Here’s a question I got asked last week from a sales person who receives my weekly free sales tips:

“Sean, I hate it when you call or email your prospects and they never return your calls! It’s so frustrating. Can you advise anything? Thanks as always - Jeff G”

Here’s what I think:

You send an email, but the prospect does not respond. You then call and leave a message, but also no reply. You try to remain positive, but after few more attempts it seems that this prospect that was so interested will not return your calls. What is happening?!

Does this sound familiar?

I constantly have sales people asking how can they get prospects to return phone calls and emails, and the answer is simple: Only sell the return call or the email.

In every stage of your sales process, you should have but ONE objective. If you are calling to set an appointment—then sell only the appointment. If you are calling to get a return call—then sell only the return call. Typically, sales people try to sell everything at once.

Look at this example:

Tracy Drew of ABC Technologies is calling referrals from her customer, Lisa Jones.

There’s no answer so it goes to answer phone.

Sales Person:
“Hi Mr. Prospect, my name is Tracy Drew with ABC Technologies. Lisa Jones of XYZ suggested that I call. ABC Technologies sells the best techno-stuff and we can help you. Lisa bought some of our stuff and she thought you might want some too. So, I am calling to see when we can set up a time to meet and I can show you some stuff. Our stuff is the best in the industry and Lisa agrees. So, please call me at 0800 849 6732 or email me at tracydrew@techno.com. I will be in your area next week, so anytime then would be good or anytime at your convenience. Thank you…”

This sales person tried to sell:

1. Her company
2. Her products
3. The appointment
4. The referral value
5. The appointment time
6. Justification of the product
7. Industry recognition
8. Her reputation and more

The last thing she sold was the return phone call!! And guess what? No call back.

Often the sales person forces the prospect to make a big buying decision, instead of a little phone call decision.

Here is Tracy selling only the call back:

Sales Person:
“Hi Mr. Prospect, it’s Tracy Drew with ABC Technologies. Lisa Jones from XYZ suggested that I call you. Please could you give me a call at your convenience, it will only take me two minutes. Please call 0800 849 6732 whenever you get a quick minute and I think you will be impressed. Once again, that’s Tracy Drew with ABC at 0800 849 6732, and I look forward to your call. Thank you…”

In this example the sales person sold only the return call.

She did not even mention the stuff she was selling nor did she explain that the mutual acquaintance made a purchase; which does nothing more than put pressure on the prospect to also buy. No. This sales person sold only one thing: the quick phone call. Also, note the sales person stressed that the call would be quick and painless; she made it EASY for the prospect to facilitate the return call.

The same holds true for an email. Don’t go on and on in an email trying to reassure the prospect—just keep the one objective in mind.

With a phone call, an email or any other form of communication in the selling process, you must understand the objective at each stage and concentrate on that ONLY.

Take it one step at a time and you will get more returned calls and emails and close more sales!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Hi,

Here’s some free sales training for you!

I received an email a couple of days ago that asked for advice on how to react to prospects when you are more expensive than the competition.

Here’s the question:

“Our company sells installations, a problem that we have is that our prices are quite high and some customers say they have found a cheaper option. I know there is always try and sell it on the basis of having a USP but I was wondering what other ways could really make it appealing to customers to use us instead of a cheaper alternative. Could you please help me with a few ways we can try and get around this and still win the customers with a higher price than a competitor?”

My thoughts:

There are many sales techniques that I could cover here but here is something to get the grey matter working…

If you know that you are the most expensive than admit it and use that as an excuse to go over your value proposition. I assume that you are offering something that they don’t here and don’t just put the price up for the sake of it?

Say something like:

“Yes, you’re right, we are not the cheapest game in town but we offer the highest quality of installation and ongoing support within the region. We have a warranty that lasts for 5 years when our cheaper competitors offer only 3 which means that you still have the peace of mind for a further 2 years in the event of a breakdown and huge bills to fix it. Don’t forget the additional cost also includes 3 visits per year to ensure it is optimised…”

See where I am going with this?

Use it as an opportunity to explain the reasons why you are more expensive. Don’t hide from it.

I don’t care what anyone says people do not buy on price alone.

Don’t believe me? Well, just look outside at the cars in the car park!

Instead, bring to your prospect’s attention to other factors like quality, peace of mind, ongoing support, handholding, relationship, future costs, snob value, making them look good when they decide to go with the best etc…

You normally get what you pay for in this world and I would think that if things go wrong with what you are selling, then it can be costly and cause a lot of disruption to the business so you should use this to your advantage.

