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Our office manager recently took a meeting with a seller from an office supply company, who on the phone said he could save us money. He built rapport and did ask a variety of open-ended questions to gain information. Yet was unable to make the sale.
What happened was the questions were all broad fact-finding questions. They didn’t dig any deeper to discover any problem, want need or desire that we may have. Like everyone else the seller was calling – we already have a supplier. The office manager wasn’t compelled to change by this conversation.
It’s similar to going to a doctor and informing the doctor you have a cold. The Doctor then asks, “How long has this been going on? What are you taking?” And then prescribes.
You feel you really weren’t listened to because you also had congestion in your chest, your ears itch and your throat is sore. Yet you weren’t asked anything more and you didn’t offer and now you lack the confidence in the medicine prescribed.
Ways To Increase Sales Tip: Sellers who ask questions like a detective (dig deeper beyond the surface questions) discover life or moment changing needs, challenges, wants or desires. Prospects are more engaged, feel listened to and are more confident – which propels them to do business with those sellers.
Listen closely during your field ride alongs or telephone monitoring moments. What questions are they asking? Are they digging deeper or only asking the obvious? Then coach your team on asking better questions to gain better sales.
In the thirty plus years of training sales people, I have found that one common reason they don’t close more sales is that they forget to ask the question.
Yes, they actually forget to ask the question – as strange as that sounds. I notice they as so passionate about the presentation that when they’ve finished they are quiet. They think asking is implied and the customer will miraculously say, “Wow, that was great, let’s go.”
Instead the customer is quiet and the next thing the seller says is, “ You probably want to think about it, right?” What’s the buyer to say? Of course they’ll say right.
And the follow up calls sound like this, “What questions do you have? What do you think about what we talked about?”
A recent sales training course graduate shared an interesting conversation. When she followed up with the prospect they told her they didn’t think she was really interested in their business. As she asked for clarification, they said she didn’t ask them to buy.
Imagine that! The client saying they WANTED to be asked to buy!
Share this Tip with your sellers so they are constantly asking for the sale.
The Ask, Ask and Ask tips for closing the sale:
1. Ask, ask and then ask again. The first ask is to test the temperature. Find out if the buyer is hot, medium or cold. You’re uncovering what they are thinking and feeling yet not telling you unless asked. Some examples are: “Based on what we’ve discussed to date, how is this in alignment with achieving your initiative?” ,“Will this solution meet your criteria for success?” or “What else do you need to know before moving forward with this plan?”
2. If the response indicates a medium or cold response to you being their business partner, the second ask is for clarification. “What is missing?” “Provide me some greater insight into that comparison.”
3. The third and last Ask occurs when you’ve answered the medium or cold response clarification questions and cleared up any misconceptions or misunderstandings or when you received an affirmative answer to your first ask question. This time you ask for your final buying action. Is that a signature, a credit application completed, the next meeting, or the purchase order.
The new rule of the day: ask even if the prospect doesn’t seem interested at all!
When managers focus on the close, the deal, or the sale, that’s when sellers begin to lose focus on the collaborative win-win sales process and switch to telling, pushing and throwing out features hoping the customer will buy.
This Tip confirms the importance of rethinking the kinds of questions you typically ask your sellers about their book of potential business.
Are you the sales manager who asks, “What did you sell today?” or are you the one asking, “What opportunities did you advance today?”
Alleviate the pressure to close more sales and by default your sellers will shift to more collaboration and less ‘pitching’, if you want your sellers to sell more and begin concentrating on what they are positively doing to advance each sale.
Sellers and managers alike sit around and discuss the why’s behind the deals that got away, trying to cut future loses and maximize the learning opportunity from the lost sale.
Sales managers tell me when they do this they mostly hear lame answers like:
• “They just weren’t ready.”
• “The other guy was cheaper.”
• “They weren’t interested.”
Or worse –
• “I dunno, I really did my absolute best.”
