Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck." Emerson was a keenly gifted philosopher, but he spoke like a seasoned sales manager: He understood the power of big thoughts. All of us are surrounded by a swirl of great opportunities, but we’re usually too busy to notice. So we continue to do what we’ve always done, wondering why we get what we’ve always gotten. If you’re tired of the same old results, try a new approach: Make … [Read more...]
The Power of Optimism in Sales
Leo Tolstoy observed, ‘Faith is the force of life.’ Faith is also the force behind successful selling. The optimistic salesperson conveys an attitude of confidence to the buyer. The result? Lots of closings. But the pessimist talks himself—and the customer—out of the sale. The result? Lots of frustrations. “If you’re looking for a proven prescription to improve your closing ratios, try a healthy dose of optimism. Because if you think the sale will close—or think it won’t—you’re right.” The … [Read more...]
If You Love Sales, Then Pass This On
Whenever I’m at a used bookstore, I always browse the business section. There is gold in those isles. I found a short book called, The Salesman’s Book of Wisdom,by Dr. Chriswell Freeman, and the introduction on “The Joy of Selling” was so awesome, that I wanted to share the three paragraphs with you. Share this with others if you resonate with it as well: “Selling has been called the greatest profession in the world and with good cause. Few experiences in business can match the excitement of … [Read more...]
Stop Talking Past the Close
How many tie-downs and trial closes do you or your team use during their presentations? If you’re thinking, “What’s a tie-down? What’s a trial close?” then you’re in trouble… In an earlier blog, I introduced the term, “Spray and Pray” as a way to describe how many sales rep’s presentations go. They get the prospect on the phone, go through a PowerPoint slide presentation, drone on and on for a half hour or more, rarely checking in their prospect—and if they do, it’s weak, “does that make … [Read more...]
3 Ways to Overcome Call Reluctance
Do you or your team suffer from call reluctance? Would you rather send emails than make calls? If you have to pick up the phone for a living, then I’ll bet making cold calls isn’t one of your favorite activities. And if you struggle making those calls, then take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Speaking in public used to be the biggest fear someone could face (even before dying), but I think that for salespeople it’s making outbound calls. No one likes to be rejected, and the … [Read more...]
Overcome All Objections With This One Question
Want to know a secret about objections? There are really only two types: Real concerns that need to be addressed, and, once you do, you can then close on, and, Smokescreen objections hiding something else (like the real reason your prospect isn’t buying). Now here’s the trouble for many sales reps and teams: The most frequent objections they get are smokescreens and yet they try to overcome them as if they were real objections. And that never works. So, the question is: How do … [Read more...]
The 2-Minute Referral Script That Is Killing It!
(I’m going to give you a formula, and a link to a short audio using the script, that guarantees you’ll get tons of referrals… but first let me vent.) Everything you’ve ever read or heard about referrals is B.S. You know this… if any of it actually worked… we’d all be rolling in the dough! Referrals are free. Referrals are easy to sell. So, if we could get referrals coming in regularly, we’d all be doing it. Don’t get me wrong, we all DO get referrals… but it’s only when somebody a … [Read more...]
Objection: We Are All Set
As a sales rep, you need solutions to the problems you face when selling over the phone. You don’t need theory, you need actual word-for-word responses that aren’t salesy. Responses that work. And that’s why my blog has thousands of subscribers and why more and more sales teams are added daily. I thought you’d benefit from my most popular article I’ve published over the last two years. It’s no surprise it deals with objections you get while prospecting. Study these and adapt them to … [Read more...]
Why Use More Tie Downs and Trial Closes?
I don’t know why tie downs aren’t used more by sales reps selling over the phone. I was listening to an experienced rep the other day just pitch and ad-lib to a good prospect, and at the end of the call, she had no idea about the prospect’s level of interest, nor did she qualify the prospect. Tie downs (and trial closes) serve several important functions, including: Getting confirmation that the point you just made was understood and accepted by your prospect. This is especially important … [Read more...]
Closing Sales is Like First and Goal
Hope you’re enjoying the NFL playoffs. A client and I were talking about that Bear/Eagles game a few weeks ago, and (besides the Bear’s kicker—I do feel bad for him), we were talking about that last scoring drive of the Eagles. How they went for it on 4thdown with 56 seconds left—and scored the winning touchdown. That reminded me of what I was taught when I was new on the phone: that the sale doesn’t start until the fourth or fifth no. My manager used to tell me that it’s a like football: He … [Read more...]