Accelerated Sales Training

Probing for Needs

We are all always looking for good questions to probe and uncover needs. These are some questions you can use to do just that.

 

1. If there was an ideal solution to this problem, what would it

be?

 

2. If I could use magic, and I could give you the ideal

interactive system, what would it be like? •

 

3. What criteria have you set for evaluating this type of system?

 

4. What kind of service and support would you like to see to take

care of your needs for the next five years?

 

5. What do you expect us to do to solve your problem in a way

that will completely satisfy you?

 

6. What do we have to do to make you completely happy?

 

7. What type of features do you expect from an interactive system

like this?

 

8. Could you tell me the three top features you expect from a

solution like this?

 

9. What are the major benefits you are looking for?

 

10. I am sure you have given this purchase a lot of thought. What

features have you put on your “wish list”?

 

11. Would you be able to tell me exactly what specific criteria

you are looking for?

 

12. Could you describe the type of features you had in mind?

 

13. What are the most essential points we need to consider?

 

14. If you could get the interactive system of your dreams, what

would it be like? -

 

15. If price were no object, what would be the ideal solution to

this problem?

 

16. What would you like your ideal query tool be able to do?

 

17. Can you tell me all the features you are not interested in

having?

 

18. When you and your management team talked about this system, what were the criteria they felt were absolutely essential?

 

19. Is there anything at all we left off your list of features you

need to have?

Goal Setting Exercises

Every late December it is good to take some time to reflect on what went right during the past year and what areas of your life you can improve during the upcoming year.

 

Put aside 30 minutes to and hour of quiet time for this very important exercise. First, picture in your mind what

you want. See yourself having it and imagine what you will feel like when you do.

 

Now you are ready to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

 

Specific

 

Measurable

 

Attainable

 

Relevant

 

Time and date specific

 

Type out your S.M.A.R.T. goals onto a sheet or two of paper and post it where you can see it (the bathroom or bedroom mirror works great).

 

Next, get yourself in the habit of reading your goals at least once (if not three times) a day.

 

You will be amazed at how many of your goals are achieved once you commit them to writing. You may not make all your goals each year but you will still find a number of them are reached and often exceeded.

 

If you have achieved certain goals during the past year, increase those goals by at least 10% if not more.

 

Actions follow thoughts. Feel it, think it and then do it.

 

Put your thoughts on paper and watch the universe go into action to help make your goals a reality.

 

Start here:

 

I will accomplish the following goals during the year 2009.

 

 

I will earn over $___________ during the year 2009.

 

I will average earnings over $_________________ per quarter during the year 2009.

 

I will average earnings over $_________________ per month during the year 2009.

 

I will improve my industry knowledge by taking the following actions __________________ during the year 2009.

 

I will improve my product knowledge by taking the following actions __________________ during the year 2009.

 

For example, you can attend your own company's Webinars or study your company's annual report.

 

I will improve my selling knowledge by __________________ during the year 2009.

 

Napoleon Hill’s Law of Success is a great choice. You can buy it at Amazon buy clicking here http://tinyurl.com/bcbn4

 

I will take the following actions to increase the value I can add into my customer relationships during the year 2009.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

I will make ___________ number of cold calls per ____________ during the year 2009.

 

I will open ________________ number of new accounts during the year 2009 by taking the following actions.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

I will take the following actions to maintain a positive mental attitude every day during the year 2009.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

I will take the following actions to improve my physical health during the year 2009.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

I will take the following steps to better my personal life during the year 2009.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

I will take the following steps to better my family life during the year 2009.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

I will take the following steps to better my spiritual life during the year 2009.

 

1.

 

2.

 

3.

 

I will use the following strategies to maximize my time during the year 2009.

 

I AGREE TO post this list on my mirror, read it at least once a day during the year 2009, and watch these goals come true in my life.

 

I highly recommend, if you have not yet taken the time to sit down and write out your specific plans and goals, try the above this exercise. You may or may not reach or exceed every goal however you will be a lot further along then if you made no plan at all. Always shoot for the stars and if you fall short, you will still have reached the sky. People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. Don’t wait. Write down your goals and plans now.

 

I wish everyone one of you peace, harmony and prosperity during this holiday season and throughout the upcoming year.