So when I read the blog by Michael Boyette, posted in Top Sales Dog – this survey screamed out to me because the reason people don’t buy is more universal than you may think.
Mike says, “When the research firm AskForensics ask what vendors might have done differently to seal the deal, here’s what buyers said:
• Add more innovation and technology to offered solutions.
• Do better at understanding the prospect’s needs.
• Incorporate value-added programs.
• Make presentations more effective.
• Serve up proactive ideas.
• Respond to questions and requests in a timely manner.
Oh my gosh, there isn’t anything in these comments about not the right time, getting a better price, quality or lack of quality of the product or service, or who knows who.
Everything on the list shouts the seller wasn’t having the right conversations.
Their selling skills – or lack thereof – is the culprit.
I’m wondering if this was as eye opening for you as it was for me? It’s an easy fix.
You like and trust your sellers.
They are selling – yet plenty of deals are still getting away and that’s costly.
So please keep having the debrief conversation – only now do your differently with this Ways to Increase Sales Tip:
• Drill down. Ask what were the 1-3 key problems, wants, needs or opportunity the client clearly and verbally announced they had and that they wanted to fix.
• Listen. Did the seller really know or is this a red flag about missing the critical step to being able to match your product or services to take them from pain to pleasure island.
• Educate. Teach your sellers how to eliminate losing the deal by selling right. I said it was an easy fix to close more deals and it is when you take 30 minutes every couple of weeks for a skill building sales training workshop. In only 30-minute clips, your team learns how to sell right the first time with high energy, high impact skill building workshops.
In the Genuine Sales® training workshops sellers are introduced to a 4 step model for the Investigate step. The four steps include questions covering Today – Tomorrow – Risk and Reward. One favorite Risk question is around status quo. For example: What impact does not moving forward or implementing a change have on your business? It happens to be a game changer type of question.
Recently when working with a team of sales leaders the conversation was about the business they were losing to the competition. After discussing the Today situation – gathering the facts, understanding when and how the shift began and clearly describing what they wanted their Tomorrow look like, the VP of Sales began talking about solutions. These 5 managers began shooting down or getting defensive about the suggestions being presented by their colleagues.
I experienced and ‘ah’ha moment – these managers were hanging out in status quo. Although they weren’t pleased with the current situation they were digging their heels in at adopting any changes to shift the momentum and business back to them.
When there was a lull in the conversation and the right opportunity, I asked the Risk question – What impact will not moving forward or implementing any changes have to losing business to the competition? (I do need a disclaimer here, the solutions did NOT include lower prices!) The entire conversation changed and from whatever was going on with fear or unwillingness to change or any ego entrenchment to collaborative problem solving because the impact answer was too severe for anyone.
Keep in mind – your sellers may not be losing to the competition – they may be losing to their own status quo.
What can you do to begin uncovering more information on sales being lost to the competition to ward off it becoming a permanent issue?
Sellers tend to blow the customer relationship within the first minute.
Yes, the first minute.
They don’t mean to – they just don’t know how to take advantage of the crucial moment that makes or breaks the outcome of the appointment.
Before I show you how to launch each and every conversation, the ones where prospects turn into customers, if you show this to your sales teams they may not want to do it.
Why?
Because it takes a few extra minutes of preparation.
Something too many sales people don’t like to do and that’s exactly what’s costing them from advancing more sales conversations, which turn into those great closed deals.
The preparation is key.
Words come out of their mouth and if they don’t have the right words – in the right order – with the right engagement – they’ve lost the moment and opportunity.
Oh yeah, you’ve been on sales calls when they lost it at first and regained it.
Yet, why would you want your sellers to work that hard for a 50/50 chance they can recoup the loss?
What to do for Preparation?
Answer these 2 questions:
The answer to these two simple questions drives the decision and emotional commitment if the person agrees to engage in the conversation.
Now that you know the answers, the words that come out of your sellers mouth will have everyone at hello.
