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May 8, 2012 By

Free Report Reveals…

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This system is not for everybody.  If you believe in magic bullets… if you expect prospects to clamor for appointments without you actually having to do anything this system is not for you.  On the other hand, if you can follow step-by-step instruction… if you’re a “Doer”… then… you should read my free report immediately!

 

It’s easy to get a copy.  All you have to do is complete the form below and click the submit button.  I’ll immediately rush your report to you.

 

Filed Under: sales coaching

Sales is All About Transforming Lemons into Lemonade

June 3, 2010 By Leave a Comment

sales is a matter of transforming lemons into lemonadeWhether you realize it or not sales has always been about transforming lemons into lemonade.

Quite off you don’t realize that going in.  For example, both Life Insurance Agents and Chiropractors are led to believe they will be earning a 6 figure income their first year.  The reality is more like $24,000.  Few take off and make that 6 figure income even after 5 years.

This makes most people pretty mad… frustrated… unsure what to do to make their dreams come true.  Well, perhaps you can thank President Obama and Congress for handing you an ideal opportunity.  Here’s what I mean…

A 2 Tiered Healthcare System in America?

 

Once the healthcare legislation takes full effect it won’t be long before things dramatically change.  The reality of a 2 tiered healthcare system is highly likely.  There will be those who are forced to settle for what the government can provide… those with the financial means to pay for premium healthcare out of pocket… and then there will be everyone left in the middle.

 

There are 47 million uninsured Americans… give or take a few million depending on who is doing the counting… even more under-insured.  Healthcare costs are rising… making many of the costly procedures available today out of reach for those who don’t need fit into either the upper or lower tier.  Plus more and more people are becoming more and more skeptical of pharmaceutical solutions and they are looking for drug substitutes.

 

You are the Perfect Fit and Now Your Future Patients Get it

 

People who practice in the healing arts… people like Chiropractors… naturopaths… massage therapists… are better positioned to develop a thriving practice now than ever before.  While in normal circumstances the last thing people are willing to part with their money for is preventive care… now they are.  Not only can you sell your services… you can sell your knowledge to a hungry crowd of eager learners.

 

Because everyone who doesn’t neatly fit in either the upper or lower tier now understands that they have to take full responsibility for their health because the “safety nets” they thought they could count on are coming down.

  • Major employers like Verizon are threatening to dump their employees on the public… aka, government system
  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) states health insurance premiums are expected to rise dramatically to offset the new requirements to insure everyone no matter their health status or pre-existing conditions
  • Our current healthcare system does not have enough providers to meet the increased demand from an additional 47 million patients

Whether you agree with or believe any of these points… the people you want as patients do… and they are looking for ways to protect themselves.  Even though they may not be sick now.  Even though they may not be looking for your particular service now.  They are looking for people who can teach them how to get and stay healthy.

There was never a better time than now to add information and education to your practice.  Plus you don’t have to give your knowledge away.  Your future clients are more than willing to pay for that knowledge.  They are willing to become clients and pay you a retainer so when they need your services they can get them without waiting… without unexpected costs they are prepared to pay for.

So no matter what product or service you are selling.  No matter the lemons you see.  Focus on what your potential clients need.  Develop ways to give them that and transform your lemons into lemonade.  Like the Life Insurance agent I mentioned earlier… With the stock market volatility… inflated gold prices… entire governments financially collapsing… your clients are looking for safe havens for their cash not life insurance.

Coach Cheryl

Creative Commons License photo credit: Librarianguish

Filed Under: sales marketing coaching Tagged With: , ,

Steamy Hot Sexy Sales

June 1, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Let’s get real.  Every sales person really wants to be an order taker.  Even the sales people who take great pride in being able to manipulate, pressure, or talk people into buying would rather be order takers… if for no other reason than the fact that it’s far more productive.  When you spend your time in front of people who aren’t ready to buy your sales are probably 1/10th of what they could be if you spent the bulk of your time in front of ready buyers.

If you’re the business owner you should want your sales people to be nothing more than order takers too, and here’s why.  If your sales people are order takers that means your marketing efforts are WORKING… that means your sales are up… that means your profits are up.  Plus it also means you don’t need a stable of big headed monster ego sales super stars.  You just need a group of likable… polite… regular Joe sales people.

