Well, it’s nearly completed!

For the past 7 months I have been working night and day on a new sales concept that will most likely blow all what you’ve learnt about sales over the past 20 decades into orbit!

What is it?

Well, I can’t say too much about it at the moment but I know a lot of other sales training firms will be running for cover when it comes out. There will be no hiding place for these so called training firms who still train the old outdated 80’s and 90’s and even 70’s sales techniques of yesterday.

Selling is becoming more and more tough. It’s harder to get through to the right person, it’s harder to negotiate and it’s a buyers market thanks to the internet and the explosion of readily available information.

It’s time for a new dawn of selling…

If you’d like to be one of the first people to hear about my revolutionary product when it’s released in the new year then please feel free to drop me an email at sean.mcpheat@mtdsalestraining.com 

Happy selling!

Sean Mc

PS Our 2008 Essential Selling Skills schedule is out now! Please check it out at: Sales Training Course

We’ve just come back from speaking at Call Centre Expo at the NEC and from our point of view it was a roaring success.

Along with MTD were Sir Ranluph Fiennes and former Apprentice Winner Michelle Dewbury who delivered the worst keynotes talk I and no doubt hundreds of others had ever heard - it was embarrassing to say the least.

Anyhow, during the two days, people would turn up to the Excellence Theatre where the keynotes were going on and they would sit down, listen and then leave.

I had a plan!

I wanted to generate some leads at the same time! Sure, it was all well and good people listening to us and jotting down notes etc but I wanted to get them in to our sales system.

Here’s what we did.

When it was our turn to talk (we had 3 speaking slots out of 6) my team would frantically put out an MTD pen on every seat in the room and also a postcard asking for their email address and name and in return we would send them 20 free sales training audios.

The result?

Well, people turned up, they listened, AND then they completed the postcard and handed it to my guys on the door AND then they left!

We got hundreds of leads who have seen us in action and who are interested in what we do.

As for the other speakers? Well, call themselves sales people!

Huh!

So, the lesson from this is think about the outcome you want from any trade show or speaking you do. For me it was to generate leads and create some value for the audience - simple as that and over 70% of the people who attended signed up for our free sales audios.

Sean Mc

Now that my wife is finally back home from hospital after beating a life threatening illness for months on end, it’s time to get back to some normality!

It was only yesterday that I tried to fit in to some of my suits and she was poking fun at me so things are getting back to normal! Whilst Donna was in Intensive Care I pigged out on take aways most nights because by the time I got back home from visiting her and after picking up our 1 year old daughter, I just could not be bothered to cook each night!

It had a BIG impact on my waistline I can tell you. And for someone who is used to going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week and someone who loves his grub, any change in the status quo means I only have to look at a bag of chips and I put on a couple of pounds.

Anyhow, I was looking for treadmills online and wanted a heavy duty one like you see in a proper gym Did you know some of them cost as much as 10 grand!

I saw one that I liked and the price was £3,000. So I called up the sales person who I took an immediate disliking to and thought to myself "I’ll have you, you cocky so and so!"

"I really like that £3,000 treadmill but I’ve only got £2,400 to play with and I want to buy today" I said

"I’ll see what my manager says" he replied

He called me back 10 minutes later with an offer of £2,350 for the same model! £650 cheaper! Just shows you the mark up. I would have accepted a counter offer of around £2,600-£2,700.

LESSON 1 - Never go too low on your counter offer. There is normally another round of negotiation to go.

Anyhow, I gave him the usual "I’ll think about it line"

Just now I sent him an email to say that I will purchase it this Friday and he replied back with:

"Yeah, no problem mate. Infact we are running another series of sales at the moment and I’ll probably be able to get another couple of hundred quid off for you"

He wasn’t wrong!

He came back with a further £250 off! And I never even asked for that.

LESSON 2 - I was sold already. There was no need to reduce any further. I actually said I will buy at the £2,350 mark and he came back with £2,100.

