Wednesday, November 23, 2016
Sales Skills - Do You Have What It Takes To Sell
If every sales professional understood the Principle of the Iceberg there would undoubtedly be less stress, less frustration, less inconsistency, and less dissatisfaction – more motivation, more trust, more money, and more fulfillment. Guaranteed!
In fact, regardless of how long you’ve been in the business, understanding and applying the Principle of the Iceberg in your sales career is fundamental to increasing both your finances and fulfillment.
The Principle of the Iceberg
It’s vital if you’re aspiration is greater than merely making a living – if you’re goal is living your best life. If you’re willing to re-calibrate your thinking and your approach to success according to this Law, you’ll find that your client relationships will stabilize, your earnings will surge, and your free time will swell, all to levels you never thought possible.
Living the Principle of the Iceberg begins by securing your truest measure of success. That’s because in the sales business, motives mean everything.
Motives dictate your mood, mentality, and moves while serving a client. And motives will make or break you when it comes to establishing loyal, lucrative relationships.
The Principle of the Iceberg says that the truest measure of your success is invisible to a client. That’s because the majority of real success occurs on the inside of a salesperson, not on the outside.
Your fulfillment – not your finances – should dictate true success. Starting out to make money is the biggest mistake you can make. And if you’re in the sales business for that reason alone, you’re headed for a lot of heartache. Let me explain.
Think of yourself as an iceberg floating in a body of water. Imagine that the part of the iceberg beneath the surface of the water represents what’s on your inside: your values, your deepest desires, your mission, and your purpose in life; and the part of the iceberg above the surface of the water represents what’s on your outside: your career, your titles, your finances, and your possessions.
Now, if you’ve ever read anything about icebergs, you know that very little of the mass of an iceberg shows above the surface. In fact, experts estimate that on average only 10% of the entire mass of an iceberg appears above the surface. What that means is that 90% of the mass is beneath the surface, invisible to those above the water. Simply put, what you see above the surface is not an accurate representation of an iceberg at all. It’s just the tip. And the same is true of sales success. What’s appears on the outside doesn’t accurately represent whether your successful.
What Lies Beneath
Imagine what would happen if we could saw off the entire foundation of an iceberg beneath the surface. Without it’s foundation below the water, what would happen? If it were a substantial iceberg, it would begin to sink until there was enough of it submerged to regain its balance. It would probably remain standing, but the proverbial tip of the iceberg would be much smaller than it once was (90% smaller to be precise). And the iceberg would certainly become much less stable, and much easier for the changing tide to displace.
If it were a small, thin iceberg that had its underwater base removed, the tip above the surface would most likely fall over. And, without a solid foundation, the iceberg would become slave to the ever-changing ebb and flow of the tide. In fact, without a foundation, a small iceberg may cease to be an iceberg altogether.
In similar fashion, without a solid foundation beneath the surface of your sales career, your outward success as a salesperson will never be stable or consistent. Furthermore, you’ll always have difficulty establishing trust with your clients because you’re not trustworthy. You see, most people can discern the difference between a salesperson who’s out to make a dollar and one who’s out to make a difference. And the longer you continue building your sales career without a proper foundation, the greater the likelihood that your career will come toppling down.
Let’s face it: Many people get into the selling business in the first place because they want the outward success: the big money, the nicer car, the bigger house. That’s how most sales positions are marketed aren’t they? Come work for us and we’ll make you rich is the common recruiting pitch. A nice base salary with great earning potential. You could make a killing! I’m sure you’ve heard that message before.
Superficial Success
Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that more money and nicer things are wrong for a sales professional to desire. Who doesn’t want those things? As a matter of fact, material increase is a fair reward for being good at what you do. But when you try to build a successful sales business solely on the basis of attaining such above the surface things, your career is likely to share a fate similar to that of the sawed off iceberg. It will bob up and down, teeter, and eventually sink or tip over.
For more than 15 years EffectiveCommunication.com.au has interviewed, trained, and coached sales professionals, and the one factor we have found that prohibits them from succeeding more than any other single factor is this: lack of purpose!
Most haven’t answered the “Why” question for their careers. In other words, the majority of unsatisfied salespeople become that way because their jobs aren’t aligned with a greater sense of purpose. And it shows: in their methods of doing business, in their relationships with clients, and on their faces.
Your Deeper Purpose
The problem is that they’re trying to build their career from the outside in. They’re looking for inner satisfaction from the outward things. But that’s backwards. And while the desire for money and material things (or anything else inferior to purpose) can keep anyone motivated early on, when the time between sales starts to grow, it’s rarely enough to keep one afloat.