 

Make 2009 your best year ever!

 

Ron

 

PS. Please keep me in mind if you need live cold calling sales training. My schedule is filling up. Call 818-991-6487 now.

 

Comments about LIVE Cold Calling Workshops

 

Hi Ron,

 

Just wanted you to know that a NYC rep closed a $208,000 deal in Dec that paid for the entire prospecting program this year! He directly relates it to the skills he learned from you!

Thanks for your help,

 

John B.

Program Manager, WW Sales/Field Education

Field Strategy & Support

[A Top 3 Major Software, Hardware and Services Company]

 

 

We used Ron about a month ago strictly to teach every rep (from senior to new kid on the block) how to cold call and the results a month later are on a scale of from one to ten at least a nine. 

 

The senior reps (who of course did not need the training) have each and every one came to me and said what a difference the class made in getting into the right people.  The more junior have literally adopted it and it is now part of their routine.

 

Ron conducts a hands on class and perhaps the most important part actually shows them how to use the methodology by doing many calls himself with the team listening in and then works with them to try the same things and to a person they were astounded at the level they got into within a company and then to the right person.

 

I have always been pretty cautious about recommending sales training but in this case I thought for what you are trying to do and with the growth you are trying to achieve I would forward Ron’s information on to you.

 

Roy Hogsed, VP of Sales

nuBridges

 

 

This process works – 7 to 8 appointments set in one day. Best workshop sales training I have been through.

Kevin Huxley, Sales Manager, Western Region

 

 

Sonya,

 

Nick and I have been trying to get a hold of [contact name] from [company name]. Nick back when he had the territory.  He continues to reach our webinars but has been difficult to get a hold of.

 

Using LaVine’s method I called and I spoke to Lynn, the assistant, and using the very same questions we have been trained into I retrieved two new key contacts. [Contact name], General Manager and [contact name], Project Manager IT. 

Lynn

mentioned she would be the best person to speak to in terms of technology and data integration exactly as trained in class.

 

I also retrieved her direct phone number and have given her a call. I will be giving her a call later as well. This is the training you approved and it is paying off.

 

Thanks,

 

Jimmy C., Direct Response Representative

Informatica

 

 

Subject: Ron La Vine Method.....another Appointment...this time [company name]

 

Dan S., Account Manager

[A Top 3 Major Software, Hardware and Services Company]

 

 

Hi Tim,

 

Let me share a case I tackled yesterday thanks to this new way of approach. Some weeks ago I got in touch with the Project Manager of [company name], an outsourcer based in [company location] with current 600 seats and some new expansions plus new launchings across Central America and

Colombia

too. Striking a middle of the table guy in their organization, I felt that he was part of the user team, with little decision and thus no great chances. Nevertheless he accepted a visit led by our AE (copied) and confirmed my feelings of reaching a stall point with no chances of denting its structure with this man. Using the top-bottom technique and following the main switchboard steps, I landed into his assistant office, took note of her extension and her assistant name too (gate keepers should always be on our side) and was finally routed to the Com Dir. office (name included on her conversation).

 

He attended the cold call and after spending 15 valuable minutes over the phone the picture was now completely different. The Commercial Dir + CC Dir and the IT Mgr are the decision makers (one of them the Project Manager's boss), the three reporting to the COO, who reports to the CEO. Mentioning him that we spoke and met his Project Mgr reassured his previous description and accepted a conference together with the other two for next week.

 

Ron's technique works, especially when we are dealing with middle hierarchy players with little influence or power. I hope this may help you make a try. I may start considering the stalled cases in my pipeline, looking for new real traction and reaching the right person with either a yes or a no. The worst answer is uncertainty.

 

Regards.

George

 

Jorge G. - Sales Representative

Genesys Labs

 

Do You Have Perfect Pitch? 10 Tips for Persuasive Presentations

By Dianna Booher, CEO, Booher Consultants

“Well, good morning. We appreciate the opportunity to meet with you today. My name is Simon Shultz, Business Development Manager for InTuitWorld and I’d like to start by introducing the rest of my team to you.”