The Housing Disaster Didn’t Just Happen

 

There was a time when mortgage loan officers could make a King’s ransom with almost no sales skills.  Yes, not all that many years ago the housing market was so hot clients were beating down the doors at the bank.  All the loan officers had to do was behave like nice polite people and write a ton of loans in a timely manner… and take home 6 figure incomes for doing so.  Well, that’s all changed now…

 

Car Sales the Ultimate Order Takers…

 

The car industry is another example of order takers.  Yet, the dealers and their sales people still blow it and here’s why.

 

It’s no secret… people aren’t nearly as free with their dollars as they once were.  Buying decisions that came easy just a few short years ago are now major decisions.  So people aren’t nearly as likely to run out and buy a new car just because the old one is 2-4 years old.

 

Plus most people when asked, “Do you want to buy a car?” would respond “No”.  Cars are simply a means to get from point A to point B.  Yet, that’s not why most people buy cars.  Most people buy cars because…

  • they want to feel good about saving the planet
  • that want to feel power and control
  • they want to show off their wealth or give the appearance of wealth
  • they want to live like the famous
  • they want to own a piece of history
  • they want something that says, “I’m steamy, hot, sexy”

You could add many other highly emotional reasons people buy cars.  The automobile industry knows this and that’s why most commercials feed into those emotional motivators.  The car manufacturers know that it’s your emotional motivators that get you into the dealership to buy a car.  Even though most of us absolutely HATE buying a car.

Sometimes dealers and car sales people will do anything to get people into the dealership… including offering free gifts just for showing up… because they think if they can get you into the dealership then they can talk you into buying a car… even though buying a car isn’t even on your radar of things you need to do.

Now, if you are on the front lines selling you understand there is a huge difference between trying to have a conversation with someone you need to “convince” they need to buy a car… and someone who…

  • is already looking for a car
  • already believes they have the money to buy a car
  • has already decided they want to buy a car

… in other words, someone who is a highly qualified buyer.  Yet, the dealer who came up with the “get’em in the door scheme” often expects the sales people to sell cars as though every warm body whose feet touch the lot is a ready buyer… when that was never the case.  Plus, because of the way the dealer set the stage to get people at the dealership many sales were not realized from the people who were ready buyers.

Don’t Send the Wrong Message & Expect the Right Results

 

The dealer sent the message… “Stop in and get free stuff”.  So lots of people who want nothing more than free stuff show up.  So many, in fact, that the real buyers find it hard to get to a sales person.  Plus the sales person has to start from ground zero with each and every person.

 

All too often sales people blow the sale with ready buyers because rather than getting to the real reason the buyer is there… all they want to talk about is features.  Now if  you’ve been reading this blog for awhile you know talking about features is an INVITATION to get objections.  Talking about features without being specifically asked about a particular feature… or directly pointing out how a particular feature fulfills a desire the buyer has already stated… sets up an adversarial relationship from the get go.

 

For example, the ready buyer will let you know they are looking for a Mustang.  The typical sales person will easily uncover that the buyer wants a red convertible with a manual transmission.  However, what they almost never uncover is the reason each element of these criteria is a deal breaker for the buyer.  In the buyers mind it has to be…

  • red because that’s what makes it hot
  • it has to be a convertible because that’s what makes it sexy
  • it has to be a manual because that’s what makes it steamy and an automatic says “pony car” no matter what size the engine

Because the sales person doesn’t understand any of these highly emotional motivators the wheels fall off the cart and the sale person quite often loses the sale because they get caught up in the minutia of the deal rather than what the buyer must hear to buy.

It doesn’t have to happen like that though…

The Right Message Leads to the Right Buyers

 

Rather than using a message that sets the sales people up for a sales “numbers game”… the dealer would have been better served setting the sales people up with ready buyers.   Sure the dealership would have gotten far less people on the lot.  But the dealership would have sold more cars… at greater profits.

 

The manufacturer already has commercials that speak to our Mustang buyer.  All the dealer needed to do was send out a message that picked up on that message.  Better yet, the dealer could make certain those ready buyers communicated what marketing message they were responding to so the sales person wasn’t left playing a guessing game.  And that’s so easy to do.  For example, the dealer or the individual sales person could send out post cards and encourage readers to bring those post cards to the dealership because when they do they get something they want… like something that compliments their Mustang purchase.

 

Anyone Can Get Steamy Hot Sexy Sales…

 

It’s just a matter of developing your communication… getting it in front of people… preparing your sales force to expect the people that communication speaks to.  No matter what product or service you are selling.