At the end of the day if I were to employ a surgeon to operation on my long standing tennis elbow injury I would rather pay £10k and have a specialist complete the operation than an ears, nose, throat and elbow surgeon for a grand!

Happy selling!

Sean Mc

Here’s a question I was emailed from one of my sales tips newsletter subscribers:

Firstly, thanks very much for the tips. I really find them useful. I was wondering if you could help with another type of prospect that I seem to run into a lot. “The Procrastinator”. This is the prospect who seems very interested initially and loves to have a meeting and demonstration etc.. But when you try to get a decision out of them they just say things like “I haven’t decided yet” or “We’re pushing it back for a month or two”. Can you give me some tips on how to bring them back to that feeling of interest in order to push for a decision.

My thoughts on this…

Some things to think about:

- Have you REALLY demonstrated and built the value in your sales pitch?

- Have you talked BENEFITS not features?

- Have you responded to objections with “What do you mean?” to qualify it

- “I need to think about it?” respond with “What specifically do you need to think about?” then build the value again

- Is he/she really the decision maker?

- Bring some sort of scarcity into the pricing. Early bird ordering. Discounts for up front payments etc

- Ask him/her what the next steps are?

- “What do you need to make your decision?” this will find out his/her buying strategy!

Overall, you either haven’t build up the value sufficiently enough to convince the prospect or you have not found out how he/she makes their decisions. These two vital areas are very important for closing deals.

Hope these help?

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

Here’s a question that was sent through email a couple of weeks ago:

"Some of my clients may know someone who has had a bad experience with another product ie. paid £3000 for it and then kept them in a draw. Could you please give me some tips on how to convince my client that that would not happen to them if they choose us"

My take on this:

Guilt By Association

The prospect says, “Everything looks good, but this is the same thing XYZ Company said and it proved to be a bad decision that cost us a lot of money.” 

Or the customer says, ”I bought one of these before, and it is still in the basement.  I heard these things never work.” Or you hear, “The last company that sold these widgets ripped us off!”  “All widget sellers are crooked!” What do you do when another company has created a bad image for the product or service that is similar to what you sell?   What do you do when the customer finds you guilty by reason of associating with the same industry?

This can be a very sensitive situation in that, of course, one thing you have to do is distance yourself and your company and product, away from the competitor with the bad reputation.  However, you cannot downgrade or “bash” that competition.  So, on one hand you have to separate from the competition, but you cannot talk negative about the competition either.   You will never build up your company image by tearing down the competition. 

So what can you do when you have to highlight and discuss the negative aspects of the competitor without talking negative about that competitor? And how do your convince your customer that your product or service is different?    How do you point out negative differences without being negative?

There is a way around this apparent conundrum and it really begins with your research and in your sales presentation.  First, as a professional, you should know your industry and know everything about your competition.  If one of your competitors has a history of supplying substandard service, than you should know this and be prepared to encounter the topic in the field.   If on the other hand, you only encounter the problem once, then inform your customer of the truth. 

Let me clarify: You hear a complaint from a prospect of an unresolved problem with a competitor: There should only be two situations:

It is an isolated incident, in which case you should “defend your competitor” by telling the prospect that it must be an isolated incident because you never heard of this before.

OR

The competition has some history of creating this bad image or delivering the inferior product, etc.  In which case, as a professional sales person, you should have already known of the problems and their history and should have been prepared.  

These should be the only two circumstances for you to encounter negative feedback about your competition.   Let us examine how to handle both of these situations.

Scenario #1 – No Negative History

It is an isolated incident, in which case you should “defend your competitor” by telling the prospect that it must be an isolated incident because you never heard of this before.

Many sales people make a crucial mistake in this situation thinking that they will gain an advantage on the competition, when in fact; they actually damage their own image and cast a negative reflection on their entire industry and profession. 

Again, this is a situation where the sales person has no prior negative reports about this competitor. Here is an example of the Incorrect Way to Respond

Prospect:

“I bought some of those same widgets from XYZ Company and they were horrible.  Two of them did not work at all and I had to repair one myself.  It cost me a lot of money and I was  very dissatisfied.”