“Starting from my left is Angela Hospitch, Systems Engineer for the TZ500. Next is Saynar Beneviden, Project Manager for several current client projects, and then, Nancy Lauterbach, our COO. They’re here to help me answer any specific questions you have today.”

“Now, with the introductions out of the way, what I’d like to do first is to tell you a little about who we are and what we do. …”

Another day, another proposal, another supplier, another presenter. And if the parade has been going on for a couple of days – or even a few hours – you can understand buyer weariness in listening to presenter after presenter, following the same plan: “Good morning. My name is John or Joanna. My team is Tom, Dick, Harriett, Lucinda and Lupe, and we’re here to talk to you about X.”

Although you may have never had a client or prospect say, “I’m bored” to you directly, you may have sensed the frustration. What can you do different to make your presentation stand out from the crowd of competitors clamoring for the same business? The following suggestions deal with the finer points of sales presentations.

Influence, Don’t Just Inform
One of the biggest hindrances to selling success is being informative rather than persuasive. Information overwhelms us. Your role as a salesperson is to make the available information actionable for your buyers. To do that, you’ll need to use all ‘Five Prongs of Persuasion’:

1.       Word Choice: Positive, specific, precise words

2.       Rhetoric: Powerful phrasing and graceful grammar that pack a powerful punch on a buyer’s memory

3.       Emotion: Feelings of pleasure, fear, safety, discomfort, pride, acceptance, rejection or prestige

4.       Logic: Reasoning and conclusions drawn from facts, information, opinions or ideas

5.       Trustworthiness: Trust in the principles, values and integrity of an individual or organization

To persuade, you need to know and use the best words, to establish your own and your organization’s credibility, and to identify the best strategies with each buyer – whether that be primarily an appeal to emotion or an appeal to logic or a combination of both.

Act Against Your Own Self-Interest
Nothing underscores your determination to do what’s right for the buyer more than making them aware of decisions made in their best interest. You may routinely do that anyway, but buyers need to know when you do that because it builds trust for larger issues. For example, if you think an extended warranty doesn’t make sense for a particular customer, instead of not bringing it up at all, let the buyer know a warranty is available, but that you recommend against it.

Let’s say the buyer is selecting tiling for break rooms and restroom facilities throughout their buildings and has already made it known that they prefer ‘the best’ in everything. The color choices are black and beige, with a surcharge of 10 percent for the black. Assuming the most expensive is ‘the best,’ the buyer selects black. Yet, you know that customers have complained that black shows scratches more readily and requires more care than the lighter color. You may pass along this information and suggest that the beige might make a better choice in the buyer’s high-traffic areas.

Such candid advice leads to increased trust – but only if your buyer understands that you’re making such decisions to pass on such information at your own expense. Subtly, of course.

Use the ‘Experience’ Factor
Buyers can argue about your facts, data, surveys and research. They can disagree that your product or services outshine the competition. They can doubt that your offering will resolve their problem.

But no one can dispute your experience when you state an opinion or respond to a question during your presentation. For example, your buyer asks: “I think customizing the assessment is a waste of time. Why are you thinking we need a customized version added to our intranet before we roll this out to our own customers?” You respond: “That has to be your final decision, of course. It will delay the project approximately two months. But in my experience in handling these projects for more than 70 clients during the last two years, I can recall only two clients who skipped that phase. And both regretted the decision because their own employees proved to be a great cross-section of the population to test user acceptance. I offer that experience for your consideration.”

Your experience is ‘your’ experience. It can be accepted or rejected, but it’s still your experience and irrefutable as such.

Tell Failure Stories
We’ve all learned to tell success stories. But there’s also power in telling case histories about clients who did not have stellar success with your product or service – if the reason for their lack of success was due to their own decision-making, not your product or service. It underscores what other customers did wrong (for example, waiting too long to buy, not using your design team to install and customize their product, not buying a warranty) and helps the current prospect not repeat the mistake. Telling about failures of other product users adds credibility to your success stories.

One caution: Don’t use names with the failure stories, because prospects may fear you’ll tell others of their own mistakes later if they buy.

