediocrity? Big questions.While the answers to questions of what it takes to “make it” are subjective, there are some common characteristics and principles that are attributed to those who have achieved success. There are repeated patterns and actions of successful people. That’s not surprising. Even less surprising is, that as you read these actions, there won’t be any revelations. The difference is that successful people execute the attributes every day and you don’t. What seven attributes do high achievers have in common? And more importantly, are you a master of each of these characteristics? - Self belief… They have the mental posture for success believing they are capable of achieving it. This belief must extend to their product and their company. A strong belief system seems obvious but few people possess it. Too many salespeople look outside (for the money they can make) rather than look inside (for the money they can earn).
- Take advantage of opportunities… First, that they recognize it. (Often it shows up disguised in the form of adversity) Second, that they act on it. Opportunity is elusive. It exists all over the place, but very few can see it. Some people fear it because it involves change, most don’t believe they are capable of achievement.
- Have the right associations… Hang around the right people – other successful people. Network where their best customers and prospects go. Join the right associations. Make the right friends. Stay away from poisonous people, the ones who can’t seem to get anywhere. Have a mentor or three.
- Expose yourself to what’s new… If you’re not learning every day, your competition is. New information is essential to success (unless you’re like most salespeople who already know everything, lucky you).
- Have the answers your prospects and customers need… The more you can solve problems, the easier path you will have to sales success. Prospects don’t want facts, they want answers. In order to have those answers, you must have superior knowledge about what you do and explain it in terms of how the prospect uses what you do.
- Take responsibility… We all blame others to a degree. Blame is tied to success in reverse proportion. The lower your degree of blame, the higher degree of success you’ll achieve. Get the job done yourself, no matter what. Petty blame is rampant and the biggest waste of time
- Willing to risk… This is the most crucial factor. No risk, no reward is the biggest understatement in the business world. It should be stated no risk, no nothing. It is a vital part of #1, #2 & #3. Risk is the basis of success. If you want to succeed, you’d better be willing to risk whatever it takes to get there.
7.5 Have a positive attitude… Surprisingly this is not a common characteristic. By the time many make it to the top, they have developed irreversible cynicism. But, positive attitude makes achieving success much easier and more fun. See, I told you no revelations. OK, so if these characteristics seem so simple, how come they’re so difficult to master? Answer: your lack of personal self-discipline and a dedication to lifelong learning. Oh yeah, that. I am constantly amazed and disappointed at the small number of people willing to execute the simple daily self-disciplines needed to reach higher levels of success. They know it will bring them the success they dream about, yet they fail to execute. In sales, the person who will emerge victorious most of the time, is the person who wants it the most. Victory does not always go to the swift (hare vs. tortoise), victory does not always go to the powerful (David vs. Goliath), and victory does not always go to the lowest price (Yugo vs. Mercedes). The victory we call success goes to the best prepared, self believing, right associated, self taught, responsible person, who sees the opportunity and is willing to take a risk to seize it, sometimes a big risk. Is that you? FREE GitBit… Lifelong learning self evaluation test. Test yourself on your awareness and prowess of the 13.5 principles of dedicated lifelong learning. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “LIFE LONG LEARNING” in the search box. The post I Wanna Be a Success! I Wanna Be a Success! appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The Hot Air Factor. How Full of It Are You?https://www.gitomer.com/the-hot-air-factor-how-full-of-it-are-you-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-hot-air-factor-how-full-of-it-are-you-2Wed, 08 Jan 2020 05:29:37 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7282Sometimes salespeople get a bad rap. Sometimes they create it. Sales requires self-confidence but there’s a fine line between self-confidence and cockiness. A finer line between self-assured and arrogance. And the finest line between proud and egotistical. As a professional salesperson, there’s a career difference between self-talk = self-performance (the right way) and loose lips sink ships (the ultra wrong ...
The post The Hot Air Factor. How Full of It Are You? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Sometimes salespeople get a bad rap. Sometimes they create it.Sales requires self-confidence but there’s a fine line between self-confidence and cockiness. A finer line between self-assured and arrogance. And the finest line between proud and egotistical. As a professional salesperson, there’s a career difference between self-talk = self-performance (the right way) and loose lips sink ships (the ultra wrong way). Salespeople are not the most loved group of professionals to begin with. We rank above politicians, tax collectors, and (especially) lawyers, but below dentists and dog catchers. All that a salesperson can hope to do is establish a great reputation, and let that propel him to success. Since the prospect buys the salesperson first, reputation is as valuable (and critical) an element as a he or she can have. How is yours? One bad event, situation, or story can ruin years of hard work. Continuing stories of neglect or over promising breed career destruction. A salesperson’s self-delusion (failure to admit the problem, and thinking nothing is wrong) will make the situation worse. Sales hot air can occur at any level. Customers, prospects, bosses and coworkers are all potential victims. “Come on Jeffrey,” you say, “Get to the point. Give me some examples of self-destructive talk. What is sales “hot air?” Relax, helium breath, here ‘tiz. 7.5 examples of Hot Air (even though I’m sure none of these apply to you). - BTNA – Big talk no action. Too much time talking about the sales you’re going to make and not enough time making them.
- Bragging too soon. Before the deal is signed, sealed, and a check delivered.
- Bragging too much. No one but you wants to hear it. If you really need to hear yourself just record yourself and replay it in your car until you get as sick of it as others.
- Bragging at the expense of others. Beat the competition, but don’t beat them into the ground. A variation of this is making someone else look like a fool. Bragging about someone you took advantage of or tricked.
- Using others as scapegoats to get yourself off the hook. Better known as covering your butt, or the inability to accept responsibility. Blaming others for your failings is obvious to those who are listening, and makes a fool out of the teller.
- Exaggerating the facts. Each year, the fish that got away increases in size. Stay within the parameters of what you know to be true or less. Understated is always better.
- Using insincere words. Honestly, truthfully, quite frankly, and I mean that, are words that alienate.
7.5 Talking past the sale. Knowing when to shut up and go home. Employing any one of the above elements after a sale has been consummated but before you leave will jeopardize the sale. It’s known as “buying it back,” and it happens often. The rule of thumb in sales is “less is more.” Hot air has interesting negative side effects… - It wastes everyone’s time.
- It’s the most unproductive and negative use of your time possible.
- It makes you look like a fool.
- It lowers your respect factor by 100.
- It gets people talking behind your back.
- It prevents advancement.
- It can get you fired.
Who wants that? No one, but these side effects are linked to people with severe cases of hot air. How do you know if this is you? How do you know if you’re blowing hot air? Well, no one is without some guilt. It’s hard not to brag if you just made a big sale, and took it out from under the nose of your biggest competitor. The rules are simple: Don’t say anything behind anyone’s back you wouldn’t say to their face. Don’t say something you wouldn’t want said about you. Don’t say anything you have to remember (lies must be remembered, or you get tripped up with the truth). Don’t say anything you couldn’t say in front of your mom. The key is to temper your remarks with humility. Your challenge is to always bring out the good side in your words. Your challenge is to employ self-discipline in getting past hot air. Your challenge is self-rule or self-destruct. FREE GitBit… Understanding why you’re in sales can eliminate hot air. I’d love to send you a form to help identify your “why” and structure your belief system. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “BUILD BELIEF” in the search box. The post The Hot Air Factor. How Full of It Are You? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Help! I’m Slumping, and I Can’t Get a Sale!https://www.gitomer.com/help-im-slumping-and-i-cant-get-a-sale-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=help-im-slumping-and-i-cant-get-a-sale-2Mon, 06 Jan 2020 05:17:19 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7269In a slump? Not making enough (or any) sales. Feel like you’re unable to get out of the rut? Maybe you’re not in a big slump, but just can’t seem to hit the quota numbers. Let’s be kind and call it “sales underachievement.” Don’t panic. Don’t press too hard. Don’t get down on yourself. Don’t get mad. And above all, ...
The post Help! I’m Slumping, and I Can’t Get a Sale! appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>In a slump? Not making enough (or any) sales. Feel like you’re unable to get out of the rut? Maybe you’re not in a big slump, but just can’t seem to hit the quota numbers. Let’s be kind and call it “sales underachievement.”Don’t panic. Don’t press too hard. Don’t get down on yourself. Don’t get mad. And above all, don’t quit. What causes a slump? You do. Therefore, you are the best (only) person to fix it. Here are the prime causes of sales slumps: Poor belief system. I don’t believe that my company or product is the best. I don’t think that I’m the best. Poor work habits. Getting to work late, or barely “on time,” Not spending your time productively. Misperceptions that lead to sour grapes. I think my prices are too high, or my territory is bad. Outside pressure. Caused by money problems, family problems, or personal problems. Poor personal habits. Too much drink, too much food, or too much after hours play. Boss giving crap instead of support. Someone who says, “You better do it,” instead of, “I know you can do it.” Events that go against you. New sales person passes you, someone else gets promoted and you knew it should have been you. Customer cancels a big order. Weakening your personal belief or causing severe money problems or both. Getting depressed. From any of the above. When you’re in a slump, you begin to press for orders instead of working your best gameplan (which is: sell to help the other person and let your sincerity of purpose shine through). When you have the pressure to sell, the prospect senses it and backs off. Then things get worse. You can’t seem to sell at all, and begin to panic. “Oh my gosh, I can’t sell a thing, I’ll get fired, miss my house payment, can’t pay my bills. Aaaahhhhhh!” False fear. Relax, you’re better than that. Here’s a prescription to help cure sick sales: Get back to basics. Usually what’s wrong is not complicated. In fact, you probably know what’s wrong. Your problem is that you think it’s someone else’s fault. Wrong. List two or three areas that need immediate care. Have the guts to take action. Revisit your (or make a new) plan for success. Today. List 5 things you could be doing to work smarter/harder. Make a plan to work as smart as you think (or say) you are. Change your presentation. Try a different approach. Take the customer’s perspective. Talk to your five best customers. Ask them to evaluate your situation. Get someone you respect to evaluate your presentation. Take them with you on sales calls. Get a coach. Visit your mentor. And have a new plan when you get there. Get to work an hour before everyone. Put in more productive time. Stay away from pity parties. Don’t make a slump worse by whining or hanging around a bunch of negits and underachievers. Hang around positive, successful people. The best way to get to success. Have some fun. Go to the comedy club, do a little extra of what you like to do best (unless too much fun is the cause of your slump). Spend 30 minutes a day (in the morning is best) reading about your positive attitude. Then listen to attitude and sales podcasts in the car all day. Listen to your favorite song just before the presentation. Go in to your next call singing. Take a few days off. Chill out, take stock, make a plan, regroup, reenergize, and return with renewed determination and better energy. Rearrange your office. Shake things up a little, make them look new. Record your presentations live. Then listen in the car immediately afterwards. Take notes. Act to correct. Take a video of your presentation. Watch it with others who can give you constructive feedback. Take the best salesperson you know out on calls with you for a day. Get a written evaluation after each call. Take your boss with you on calls for a week. You’ll get more feedback than you can handle, but it will help. Avoid negative talk and negative people like the plague. Find people who will encourage you, not puke on you. When a baseball player is in a batting slump he will do anything to “change his luck.” Things from superstition (rabbit’s foot, not shaving, wearing the same underwear) to changing batting stance, to video watching, to extra coaching. But the one thing that usually breaks the slump is extra batting practice to regain the groove. Fundamentals. They, like you, have the professional ability, but temporarily lost it. They, like you, went back to the raw fundamentals to regain lost talent. Other random notes on the truth about slumps: The best way to get out of the rut is keep the slump in perspective. Once you accept the fact that it’s no one’s fault but your own, you can begin to recover. Be cool. You’re the greatest, if you think you are. Believe in the most important person in the world, YOU. In a sales slump? Get fired up or get fired. FREE GitBit… A famous (but author unknown) poem “Don’t Quit.” If you’d like one mailed to you at no cost, go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the words “DON’T QUIT” in the search box. The post Help! I’m Slumping, and I Can’t Get a Sale! appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – The last grasphttps://www.gitomer.com/101-5-rules-for-selling-success-the-last-grasp-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=101-5-rules-for-selling-success-the-last-grasp-2Thu, 02 Jan 2020 07:47:50 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7259Fight the rules? Who doesn’t? But sales rules are different. You must embrace them and adapt them to your personality and style in order to achieve your sales goals. Welcome to part four (the final installment) of a challenge to your basic sales skills. These rules are designed to make you aware of knowledge gaps in your sales skills, and ...
The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – The last grasp appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Fight the rules? Who doesn’t? But sales rules are different. You must embrace them and adapt them to your personality and style in order to achieve your sales goals. Welcome to part four (the final installment) of a challenge to your basic sales skills.These rules are designed to make you aware of knowledge gaps in your sales skills, and reinforce what you know you should be doing but might not be. You can gain maximum benefit if you follow the ABC’s… - Evaluate yourself on each rule. Be honest. This is a self-evaluation, not a place to brag. It’s an opportunity to get real with the most important person on earth – YOU! Put a number in the line that represents your present skill level in each rule. 1=poor, 2=average, 3=good, 4=very good, 5=the greatest.
- If you’re between good and poor (sometimes or rarely) in any rule, make an action plan to get excellent.
- Do it.
___ 78. Take advantage of every second of your time… It’s all you’ve got. ___ 79. Schedule a sales call one minute after your sales meeting… Try out what you just learned. ___ 80. Implement the Daily Dose formula… Reduce what it takes to succeed to a daily dose. Do that amount every day. Sounds simple, it is simple. ___ 81. Evaluate yourself every month… Your presentation, your sales, your personal goal achievement, your education, and your attitude. ___ 82. Do it down to the last detail… Too often salespeople ignore details and fail. ___ 83. Gain the ability to make effective decisions… Which means taking risks. Don’t be afraid to be wrong it inhibits growth. ___ 84. The two acid sales questions… Is this in the best interest of my customer? Is this in the best long-term interest of my company? If yes, do it. ___ 85. Make it easy for anyone to do business with you… Fill out the forms yourself. ___ 86. Do something nonbusiness with a customer… A meal, ball game, or theater tickets help turn customers into business friends. People buy from friends. ___ 87. Get other’s business… A powerful relationship builder and implied position of obligation. Help people build their business, so you can earn yours. ___ 88. Don’t keep score… Use every resource at your disposal to help others… If you don’t measure (he owes me one), it will come back to you times ten. ___ 89. If it wouldn’t make your mom proud, don’t do it… Take pride in yourself, your company and what you do. Be an ambassador at all times. ___ 90. Don’t force the sale… It usually turns out to be a big hassle. ___ 91. Keep physically fit… It will improve your performance by 20%. ___ 92. Get unsolicited referrals on a regular basis… Ask yourself: Have I done what it takes so this person will refer me to someone else? ___ 93. Do it passionately… Do it the best it’s ever been done. Give the best effort you have every day. ___ 94. Be memorable… In a creative way. In a positive way. In a professional way. What will they say about you when you leave? You are responsible for the memory you leave. ___ 95. Resign your position as general manager of the universe… Before you interfere with everyone else’s problems, solve your own first. People in tin houses shouldn’t throw can openers. Butt out. ___ 96. Get great at everything you do… Be known as the best. ___ 97. Speak in public… It will help you improve presentation skills and position you as an expert. Join Toastmasters. ___ 98. Get involved in your community… Give back a portion of what is provided to you. ___ 99. Find mentors and use them… If you have the desire to succeed, others will help you. Just earn the right to ask. ___ 100. The best way to learn to be successful is hang around successful people… Hang around with the best salespeople you know. Avoid people who are not. ___ 101. The biggest obstacle to your success is you…You have been given a bag of cement and a bucket of water You can either build a stepping stone or a stumbling block. The choice is (and always has been) yours. The 101.5 characteristic is the most important of them all… ___ 101.5. Have Fun!… You will succeed far greater at something you love to do. Doing something you enjoy will also bring joy to others. Happiness and enthusiasm are contagious. There are a lot of salespeople who have read these last four issues and said “Yeah, I know all that stuff.” And to him or her, I say, “Yes, but are you doing it?” Following the fundamental rules of selling will lead to sale success faster than any high pressure technique. The surest way to get great at sales? Get great at the basics. I hope all your appointments are one call closes that lead to long term relationships. The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – The last grasp appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – How do you do?https://www.gitomer.com/101-5-rules-for-selling-success-how-do-you-do/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=101-5-rules-for-selling-success-how-do-you-doMon, 30 Dec 2019 07:41:46 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7256Salespeople hate rules. They fight them more than follow them. How do you do at following rules? There’s a big difference between company rules and sales rules, but if you’re not following one, chances are you’re not so hot at the other. Welcome to part three of a challenge to your basic sales skills. These rules are designed to make ...
