During a sales call, do you explain the key features and unique aspects of your product or service, only to find yourself handling an objection for every point you make? Do you "overcome" each objection only to have another one leveled at you?

Do you expertly present your industry and product knowledge to capture prospects' interest and create enthusiasm, but still have to deal with delays and put-offs?

At the end of your sales call, do your prospects know more about you and your product than you know about them?

If you answered yes to any of these, then it is likely that you are sabotaging your own sales efforts. Here's one thing you can do to start regaining control of the process. Don't be so quick to educate your prospects. Learn to ask questions and gather information first. There will be plenty of time later to educate them if they qualify for an eventual presentation.

Remember that your ultimate success in sales has a lot more to do with how much information you get than how much you give.

Wishing you Good Selling.
Jeremy Rawitz
jr@salesstrategycorp.com
347-385-8500

Copyright Sandler Sales Institute.

Action: Rushing through your planned presentation is not advisable. You're likely to miss some points and still run out of time. Questioning the prospect's commitment to make a decision may be appropriate, but is likely to put him on the defensive. So, the best course of action is to express your concern about not having enough time to cover all the issues they wanted covered and suggest the presentation be rescheduled for another time when he knows his schedule won't be disrupted.

Situation: You have been developing a selling opportunity for several weeks. Your prospect, the owner of the company and the decision maker, has told you exactly what he needs to see and hear from you to be able to make a decision. He has also agreed to a 90-minute meeting-the amount of time you feel is necessary in order to make an appropriate presentation. You arrive at the presentation meeting as planned. After a few pleasantries, the prospect informs you that something has come up and his schedule is a bit tight. He only has about 45 minutes for the meeting. What should you do?

• Express you understanding of his situation and proceed with you presentation at an accelerated pace in order to present all the information you planned to present.
• Question his commitment to fairly judging your presentation and making a decision since he has cut in half the amount of time for your presentation.
• Point out that 45 minutes will not be enough time to cover all the issues he told you he needed covered in order to make a decision and suggest that the meeting be rescheduled.

Answer later today:

Jeremy Rawitz

jr@salesstrategycorp.com

347-385-8500

 

There is an old adage about referrals. One third of your clients will provide you with referrals without asking them. One third will provide referrals but are waiting for you to ask them and one third are reluctant or will not provide referrals. The most important thing when asking for referrals is to know how to ask. We will address strategies for asking tomorrow. Knowing when to ask is also critical. Ask when value has been recieved and recognized for you product or service. Seek this out through value statements. It is important to ask if your client is happy with the work you have done and they tell you so. Then we can ask permission to discuss referrals. (How to ask permission is tomorrow's topic). Failure to ask for referrals is a mistake you cannot afford to make. Here is your assignment. Make a list of clients who you have not asked for a referral and have it ready tomorrow.
Jeremy Rawitz
Sandler Sales Institute
jr@salesstrategycorp.com
347-385-8500

Imagine a prospect says, "I'm interested in your product, but your price is too high. I need you to sharpen your pencil."

Here's how most salespeople respond: "I'm glad you're interested. Let me ask you this... where do we need to be to win your business?" or something like that.

Did you see what just happened???? The salesperson just told the prospect (or certainly strongly IMPLIED) that the price is NOT the price, that the price is negotiable!

Next time, do what the title of this blog says... go for the NO. Start by standing your ground, planting your feet. The right kind of negotiation -- a win-win negotiation -- really begins when we say, "Hmmm. It looks like there might not be a fit. What do you think we should do?"

I could go on and on with this negotiation stuff, but not tonight... Rich Isaac