Prefer Understatement to Overstatement
After my teenage son came home from his first summer job interview as a grocery stocker, I asked how it went. “I don’t know,” he said. “They gave me one of those honesty tests, where they asked if I’d ever cheated on an exam, if I’d ever stolen money from my parents, if I’d ever shoplifted – things like that.” He paused, looked a little concerned, then added, “I was answering no to all those things and then I got a little worried that maybe I wouldn’t get the job – that I sounded too good to be true.”

He did get the job, but it was an astute observation about human nature.

It’s always more effective to let your prospect ‘add to’ what you’ve promised rather than ‘discount it’ because it seems too good to be believable. Present the range of results you have achieved and can document. Generally, it is better to promise only the minimum gains. Otherwise, you set up your client to be disappointed. If the minimum gains are worthwhile to them, maximum gains will be the ‘extra’ that makes them long-term fans.

Know When to Use Exact Numbers and When to Round Them
Exact numbers are more credible because they more easily can be verified and either confirmed or discounted. Rounded numbers, on the other hand, are easier to remember. Provide specific numbers the first time you cite results or outcomes and summarize with rounded numbers on repeat mention of the data.

Make Statistics and Facts Experiential
People digest numbers with great difficulty. Yes, pie charts and bar graphs help. But if you can go beyond that, do so. For example, randomly survey your committee of buyers by asking them to raise their hands in response to a few questions; then equate those findings to the random survey you did previously of their entire organization. Are they typical of the rest of the employee population? How so?

Supporting statistics lend credibility to what you say. Be sure, however, to do all you can to help your buyers digest them.

Never Shy Away from the Underdog Positioning
Some people have a profound penchant for rooting for the underdog. Consider acknowledging that you’re the lesser known brand and supplier, and focus on the effort you intend to expend for the client because of that one-down situation. Avis has done very well with the ‘underdog’ status as their brand.

Plant Questions You’d Like Competitors to Address
As you present your solutions, subtly bring up issues that should raise red flags in your buyers’ minds about the capabilities of your competitors. You won’t challenge or attack competitors specifically; however, in your key areas of strength, you will suggest issues that, if not handled well, might create pitfalls and resulting fear in the minds of your buyers. Simply by raising these issues, you will suggest to your buyers that they should ask your competitors about these same concerns.

Never Just ‘Walk through’ Your Proposal – Give a Guided Tour
Your buyers will beat you to the end every time. Buyers follow their own route, which is usually not the one you’d prefer. While you’re still on page two, your buyers will be on page eight, checking out the pricing section. You have absolutely no control of what your buyers hear or pay attention to while you talk. In fact, your proposal will compete with you for attention.

Instead, carefully select which parts of your proposal to present orally. Then if you want to refer your buyers to a specific page, do so – after you make your key point about that page.

Issue 299 - Goal Setting Exercise

Every late December it is good to take some time to reflect on what went right during the past year and what areas of your life you can improve during the upcoming year.

Put aside 30 minutes to and hour of quiet time for this very important exercise. First, picture in your mind what you want. See yourself having it and imagine what you will feel like when you do.

Now you are ready to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals are:

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Relevant

Time and date specific

Type out your S.M.A.R.T. goals onto a sheet or two of paper and post it where you can see it (the bathroom or bedroom mirror works great).

Next, get yourself in the habit of reading your goals at least once (if not three times) a day.

You will be amazed at how many of your goals are achieved once you commit them to writing. You may not make all your goals each year but you will still find a number of them are reached and often exceeded.

If you have achieved certain goals during the past year, increase those goals by at least 10% if not more.

Actions follow thoughts. Feel it, think it and then do it.

Put your thoughts on paper and watch the universe go into action to help make your goals a reality.

Start here:

I will accomplish the following goals during the year 2009.

I will earn over $___________ during the year 2009.

I will average earnings over $_________________ per quarter during the year 2009.

I will average earnings over $_________________ per month during the year 2009.

I will improve my industry knowledge by taking the following actions __________________ during the year 2009.

I will improve my product knowledge by taking the following actions __________________ during the year 2009.

For example, you can attend your own company's Webinars or study your company's annual report.

I will improve my selling knowledge by __________________ during the year 2009.

Napoleon Hill's Law of Success is a great choice. You can buy it at Amazon buy clicking here http://tinyurl.com/bcbn4

I will take the following actions to increase the value I can add into my customer relationships during the year 2009.