 

Coach Cheryl

 

P.S.  Are you getting the right message out there?  Do you need help developing that message and a plan for putting it in action…

 

Filed Under: sales marketing coaching Tagged With: , ,

Selling Your Services from the Black Zone

April 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

There are 4 zones of awareness.

  • White
  • Yellow
  • Red
  • Black

When you are in the white zone you are in the zombie state.  The world around you is made up of fuzzy white noise.  You aren’t exactly clear about where you are at.  If you’ve ever driven from home to work and had no awareness of the drive you know exactly what I’m talking about.

In the yellow stage you are aware of your surroundings.  In the red zone you are sensing you need to pay attention.  The yellow and red zones represent the levels of awareness you should experience in any selling situation.  In the yellow and red zones you are cued in on what’s going on around you and alert to the potential opportunities around you.

The black zone is a state of super heightened awareness.  In the military this represents the zone you are in when you are ready to kill anything that moves.  If you need to protect your own life or the life of those around you this is an appropriate state of awareness.

However, when you get desperate to get a client… desperate to pay your bills… all too often you cross over into the black zone.  The black zone does you no good if you are trying to get clients.  The black zone is a very dangerous state of awareness for the wrong situations.

It’s why yelling “fire” in a crowded theater is so dangerous.  When you yell “fire” even a perfectly logical, intelligent, and capable person gets trampled trying to get to the exit.  Otherwise polite and considerate people will kill anything that gets between them and the exit.  Even though finding an exit would easy in a calm state… in the black zone you transition into a blind panic… the black zone is harmful for both you and those around you.

No one sets out to get themselves in the black zone.  It just kind of creeps up on you.  It happens because you get on this roller coaster where you keep doing the same things experiencing both highs and lows.  Eventually the highs get fewer and farther between and the lows get deeper and more frequent.

Some people never get off this roller coaster until they force to because they crash.  The hairier the ride… the steeper the lows… the more likely you are to get and stay in the black zone where you are determined to literally force people into becoming clients.  You set your jaw and refuse to leave until you have a check in hand.

Others realize you can’t keep doing the same thing and expect different results so they make a commitment to get off before they crash.  Those people are in the yellow or red zones.  They are paying attention to the cues that are telling them something has to change and soon.

The problem is… sometimes selling your services feels a little like playing Blackjack with a dealer who’s stacked the deck.  You study all the cards.  You watch each hand dealt. You watch the dealer closely… yet you lose hand after hand.  At one point, in utter frustration, you grab another deck slam it down on the table and demand you play with this new deck.

Yet, you continue to lose because what you didn’t realize is the new deck is missing a few cards.

That’s exactly what’s happening to you.  You get that it feels like the deck is stacked against you.  Yet, hard as you try you don’t even realize what’s missing.  When you do recognize something just might be missing you start feeling like the kid who turns in his homework only to see his work come back with nearly every problem marked wrong.  The effort was there but the understanding wasn’t.

Heck, you may even try copying the competition only to discover your efforts bomb.

It doesn’t have to be that way.  You can completely avoid this black zone of desperation and gain control over your future… your destiny.  Here’s how… 

Coach Cheryl

Filed Under: sales coaching Tagged With: , ,

Client Rentention Tip

April 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If it hasn’t happened to you… it will, and there is no time like the present to think about how you will deal with it when it does.  At some point either you will do something, or something will happen that could potentially damage your relationship with your client.  How you deal with it determines whether it will be a disaster or a bump in the road.

I recently got a letter from LifeLock that reminded me about this important lesson.  The letter explained communications I could expect from the FTC and my states attorney general.  While those letters could have looked bad to the reader LifeLock explained what was behind those letters and why they were actually the result of some very positive things.  This preemptive strike on their part was VERY savvy.

The best approach is to face the challenge head on…

  • if you’ve messed up apologize
  • if something beyond your control happens fix it and tell the client what to expect
  • if your client could hear something that might be misinterpreted tell them about it and explain your side

When you do it demonstrates…

  • your honesty
  • your concern for their needs and feelings
  • your willingness to correct mistakes and hold yourself accountable

Who among us is without sin?  Because we all make mistakes, we’ve all had something we didn’t expect happen, and we’ve all been in a situation where things could be misconstrued… we all understand.  Plus we all appreciate someone stepping forth and owning up.

