ConectUS Wireless

First, what’s the definition of “closing” a deal to you? To me, it is any question you ask, or anything you do that moves the sale forward. Closing is not some “trick” question you ask when you feel it’s the right time, or after you present the product. It starts the moment you get out of bed in the morning. If you get up in the morning with a positive attitude and high enthusiasm, aren’t you more likely to have a much more positive and productive day? Wouldn’t that lead to more closed sales by the time you go to sleep? Absolutely it would! Keeping that in mind, let’s discuss some common mistakes that most people make when closing the sale. You should definitely learn to avoid these! We pre-qualify everyone. Some of us say we never pre-qualify, but are you being honest with yourself when saying that? Who hasn’t been in a Saturday morning pump-up meeting where the cash and weekend spiffs are flying, and they whip you into a frenzy. Then you come out of the meeting sky high, see a customer who you think couldn’t buy steam off a hot dog, and head the other way, hoping nobody sees you. Sound familiar? The next thing you know, the new guy has them on a demo ride, and then writing them up in his office. He brings it to the manager’s office, and you’re curious what the credit is like. You walk buy and see the guy is an 800 beacon. “Oh well, the new guy needed it anyway…” You’re killing your paycheck on the installment plan. One deal at a time. We talk price. Can we always bypass price? No, but if you can do it seven or eight times out of 10, wouldn’t that be worth it? The average initial price drop by a salesperson is $844. That’s the average drop. What’s 25 percent of $844? You’re right, it’s $211. If you did it JUST twice a week, that’s $1688 a month, times 12 for a year…. $20,256. Come on…don’t drop the price! Don’t give it away. It takes guts and skills to hold price. Learn to bypass price. We take shortcuts. There are normally two times we start taking shortcuts. First, when everything is going well. You feel like Superman with an “S” logo on your chest. You know the times when everything you touch seems to turn into a deal. It’s easy to start taking shortcuts then. The other time is when we are in that 2 by the 15th mode. We need to make a paycheck because the bill collector is still coming at the end of the month. We start finding out if everyone can buy within the first five minutes. Don’t take shortcuts. Remember, the real shortcut is the Basic Steps to the Sale. We give up too soon. If you follow the Basic Steps to the Sale, can you ask for the sale four or five times? Of course you can! You have the right product and you have built rapport with the customer. We use the least effective closing questions. That good old stand by, “If I Could Would You?” Take the initiative and learn some real and effective ways to close. What trap are YOU falling into? What do you need to work on?

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF HOW TO INCREASE EFFECTIVENESS: THE BAD GUYS GOT IT DOWN TO A SCIENCE. Who’s your favorite movie villain? Dr. Evil, Dr. No, Gordon Gekko, Hannibal Lecter, Darth Vader, The Joker, Dr. Octopus, The Terminator, The Penguin? Google movie villains to see the big list and pick your favorites. Every super villain you and I know has one redeeming quality: they are the model of efficiency in their respective specialty. They get the job done. And they can teach us a thing or two to increase our own effectiveness as sales and management professionals as we go about saving the world by providing valuable goods and services to a world under siege from villains of all kinds-real and imaginary. Super villains also have a number of additional commonalities at their disposal that we all envy and thrive to possess: They never have to get up from their desk chair to destroy the world-one button, maybe two are within easy reach. Caboom!–they’re done for the day. They’re desk is on the shop floor. They see and are seen all the time. They never skimp on purchasing a high-end, ergonomically correct, efficiently designed, really cool desk and chair. They get more done with more technology available to them and they experience less neck strain as they can swivel 360 to view their monitors and other evil workers doing their best to ruin the world. (Think about it: When have you ever seen a super villain having to visit a chiropractor?) They’ve been paperless for decades. They love to laugh and they don’t text while driving. If they work from a virtual office, they are connected to their headquarters and data at all times. Rarely are they not able to access evil information. They all subscribe to some kind of RSS feed on steroids to supply them 24/7 data, pictures, video and all-encompassing competitive intelligence on their adversaries. They typically dress conservatively and are always neat They don’t use a stapler, paperclips or have a trash can under their desk They use hands-free phones most of the time They have worker bees doing tactical stuff, allowing their evil, brilliant minds more strategic evil-thinking time They don’t use coasters They terminate employees that are not loyal, effective or have outgrown their usefulness. Ouch. They are tenacious, hard to slow down and are good negotiators under pressure. As you read the list, I’d like you to consider for a moment how much more effective you could be in your own evil pursuit of capitalism in growing your sales