Empathy - Inside the Mind of the Sales Prospect

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We've done some study to help you understand how your sales prospects process information, how they will react to your personality, and how they will make decisions. We've outlined seven clearly identifiable personality types, and carefully analysed the three that you'll encounter most frequently. We call this summary the Thought Map, and it's one of the most advanced weapons in the sales guerrilla's bag of tricks.

Most of us adopt one of these phases as our primary personality genre, but we may shift from one phase to another, depending on the relationship, the environment, or stressors. Whenever people interact, they invariably do so from one of these phases.

Let's look at an example. A senior superannuation salesman, and a sales guerrilla at heart, was introducing a new superannuation plan to employees of a northern Queensland city, but he couldn't seem to generate much interest. The fund was good, and this sales professional had worked long and smart to get it approved by the local government.

During the enrollment period, he sat in a small room in the local government office waiting for the staff to come by to hear about the new plan and sign up for it. In the first week, only five people came to hear the offer.

The first employee was so shy she hardly said a word. She sat with legs crossed, hands folded in her lap, and listened to the presentation. She didn't ask a single question or even offer her name, let alone sign up. She seemed afraid of meeting any stranger. "My manager asked me to come over and pick up some brochures," she said as she left.

The next was aggressive and evasive. She asked pointed questions about dividends and rates of return, then stared out the window as he answered. She expressed concern at "being sold a bill of goods," but she was certain she knew how to deal with salespeople. "I'd look like an idiot," she said, "if I signed up for something like this without analysing it thoroughly." She took the brochures and left.

A third employee was polite and seemed to take a sincere interest, nodding his head in agreement with everything. He was a gentleman, agreeing that it was a good investment, and that he had a real need. He even showed the sales guerrilla pictures of his family, and talked about his plans for the future. He was very apologetic in the end, but he didn't sign up. From his objections and questions, it was obvious that he really hadn't heard half the pitch.

The fourth was direct and distant, as if the only reason he was there was that he'd been told to go. He wanted facts and figures, not the big picture of a comfortable retirement he was hearing. "How do I know that this is the best plan available? What guarantee do I have that your company will achieve this rate of return?" he asked. He challenged the company's track record and the salesperson's credibility.

The fifth employee was nice. She seemed confident, relaxed, and genuine. She asked relevant questions, listened attentively, and, to her ultimate benefit, she signed up. As she was filling out the application forms, the sales guerrilla wondered what made this person so unique.

He asked other employees about her. Everyone who worked with her talked about how good they feel when she was around. She's always fair, they said, and she cares about people and their work, and she shows it. She's always willing to do her fair share of the work, and more. The guerrilla was beginning to understand. With her view of the world, he could see why she was able to recognise the benefits of the new plan without feeling anxious about the salesperson's reaction.

The salesman decided to follow her example. If I were really committed to being fair, caring, and sharing, he wondered, what would be the fairest way to get this information to all the staff, to show them that we care about their quality of life after retirement?

That gave him an idea. It would be unfair, and perhaps even unlawful, if all the employees were not given an equal opportunity to learn about the plan and a chance to accept or reject it. He raised this question with the HR Manager. The HR Manager agreed, and issued a memo via e-mail to all employees.

Everyone would be required to attend a group meeting in a meeting room where they could hear the whole presentation and ask questions. After the meeting they could either sign up to the new plan or sign a waiver saying that they had heard a complete explanation and decided to decline.

With this new strategy, over 70 percent of eligible staff enrolled in three weeks. The salesman repeated this approach in other towns all over Queensland. His fair-for-all-concerned approach increased sales dramatically, rocketing him to top producer in his company.

By observing one of the principles by which guerrillas operate, this salesman was able to find an unorthodox way to deliver his message to a large number of prospects, and discovered greater personal and financial success. He started to wonder if there was a way to be more effective with prospects like the first four he had met.

Effective Sales Training Begins by Defining Your Desired Results

Please read Tommy Smith's article on effective sales training and let us know through our comment section if you have tried anything similar at your Call Center and what your results were. We are always looking for feedback.

Tommy Smith

Before you can begin to effectively train your sales team, you must first comprehend what you are trying to accomplish. You need to know exactly where your numbers are, and where you want them to be. If you are going to truly understand your figures, you need to know where they have been, and where they are projected to be. If there is a trend, this is where you need to modify things. Start by making a list.

For example, you review your last 5 years of sales, and every year in September, your profits plummet. Every year in April, they sky rocket. What is the cause, what are the main differences in these two times? You can definitely say that there needs to be an extra emphasis on September. Now you will need to look at why September is not as successful. Number one on your list is "September".

