Often you get that prospect that wants to get you into a conversation about a sensitive issue such as political beliefs or theology. Also, there are those prospects that wish to use you as their personal sounding board for personal views on everything from racial issues to the sexual relations.

It does not matter if your personal views on such issues are the exact opposite of the prospect’s, or if they align perfectly. Views on unrelated personal beliefs are always a bumpy and dangerous road to travel in a sales situation.

Of course, you don’t want to be rude, and closing the sale is on the top of your mind. So how do you get the prospect back on track, without throwing away your chances to close the sale? Here are a few thoughts on that subject. In every case, you want to “side-step” the issue with a quick comment and then change the subject with a question.

#1 – That’s Interesting, but Deserves More Time
Let the prospect know that the subject matter is interesting but requires far too much time and in-depth discussion to engage in now. Then change the subject with a question.

“You know Steve, that is a very interesting point of view, and it certainly deserves a lot of time to discuss. Maybe we can get into that someday, but for right now, let me ask you… Do you know exactly how many of your web hits are being converted into solid leads for your sales team?”

#2 – Too Excited About the Product
Let the prospect know that you are so engrossed in what you sell, that you cannot even think about such other topics right now.

“Sarah, I can appreciate how you feel about that. However, I am so excited about our XJ2000 software that I can hardly think about politics right now…How many servers are you running at this location, anyway?”

#3 – Your Issues, Problems Are Too Important
Inform the prospect that his or her problems and issues are your paramount concern right now and you can only focus on that.

“Susan, I understand how you feel about that issue, but right now my main concern is that you are losing a ton of money in your warehouse. My job is to help you put some of that money back into your pocket. Do you have last month’s shipping report available?”

From the warm up to the close, keep the sales process on track.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

Due to circumstances well beyond your control, the new software version upgrade will not ship as promised. The sales team has anxious clients waiting for the upgrade, in addition to many prospects who are interested in seeing the new version. Moreover, the delay means that regular monthly maintenance fees are suspended and the sales team will not receive their monthly residual commissions!

Now it is your job to deliver this uplifting news to the sales team. Arrrgh!

In business, things do not always go as planned and there are times when your firm may have to endure negative, costly and painful information. How you deliver such information to your sales team is critical.

The Positive Sandwich
You may have heard of the concept of the positive sandwich, in when delivering disconcerting information, you simply position the bad material in between two positive discussions. Lead off with something good, quickly disseminate the bad, and then close with something good. While there is nothing wrong with this concept as it makes sense and works quite well in many situations such as public speaking; today’s modern sales people may need a bit more.

Start at the Bottom and Go Up
Eliminate the emotional rollercoaster. Begin with the worse news possible, and then deliver good news. Follow that by even better news and then the best news. Finally, show some example of this good news in action.

As an example, using our hypothetical software upgrade above, you would deliver the bad news that the upgrade is late as are residual commissions. Then, share the good news that the upgrade has additional features and benefits. Better news; that clients who upgrade will get a reduction in their monthly service fees. Follow that by best news that sales people will get a raise in their residual percentage. Finally, share an example of the good news with the fact that the new features will open up new markets and more sales opportunities for the sales team.

Expectations Shape Perception
The most powerful way to deliver bad news to your sales team is to shape their expectations of that news.

Have you ever felt a movie would be the best movie of its genre you have ever seen, only to find that the movie was not as good as you thought? Alternatively, the movie you thought would be a flop, was not as bad as you thought it would be.

A company earns $200 million in profits. However, the company failed to meet the Wall Street expectations of $206 million, and therefore did not perform very well. Expectations greatly influence perception.

When you need to deliver bad news to the sales teams, start by shaping their expectations of the upcoming news. Let the team know that in the next meeting, you have some very bad news to share. You do not want to exaggerate or lie, and you don’t have to. Individual human imagination will run rampant as sales people envision their own worst possible nightmarish fears.

Now, by the time you deliver the actual news, you can rest assured that it will be nowhere near half as horrible as they thought. Now use a nonchalant, light-hearted tone of voice when delivering the news and the sales team’s perception will be that the news was really not that bad at all!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

Stop scratching around for sales and learn how to sell the modern way with my FREE 40 minute online training session. Click on the image below to find out why you’ve got to be changing the way that you prospect and sell…

You can always find much discussion on how to hire top sales people and how to recognise and find people who can be top producers.  However, when is it time to give up, admit your mistake and let a sales person go?  Other than unacceptable performance, dishonesty or blatant unprofessional behaviour, is there a time when you need to fire a sales person?