The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – How do you do? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Salespeople hate rules. They fight them more than follow them. How do you do at following rules? There’s a big difference between company rules and sales rules, but if you’re not following one, chances are you’re not so hot at the other. Welcome to part three of a challenge to your basic sales skills.These rules are designed to make you aware of knowledge gaps in your sales skills, and reinforce what you know you should be doing but might not be. You can gain maximum benefit if you follow the ABC’s… - Evaluate yourself on each rule. Be honest. This is a self-evaluation, not a place to brag. It’s an opportunity to get real with the most important person on earth – YOU! Put a number in the line that represents your present skill level in each rule. 1=poor, 2=average, 3=good, 4=very good, 5=the greatest.
- If you’re between good and poor (sometimes or rarely) in any rule, make an action plan to get excellent.
- Do it.
___ 53. Close the sale… on the same words the prospect gave you when he was answering his “biggest need” question. ___ 54. Ask for the sale… Sounds too simple, but it works. ___ 55. After you ask a closing question, SHUT UP… The first rule of sales. ___ 56. If you don’t make the sale, make a firm appointment to return… Make some form of sale each time you call. ___ 57. Follow-up, follow-up, follow-up… If it takes between five and ten exposures to a prospect before a sale is made, be prepared to do whatever it takes to get to the 10th meeting. (Secret: Ask the prospect how they would like you to follow up they’ll tell you.) ___ 58. Redefine rejection… They’re not rejecting you, they’re just rejecting the offer you’re making them. ___ 59. Anticipate and be comfortable with change… A big part of sales is change. Roll with it to succeed. Fight it and fail. ___ 60. Follow rules… Salespeople often think rules are made for others. Think again. Broken rules will only get you fired. ___ 61. Team up with coworkers… Work internally as a team to serve the customer in the best way possible. Sales is never a solo effort. Team up with your coworkers so you can partner with your customers. ___ 62. Never argue. Never argue. Never argue… With a prospect or customer. Even if you win, you lose. ___ 63. Negative emotions inhibit sales… They block clear, creative thinking. ___ 64. Deliver more than expected… The day before it’s due. ___ 65. Surprise your customers… So they’ll talk about you to someone else. ___ 66. Treat every customer as though they were the king or queen of England… Or some imagined celebrity. ___ 67. Treat others the way you want to be treated… Provide the same service you expect to get. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. Do they fit? ___ 68. Satisfy a customer’s complaint in less than 24 hours… Positive recovery leads to more sales and a great reputation. ___ 69. Don’t blame others when the fault (or responsibility) is yours… Take full responsibility for your actions, what happens to you, and the success of your company. Accepting responsibility is the fulcrum point for succeeding at anything. Doing something about it is the criteria. Blame yourself for lost sales. ___ 70. Understand that hard work makes luck… Take a close look at the people you think are lucky. Either they or someone in their family put in years of hard work to create that luck. You can get just as lucky. Success and failure are not accidents or luck driven. ___ 71. Harness the power of persistence… Are you willing to take no for an answer and just accept it without a fight? Can you take no as a challenge instead of a rejection? Are you willing to persist through the 510 exposures it takes to make the sale? Be as tenacious and persistent as you were when you were 4 years old and asked your mom for a candy bar in the supermarket. ___ 72. Find your success formula through numbers… Determine your own numbers for success – how many leads, calls, proposals, appointments, presentations, and follow-ups it takes to get to the sale? Then follow the formula. ___ 73. Develop and practice networking skills… The most powerful business tool in the 21st century. ___ 74. Spend more than 10 hours a month networking… The only way to get results is to be in front of people. ___ 75. Develop a 30second personal commercial… That gains interest in your product or service. Practice it until it’s perfect. ___ 76. Write on the back of business cards… The only way to capture and remember important information while networking. ___ 77. Design and invest in a great business card… It’s your image after you leave. Have a business card that people talk about. This is the end of part three. The reality of these rules hurts doesn’t it? Please realize the rule/test is designed to help you if you’re willing to get real with yourself. The end of the challenge next week. The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – How do you do? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – The Truth Hurtshttps://www.gitomer.com/101-5-rules-for-selling-success-the-truth-hurts-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=101-5-rules-for-selling-success-the-truth-hurts-2Thu, 26 Dec 2019 07:34:14 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7252Welcome to part two of a challenge to your basic sales skills. Sales rules are fundamental skills, that when mastered, make sales easier. How good are you at the basics? Read the rules and see how you rate at them. These rules are designed to make you aware of knowledge gaps in your sales skills, and reinforce what you know ...
The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – The Truth Hurts appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Welcome to part two of a challenge to your basic sales skills. Sales rules are fundamental skills, that when mastered, make sales easier. How good are you at the basics? Read the rules and see how you rate at them.These rules are designed to make you aware of knowledge gaps in your sales skills, and reinforce what you know you should be doing but might not be. You can gain maximum benefit if you follow the ABC’s… - Evaluate yourself on each rule. Be honest. This is a self-evaluation, not a place to brag. It’s an opportunity to get real with the most important person on earth – YOU! Put a number in the line that represents your present skill level in each rule. 1=poor, 2=average, 3=good, 4=very good, 5=the greatest.
- If you’re between good and poor (sometimes or rarely) in any rule, make an action plan to get excellent.
- Do it.
___ 28. Get the prospect to lean forward with interest… Gain buyer interest or you’ll never get a sale, you may not even get an appointment. Your creative preparation will determine your outcome. ___29. Become a resource to your customers… Ideas, industry information, competitive information makes you a resource. Go to a sales call with an idea you think your prospect can use. ___ 30. Be sincere… If you are sincere about helping, it will show and vice-versa. ___ 31. Be on time for everything… Lateness says, “I don’t respect your time.” There is no excuse for lateness. ___ 32. Look professional… If you look sharp it’s a positive reflection on you, your company, and your product. ___ 33. Establish rapport and confidence before selling… Get to know the prospect and his company; establish confidence early. Don’t start your pitch until you do. ___ 34. Use humor… It’s the best tool for relationship sales I have found. Have fun at what you do. Laughing is tacit approval. Make the prospect laugh and you can make him buy. ___ 35. Be a master of your product… Know how your product is used to benefit your customers. Total product knowledge gives you the mental freedom to concentrate on selling. You may not always use the knowledge in the sales presentation, but it gives you confidence to make the sale. Become an expert in your industry. ___ 36. The power of the question cannot be equaled… You can qualify the buyer, establish rapport, create disparity, eliminate competition, build credibility, know the customer, identify needs, find hot buttons, get personal information, and close a sale all by asking questions. WOW. Have 25 of the most powerful ones you can create at your fingertips. ___ 37. Ask the right questions… The key to selling. Create a BUYING atmosphere not a selling one. ___ 38. Sell solutions (benefits), not situations (features)… The customer doesn’t want to know how it works. He wants to know how it will help him. Sell in terms of the customer not in terms of you. ___ 39. Tell the truth… Never be at a loss to remember what you said. ___ 40. Deliver on all promises… The best way to turn a sale into a relationship is to deliver as promised. Failure to do what you say you’re going to do, either for your company or your customer, is a disaster from which you may never recover. ___ 41. Don’t down the competition… If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing (your mother’s words of wisdom). Set yourself apart from them with preparation and creativity don’t compare yourself to them, or put them down. ___ 42. Use testimonials… The strongest salesman on your team is a reference from a satisfied customer. Testimonials are the best proof. ___ 43. Use testimonials to overcome objections… Get letters from satisfied customers that overcome standard objections. ___ 44. Learn to recognize buying signals… The prospect will often tell you when he is ready to buy if you’re paying attention. Are you listening? ___ 45. The biggest buying signal in the world is “How much is it?”… Don’t tell the price until the prospect asks. ___ 46. Objections often indicate buyer interest… When the buyer objects, it often means he wants to buy with contingencies. ___ 47. Anticipate objections… There are less than 10 objections to your sale. Have all of them written out. Rehearse answers to standard objections. ___ 48. Get down to the real objection… Customers are not always truthful, they often won’t tell you the true objection(s) at first. ___ 49. Know the difference between a stall and an objection… Excuses like “I want to think it over,” are not objections. ___ 50. Incorporate answers to objections into your presentation… Don’t wait for them to be raised. ___ 51. Overcome objections… This is a complex issue, it’s not just an answer, it’s an understanding of the situation. Listen to the prospect and think in terms of a solution. You must create an atmosphere of confidence and trust strong enough to effect a sale. ___ 52. Create a comparison chart… of all your competitors for the buyer who wants to “shop around.” Lead into it with, “Mr. Johnson, after you shop, if you find we’re the best, will you select us?” Then show the chart and write up the order. This is the end of part two. How are you doing so far? The rule/test is designed to help you if you’re willing to get real with yourself. More pain next week. The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – The Truth Hurts appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – How do you rate?https://www.gitomer.com/101-5-rules-for-selling-success-how-do-you-rate-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=101-5-rules-for-selling-success-how-do-you-rate-2Mon, 23 Dec 2019 07:26:06 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7249In sales, it’s not knowing what you should do, it’s doing what you should do. Salespeople know everything, the problem is, they just don’t do it. We are each responsible for our own success or failure. Winning at sales is no exception. To ensure yourself a win, you must take a proactive approach to learning and following the success rules. ...
The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – How do you rate? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>In sales, it’s not knowing what you should do, it’s doing what you should do. Salespeople know everything, the problem is, they just don’t do it. We are each responsible for our own success or failure. Winning at sales is no exception. To ensure yourself a win, you must take a proactive approach to learning and following the success rules. These rules are designed to make you aware of knowledge gaps in your sales skills, and reinforce what you know you should be doing, but might not be. You can gain maximum benefit if you follow the ABC’s…- Evaluate yourself on each rule. Be honest. This is a self-evaluation, not a place to brag. It’s an opportunity to get real with the most important person on earth – YOU! Put a number in the line that represents your present skill level in each rule. 1=poor, 2=average, 3=good, 4=very good, 5=the greatest.
- If you’re between good and poor (sometimes or rarely) in any rule, make an action plan to get excellent.
- Do it.
___ 1. Develop and maintain a positive attitude… The first rule of life. The way you dedicate yourself to the way you think. Your sales (and life) success depends on it. ___ 2. Believe in yourself first… If you don’t think you can do it, who will? ___ 3. Set and achieve goals. Make a plan… A goal is a dream with a plan. ___ 4. Learn and execute the fundamentals of sales… Never stop learning how to sell. Read, listen to podcasts, attend seminars. Concentrate on the fundamentals. Adapt sales these techniques to your own style and personality. ___ 5. Learn one new technique a day… Practice the new technique as soon as you learn it. ___ 6. Use your car as a learning center… A sales audio/podcast is better for your success than radio drivel. ___ 7. Visualize the sale taking place before it actually happens… You’ll become assumptive, confident, and double your sales. WOW. ___ 8. Sell on your home court as often as possible… 75% of professional sports teams win their home games. That’s a great winning percentage. Try it. ___ 9. Shake hands firmly… No one wants to shake hands with a dead fish. You can learn a lot from someone’s handshake and they from yours. ___ 10. Be conversational in your presentation… Give it as though you were talking to friends. Be original in the way you present. ___ 11. Develop great phone skills… The most deadly weapon in sales. ___ 12. Don’t prejudge prospects… They are often customers in disguise. ___ 13. Understand the customer and meet his or her needs… Question and listen to the prospect and uncover true needs. ___ 14. Qualify the buyer… Don’t waste time with someone who can’t decide. ___ 15. Develop a test to see if you can help (hook) the prospect… Ten questions that will qualify and interest the prospect. ___ 16. Take notes as the prospect or customer is talking… It makes them feel important. And captures their information to help make the sale. ___ 17. Listen with the intent to understand… When you feel you understand, then respond. Listening is more important than talking. ___ 18. Communicate to be understood… Clear, concise, brief. ___ 19. Sell to help… Sell to help customers; don’t sell for commissions. ___ 20. Establish long term relationships with everyone… If you get to know your customer and concentrate on his best interests, you’ll earn much more than a commission. ___ 21. Believe in your company and product… Believe your product or service is the best and it will show. If you don’t believe in your product, your prospect won’t either. Be loyal to your company and product or quit. ___ 22. Be prepared… Your self-motivation and preparation are the lifeblood of your outreach. Be ready to make the sale with sales kit, sales tools, openers, questions, statements, and answers. ___ 23. Know the prospect’s industry… Before you make the call. ___ 24. Know the prospect’s business… Before you make the call. ___ 25. Know the prospect… Before you make the call. ___ 26. Understand how your prospect serves his customer… You must understand how your prospect’s business or customer uses your product. ___ 27. Read the trade journals of your best customers… Know what’s going on in their world. This is the end of part one. How are you doing so far? Are you being truthful about your skills? The rule/test is designed to help you but only if you’re willing to get real with yourself. More pain next week. The post 101.5 Rules for Selling Success – How do you rate? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Two words that define sales…Your saleshttps://www.gitomer.com/two-words-that-define-salesyour-sales/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=two-words-that-define-salesyour-salesThu, 19 Dec 2019 07:13:57 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7243Part two of a two part series: The second most important word in selling is why. It’s important because it leads to the one thing you can’t make sales without answers. The word why applies to three aspects of your sales (and your) life: Why you? Why them? Why ask? Why you: Why are you in sales? To make ...
The post Two words that define sales…Your sales appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Part two of a two part series:The second most important word in selling is why. It’s important because it leads to the one thing you can’t make sales without answers. The word why applies to three aspects of your sales (and your) life: Why you? Why them? Why ask? Why you: Why are you in sales? To make “good” money? False. A better (and more truthful) answer is what you will do with the money. What your money will buy you. Who you will help with your money. That’s your real why. Determining the real reason why you’re in sales will allow you to go into a sales call with a purpose, a mission. Identifying and developing your “why” will help you achieve the dedication and self-discipline you need to learn to become a great salesperson. Discovery of “why” will also lead you to the belief that you are the best. Self-belief is the first and most critical function of the selling process. Success Strategy: Write your “why” in a few words (example: “I want my son to go to the college of his choice.”) on 3×5 cards and place them in five strategic locations. - On your bathroom mirror.
- On the dashboard of your car.
- On the wall of your office where you can see it (maybe on your computer).
- On your office telephone.
- In your wallet (near your money).
You may have more than one why for best results, post them all. Why them: The biggest mistake salespeople make is trying to sell for the wrong reasons their own. You see, people don’t buy for your reasons they buy for their reasons so find their reasons (their “why”) first and sell them on that. Finding out the prospect’s real “why” is the most important process of the selling process. Success strategy: The real why you’re after may be 3 or 4 questions deep. When you get a superficial why answer, ask why again. It will get you closer to the real truth. Secrets to the discovery of “why:” - People may be embarrassed or reluctant to reveal their real why.