So, I look forward to ordering my treadmill this Friday and with almost £1,000 off it gives me a chance to get some forgiving trousers in the meantime! (These 32 inch waists are killing me! Yeah right!)

Happy Selling

Sean Mc

PS Never go too low in your negotiations with price!

Do you make cold calls?

Were you taught to be happy when making them and smile on the telephone?

Well, the days of looking into a mirror when on the telephone is over! Many old outdated sales techniques and trainings used to go on and on about smiling when on the telephone so you sound enthusiastic and happy.

Let me tell you why you should tone down the enthusiasm when making cold calls.

When your prospect answers the phone and they hear a happy, jovial, enthusiastic person on the other end, they know it’s a sales call and their barriers will go up immediately.

When making your calls you should talk like a real person. I’m not saying that you should not be enthusiastic all through out your call. There is a time and a place for this - normally when talking about your product and service. But you should not be overly energetic when your prospect hasn’t even heard what you want to talk about!

And please, please, please DON’T SOUND SCRIPTED!

I had a call transferred through to me from my credit card company wanting to sell me anti-fraud cover yesterday and the guy should read out a script. I never got a word in!

Happy Selling and lose the Smile and Dial!

Sean Mc

That Friday Feeling!

It’s 4:30 on a Friday…

You know, success in selling is down to common sense…

But common sense is not common!

By being friendly and coming from a position of help rather than "You’re my next pay cheque" when meeting and talking with your clients, you will dramatically improve your sales.

Most of your prospects just want a friendly, helpful person to do business with. They want their wants fufilled and they are looking to buy rather than have you "Sell to them". They will buy from you if they know, like and trust you. So think about these important factors in all that you do.

What can you do to come over as the trusted advisor? One that your prospects will listen to and even look up to?

Believe in your product and in your company. The acid test question of this is: "Would you sell your products and/or services to your own Mother?" If the answer is no, then get out now!

Happy selling!

Sean Mc

Last week I was asked to run an "Objection Handling" workshop for a company and I replied with "I don’t do objection handling courses".

I don’t believe in them. Here’s why…

If you get an objection you haven’t actually asked the right questions and listened to the answers up front. It’s your job as a sales person to cut the objections down before they even appear.

I mean, come on - you know what’s coming!

You should know what they will object to so prepare for it and cover it off by asking qualifying, investigative and need identification questions up front.

Think about what an objection means for a moment…

It actually means that what you have talked about or covered is not providing sufficient value/benefits for your prospect. There is no excuse for not covering this off before any objections arise.

View objections as a question…

"It’s too much money" - this really means that you have not convinced me that the value and the benefits will outweigh what we have to pay for it.

"Jo Schmo’s product does more than yours" - you have not highlight the benefits properly and what it means to your prospect.

"I’ll think about it" - I’m going to over what you said and make a decision. You should ask them "What specific areas do you need to think about the most?" And then you provide more evidence and info around those points.

So, in closing:

Ask better questions and listen carefully and the objections will not come. You know what is around the corner if you do not cover off the objections before they arise.

If objections do arise, don’t beat yourself up about it.

They client needs more convincing that your product or service is right for them.

Until the next time, take care of yourself and happy selling!

Sean Mc

I received an interesting question not so long ago about the differences between a BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER and a SALES EXECUTIVE.

Here’s the question:

"How do I help my fiance believe she isn’t selling but its just market development?"

Currently working for ABC COMPANY as an export sales administrator, her role is simply order taking and the administration of those orders. She is happy with this and but doesn’t enjoy prospect of sales.

After returnng from an exhibition, she has been asked to develop business in France.
Although she is a native Fench speaker and very professional in her work, the prospect of "sales" frightens her.

Are there any pointers you can gve me please where we can take a happy order taker into the world of business development without her becoming frightened of what some people deem to be as a daunting task.

I know this could be difficult if not impossible, she does see the offer as flattering but is daunted, if not scared and feels and views sales isn’t for her  because she has been surrounded by the seedy type.

