10 commandments of selling by mark matteson"I am typing this on my brand new MacBook Air laptop (it weighs only 2#!)
on a flight to Houston, TX. I went to the Apple store to get information about backing up my information on the Cloud, sort out an email issue and learn more about i-tunes. I left with a brand new computer!? You see, the good folks at Apple are brilliant in how they sell. It’s selling without selling. I never have an appointment, yet rarely do I wait more than ten minutes to have some bright young person help me. First they serve you with a smile and solve your sticky and frustrating problems with great service, education and a positive attitude. All the while, they build relationships one-to-one. They are always glad to see you. They out-care the competition. Oh yes, and they have really cool stuff! Let’s be honest, Apple products are sexy, fast, and unique. She offered me a choice. When she asked for my credit card to swipe her i-phone, like a kid giving his money to the popsicle truck guy, without missing a beat, I reached in wallet and mechanically handed over my credit card. I was suddenly $1,500 poorer and happy about it. I never knew what hit me. Steve Jobs was a genius. Trust, Relationship, Competence and Timing. Like four legs of a chair, all four must be in place to close the business. I have been teaching other people how to sell for quite a while now, over 25 years. Few things are more rewarding than when a seminar attendee emails or calls me to say that they applied the principles I shared and they closed 11 out of the last 13 proposals. It happens a lot. The credit goes to the person who takes the information and runs with it. I lay out a buffet, they have to eat. Here are ten of my favorite dishes. Good eating. Let’s call them “The 10 Commandments of Selling”. Submitted for your approval. 1. The Hour Of Power Since about 1988, I have been devouring sales books, hundreds of authors and experts. I start my day reading a book in alignment with my #1 Goal. It gives me inspiration, education and ideas to get more business. Like a pond with a stream of fresh water, ideas flow in. Our Hour of Power needs to start with a book. Read 20-minutes first thing in the morning in sales. Next, write our sales goal at the top of a piece of paper or our journal. “How much by when?” List five reasons we want that goal. Think. Percolate. Ponder. Mull. Conceive. Feel. Visualize. Imagine. The last 20 minutes is invested in asking: “What are the six most vital actions we must take today to move us toward our goal?” 30-days of The Hour of Power will transform our professional effectiveness and sales results. 90-days will change our lives forever! If we improve 1% a day for 90-days, we will become twice as effective. 2. Set Small, Achievable Goals Each Day How many phone calls, emails, letters? Pick a number. I spoke to 400 sales professionals from AFLAC in Wisconsin. I asked the number one producer the secret of his success. He paused for a moment and replied: “I make 40 calls a day, quack loudly every day and offer my prospects a choice of yeses.” Activity, Pride, Options. If our boss tells us to make five calls a day, we make ten! That’s 50 a week, 200 a month, 2400 in a year. All that activity must pay off. The discipline and consistency is the key. Sales is both an Art and Science. Activity is the Science part of the equation. 3. Ask Delighted Clients for Two Names The best source of new business are delighted past clients. Word of mouth. Referrals. Follow up with new clients 3-6 months into the relationship. Ask: “Just calling to see if we met or exceeded your expectations.” if the answer is no, right the wrong. If the answer is yes, ask for two names. “Who are your best buddies in your industry?” “Who are your favorite peers?” “Would you be so kind as to introduce me to them?” A personal introduction face to face is best. Next best is a phone call, after that, an email intro. We are piggy backing on the credibility and relationship. It’s a warm call. If they are happy with our product or service, I have found three out of four people will be happy to make the introduction. We must ask! “Unassertive sales people have skinny kids!” 4. Qualify, Qualify, Qualify It does not matter what industry we are in, real estate, contracting, wireless communications, distribution, manufacturing, software, how well we qualify our prospects (and DIS-Qualify) will determine our success in selling. “Spend time with people who can and will buy!” was the advice I received from a top producer 25 years ago. It was quite simply the best advice I ever received in sales. Are we dealing with the person who can sign the check? Are they the economic buyer? The harder they are to see, the easier they are to sell. Why? Because if the person you are dealing with has skin in the game, they usually have the budget as well. The question to ask at the end of our meeting is: “If I could, would you?” “If I could cut your turnover in half in the next six months, would you authorize an agreement this week?” Qualifying is a feeling, its visceral. I always knew whether I made a sale in that first visit. It’s body language, tone of voice, interest in you, your product or service and the kinds of buying questions they ask. We need to plan our questions in advance, memorize the sequence. Start with “How did you get started in this business?” and dominate the listening. 