- People may not know their real why because they never thought about it (had the guts to think about it, had the courage to face it) .
- The real why may be behind the stated need. Something they really need to accomplish, something they hate, love, or are passionate about.
The real why only comes to the surface with the proper use of part three: Why ask: Questions are the heart of sales. To get the true why of the prospect, you must ask the right why questions. Questions that get the prospect to answer about your desires stated in their interests or needs. Ask them questions about them (their why), and have them answer in terms of you (your why). Why is the questioning element of the sale that will lead to other pathways of information if asked properly. Why leads you to all the answers you need in order to complete a sale, define expectations, and build a relationship. Why gets down to the real reasons for the sale of yours and theirs.. Success Strategy: Preplan your questions. Have a list with you to refer to at all times. Test them out for reaction and their ability to generate response. The two most important words in sales you and why are part of a formula that every salesperson should have emblazoned on their soul: you + why = yes! FREE GitBit… Build success belief beyond your dreams by building belief. I’d love to send you a form to help identify your “why” and structure your belief system. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “BUILD BELIEF” in the search box. The post Two words that define sales…Your sales appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The two most important words in sellinghttps://www.gitomer.com/the-two-most-important-words-in-selling-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-two-most-important-words-in-selling-2Mon, 16 Dec 2019 15:13:39 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7236Can you guess what they are? Make money, customer service, close sales, follow up. No. They’re words about sales. I’m talking about two words that lead to sales. Hint: The words are separate. Give up? The first word is you. Many sales people believe that customers buy their products and services first. Incorrect. The first thing prospect’s buy is the ...
The post The two most important words in selling appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Can you guess what they are? Make money, customer service, close sales, follow up. No. They’re words about sales. I’m talking about two words that lead to sales. Hint: The words are separate.Give up? The first word is you. Many sales people believe that customers buy their products and services first. Incorrect. The first thing prospect’s buy is the salesperson. The first sale made is you. In order to affect any direct sale, the customer must first believe in the person conveying the message. This is unfortunately most evident when “you” is bad. Ever walk out of a car dealership because the salesperson was too pushy, or worse, insulted you? Then drove somewhere else and bought the same product because they were “nice” to you. You bought the salesperson then you bought the product. Ever had a rude salesperson or server, and walked away without purchasing? Not only did you walk away, you told friends and associates the horror story. The person couldn’t sell themselves, therefore couldn’t complete a sale that the customer was anxious to make. Amazing isn’t it? It all begins with you. Prospects must first believe in (and like) the messenger, or the message has no credibility. How’s your personal product? How’s your you? Is it salable or does it need some work? Rate your you. Here are 10.5 things that make “you” strong enough to make a sale. Rate yourself in each category from 1 (poor) to 10 (the greatest) and see how great “you” are. Put your rating in the line. ___ 1. Your image. How you look affects the way you are perceived. How do you look? ___ 2. Your ability to speak. Your ability to convey the message. Are you a member of toastmasters? ___ 3. Your ability to establish rapport. Making the prospect feel at ease, and developing some common ground as a basis to move forward. Do you make the scene warm? ___ 4. Your attitude. Your enthusiasm combined with your state of internal happiness. Not what you say, but how you say it. Are you positive plus? ___ 5. Your product knowledge. Your convincibility. Do you know it cold? ___ 6. Your desire to help. Desire to help shows through, so does greed. Does your help side outweigh your greed side? ___ 7. Your preparedness. A confidence builder if you are, or destroyer if you aren’t. Do you prepare for every call? ___ 8. Your humor. Nothing builds good feelings like good humor and a good laugh. Can you make others laugh? ___ 9. Your sincerity. Shows through either way. Are you genuine? ___ 10. Your reputation (or the reputation that precedes you). If you are well known in the community, or in your field, you may walk in with a slight advantage. How’s your reputation? ___ 10.5 Your glue. The way you handle your total package. Your Stature. The way you carry yourself. The way you put it all together. The character of you is what leads to the credibility of what you sell. How well are you “put together”? How’d you score? Perfect score is 110. If you scored from 100 – 110, you are a Great You with a great success story to tell, and are setting a great example for others. 90 – 99 Pretty darn good you. Climbing the ladder, and making daily progress. 70 – 89 You ain’t as hot as you think. You’re in need of a 20 minute personal daily workout. 50 – 69 You’re mediocre at sales, and so is your success to date. You have a decision to make. Stay and get better every day, or get out before you’re fired, and blame someone else for all that’s wrong with you. 30 – 49 You stink. Go to the nearest bookstore, buy Dale Carnegie’s How to Win Friends and Influence People. Don’t leave home until you read it. Making you great is fun. And it will make more sales than 1,000 sales techniques. Oh, and for those of you who have a long way to go, here’s the best advice I’ve ever heard to start (and stay) on the path to being the best You are the greatest, if you think you are. The second most important in sales is… (out of space see you next week) FREE GitBit… Build success belief beyond your dreams by building belief. I’d love to send you a form to help identify your “why” and structure your belief system. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “BUILD BELIEF” in the search box. The post The two most important words in selling appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The Isolation Process, A Powerful Path to More Saleshttps://www.gitomer.com/the-isolation-process-a-powerful-path-to-more-sales-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-isolation-process-a-powerful-path-to-more-sales-3Thu, 12 Dec 2019 00:04:23 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7227Psst — hey — c’mere! I’ve got a secret to tell you…Sometimes prospects will stall you, sometimes they will lie to you, sometimes they won’t tell you the real reason why they won’t purchase. When a prospect gives you some lame excuse (stall) about why they won’t buy now, he’s really saying, “not yet.” There are two basic types of ...
The post The Isolation Process, A Powerful Path to More Sales appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Psst — hey — c’mere! I’ve got a secret to tell you…Sometimes prospects will stall you, sometimes they will lie to you, sometimes they won’t tell you the real reason why they won’t purchase. When a prospect gives you some lame excuse (stall) about why they won’t buy now, he’s really saying, “not yet.”There are two basic types of stalls: People stalls and Thing stalls. Thing stalls are when prospects say — I’m too busy now, your price is too high, I have too many other obligations. Frustrating, isn’t it? Want to make the stall go away? Simple. Here’s the strategy: Isolate the stall or objection as the only obstacle, and then eliminate it from the situation by asking, “what if it was gone, or was not the situation…would you buy?” Isolating and eliminating creates a new situation AND a possible sale. You repeat the stall back to the prospect, and then take it away. For example — you say, “I understand, Mr. Johnson. So, what you’re telling me is if it wasn’t the fact that you were too busy, this would be a perfect opportunity for you, is that correct? (get the commitment). (then double qualify) In other words, if you had the time, you would get involved? (then say) Well let’s look at the situation closer, you say you have no time, but you also said that you’re not earning all the money you need. Maybe there’s a way to use this opportunity to buy back some of your time with increased earnings.” Another example — The prospect says, “I don’t have the money.” You say, “If you had the money, would you buy it?” The best way to handle a stall or objection is take it away, and consider new options or solutions. You say…If it wasn’t for…then insert the stall — price, timing of workload, other obligations — would you buy it? People stalls are worse. Does this sound familiar? Sounds good Jeffrey, but I have to talk this over with my wife, husband, boss, accountant, lawyer, the executive committee, the home office, my cat whiskers, my two year old son, or my girlfriend. People not being able to decide on their own — Don’t you hate that? Well, here’s how to overcome it. First, isolate the person to a decision that does not include the others. “Bill, if it was only you…what would you decide?” This gives you a chance to find out how they really feel (will they support you). Second, double qualify the commitment. Ask – “Is there anything you would change or object to if it was only you?” Third, secure the prospect’s support when he meets with the third party. “Bill, when you go to the others, will you support the purchase?” And fourth, find other ways to get a decision now. Suggest alternatives that might get Bill to act now without risk. “Bill, since you’re in favor, and we only need your spouse’s approval, how about if we fill out the paperwork — give it to me so you can be in before the end of the month, and when your spouse says OK, we’ll be ready to go (and if your spouse says no, we’ll tear up the papers — no obligation.)” Hard to say no to that. One of the most interesting things about objections is that even though they continue to recur, they continue to stymie or dumbfound salespeople. I don’t get it. You put your hand on the stove once, you get burned, you don’t do it again. You learn the lesson. Salespeople continue to get burned. If you think about it for any length of time, it’s kind of silly. The isolation process is a powerful way of getting to the truth, finding out the real objection, AND in about 30% of the cases actually making the sale. But it’s only one of an arsenal of weapons available to salespeople for stalls and objections. You can prevent them by covering them in your presentation, or you can at least prepare “best responses” for the ones that happen all the time. Most of the time an objection is actually a buying signal. They’re saying, “I’m interested, but you haven’t sold me yet. And the sale is always made. Either you sell them on yes, or they sell you on no. Free GitBit… Seven steps to overcoming an objection. Valuable information to help you make more sales. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “OBJECTION” in the search box. The post The Isolation Process, A Powerful Path to More Sales appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - This Place Couldn’t Survive Without Me… Not.https://www.gitomer.com/this-place-couldnt-survive-without-me-not-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=this-place-couldnt-survive-without-me-not-3Mon, 09 Dec 2019 03:22:10 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7208When I was 19, my dad made me production manager of his 75 employee kitchen cabinet manufacturing factory. Before I officially took the job, I worked in the shop at each job, and set production standards based on what I could produce at each station. On my first official day as boss, Ozzie, our superstar cabinet assembler (main guy in ...
The post This Place Couldn’t Survive Without Me… Not. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>When I was 19, my dad made me production manager of his 75 employee kitchen cabinet manufacturing factory. Before I officially took the job, I worked in the shop at each job, and set production standards based on what I could produce at each station.On my first official day as boss, Ozzie, our superstar cabinet assembler (main guy in the most important position), came to me and asked for a 25 per hour raise. I went to my dad for advice and he said, Give it to him, son. So I did. A week later Ozzie returned and demanded another 25 raise, and he said he would quit if he didnt get it. I went back to my dad for advice and he said, Fire him, son. I went nuclear, You can’t fire Ozzie, I pleaded, the place will fall apart. Fire him, son, he repeated. So I did. I dreaded the next day. But to my everlasting surprise, four guys came forward to claim Ozzies position. We had a contest to see who would get it. Production was up 25% and Mr. Irreplaceable was replaced in less than 24 hours – and was never missed. How irreplaceable do you think you are, Ozzie? I have heard sales people boast on hundreds of occasions: - If it wasn’t for me this place would fold.
- If it wasn’t for me we’d be out of business.
- This place couldn’t survive without me.
- I do all the selling so this place can operate.
- My sales built this place.
Those are warning chants that the end is near. Here are 9.5 early warning signals that your sales brain has stopped functioning. - You think sales reports are a waste of time.
- Everyone else does wrong things except you.
- You get blamed for things you’re certain are someone else’s fault.
- You think your sales production could be better – if you just got a few breaks.
- You don’t listen to sales information in the car, or do anything to further your sales education.
- You’re way too cocky, cynical, and critical.
- At night you socialize or watch TV instead of read and plan your next day.
- You go to sales calls unprepared (no personalized ideas for the prospect or information about the prospect).
- You think most prospects and customers are dumb (or at least not as smart as you).
9.5 You think your boss is stupid. Many salespeople are failing or doing poorly and claim they don’t know why, or blame everyone and their dog. Many more salespeople get fired and claim or blame the same way. Truth is they cant or wont face themselves. They blame others and things instead of taking personal responsibility. - If you’re doing poorly and you blame circumstances, — take a look in the bathroom mirror.
- If you get fired and you leave thinking it’s someone else’s fault – you’ll likely repeat the process at your next job.
- If you get blamed and you think it’s someone else’s fault – think again.
It may take one face down spill in the gutter to wake you up. But it’s a whole lot easier (and less costly) to catch yourself before you fall. Success Strategies Here are a few positive steps that will lead to better personal and team responsibility: - Look at your belief system. To succeed at sales you must believe that you’re the best, your company is the best, and that your product is the best. All three are needed to succeed.
- Rededicate yourself to be more customer focused — not me focused. Customer dedication eliminates a lot of the ego problems. When you’re busy helping customers, your time to brag and complain diminishes.
- Rededicate yourself to get more educated. Listen to attitude and sales information an hour a day.
- Work longer hours. Get there an hour before everyone else. People who struggle to get to work on-time never seem to make it.
- Get more help oriented. Help others get sales. Help others succeed. Help customers get what they want and need.
- Transition from cocky to self-confident. Show it with deeds, not words.
- Transition from blaming others to taking responsibility. Most of the time when things go wrong, you could have done something to prevent it. Admit fault. Take the hit without a bunch of defensive whining.
- Read (re-read) How to Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie, and Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. The two bibles of business and sales success. Rededicate yourself to those success principles.
- Admit the truth to yourself. Admit fault. Then document what you could have done to have prevented the problem or made things better. Then make a daily (morning) plan to make a change for the better.
In order for the things and circumstances of your life to change — you must change first. Not much will happen without a change in your thought process, your attitude, and maybe eating a piece of humble pie. Admit it — it starts with you. FREE GitBit I have one more piece of secret about job success. Something to think about and act on everyday. Go to www.gitomer.com, register if you’re a first time user, then enter YOUYOU in the GitBit box. The post This Place Couldn’t Survive Without Me… Not. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - What does it take to become a sales success?https://www.gitomer.com/what-does-it-take-to-become-a-sales-success-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-does-it-take-to-become-a-sales-success-3Fri, 06 Dec 2019 03:07:44 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7205There is no quick fix, magic wand, or potion that will give you the success you’re dreaming for. So, what’s the secret of sales success? Well it’s not a single secret, it’s a secret formula. There is a series of 14.5 principles, strategies, and actions that will lead you to success. OK, OK, the Secrets of Sales Success are not ...
The post What does it take to become a sales success? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>There is no quick fix, magic wand, or potion that will give you the success you’re dreaming for.So, what’s the secret of sales success? Well it’s not a single secret, it’s a secret formula. There is a series of 14.5 principles, strategies, and actions that will lead you to success. OK, OK, the Secrets of Sales Success are not real secrets, they’re fundamental steps that successful salespeople and entrepreneurs have been executing for centuries. You can too. Here are the 14.5 Secrets of Success: - Believe you can. Believe that you’re the best and that you’re capable of achievement is the hardest thing to do. It requires daily dedication to self-support, self-encouragement and positive self-talk. You must also believe that your product, service and company are the best.
- Create the environment. The right home and work environment will encourage you. Supportive spouse, family members and coworkers will make the road to success a smooth ride. It’s up to you to create it.
- Create the associations. The easiest way to learn about how to succeed is to hang around successful people. Who do you hang around with? That is who you are likely to become.
- Plan for the day. Since you don’t know on which day success will occur, you’d better be ready every day. Prepare with education, plan with goals, and the details for their achievement. Learn and goal are the surest methods to be ready for your success.
- Become valuable. The more valuable you become, the more the marketplace will reward you. Give first. Become known as a resource, not a salesperson. Your value is linked to your knowledge and your willingness to help others.
- Recognize opportunity. Stay alert for the situations that can create success opportunities. The little known key is to get and maintain a positive attitude. Attitude allows you to see the possibilities when opportunity strikes because it often shows up in the form of adversity.
- Take risk. Taking chances is a common thread among every successful person. “No risk, no reward,” the saying goes and it’s true. Most people won’t risk because they think they fear the unknown. The real reason people won’t risk is that they lack the preparation and education that breeds self-confidence (self-belief) to take a chance.
