Seven Common Sales Challenges that Prevent Executive Level Access

By Jeff Thull

With the complexity of today’s business solutions and their organization-wide impact, many senior level executives are actively involved in the sales process. Yet many companies are finding that their sales professionals are not connecting to the power in the executive suite.

Gaining access and connecting to executive decision makers can mean the difference between winning and losing sales. Here are seven common challenges that sales professionals must overcome to effectively engage those in the executive suite:

1. You don’t connect to the executive’s critical business issues and get delegated to a lower-level person.

Brilliant ideas and valuable products and services elicit indifference if you can’t immediately establish credibility about and connect to the executive’s most pressing issues. Your credibility comes via the relevancy you establish in your introduction by connecting your solutions or capabilities to the business drivers. If you reference challenges the industry is facing or the company’s objectives in a substantive way, executives will recognize that they couldn’t have this conversation with anyone else.

2. Your strongest contact in the client’s organization no longer holds the power to make the buying decision.

In today’s highly competitive and volatile marketplace, globalization, consolidation, and centralization are some of the reasons that decisions move to higher levels of power and influence. This movement is forcing even the most experienced sales professionals to expand their expertise and compete at new levels in organizations.

Expecting that a single contact in your client’s organization can and will carry your message effectively is hanging on to thin threads of hope. It is critical that we translate the value we can create at the technical, operational, or clinical level to the impact it has on the client’s business. That’s a conversation most executives want to have.

3. Your competition is in the executive suite and you aren’t.

Can the competition get into the executive suite and take your account while you believe your relationship is strong at the operations level? Absolutely! Salespeople typically spend more time preparing for a prospect visit than for a current client visit. Don’t let over-familiarity lull you into understanding less about your client than your competitor does. Gain advantage and pull ahead of competitive threats by establishing a broad base of relationships that will preempt and neutralize competitive moves.

4. You have bought into "I make the final decision" when, in fact, you are hung up with someone who barely influences the decision.

Understand how your solution affects each level of responsibility within your client’s organization. It is only natural that you will interact at all levels to understand the full potential of your solution, and after the sale to assure that the full value of your solution is being achieved. Building these relationships as you gather information will ensure you are firmly grounded with those who are both impacted and influenced by the decision.

5. You’ve reached the person who holds the checkbook but you can’t build the financial case that person needs to make the buying decision.

The financial executive plays an increasingly central role in setting the strategy of the organization and how to fund the implementation of that strategy. Do not place the burden on your clients to translate your technical advantages into the financial impact of your solution. Involve them in your calculations; have them collaborate, and then adjust your assumptions. In the end, the client must "own" the justification. Be an advisor, not a sales rep. Position your solution as a strategic asset.

6. Third-party consultants are forcing you to compete on price when you know that the information on the value you would create for the client is not reaching the executive level in the client’s organization.

Recognize that you and the third-party consultants have the same client. Build the case for mutual gains with them by asking the questions they have not thought of asking. They will recognize the value you add to their position and invite you into the executive suite. Help third-party consultants manage a quality buying process that builds successful outcomes for them, for you, and for your clients.

7. Your convincing proposal wins the first round of approvals, but you find that the executive buy-in never happens. The executive had criteria on the table that you never tapped into, or even knew existed.

Engage executives early in the decision process to establish the criteria that create senior-level ownership. Build winning proposals that connect the business drivers at all levels of influence and decision. Ask the in-depth questions that have not occurred to your client. You should ask the questions that expose the risks inherent in a successful implementation of your solution. Executives are concerned about working with suppliers who truly understand their business, their customers’ demands, and their competitive landscape, as well as the challenges associated with the implementation. If you cannot speak to these issues, your time in the executive suite will be brief.

To help you get started in gaining access and communicating with credibility, here are three suggestions:

Understand the executive mindset.
Gain insight into how they think, what they expect, what makes them move forward, and how they drive management support. They are looking for ideas and resources to execute their strategy, and how to reduce risk and increase the probability of success.

Create compelling relevancy.
Build a value assumption that will connect your capabilities to the executive agenda and ensure you have strong executive-level sponsorship to prove or disprove the hypothesis.

Establish exceptional credibility.
Expected credibility is what you know about your solution. Exceptional credibility is what you know about your client’s business. Look at your words and your documents. Are they about you and your solution, or are they about your clients and their businesses?

When you understand the mindset of executives, connect to their agenda, and establish exceptional credibility, you will have meaningful conversations that often result in long-term and mutually beneficial relationships.