Take responsibility and accountability even if you just think you’ve messed up.  Doing so prevents a potentially emotional explosion and lasting damage.  Plus it reinforces the trust you have established with your client and their decision to work with you.

Coach Cheryl

Filed Under: sales marketing coaching Tagged With: , ,

A Sales Lesson from the Masters

April 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Did you watch one of sports most watched televised events this past weekend?  This particular Masters probably had even more viewers than past events simply because of the Tiger saga.  Whether you enjoy watching golf, or not, I want you to think about something.

That throng of spectators ponied up $5,000 each to be in Augusta on the course watching the event happen live.  Now that is far from an insignificant amount of moolah.  Why at a point in time when people are clamping their purse strings tight shut would all those people eagerly lay out that kind of cash?  And correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that is $5000 per day!

Here’s why I want you to think about this.  I know many of you are whining that people just aren’t buying.  It’s true they aren’t buying anything where the perceived value isn’t there for them.  Yet they certainly are buying.

“There are two reasons for everything — a good reason and the real one”

Winston Churchill

 

Meaning there are two reasons people are buying… a good reason they can use to explain their decision to others, and the real reason they are willing to crack open that wallet and tell you to bang their credit card or bank account.  If asked a spectator at Augusta might tell you they traded their hard earned cash to be their because…

  • it’s Augusta, the biggest event in golf
  • it was the first event for Tiger after the scandal
  • it’s just something they do every year
  • history is being made
  • etc.

Then there is the real reason.  The real reason is always directly tied to strong motivational drivers.  The real reason is probably something more like…

  • it strokes their ego and makes them feel successful
  • they get to associate with people they think can make them more money
  • it makes them feel more likable
  • it’s fun
  • it makes them look good to those around them
  • etc.

When they buy that ticket they aren’t thinking about how much it is going to damage their bank account to cough up $5,000.  They are thinking about the experience of being right there on the course.  They are imagining stretching their hand out and actually shaking hands with this years winner (Phil Mickelson).  They are thinking about telling their grandchildren about how they were there when (Phil) won his (3rd) green jacket.

There are two very important things happening here.  First, these very expensive tickets sell because everything about Augusta and the Masters is directly tied into the emotion of this huge golf event.  Second, the buyers focus is directed on the desired future rather than the current pain of paying for the ticket.

How do you tie your services to the emotion that is the real reason your clients buy?

How do you help your potential clients envision the desired future creating the perceived value that makes the cost well worth it?

Coach Cheryl

Filed Under: sales marketing coaching Tagged With: , ,

Make Certain You are Selling with Purpose

April 8, 2010 By 1 Comment

Hmmm, selling with purpose… Now that may strike you as a little odd.  Of course you are selling with purpose.  You are selling with the purpose of closing sales… right?

Stop the Presses!

 

Okay, that may be a little melodramatic; yet, it really is all fired important.  Before you lick another stamp and afix it to another letter you send to get a new client.  Before you create another page on your website.  Before you attend another mind numbing networking event hoping you’ll meet someone you can work with.  You must clarify your purpose.

 

Cock the Trigger for Action

 

When you swing forward on a swing you can count on swinging backward.  When stocks go up bonds go down… maybe that wasn’t the best example as it seems like all the rules have changed as far as the stock market goes.  So, how about this?  When you see your shadow there must be sunlight to create that shadow.

 

That means if you want action there must be something that produces that action.  The good news is, yes, there is.  Trigger this one thing and it produces a result you can count on just like a shadow cast from the sunlight.

 

What is this fail proof trigger?  It’s emotion of course.

 

Whatever you do.  Whatever connection you initiate… you must think about this first and foremost.  What emotion do you want to arouse in the other person?  Please understand…

 

Not All Emotions are Created Equal

 

Some emotions like fear, anger, and revenge trigger a reaction that motivates the other person to take the action you suggest.  Other emotions like too much fear, depression, and confusion trigger inaction.

 

You must deftly tie the emotion your potential client already has into a logical argument.  Then impel the other person to move forward.  They move forward by acting.  They move forward because doing so is tied to their motivation to move in a certain direction and either avoid something they do not want or gain something they do want.

 

All too many sales communications…

  • Fail to create the right emotion
  • Focus too heavily on the wrong emotions
  • Fail to demonstrate a better path
  • Fail to tap into the emotional drivers that help prospects act
  • Fail to present the desired action as a no brainer decision

Mostly, because all too many sales communications are focused on ramming the offer down the other persons throat as though you could verbally force them to take an action.  To which I ask, “How’s that working for ya?”