- Take action. Just do it (Nike) is the expression for the 90’s. Actions are the only way to bridge plans and goals with accomplishment. Nothing happens until you do something to make it happen every day.
- Take responsibility. Don’t blame others or yourself. Take responsibility for your actions and decisions. Blaming others is an easy thing to do, but leads to a path of mediocrity. Successful people take responsibility for everything they do AND everything that happens to them.
- Make mistakes. The best teacher is failure. It’s the rudest of awakenings, and the breeding ground for self-determination. Don’t think of them as mistakes, think of them as learning experiences not to be repeated.
- Keep your eye on the prize. Post your goals. Stay focused on your dreams and they will become reality. Too many foolish diversions will take you off the path
- Balance yourself. Your physical, spiritual and emotional health are vital to your success quest. Plan your time to allow your personal goals to be synergized with your work goals.
- Invest, don’t spend. There should be a 10 20% gap between earning and spending. Clip your credit cards in half and make a few investments with professional guidance.
- Stick at it until you win. Most people fail because they quit too soon. Don’t let that be you. Make a plan AND a commitment to see the plan through no matter what. Don’t quit on the ten yard line. Have whatever it takes to score.
14.5 Ignore idiots and zealots. Also known as pukers, these people will try to rain on your parade (discourage you) because they have no parade of their own. Avoid them at all costs. There’s the secret and it’s not real complicated. It’s not nuclear physics or brain surgery. And now that I’ve shared it with thousands of people, you’d think there would be a surge in the ratio of successful salespeople. Nope. The reason the success formula is considered a secret is that it remains an enigma. It seems that there’s very few people who are willing to put forth the effort to get from where they are to where they want to be. Most make excuses and blame others for their own poor choices. The biggest secret (and the biggest obstacle) to success is you. The formula is there for everyone to know BUT, there’s a big difference in knowing what to do, and doing it. FREE GitBit… Persistence will keep you on the path to success. If you would like the persistence prescription. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “PERSISTENCE” in the search box. The post What does it take to become a sales success? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Three principles that lead to sales success and wealthhttps://www.gitomer.com/three-principles-that-lead-to-sales-success-and-wealth-4/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=three-principles-that-lead-to-sales-success-and-wealth-4Wed, 04 Dec 2019 02:56:48 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7202Many people get into sales to “make money.” There could not be a worse reason to enter the profession of selling. The best way to amass a lot of money in sales is to earn it. NOTE WELL: I did not say make money. In sales you don’t make money — you earn it. The biggest reason salespeople fail is ...
The post Three principles that lead to sales success and wealth appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Many people get into sales to “make money.” There could not be a worse reason to enter the profession of selling. The best way to amass a lot of money in sales is to earn it.NOTE WELL: I did not say make money. In sales you don’t make money — you earn it. The biggest reason salespeople fail is the philosophy — “I’m in sales to make money.” “I’m in sales because that’s where the money is.” As a sales professional, everyone wants to earn a million dollars. Each of us for different reasons — but we all need (want) money to achieve our goals and dreams. How do you get the money? By living and executing the three principles of sales wealth building. - You earn money by building a strong self-belief system.
- You earn money by being better than the rest.
- You earn money by having answers that others don’t.
Here’s a brief overview of each principle. - Building belief is… Having the confidence that you can do whatever you set your mind to do. Knowing why you want to earn a fortune, and living the dream by having the confidence to take action. How are you building that belief now?
- Being better than the rest is… Doing whatever it takes to excel at what you do. Getting up one hour earlier. Always making the last call of the day. Striving to be the best at everything, and not be willing to settle for second place. There is no prize for second place in sales (actually there is a prize — first loser).
- Learning new answers is… Exposing yourself to success information that you don’t have now – but need to be the best. Seminars, books, tapes — a plan of life-long learning. There is only one way to get answers: by learning them. It seems simple – just not easy. Some people have to go through failure to get them. Some have a steady diet of exposing themselves to new information every day. The key is learning something new every day.
How are you getting those answers now? Have you put yourself in a position to get the knowledge you need — to earn the money you want to achieve your dreams? “The biggest reason people don’t succeed is that they don’t expose themselves to existing information.” says Jim Rohn, America’s business philosopher. And I add to that – “Therefore, they don’t believe in themselves enough, and lack the confidence to succeed.” It’s not so important that you want to succeed — it’s critical you know why you want to succeed — and what has prevented you from achieving your success to date? What belief system and game plan do you need to put in place to gain that success? Warning: If you read the last paragraph and blamed everyone and everything but yourself, you are doomed. Take responsibility for the failure — and do something about it (I’ll guarantee, when you succeed you’ll take the responsibility). It’s easy to lose self-belief, if the one you’ve got in place is weak due to poor knowledge and lack of determination. It’s easy to fail at sales if you have never told yourself (sold yourself) the real reason why you want sales success in the first place. Not earning money for money’s sake – but the real reason you want the money, and what you’ll do with it once you get it. For example, you may want money for a home of your own, for a specific college that you want your child to attend, it may be to liberate you from a spouse, it may be to gain the approval of a sibling or a parent. Whatever it is — uncover it, write it down, post it up (if possible), carry it with you, read it twice a day — and then you will begin to live it. But that’s only half of the success formula. You must also seek to be the best at what you do. I promise you that if you seek to be the best and focus on that, your other goals and dreams will just show up. Combine your “why” with the desire and dedication to be the best, and presto — sales success. Some of you are reading this and saying, “Jeffrey, don’t bug me with this philosophy stuff, tell me how to make sales.” I am. This is the most powerful sales lesson I can deliver. Only a few will get it — the ones who will rise to the top. Free GitBit… I have a list of questions to ask yourself that will help you understand your present belief system. They’re good and they’re free. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “BUILD BELIEF” in the search box. The post Three principles that lead to sales success and wealth appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Ask the wrong questions, get the wrong answers.https://www.gitomer.com/ask-the-wrong-questions-get-the-wrong-answers-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=ask-the-wrong-questions-get-the-wrong-answers-2Mon, 02 Dec 2019 02:48:38 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7199The most important aspect of making a sale is also a major weakness of every salesperson: Asking Questions. It’s an enigma to me. Questions are so critical, you’d think it would be the topic of training every week. Yet salespeople are odds on favorites to have never taken one training program in the science of asking a question. How critical? ...
The post Ask the wrong questions, get the wrong answers. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>The most important aspect of making a sale is also a major weakness of every salesperson: Asking Questions.It’s an enigma to me. Questions are so critical, you’d think it would be the topic of training every week. Yet salespeople are odds on favorites to have never taken one training program in the science of asking a question. How critical? The first personal (rapport) question sets the tone for the meeting, and the first business question sets the tone for the sale. That’s critical. Benefits of asking the right question? Good question. Here’s 9.5 benefits to make sales by: - Qualify the buyer.
- Establish rapport.
- Create prospect disparity.
- Eliminate or differentiate from the competition.
- Build credibility.
- Know the customer and her business.
- Identify needs.
- Find hot buttons.
- Get personal information.
9.5 Close the sale. All these answers come from asking the right questions. Power Questions. Here’s the rub: Do you have 25 of them the most powerful questions you can create at your fingertips? No? Join the crowd. 95% of all salespeople don’t. That could be why only 5% of salespeople rise to the top. Just a theory (or is it?) Here’s the challenge: Get every prospect and customer to say “No one ever asked me that before.” Here are the 7.5 questioning success strategies: - Ask prospect questions that make him evaluate new information.
- Ask questions that qualify needs.
- Ask questions about improved productivity, profits or savings.
- Ask questions about company or personal goals.
- Ask questions that separate you from your competition not compare you to them.
- Ask questions that make the customer or prospect think before giving a response.
- Ask Power Questions to create a BUYING atmosphere not a selling one.
7.5 a critical success strategy: To enhance your listening skills, write down answers. It proves you care, preserves your data for followup, keeps the record straight, and makes the customer feel important. How do you formulate a power question? Here’s the secret: There’s a secret to creating and asking the right type of Power Question. Ask a question that makes the prospect think about me and my business, and respond in terms of them and their business. Sounds complicated but it isn’t. Here are some bad examples: “What type of life insurance do you have?” “Do you have a smartphone?” “Who do you currently use for long distance service?” All stink. Here’s some good examples: “If your husband died, how would the house payments be made? How would the children go to college?” “If your most important customer called right now, how would you get the message?” “If your long distance charges were 30% higher than they should be, how would you know?” All make the buyer think and respond in terms of his own interests, and answer in terms of the seller. WOW! Here’s a winner: Scott Wells, of Time Warner Cable in Raleigh, came up with a grand slam homerun question in the training session. The objective was to ask a prospect qualifying questions about getting cable TV, and sell all premium channels possible. Scott asked, “If you owned your own Cable channel, Ms. Jones, what would be on it?” WOW, what a question it draws out all the likes (and perhaps the dislikes) of the customer, and puts every answer in terms of the sale being made. Here’s a series: Let’s say I train sales teams (hey, what a coincidence, I do). Here’s a series of questions designed to make my prospect think about himself, and answer in terms of me. (Answers are not given here, and can sometimes play a part in question order, but you’ll get the process.) - “How many of your salespeople did not meet their sales goals last year?”
- “Why? (What was the major cause?)”
- “What plans have you made to ensure that they will this year?”
- “What type of personal development plan for each salesperson have you put into place?”
- “How do you support your sales staff?”
- “How much training did you budget last year?”
- “How much did you wish you’d have budgeted?”
- “When training takes place, how do you measure each individual’s professional development progress?”
These eight questions will give me enough answers to rewrite their sales record book (and their checkbook). It’s not just asking questions, it’s asking the right questions. A sale is made or lost based on the questions you ask. If you aren’t making all the sales, you want to start by evaluating the specific wording of the questions you’re asking. Your answers are in your questions. Questions unlock sales. Uh, any questions? FREE GitBit… 17 Unstoppable (examples of) Power Questions. Just what you need to start your collection. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “Power Question” in the search box. The post Ask the wrong questions, get the wrong answers. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - A few sales closing tactics. Taking a new look at old ways.https://www.gitomer.com/a-few-sales-closing-tactics-taking-a-new-look-at-old-ways-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-few-sales-closing-tactics-taking-a-new-look-at-old-ways-2Fri, 29 Nov 2019 02:47:14 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7196“Jeffrey, how do you close, Jeffrey, how do you close?” I get asked that question more than any other. (“Jeffrey, why is your hair falling out?” is a close second.) I keep giving the same answer, “Don’t close the sale, assume the sale.” The assumptive position is the strongest selling strategy in the world. By definition you believe you will ...
The post A few sales closing tactics. Taking a new look at old ways. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>“Jeffrey, how do you close, Jeffrey, how do you close?” I get asked that question more than any other. (“Jeffrey, why is your hair falling out?” is a close second.)I keep giving the same answer, “Don’t close the sale, assume the sale.” The assumptive position is the strongest selling strategy in the world. By definition you believe you will make every sale you attempt. It sounds simple. It is simple but it’s not easy. In order to utilize the assumptive close, you must be qualified. There are two major prerequisites that make the assumptive close possible: - Your personal preparedness. You must display self-confidence, have total product knowledge, have a positive mental attitude, exude so much enthusiasm that it’s contagious, have a desire to help that exceeds a desire to earn money, and have a genuine sincerity of purpose. If this is 110% you, you’re only halfway to assumption. Read on…
- Your sales preparedness. There are three strategic areas of sales preparedness, and all must be in place to make assuming the sale possible.
- The needs of the prospect have been determined, and are put ahead of yours.
- You are established in the mind of the prospect as a person of character, credibility, and high repute. The prospect has confidence in you.
- You have built solid rapport with the prospect based on the personal information you’ve gathered, combined with your knowledge of his business.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Assuming the sale is a state of mind, it does not preclude employing the science of selling. Yes, you must, from time to time, use sales techniques, but it’s more a matter of word choice and delivery, than trying to master some close that has a name. “The Benjamin Franklin Close,” “The Sharp Angle Close,” and “The Final Question Close” are all old world methods of selling. These tactics will make people mad, or uncomfortable, or both. You may even occasionally make a sale but no one will ever refer their friends to go through the same ordeal. MORE IMPORTANT NOTE: The close of a sale is only one step in the sales cycle. You don’t just close a sale you lead up to a close. You earn the sale based on what you have said and done to guide the prospect to a decision. MOST IMPORTANT NOTE: The actual close of a sale is a delicate balance between your words and actions, and the prospects thoughts and perceptions. And a sale is always made either you sell them on yes or they sell you on no. Here are six closing strategies and tactics that you might find effective: - Challenge the prospect to do what’s best for his business. This is kind of a guilt strategy. Look the person in the eye and ask him what he thinks is best for his business. This strategy is great when he’s doing business with an existing vendor or friend, and they are not providing the best product or service.
- We are experts at what we do and you can have peace of mind to do what you do best, knowing our part of your job will get done. Tell the prospect that you can help build her business by providing your service and partnering with them. Always let the prospect have a path to doing what they do best, and have peace of mind that your service will supplement that process on their way to success. This strategy is great for selling professional services.
- Make a list of objectives for what the prospect wants to accomplish AFTER your product or service is in place. Your objective as a professional is to get the prospect to see the world as though the sale was already made. Forget about convincing them to do it that’s selling, no one wants to be sold. Show them what their world will be like after the sale – that’s buying, everyone loves to buy. This strategy works on every kind of sale.
- Get the prospect to be a visionary. “Mr. Johnson, If you did __________ , when do you think would be the best time to start?” Let the prospect tell you what he has in mind, instead of you telling him what’s on yours. This strategy is called the “if-when decision process,” and is great for selling equipment.
- Make the prospect commit to a future action. The traditional method of accomplishing this is: “If I could… would you…” but today’s professional can’t say that exactly, it sounds too salesy. This strategy must be worded more out of conversation than sales presentation. It must be delivered as a desire to help achieve an objective, not a pressure to make a sale.
- Make plans for after the sale has taken place, before the sale is consummated. Even if you don’t have the commitment yet, you can try to schedule an installation time, or a meeting after delivery. “I can schedule the installation for Tuesday, but I wanted to be here personally to be sure that everything is perfect. Will you be able to make it?” This is an indirect way of formalizing the sale, and a classic use of the assumptive process.
Assuming the sale is the hardest process to prepare for but the easiest sale to make once you do. FREE GitBit… Seven steps to overcoming an objection This classic method of identifying and closing is yours FREE for the faxing. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “OBJECTION” in the search box. The post A few sales closing tactics. Taking a new look at old ways. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - If a Sale Depended on your Business Card, Could You Make One?https://www.gitomer.com/if-a-sale-depended-on-your-business-card-could-you-make-one/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=if-a-sale-depended-on-your-business-card-could-you-make-oneTue, 26 Nov 2019 13:11:32 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7190A business card may be the only thing left for the prospect to remember you (or not remember you) by after you’ve gone. After you’ve given your great sales presentation about your product, your card remains behind. Don’t be telling me about quality when your business card says “cheap and ordinary.” My business card is an important part of my ...
The post If a Sale Depended on your Business Card, Could You Make One? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>A business card may be the only thing left for the prospect to remember you (or not remember you) by after you’ve gone.After you’ve given your great sales presentation about your product, your card remains behind. Don’t be telling me about quality when your business card says “cheap and ordinary.” My business card is an important part of my image. Is yours? If I’m offering top quality services, my card must mirror that image. People tell me mine does. What kind of message are you sending when you hand your card to someone? Look at your card. Then ask yourself three questions - What do I want my card to do or say?
- What do I want my card to reflect?
- Is my card accomplishing these objectives?