Under September there should be smaller subcategories. These would entail the things you presume to be the issue. Next to each item is a projected resolution. This list will then serve as an outline when reviewing your desired results. Be sure to keep this list in order of importance. Priority is a must.

You have now determined one of your main desired results is increasing profits in September. Look at your sales staff, when is the last time they were "pumped up". The best way to get your team motivated is to motivate them. If you want your training to be effective, make it fun, not as though they have been under performing. By utilizing a list you can mentally or physically cross off each item as you have resolved it. Do not however, assume that because you believe you have a solution that it will be the correct one. If you have to retrain your sales force in 6 months, this list is a great reference. What worked, what didn't? This will help you to obtain your weaknesses.

Keep your goals realistic. You cannot set personal or professional goals that are unobtainable. You are setting yourself and your team up for failure. Write these down also, this way when you meet or exceed your goal, it gets crossed off. Your lists may in turn look similar, but they are different. The desired results list will contain how to reach your goal; the goal list will contain what the specific goal is. In order to get to a point, you don't need to know only what that point is, but also how to get there.

By creating these lists, it allows you to take a step-by-step approach to your desired results. You can visibly see where you are, and where you need to be. This is a business "map" to show you how to get to your desired results. If the training is not effective in a certain situation, circle it in red, you now know there is a problem. Try a new solution, or reference someone who specializes solely in that particular aspect. This way you are not paying someone for unnecessary knowledge. Most importantly, reward your team when they obtain one of your goals. It will make them strive to achieve the rest.

Tommy Smith is the lead content writer about sales training. To find out who is Americas Greatest Sales Trainer check out this site.

Turn That NO Into a YES Sale

The inception of the Offshore Business Process Outsourcing and Call Center Industry produced a sales-driven throng cluster of professionals from different age-groups of employees. Customer Service Representatives and telemarketers require great skills, attitude and energy to carry on tasks at night.

Call it a tough job because it demands having strong sales skills. Of course, we all know that right mind-set and liveliness are the key essentials while taking calls but indisputably so does sales skills.

Whether you're dealing with a cranky and irate prospect or a calm yet prying customer, the main perspective stay the same. Here are four attributes you could develop:

1. Confidence and belief in your service and product. Hold faith in yourself to turn that No into a Yes. Never entertain hesitation in your mind that the customer sooner or later will say "Yes" to you because of who you are, what you have for them, and what you can offer them to solve their problem. Passionate interest in what you are doing is infectious which gives you affirmative direction and drive.

2. Make your service or products' value known to your customers. Become aware of your customer's surroundings, understand and comprehend your service and products very well; surely, you will get past your customer's tests. With a deep service or product knowledge helps you let the value of the opportunity be understood by the customer. The way you relate your idea back to the customer's wants and needs expresses that value also through your physical energy and voice which get across as confidence to the caller or customer, making the customer feel comfortable, eliminate doubts, and come straight as a yes.

3. Emphasize your difference and let it shine. Set yourself apart with the customer in at least three means. Distinguishing yourself is not enough. Make the customer know why your solutions are so unique and how they support his business goals. If you know what makes the customer tick and what his key needs are, the customer will better understand the value of your uniqueness and how it will help his company. This will give the prospective customer a comfortable answer other than "no" and grounds to do business with you. Find another approach to get past that "no."

4. Determination. Belief in yourself, focus on the value you bring to customers, and when you have a strong distinguishing factor, then determination and firmness comes naturally. When a customer says "I don't have time to hear you sell," or "I'm in hurry," or "Thanks, but we're all set," or "Sorry, it's not in our budget right now," you can reply with "Share 10 minutes with me. If I don't show you something of tremendous value in that time, I'll never call you again."

It is truly an honor and pride for a telemarketer to turn "no" into a "yes." The qualities listed here, with immense belief in one's self is the most important of all. Skills and attitude are necessary but belief weighs the most. "There's just no substitute for that core of belief to get past the "no" every time."

It was about two years ago when she learned that she can earn money at the comfort of her own home. Her courage and perseverance helped her succeed in the field of internet marketing.

Visit http://www.u-gotcash.com to learn more about making money at home.

Are You Serious About Growing And Retaining Your Direct Sales Team?

By Jackie Prehn

As a direct sales leader, you look for every tip and technique to train, recognize, inform and motivate your team members. By far, the best tool to achieve these goals is through a monthly team newsletter. If you are consistently incorporating a team newsletter into your monthly team communication, then you are a serious leader intent on growing and retaining your team. If you are not consistently incorporating a team newsletter into your team communications, you might want to consider doing so. It has been proven that by consistently communicating and recognizing your team you will build your team faster and keep your team longer!