Well at least right after hello.
Step 1: The Connection
• The hello without the “How are you?”
• It’s the customary salutation – hello, good afternoon, along with name and if it’s applicable, the company name.
Step 2: Grab ‘Em
• This is the most important step.
• This is the compelling reason – the trigger of gain, logic, fear or scarcity.
• The emotional engagement to stop what they are doing and pay attention to who’s called.
• It’s easy to muster up if, and only if the seller has answered the two prep questions.
Step 3: Got Time?
• Stop groaning.
• Stop thinking this can be left out.
• The moment of time is a common courtesy statement. The buyer appreciates it and it builds psychological reciprocity.
• “Is this a good time?”
• “Is this still a good time? (if it’s a planned appointment)
• “Is this is a good time or should we get our calendars out and schedule?”
Yes and Yes
Get the explain why calling right and there’s always a resounding “Yes” after the moment of time question.
Start listening to your sellers with this lens –
• Has gain, fear, logic or scarcity been established?
• Is it clear what this call is about in the first 5 seconds?
• Are they including all 3 steps?
What do you think your sales people are paid to do?
Typical answers are to sell as much product as possible. Nope, that’s not what they are paid to do.
Don’t think I’m crazy and stop reading, because really I’m not.
Your sellers are paid to…
Move people from a before state to an after state.
Let me say that again… Your sellers are paid to move people from a before state to an after state.
When (not if) the sales person does that, then yes.. they will sell tons of product.
And it’s easier than you think to do that.
Work through this with me. Let’s figure out the Before State of any customer.
Think of one of your favorite customers or prospect that’s in progress of advancing to become a customer.
In their Before State, how would you describe what they got and what’s going on in relation to these 4 categories:
• HAVE
• FEEL
• AVERAGE DAY
• STATUS
Got your answers?
Now, how would you describe what they HAVE,
How they FEEL,
Their new AVERAGE DAY and
Their STATUS
AFTER they are doing business with you?
The sellers that invest the time to ask questions around these 4 categories…and then close the gap… are the ones who get the deal.
There’s an art to asking and listening – to effectively and efficiently gear the right questions and guide the customer to get excited about the AFTER.
How about trying this exercise with your sellers?
For added relevancy allow each seller to select several prospects and it becomes instantly applicable.
Or, you can hop on over to our Sales Advice RX page and score some private sessions for your sellers. We’ll gladly work on crafting the absolute best questions to ramp up your success time.
What do you think the difference in prospects becoming clients will be if you did this for 21 straight days?
My experience proves it will validate the adage – it takes 21 days to create a new habit – (whilst selling tons of product)!
Don’t forget – Your sellers are paid to move people from a before state to an after state.
Then sell tons of business!
Here’s an interesting tally to discover where you team weighs in on the 7 reasons your sellers will not hit sales quota.
In fact, humor me and get a piece of paper.
Create 8 columns.
In the first column list your sales team – one name per line.
In the other columns write the number 1 – 7.
Done? Now place a check mark next to each name in the respective column if they are guilty of any of these 7 reasons:
1. What they say they do is different than what they actually do.
2. Lack a well thought out plan before getting out of the car or picking up the telephone.
3. Applies the 80%-20% Talk-Listen Rule in reverse.
4. Heard about happy ears, you hear what you want and run with it? How about happy mouth? Your sellers have too much happy mouth.
5. Neglect the upfront due diligence research (website, articles, Linkedin).
6. Ignore asking for referrals.
7. Quick to discount when the customer questions the price rather than sell value
8. Too ordinary – sounds like every other competitive seller out there.
Each one of these reasons is totally coachable.
How did your team fair and what are you doing to do first to turn it around?
No one wants to feel old, but it hits you hard when you’re talking to a friend about the album covers of your favorite college band and you hear your grandchild ask,
“What’s an album?”
Now that can make a grown person cry.