If the answer to number 3 is no, tear up the ones you have, and invest in new cards now. Here’s how… Developing a card is more intricate than you think. It’s a delicate balance of design and printing that delivers a message and creates an image. Here are the secret ingredients for making a great card… Invest in a logo. Pay a designer for your mark of distinction. Logos from graphic designers will cost between $500 and $2,000 (design fee is usually based on the dollar sales volume of your company). It’s a long term business investment. Invest in design. Graphic layout is as critical as logo. Let your design firm work their magic from your criteria. Your logo and layout will begin to create your style. Be the best. Add color. Let the designer guide you to the colors of distinction. Use the best materials. Distinctive paper type can set you apart. Paper stock and style are becoming an important part of image. Select color that punches your logo and layout. You are not limited to paper. Plastic, metal, wood and other substrates can make your card outstanding. Match the card with the business. If you’re in the lumber business, you card has to be wood. (Be careful if you’re in the septic tank business.) Use printing options that set you apart. There are printing options that can add distinction and color at the same time (and the cost is surprisingly modest). You can add the options of blind emboss (raising a portion of your name or logo) or foil stamping (shiny metallic material in a wide variety of colors). The more traditional companies and professional firms use the engraving process. It’s similar to blind emboss, but it adds ink to the raised letters. Engraving is the classic style. Your best bet is to get samples of everything, lay them out, and see what works best for you. Use a top quality printer. Printers are the link between design and reality. The difference in price between good and the best is minimal. Select the best. This is a one time investment in your image. Make it. Something else unusual. A different size, a custom shape, special fold, die cut, your mission statement on the back, a creative title. The final touch that sets you apart from the others, especially the competition. Ask opinions before you go to press. Get the opinion of your friends, customers, prospects, and people you respect. Let them give you information and feedback. Don’t let them make your decisions. In the end, go with your gut feeling. Just add money and presto! Know approximate costs before you begin. Get estimates in writing from everyone, or you may be in for a mild (or wild) billing shock. Beware of the 5.5 pitfalls. Don’t do this to your card. - Don’t do thermographic cards. (type of printing process) It feels cheap and cards stick together in your wallet.
- Don’t be in a hurry. If you can’t wait a few days or a week for your card, something’s wrong. Makeshift a few to get by, and wait for a masterpiece. I’ve never seen a good “rush job.”
- Don’t try to tell the history of your business on the card. Less is more.
- Don’t let your printer be your designer. It’s like going to a drug store for brain surgery. First hire a great designer, then find a great printer.
- Don’t try to save money by cutting corners. You don’t spend money on business cards, you invest in the image of you and your business. What’s that worth?
5.5 Don’t ever say “That’s good enough.” Developing that attitude will lead you to mediocrity and no further. A few more points to ponder… - A new card for an existing business can be a business facelift. New, better, revitalized, up one notch.
- You may need more than one card. Revolutionize the cold call with a hot card. Have a special card just for cold calls or trade shows.
- The quality of your business card reflects the quality of your image after you leave a prospect’s office. Make it a top quality, lasting impression.
- The investment you make in cards is not just paper and ink. That’s the smallest portion. You’re investing in creativity, expertise, and craftsmanship.
Picture this…your biggest prospect mulling over the decision to select you or your biggest competitor. He’s fondling your card and your competitors card. Look at your card. Would you pick you? When you hand your card to someone, you only want to hear three words: Wow, great card! FREE GitBit… To see samples of Jeffrey’s business cards, go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word LITO in the search box. The post If a Sale Depended on your Business Card, Could You Make One? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Expose Yourself to No and Not Now to Get to Yeshttps://www.gitomer.com/expose-yourself-to-no-and-not-now-to-get-to-yes-3/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=expose-yourself-to-no-and-not-now-to-get-to-yes-3Fri, 22 Nov 2019 13:02:37 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=718797% of all sales are not made on the first call. It takes five to ten exposures (follow–ups) to a prospect to make the first sale. The prospect may not actually say “no” each time, but each time you follow-up and the prospect doesn’t buy, he’s saying: “not now, buddy; do something else for me; I’m still shopping around; I ...
The post Expose Yourself to No and Not Now to Get to Yes appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>97% of all sales are not made on the first call. It takes five to ten exposures (follow–ups) to a prospect to make the first sale. The prospect may not actually say “no” each time, but each time you follow-up and the prospect doesn’t buy, he’s saying: “not now, buddy; do something else for me; I’m still shopping around; I haven’t met with my partner; try again later; in short, you haven’t sold me yet”.As a professional salesperson you better have what it takes to persevere through the follow-up process and not quit. Be willing to put forth the effort to get to the last “no,” or consider taking a job in a warehouse with a salary. Here are some follow-up guidelines to ensure early closing success… - Know the real reasons your prospect wants your product.
- Know the real reasons your prospect does not want your product.
- Know your prospect’s hot buttons (things you think will make the prospect buy), and work with them in constructing your follow-up plan.
- Present new information relative to the sale each time you call or visit.
- Be creative in your style and presentation manner.
- Be sincere about your desire to help the customer first, and earn the commission second.
- Be direct in your communication. Beating around the bush will only frustrate the prospect (and probably cause him to buy elsewhere). Answer all questions. Don’t patronize the prospect.
- Be friendly. People like to buy from friends.
- Use humor…Be funny. People love to laugh. Making your prospect laugh is a great way to establish common ground and rapport.
- When in doubt, sell the prospect for her reasons, not yours.
- Don’t be afraid to ask for the sale each time.
If there were a formula for following up, it would be… their reasons + new information + creative + sincere + direct + friendly + humor = SALE…but there isn’t an exact formula. Every follow-up is different, and elements from the above guidelines must be chosen as called for. Here are a few lead-in lines you might try so that you don’t feel uneasy about how to start the conversation… - I discovered something that I believe to be an important factor in your decision…
- I’m just emailed you a note from a customer who had an experience like yours…
- Something new has occurred that I thought you would like to know about…
- There has been a change in status…
- I was thinking about you, and called to see if you found about…
Don’t say, “I called to see if you got my letter, proposal, info or sample…”, it sounds dumb… and it gives the prospect a way out. If he doesn’t want to talk to you, he’ll say, “No, I never got it.” Where does that leave you? Nowhere. Why not try: “I sent you some (name the stuff) the other day and I wanted to go over a couple of things with you personally, because they weren’t self-explanatory…” Some salespeople fear that they’re “bugging” the prospect if they call too often. If you feel that way, it’s for two reasons: - You haven’t established enough rapport and have limited access.
- Your follow-ups are about selling and not about helping.
It’s likely you won’t bug the prospect if… He’s a salesperson himself; you have something new, creative, or funny to say; you’re short and to the point; he’s genuinely interested in your product or service; he returns your calls right away; or, he likes you. It’s likely you will bug the prospect if… You call more than three times without a returned call; you ask dumb or pushy questions (probably because you didn’t listen well in the first place); you are perceived as insincere; you exert pressure too soon or too often; or, you are in any way rude to the prospect or anyone on his staff. Follow-up is another word for sale. Your ability to follow-up will determine your success in sales. Ask any professional salesperson the secret for success, he or she will answer… persistence. FREE GitBit Persistence…The Secret of Sales Success. Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Don’t stop! Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word PERSISTENCE in the search box. The post Expose Yourself to No and Not Now to Get to Yes appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The Sales Calendar. Building Monthly Success Day by Day.https://www.gitomer.com/the-sales-calendar-building-monthly-success-day-by-day-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-sales-calendar-building-monthly-success-day-by-day-2Tue, 19 Nov 2019 12:49:38 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7183Looking to make your month the greatest ever? Who isn’t? Ask any successful salesperson the secret for having great months and they will all say positive attitude, creative preparation, and consistent performance. To succeed month to month, you must execute day to day. Here are 31 creative ideas mixed with fundamental sales concepts. Put them into your work life on ...
The post The Sales Calendar. Building Monthly Success Day by Day. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Looking to make your month the greatest ever? Who isn’t? Ask any successful salesperson the secret for having great months and they will all say positive attitude, creative preparation, and consistent performance.To succeed month to month, you must execute day to day. Here are 31 creative ideas mixed with fundamental sales concepts. Put them into your work life on a one day basis, and sales are sure to follow. You can’t add more days to the calendar, but you can make each one more productive. I challenge you to add these to your day, each day. Day 1. Establish your pipeline goals. How many calls, leads, appointments, mailouts, follow-ups does it take to exceed your sales dreams? Make a top ten list of people you want to sell. By doing this on the first of the month, you will have a clear vision to the task ahead. Day 2. Figure out your daily dose. After you establish the goals, figure out what you must do every day to make them a reality. Day 3. Examine your tools. Take a hard look at the sales tools in your kit. Are they the best in the business? State of the art? If not, make a plan and a deadline to change them. Day 4. Evaluate your image. Look in the mirror. Like who you see? Get someone impartial to give you an image once-over. Act on their recommendations as fast as you can. Day 5. List your customers’ main reasons they buy from you. Don’t be a fool and make the list without asking 10 customers. Use the list to readjust your presentation and your approach. Day 6. Go network some place where your customers and prospects go. Ask your best customer to attend their monthly association meeting. Day 7. Breakfast with a customer. Using meals for business is an excellent time- management tool (and wallet builder). Day 8. Lunch with a prospect. You can get to the real issues over lunch. A relaxed, neutral court. Day 9. Dinner with a small group. Combine a meal with a mini seminar. Bring interested people together to make a group sale. Day 10. Get peer evaluation. Ask your coworkers to rate your performance once a month. Get honest feedback. Use it. Day 11. Join Toastmasters. You only have to do this once, but the impact will last for a lifetime. An hour and a half each week of speaking skills and peer evaluation. Just do it. Day 12. Buy a book about sales. Reading one book a month will make you a world class expert in 5 years. Day 13. Record your presentation. Play it in the car. If you say, “Oh man, that’s terrible,” imagine what your customers and prospects are saying. Day 14. Play golf with a customer and someone he or she can do business with. Bringing your customer potential business is the most powerful business building (and keeping) tool there is. Combining it with golf makes it memorable. Day 15. Brainstorm objections with coworkers. There are less than ten real objections to purchasing your product or service. Get with coworkers and figure out the best responses. Day 16. Take your boss (or salesperson) on a sales call. If you‘re chicken, you’ve got the wrong boss (salesperson) or you’re unprepared. If you’re not, you’ll make a sale. Day 17. Make it a point to deliver your best customer one hot sales lead. Want to keep your best customer forever? Just keep bringing them business. Day 18. Product Knowledge Day. Take the time to read the flyers and product updates you’ve been shoving in drawers all month. Day 19. Read Your Trade Magazine Day. One of the best sources for “the latest” sales ideas. A bible to the most successful. Day 20. Create five new questions. Asking questions is the heart of selling. To keep the blood pumping, you must continually have new questions. Formulate questions that make your prospect evaluate new information. Power questions. Day 21. Detail your car. If your customer gets into a perfect car, she thinks “perfect salesperson, perfect product, perfect company. If she gets into a crummy car… Day 22. Contact one person on your chicken list (the people you’re scared to call). If you don’t have your “chicken list” on paper, do it now. Day 23. Brainstorm creative follow-ups. 97% of all sales take more than one call to complete. Gather a group and generate 10 new ways to call a prospect back that combines creativity with purpose (and get the sale). Day 24. “Thank your customer” day. Pick 25 and send them cards, a bag of candy, and write, “How sweet it is to have you for a customer. Thanks.” Day 25. Take a customer to a ball game. Add some fun to one of your relationships. Get to know someone personally. Day 26. Mentor Day. Ask the salesperson you respect the most if you can make sales calls with him or her and watch them work. Day 27. Work on your biggest goal for 4 hours. It will never get done if you don’t work on it month by month. Day 28. Do community volunteer work. You meet the best people and you feel great. Day 29. Make a speech at a local civic group. Get visible, get credible. Lousy at or afraid of public speaking? Revisit “Day 11” for the sure cure. Day 30. Make your biggest sale. End your month with a big sale to create the momentum for next month. Day 31. Celebrate your success. Reward yourself for a job well done. Go get some new clothes or take a day at the beach. Relax and get set for next month’s success. You’re the greatest. Way to go. If you’re serious about figuring out a way to incorporate new success strategies into your daily sales routine, here are 5 everyday rules to make the month flow. - Read for 20 minutes.
- Listen to an audiobook or podcast in the car every day.
- Practice the new technique you learned as soon as you learn it.
- Keep a journal. Log your progress, observations, important notes, and new things learned.
- Visualize your success every day.
You say, “Jeffrey, I’m too busy to incorporate all this into my schedule.” Oh, I guess you’re also making all the money in the world as well. Just in case you’re not, consider this: Every other successful salesperson in the universe incorporates these strategies and tactics into their every day success. If they have the time, perhaps you should buy back some of yours. It’s a great investment. Time is money. Your money. FREE GitBit Fill your sales pipeline from day one. A one page strategy to meet your individual sales goals by establishing your pipeline numbers. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word Pipeline in the search box. The post The Sales Calendar. Building Monthly Success Day by Day. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The trade show offers sales on and off the floorhttps://www.gitomer.com/the-trade-show-offers-sales-on-and-off-the-floor-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-trade-show-offers-sales-on-and-off-the-floor-2Fri, 15 Nov 2019 12:46:53 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7178Most people think of a trade show as a place where you do business booth to booth. That’s true, but the majority of business deals are done away from the trade show floor. Hospitality suites after the show, breakfast meetings, and seminars are where most of the real business deals are struck. Experienced salespeople can’t wait to get to the ...
The post The trade show offers sales on and off the floor appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Most people think of a trade show as a place where you do business booth to booth. That’s true, but the majority of business deals are done away from the trade show floor. Hospitality suites after the show, breakfast meetings, and seminars are where most of the real business deals are struck.Experienced salespeople can’t wait to get to the convention. They pre–plan for it. They prepare for it. Many count on it to make their living. Last week, I began to share 19.5 success tactics to help you plan for, and maximize, your benefit from the next trade show you attend. Here’s the rest of the list: - Don’t waste any time doing non–productive things. Every second is important. If you have two days and 5,000 people are there, this means you can spend about 5 seconds with everyone. You get my point.
- Regroup at night and plan or replan for the next day. Things happen fast at a convention. You meet new people, deals are in the making and influencers in your industry are accessible. The only way to achieve the maximum benefit is to have a written gameplan to start, and be flexible to change it as events unfold.
- Be a presenter. Give a talk or seminar that will establish your expertise and position you or your company as a leader in your field. Pick a topic that your customer or prospect is likely to attend.
- Be the first to arrive and the last to leave every day. This has been most successful for me. It gives me an edge on the people who get there late and leave early. One or two extra hours can make another 100 contacts.
- Write notes on the back of business cards immediately. If you make a lot of contacts, you’ll never remember everything. Be sure to write down the personal (rapport) items golf, children, sports, theater to reference later when following up.
- Have a memorable handout or ad specialty. Something that will create long term goodwill with your customer and prospect. Something to talk about when you follow up after the event.
- Get the list of attendees from the association host after the show. This list will be useful to add to your database, to use for follow up, and to contact the people you missed.
- Have fun and be funny. Enthusiasm and humor are contagious. People like to do business with winners, not whiners.