The Drill:

§ Identify situations where you are stuck and select which of the 7 Common Challenges apply.

§ Think about how you got there.

§ Put an action plan together to get out.

§ Call your Sales Evolution coach to confirm that’s the right plan and work on some specific tactics and language to raise the odds for your successful implementation.

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com…………………….. (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com…………………… (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ……………….. (215) 499-0499

Do you live in a world of Abundance or Scarcity? Do you believe you can get what you want out of life or is the game too hard? Do you think the only way to achieve your goals is at a penalty to others? Are you a "win-win" or "win-lose" person?

As we enter 2010 consider the following:

- The United States is the first nation in history where even the poor are overweight

- The US is a $13,000,000,000,000 economy (that’s Trillion)

- The US has more self-made millionaires than anywhere on earth; 1/3 of them went bankrupt at some point in their careers

- A recent National Spelling Bee champ came from an immigrant background and had to learn English

- People float on rafts across shark infested waters, secrete themselves in the wheel wells of jets, and otherwise risk death trying to get to America, the land of abundance. or are they trying to get to the land of scarcity?

Got the picture? If so, what is holding you back? You were born here, probably have a college education, speak the native tongue, live a reasonable existence, etc. Taking those things into account, what is your outlook? Do you truly believe you can have everything you want out of life or are you hunkered down and resistant to setting yourself free to going out and getting them? Are your concerns focused on what others may get or have, or what you can get or have if you do the things required to get them? As children we were all born with blank hard drives. Over the years we allowed them to fill up with negative images and fears. Can you "wipe the hard drive clean" and start over or are your attitudes which are nothing more than habits of thought, so hard wired they cannot be undone. Can you create new attitudes by establishing new, more positive, more powerful habits of thought?

By dint of the fact you receive the Monday Morning Drill you’ve likely distinguished yourself from the pack as there are few Prisoners in our programs. Still, are you motivated by an Abundance, "I can have anything I want because it is all out there to be had." mentality or operating from fear and a position of Scarcity?

Fear is the absence of Trust; is your challenge that you don’t trust yourself enough to take from the world that which you can earn and deserve through your own efforts? Or are you living in Fear? Why look at others with jealous and frustrated eyes, wondering "why not me?" Why not you, indeed? There is no point in worrying about what others may have or get; stay focused on you, because that is what you control.

We’re beginning a new year and everyone is starting off at ground zero. Remember, we live in the land of Opportunity and Abundance, a place where if you dream it you can make it happen. Begin your dreams with thoughts of Abundance; let lesser people wallow in Scarcity.

The Drill:

• Walk up to the mirror and ask yourself, "Abundance or Scarcity in 2010?"
• Now walk over to the keyboard and write down your Goals for 2010, define the obstacles to achieving them, and then define the solution to each obstacle
• Send them to us when you’re done
• Over the course of the year as we’re working together if we see you slipping into a Scarcity mentality, what should we say to you to bring you back to an Abundance mentality?

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com……………………. (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com………………….. (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ………………. (215) 499-0499

Richard is aggravated with his sales team. They are active, they are selling, sales are up but margins are down. The business model allows reps to be flexible in the field and sell at the prices they feel appropriate, but something is missing and Richard is unsure how to help his field reps get more margin. He doesn’t want to have to take back the ability to set pricing from the reps, but doesn’t know what information they need to be better at the task.

Margins are grown or lost through effective selling practices. Too many salespeople are dealing with the demon in their head whispering "you can’t charge that much, you’ll lose the business" or "that’s gouging the customer and they’ll be angry." Price is not an issue when the sales person to gets to the real emotional issues behind a customers interest

.

When sales people get caught reacting to the intellectual issues margin becomes more difficult to maintain. Buying is an emotional decision that is only justified by the exchange of intellectual information. Price becomes less of an issue when there is a more emotional connection to the need to relieve or avoid a problem. No one asks an ambulance driver for a quote before getting a ride to the hospital!

By developing the practice of allowing a prospect to discover the true cost of not changing, a sales professional will find that the margin grows and that the prospect understands why they are willing to accept that price. Sales amateurs can only get as far as discussing the intellectual issues such as the cost of doing business, the trouble with late deliveries, the loss of customers or similar "business" issues, the prospect will always ask for more of the salesperson’s margin. The most powerful intellectual issue most buyers are used to controlling is price.