1.

2.

3.

I will make ___________ number of cold calls per ____________ during the year 2009.

I will open ________________ number of new accounts during the year 2009 by taking the following actions.

1.

2.

3.

I will take the following actions to maintain a positive mental attitude every day during the year 2009.

1.

2.

3.

I will take the following actions to improve my physical health during the year 2009.

1.

2.

3.

I will take the following steps to better my personal life during the year 2009.

1.

2.

3.

I will take the following steps to better my family life during the year 2009.

1.

2.

3.

I will take the following steps to better my spiritual life during the year 2009.

1.

2.

3.

I will use the following strategies to maximize my time during the year 2009.

I AGREE TO post this list on my mirror, read it at least once a day during the year 2009, and watch these goals come true in my life.

I highly recommend, if you have not yet taken the time to sit down and write out your specific plans and goals, try the above this exercise. You may or may not reach or exceed every goal however you will be a lot further along then if you made no plan at all. Always shoot for the stars and if you fall short, you will still have reached the sky. People don't plan to fail, they fail to plan. Don't wait. Write down your goals and plans now.

I wish everyone one of you peace, harmony and prosperity during this holiday season and throughout the upcoming year.

Make 2009 your best year ever!

Ron

PS. Please keep me in mind if you need live cold calling sales training. My schedule is filling up. Call 818-991-6487 now

How to Make Lasting Changes by Dr. Lois Frankel

by Dr. Lois Frankel

This week's tip is from my good friend and corporate coach Dr. Lois
Frankel. It deals with making positive changes and the challenges of
doing it successfully. Cold Calling is not many people's favorite
behavior. I think you will find the advice both interesting and
useful.

Making positive and lasting changes in behavior is difficult. One of
our coaches, Dr. John Miller, has written "Succeed @ Work," a
workbook to help you improve your behavior on the job. Here are a
few of the tips that Dr. Miller suggests:

1. Clearly identify the specific behaviors that you want to change. If
you're like most people, only a small handful of behaviors are
limiting your effectiveness. Therefore, don't overreact to the need
to change. Identify the exact behaviors that are causing you
problems on the job. To help you do this successfully, get input
from a few trusted colleagues who routinely see you perform. Once
you have gathered enough information, write a short and concise
statement that clearly articulates the behaviors that you feel need to
be changed.

2. Decide on the new positive behaviors that will replace the old
behaviors. Now that you know what you need to change, itemize
the new and more effective behaviors that you want to demonstrate
in place of the old behaviors. Be specific and write these in
behavioral terms such as, "I will express my opinion in a tactful but
forceful manner when confronted by a bullying peer." Think
carefully about the exact behaviors that you want to demonstrate to
ensure that they are realistic and achievable.

3. Increase your knowledge base where needed. If you want to
delegate more effectively, you may need to read up on how to
successfully make a work assignment. If you want to handle
confrontation more effectively, you may need to learn more about
different conflict resolution strategies. As a word of caution, some
people get stuck at this point as they read endlessly on a subject.
They choose to read rather than take action and implement their
knowledge. Gaining needed knowledge is important, but don't use
it as a crutch to avoid taking action.

4. Watch others who are good at demonstrating your desired
behaviors. You can learn a great deal about how to successfully act
out positive behaviors by observing others who are unusually good
at demonstrating the very behaviors that you want to adopt.

5. Visualize yourself acting out the new behaviors. Many athletes
use visualization techniques as a way to mentally practice their
performance. Visualization is a powerful tool that can also help
you. To visualize, mentally picture yourself acting out the desirable
behaviors in a variety of situations. See yourself being successful in
demonstrating the new behaviors and then take a moment to
appreciate how good you feel when you are acting in a more
effective manner.

6. Practice, practice, practice. Behavior is generated based on the
neurological connections or pathways in your brain. In this sense,
behavior is largely physiological in nature. Over time you have
developed a strong neurological pathway that has resulted in your
troublesome behaviors. The only way to develop a new and more
effective pathway is by practicing the desirable behaviors over and
over. You must act out these new behaviors at every appropriate
opportunity until they become automatic. Once this happens the old
behaviors will fade. But remember, it takes constant practice!