Let’s be honest. Salespeople are notoriously 'gung ho' out of the starting gate. We’re self-starters, highly motivated, and highly ambitious. But if time wears on and sales grow harder to come by, it becomes increasingly difficult to remain hopeful and excited about what we’re doing. And eventually, moving on to something new begins to sound much more appealing than sticking it out.
If you’ve been there, or close to it, there’s a way to make sure you don’t go there again. It’s called “pull-power,” and it’s the key to following the Principle of the Iceberg.
If you’ve never taken time to determine deeper purpose beneath your career then your road to following the Principle of the Iceberg must start there, beneath the surface, on the inside, before you will ever be truly satisfied and successful on the outside. But once you identify your higher purpose with regard to success and sales career, and begin to align that purpose with your activities and goals, you create what’s called pull-power, which is the greatest motivating force for the work you perform.
Pull-Power vs. Will-Power
Pull-power is the antithesis of will-power, which is merely self-generated energy that produces short-term accomplishment but rarely sustains long-term achievement. To exploit pull-power in your career you must know why you do what you do.
When you know why you are selling, your answer then becomes the force that literally motivates or pulls you along, in good times and bad, when sales are red hot and when they’re ice cold. Pull-power is your inner accountability, your constant heart-wrought reminder of the deeper reason you are a salesperson. The problem is that most salespeople get ahead of themselves. Most spend the better part of their early days trying to figure out the “Hows” of their jobs. How can I sell more? How can I make more money? How will I meet my quota? How can I motivate my team to produce more?
They’re all questions that have their place. But answering them is not the foundation of a successful sales career. It’s not enough to know how to be a good sales professional. That’s just head knowledge. To become a successful, trustworthy salesperson you must first have heart knowledge. You must know why you want to be a salesperson. You must make sure that answer is clearly written on your heart. And guaranteed that once you make this determination, you’ll find that the "Hows" of successful origination become much clearer and easier to apply – in fact, your daily actions simply become the manifestation of what’s on your heart.
That’s how successful selling should be
All the best with your sales!
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Sales Skills - 3 Questions To Ask Each Lead To Verify If They Are Worth Your Time
Your goal is to not to spend time with leads, but to spend time with great prospects
To do this, you have to qualify your leads faster to give you the time you need to spend with the high-value prospects.
Too many salespeople take a “go slow” approach when it comes to leads
The feeling is they don’t want to do anything to disrupt the lead, but in going so slow, they wind up losing the lead.
We at EC are frequently asked when speaking and teaching on sales prospecting about what is a good approach to use.
The approach we've taught and used for years is what we refer to as the “industry problem” technique.
We like this approach because it’s comprised of 3 questions that can be asked during the first conversation with the lead. It’s a direct approach, yet not threatening. Both the salesperson and lead will feel comfortable.
The “industry problem” technique is built around first asking the lead about a problem the industry in which they operate is facing. An example someone might use if they sell labor services of some type:
“What are the issues your industry is facing with regard to finding enough qualified labor?”
The question is broad and not directed at the company where the lead works. You’re asking it solely to engage the prospect and to begin getting their opinion out on the table.
The second question builds off the first:
“How has your company been dealing with this issue?”
You can alter the question to include some of the comments made by the lead from the first question. Now, here comes the third question which is the one that really opens up the door for you:
“What impact has the shortage of qualified labor had on your business and on your job?”
The answer to this question is really the one you are looking for, because if you provide labor, you want to know if this is an issue and, in particular, how big of an issue it is.
By asking the questions in this order, you’re able to get information you need faster
Some might be saying why not ask the 3rd question first, and the response is you need the first two questions to understand the context of the 3rd.
Even more significant than that is by asking the questions in the above order allows the lead to see you as a bigger thinker than merely a salesperson looking for a quick sale.
All the best with your sales!
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Sunday, October 23, 2016
Communication Skills - So What If I Speak Fast
A lot of us speak quickly when we are on the phone with our customers or clients
Sometimes it is because we have so many calls in cue or because we feel pressured to get on to the next call. Whatever the case, it is a habit that can cost us business.
Why?
When we speak too quickly, customers can assume that you are just making a perfunctory call. You really don't care. Someone told you to call and query him or her. They can also feel that you are trying to pull something or that you are giving them the "bum's rush." It can make them angry.
Problems that speaking quickly can cause
When you speak quickly, it affects other vocal issues. For example, speed affects the clarity of your words. Literally, the lips, teeth and tongue can't get into the right position in your mouth.