5. Dominate the Listening I am astonished in the sales seminars I have conducted over the last twenty- five years how few truly great active listeners exist. Listening is like math. Algebra, Geometry, Calculus, Trig....there are different levels of skill. Most sales people never get past Geometry. Listen actively, pause 3-5 seconds, question to clarify and paraphrase what you hear. Simple, not easy. Can we get people to talk for 20-30 minutes without them knowing they are doing all the talking? Are we hanging on their every word or simply and transparently waiting to talk or tell our story. That’s the test of our listening skills. It’s not about you! It’s about the prospect, their issues, their challenges, their frustrations. We need to learn how to start a conversation. Study any detective from Sherlock Holmes to Robert Gorin (Law and Order-Criminal Intent). As they ask open-ended questions, they are ever studying their suspect. Looking for clues. We are all detectives. Ask and Listen. A good friend of mine is fond of saying, “I never miss an opportunity to shut up!” Know when to stop talking. It’s easy to talk too long. Why? Ego, pride, fear. Think twice, speak once (or not at all). Leave them wanting more. Less is more. Find out what they need and then help them get it! 6. Remember the Platinum Rule The Golden Rule says: “Treat (or communicate) others the way YOU want to be treated.” My Platinum Rule says: “Treat (and communicate) with people the way THEY like to treated.” My son’s college basketball coach has become a good friend. He is text guy. I don’t think I have ever called him on the phone and had him answer. When I text him, I get a text back in 30-seconds. Auditory, Kinesthetic and Visual. Auditories like phone calls, Kinesthetics like texting, Visuals like Skype and Go To Meetings. Surrender to the way THEY like to talk, not the way you like to. It matters. It’s about being OTHER-Centered vs. SELF-Centered. 7. Gain an Advance An advance is “the next step” in the selling process. It could mean a second visit, this time with the board, a tour of their facility, a survey, some indication that we are moving forward. Sometimes the prospect must tell us what is next. “Where do we go from here?” we might ask; or “What is the next step for us?” Again, their body language, tone of voice, level of involvement will tell us their degree of readiness. Say what you see. “I get a sense you are excited as I am about the possibility of working together.” They will agree and guide you to the advance, the next step in the sales process. 8. Put Together a Solid Proposal An agreement is a summary, not an exploration. It’s a paraphrase of what the prospect said to us, our conversation’s main points. It’s what we discussed and determined. It’s the objectives that matter most to the economic buyer and why they want them; moreover, it’s what it will mean to the buyer and/or the organization. Methodologies, Approaches, Timelines, and a Choice of Yeses. I prefer three options. At the end, insert relevant attributable quotes from previous clients where it makes sense, even a list of clients. When someone else blows your horn, it travels twice as far. 9. Ask for the Sale Go through the agreement, making certain all the decision makers are in the room, on the line or in your Skype/Go To Meeting. Trial Closes are always fun. “Did you want us to do this in the morning or afternoon?” “Will you be using a credit card or is a check better?” Say it with confidence. Expect a yes. If we have done everything we have discussed, we are in a great position to close this new business. I teach my clients to use “The Silent Pen” close. We simply put the agreement in front of our prospect, turn to the signatory page, slide a pen across the desk, smile, lean back and remain silent. The first one to talk...loses. But in reality, we both win. Try it. It’s fun. Moreover, it works! 10. Go the Extra-VALUE Mile I reserve the right to add more time and value. I recently conducted a one hour keynote for one of the fastest growing wireless communication companies (think pink), an amazing group of superstar business to business sales professionals. I was scheduled to speak at 2:50 pm to 4:00 pm. I showed up at 0730, to listen to their internal speakers, observed their breakout sessions, enjoy fireside chat with the CEO (John Legere), breakfast, lunch and dinner. Yogi Berra said, “You can observe a lot by watching!” It allowed me to truly tailor my talk to their culture, language, areas of expected growth. The frosting on the cake was, I surprised the audience by handing out 200 copies of my first book, “Freedom From Fear”. I never tire of standing ovations, they are good for the soul. I signed books for an hour afterward. I was invited to bowling and cocktails. At dinner the CEO said to me, “You did a great job. There are some other areas I think we can use your services. Your talk was spot on. Great job. I am going to read your book tonight and send you an email on my thoughts. Thanks again.” The VP that hired me was beaming. It was the Extra-VALUE Mile Smile. What can you do to add value? What can you offer none of your competitors do? How can you delight your customers with more than they expected? I love this new Mac. It weighs two pounds, is lightening fast and cool. Thanks Steve Jobs, may you rest in peace. It really is true, we can have everything we want in life, if we only help enough other people get what they want, first. Make it a great day…unless you have other plans! Mark Matteson - Author
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
|