Low margins more often than not are a symptom of an incomplete selling process. Get those dollars back on your side of the equation by taking the prospect all the way from intellectual business issues to the personal, emotional connection that really drive the decision making process. Then you’ll not only make the sale, but you’ll make it for higher margin than they would otherwise pay your competition.

The Drill:

• Be stronger than the Buyers; don’t wimp out before they do
• Slow down to go faster; find out why they really invited you in (hint: its not for a lower price, although they’re delighted to get one on top of the real reason, too)
• Draw a line in the sand and find out where they really stand (see first bullet)

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com……………………. (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com………………….. (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ………………. (215) 499-0499

www.salesevolution.com

www.linkedin.com/in/brynnetillman

By Jill Konrath, Contributing Editor, RainToday

Sometimes it’s just plain tough to get sales. There could be a hundred valid reasons why it’s happening: aggressive competitors, the economy, ornery clients, etc. Or, the problem could be of your own making.

It doesn’t much matter though when your goals seem unreachable and you don’t have a clue how to achieve them. Stuck is stuck. If you knew what to do, you’d have already taken action.

When you’re struggling, it doesn’t help to have your boss say, "You need more sales." Duh! Comments like that just add additional stress to the difficult situation.

Nor does it help to continually say, "I have to get more business" or "I must come up with a better plan." All that does is push the panic button.

Did you know these statements actually cause your brain to freeze up?

It’s true. They literally immobilize your creative juices, enabling you to see fewer solutions to your dilemma. Plus, the ideas you do come up with are typically stale (e.g., make more calls) and don’t give you an edge in the marketplace.

So, if you’re in a rut, what can you do? Or, if you have an audacious goal, how can you get there?

The Answer: Ask, "How Can I…?"

This is the start of a simple but powerful question that unlocks your thinking and enables you to see fresh perspectives where none existed before.

Look for different ways to finish the "How Can I" question. Play with it. Why? Because when you phrase the question in new ways, you’ll come up with different answers. For example, you might ask yourself:

· How can I increase my sales?

· How can I get bigger contracts?

· How can I focus on clients that are more profitable?

· How can I free up time to pursue more business?

· How can I leverage new offerings to get my foot in the door?

As you can see, each of these questions leads your thinking down a whole different pathway. And, instead of feeling like you’re carrying an insurmountable burden, suddenly the creative you jumps into action, ready to help you out. Your "oomph" returns, along with a whole slew of ideas.

Let me give you a couple ways I’ve used this "How Can I" strategy in my sales career.

Getting Out of a Slump

Much as I hated slumps, there were times when my pipeline at Xerox was nearly empty and I had no idea how I was going to make my quota. When that happened, I’d go to breakfast alone, carrying only a notebook and pen.

Over a couple hours discussion with myself, I’d pose and answer questions such as:

· How can I get more business from my existing clients?

· How can I find prospects that are ready to buy now?

· How can I leverage my relationships to find more opportunities?

At first, I’d jot down whatever thoughts came to mind. Then, I’d expand on each of the thoughts, adding more detail and flushing out the concept. Before leaving, I’d evaluate and prioritize the ideas and then create an action plan to move forward.

The best part of this process is that it was re-invigorating. Rather than feeling stumped or at the mercy of slow-moving decision makers, I felt empowered again. With a renewed sense of momentum and an action plan, I always got results. Big results.

…And speaking of "big," let me continue on that theme.

Creating an Entirely New Revenue Stream

Several years ago, I lost my two bread-and-butter clients when the investment community demanded better financial results. Both these firms immediately suspended all "extraneous" projects – which included all my work with them.

While in the process of rebuilding my business, I did some free consulting for a small magazine serving the entrepreneurial community. I became enamored with the vitality of these firms as well as their contribution to the economy.

But the failure rate was sky high. Good businesses being run by well-intentioned people were closing down because the founders didn’t understand how to sell. It about drove me crazy.

For months, I kept asking myself, "How can I share my expertise with these people and make some money doing it?"

It was a real conundrum. Most entrepreneurs don’t want to spend a ton of money on outside consultants. When they do hire one, they want to squeeze as much from this person as they can in the shortest possible time. With budgets a whole lot smaller than big companies, there wasn’t a lot of potential for add-on work either. In short, despite the apparent need, it didn’t look like a good business model for me.

But I kept the question open, choosing not to say ‘no’ yet. Instead, I kept researching and asking the question repeatedly – in multiple variations.

