Is your business different from all other businesses? Probably so, if you are an owner your business will take on your personality and beliefs. If you work for someone else the actions you take within that business will take on some of your beliefs and personality as well.

Is the selling process different? Certainly some differences in market, customers, and industry specific stuff, but selling your product or service is exactly the same as any other business. We find out what your prospects need, how bad they need it, what they can pay for it, and how they will make a decision.

When hearing about a success in another business, most salespeople have found themselves thinking or saying, "That may work in other businesses, but not mine." Don't ever let yourself fall into this trap. This is generally nothing more than an excuse not to change. Are there differences in a business? Sure there are, but when it comes to selling, the process is the same for most of us. Find prospects, manage pipeline, win business, and retain clients. No matter what you are selling this is probably your outline.

Within this process there are many successful strategies and techniques. Don't ignore any of these by using the excuse that your business or industry is different or that a certain strategy or technique "wouldn't work for you".

Why is this a dangerous myth? It is dangerous because we act on our beliefs. Beliefs, whether positive or negative, will determine action. A belief that our business is unique is a license to stagnate. It gets us into a habit of making excuses for not being as successful as we can be. Instead of looking to excel, we start to look for reasons why we can't excel. If you do what you have always done, you will get what you have always gotten. If you come across techniques that are working for others, adopt them. It might take some tweaking to fit directly in your business or industry, but try it.

Don't allow yourself to believe your selling situation is unique. People buy for the same general reasons: either to get more of what they want more of, or get rid of what they want less of. All this myth accomplishes is cutting you off from useful strategies. Instead, find ways to tweak any good strategy you come across to fit perfectly to your business or industry. A belief that your business is completely unique only offers the benefit of deceiving yourself in an effort to make convincing excuses.

Jeremy Rawitz

Sandler Sales Institute

jr@salesstrategycorp.com

If you think about it, we all have a methodology for making a decision. How often does that methodology include sharing all of your information with a salesperson? If you are like most, we play our cards close to the vest with sales people. We just want to make sure, WE MAKE THE BEST BUYING DECISION RATHER THAN A SALES PERSON SELLING US SOMETHING.

As a salesperson, we should recognize this fact and help prospects make decisions rather than "try" to sell our product or service. How do you do this today?

Many salespeople assume that the buyer has the same expectations that they do. They tell the prospect about their product or service, see if there is a fit, and then they sell the product. Problems can arise from this because the buyer often has an agenda that rarely matches the salesperson's agenda.

The buyer is looking out for his own best interest and often views the salesperson as a threat. It's not uncommon for buyers to think that salespeople are trying to convince them to buy the most expensive product they have. When they feel this way, their goal is to undermine the salesperson by proving that they don't need the product or service.

To avoid this problem, set expectations early with your prospect to ensure that you are both on the same page.

Many salespeople feel they can't just lay out an agenda and expectations because they fear it will upset the prospect (or scare him off).

To put him more at ease, tell him that you want to speak with him about your sales process. Invite him to share his agenda so that you have an idea of what he wants to cover. This enables both of you to create an outline that satisfies both parties. Instead of the prospect looking to find a hidden agenda, he is following a plan the two of you have set. You become teammates working together to satisfy a common goal – to discover whether or not your product or service is a good fit.

Jeremy Rawitz

Sales Strategy Corp.

 jr@salesstrategycorp.com

When we lose a deal, whose fault is it? In the Sandler world there is only one person to blame, the sales rep. We believe there are no bad prospects, just bad sales people. We believe sales people don't get thrown out they bail out. We believe that by doing our job up front, with a systematic approach, we always are in control of the process.

Does it mean we never lose a deal, "No". But it does mean that we live in a system that keeps us in control and helps the buyer make the best decision for their needs.

Are you using a sales system, or just reacting to the buyers system?

You invested a lot of time and energy putting together a presentation of your product or service. You made your presentation and dotted all the "i"s, crossed all the "t"s, covered all the bases, and answered all the prospect's questions. But, instead of a buying decision, you only received a stall, a put-off, or a request for some concession. At whom do you point the finger of blame?

You could blame the prospect for being indecisive or dragging his feet. You could surmise that a competitor made an eleventh-hour concession that undercut your offering. You might even suspect that the prospect used you to gather current information to use as leverage with his existing supplier. Any one of those situations may have occurred. But, isn't that what buyers are supposed to do...negotiate or hold out for what they believe to be the bast deal?

Rather than assigning blame, take responsibility for determining exactly what the prospect needs to see or hear to be comfortable giving you the business before you even begin to work on your presentation. Get the prospect to paint a picture of the "best" deal. Then get a commitment as to exactly what will happen when you come back with a presentation that exactly matches the picture. If the prospect is unwilling to commit to a buying decision, then it's most likely not in your best interest to pursue the opportunity.

Jeremy Rawitz

Sales Strategy Corp.

347-385-8500

jr@salesstrategycorp.com