19.5. Stay focused. Look for opportunities where you least expect them. In the lobby, in the elevator, in the restroom, in the restaurant, be alert for opportunity. Business at trade shows is done everywhere. Stay alert for opportunities in the strangest of places. I have attended more than 250 shows in my career. I found that my focus played the most important role in my success. How important is it to be focused? In 1982, after a big Imprinted Sportswear show, I was at the Dallas airport when I noticed a guy I met from a T-Shirt manufacturing company swearing at the American Express money machine. It seems the machine ate his card. He was looking desperate. I walked over, reintroduced myself, found out the problem and loaned him $100 so he would have cash for the trip home. Two days later he sent me a check for $100 and a thank you note. Turns out he was the president of his own garment manufacturing company. Two months later, he called me and asked if I was interested in a contract printing garments for the 1984 Olympics. He had the sublicense to manufacture from Levi’s. We had a state-of-the-art printing facility. I said yes, of course. He gave me a contract to print every shirt – 1,600,000 garments. $750,000 worth of business, because I was paying attention at the airport. Conventions and trade shows are the best opportunity a salesperson can have. Your challenge is to take advantage of it. Opportunities are everywhere if you follow this two-word-rule…Pay attention. Nowhere else can you see this many customers and prospects at once. You have no time to waste. FREE GitBit… A form and format to develop your 30-second personal commercial (the perfect introduction) for use at trade shows and networking events. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word Worksheet in the search box. The post The trade show offers sales on and off the floor appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Cashing in on a convention and trade showhttps://www.gitomer.com/cashing-in-on-a-convention-and-trade-show-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=cashing-in-on-a-convention-and-trade-show-2Tue, 12 Nov 2019 12:22:28 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7174It’s time for your association’s trade show. It’s time for your annual convention. It’s time to make money. Hundreds of your customers, prospects, suppliers and competitors will be in town for two days. Nowhere else can you have such a concentration of people in your industry. Nowhere else can you see as many customers and prospects at one time. You ...
The post Cashing in on a convention and trade show appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>It’s time for your association’s trade show. It’s time for your annual convention. It’s time to make money.Hundreds of your customers, prospects, suppliers and competitors will be in town for two days. Nowhere else can you have such a concentration of people in your industry. Nowhere else can you see as many customers and prospects at one time. You have no time to waste from the second you get on the plane, until you wearily make your way back home from the airport. How will you capitalize on this event? How will you maximize your personal achievement or company’s benefit from the convention? Some people go to trade shows because it’s a chance to get away from the office, get out of town, or have a good time. If you want to be productive, steer clear of these people. Here are 19.5 success tactics to help you plan for, and maximize your benefit from the next trade show you attend: - Develop your game plan before you leave your office. Establish goals for the number of prospects you want to secure, customers to visit, sales you want to make, and how you intend to accomplish the tasks.
- Get there a day early. You will have the advantage of being relaxed, and up to the minute on things of importance. Many convention exhibitors and attendees will be flying in on your plane. Try to find them.
- Have your presentation material ready and rehearsed. Your opening line, power questions, and power statements must be perfect.
- Stay at the main/best hotel. Be in the middle of what’s happening. It costs a few bucks more, but it’s worth it.
- Work the trade show during setup. If you’re not an exhibitor, figure out a way to get in. Go to the truck entrance, tell them you’re delivering an important part or paper, but get in. Walking the trade show early gives you a tactical advantage, and may net you some valuable contacts. Many company CEO’s like to be there when the booth is being set up. It’s a relaxed time to get in some valuable contact time without being rushed.
- Target five important people in your industry you want to get to know, and make it your business to seek them out and talk to them. Remember that those people you targeted are going to see hundreds of other people at this event. You must use every creative bone in your body to be memorable enough to make a meaningful appointment after the show.
- Target ten customers. Connect. Build relationships. Get to know them better. Find out their “big picture” and how you fit in it. Take them to dinner. Solidify your position as vendor.
- Target ten prospects. Connect. Generate genuine interest. Get commitments for future business and a firm commitment for the next meeting. Build rapport for a sale later.
- Find out about every hospitality suite and after hours party being given. Target the ones where your targets are most likely to be. Go there.
- Stay sober all the time. It’s a distinct advantage, and may work against you if you’re drunk. Party, but party smart.
- Attend seminars and lectures where you can network with your customers and prospects. Sitting next to the right person in a seminar can be very beneficial. If you meet a prospect or customer, ask them what seminars they plan to attend. Be there.
The rest of the list will be printed next week, but you’ve got enough meat here to start a delicatessen. Challenge yourself by creating a 1 – 10 rating on each of the points. If you’re under 7 on more than 4 points, you’re letting big money go to someone more alert. There is not a more powerful selling arena than a trade show floor. If you’re looking to slay a dragon, make sure you’ve got the right sword. You may also want to be concerned which way he falls. Even if you kill the beast, with poor planning, you may get crushed. Stay tuned… FREE GitBit A form and format to develop your 30-second personal commercial (the perfect introduction) for use at trade shows and networking events. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word Worksheet in the search box. The post Cashing in on a convention and trade show appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Lost on the Road to Success? Ask Jim Rohn for Directions.https://www.gitomer.com/lost-on-the-road-to-success-ask-jim-rohn-for-directions-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=lost-on-the-road-to-success-ask-jim-rohn-for-directions-2Sat, 09 Nov 2019 06:53:39 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7151Sales sick? Take two Jim Rohn (lessons) and call me in the morning. One of my most respected life influencers was Jim Rohn. Considered by many (me included) to have been America’s foremost business philosopher, he impacted millions of people with his words of wisdom. Here’s a testimonial from someone he influenced: “Jim Rohn, my first personal development teacher, always ...
The post Lost on the Road to Success? Ask Jim Rohn for Directions. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Sales sick? Take two Jim Rohn (lessons) and call me in the morning.One of my most respected life influencers was Jim Rohn. Considered by many (me included) to have been America’s foremost business philosopher, he impacted millions of people with his words of wisdom. Here’s a testimonial from someone he influenced: “Jim Rohn, my first personal development teacher, always taught me that if you have enough reasons, you can do anything. Reasons are the difference between being interested, versus being committed to accomplish something.” – Anthony Robbins. Last week I was reviewing my seminar notes I’d taken at Jim Rohn events over the five years that I attended his live events. I went to several “Weekend with Jim Rohn” events and always sat in the same place — the front row. I re-discovered all the notes I took at his events – hundreds of morsels of wisdom. I reconfirmed why I miss him and wish I could see him again. Here are some philosophical ideas and concepts that drove Jim Rohn and may put you on the right course for your success. Quotes and observations that can direct (or redirect) your sale’s sails: - Growth. Don’t join an easy crowd. You won’t grow. Go where the expectations and the demands to perform and achieve are high.
- Direction. My suggestion would be to walk away from the 90% who don’t, and join the 10% of those who do.
- Education. Motivation and inspiration comes from education.
- Study Smart. If you want to be successful, study success. If you want to be wealthy, study wealth. If you want to be happy, study happiness.
- Change. We generally change ourselves for one of two reasons: Inspiration or desperation. Less is More. What is powerful, is when what you say is just the tip of the iceberg of what you know.
- Dumb Moves. The millionaire says to a thousand people, “I read this book and it started me on the road to wealth.” Guess how many go out and buy the book? Very few. Isn’t that incredible? Why wouldn’t everyone get the book? A mystery of life.
- Redefine Failure. There are no failures — only educational experiences that didn’t turn out very well.
- Discipline. Learn to hide your need and show your skill.
- Spirituality. Ask for God’s help, but be willing to do your part of the work.
- Purpose beyond Goal. It’s not about becoming a millionaire, it’s about becoming a million dollar person.
- Success. Success is what you attract by the person you become.
- Legacy. There are three things you leave behind: Your photographs, your library, and your personal journals. These things are certainly going to be more valuable to future generations than your furniture.
Ask yourself: Do you consider yourself successful? Consider this: - Successful people do what unsuccessful don’t (won’t) do.
- Successful people live outside their comfort zone.
- Successful people associate with successful people.
- Successful people hang around money or things that make money.
- Successful people are consistent (will be here next year).
- Successful people stay in the fire.
- Successful people know how to access information.
- Successful people are always learning.
“I belong to a millionaire’s club,” said Rohn. “Occasionally we invite a billionaire in to talk to us. He’ll say, ‘You guys are doing OK, — but…’ ” Jim Rohn was a mentor to others as his mentors were to him. Rohn wanted his messages to last. They did for me. He delivered thought-provoking information in the form of personal challenges. He told you to, “Get out of your comfort zone.” Rohn challenged his audiences to take up residence there. I did. I hope you do as well. LISTEN LESSON: When you go to any seminar or talk, listen actively, which means take notes. Luckily, I learned this lesson long ago, and took notes (feverishly) at every Jim Rohn talk I attended, and now, fifteen years later, I’m able to share some of his wisdom with you. Powerful information, huh? Until his death in 2009, Jim Rohn was an inspiring speaker for more than 30 years. His knowledge and wisdom has been there for you years ago. The problem is, you just never exposed yourself to it. Expose yourself to success. Expose yourself to more Jim Rohn (www.jimrohn.com). Jim Rohn was more than a seminar. Jim Rohn was a life-changing experience. FREE GitBit… By special arrangement with the offices of Jim Rohn International, you can get an electronic file of Jim’s “treasury of quotes.” Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “Jim Rohn” in the search box. The post Lost on the Road to Success? Ask Jim Rohn for Directions. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Driving for Sales Success? Jim Rohn is the Fuel.https://www.gitomer.com/driving-for-sales-success-jim-rohn-is-the-fuel-4/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=driving-for-sales-success-jim-rohn-is-the-fuel-4Wed, 06 Nov 2019 06:52:16 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7148The root of your sales success lies in your sales philosophy. How did you develop yours? Mine came from a combination of home environment, books, education, mentors, personal development programs, personal experience, and observations. You establish and revise the basic principles of your philosophies by exposure to information, your experiences, and listening to the belief of others — especially those ...
The post Driving for Sales Success? Jim Rohn is the Fuel. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>The root of your sales success lies in your sales philosophy. How did you develop yours? Mine came from a combination of home environment, books, education, mentors, personal development programs, personal experience, and observations.You establish and revise the basic principles of your philosophies by exposure to information, your experiences, and listening to the belief of others — especially those you respect. You try to only accept “the good stuff” and then adapt it to (or change) your way of life. One of the most respected was Jim Rohn. Jim passed away a few years ago, but was and still is considered by many (me included) to be America’s foremost business philosopher. Growing up on a farm in Idaho, Jim developed principles and philosophies that were gleaned from his dad and his first employer and mentor, Earl Schoaff. While you may believe that you determine your own philosophy, much of it is predetermined or influenced by your home environment during childhood. After that, it’s up to you to seek influencers and mentors. People who impact the way you think, and create the motivation that drives your actions. Some people are under the misconception that their personal philosophy and making a sale are not connected. Wrong. Your philosophy is the umbilical cord that provides the “essence of life” to your ability to sell. Here is the essence of the sales success life cycle according to Rohn: Philosophy drives attitude. Attitude drives actions. Actions drive results. Results drive lifestyles. Frustrated with your lifestyle? Not meeting your goals or expectations? Here’s how Rohn breaks it down: - If you don’t like your lifestyle — look at your results.
- If you don’t like your results — look at your actions.
- If you don’t like your actions — look at your attitude.
- If you don’t like your attitude — look at your philosophy.
Here are some philosophical quotes and concepts that drove Jim Rohn — and may put gas in your car and bucks in your knowledge bank: - Balance. Life is a combination of “want to” and “how to,” and we need to give equal attention to both.
- Activity. The few who do, are the envy of the many who watch.
- Career Growth. The most important question to ask on the job is not, “What am I getting?” The most important question to ask is, “What am I becoming?”
- Goals. Set the kind of goals that will make something good of you.
- Reality. You must get good at one of two things. Planting in the spring, or begging in the fall.
- Motive to Educate. Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and you motivate him — now you have a motivated idiot.
- Personal Development. Formal education will make you a living. Self-education will make you a fortune.
- Hypocrisy. What we demand from our children, we must demand of ourselves. There must be a standard by which they live — and as parents, we must set it — and live it.
- Motivation the wrong way. If someone is going down the wrong road, he doesn’t need motivation to speed him up. What he needs is education to turn him around.
- The nose on your face. Success is the study of the obvious.
- Work vs. Pay. If you work at your job you will make a living. If you work on yourself, you will earn a fortune. Work harder on yourself than you do at your job.
- Numbers. Get your personal numbers in line with your business numbers. Balance sales numbers with education numbers and health numbers.
- Wealth. I found it easier to get rich than I did to make excuses.
- Time. We can no more afford to spend major time on minor things than we can to spend minor time on major things.
- Pay. You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.
- Paid. My father taught me always do more than you’re paid for as an investment in your future.
- Customers. One good customer well taken care of could be more valuable than $10,000 worth of advertising.
- Happiness. Learn to be happy with what you have while you pursue what you really want.
- Plans. If you don’t make plans of your own, you will probably fit into someone else’s.
Jim Rohn was the master of the crafted word. He took the situations of life that are the subtle difference between success, mediocrity and dismal failure — and empowered his listeners to understand their own world in a new, better, and more powerful way. Sitting in his audience (as I did 25 times), I (and everyone in the room) was compelled to take copious notes — I have saved them for more than 20 years, and they provide the wealth of wisdom for you to enjoy, benefit from, and take to the bank. Part two of the Jim Rohn philosophy will be presented next week. GitBit… Want more thought provoking and inspiring quotes by Jim Rohn? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “Jim Rohn” in the search box. The post Driving for Sales Success? Jim Rohn is the Fuel. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - You’re Fired! By the Real Boss – Your Customer.https://www.gitomer.com/youre-fired-by-the-real-boss-your-customer-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=youre-fired-by-the-real-boss-your-customer-2Mon, 04 Nov 2019 06:43:24 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7145Warning! The information contained in this column will be painful to read. You’re fired! By the real boss – your customer. Presto! Every customer returns for a second dose of whatever you sell or serve. Is that the reality? Or have you sold them once, and then got fired (and now they’re being served by your competition). You see, people ...
The post You’re Fired! By the Real Boss – Your Customer. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Warning! The information contained in this column will be painful to read.You’re fired! By the real boss – your customer. Presto! Every customer returns for a second dose of whatever you sell or serve. Is that the reality? Or have you sold them once, and then got fired (and now they’re being served by your competition). You see, people don’t stop doing business, they just stop doing business with you. Each of us has lost a customer or ten in our business career. Why? Lots of reasons. We all know what to do, the problem is we just don’t do it. Being fired is not just maddening and frustrating, it’s also an opportunity. An opportunity to figure out why and fix the problem. Here’s a list of 14.5 reasons why customers fire you: - Showing no genuine or personal interest. Impersonal service. Insincere people. Commission (only) hungry salespeople.
- Poor response. Takes too long to get back to a customer or service a customer, and they will find someone else. People will even sacrifice quality for speed.
- Unavailability. People or product. Formula: “Can’t get the stuff I need or can’t reach the person I want, equals go someplace else.”
- Hard to do business or order. Long waits on hold. People who are not product knowledgeable. Computer voice attendant rather than a real human being to answer the phone, and going through three minutes of crap only to get lost or put on eternal hold. Bye bye.
- Unfriendly person on the front line. It never ceases to amaze me how many angry people serve on the front line of multimillion (billion) dollar businesses. The first rule of every corporate policy in America should be one word, “smile.”
- Poor or rude collection practices. This is a big one. Taking away someone’s dignity when collecting a bill is common practice in businesses. Most have never taken the time to point out to collection people that keeping the customer is as important as collecting the money.
- Overpromising. Customers are like elephants, they never forget. You overpromise and underdeliver, you lose.
- Inadequate capability to handle the customer’s problem. Poor product knowledge, or too many service problems and not enough service people. Double jeopardy if you make a lame excuse about it.