Customers expect to hear the words as they learned them. If you are slipping over syllables or eliminating them all together, customers start focusing on what you just said, versus what you are currently saying. They feel like they are translating a foreign language. It affects comprehension. Also, if any of your customers are not native born, English-speakers, it may be difficult for them to make any sense out of what you are saying.
Speaking quickly also affects the tone of your voice. It is impossible to sound friendly, sincere or empathetic without pausing. Your voice may even be a monotone. If the voice is a monotone, the customer concludes you are disinterested. Who wants to do business with someone who is disinterested?
Ways to slow down
First, you should get yourself into the mind set that when you are at work; you need to put on you "cash voice," the voice that earns you a living. On-air personalities speak a lot slower on television than they do when they are with friends and family. They know that if they speak quickly, viewers will be complaining, and they will lose their jobs. What on-air personalities learn is the value of pausing. In fact, they pause a lot. They pause not only at the end of sentences and clauses, but whenever they want to emphasize a point or idea. They know that they more they pause, the more their listeners understand.
To get comfortable pausing, use your voice mail system to give you feedback. When you send internal voice mail messages, press "review" before you press "send." If you hear yourself speaking quickly, redo the message until you are satisfied.
Get feedback from family members when you are at home. Ask them to tell you to pause more or to remind you that you are mumbling. Fast talkers also mumble.
If you have a child, read out loud to your child. Children demand that you really get into the story. They will tell you to slow down because they want to enjoy the story. As you drive down the street, use your car as a laboratory. Say out loud what you are seeing and over-enunciate each word. No one will hear you. Over-enunciating will get you used to saying every syllable in the word.
While speaking quickly is a habit, it is not a habit that helps you to develop relationships with your customers. The more you pause, the more they feel you care. The less likely they are to become upset.
A one or two second pause can make a huge difference. Put on your "cash" voice and see what a difference it will make.
All the best with your communications!
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by effectivecommunication.com.au
Monday, October 10, 2016
Leadership Skills - Inspire Your Team To Win
The following statement is one of the greatest secrets of effective leadership:
"We shall no longer strive for our own way but commit ourselves, honestly and simply, to inspiring others to develop the power to be their best."
Hardly the stereotypical spirit of the legendary, tough-minded CEO!
But if leadership is a challenge for you, then you must begin to lead by that statement. If you are constantly dealing with others not measuring up to your self-compared expectations, if you are pushing your team members down rather than pulling them up, and if you want overall better performance from your team, now is the time to close the gap.
Are you holding others back, or are you inspiring them to win?
Leadership is all about influence and motivation. Neither happens naturally, but they are both the results of intentional leadership decisions.
As a leader, you must recognize that your role is not a title. Leadership is a position. You must realize that people came to work NOT to make you successful, but to become more successful themselves. You must understand that the team is more important than you are and that the team needs to receive the credit for your success.
How does a leader deploy these truths?
Follow these ideas:
Leadership Is Influence
People always do things for their reasons, not yours. Leaders must develop an environment that helps team members thrive, while still moving them to higher levels of “followership.”
Master Motivation
Recent studies provide several big motivators for higher levels of performance: significant contributions, goals and quota participation, positive dissatisfaction (knowing you can do better), recognition, and clear expectations. The same studies tell us that the big demotivators include belittling, manipulation, discouragement, lack of personal growth, and a condescending leader.
About 50 percent of your leadership challenges will dissipate when you raise the bar and close the gap in the areas of influence and motivation.
All the best with your leadership!
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Thursday, October 6, 2016
Sales Skills - 10 Best Sales Questions to Use When Talking with a Prospect
One of the best things any salesperson can do is develop a list of 10 questions they feel comfortable asking.
The questions have to fit your personality and your market and allow you to move the process forward.
Below are 10 of the best sales questions you can use. The questions are not direct closing questions, but rather questions that will get the prospect to share more information to help you focus on the solution the prospect desires.
Not each question will be appropriate for every occasion. The critical issue is to be comfortable asking them so when the situation is right, you’re also ready:
1. Why?
2. Can you tell me more about...?
3. How have you made decisions like this in the past?
4. What is the outcome you’re looking for?
5. What is the size of the risk if you don’t make a decision?
6. What are the issues you’re facing today?
7. What happens if you don’t make a decision to invest?
8. Who else is involved in the decision making process?
9. What is it you like best about what we’ve been talking about?
10. What is stopping you from making a decision?
Each of the questions is designed to get the prospect to share more and to allow you to then ask a follow up question on what they just shared with you. Questions one and two are specifically designed to do just that.
The more we engage the prospect with questions in a way that allows us to use our personality, the more comfortable the prospect will be in answering. It’s when we ask questions that come across as scripted or threatening the customer will shut down.