By publishing a monthly team newsletter for your direct sales team, you will be …

* Walking the walk of the level you want to be at … not at the level you are currently at!
* Treating your business like a business and taking it to the next level.
* Legitimizing your business - and this great industry - with a professional image and brand!

What should I include in my team newsletter?

If you're taking the time to publish a newsletter for your team, make sure it is effective. An effective team newsletter includes training, recognition, team information and motivation.

* Training can take the form of training articles from industry trainers, tips from experienced team members and leaders, and information from a training event or conference.
* Recognition can just be sales and recruiting, but it is important to include other team members who might not get the opportunity to be recognized as your top performers. High party sales, outstanding fund raisers or even a new consultant's first party are all excellent ways to get your team members names in the newsletter.
* Team Information can be team meeting dates and locations, conference call times and code numbers, and team incentive dates and details.
* Motivation can take the form of articles, quotes or even team member testimonials.

Should I really publish my team newsletter monthly?

Absolutely! For starters, it is easier and less time consuming to go back one month, then the last 3 (quarter), to gather recognition stats. Many top leaders send a newsletter out monthly because of this exact reason. Plus, (and more importantly) your recognition is timely. Your team does not have to wait 3 months to get celebrated and recognized. And finally, it is your job as a leader to communicate to your team on a monthly basis. Your team will take you more seriously (you will look more professional) if you consistently publish a newsletter for your team each month.

How big should my newsletter be?

Remember to respect your teams' time, as they are just as busy as you are! Don't send them pages and pages of a lengthy newsletter that they do not have the time to read. A simple one-page monthly newsletter is preferred by leaders, and their teams, as the best way to stay in contact on a monthly basis. In addition, a smaller newsletter is easy to display on a tack-board or refrigerator, share with others, or file away for future reference. But don't let the smaller size fool you! A one-page newsletter can easily be packed with training, recognition, team information, victories and celebrations!

Article Source: http://www.leadershiparticles.net

Jackie Prehn is the Founder and CEO of T.R.I.M. Designs, Inc., the leading source for leadership supplies in the direct sales industry. Do you need help with your team newsletter? Let T.R.I.M. Designs help! We provide a compact newsletter filled with all the things your team needs.

Selling Yourself

By Robert Thomson

 

Multi-national corporate giants, successful entrepreneurial companies, and all other major conglomerates have one thing in common. No, it is not money, though this is something they all seem to have abundance of. It is something that you will find if you trace the roots of the business back to its origins. It all started with one individual who know how to sell him/herself.

Anyone can sell a product. It’s very simple. What you get is what you see. The prospective buyer can look at it, touch it, compare it to other similar products, and buy it if he/she so chooses. The seller simply talks about it to the customer. A service works the same way. The salesperson makes a presentation, states the pros of the service, what it can do for the consumer, and makes the sale.

Selling yourself however, is a little more involved. No two people are identical in every aspect, so no one really knows what to expect from them. You cannot sell by appearance. At the same time, you cannot sell yourself by experience either. Oh, that will get you a bite, but it will not hook the fish. One might stretch the truth a bit about their experience, and the buyer will know that. So how does one sell him/herself successfully? There are several different methods when utilized simultaneously will produce very positive results.

1) First impressions: First impressions do matter. Actually, this is the most important part of the whole process of establishing a positive relationship. Regardless if your meeting is via email, online messenger, or in person, that first two minutes of your confrontation will be the most helpful or harmful. Make that initial contact work! Do not kiss up, be professional, and be courteous. Act interested in this person in regards to whatever subject they are most fascinated with. Make it about them, not you. People want to be impressive. If you act impressed, but not childish, they will respond positively.

2) Your Client has Priority: You may have two thousand clients and you may only have five or six. Regardless, whatever individual you are dealing with at any given moment needs to feel like they are your most important client.

3) One Hundred and Ten Percent: Of course, there is no such concept. You can only give one hundred percent, as that is all there is. However, you can give one hundred percent of what the individual is paying for and then give ten percent for free. If you are, for example, offering to submit ten websites to a search engine for a client for a fee, do so. Then, submit an extra one for free, just because you care. This brings us to the next topic.

4) CARE! If you are in a business where you are only interested in making money and have no regard for the quality of your work or the welfare of the client, then your business is inevitably doomed for failure. You have to want your client to grow, to excel in his or her own business, for yours to grow. Remember, word of mouth is one of the best, and most damaging, forms of marketing. If you get a reputation for poor quality work, again you are headed for failure.