One day, the answer came to me: I’d create a website called Selling to Big Companies where I could give away lots of good sales advice for free. Plus, I could offer some premium content such as e-books, e-manuals and tele-seminars. While doing this, I could still serve my corporate clients.

I knew I’d finally hit on a viable business model, and, as they say, the rest is history.

Trust the Questions

It all starts with that "How Can I" question. Without a doubt, it’s the best strategy in the whole world for reaching your unreachable goals.

Over the years, I’ve come to trust this "How can I" strategy implicitly. Whenever I pose these questions to myself, the answers always come.

You can also invite others to help you answer your questions. Track down a top salesperson and ask for their insights: How can I be more successful? How can I close more business? Ask an entrepreneur: How can I create the company of my dreams? How can I get more done in the same amount of time?

The answers are already out there. You just need to ask the questions.

The Monday Morning Drill:

- How can I get more business from my existing clients?

- How can I find prospects that are ready to buy now?

- How can I leverage my relationships to find more opportunities?

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com…………………….. (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com…………………… (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ….. (215) 499-0499

This is the third MMD in a row dedicated to year end. Yeah, it’s that important. This one is from the President and CEO of Miller Heiman.

By Sam Reese

Miller Heiman President and CEO

The way I see it, the real end-of-the-year push starts in the third quarter. I remember competing in races consisting of quarter-mile laps, and the key to being a world-class miler lies in the third lap. That third lap puts you in a position to win. That’s where you build the mo­mentum you need to come out ahead in the fourth.

The same strategy holds true for selling-and manag­ing and motivating a sales team-through the end of the year: Start gearing up now to guarantee a strong finish. This is the time to prioritize. Just as important, this is the time to stay focused on the customer.

Following are seven steps to help you achieve both those goals-and, as a result, move toward hitting your milestones when the year comes to a close.

1. Identify and prioritize your best opportunities.

Too many sales executives make the mistake of giving in to their natural sense of urgency as the fourth quarter ap­proaches, insisting that their staffs try to close as many deals as possible before the year ends. Focusing on qual­ity, rather than quantity, is a far more effective approach. Sales organizations have to be especially careful about how they allocate their resources at this time. They need to make sure their salespeople are spending the right amount of time on the right deals.

That determination requires taking a systematic and collaborative approach to identifying the best opportu­nities, starting with the ones already in your sales fun­nel. Focus on those closest to your "sweet spot"-that is, the ones that best match your company’s target au­dience and your capabilities for delivering exactly what those customers need.

Then estimate the likelihood of closing each im­portant deal by year’s end. You need to really un­derstand what’s happening with your high-prior­ity deals. Take a look at where each of those deals is today and what you need to do to advance it. Working with facts rather than gut feelings, estimate the odds of closing the most promising deals by year’s end. For any given opportunity, is the likelihood 50 percent? Seventy-five percent? Ninety-five percent? Making such determinations will help you pinpoint the high-priority op­portunities and set the strategy to move them forward.

2. Know the business issues that key customers want to address.

Examine each deal not only from your own perspec­tive, but from your customer’s point of view. Figure out how urgent their issue is to them. You really can’t prioritize an existing opportunity if you don’t know the client’s concept-what they’re trying to fix, accomplish or avoid.

In fact, trying to move ahead without such knowledge is a common mistake, especially during the year-end push. Salespeople sometimes push too hard too early, trying to close the deal while the customer is still trying to figure out the problem. You have to address that is­sue first. You need to understand what exactly they’re trying to do and why. If you can’t quickly articulate the business issue they’re trying to address, you aren’t ready to close the deal.

If you’re trying to close customers when they still don’t know exactly what their problem is, it creates a big sense of dissonance. In other words, you might get the short-term gain of a quick sale, but possibly at the expense of jeopardizing future opportunities with that particular customer.

3. Align your sales process with your clients’ buy­ing processes.

It’s also important to understand each client’s decision-making process-who’s involved, who the key stake­holders are and who makes the final call. With that in­formation, you can understand the specific obstacles you’re facing, and you can figure out the specific ac­tions you need to take to overcome them. Then you can craft a plan to move the deal forward-again, focusing on the customer’s desired business results rather than on your own.

In the long run, trying to "jam" through a deal won’t benefit you or the customer. Don’t short-cut the sales process in order to try to expedite things. The sales process and the client’s buying process have to stay in alignment. If you lose the deal today, it also falls out of the pipeline for the future.