7. Don't be discouraged if you are not completely successful at first.
The more deeply entrenched the old behaviors, the more practice it
will take to replace them with positive new behaviors. Plan on
failing, but don't let your temporary failure defeat you. Learn from
your mistakes and try again. The more you try your new
behaviors, the more effective you will become.

8. Get others to hold you accountable. More often than not, we tend
to avoid asking others to help us change. However, studies indicate
that we dramatically improve our chances of changing behaviors by
enlisting others to give us on-going feedback about our success in
demonstrating new behaviors. Find a few colleagues who are
willing to be both honest and helpful, and enlist them as your
helpers.

9. Reward yourself frequently. Successfully changing behavior is
largely based on the frequency that you reward the desirable
behavior. When you demonstrate your desirable behaviors, give
yourself a mental pat on the back. Don't wait until you are able to
demonstrate your new behaviors perfectly to reward yourself. A
lasting change in behaviors is built on incremental improvements.
Reward yourself for small but positive steps in the right direction.

10. Keep change a high priority. People tend to fail immediately
after they succeed. That is to say, they take their short-term success
for granted. Anyone can go on a diet for a day or go to the gym for
a week or two. The secret is maintaining positive behaviors over
time. To do this, incorporate the desirable new behaviors into your
lifestyle. They must become a part of you. Be vigilant about your
change process. Make it as important as anything else you do.

If you would like more information on Dr. Miller's book or to order
a copy, please contact Corporate Coaching International at
626-405-7310 or by email at info@corporatecoachingintl.com.

Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D.
KNX 1070 "Eye on Your Career"
Author of the Bestsellers
Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office &
Nice Girls Don't Get Rich
www.drloisfrankel.com
www.corporatecoachingintl.com
626.405.7310

How to Handle Objections for Good by Ron La Vine

This week's tip on objection handling comes from my friends at Ask a
Sales Pro. A no charge weekly ezine I highly recommend.

Experienced sales people know that objections from prospects are
good things. It means that they have considered purchasing your
product/service seriously enough to come up with reasons why they
might not spend money for them. Prospects with no objections may
not be taking your sales process seriously.

Of course, objections can take many forms (hidden objections, false
objections, etc.) and they will always be tied into your specific
offerings and the particular market that they are targeted to. As a
consequence, it is impossible to provide anything more than a framework
for developing information for overcoming most objections.

However, most sales people encounter Price Objections in their daily
work. So let's use the example of a price objection to create a model
for figuring out how to develop ways to overcome objections, in general.

Price Objections generally arise because of one of two reasons:

1. Your prices are much higher than your competitors' pricing and you
do not offer any additional benefits to the customer.

2. You have not properly sold the value of your products/services to
the prospect.

If your problem is #1, there is not much that can be done, other than
finding customers that are completely unaware of your competition. This
is extremely difficult to do these days due to the permeation of
television, the Internet, etc., around the world.

If, on the other hand, your product/service is priced competitively or
you offer substantial benefits to the prospect over other solutions,
generally, you will encounter price objections only if you have not
properly sold the benefits and value of your solution prior to
attempting to close the deal. The following steps will help you to
ensure that you have properly sold your prospects on the value of your
product/services:

1. Keep in mind that customers buy 'benefits' not features. This means
that the value of your products/services (and, therefore the price that
you can charge for them) lie in the benefits that they provide to
customers. For example, the fact that a new car gets 40 miles per
gallon of gasoline is a nice feature, but will not cause me to buy the
car. However, the fact that this same new car will save me $20 per week
in gasoline bills is a benefit resulting from that feature that will
cause me to consider buying the car and will certainly help to overcome
any price objection that I may have.

So be sure to identify all of the potential benefits that your
products/services may offer a prospect, so that you will be better
prepared to sell the true value that you are offering.

2. Now that you have a good list of benefits in mind, go back to your
company's current customer base and ask a few of the best customers
the following questions:

a. Why did they look for your type of products/services? What
problems were they trying to solve? Why did they think that your
products/services would help them?

b. Why did they select you?

This will help you to understand which of your benefits are most
important to your future prospects so that you can bring up these issues
as part of your sales presentation and hopefully overcome any pricing
objections early in the sales process.