I know that there are many companies who will find their staff have similar issues, and this question could help them….if you have the answer"

My thoughts on this:

In my mind there are 2 types of sales people - ORDER TAKERS and PRO ACTIVE SALES PEOPLE

Order takers are when the business comes to them and they are already convinced that the product is for them. Pro active sales people have to create business and then close them down.

Some people are great order takers and can’t pro actively sell for toffee - a lot of people "have it" or they don’t.

The challenge you face here is her perception of a sales person. Somewhere she has seen the seedy side of sales - I can tell you there are as many
if not more seedy types in the BDM environment. Market Development requires selling skills so to say that it isn’t selling is wrong - they key skills
applies. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…..it’s a duck!

Also, what one company calls a "Sales Executive" is another’s "BDM" - There is just no consitency. To develop markets in France she will have to "sell" the
company, her products and even herself. She will have to close companies on the idea of doing business with her company irrespective of whether
a "sales person" goes in to negotiate the deal and particulars.

It looks to me as though the problem is her going from "order taker" to being proactive and "getting the orders". She is probably scared of hearing more
"no’s" than "yes’s".

So, in summing up - I would not kid her and mask the fact that although it seems to be a development role, that no selling will be involved
because it will. It is vital she knows this up front. Who knows, she might not even be suitable for the role. BDM means being proactive, getting out
there, taking a risk, not being scared of failure and being comfortable with hearing no….the exact same qualities that a sales executive requires!

My gut feeling tells me not to convince her of anything. If the thought of proactive selling scares her, then when she hears the first couple of "no’s" this will make matters worse.

Sean Mc

I received an email recently with regards to making a sales team more "Commercially Savvy".

Here’s what it said:

"Hi Sean,
I have enjoyed the mails you have been sending, and I have passed
your details on to A colleague of mine who’s is working of
training requirements for his European sales team.

I would like to set you a question and would be interested in your
response.

If I set you a task to develop a sales team that were "Commercially Savvy"
how would you go about it ?

Thanks

Steven"

Here are my thoughts on this:

Hi Steven,

Thanks for your kind words.

Yes, commercially savvy is something that I go on and on about because your clients are more sophisticated and "sales savvy" than ever before thanks to the explosion of the internet and the availability of information.

To be become more commercially savvy your teams need to see themselves as "mini businesses" and "entrepreneurs" rather than Business Development Managers or Sales Executives. It’s a shift in mindset that needs to take place.

At the moment they probably have the blinkers on but there is a wider picture.

I always like my "sales people" to be able to balance their own books with costs and revenues apportioned so they become both cost and profit centres. As a "business owner" they appreciate what a business owner needs to know and understand to drive their own business forward - it’s more than just sales! It’s about negotiations, commercial talk, networking skills, marketing, positioning, preselling, business planning and of course selling.

If I were you I would hold some sessions with them along those very lines. I know that this email paints a broad stroke around it but it really is a shift in mindset rather than skills. They need to get to "think like a business owner" and the only way is to get them to see there is more to the sale than the sale itself

Thanks again

Sean

“Want fries with that?”

Effective ways to up sell your current products and services

Up selling is a requirement that has generated a lot of attention in recent years. This is because businesses know the value of up selling products. It is not so much the product that matters as the related products that can be sold over and over again to the same buyer. This increases the value of your customer and makes him your life long customer.

Up selling is when you are offered an upgrade of the same product. It is closely aligned with cross-selling and back end selling. There are several ways that you can do this.

Effective ways to up sell: One of the easiest ways to up sell products is to offer an upgrade. For example your potential customer is interested in buying a sandwich from you. You might try to up sell him a value meal, which would include a drink and a side dish. This would all be at a discounted price. Just a little more than he would be paying for his sandwich. This is a common way for fast food places to up sell.

Similarly if you were selling software, your customer might be going to buy a standard version of your product. To up sell you might offer him an upgrade at a discounted rate. When he hears all the additional features and sees the discounted rate he will recognise the value and may very well buy the upgraded version.