- Too eager to do more business. (Too pushy, too much pressure) No one wants to buy more from a high pressure person. Help, don’t sell. Create an atmosphere of buying (asking about them) not telling about you. Don’t be a pest. Have a solid reason for following up.
- Poor professional package or image. Customers want to feel that the quality of their business will be reflected by the quality of those they deal with. How’s your image? How’s your package?
- Dumb excuses about why you “can’t.” Customers are calling because they want help. They want help with their situation, not hear a bunch of baloney about yours.
- Nickel and diming. Charging for every incidental like copies, phone calls, and interest on late payments, puts a bad taste in the customer’s mouth.
- Poor product quality. No matter how much people pay, they expect a quality product. If you’re selling price and sacrificing quality, eventually you will lose the business to someone with opposite thinking.
- Poor service delivery. Everyone expects fast service that’s right the first time. How’s yours? How’s the attitude of those who deliver it?
14.5 Poor training. Don’t fire the problem employee. Shoot the person who trained them. Poor or ineffective training is the root of customer dissatisfaction. Success tactic: Make “reasons for customer dissatisfaction” the basis for a new training program. What happens to angry customers? From a variety of reliable research, here is a compilation of interesting statistics. - 91% who leave will never return.
- 96% who leave won’t tell you the real reason they left.
- 80% will do business with you again if their problem is handled quickly, and to their complete satisfaction.
When the incident is real bad and they leave, stories about what happened will be retold for years. Interestingly, most of the time when we lose (get fired by) a customer, it always seems to be their fault. I’d love to have a dollar for every customer who was wrongly blamed. Ninety nine percent of the time it’s easy to assess who’s to blame – just look in the mirror. Your mirror. I’ll leave you with this question: What are you doing to build loyalty and ensure repeat purchases? FREE GitBit… Want to learn to sell and serve better by taking the customer’s perspective? 10.5 ways to get the customer’s point of view and a self workshop is yours! Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “Point of View” in the search box. The post You’re Fired! By the Real Boss – Your Customer. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Sales Success by Putting Heart into your Sales…Eberhardt.https://www.gitomer.com/sales-success-by-putting-heart-into-your-sales-eberhardt-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sales-success-by-putting-heart-into-your-sales-eberhardt-2Thu, 31 Oct 2019 06:27:08 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7142This is the first of a series about successful salespeople. How they did it and what principles they followed. “A major sale is really a series of little sales,” says Jim Eberhardt. “You must get the prospect to agree along the way.” Sales success and Jim Eberhardt. They have a lot in common. Jim Eberhardt sells insurance – arguably the ...
The post Sales Success by Putting Heart into your Sales…Eberhardt. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>This is the first of a series about successful salespeople. How they did it and what principles they followed. “A major sale is really a series of little sales,” says Jim Eberhardt. “You must get the prospect to agree along the way.” Sales success and Jim Eberhardt. They have a lot in common. Jim Eberhardt sells insurance – arguably the toughest sale. His company, 1st International Benefits, has been the number one ranked agency for the Banner Insurance Company for seven straight years. Leading by example, Eberhardt was the leading salesperson for the entire Banner organization for three years. That rules out luck as one of the reasons for his success. What makes one salesperson rise above the others? Philosophy, attitude, action and (measurable) results. I had the pleasure of meeting with Jim Eberhardt at his home in Dallas. Here are some of the philosophies, principles, and strategies that have led (driven) him to success: What is sales? The most challenging, exciting, personally fulfilling, and financially rewarding profession in the world. Definition of the word sale. Selling is effective communication with a purpose. It occurs any time you get the prospect’s decision in your favor. The big difference. The difference between a high pressure salesperson and professional salesperson. High pressure people only think about commission, professionals care more about their prospect’s needs. Basis of selling. The laws and rules of selling have remained the same for decades. The reason some people succeed and most people fail is that they apply the laws (and themselves) unprofessionally. Selling is not just telling. It’s asking about and qualifying needs. Dedication to serve. Never quit on your commitment to serve and deliver what you’ve promised. Speak to be understood. It’s never important what you say, it’s what others hear and what they do with what they hear. Listening is more important than talking. (Eberhardt considers poor listening skills to be the number one fault of salespeople.) Salespeople are too busy thinking about themselves and their own words, rather than their prospect and their words. Eberhardt gave me Einstein’s magic listening formula for sales success. X+Y+Z=SUCCESS. X = Hard work. Y = Hard play. Z = Knowing when to keep your mouth shut. The importance of building the right rapport. There’s a time to stop the rapport process, and segue into the presentation. Knowing precisely when and how can make or break the tone and the spirit of the presentation. Put Magic into your presentation. Make the prospect feel special. Make the prospect feel important. Make the prospect feel you are prepared to meet his/her individual needs. Ask for the prospect’s opinion. It will tell you if a sale is near or far. Create desire by speaking the prospect’s words back to them. Remind them of their dominant buying motive, and how your product will help solve a problem or get them what they want. Paint word pictures. Start with the word “imagine,” and paint the picture necessary for the prospect to visualize the solution to the situation or need that has been raised. Follow the wisdom of your mentor. Everybody needs a mentor. Eberhardt’s are the legendary salesmen Willie Gayle and J. Douglas Edwards. He showed me a book by Gayle written in 1959 entitled, Power Selling. “I used it as a guideline to establishing winning principles and strategies,” said Eberhardt. “For the first few years of my selling career, I read from it every day.” Eberhardt has style and lifestyle. He is a classic car enthusiast (has a personal collection of 37 cars – almost a museum). He is a pilot. Not just a Sunday flyer, Jim owns and flies an ISKRA (Russian built) jet plane that flies faster than the speed of sound. He also owns and flies a Pitts Special aerobatic plane with precision. Eberhardt lives as he sells – with passion. My interview would not have been complete until I asked Eberhardt about his best closing technique. “There is no close,” he said, “Only the beginning of a long lasting and enduring relationship. That’s the heart of selling.” Heart. Eberhardt. FREE GitBit… Want the 10.5 step formula to help you turn personal information into sales? Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “FORMULA” in the search box. The post Sales Success by Putting Heart into your Sales…Eberhardt. appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to Closing a Salehttps://www.gitomer.com/a-funny-thing-happened-to-me-on-the-way-to-closing-a-sale-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=a-funny-thing-happened-to-me-on-the-way-to-closing-a-sale-2Thu, 24 Oct 2019 06:22:54 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7139Someone sent me a list of “sales closes” the other day. It seems they all have names. “The trail close,” “The order blank close,” “The Ben Franklin close,” “The sharp angle close,” and so on into the night (close, or is that clothes). Anyway, it struck me that cute name closes rarely work. In fact, they usually have the reverse ...
The post A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to Closing a Sale appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Someone sent me a list of “sales closes” the other day. It seems they all have names. “The trail close,” “The order blank close,” “The Ben Franklin close,” “The sharp angle close,” and so on into the night (close, or is that clothes). Anyway, it struck me that cute name closes rarely work. In fact, they usually have the reverse effect.Salespeople still living in the 19th century think that high pressure sales tactics will work. They don’t. Sounding like a salesperson puts the prospect on the defensive. When all else fails in sales, I have created an entirely new set of outrageous cute name closes. These will not work on the prospect, but they are guaranteed to make you laugh at the process: The “I’ll buy you lunch” close… You say, “Hey, you buy my product, throw in an extra 20 bucks, and I’ll buy you lunch.” The “impatient” close… You say, “Hey, I haven’t got all day, are you buying or not?” (this is a variation of the New York close…”Hey, I haven’t got all day, are you buying or not, you idiot.”) The “physical action” close… The prospect decides he doesn’t want to buy, you beat him to a pulp until he says “uncle,” which is actually a Latin derivative word meaning “OK, I’ll order.” The “how could you be so stupid not to buy from me” close… Since you’re already thinking this while walking out the door of a lost sale, you may as well try it a few times in front of the prospect. The “fear of loss” close… You tell the prospect his hair will fall out if he doesn’t buy. This is a very real close. Someone tried it on me once. I didn’t buy, and, well, the rest is history (so is my hair). The “insurance” close… Buy from me and nobody gets hurt. This close has worked in gangster movies for decades. I’m surprised no right-thinking Fortune 500 company has adapted it to their sales practices, since they’re already using it in customer service. The “number on the bathroom wall” close… Start writing the prospect’s phone number on the walls of prominent area bathrooms with the slogan “for an indecisive time call…” The “car salesman” close… You act like you know everything and the customer is dumb. Then you insult the customer by using high pressure tactics because you’re afraid that if they “walk” without buying, then some other car salesman will pressure them higher than you. This is called LoseLose selling because both the sales techniques and the people who employ them are losers. The “filibuster” close… You talk nonstop for three days, until the guy gets so frustrated that he agrees to double his original order if you’ll just shut up and leave. (This close works better in the south where they invented the filibuster. In the north, you’re likely to be beaten or shot after the first day.) The “begging” close… You get on your knees, begin crying about your bad luck, and how much you need the money because your rent is past due. You know, the truth. The “camp out” close… You bring food and a sleeping bag to the prospect’s office. This is very effective for follow-up, since you’re already there. If the person is very indecisive, you might want to take some socks and underwear. The “Pleeeaase, I’ll be your best friend” close… It worked in grade school. The “lying” close…You tell the customer anything you want. You tell him anything he wants to hear, so you can make your sale. Hey, wait a minute, you’re already doing that. and finally… The “just be honest” close… Nah, that would never work. Closing is only frustrating if you haven’t identified customer needs, shown the right attitude, made a memorable presentation, and were perceived as genuine help. These closes are far fetched, indeed. But not as far fetched as trying to use the timeworn closes of yesteryear on today’s prospect. And of course, funny is not just limited to closing the sale. Here’s one for building rapport,“You know, Mr. Johnson, I know I hardly know you, and we should build some rapport before the sale begins, so can I come over for dinner tonight? Next week we’ll get serious. Kind of. FREE GitBit… 15.5 ways you can get to be more humorous. If you’re not funny enough, or want to learn more about gaining the power of humor in selling, go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word Humor in the search box. The post A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to Closing a Sale appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - The Secrets of Telling (Selling) Your Story with Impacthttps://www.gitomer.com/the-secrets-of-telling-selling-your-story-with-impact-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-secrets-of-telling-selling-your-story-with-impact-2Thu, 24 Oct 2019 03:41:26 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7098How do you sell? No two salespeople sell the same way. In fact, two people selling the exact same product will almost never present it the same way. It not just what you say, it’s also the way you say it. In the beginning of a sales presentation, there are four elements that determine whether a sale will be made ...
The post The Secrets of Telling (Selling) Your Story with Impact appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>How do you sell? No two salespeople sell the same way. In fact, two people selling the exact same product will almost never present it the same way. It not just what you say, it’s also the way you say it.In the beginning of a sales presentation, there are four elements that determine whether a sale will be made or not. - Rapport – Putting yourself on the same side of the fence with the prospect.
- Need – Determining what the prospect deems as the factors that will influence his motivation to listen with the intent to purchase.
- Importance – The weight that a prospect assigns to a product, feature, benefit, price or time frame.
- Confidence – Your ability to gain credibility. Your ability to remove all doubt. Your ability to gain comfort that the risk of purchase will be less than the reward of ownership.
While all of the information from these elements can be acquired by asking the right power questions, the difference between good and great salespeople is the way they present (deliver) their message. Want to put your presentation together? Here’s the glue: 10.5 Success Tactics to best employ the strategic elements of how you say it…(given to you last week) and get great at presenting… - Get a grip. Shake hands so firmly that the other person notices. A solid handshake sets a confident aura about you from the first moment of contact.
- Set the mood. It’s your responsibility as a great salesperson to create an atmosphere where information can flow comfortably and naturally.
- Pace your delivery. Get a feel for time and timing. Regulate and balance your timing between the needs of the prospect and the requirements of your product or service. One of the biggest mistakes salespeople make is going too fast. Even though you’re giving your presentation for the 1,000th time, the prospect is hearing it for the first time.
- Tag team sell.For evaluation purposes, have a coworker of your boss go with you once a week, and make them listen. Create a review form and have it filled out immediately after your performance. Talk about what you could do to improve immediately after the presentation. Write down your strengths, as well as your weaknesses.
- Record your sales telephone conversations. Use them as a self-monitor of your ability to present a clear and confident message. Play them back, if you dare. If you can’t stand your voice, change your pitch.
- Read and record a chapter from The Sales Bible (my book) onto your phone. Listen it in your car. You’ll learn about sales and about how you present. Would you buy from that presenter? If not, record another one with style and emotion.
- Record your opening five minutes. Use a friend or coworker as a role play prospect. Watch the video together and rate your performance. Have a sickness bag from an airlines nearby because when you see yourself, you’ll puke or deny it’s you. Repeat the process once a week for two months.
- Be your own video critic once a week. Watch your own video at home. Work to eliminate the two worst habits, and at the same time, work to enhance your two best strengths.
- Be prepared. Know your product cold. Rehearse your words before you present them. Get comfortable with your process and your story.
- Be yourself. Don’t put on an act. Your personality will shine if you believe in what you are saying. Being genuine will win the confidence of the prospect (and the order).
10.5 Join Toastmasters. An organization dedicated to helping others get better at presentation skills. An inexpensive and dynamic way for you to get peer evaluation once a week. The next time someone tells you, “it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it,” tell him he’s half right. FREE GitBit… Want to combine speaking with leadership? I’ll be glad to send you the 8.5 qualities of a (sales) leader. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user and enter the word “LEADER” in the search box. The post The Secrets of Telling (Selling) Your Story with Impact appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Want to Give The Greatest Presentation in the World?https://www.gitomer.com/want-to-give-the-greatest-presentation-in-the-world-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=want-to-give-the-greatest-presentation-in-the-world-2Thu, 17 Oct 2019 03:36:15 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7128The old adage is, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Wrong. In sales it’s both. Making a great sales presentation is a marriage of “what you say” and “how you say it.” Today we’re going to concentrate on how you say it. Your first responsibility as a great salesperson is to create an atmosphere where information ...