 Sales Person:           “Well, I am sorry about your experience Mr. Prospect, but XYZ Company is NOT us. And XYZ Company has not been around as long as we have.  I know some companies do sell inferior widgets but at ABC Widgets we sell the best… “

 Now, this may seem like it makes sense. But what this sales person has just done was damage the whole widget industry and the trustworthiness of ALL widget sellers and sadly that includes his own company, ABC Widgets.   Our sales person finds this to be true when attempting to close…

Prospect:                   “No. I think I need to think about this a little longer. I got hurt once, I don’t want to take that chance again….”

This sales person walks out of that presentation thinking that the problem was XYZ Company and their substandard product, when in fact; the sales person himself caused the real problem.   The prospect was merely suspicious of widget companies.   That is until our great sales person PROVED the prospect’s suspicions to be true!  He confirmed the prospect’s worst thoughts.  So now the prospect trusts NO widget company.

You will NEVER build up your company by tearing down the competition. 

Let’s look at this same example with a more professional sales person and the Correct Response

Prospect:                   “I bought some of those same widgets from XYZ Company and they were horrible.  Two of them did not work at all and I had to repair one myself.  It cost me a lot of money and I was very dissatisfied.”

Sales Person:           “What?!  Mr. Prospect, I am absolutely shocked!  I have never heard of an XYZ customer having a problem like that before. I mean I believe we have better service and a better product, but XYZ has been in business for years and they do a good job.  This is a respectable industry with very professional competitors.  I just never heard of widgets that did not work before.  Could you tell me exactly what happened? I am really concerned about this”

Do you see what just happened?  This sales person did not only defend the competition, he defended himself!  He upheld the image of the industry, which leaves open the possibility to close the sale.  He also made himself an Industry Authority and Leader. The prospect had some ill feelings about widget companies, but instead of the sales person continuing to help bash the industry, the sales person uplifted and helped to restore the industry’s professional image, thereby creating an avenue to sell!

So, in the case where you have no supporting negative history on the competition, do not bash them, defend them.

Scenario #2 – Previous Negative History and Reputation

First, understand that you should know everything there is to know about your competition. If one has a bad image or a history of substandard material, you should know about it.  You should know about it and you should already have researched how and why your company has rose above the problem and this information should be part of your normal sales presentation.  You cannot try to “overcome this objection” when the prospect raises the issue during the close. You must address this situation DURING your sales presentation. 

Here is an example using the above scenario where Mr. Prospect purchased bad widgets in the past.  During the sales presentation the sales person says something like this:

Sales Person:           “Now Mr. Prospect, let me show you one of the reasons why ABC has the best widgets in the industry.  Most widget companies use a little wheel right here, and what happens is the oil drains off of the moving part and it dries out.  Then when the widget is started, it breaks and the widget does not work.  This happens a lot in the industry and many companies have this problem. 

                                    What we have done to solve this Mr. Prospect is at ABC we do not use the moving part at all.  We install a silicon base so that there is no moving part to break and there is no oil needed. This is why our widgets never fail.  Now, it costs a lot more to build them this way, but we figured it is easier for us to explain a higher price ONCE, then to make excuses for broken widgets over and over again. Don’t you agree?”

Mr. Prospect:             “Yes and now that you mention it, I think I had that exact problem. I bought some widgets from your competitor, XYZ Company and many of them broke right away. I was very dissatisfied. “

Sales Person:           “I’m sorry to hear that Mr. Prospect. But try not to blame XYZ Company too much, they are a good company and they do their best and they mean well. The problem is they are using outdated technology. That is what sets us apart from every other widget company in America—we are always on the leading edge…”

Not only does this sales professional highlight the negative problem, but she did it without bashing the company who was responsible. In fact, she complemented them. However, she elevated HER company above the rest, while helping to maintain a professional image for the industry.    She also instantly became the industry authority and could probably sell her widgets for twice the price.   This sales person has transcended the price and the past negative reputation of the competition.  In the eyes of the DM, she is now the EXPERT.

This sales person also had no idea that the prospect had a previous problem, but the issue was built into the sales presentation. If the issue arose only at the close, she could have responded in a similar fashion but it would not have the same effect. In fact, it would almost seem like a defence because she would have been on the defence.

Find out your competitor’s problems and negative history. Then present the problem AND your company’s solution to that problem during the presentation.  If you include your competitor’s weaknesses into your sales presentation you can elevate your product, you company and yourself to the level of the Industry Leader.