You can quite see how up selling will increase the value of the product in the buyer’s eyes and bring in additional profit to you. This is a win, win situation when done correctly.

The technique is based on added value to the customer. This will be an upgrade at a discounted price, and enough margins to be profitable to you. Up selling in this way is not hard to do and customers are often quite willing to accept the up sell, when they understand the value in it for them.

Offer a related product: Another form of up sell is to offer a related product. For example a book could be purchased as is, or up sold with a bundle of related books. Again the up sell would be an irresistible discounted special price. Many potential customers interested in the subject would be happy to jump at the deal. Again this will be based on the principle of perceived extra value.

Cross selling is also offering a related product. In the case of the books instead of the bundle there may be a related piece of software to go with it, which will enhance the reader’s enjoyment of the book.

The example of the fries in the title will be an example of cross selling. The fries would be in addition to the main item that the customer is buying. This could also be a milk shake or cold drink on a hot sunny day. The milk shake, or drink would be quite a welcome addition for the customer and he would very likely accept it. An up sell has been accomplished quite easily.

Backend selling: Again a related product can be offered. This can be after the customer has purchased and be in the form of a bounce back offer, “Thank you for purchasing, here is a special discount for our valued customers etc.” This is a form of up sell and is the key to a successful marketing business.

How to encourage sales people to up sell? The usual way to encourage employees to up sell is to offer a small commission on every successful product that is up sold. This will encourage them to remember to up sell on every product they offer.

Making products that can be upgraded and sold in bundles or even used as back end offers: This is quite easy to do. You will need to develop about 4-6 products all related to each other. To do this you must understand your market. Ask yourself the question “What would a customer who likes this product also like to buy?” You will then have your up sell products ready.

Up selling can bring in a good amount of extra profit for your company. The trick to make this sales tactic work well is to have a good product to begin with. It should be useful and popular with your market. The next thing to remember is to make the up sell item valuable for your customer. Thirdly sell the up sell item at a bargain price so that the customer will see it as an additional savings with value. This will then be irresistible to your potential buyer. You are in fact making the up sell an offer that your buyer will find hard to refuse.

Happy Selling

Sean Mc

My admin team are always given the enviable task (or not!) of arranging the MTD Sales Training Christmas party!

There’s more to it than meets the eye though!

Not only do they have to find somewhere suitable but I always like something different too. I get bored easily with a sit down to a 3 course meal followed by a disco - it’s just zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

This year they have really done a great job. We are at the Ricoh Arena where there is an indoor funfair, magicians, table entertainment, live bands - you name it!

I’m really looking forward to it.

Now, the reason for this post is to tell you of a ridiculous sales process the Ricoh have in place. As you probably know by now I like to work hard and play hard and hence the Xmas bash is always held on a Saturday so there is no work the following day for hangovers etc, I always pay for everything including partners and we also book hotel rooms for all of my staff that have travelled from our nationwide offices.

Now, we wanted to book some rooms at the Ricoh but were told that they were all sold out but if we call back in October there will be loads of them free then as they always have lots of cancellations when it is time to "pay up".

"Could you please put us down on the waiting list and give us a call when the rooms are free in October" said one of my staff.

"I’m sorry, we do not do that - it’s our policy. You’ll have to call back in October" was the reply.

Now, how stupid is that?! We will have to call back every day in October I expect.

Here we are ready to pay for 10-30 rooms and they can’t even be bothered to call us back!

I keep going on about making it easy for your clients to do business with you. This is a poor example of that. 30 rooms x £100 is £3,000 and they can’t be bothered to make a note in the diary to call up my team in October? Ridiculous.

I sure hope your company is easier to do business with. Cut through all of the "Policies" and crap you have to put up with and help your clients - JUST MAKE IT EASY FOR THEM TO PART WITH THEIR MONEY AND THEY WILL!

It’s not rocket science!

Okay, rant over - back to some work!

Sean Mc