The rules are changing. We are at the beginning of a new paradigm for the field salesperson. The new paradigm is this: Today, not only must the product or service bring value to the customer, but the time you spend with the customer must also be of value to him or her. In this article,…
You need to ask questions to start a sale, but you need to ask the right questions to close one. Unless you learn to probe and clarify throughout the entire sales process, you’ll never uncover a prospect’s hidden objections. Uncovering the information you need can be difficult. Here are the four basic barriers and how…
A salesperson I know recently walked into a client’s office he had visited often. Everything seemed the same as usual. But he quickly sensed something was wrong. When the client told him they had decided to pass on his latest proposal, he was not surprised. He’d been warned by the staff’s body language.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful to glide through objections easily, comfortably and with success? Objections are the bane of most financial advisors and salespeople. Unfortunately, there is no way to avoid them – you must answer them satisfactorily to close the sale. However, objections are not insurmountable – they are hurdles, not walls. With the right…
Have you ever had a hard time persuading people to see your point of view, to do something for you, or to sell them a product or service? Most of us have. But you can learn to be a powerful persuader by becoming a “persuasion detective.” Successful detectives both ask smart questions and listen very…
There is so much emphasis placed on probing, but so little time spent doing it. I have video taped over 1,000 sales interviews and only one person had an accurate perception of what percentage of time he spent actually probing and listening. The other 999+ felt they were asking and listening over 60 percent of…
The average producer is literally wasting tens of thousands of dollars a year quoting on accounts they have either little chance of writing or shouldn’t even be trying to write. Why? Simple. They have no real clue how much their time is worth, how much of it they waste, how many accounts they solicit with…
The more your customer trusts you, the less risk your customer feels in dealing with you, and the less time necessary to invest in understanding the product, service or program you are offering. From the customer’s perspective, it’s easier and less risky to deal with someone you trust than with someone you don’t. And that…
One or more of your salespeople has leveled off. Their performance hasn’t improved much in the last few years. Where before you were able to count on significant increases each year, now you cannot. You know that these experienced salespeople can do better, but they seem unable or unwilling to break out of a certain…
How many of you are driving used Yugos? Or wearing a suit you bought at a garage sale? Or watching an 8-inch black & white TV? You’ve got the picture. You don’t always buy on the basis of low price, so why should you think that all your customers do? The truth is, they don’t.…