Rather than working with the potential client, taking their side, paying attention to their wants and needs.  Then giving something they want before you ever ask them for something you want.

Hey, sales is always a step-by-step process so the best place to start is at the beginning.  With the beginning in mind, “What feeling should you arouse at that first point of connection between you and your potential new client?”

Then, “How might you do that in a sincere and motivating way?”

Coach Cheryl

Filed Under: sales marketing coaching Tagged With: , ,

How to Remove the Sales Pain

April 6, 2010 By 1 Comment

Right now both you and your potential clients are in great pain.  You are Jones-ing for a sales fix so bad you are literally going through physical withdrawal.  You just need a sale… any sale… just enough to tide you over for a few days.

remove the sales painYour potential client, on the other hand, is suffering from terrible back pain.  It’s excruciating.  Your potential clients back pain is caused from that overstuffed wallet in his back pocket.  That well guarded wallet stretched to the max with both cash and credit cards just begging to be put to good use.

Right now most people have more money than they have had in years.  They’ve gotten off the spend roller coaster only to clamp down on their spending like a junk yard dog guarding their property line.  The problem, as you well know, is they are extremely reluctant to spend because they are so afraid of all the unknowns they perceive looming in their future.

Yet, those very same overly cautious savers are literally searching for the relief valve to remove that back pain they can no longer tolerate.  Translation…

Now is the Time for Huge Sales…

 

Now is the time to sell like never before.  However, few are prepared to take advantage of this momentous opportunity because they insist on doing the same things they have always done expecting different results.  These determined warriors have no clue how to take advantage of the future that could be theirs.

 

Buddy, It has Never Been about YOU or What You Sell…

 

Now is the time to come to grips with the harsh reality both your sales success and failures were never about you or what you sell.  The only way to remove your pain while removing the pain your potential client is also suffering is to clue in on what they need to hear to buy.

 

Sending a potential client a letter in the mail, or telling someone you just met at a networking event about you and what you sell is an utter waste of time.  It’s even worse than an utter waste of time because now you have given your potential client a reason to avoid you or get rid of you.  That letter or networking line where you let your prospect know about how you have expanded your business is a kiss of death.

 

You just triggered that potential clients “sales person alarm” and set it off ringing at a deafening decibel.  You did not have to do that.  You could have gotten the other person actually interested in speaking with you.  All you had to do was start off talking about the thing your potential client is interested in and lead off your initial contact with that.

 

The concept is easy.  Translating that concept into reality is damn hard.  However, the results are immediate.  You may understand it yet you can’t take that understanding and put it into words on the page or words that come out of your mouth.  That’s where your bread and butter will come.

 

This is critical.  If you can’t do it then you have 3 choices…

  1. Study and practice every piece of marketing and copy writing information you can get your hands on.
  2. Hire someone to do it for you.
  3. Keep doing what you are doing and pretend like sales is just a numbers game while you work your ever love’n tail off.

If you choose option number 1… I suggest you make sure your library card is current and plan on spending every free moment studying and practicing.

If you choose option number 2… I suggest you fill out the “Done for You Services” box in the right sidebar on this page.

If you choose option number 3… Well… I have to commend you for your commitment to hard work.

Coach Cheryl

Creative Commons License photo credit: Arenamontanus

Filed Under: sales marketing coaching Tagged With: , ,

The Missing Piece that Means Tremendous Sales Results

April 1, 2010 By 1 Comment

In the last post I talked to you about the importance of studying the prospect first.  I talked about understanding them and their needs.  Knowing your prospect is more important than product knowledge.  Product knowledge is only important once you engage a prospect to help them make the best choices and options for them.

Okay, but what am I looking for?

 

That’s all well and good; however, you must be clear about what you are looking for as you study your prospects.  Look for clues that help you understand…

  • Logical reason’s why the prospect would choose your product
  • Motivating needs that simply drive your prospect to act
  • Matching underlying desires to your product

You might say you already do all that yet something is missing.  Something is missing because your local landfill is full of…

  • Your business cards
  • Your letters
  • Your brochures

Here’s why.  You either overlooked or completely missed the motivating emotion that gets your buyers so amped up they have to act.  You need to tap into the emotion that’s on their minds right now, keeping them from sleeping, and driving them nuts.