Sometimes you may need to rid your organisation of a weak link-in-the-chain, not only for the benefit of the team, but for that sales person as well. Below are three tips on those situations when you need to consider “cutting bait.”   

Note: Before ever considering any of the following situations, you first need to make sure that you have done your job—completely.

• Has this sales person received all of the necessary training?
• Does the sales person have access to all of the needed sales support tools?
• Have you done all you can do to properly motivate and lead the sales person? 
• Have you talked to, and more importantly, listened to the sales person?

If you can answer yes to all of the above, then consider watching for the following scenarios.

#1. The Walking Personal Problem
We all have our share of personal problems, and a shortage of money often magnifies them.  However, some people not only appear to have a disproportionate share of problems, but have major difficulty keeping their problems from disrupting their work.  I am not talking about the sales person who has that unfortunate incident here and there. 

I am referring to that individual who seems to have some major catastrophe every single week! Every other day, some personal situation has the sales person completely distracted or out of the field entirely.  Understand that it is not a matter of having empathy (or the lack thereof) for the sales person.  If the person is unable to perform and earn a respectable sales person’s wage; then to dismiss the individual is in their best interest as well as yours.

#2: I Did It My Way
In every sales process, there is plenty of room for sales people to be themselves and integrate their own personality and style.  However, there are also areas that your company has decided are standard practice.   For some systems, processes or logistics you have an established S.O.P. (Standard Operating Procedure).   That is, of course until that sales person comes along who is determined to change everything.

I am not referring to that sales professional who thinks out of the box, or that enterprising old pro who likes to try new things.  I am talking about that one that, with little or no experience and knowledge, feels he or she knows better than everyone in the industry knows, and is going to do everything the exact opposite of what the book says.   If they want your position…let them find it at another company.

#3: The Sower of Negative Seed
Occasionally you will have the pleasure to employ that sales person who is a walking pile of negative energy.  That person is pessimistic about being a pessimist.  It may not be too bad if these people could keep their depressing thoughts to themselves.  Invariably though, these naysayers spread their doom and gloom like a religion. 

That unconstructive attitude is contagious and can grow in your organisation like a cancer.  It doesn’t matter if this person is a top producer (which is unlikely); you need to jettison this individual straight away.   

If you have a sales person who is not performing at least to minimum standards, you are not doing them any justice to keep them on.   Do everyone a favour and allow him or her to seek other employment.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Bestselling Author, Sales Authority & Speaker On Modern Day Selling Methods 

MTD Sales Training

Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

Click on the image below to find out why you’re very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

Just how much of selling success is luck?  Some will say that selling has absolutely nothing to do with luck; instead it is all a matter of skill.   Others however, will maintain that, of course there is some element of luck involved in selling.  While still some sales professionals (as I have noted on this site) define luck as Labour Under Correct Knowledge.  So, let me first begin by defining exactly what IS luck?

Merriam-Webster defines luck as…

1. a. A force that brings good fortune or adversity
    b. The events or circumstances that operate for or against an individual
    c. Favouring chance

If luck is indeed a type of force, then is it possible to create your own luck?

Yes!  Below is a prescription you can use to create your own luck!

The Ingredients

#1. Definiteness of Purpose
First you add the main ingredient which is “Definiteness of Purpose.”  You must know exactly what you are aiming for and precisely where you are going.  This includes your goals, both personal and professional, your objectives with each prospective client, your objective for each sales call, meeting or sales activity and your motives for everything that you do.  Why do you do what you do?

#2. Expert Knowledge
The second ingredient is “Expert Knowledge.”  Understanding the sales training manual given to you by your management is not enough.   You need to know everything there is to know about your product or service, as well as your entire industry–past, present and future.    

#3. A Consistent Work Ethic
Expert knowledge and definiteness of purpose are useless without consistent action.  You must develop a plan to produce a steady work flow consisting of all of the necessary sales activities; day in and day out, week in and week out, and without fail.  