4. Always Be Creating.

It’s important to prospect for and develop new busi­ness throughout the second half, as opposed to just pushing through existing opportunities in hopes of hit­ting great year-end numbers. You still need to build a robust pipeline to next year.

That may seem like common sense, but it’s not all that common. Most people nod their heads and say, "Of course, we do that"-but few really do it. The ra­tionale: People assume that if they don’t close in the fourth quarter, the business will spill over into the fol­lowing year and they’ll have the whole first quarter to catch up. No wonder the second and third quarters are often weak.

Change the old sales cliché "ABC" from "Always Be Closing" to "Always Be Creating." Regardless of the time of year, all sales team members should constantly spend time working on new opportunities and relationships.

Develop some programs to keep the prospects grow­ing. Such initiatives aren’t necessarily formal, complex or time-consuming. They can be so simple. Just en­courage people to schedule a little time specifically for identifying new opportunities-even just two hours a week. Then make sure sales managers have good systems in place for talking about those efforts-not necessarily official reports, but regularly scheduled discussions about how and when to proceed.

5. Remember your existing customers.

Everyone knows that it takes far more time and energy to develop a new customer than to keep one you’ve already got. But it’s surprising how often salespeople forget that in their dash to the fourth-quarter finish line. People often get so busy with new deals that they for­get about their largest existing customers. But, it’s very important to remember your biggest clients as you push toward the end of the year.

Why bother, if they’re already your best custom­ers? As you continue to strengthen those relation­ships, other opportunities will start to emerge. Mean­while, letting your biggest clients coast puts those relationships at risk.

For those reasons, sales organizations should con­stantly assess the value they’re providing to their best clients. That way, they can suggest additional solutions that solve those clients’ problems or help them achieve their goals. When you do that, you be­come a trusted advisor rather than just a provider of goods or services-and that’s likely to pay off witheven more business.

One way to gain deeper knowledge about your best clients: Collaborate with colleagues in other depart­ments who also deal with them. They can help you de­velop comprehensive profiles of those accounts that will, in turn, let you get a better handle on what those customers need-perhaps even before the customers know themselves.

6. Involve and engage your salespeople.

In discussing how managers can keep their employees growing as they push toward the fourth quarter, there are three key sales process categories:

. Identifying and creating opportunities

. Pursuing existing opportunities

. Managing important relationships

At one time or another, everyone on the sales team should get experience with all those processes. Rather than risk having people become stagnant or too spe­cialized, let them spread their wings: Mixing up those activities from time to time will create freshness and prompt some creative new thinking.

7. Rekindle the passion.

Contests, bonuses and other incentives are time-hon­ored traditions for motivating salespeople. However, all too often, such activities fall under the heading of "hy­giene factors"-that is, they’re nice to have and may even work to some extent. But such short-term initia­tives aren’t the most effective way to generate long-term momentum and drive results.

Instead, tap into salespeople’s core values to remind them what about the profession excites them: helping customers solve problems and achieve, even exceed their goals. Salespeople need to get back the passion for what they do, and for understanding what their cli­ents are trying to do and how they can help them.

I’m meeting with my own sales vice presidents this week. The only thing on the agenda, all we’ll be talking about, is their customers. I want to know everything about their customers: What are they using us for? Why are they excited about doing business with us? Who else like them might want to do business with us, too?

Such discussions should go a long way toward firing up any good sales team: After all, if you can’t get ex­cited about answering those kinds of questions, you’re probably in the wrong business.

The Monday Morning Drill:

· Are you ready for 2010?

· What preparation have you made for the upcoming year?

· If you’re not ready how can we help you get ready?

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com…………………….. (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com…………………… (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ….. (215) 499-0499

www.salesevolution.com

Crystal Ball Time

Will had already gone through the usual year end gyrations that required him to get out his crystal ball and "forecast" what his sales would look like for next year. Despite the fact that a large portion of his sales came from repeat (evergreen) clients, he still had to figure out where the growth would come from. Worse yet, he was scared to death that the loss of a key account would completely derail his plans. Management has given him some target accounts, and also asked him to focus on certain lines, but he was still nervous about how he could make all this happen. He knew he had to get out to a fast start but just wasn’t sure on how to go about it.

Will’s dilemma isn’t unusual for those reps that haven’t taken the time to get their clients to help them with next year’s planning. The pressure he feels is because he is playing a guessing game, and can only hope that he’ll catch a break somewhere that will make his year. Although he’s been active in the field, he really doesn’t know what kind of plans his clients might have for the coming year.