numbers, leading your sales team on to record sales and bonuses. How much more time, energy and fun would you have if you were more efficient in just a few areas, 15 percent more, for example. that could create more contact with prospects, remain in contact with current customers, and streamline your day for more production with less stress? Big promises, you say. You bet! Here’s a list, no particular order that you can implement to help you become immediately more efficient and effective in your daily activities in your workplace (desk, car, home office, cubicle, briefcase, PDA) that won’t cost you a penny, won’t require moving anything over 20 pounds and is a task you can complete in 30 minutes, in most cases. Define “A” customers. What does a ideal client look like? Size, scope, traits, location, revenue, level of contact, urgency, competitive advantage, etc. Now begin to target “A” companies before any other B or C. Write it down now. Fill your pipeline with constant A and B deals. Review and define your revenue stream: A-business and projects you’re currently working on that will be invoiced. B-business leads, proposals, personal meetings that are in negotiations that have substance and evidence the deal will happen. C-this could be a lead, a tip, rumor, hunch, that does not yet have substance of a “B” item. Writing down all work and proposals in-progress will let you visualize cash flow and activity for next quarter and will motivate you to start finding “A and B” targets. Keep all materials for client contacting (lists, phone numbers, labels, directories, etc.) within arm’s reach of your work station. Research shows this is not the case most of the time. Prospecting calls list: Have names/numbers on your desk for to make the calls. Set list out before you leave at night. Fight the tendency to relax after a good month or quarter of revenue, only to have a down next period. Fill the pipeline during busy times with calls and proposals. Competitive Advantage: Can you truly define what you can do for the client Right Now that will get them to sign your contract? Write it down and believe it. What do you have that you can’t wait to tell your customers about? If you don’t have something exciting….better find something right now. Write or co-author an article related to your expertise that will resonate with your ideal customer. Tips like this bullet list is all you need: simple, to the point and implementable ideas for the reader’s world at work. Publish the article on the web, your company newsletter or industry magazines. Send this article to your clients. Commit to learning more about how to use email more effectively. Read tutorials, time-savers, database management, etc. to enhance your effectiveness. Spend time on your competitions website to learn the valuable info to sell against. Review the great educational presentations for free on ted.com to learn valuable tips on how to communicate with emotion and interest in your daily discussions with clients and viable customers. If you really want to emulate your favorite villain’s effectiveness, start today by acting on and checking off items on this list to become more effective in your job of sales and management. The tactics are so simple, most of your competitors are not practicing them.

Suggestive selling is a powerful tool that can increase your revenues, and your bottom line, significantly. We are all used to the order taker at a fast food place asking if we want fries with our burgers, or if we would like to “Jumbo-Size” our orders, but suggestive selling can work in any business. Shoe stores suggest socks or polish to go with your new sneakers, hair salons recommend styling products, and stores selling electronics offer an extended warranty on the gadget you just bought. In each case, the business encourages the customer to add on to the purchase they are already making. Upselling can be done in person, on the phone or over online. Many online shopping carts allow you to set up a product-specific upselling page. That means that when someone orders Product A, they get the suggestion that goes with that product. Someone who orders another product receives a recommendation appropriate to that product. Here are some tips to make suggestive selling work for you: Make the suggestion after the customer has made a commitment to buy. Don’t try to add on to the sale before the customer has made a firm decision and is in the process of buying. Upsells should be related to the original purchase. An upgrade, a warranty, accessories, or something else that adds on to what the customer is buying can be effective. The customer is more likely to see such a suggestion as helpful than as simply a sales ploy. Consider making the upsell a “two-fer” offer. Because the customer bought one item at regular price, they are able to get a second at half price. The add-on product should have a lesser cost than the base purchase. Suggesting batteries to go with a radio works. Recommending a radio to go with a battery purchase doesn’t. Don’t hit customers with a lot of upsells. One (or possibly two) is enough. Badgering them to buy more can backfire and maybe even kill the sale completely. Make sure employees and order takers are making upsell offers to customers. Remind them of the importance of doing so, and consider rewarding them for great results, or even when you “catch” them upselling. Done properly, an upsell is helpful to the customer and builds your profits as well.