Use these 10 questions as a starter for you, and over the coming weeks modify them to fit your personality and style. You’ll find yourself being far more effective in getting the prospect to open up.
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Tuesday, September 13, 2016
PRESENTATION SKILLS - SIMPLE NUMBERS TO IMPROVE YOUR MESSAGES
A good way to remember and apply principles of effective presentations is to connect them to numbers.
For example, you should always have 1 major idea that you leave with your audience. A good way to do this while preparing is to ask yourself and then answer this question... “What one action do I want my audience to apply as a result of this presentation?”
You may have other ideas you want the audience to remember, but thinking of one action you want them to take will help you focus on what is really important.
Include 2 appeals in a persuasive presentation: logical and emotional. One without the other will limit your impact on your audience. To appeal to their emotions, tell a story. Make them feel what you are talking about. To appeal to their intellect, include a relevant statistic or testimony of an expert on the topic you are advocating.
In organizing any part of your presentation, think of doing so in 3's. The human mind responds well to the number three. This number is a part of our culture. Three little pigs, Goldilocks and the three bears. Three blind mice. “Ready, aim, fire.” We have morning, noon, and night. There is strike three in baseball, not strike four, etc.
Having three main points is a good idea, and if you have several slides or statistics, think about organizing them in groups of three. Usually three pieces of evidence are enough to make your case.
Practicing your presentation 3 times is comfortable for most people. More than three and you might lose interest and/or memorize parts of the presentation, taking away from the spontaneity you should seek.
If you are creating a list on a slide, the “5 by 5 rule” is a good model to follow–no more than five lines on a slide and 5 words on a line. That helps you choose a font that everyone can see and the slide looks clean and not “busy.” More importantly, each line will act as a prompt to keep you and your audiences on track. This is much better than reading lots of text at the audience (like most presenters do), which detracts from the person presenting. And, typically audiences can read and digest information much better than when a presenter lectures at them. For those who lecture at their audiences, it is far more effective to simply email the presentation slides with too much content to the audience!
Pay attention to your 6th sense as you speak. Intuitively you may think of an example, or a reference to some current event that fits your content. Some people's best ideas come to them as they speak. Don’t fear to include this thought because you did not practice that material. Go with your sixth sense, your intuition, and you may add one of your best ideas in the presentation. This is always worth the risk because a small amount of risk can result in great outcomes!
When answering questions from your audience, keep your answers as concise as possible. You may be able to answer with a “yes” or “no,” but even if it is an open-ended question, practice limiting your answer to 30 seconds. If an answer is longer, the audience members who have no interest in that answer will quickly stop listening. Perhaps volunteer to talk to that person in more detail after the presentation, but remember the number 30 when answering questions - that’s seconds, not minutes!
Patrick Rothfuss said, “I am no poet. I do not love words for the sake of words. I love words for what they can accomplish. Similarly, I am no arithmetician. Numbers that speak only of numbers are of little interest to me.” However, if your number relates to a speaking principle that will make you a more effective speaker, then numbers do matter!
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Thursday, September 1, 2016
SALES SKILLS - 5 WAYS TO SPEED UP YOUR SALES PROCESS
Too many
times we get bogged down with the prospective client
Sure, the
reasons can be many, but it doesn’t matter. Anytime things bog
down, it eats into your time and your earnings.
Below are
5 things we can do right now to accelerate the process:
1. Skip
the presentation and ask more questions
Don’t focus your time on crafting your PowerPoint and your
talking points. Take that time and spend it developing more questions. More importantly, think through how you will follow up
each question with another question.
2. Be
prepared to ask tough questions early on to verify if there is potential
Consider
these three questions: What is your timeline for
making a decision? How have you made decisions
like this in the past? What is the outcome you’re looking to achieve?
3. Follow
up fast
Don’t think for a moment your prospect is thinking about you,
because they’re not. During each phase of
the selling process, the faster you follow up, the greater your potential for
closing the sale.
4. Take
the small order if that’s what it takes to move them
forward
Sure, we
all want to land the big sale, but if the big sale is not there, grab the small
one and use it as a springboard to move up to the next sale.
5. Skip
the formality of a scheduled meeting and make it happen anytime, anywhere
Don’t allow yourself to believe because you’ve always sold sitting across a desk that you need to
continue doing so. Make it happen with a video or audio call instead. Your
prospect many times will appreciate this, as they tend to be faster and less
intrusive on their schedule.
Bonus
Item: Make sure each time you’re talking with a prospect,
you have in your mind the expectation of closing a sale. If your attitude is
not focused on making a sale, the best you’ll ever get is bread crumbs.
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