A friend and I began naming things that were old laughing our time away.
Your sellers are in a sea of other sales people selling the same things.
The one selling better and being a memorable differentiator is more likely to gain the business.
There’s a way to take something old and make it new – stand out from the crowd of competitors and win the business.
First I’ll show you our list of what’s old…
and then I’ll show things that are old are new… if your reps are game.
Things that are old:
Now here are three ‘What’s Old Can Be New’ and even a game changer…
Handwritten Notes
Instead of using email to send a thank you note and Facebook or Linkedin for a birthday greeting – get some stationary and thank you notes. Personalized stationary adds an extra touch, plus there are some mod looking stationary paper around. Your customers will exclaim with a “WOW” because it’s been too long since someone used this old fashioned way.
https://www.paperculture.com
http://www.zazzle.com/modern+stationery
https://creativemarket.com/tag/modern%20stationery
Fax Machine
Today’s fax machine is generally the efax. It’s often so rare that someone gets an efax they’ll open it as they do their email only with heightened curiosity. Want your email to stand out from the others or get read first… efax the proposal instead of sending by email! It’s still an attachment for them to download just as if it was sent with an email!
Telephone
Yes, the old fashioned telephone. This is a pet peeve of mine. Too many sales people use everything but the telephone. Then they are absolutely shocked when there’s a problem with the account, or better yet the account is switching to another company. Use the phone – don’t hide behind email and text.
As a bonus, here’s a learning moment.
Now go out and turn more Old into New for more business.
Have you heard of the tipping point?
It’s the point, which a buyer recognizes the pain is too much and they must make a change.
The sales reps who “get” the tipping point concept, get the deal.
See, they aren’t afraid of asking the risk questions.
That means looking the buyer in the eye and boldly asking what’s the risk of no decision.
They may not ask exactly like that… but they do ask it.
That may be pretty scary for many sales reps.
Sales reps are great about uncovering the issue and presenting a solution to fix the issue. Yet, that alone doesn’t get the sale.
In fact, sales reps walk out of the meeting far too often shaking their heads and wondering what happened.
The missing link is asking the tipping point questions.
Tipping point questions:
• What’s at stake (for them, the company) if they fail to solve it?
• At what point will not moving forward negatively impact business?
• What are the liabilities if this issue isn’t addressed in the next 6 months?
• If you choose to do nothing, what is the risk of loss over the five year period?
• What is the potential downside for not making a decision in the near future?
• What is the potential downside if the decision is delayed?
• What could happen if this issue isn’t addressed in the next 6 months?
• Based on your experience, what type of liability is present when ____________ happens?
What if you used the tipping point questions right now and were able to close some deals because of it?
Here’s how to do that.
Select several prospects in the pipeline who are ready for the rep to deliver the proposal and the presentation.
Why these prospects?
Because the sales rep didn’t ask the tipping point question in the discovery phase.
So, it’s a must to ask the tipping point question here and firm up with deal or find out they are just kicking tires.
Consider asking a tipping point question as soon as you recap their issues.
Do I have your issues right?
Are they still a priority?
Bam… insert a tipping point question.
My money’s on a big shift in the conversation and no one is scratching their heads wondering what went wrong when they didn’t get the deal.
Sales managers seek ways to advance more sales and close more deals in less visits and/or contacts with the buyer without comprising the sale. Sellers who strategically prepare before each sales call encounter more effective and efficient sales conversations that result in less visits/contact with the buyer.
As the buyer/seller conversation becomes more collaborative the buyer gets smarter through the buying cycle. Their initial reason for seeking a solution may shift and the strategic business partner seller has helped the vendor seller without knowing it. The buyer will ask and explore their new ideas, concerns, shifts in thinking to all of the organizations vying for this particular business. The bad seller may win by default.
A tip to stay on top and win the deal: At every conversation repeat the needs and priorities of what they want to achieve and ask if anything has changed or is there anything else to consider at this time.