You’ve just finished giving your presentation to your prospect, and you shown him all the benefits and reasons why he should take action, now, and purchase your product. Everything was presented in a very logical manner, and he was supposed to say, “Yes.” But he didn’t. You’ve just been told no, and given some objection or reason why your prospect doesn’t want to make a purchase or make a decision. For a moment, all that head of steam that you were so neatly and professionally building up, has just collapsed like a withering balloon. You’re facing your prospect, trying to figure out what went wrong and how to salvage the sale. How can you convince this person that they are wrong by not choosing to buy from you, right now? Every sales person has been in this exact same boat, more times than we will ever want to admit to or remember. However, it is very important to remember that being told no, right after making your close and asking for the sale, is a fairly common experience. It does NOT, however, mean that your sale is now doomed. It does NOT mean that your prospect has automatically shut you off. And…most importantly, it is vital to remember that your prospect is saying no to the product/proposal you are offering, and NOT saying no to YOU. There many ways to overcome and handle objections. This is not the purpose of this article. Instead, what I am going to give you is an important tip on how to TRANSITION from hearing an objection, to proceeding to handle it. This technique works on any kind of objection that you will come across, and it’s very easy to master. First of all, always keep in mind that if you try to tackle your customer’s objection, head on, as an objection, then you are setting the stage for an adversarial situation, and in that scenario, you will never win. Your goal is not to make your prospect wrong, but rather to let your prospect be RIGHT. When your customer voices an objection, do NOT immediately respond to it. Jumping right in and attacking the objection only makes your customer more defensive and also makes them believe you really didn’t hear nor understand what they were saying. Instead, count to five, in your head. As you are counting. slowly nod your head so your customer sees that you are truly listening and comprehending what they are saying. Doing this will work wonders in bringing you and your prospect closer together. Repeat the objection back to your customer, but repeat it in the form of a QUESTION. “Well, Fred, I definitely can understand what you’re saying, and it’s a very good point. In fact, many of my clients also felt the same way, when they were considering this deal. Am I correct in believing that you do feel that this makes sense, but you’re concerned about…..(state the objection, here)?” When your prospect then AGREES with you on this question. Simply ask them if this is their only concern. (never use the word “objection” to your customer) Your next move is to say the following: “So, Fred, would it be reasonable to say that if we could find a way to effectively address this issue, to your satisfaction, then there really would be no reason to not move ahead with this?” Once you get that second agreement/commitment. Proceed with addressing your customer’s concern, and then re-close. You will find, that if you remember to use these simple steps, your closing percentage will greatly increase. See you at the top!

Sales is all about confidence, poise, and self-belief. Within a professional sports playoff game, the confidence level moves through peaks and valleys. Ultimately, the team with the most belief and faith in their team typically wins. Even teams with injured players or who are missing key players can elevate their level of play to win the game when the odds are stacked against them thanks to confidence and drive. Every one of us has “ups” and “not-so-ups.” Conviction and certainty about who we are makes the difference. When watching a game, you can usually tell by the body language of the players if they believe in themselves enough to push to the next level. It is in their demeanor. Your level of confidence about selling is in your demeanor. Does your stride demonstrate that you are proud of what you do and who you are? Do you think your prospective customers can tell if you have swagger? Interestingly, we have interviewed many consumers about their buying decisions. We’ve have had customers tell us the reason they made a purchase was because they just felt confident in their sales person. Do you know what that is? Swagger. Conversely, I have had prospects tell me they didn’t buy because they felt the sales person needed more experience or they did not feel all of their questions were answered to their satisfaction. Do you know what that is? Lack of swagger. Swagger is not arrogant or conceited. It is ultimate confidence in who you are and your abilities. Perhaps you have heard the saying, “fake it till you make it.” That is only partially true. The truth of the matter is when you have the clear intention you will have swagger. Genuine swagger is an underlying confidence that transcends who you are. It resonates from your posture, your words, your tonality, your thinking, your conversation, and your resolve to be of assistance to your customers. It is a deep-seated belief in yourself. Swagger looks and feels like authentic confidence. Get your swagger on and make more sales.