Illustration By John Landrine

#4. A Passionate Belief in What You Sell and Do
The fourth and final ingredient is the glue that holds it all together.  You must have a deep and heartfelt conviction in your product or service and its value to your customers.  You have to believe that the benefits to your customer far outweigh the benefits to you and your company.  You have to know that the client is the true winner in every sale you close.    

Now, when you go out and perform all of the above ingredients simultaneously, right where they intersect is where you will get extremely lucky!    

Go out there and make your own luck!

Lucky Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Bestselling Author, Sales Authority & Speaker On Modern Day Selling Methods 

MTD Sales Training

Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

Click on the image below to find out why you’re very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

“Are your people unmotivated, lackluster and uncommitted 24 hours a day, or only the 8 hours a day they spend with you?” (Paul Levesque)

Sales people don’t deliberately start out to offer bad service. Sometimes they have a bad day. Sometimes they genuinely make mistakes. But on many occasions they simply don’t care enough to give quality customer service.

Mary Portas’ programme on TV last week showed the retail sales industry up in lights…for all the wrong reasons. I didn’t know whether to smile, smirk, laugh or cry.

By highlighting situations that would drive sales managers to despair, Mary set out to prove a massive generalisation true…that the UK’s service industry is dire and desperate.

In some ways she succeeded in bringing to the debate that we all know about out into the open. In other ways it just drove another nail in the coffin between customers and those sales people we know have a very hard job to do.

Sales Managers have to ask themselves what they want from their staff and why they should be offering it. It’s simply no good asking staff to give quality service and then not explaining the value systems, the vision and the mission that the company is striving to achieve.

Many managers expect high turnovers of staff, and that is exactly what they get. Retail sales people can be and are effective in their assistance and like-ability. But only if they agree and join in with the clear messages that their employer is trying to put across.

Give sales people the opportunity, creativity, innovation, assistance and systems to offer quality service and they will grab it with both hands. Expect them to deal with situations that cause stress, worry, hassle and monotony, and you will reap what you sow…a turning away from manners and common sense.

As Paul Levesque said, sales people are motivated…they just need to be given reasons why they should continue to be.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
The UK’s #1 Authority On Modern Day Selling
MTD Sales Training

Have you downloaded my latest report “The Sales Person’s Crisis”? Over 10,000 sales pros have.

Click on the image below to find out why you’re very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

I’ved opened up a right can of worms on the internet!

"Hi Mr Prospect, it’s John Byrne from ABC, how are you?"

Do you get upset when a cold caller uses the "How are you?" opening?

It’s a bit like marmite really - you either love it or hate it!

Well, I’ve been putting the question out to my networks and it’s a 75/25 split against using the question.

My take on this?

I can see both sides of the story. In my experience of having helped 10,000 sales people around the world, your success in asking the question will all come down to the execution of it.

I’ve used the question myself in the past and have got some awesome results. Having said that, we don’t train it nowadays as much as we used to because the modern day buyer has wised up to it because so many cold callers ask it! The thing is, is that you need to ask it in the right way. It’s no good asking it in the tonality which says "I’m calling for your money". Those cheesy openings from the smile and dial era are to blame for giving the "How are you?" question a bad name in the first place!

Personally, I don’t like being on the end of "How are you?" because as of yet no-one has said it in a way that made me feel that they were genuinely interested in me apart from getting money.

But what do you think?

Do you use it?

Do you hate it?

Well, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. Maybe you use the line and have had great success with it? Maybe you use the line and wonder why you don’t get the results you want?

If you do use it, your success will depend on the timing and also the tonality of your voice.

Please make a comment on this blog below and let me know what you think.

Happy Selling

Sean

Sean McPheat

The UK’s #1 Authority On Sales Success

PS I’ve just started a new group called Practical Sales Tips on LinkedIn - I would love you to join the group and it’s also a great opportunity to network with other sales people too. The debate about "How are you?" is hotting up there too!

Have you downloaded my latest report yet? “The Sales Person’s Crisis” has been downloaded by over 10,000 sales pros and entrepreneurs. Don’t miss this unique report that lifts the lid on modern day selling!

Click on the image below to find out why you’re very existence as a sales person is in doubt…