You can use the above model of:

1. Analysis of why you are encountering the objection

2. Development of a list of Benefits that may overcome this objection

3. Validation of which Benefits are most important to your current
customers

Using this tried and true technique will enable you to handle just about
any objection that you may encounter during your sales process.

Reprinted from the no charge weekly ezine "Ask a Sales Pro".
You can subscribe to this newsletter or get no charge, personalized
email responses to your sales questions from one of their experts by
visiting: http://www.AskASalesPro.com.

Peaceful Warrior

It is not often a film leaves such a deep impression on me that I am
willing to recommend it to my readers. This film (entitled Peaceful
Warrior) is not only the exception, it is exceptional. This is the link
http://movies.aol.com/movie/peaceful-warrior/25524/main to find out
where the film is playing. Enter your zip code and it provides the
closest location.

For those readers looking for an explanation of what "getting in the
zone" is, this book (entitled Way of the Peaceful Warrior) provides
an excellent explanation. This concept can easily be applied to sales
either face to face or over the phone.

Since it is a small release film, it maybe unavailable where you live.
Do not be disheartened because you can read the book by clicking
here http://tinyurl.com/ryhoc or going to your local library. I assure
you it is well worth the investment of your time.

This is a synopsis of the book by the publisher.

During his junior year at the University of California, while training
to become a world-champion gymnast, Dan Millman stumbled on a
94-year-old mentor nicknamed Socrates, a powerful, unpredictable,
and elusive character. He taught a way to maximize performance
using a unique blend of Eastern philosophy and Western fitness
to cultivate the true essence of a champion - the "way of the
peaceful warrior." Millman's first-person account of his odyssey
into realms of light, darkness, mind, body, and spirit has since
become an international bestseller about the universal quest for
happiness.

If your goal is to become a true sales champion, then take the time to
read this book. The applications to selling situations as well as life
are superb.

Simple Rules to Follow When Cold Calling

The assumption made by nearly all sales trainers, is that the sales rep
is already speaking with the person who has the authority to evaluate
and/or buy. This is a tremendous mistake. The first thing on your
agenda when you cold call should be to find the right person who has
the authority to evaluate and buy your solution. Don't waste your
valuable selling time speaking with the wrong people who have no
authority to buy.

Starting at the top of an organization, continually ask who is
responsible for your solution until you reach the right person or their
office. There is a catch though.

If you ask to complex a question such as, Who is responsible for
application integration? of an assistant in a non technology
department, the odds are they will not be able to help you. This leaves
both you and them frustrated.

If possible ask questions you know people will know the answers too.
People like to help other people. It puts them on the defensive when
they cannot answer your questions. As you move down deeper into
the department responsible for evaluating and acquiring your
solution, then you can begin to ask more technical questions.

Ask questions such as Who is responsible for technology or
computers? Simplify your questions to ones people can answer. Ask
for names, titles, extensions, etc. These are questions people known
the answers to or can easily find them. Simple, short direct questions
work best.

Who is responsible for...?

What is their exact title?

In case we get disconnected, what is their extension?

An excellent way to ask for an email is to ask this question. "If I
wanted to send them an email, what address would I use?" Of course
some will say we don't give out emails but many, especially in the
higher offices will immediately provide you with an email address. A
well worded email sent to a high level officer will often get pushed
down and you will get a response..

Even though you may know the naming convention, don't send email
to someone who you have not been given an email address by
someone in their company. This is SPAM and is against the law to
send an unsolicited email.

Take a few minutes to find someone in the company who will provide
you with an email address. You can refer to this person in your email
and the recipient will know that you were given permission to send it.

Often you can explain to an assistant or associate that you are trying
to get in touch with someone and you left them a voice mail and
would like to follow it up with an email. Most people, who
understand how difficult it can be to reach someone nowadays, will
provide you with an email so you can follow up.

It is crucial that you get accurate answers to your questions. If you
hear different answers from different people, get what is called a
double confirm. Find a third person to confirm which of the two
answers is actually correct.

If you send me correspondence to Ron Levine, it will go right into the
trash. If you can't get my name right, how will you act should I
choose to do business with you. People define themselves by their
name. Accuracy counts in business since you don't often get second
chances.