5) Availability: Try to be available to the customer at least a minimum of 8 hours per day, and even in the evenings if possible. People want to know that they can reach you at a moments notice without having a long wait. Waiting makes people irritable and stressed. This, in turn, puts a lot of stress on a professional relationship.

6) Be Personal: You will get more business out of friends than you will from business associates. The remedy for this issue is to make the business associates your friends. Do not be overwhelmingly intrusive and ask all sorts of questions at your initial contact. However, if the associate mentions an aspect of his life, such as his favorite food, drink, existence of children, etc, make a mental note. Let us take children for example. Let’s say your associate mentions that he has to leave early to take his daughter to the doctor for a cough. Take note of that and next time you speak with them, ask about the daughters health. Is she okay? Then, associate your life with theirs. Something like, “She’s going to be okay? That is great. I know what you are going through. My daughter just got over a stomach virus.” You get to know them and they get to know you. Eventually, a relationship is formed and your business benefits.

7) Take Notes: Nothing will sell you better than the sudden realization that you have noticed your associates’ life. If you find out that your associate has a birthday coming up, send a card and a small gift, such as a box of chocolates, a beautiful pen, etc. If their child has a recital or a game in the near future, send a “good luck” card. Do not go too far and show up at the game; just let them know that you care enough to send a card. If it is special enough for your client to mention, then it should be special to you. Keep up with birthdays, favorite flowers, favorite drinks, television shows, and anything else that your associate is interested in.

If an aspiring businessperson can realize that they are the true product, learn the ins and outs of making themselves invaluable, then the actual product or service will be a successful sell.

 

After five years of intense study into web business dynamics, Internet Entrepeneur Althaf Ahmed is determined to make the road to internet gleaned wealth easier for the new web enthusiast. His portal is his website. Visit Althaf’s Website at www.halomark.biz.

Sales Manager Training - Expect the Best and You Will Get It

In 2008 the only way to manage a successful sales team is to work with soft and hard skills. Denise Oyston is an expert in using both. Check out her blog at http://www.ManagingSalesPeople.com With over 25 years experience in sales and three national awards to her credit she is passionate about helping sales managers succeed in the new business economy.
For practical help and advice sign up for her free E course at http://www.NewManagerSecrets.com

Sales Training - The Art and Craft of Selling

Hi, I'm Akhil Shahani, a serial entrepreneur who wants to help you succeed. If you like to work smart, check out http://www.SmartEntrepreneur.net It's full of articles and resources to help you start and grow your business successfully. Please visit us & download our special "Freebie of The Month" at http://www.smartentrepreneur.net/freebie-of-the-month.html

Teach, Coach And Lead With Integrity

By: Louis Jordan

There is no one-thing that makes a sales leader great. But, there is definitely one thing that can make them poor - an inability to coach and develop their employees.

Tell a salesperson to go sell and he will struggle for a day, teach him how to sell and he will sell for life. Ok, so that is not exactly how the quote goes, but you get my point.

At one time sales management started and finished with "this is your desk, this is your phone, this is the yellow pages, go get 'em". This may have worked many years ago, but today customers are more sophisticated, markets are more competitive and expectations for ramping-up are shorter.

Simply telling your employees what to do is as redundant a form of leadership as "always be closing - and - Lot's of little yes' lead to a big yes" are as forms of selling.

The essence of great coaching, in my opinion, is being able to get each member of your team to understand what does and does not work and most importantly, the reasons why something does and does not work. With a team of ten sales people you may have to find ten different illustrations, descriptions or analogies to see all ten light-bulbs go off.

To illustrate this point take a moment to think about the most successful coaches/managers in professional or College sports. How many of them were great athletes themselves? Conversely, how many average, but smart, or less than average players became great coaches/managers?

From Wooden to Lombardi, to Auerbach, to Bryant, to Shula, to Walsh….. And the list goes on. Those who are regarded as some of the greatest coaches/managers of all time had one thing in common - They were able to get every member of the team to understand what had to be done, why it had to be done and how to do it. - they were all great communicators.

Athletes and sales people who have been blessed with a natural ability to perform their tasks will often lead their peers in performance, and just as often struggle when given a chance to coach others. It is difficult to put into words what comes naturally. I have had dozens of conversations with managers who were great "natural" sales people. Often, the more natural talent they posses the more frustrated they become when their reps just "did not get it". Conversely, the sales people get frustrated that their manager can not explain how to get it done.