Let’s look at how one company does this really well.  Nike is just another shoe company, right?  Their shoes aren’t remarkably different than their competition.  So why do they sell so darned many shoes?

Nike tapped into a motivating emotion.  They know we all like to feel like a winner.  They crafted a message that communicates wearing Nike’s makes you a winner and then backed that message up with celebrity endorsements.

Many people confuse branding with an image like the Nike Swoosh.  However, you have to imprint the message first or the image has no meaning.  The more emotionally motivating the message the better.  Then you must tie that message to an image to reinforce and communicate your message with just the symbol.

Now back to you.  Right now your business cards, the letters you send, and your brochures are probably the standard business pablem that address you and how great you are.

Ahem… your prospects don’t care.  If they did your information wouldn’t be littering the planet.

Your prospects have a dominant motivating emotion they are eager to feed.  Tie your product or service to that emotion.  That’s how you get their attention and interest.  Show them a reason to care about you and they will.

Coach Cheryl

Filed Under: sales coaching Tagged With: , ,

The Most Costly Yet Common Sales Mistake

March 30, 2010 By 1 Comment

This mistake goes way back.  Probably to the very beginning in sales.  In 1937 Robert Collier mentions it in “The Robert Collier Letter Book”.  Funny how some things don’t seem to change.

To help you really understand this mistake I want you to think back to when you first started selling whatever you are selling now whether a product or service.  What was the first thing you thought you had to do?  If you have a sales manager they probably told you…

You Have to Know Your Product Before You Can Sell Your Product

 

This big fat myth sets you up to make the most costly mistake you will ever make in your sales career or in the life of your business.

 

So you study all the ins and outs of your products.  You think of objections prospects might have about your product and plan how you will respond.  Soon you are like a walking talking product encyclopedia and that is how you cost your self big money.

 

“Study your reader first — your product second”

Robert Collier

 

Now why would he make such a blasphemous suggestion?

 

Because Robert Collier, a direct response marketer, understood how to sell.  He knew until you understand human nature and human reaction you aren’t just leaving money on the table…

 

You Are Chasing Money Away!

 

Just think about how this plays out in everyday life.  Here comes a prospect already in the early stages of the buying process.  When I say already in the early stages of the buying process I mean they at least already recognize they have a need and now they are looking for options to take care of that need.

 

You greet them exchange a few niceties then you launch into a spiel about your product.  This automatically makes the prospect uncomfortable because they don’t like being sold.  They impatiently wait for you to slow down or pause so they can ask a question.

 

When they finally get their question in what do you do?  Why you launch into another diatribe about product details that answer their question.  Or at least you think you are answering their question.

 

In reality, you probably aren’t addressing the real question they have because you did not understand what they were really asking.

 

The frustration escalates in this back and forth exchange of you streaming the product catalog at the prospect and them trying to get you to shut up long enough to actually hear what they are telling you.  Even the ones who buy aren’t happy with their experience, they aren’t happy with you, and they tend to project their displeasure onto the product meaning you can expect returns.

 

Now if only you knew about Robert Collier and understood and applied what he suggests things would be so very different.  If you understood your prospect it would be so much easier to help them buy.  Both you and the prospect could relax and actually enjoy the exchange.

 

Your prospect simply wants to be understood and heard.  The only way they know if you do actually understand them and that you have heard them is if you ask intelligent questions.  Intelligent questions are simply questions that demonstrate your understanding and the fact you are actually listening.

 

The inexperienced sales person walks up to a prospect and asks, “What are you looking for today?”  The prospect hesitates to actually tell you because they don’t want you following them around pressuring them to buy.

 

The experienced sales person walks up to a prospect and asks, “What are you looking to accomplish today?”  This immediately snaps the prospect out of the sales person buyer mindset.  Now you are the person who is there to provide expert advice and assistance.

 

They may say they are just looking for ideas for an upcoming event.  Now you have the opportunity to actually work with them even though they are “just looking” because you can then ask, “What is your highest priority for that event?”  Then keep the conversation going asking questions, listening, and engaging further.  Show them options and have them tell you if this is more like they had in mind or less.

 

Once you allow yourself to think prospect first and product second things are a whole lot easier.  You stop leaving money on the table and you stop chasing money away.  You will find you make sales faster and the sales you make tend to have larger totals.  All because you put the prospect first.

 

Coach Cheryl

Filed Under: sales coaching Tagged With: , ,
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