Even a simple name like Smith can be spelled Smyth or Johnson
could be spelled Johnsen. Don't make assumptions. Ask that every
name be spelled out for you even if it is a simple name. Also don't
forget to ask if they are a he or a she. Names like Chris, Terry, Pat
even Leslie can be one gender or the other.

In summary, don't assume you are speaking with the right person
until you confirm it is so. If people give you different answers find
someone to confirm which one is true. When calling into a non
technical department, ask simple direct questions that you know
people will be able to answer. Be sure to get accurate answers and
confirm the gender of the person you will be communicating with.

Follow these simple rules and you will be more successful when cold
calling.

The End of Cold Calling? by Ron La Vine

I read recently that someone is advocating the end of cold calling.
Never cold call again is their motto. They say that replacing cold
calling with marketing will do the trick. I do not agree with this.
One of the main purposes of cold calling is to find the correct
people who have the authority to evaluate solutions and make
decisions to buy.

While smart marketing can help with this process, it relies upon
the fact that the right person will be reached with the marketing
information.

While this may work for a simple type of sale, such as a sale of
information over the Internet the same cannot be said in a
complex sale where multiple buyers or influencers must be
identified. Much as it might seem distasteful, we must still cold
call.

If you reframe cold calling as a game of how much information
you can get on every call you can eliminate the feelings of
rejection. By getting one more piece of information than you had
before, even if it is only another name, you have gotten a result. If
you have gotten a result than you have not been rejected.

Another key purpose of cold calling is to set appointments. While
clever marketing may help with this task, it cannot replace cold
calling as a means of establishing a relationship. People buy from
people not marketing.

People also buy from people they know, like and trust. Like,
means people similar to them. If you match and mirror the speed,
tone and volume of the other person's voice, it becomes much
easier and faster to establish rapport. Again marketing cannot
replace the building of rapport.

The best way to cold call is to start at the top of an organization
and identify the key people involved in making a decision about
whether or not to acquire your solution. As you work your way
down, you gain intelligence from everyone you speak with. This
helps you build a business case based upon value for why your
solution is the answer to the problems a prospect faces.

True marketing is largely designed to help build brand awareness
in the marketplace. It does not substitute for cold calling and it
never will.

Accept this fact and you will be on your way to be building more
business in less time rather than waiting for marketing to do the
work.

Never cold call again, I think not.

Again the purpose of cold calling is build relationships with
people that marketing may never reach. The other purpose of cold
calling is to set appointments. While marketing may offer clever
inducements to meet, it does not assure you are meeting with the
right people.

The bottom line is that cold calling will always remain important
in the accomplishment of a complex sale. Reframe it as a game or
puzzle into how much information you can get on every call and
you will be on your way to eliminating rejection while gathering
the information you need to make a sale.

For some people never cold calling again may work. For the rest
of us, we will need to keep cold calling if we want to make sure
our pipeline remains full.

A full pipeline means more sales in the long run and more sales
leads to more commissions in your pockets.

"What this means is..." by Ron La Vine

How often do you receive a message and the message is about benefits that other companies have received but is not directly linked to what you are trying to achieve?

Unfortunately, this happens too often. Sales reps go in touting what their company has done for other companies trusting that the prospect will make the connection between what has been achieved by others may also be achieved by them.

We have helped companies such as A, B and C to cut their costs by over 15% through the implementation of our report writing system.

Rather than implying the obvious, why not link it directly to the prospect and their company?

The way to do this is to tag onto your message the phrase, "What this means is you can..." or "What this means is we can enable your company to..." or "What this means is there is a possibility we can enable you to..." or What this means is there is a strong likelihood we can help you..." followed by a direct benefit (faster, better, easier or less expensively) or result (more or less, increase or decrease) statement.

In this case, it may sound something like this. "What this means is we can help you decrease your report writing costs while making your data available to your end users when they need it and in the format they want it in.

Use your statement to connect the benefit/result to the prospect personally or their company by using the words "you" or "your".

Make it easy for your prospects to understand your offerings. Link your benefits and results statements to them. You will sell more in less time and that is the goal is it not?