It’s been our experience that people do business with people that they know, like, and trust. If you could build stronger relationships with your potential clients faster, would that be of value to you and to your business? Yes? Then read on. People like people who are like themselves or who they aspire to become in the future. Have you ever met a perfect stranger and yet felt instantly comfortable with them? As if you’ve know them for ages? Have you ever, though, met someone for the first time and instantly disliked them or felt uncomfortable with them for no apparent reason? Lots of sales people say this…well I’m already pretty good at rapport, I get on with most people….there’s always going to be a few that you don’t hit it off with. I want to show you how you can get on with anyone, quickly and effectively so that you can do business with them. Even with the ones you wouldn’t normally hit it off with. This is important because they are the extra sales for your business and will give you the edge over the competition. What is rapport? Rapport is that feeling of being comfortable with someone and trusting them. A crucial component in any interaction, particularly a sales interaction. It’s the first thing we need to establish and the most important thing to keep all the way through the presentation to the client. We often don’t know WHY we like or dislike someone which presents the question of “Where does rapport take place?” In our minds we have two components – The conscious mind and the unconscious mind. The conscious mind likes to think it is in control. It’s the logical mind, the rational mind, the goal setting mind. However, the unconscious mind is that part of us that runs the body. It’s the part that stays awake when we’re asleep, listening for the alarm clock. It’s the part that keeps us breathing without thinking about it and keeps our heart beating. The conscious mind may set the goals, but the unconscious mind is the part that gets the goals. It filters out irrelevant information and makes you take notice of the things you need to look out for or opportunities to meet your goal. Rapport happens at the level of the unconscious mind, so how can we use it consciously to help us build strong relationships quickly and easily? How do you get into rapport with someone? How To Get In Rapport Start with the chit chat. Look for common interests, hobbies, acquaintances, places you have been to, styles of clothing you might like, etc. Find some things in common by having a little chat before the sales process begins. You are looking to put them at ease and enjoy having you there. In order to have this conversation and find the common experiences, we have to exchange words AND you need to have good listening skills to notice what information they are giving so that you can use to good effect. You need to be ACTIVELY listening – all too often we’re so busy thinking about what we want to say next that we are not concentrating on what the other person is saying. Key point – be present with your client at all times. Also notice the language that people use when they talk. Now obviously I don’t mean are they speaking English or Portuguese here! I mean how do they choose to internally represent the world outside? People tend to have what is called a dominant or preferred thinking style. People prefer to communicate in one of three ways:- Visual Auditory Kinesthetic We all use all three – we just have one that we prefer to use one more than the others. What to look for…… If someone likes to communicate using their auditory senses they might use phrases such as “I hear what you’re saying” “That rings a bell” “Tell me more” If someone likes to communicate using their visual senses they might use phrases such as “I get the picture” “I see what you mean” “Can you imagine that?” If someone likes to communicate using their kinesthetic senses they might use phrases such as “I get the feeling that…” “I need concrete evidence” “Give me hard facts” If you are talking to a client and you just don’t seem to be getting the connection or the understanding that you need – stop and ask yourself – how am I different to them? It may be that you are speaking a “foreign” language, perhaps by noticing their preferred style of communication and adjusting yours to match, you’ll achieve rapport. It’s Not Just The Words You Use Studies have shown that only seven percent of what is communicated between people is transmitted through the words themselves. 38 percent comes through the tone of the voice, the tempo, volume, and timbre – or individual characteristics of the voice and 55 percent of communication, by far the largest part is a result of physiology or body language. Let’s first understand what is meant by the characteristics of the voice. You could mirror the tonality and phrasing, the pitch, the speed, volume, tempo – what sort of pauses does that person make? What about the BIG bit though? Body language or physiology – one of the fastest ways to build rapport with another person is to mirror and match their body language. What aspects of another person’s body language could we mirror or match? The facial expressions, The gestures, The quality and type of movements, Mirror or copy posture….do they stand or sit up straight or are they slouched? Do they have their legs crossed or not? Do they have their hands in their lap or their arms folded or resting their hand on their chin? Do they make lots of eye contact? What are their facial expressions….if they are looking sad – you wouldn’t want to be sitting there with a big grin on your

Not many sellers like cold calling at all. They may be forced into it, but they go kicking and screaming, avoiding it with any excuse they can possibly make. Unfortunately, they think it’s the only approach to prospecting, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Bill was a managed services provider looking to grow his company. He created a cold calling plan to reach three different micro-segments that he’d identified as his hottest opportunities. Together, we put a strategy in place with a dynamite approach. He learned how to tailor his message to different companies, tips to get past gatekeepers, and techniques for leaving gripping voicemails. Bill was excited! He spent weeks perfecting everything, holding off on any calls until he felt he was fully prepared and had a clear grasp of everything that he had leaned. And then it was time to execute. After two weeks of failed attempts, Bill fessed up. He didn’t want to pick up the phone anymore. He’d convinced himself that this was the right way to prospect. Bill assumed that all successful sales people did it, and if his business was going to be successful, he had to master it, too. This is not true at all. Cold calling can be one of the most inefficient ways to find leads. Unless you have