There’s nothing wrong with involving your clients in your planning and doing a bit of prospecting at the same time. Randy needs to step back and ask his clients about the big picture so that he knows where to play offense or defense. Build your own variations of these ideas:

• In 2009 we did $_____ amount of business together and I’m wondering if we should expect anything different next year? If yes, why do you say that?
• My guess is there is no way it could happen, but if you were me and you wanted to put a plan in place to do ___% of this year’s business in ’10, what would it look like?
• Are there any items you’re currently buying from someone where you don’t really care where you get them from or maybe it’s the only thing you buy from them and we could add it to our list of things to talk about?
• Can I ask you something you’ll probably think is crazy? Am I wrong or is there no way we could put a plan together for next year that didn’t involve price where you’d place $____ amount of business with us?
• What have you got on your desk for ’10 that drove you crazy last year and maybe we could talk about how to keep it from happening again?
• Based on your planning for next year, should we be looking at anything different from ’10? Is there anything you know that we maybe we don’t know that would have an impact on our business together?
• If you gave report cards to your business partners how would we score? What grade would we get? Other than lowering the price, what would you like to see to make you comfortable to give us an "A"?
• This might sound crazy, but in all the time I’ve called on you there’s one question I never asked: What would have to happen for us to lose you?
• If my manager asks me what to expect for next year, what should I tell him?

The Drill

• Which accounts are you most afraid of losing and what have you done to find out what their plans are for you?
• Which accounts have the biggest potential and what have you done to see if there is a "big picture" that would help your plans?
• Which are the accounts where you will have "the conversation"?

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com…………………….. (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com…………………… (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ….. (215) 499-0499

Christine is having one of those days where she is suddenly worried about her sales numbers for the year. Without any warning, two of her biggest accounts have just informed her they are switching to another vendor. All of this comes as a great surprise and she knows these events will create an interruption of cash flow, make quota look impossible and set in motion a whirlwind of damage control, finger pointing and endless post mortems.

By the time this happens the account is usually well past the point of recovery. They have worked their way through the defection process right in front of us without our even seeing it. Management’s response is to give in to major demands, blame the sales team or write them off as a "bad customer". Christine just isn’t willing to admit that she and her team ignored all the signals and let complacency dictate their approach.

Be on guard for the following progression:

Step 1: There is an Event or catalyst that starts the defection model in motion.

• Lack of response to a problem or complaint
• Competition knocking at their door
• Change in Management or Decision team
• Indifference on the part of the sales or customer service rep
• Poorly planned sales meetings; not talking about their goals or changes at their company

Step 2: Client Thought Process:

• Is this just the tip of the iceberg?
• Why do they fight us on everything?
• Maybe I should be looking at other options
• Their agenda always seems more important than ours
• I deserve more respect than this

Step 3: They begin an Investigation process and:

• Request copies of contracts and ask about renewal dates
• Start making unreasonable complaints (looking for a reason to quit)
• Stall on renewal or add on services
• Don’t return phone calls
• Make no requests for service or follow up
• Seriously consider the alternatives and the competition

Step 4: Deciding whether or not to defect, they:

• Keep it on the "QT"
• Plan their exit strategy
• Prepare to SPIN their reasons for leaving
• Build their case against you
• Make the Announcement
• Make it Official

If you are alert and take corrective action in step one and two, your chances of saving the account are good. Once they move to step three your success rate drops significantly and by step four it’s over.

Take a look at your accounts; take their pulse and temperature to make sure this doesn’t happen to you. Where are they on the 1 to 10 scale? Have you asked "What do we have to do to lose you?" Have you put the "In the Ways" in the way? Have you talked to the account about your what’s beneath the water line?

The Drill:

• Look at your Top 10 existing accounts and ask yourself if you really truly know what they are thinking and what the real truth looks like
• Use the opportunity to talk about their plans for next year
• Ask for additional opportunities

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com…………………….. (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com…………………… (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ….. (215) 499-0499

Fad Diets

The Drill:

Turn on the TV or pick up a magazine and you’re sure to see an article or advertisement touting the latest fad diet. Let another week or month go by and bingo, there’s another one. South Beach Diet, No Carb diet, Low Carb diet, Scarsdale Diet, Grapefruit diet, Nutri-System, and Weight Watchers just to name a few. Walk down the aisles of your grocery store and more of the same. Eat this, don’t eat that; the new fad diet of the week just keeps on coming.

