| In my job as a sales trainer in Atlanta, Georgia, I get to | | | | questions you have to lead the prospect to the point |
| listen to many sales calls. I love listening to the calls, | | | | where they will begin talking about themselves, their |
| taking notes, and providing immediate feedback. That | | | | business, and their customers. |
| feedback can be delivered immediately using the new | | | | My favorite fact to point out to all sales |
| telephony technology or more formally delivered in a | | | | representatives is that you are not the only person |
| one-on-one coaching session. | | | | trying to sell your type of product to that prospect. It |
| In my career in sales, sales management and as a | | | | sounds silly and you know that you are not the only |
| sales trainer I have probably listened to 1,000s of calls | | | | one, but I just have to point it out. It is the rep that can |
| and delivered 1,000s of coaching sessions or some | | | | build the rapport, and get the prospect to tell you why |
| form of immediate feedback. Just the sheer amount | | | | they want and need your goods or services that will |
| of calls that I have coached on leads me to believe | | | | win the sale. |
| that closing the sale is typically not the problem. | | | | So here is what we will focus on during an Atlanta |
| Most sales representatives can close once the | | | | sales training class for representatives with this type |
| opportunity presents itself. The sales training is needed | | | | of problem. The problem of not being able to get to |
| because the rep can't get to the close, so they try to | | | | the close. I want them to focus on the prospect's |
| close too early. When they try to close to early no | | | | business and their customers, not on what you are |
| sale is made and the individual sales rep is crushed and | | | | trying to sell. |
| the sale management is concerned. | | | | In their opening I want them to include the prospects |
| That's when I get the call here in the Atlanta area. In | | | | customers into the statement. |
| my classes I try to get the new and experienced | | | | Old Opening Statement: "As you know our products |
| representatives to concentrate more on the opening | | | | have been known to last a lifetime and we guarantee |
| statements and their probing questions. My general | | | | it." |
| feeling is that representatives try to blow right past the | | | | New Opening Statement: "Your customers will |
| opening and probing segments of the sales process. | | | | perceive your products as the highest quality available |
| My experience tells me that the reason that they | | | | with you standing behind it." Notice in the new opening |
| basically skip these two important pieces of the | | | | that we want to focus on the prospects and the |
| process is that they are very comfortable talking | | | | prospect's customer not just our product's lifetime |
| about what THEY know. The salespeople know their | | | | guarantee. |
| product. They know their company's stock levels, and | | | | Let's look at a probing question using the same |
| the financing that is available. | | | | approach. |
| What they do not know is much about the person or | | | | Old Probing Question: "Can you tell me how you would |
| company they are speaking with or the prospect's | | | | use our lifetime guarantee in your advertising?" |
| own customer. Since they don't know much about | | | | New Probing Question: "Can you tell me what your |
| these two important pieces of the sales process they | | | | customers would say about how a lifetime guarantee |
| tend to ignore it. | | | | could impact their business?" |
| My goal is to get them to back up. As a sales trainer I | | | | Again the point is to focus on the prospect's customer. |
| want them to look at it from the prospect's point of | | | | The rule-of-thumb that you want any sales training |
| view. That prospect has customers of their own. You | | | | class to get is that it is not enough to focus on the |
| may have the perfect product for them but if you | | | | customer's needs. Every rep in your space is doing |
| can't spell out why they need your particular product | | | | that. To win the sale you have to understand your |
| then you will not be able to move to the pitch or to the | | | | prospect's business and your prospect's customers. |
| close. | | | | The only way to do that is to ask more probing |
| Here is my favorite tip that I give every sales training | | | | questions around the topic. The good news is, in fact |
| class: If you let them, your customer will talk about | | | | the great new is, prospects, customers, and people in |
| themselves, their business, and their customers until | | | | general love to talk about themselves, their businesses |
| they are blue in the face. But you have to let them talk, | | | | and their customers. It a given, just ask them! |
| and in your opening statement and in your probing | | | | |