Your goal is to unlock understanding in each member of the team. Find a way to get your employees to understand why something works the way it does and why something else does not work. It is only after you have taught them how to perform a task that they can have any chance of repeating it on a regular basis.

Go to any driving range and you will see hackers whacking away at golf balls with their over-sized drivers. Nine out of ten drives will slice right or hook left, one out of ten will

go straight and look like a great shot. The secret is getting them to understand why the ball went long and straight, because without that knowledge there is not way they can repeat it.

Your job as a sales coach is to get your team to understand why that "perfect" telemarketing call, foot canvass, appointment, presentation, proposal or sale was perfect so they can give themselves a chance of repeating it, every time.

Good luck, and enjoy the process.

Our goal is to provide honest recommendations on all aspects of sales and leadership, including: interviewing, coaching, cold calling, telemarketing, attending appointments, vertical sales, recruiting, territory management and anything else our readers or contributors suggest. We would be honored to have you visit our site. http://www.integrity-sales-leadership.com

3 Customer Service Ideas to Earn Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty

By Sherri Wynters 

Customer service has never been worse than it is in today's business environment. With companies trimming their budgets as much as possible, there isn't the time or money to spend on customer service skills. If it can be automated, it gets automated no matter how inconvenient it is for the customer.

How many times have you been ready for the now familiar message "please listen carefully for our options have changed" only to find yourself screaming at the phone after one too many option levels? Hey - it works for the business - it keeps their operating overhead down - they don't have to staff as many people as they used to because the call tree does the job on auto-pilot. No late or sick employee to worry about. No customers complaining about your phone receptionist cutting them off or having a bad attitude.

When you stop to think about all the conveniences we have lost over the years, it's pretty astounding. Doesn't it seem like we're doing more with all the automation that was supposed to make our lives easier? No more secretaries; we have a computer. No more gas jockey; we can do it ourselves and we even get to watch TV while we're pumping. Nobody to answer your call or tell you when they will; you can leave a message.

I don't know about you but all this convenience can be very frustrating for me. I can't ever sit back and let somebody else do the task because I'm expected to use self-serve. I remember the days when service people were expected to be extremely helpful. We have begun to expect poor service and we are no longer surprised when it occurs.

This is the perfect time for small businesses to step up and offer that which cannot be offered by the big companies. Convenience is such a big selling point, how about offering customer service as a convenience for your customers? Many small businesses are run by owners that are too busy running the business to implement good customer service on the Internet. In fact, customer issues may be rare and infrequently occurring, but as the business grows good customer service becomes a necessity. The business owner will eventually find it difficult and overwhelming in the long run.

The post sales process is just as important as the initial sales process when it comes to customer loyalty. A poorly treated customer will not have a reason to do business with you again even when you roll out new products and services. Here's three ideas for you to implement that will not take excessive time or money but will increase customer satisfaction and customer loyalty:

  Follow-Up Personally with an Irate Customer
Running a business is like having a new adventure every day. You can never be surprised when the unexpected happens, only be ready to deal with it. When things go terribly wrong for your customer, have someone follow-up with a phone call. You may be surprised to learn that Internet shoppers think of online businesses with a bit of celebrity stars in their eyes. It is totally unexpected that an online business would call them to apologize for any inconvenience and make sure the issue was resolved to their satisfaction. I've done it - it works like a charm every time.

Use Words and Phrases Guaranteed to Calm Any Customer
Customers enjoy the speed of the purchase and the anticipation of the immediate download shopping on the Internet for digital products. Things can go bump in the night at any point in the purchase process, even getting to the download page. Make it easy for your customer to report the issue by having at least one method guaranteed to get results within four hours. And then be sure you always include "we apologize for the inconvenience", "please reopen this ticket if further assistance is needed", "thank you for notifying us of this problem", "please", "thank you", "we're so sorry for the delay", etc. This type of acknowledgment lets the customer know that you care. Isn't that really what we want?

Give the Customer Value for Their Inconvenience
New people are coming to the Internet every day so you should expect and plan for the "this is my first time" issues. One way you can do that is to provide your customer with more information than is required to resolve the issue. For example, solving the issue and telling your customer how to prevent a similar issue in the future will assist them in using the Internet and they will greatly appreciate the extra time and effort your business took to assist them.

Combine all three of the above ideas and you will provide customer service few have seen on the Internet, let alone in many offline businesses today.

Digital Info Diva™ supports Internet Marketers. Sign up for The Diva's customer service tips for Internet businesses and learn how to profit from your customer issues.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sherri_Wynters