Everyone knows how to lose weight and the concept is pretty basic. Eat less, exercise more. Simple idea but not so easy to do, especially in America. (Did you know America is the first country on earth where poor people are fat?) In fact, the simplicity of how to lose weight is what drives people crazy. Knowing what to do forces the recognition that their weight is under their own control; OUCH! It’s easier to try the latest fad and blame the failure on the diet than to accept personal responsibility for one’s own actions and doing what is inherently known to be right, eat less and exercise more.

Where are you going with this Scott? Well, the same thing sometimes happens with the Guess Free Selling sales training program. Someone sits in on a training class to evaluate the program in exchange for a Decision on whether or not to move forward, and every now and again they’ll say “No thanks, Guess Free Selling isn’t new or revolutionary and that’s what I was looking for.”

These folks are entirely correct: there really isn’t anything new or revolutionary in Guess Free Selling or any other sales methodology for that matter. What we call Relationship Management others call Bond and Rapport; Expectation is Setting the Table; Investigation is Qualifying or Discovery, etc. To complicate matters further most of the competing systems are very good. The challenge for a salesperson is how to implement a process consistently and effectively, and more importantly how to deal with the side of Relationship Management that no system deals with very well, the Relationship you have with yourself that keeps you from asking the questions you know need asked (but you can’t), say the things you should say (but you can’t), have the courage to walk away from bad deals (but you can’t), not care about making ANY sale but focusing on doing the things that lead to sales (but you can’t), etc.

Like a Fad Dieter, those who are looking for a simple and easy fix aren’t really committed and therefore unlikely to raise their sales performance. Being the best requires openness and honesty with yourself, and a large dose of Personal Leadership. At best they’ll be “good enough” or an “at least-er” but never achieve their true potential and generate the life changing income they could if they were brave enough to behave differently and change. In sales, as in dieting, everyone knows WHAT to do; how many DO it? Not many. Are you one of the few?

The people that do best in GFS are those few committed individuals who recognize that you can’t be the best in selling unless you work hard and practice; it doesn’t come out of a bottle or from a pill. Becoming a skilled practitioner of Guess Free Selling allows you to achieve significantly higher levels of success and income as you get better and better at your craft, but it’s not a Fad Diet.

The Monday Morning Drill

• Look in the mirror and ask yourself if you are in control of your destiny or a victim of circumstance?
• Are you a Prisoner, Vacationer, or True Learner?
• If you truly “WANT” more income and success are you willing to DO what it takes to get it?

Let us know.

Good Selling. Click on a coach below for email replies, or call with questions or comments.

lisa@salesevolution.com……………………… (215) 283-4848

scott@salesevolution.com……………………. (610) 353-8686

brynne@salesevolution.com ……………. (215) 499-0499

By Chris Randolph

We, as professional salespeople, thrive on success in our fields, right? Most of us in this noble profession have found ourselves in a “sales slump” or in a “sales plateau.” We know what these situations are, right? A “sales slump” is where we can’t even sell someone water in the middle of the desert. A “sales plateau” is where our numbers have stopped climbing (regardless of the volume) and we’re maintaining the numbers at a certain level and we aren’t able to make more sales.

Major Reason #1: You v. Them

In our line of work, we have to make sure that we focus on our prospects rather than ourselves. Our prospects are bombarded with sales messages, sales presentations and solicitations. What makes you with your product or service stand out? Prospects can “smell” when all they are is a commission check to you. It comes across in your demeanor. The more likely they are to sense this from you, the less likely you are going to make a sale.

Ask yourself these questions:

• “What are their primary problems, fears, challenges, questions, needs and wants?”
• “Why should the prospect get my product or service?”
• “How can I get my prospect to think of me as an advocate?”

Put yourself in the position where you and your prospect are on the same side or team. Put their interests first and position yourself as a consultant with a solution for them rather than simply a salesperson trying to sell them something. Your job is not to sell them, but to help them buy.

Major Reason #2: Unfavorable Timing

One of the biggest single reasons why our prospects end up buying elsewhere is timing. It may not be the best time for a conversation or a presentation, or it may not be useful at this time or it simply isn’t in the budget right now.

Most sales gurus would say that you didn’t do your job or didn’t build enough value. While this might be true, we’re talking about cases in which we know that the prospect is the right customer for us. We have to consider that they didn’t wake up this morning and say, “I have get the widget from Chris if he calls up today.”

What I’m saying is that we always have to know what our next step is. Not only that, our prospect must also be aware of what the next step is and he or she has to be on the same page.