a list of specific contacts you want to reach, it simply isn’t your best technique to fill your funnel. I’m a passionate believer in alternate ways of prospecting, especially when you’ve got a big region you’re attempting to cover and you’re strapped with a large number to sell. Instead, you need a plan that’ll bring leads to the door in a manner that’s comfortable for you and your company. It’s time to change your prospecting strategy. Here are some ideas for you. Start an email campaign Afraid of the spam laws? Keep your list small and personalize your emails to participants’ needs so it feels as if you sat down to write them an individual message. Send a series of 3-4 emails three days apart to encourage a response. Know your target market John knew where to look for his hottest opportunities. You want to do the same. Keep your micro-segments small, 20-125 contacts at a time, so you can be more personal in your communications. Hold an online event Sound time consuming and expensive? You can run one practically for free so don’t let the price stop you. If content or participation is your concern, remember that you’re the expert. Make your topic relevant to your target market’s top issues and they’ll want to hear what you have to say. Share recommendations based on work you’ve done with other clients. Offer something at the end that’ll separate hot prospects from warm leads. Use social media, press releases and / or articles to get noticed They’ll keep you in front of your target market where they get to know you as an expert. You’ll begin to create a relationship even before they require your assistance. Create a mini-campaign You can do this by linking email, events, social media, and articles together to keep you in constant touch with your micro-segments. As a seller you don’t have time to run a complicated six-month campaign, but you can run a simple one over six weeks that generates new leads along the way. Some people love cold calling. But if you aren’t one of those people, relax, breathe a deep sigh of relief, and change your prospecting strategy to better fit your style and wants. Not only will you build your funnel, you’ll also create awareness for yourself and your company through consistent exposure. When your target prospects have a need, they’ll remember you and reach out. And isn’t that so much more inviting than interrupting their day with an unexpected cold call?

Getting a sale is not an easy task and most people who have some amount of experience with sales are quite aware of that. When a salesperson prepares his or her pitch, there are so many factors to be taken into consideration, including what should be avoided so as to not turn the potential client off. There is, of course, no way of reading your client’s mind completely, but there are certain things that you can be pretty sure no one would like, especially those who might be spending money on your product. Perhaps, the main thing when it comes to sales is the point that closing the sale is not only about the product you are selling. A large part of the client’s decision to accept or reject the product can depend on how you conduct yourself throughout the entire sales process. If you are amicable, confident and knowledgeable, they could warm up to you and your product, but if they do not like you as a person, their reaction to you could extend into what they feel about the product. For example, being late for an appointment (especially when you trying to sell something to a client) is an absolute faux pas. But you would be surprised at how many people go late to sales appointment, whatever the reason for that might be. As a salesperson, if you assume that you can get away with such misdemeanors, you are being extremely naïve. For starters, be aware of the fact that most people are quick with first impressions and these impressions usually last. Once they have already had a negative impression about you for making them wait, they might not be too open about listening to what you have to say about the product you have on offer. From your point of view, they might just have been waiting five minutes or 10, but keep in mind that almost everyone is running on a tight schedule and, after all, time is money. To close a sale, a salesperson has to be confident about him or herself and also the product they are offering. Part of your job as a salesperson is to convey to the client that your product is the solution to a certain problem that they have. But there is a very thin line between confidence and overconfidence. If you walk into a sales meeting acting and talking overly self-confidently it could very well be a major turn off. Your clients do not want to be treated as simpletons who do not know what is good for their business. You want to identify a need for them in their business setup and offer them a solution, and not talk to them as if they are too slow to know any better. You want to make sure than when you are presenting your pitch you never come across as being arrogant. Clients especially dislike having to speak with salespeople who treat them with disdain and superiority. If that is the case, even if the client needs the product you are offering, it is very possible that they might choose to get a similar product from somewhere else. The same goes for aggressiveness. There are many salespeople who believe that pushing the product forcefully can lead to a sale, but that is a delicate path to tread. This might work every once in a while for you, but more often than not, clients get uncomfortable when you assertively try to push a product onto them. Clients like to make their own decisions and you are there to offer them options, not to force decisions upon them. Bear in mind that your clients are usually well aware of the workings of their business and industry norms, and being as knowledgeable as they are, they will probably not digest everything you say without questions. Part of the problem lies in the fact that many salespeople do not get proper training into the dos and don’ts of a sales pitch, so they might go about doing things in any way they please, as long as they can close the deal. A salesperson that is not properly trained in sales might not realize the importance of customizing the sales pitch for different clients, body language, or the various other matters that considerably impact sales. Carrying out a good sales pitch and closing the deal is nothing short of an art, and it is most definitely not something everyone can handle naturally. If you are a manager, make sure the salespeople you are sending out into the field are those who understand the nature of sales and clients and deal with them accordingly. Knowing the ways of keeping your sales pitch under control is one of the first steps to closing a sale, and mastering this sets you apart from the crowd.