As the buyer gets smarter through the buying cycle, the strategic seller is continuing to adjust, create value and align with the new requirements.
Encourage your sellers to include these questions in their conversations this week:
• What if anything has changed since our last conversation?
• What else do we need to explore and/or consider at this time?
Do your sales people seem to be chasing their prospects to return phone calls, set up the next appointment, or even acknowledge receipt of the proposal?
If they are, you’re not going to like this next sentence…. your sales people are spinning their wheels and wasting their time on too many deals that will never ever happen.
Your sellers need some solid tips and recommendations for follow up with sales prospects after the first visit.
I’ve got the solid tips and recommendations, but first I’m going to share a few from another famous sales trainer.
Not only was I was quite disappointed, I outright disagree with several of her suggestions.
See I listened to her short video tip this morning – all excited to add more tools to even my tool box.
Especially because we train sales people worldwide to include this one closing formula in their sales conversation to eliminate even needing any one of her suggestions!
First let me share her suggestions:
• Mail (snail mail) a hand written thank you note after the first meeting
• Include a related article if applicable or available with the thank you note
• Call the cell phone rather than the office phone and if you get voice mail, don’t leave a message (your number is there and the curious will call you back)
• Send email follow-up and if no response, send the same email 1 week apart for 3 weeks
Except for the first tip – send a hand written thank you note – the others aren’t useful to build a relationship, long term business or close more deals in less time.
In fact, they are totally unnecessary if the sales person consolidates and closes the conversation effectively the first time.
That’s where the root of the problem is. How a sales person concludes each conversation – determines the outcomes, speed and advancement of the next one.
Sellers tend to invest the least amount of time in concluding the sales call – costing them time and money and add aggravation!
What does our formula for an effective consolidation and close look like?
1. Recap of the conversation detailing the problem opportunity, want or need expressed.
2. Ask if you heard this correctly and confirm whether it is a priority to do anything about and if it’s on the radar to do something now.
3. Agree on next steps. Give the prospect an assignment with a deadline. You’ll do your end – get more information, a proposal, a presentation. What are they doing to do? (There’s always something you can give them to do – set up a phone call for you with someone else, invite people to next meeting, provide an org chart – you get the idea.)
4. Calendars out – and set the next meeting date and time together. See that it’s entered in their calendar.
I bet this is a little different than what many of your sellers are currently doing.
Too often they say something like, “Great. You’ve given me valuable information and I’m going to put a proposal together for you. How about we talk in 2 weeks?”
If that’s the case, the sales person will be spinning their wheels with the other sales trainer’s follow-up suggestions. Because there’s no firm commitment to even go the next step with your seller.
Teach your team our no fail formula and see what happens.
Chances are you’ll weed out the tire kickers, gain more qualified buyers, reduce the long sales cycle and close more deals.
Take Jennifer Aniston for example. She’s been fighting typecasting for years as everyone thinks of her as Rachel in Friends. For a while the roles she took after Friends were an incarnation of Rachel.
Jennifer said, “You’re a shoe, you’re a shoe, you’re a shoe… but what if you don’t want to be a shoe?”
Have you been typecasted? Are some of the promotional opportunities passing you by because you’re a shoe?
Step up to the plate and break out of the pre-existing mold.
1. Hire a coach. Identify areas of responsibility to start, stop and continue to change perceptions about you.
2. Change the conversation. Engage in the discussions with other leaders as if you were in the position you are striving for rather than your current one.
3. Watch the Ted Talks, YouTube’s, and read the leadership books the person in the position you strive for is viewing. If it’s the VP of Sales position you want, take the key concepts from the video’s and books and integrate them in your current position.
4. Act as the new job title. To be seen as the VP of Sales (if that’s the position you are seeking) act like one (with substance not bravado)!
Take actions to send the message: “Don’t judge me by my past, I don’t live there anymore.”
Now you won’t be a shoe!