Major Reason #3: Lack of Follow Up

Sometimes it’s necessary to make multiple contacts to bring your prospects to the point of closing the sale. Don’t fall into the “one-call guy” category.

There is a difference between professionally persistent follow-up and deluding ourselves with the “maybe’s.” Don’t fool yourself by thinking that a “maybe” is actually a “yes.” You may be in situations where the prospects aren’t able to give you a firm and concrete “no” and they don’t want to hurt your feelings, or make themselves feel bad by rejecting you. The important part is to be aware of this.

Please don’t rely solely on your memory; it’s not 100 percent reliable. Use a system for your follow-ups. It could be something as simple as index cards in a recipe box, or a simple scheduler like Outlook, or a full-blown contact and database management program like ACT! or Goldmine.

When you tell your prospect that you’re going to follow up and you actually do it, it creates the feeling that they are dealing with a stable, consistent company and a professionally proficient individual who is going to be around for the long term.

Major Reason #4: Lack of Originality

Do you want to be the same as everyone else out there or do you prefer to stand out? You, as a sales professional, have to give your prospects a reason to deal with you and your company rather than with your competitor.

Psychologically, our brains are wired to ignore or filter out information that’s similar to what we already know. We tend to pay attention to something that’s new or different.

Your core message has to be different from everything else that’s bombarding your prospects. What makes you different? Is it the pricing, the warranty, the solution, the application or ease of use?

Most salespeople are content to go with the flow and the status quo because it makes them feel safe. This is dangerous because it causes the prospect to think, “Well this guy is the same as everyone else. I’ll make a decision on price.”

Major Reason #5: Inconsistencies

The mark of an unsuccessful or unprofessional salesperson is inconsistencies. Your message, presentation, conversation and materials have to be consistent throughout the process. Any inconsistencies will raise red flags.

You must decide the message you want to portray and stick with that. Any mixed messages or efforts to communicate too many messages at the same time will be the kiss of death for that sale.

Remember… “The confused mind does not buy.”

Major Reason # 6: Not Analyzing Data

Are you targeting the right prospects, the best ones that are a match for your product or service? When you find a niche, exhaust it!

Analyze your current prospects and your current customer list. If there is a propensity for one or two types of companies or industries that are gravitating toward your product or service, then sell to all of them!

The key to successful selling is finding someone who has a need or want (whether they realize it or not) and fulfilling that need or want. Don’t spend unnecessary time, money and other resources chasing everything. Determine a clear customer profile and dig in and attack it.

Major Reason #7: Lack of Confidence

Have confidence in yourself, your abilities, your company, your product and service. Confidence (not arrogance) is the key. It’s the main difference between dismal failure and resounding success. Take a look around you at the people you work with. Who are the most successful sales professionals in your office? Is it the ones who are always second-guessing themselves, who get freaked out by customers’ questions and objections? Of course not.

Confidence, to me, is defined as the belief in yourself and your ability to create the need and desire for the product you’re selling.

So how do you get this magic thing called “confidence?”

You do it by preparation. Prepare your skills and your mind. Be sure of your company, product and service. Your company provides a great product at a fair price and backs it up with great service.

Article excerpted and adapted from www.articlecity.com.

About the Author:
Chris Randolph is the author of The Sales Edge, and is an entrepreneur, a keynote speaker, and a sales trainer and coach. As a speaker, Randolph has shared his techniques, strategies and ideas with over 200,000 professionals.

www.linkedin.com/in/brynnetillman

Brynne Tillman has joined Sales Evolution as a Sales Trainer & Coach.

Brynne has over 18 years in business development, script and process development and sales training. She has created and taught lead generation and client acquisition programs for many companies, including Dun and Bradstreet, Progress Leasing, Kinko’s and Vantage Point Bank.

Brynne is the Founder and President of Contact Point Networking Group. She is a natural networker whose passion is connecting businesses to help grow local commerce. Her primary focus is coaching sales teams, non-selling professionals who are responsible for client acquisition, and small business owners. She enjoys helping clients to develop their sales and networking plan, strategies, implementation and measuring process.

Through the Sales Evolution Guess Free Selling Program, Brynne will help clients reach their financial goals.

Brynne also teaches prospecting through social networking, business-to-business networking and creation of a warm referral program. She serves on many committees with local organizations, including business alliances and chambers of commerce. Brynne also promotes small businesses and entrepreneurs by assisting them in marketing opportunities and helping them maximize their personal network.