The post Want to Give The Greatest Presentation in the World? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>The old adage is, “It’s not what you say, it’s how you say it.” Wrong. In sales it’s both. Making a great sales presentation is a marriage of “what you say” and “how you say it.” Today we’re going to concentrate on how you say it.Your first responsibility as a great salesperson is to create an atmosphere where information can flow naturally. Much is said about sales techniques to coerce or persuade the prospect to buy. Not much is said about sales presentation skills fundamental communication competence, combined with public speaking adeptness to blend a symphonic (sales) pitch. How do you say it? If you deliver the greatest sales pitch in the world with no enthusiasm, sincerity, or belief, you’ll lose the sale. Your skills must be used throughout the entire presentation, but they’re critical at the start, because they create an impression and sets a tone for the rest of the meeting. I’ve compiled a list of essential skills and definitions for implementation. Here are the strategic elements of how you say it… Speak clearly. Sounds simple, but if the prospect doesn’t understand you, (accent, dialect, speak too fast, jump around) your communication won’t be understood. You also won’t get the sale. Lean forward. Lean into the presentation to give the prospect the sense of importance and urgency. Don’t fidget. Knuckle cracking, pocket jingling or other nervous habits detract from the presentation. Don’t fumble. Fumbling around means you’re not prepared. It makes the prospect on edge and impatient. It also makes him unsure of you therefore unsure about your company, your product and your service. Don’t “um,” “ah,” or “er.” Vocalized pauses, hesitations, and repeated words are so irritating, they make the prospect focus on the flaws rather than the message. The biggest cure for this is practice. Be animated. Wide eyed, as though you just had the most fantastic thing just happened to you. Use lots of hand gestures. Not wild handwaving, but pointed compelling gestures. Pantomime (act out) the words as you speak. Use a wide range of vocal variety. Loud and soft voices. Not singing, but close. Go from high to low tones. Punch the critical words. Compel the prospect to listen. Say it with style. Whisper some important stuff like it’s a secret. Get the prospect to lean into your words. Make him or her feel special to get this message. Stand up when you present. It adds impact to your gestures and to the story (even if you’re on the phone). Stand up (sit up) straight. Posture determines the direction of your words. If you’re stoop shouldered, your words are spoken to the floor, instead of to the prospect. Look them in the eye. Your eye contact is a telltale sign of credibility to the prospect. Use direct eye contact. Looking at the other person in the eye is a confidence builder. Take presentation risks. Don’t present in a shell. Say new things. Invent new methods of presentation on the spot. It may mean that you get a bit uncomfortable, so what? That’s how you grow. Stay within the range of the prospect’s personality. If the prospect is stuffy/conservative, don’t get too wild. Say it with conviction. The prospect must buy you before he buys your product or service. Your self belief will account for a large portion of the sale. Select the right words. Sound intelligent. You don’t have to quote Shakespeare, but you do need to be a wordsmith. Use the prospect’s industry buzzwords. Build ten new words into your vocabulary every week. No swearing, no matter what. (Even if the prospect swears, you have a professional standard to maintain.) Emphasize important words. When you come to a critical word or phrase, punch it and pause to let it sink in. Use your entire body to sell. Gesture with your hands and arms. Stand, get up and walk around. Nod yes. This small subliminal body language technique is among the most powerful in sales. It sets a mood of “Yes” throughout the presentation. Smile. This isn’t brain surgery, it’s helping other people. It’s fun. Your facial expression of smile makes the prospect feel good inside. Relax. High anxiety makes the prospect nervous too. The main reason salespeople are nervous is they are unprepared or they need the money they’re about to make when the sale is completed. Calm down. Never let them see (or feel) you sweat. “Business owners, executives, managers and salespeople fail to realize how much of their success is dependent on the way they speak. Poor speaking habits can destroy credibility,” says Ty Boyd founder of the Excellence in Speaking Institute (Charlotte, NC). “Most people don’t realize how weak their presentation skills really are and how easy it is to reverse the process if they just focus on the fundamentals.” Great advice from a master. How many of you will take the challenge to raise your skills? Need a push? Next week I’ll share the best methods to put fire in your throat, without being perceived as a dragon. FREE GitBit… Want to combine speaking with leadership? I’ll be glad to send you the 8.5 qualities of a (sales) leader. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user, and enter the words “LEADER” in the search box. The post Want to Give The Greatest Presentation in the World? appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Coming to Your Sales Senses – Part Twohttps://www.gitomer.com/coming-to-your-sales-senses-part-two-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=coming-to-your-sales-senses-part-two-2Thu, 03 Oct 2019 23:14:41 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7116Stop. If you haven’t read last week’s part one of this (mini) two-part series, go get it, and read it now. Reread it before you start reading this one. Thanks. Last week, we talked about all the negative senses that the subconscious mind presents and projects when selling. Negative senses, like fear, doubt, uncertainty, procrastination and rejection, will prevent the ...
The post Coming to Your Sales Senses – Part Two appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Stop. If you haven’t read last week’s part one of this (mini) two-part series, go get it, and read it now. Reread it before you start reading this one. Thanks.Last week, we talked about all the negative senses that the subconscious mind presents and projects when selling. Negative senses, like fear, doubt, uncertainty, procrastination and rejection, will prevent the sale from taking place. I offered remedies for them, but a more powerful way to get rid of the negatives is to counterbalance them with positive senses. The negative senses block your ability to focus on the positive senses – the ones that breed success. I believe that every negative sense has a remedy, and a counterbalancing positive sense to replace it with. Here are the 5.5 counterbalancing positive senses: - The sense of confidence – The air you have about you that’s bred by preparation and previous wins. The best part about confidence is that it’s contagious. You can give it to your prospect. (Don’t confuse confidence with it’s evil twin: arrogance)
- The sense of positive anticipation – Every one reading this column has read the best book on the subject before the age of five, “The Little Engine That Could.” I think I can, I think I can. Thinking you can is 50% of the outcome (so is thinking you can’t).
- The sense of determination – The sense of hanging in there no matter what. Determination lets your mind plan the next move. It subconsciously blocks out lamenting or quitting. Determination is having the prospect tell you “no” and you hear it as “not yet.”
- The sense of achievement – Everyone subconsciously strives for their goals. The easiest way to achieve new things is to recall how it felt to achieve before. The inner desire you get from a replay of the satisfaction you gained from making your last sale. Remember how good it felt?
- The sense of winning – Everyone wants to win, but only a few actually do. That’s because the will to prepare to win must exceed the will to win. It must be ten times stronger than your sense of doubt or uncertainty. Once you’ve prepared to win, and you’ve felt the win, it’s easier to sense the win.
5.5 The sense of success – This is the hardest sense to master because you must sense it before you actually achieve it. That calm feeling of “money in the bank.” An “I can do it” attitude. Clearly defined goals and a well-lit path in front of you. The sense of positive purpose. Balancing by definition is delicate. Counterbalancing is even more so. It’s a simultaneous act of chasing away negative senses and focusing on the positive ones. It takes focus. It means harnessing and self-directing your inner thought process. It’s not easy, that’s why so few achieve greatness. To further complicate things, you’re not “sensing” alone. The prospect has senses too. And, often he can sense your senses, especially the negative ones. If your negative senses dominate your presentation, they will preoccupy the prospect, and alter his ability to get a clear message. If he fixes on your nervousness, he will become nervous about you, and forget about your product. Make sense? The good news is, you’re in control. You can chase away any sense of failure with a combination of product knowledge, knowing the science of selling, dedication to lifelong learning, and the achievement of a positive attitude. Alter your mind with books, podcasts and seminars. All the information you need to change doubt into success already exists. The problem is you’re not exposing yourself to it. Earl Nightingale in his legendary recording, The Strangest Secret, says, “You become what you think about.” Truer words have never been spoken. But the secret to The Strangest Secret, is “It’s a dedicated self-discipline that must be practiced every day.” How close to “every day” are you? The most interesting aspect of The Strangest Secret is that it contains the counter balance to turn all your destructive senses into constructive ones, by employing the strongest sense of them all: common sense. FREE GitBit… The best list of self-help, sense altering books available to sales kind is yours for the asking. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user, and enter the words “Make Sense” in the search box. The post Coming to Your Sales Senses – Part Two appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Making Sense Out of Sales, and Sales Out of Sensehttps://www.gitomer.com/making-sense-out-of-sales-and-sales-out-of-sense-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=making-sense-out-of-sales-and-sales-out-of-sense-2Thu, 26 Sep 2019 23:10:37 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7112Your sixth sense. Got one? Your intuition, or gut feelings about something. Your sense of selling. Is there such a thing? Yesterday I heard J.C. Bradford’s Danny Fontana on his syndicated morning radio show, talking about the falling value of the US dollar. He said “The 8th sense is kicking in the sense of fear.” It occurred to me that ...
The post Making Sense Out of Sales, and Sales Out of Sense appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Your sixth sense. Got one? Your intuition, or gut feelings about something. Your sense of selling. Is there such a thing?Yesterday I heard J.C. Bradford’s Danny Fontana on his syndicated morning radio show, talking about the falling value of the US dollar. He said “The 8th sense is kicking in the sense of fear.” It occurred to me that there are senses of selling beyond the traditional five (see, smell, touch, hear, taste). I began to make a list of them. Then I found that some are conflicted with each other. You had to battle for which sense must emerge as the dominant one. Make sense? Is a sense something you feel just before it happens? or is it something that you make happen, (will it to happen) by feeling it? Now, that’s something to think about. You have all these little negative senses running around your mind, getting in the way of the positive ones. The negative senses block your ability to focus on the positive senses – the ones that breed success. I believe that every negative sense has a remedy, and a counterbalancing positive sense to replace it with. Here are the 9.5 negative senses and their remedies: - The sense of fear – I’m afraid something will go wrong. I’m afraid I won’t make the sale. Remedy: Prepare better and build confidence with wins.
- The sense of nervousness – I’m afraid of the other person or the situation. Remedy: Forget business at first, get friendly early. No matter how big or important the sale, if you’re prepared, the nerves will fade quickly.
- The sense of rejection – I don’t want to be told “no.” I want to be liked, not rejected. Remedy: Realize they’re not rejecting you. They’re only rejecting the offer you’re making them.
- The sense of reluctance – Much is said about reluctance. Little is true. I refer to it as nonsense. Remedy: See the remedy below for procrastination and fear.
- The sense of procrastination – I can do it later. There are still two days before the deadline. I don’t really need to do it now. Remedy: Moments of time never return. Once you realize that the competition is not procrastinating, it may be just the bolt-of-lightning-in-the-butt you need to do something about it.
- The sense of justification/rationale – Reasons you give to yourself to support why it didn’t happen. Blaming others for bad situations that you created, or could have had more influence on the outcome. Remedy: Start looking to yourself as the cure, rather than to others as the cause.
- The sense of doubt – The nagging thought that something will go wrong, something bad is about to happen, or you just won’t be able to succeed. Remedy: When in doubt, get out. Even if it means changing careers.
- The sense of uncertainty – Not knowing what will happen next is a real sense of fear, sometimes paranoia. Remedy: Relax! Have faith in the world that, if you go in with good intentions, most things turn out good.
- The sense of doom – The sky is falling. Remedy: Stop listening to the media news and talk show idiots. At last check, the sky was still blue.
9.5 The sense of “I’m unlucky” – Woe is you. Remedy: The harder you work, the luckier you’ll get. Want to have the best lucky streak of your life? Just start working harder than you’ve ever worked. What are the positive counterbalances of these senses? Read next week’s article. The combination of this and next week will unlock the positive sales force within you. While this may not make much sense (no pun intended) only seeing the first half, it will be an eye opener when combined with next week’s positive senses portion. Stay tuned… FREE GitBit… The best list of self–help, sense-altering books available to sales kind, is yours for the asking. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user, and enter the words “Make Sense” in the search box. The post Making Sense Out of Sales, and Sales Out of Sense appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - Making Your Sales Presentation the Greatest – Part Twohttps://www.gitomer.com/making-your-sales-presentation-the-greatest-part-two-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=making-your-sales-presentation-the-greatest-part-two-2Thu, 19 Sep 2019 23:13:10 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7107Making a great sales presentation is complex, even if you’re selling paperclips. It’s delicate, even if you’re selling 18-wheeler trucks. The entire sale rests on words, attitudes and perceptions. Even though everyone has a different style of selling, the elements of content and process in a presentation must be the same. You master the elements, then adapt them to your ...
The post Making Your Sales Presentation the Greatest – Part Two appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>Making a great sales presentation is complex, even if you’re selling paperclips. It’s delicate, even if you’re selling 18-wheeler trucks. The entire sale rests on words, attitudes and perceptions.Even though everyone has a different style of selling, the elements of content and process in a presentation must be the same. You master the elements, then adapt them to your style. It’s what you say (the elements) combined with how you say it (your style). Here is part two of the 27.5 elements that make a great presentation: - Involve the prospect. Test him, let him do the demonstration, let him help you set up. The sooner you gain involvement, the easier it is to gain prospect understanding and confidence. Letting them touch the product creates an early sense of ownership.
- Take it back. Keep control at all times. If you give samples or literature to the prospect, don’t continue until they have looked, touched, or read, and then ask for them (take them) back. It’s your presentation. Keep total control of it. Make the prospect pay attention to you, not your samples or papers. (BONUS FOR THE TAKEAWAY: If they ask to see again what you took away, it’s a big, perhaps a closing, buying signal.)
- Use testimonials when the time is right. They are the only proof you’ve got. Use them to overcome doubts, objections, stalls or specific issues that are blocking the sale. Use them one by one. The next best things to testimonials are similar situations. “Just last week we had the same situation with a customer just like you…” (a similar situation from someone who decided to buy).
- To gain understanding, ask approval questions. Getting approvals along the way leads to getting approval at the end. Questions like Don’t you agree? Do you understand how this helps? or shorter versions… Isn’t it? Doesn’t it?, set a tone of “yes” in the mind of the prospect throughout the presentation.
- Make the prospect qualify, too. You want to do business with the people most likely to help you grow and prosper. 95% of your headaches and complaints come from 5% of your customers. Retrain them, or fire them. (Note of caution: you may be selling them wrong and creating your own problems.)
- Learn to recognize buying signals. Usually revealed in the form of a question about price, delivery, specific features, a major benefit repeated, or productivity. Close when you hear them. Don’t answer with “Yes” or “No.” If you do, you’ll go past the sale.
- Overcome objections before they occur. I don’t care what product or service you sell, there are only ten major objections a prospect can raise and you’ve heard them all before. Wake up, anticipate them and address them in your presentation, before the prospect has a chance to raise them.
- Sell the timely payment for your product or services rendered. Don’t make half a sale. You must also sell how and when payment is expected. It’s incredible to me how many salespeople are afraid of asking for the money.
- Don’t close the sale – Assume the sale. Assume you have it from the moment you enter the room. Then take the logical steps to complete the transaction. The sale is a given if the need is present and the presentation is superior.
- Close the sale all the way. Handling the details and confirming are the next actions. State what you need to get started. Make an appointment to review and begin. Handle the last detail between the prospect saying yes and his actually taking ownership.
- Be different. For fun, I often try (without asking,) to get the buyer to stand and walk around (I walk around first), then I sit in his chair behind his desk. I usually get a surprised look, most times a laugh or smile, and have never had a negative response. You can’t do it to everyone but I dare you to try it once.
- Be incredible. Create an attraction to you through superior presentation skills, product knowledge and the ability to meet the prospect’s needs. Make the prospect feel that buying anyplace else would be the biggest mistake of his life.
- Strive for long term relationships with everyone. When you do this, you will automatically eliminate any greed or short term thinking from the sale. You will always be thinking, “what is best for this prospect,” not “what is best for me.” If you think “longterm,” it will always result in “big sale.”
27.5 Be funny and have fun. Most people have no fun at work. If you’re fun and funny, you’ll have an attraction and an advantage. “Make me laugh and you can make me buy,” is a credo you can take to the bank. Laughing all the way. These 27.5 elements can only be looked at as a whole while you’re in the presentation itself. To get great at the selling process, you must be great at each individual element. Making a simple presentation is a complex issue. It’s a far cry from telling a bunch of facts about your product or service. And a sale is always made. Either you sell the prospect on “yes” or they sell you on “no.” Want one tip that ties the whole process together? Approach each element from the customer’s perspective, it’s the only one that matters. FREE GitBit… Want to look and act as good as your presentation? I’ll send you a checklist of the 15.5 critical (common) areas to address. Go to www.gitomer.com, click Access GitBit, register if you’re a first time user, and enter the words “Looking Good” in the search box. The post Making Your Sales Presentation the Greatest – Part Two appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]> - 27.5 Elements of the Greatest Sales Presentation in the Worldhttps://www.gitomer.com/27-5-elements-of-the-greatest-sales-presentation-in-the-world-2/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=27-5-elements-of-the-greatest-sales-presentation-in-the-world-2Thu, 12 Sep 2019 08:28:14 +0000https://www.gitomer.com/?p=7104No two sales presentations are alike. Even if you’re selling the same product and work for the same company. Everyone has a different style and delivery BUT the elements of content and process in a presentation must be the same. These elements are adaptable to your style and manner of sale, but are vital to its successful completion of an ...
The post 27.5 Elements of the Greatest Sales Presentation in the World appeared first on Jeffrey Gitomer. ]]>
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