Every day, I hear from sales people who are confused, frustrated or defeated by facing what they feel is a nearly insurmountable objection:

“I am sorry, but I am very happy with my current supplier/vendor. We have been doing business with them for many years and have no reason to change…”

This position strikes terror in most sales people and many ask me for advice on how to overcome this objection. The problem is that this is NOT an objection. It is a matter of fact, and should be expected.

Waiting for You?
My question is, when you call a prospective client, what did you expect their situation to be? Did you really think the prospect would be sitting there, without a current supplier or vendor and just waiting for you to call?

It is obvious that the prospective company is already doing business with one of your competitors. Now, if that decision maker were completely unhappy and unsatisfied with that current vendor, do you think he or she would have done something about it? What businessperson would continue to do business with a vendor for which they truly did not want to do business? And if, that were the case, then would not that vendor had probably called YOU?

Common Sense
Of course, they are happy with their current supplier or vendor, and you should already assume that. It is not an objection. Therefore, do not take it as an objection and move on. Instead of trying to argue the fact that perhaps you would make a better supplier, take the sales process as it should progress…one-step at a time.

Glad to Hear That
Do not argue the point. Instead, agree and even congratulate the prospect and let them know the reason for your contact at this stage of the sales process.

Prospect
“Well, I am really happy with our current technical training company. We have been working with them for about ten years, and we are very satisfied.”

Sales Person
“Great! I am glad to hear that Ethan. I would think that since you have been doing business with XYZ Tech for all of these years, that you are indeed very happy. I am also certain that they EARNED your business. Ethan, I am not asking you to GIVE me your business because I have NOT earned as they did. All I am asking is that you allow me to give you some valuable information about new developments in our industry over a quick 30 minute meeting. Perhaps in time, I might be able also to EARN some of your business. But in the mean time, the information will beneficial to you…”

The Opposite
The situation is the exact opposite of what most sales people think: Don’t fear the prospect who is happy with their current supplier…fear the one who is not.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
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 your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

How do you get prospects to return your calls? Of course, it seems impossible to get a return call from leaving a message on a cold call. However, sales people also have problems getting calls returned from warm calls, or referrals given by satisfied customers.

So, what is it that you have to do in a voice mail to get people to call you back? Or should you even LEAVE a message in the first place?

The Objective
Just like any telephone sales call, you have to have a clear objective. When calling to set an appointment, you have to SELL the appointment.

When you call and get the dreaded voice mail, the objective becomes to get the prospect to return your call. Then SELL the return call, and ONLY the return call.

Return the Call
You must remember to sell and concrete only on getting the prospect to call back and nothing else. I know this sounds simple. However, while most sales people have think objective in mind, they do exactly the opposite in the call.

Look at this example of a voice message:

“Hi Ethan, my name is Sean Colby and I am with ABC Widgets. Your friend, Sarah Edmonds suggested that I give you a call. ABC Widgets sells the best widgets in town and they can really help you. In fact, Sarah bought some of our widgets and she was so impressed that she thought you might want some too. So, I am calling to see when I might set up a time to meet with you so I can show you the widgets and see if we can be of service to you. Our widgets are the best in the industry and Sarah agrees. So, please give me a call at 0800 123 4567 or you can send me an email at jevans@abcwidgets.com. You can also stop by our web site at abcwidget.com. I will be in your area next week, so anytime then would be a good time to meet or anytime at your convenience. Thank you”

This may sound like it makes sense, but actually our hypothetical sales person tried to sell too many things at once. He tried to sell:

1. His company, ABC Widgets
2. His products
3. The appointment
4. The email return
5. The value of the referral
6. The time for the appointment
7. Justification of the product
8. Industry recognition of his product and service
9. Their web site
10. His reputation and more

The last thing he sold was the return phone call, and guess what? No call back!
Do not make the mistake of forcing the prospect to make the big, hard decision of buying your product or service in advance. Instead, help them make the little, easy decision just to call you.

Let’s look at this same scenario, but this time with a sales person who understands that she should sell only one thing: The call back:

“Hi Ethan, Sean Colby with ABC Widgets. A mutual acquaintance, Sarah Edmonds, suggested that we speak with each other for a brief moment. I was able to share some information with Sarah that she was very excited about and she wanted me to talk to you. Please give me a call at your convenience and in a two-minute phone call, I can tell you what Sarah was so excited about. Please call my cell phone at 0800 123 4567 whenever you get a quick minute or two. Once again, that’s Joe Smith, with ABC at 0800 123 4567, and I look forward to talking with you. Thank you”

This sales person sold ONLY the return call. Also, note this professional stressed that the call would be quick and painless. He did not try to get the prospect to make a buying decision in a 30-second voice mail message. He just sold the importance of the returned call, the importance of talking for a quick minute and he made it easy for the prospect to do so.

If you sell only the return phone call, you will get few more return calls and in turn, you will contact a few more customers, close a few more sales and make a few more pounds!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
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 your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

Ok, you are a pro. You have been cold calling for years, and despite the trend toward e-prospecting, and e-everything else, you have still perfected the art of being able to pick up the telephone and CREATE business, almost at will.

There are a few of us that have no fear of the cold-call and know how to get through the tough gatekeeper screen, get through to the decision-maker and set appointments or close sales. However, there are some pitfalls that even the best-of-the best have problems handling. Speaking to the telephone sales specialists, avoid these three mistakes and you will move on to levels that even you never thought were possible!

Simply put, sometimes your skill can be TOO much.

#1 – Too Smart
There comes a time when you know exactly what almost every prospect is going to say. You know every possible objection and you know how to handle each. Almost as if you have some type of extra sensory perception (ESP), you can cover every objection before they arise. It is easy to begin to assume that you know what the prospect is going to say before they actually say it. While you may be correct much of the time, you will be wrong as well.

In addition to assuming incorrectly, even when you are right, you will tend to cut the prospect off, sometimes in the middle of their sentence. You must remain open minded and listen to every response completely.

#2 – Too Quick
In addition to knowing too much, almost like somewhat of a psychic; always being right and having all the answers at the tip of your tongue, is a mistake. Prospects will often object simply because they feel you left them no objection. They feel you are too prepared and they have no control. Though you must maintain control, the prospect needs to feel as if they are in control. No one wants to feel as if they had no choice in the buying decision. Slow down and give the prospect’s objections and feelings some validity. Don’t overcome objections too fast and easy.

#3- Too Comfortable
Beginners and undertrained cold callers make the mistake of sounding too rehearsed, tense and phoney when making sales calls. However, the experienced pro can often sound too relaxed, loose and informal. You need to sound natural, and unrehearsed, but you must be careful to maintain a professional tone. It is easy to become so comfortable that your calls take on a casual, un-business like atmosphere.

Keep in mind that although you may have everything under control, the prospect cannot feel that there is a predetermined outcome.

You may be too good, but don’t be TOO good.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

(Image by Photostock)

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 your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

LinkedIn is THE professional platform to be involved with, and if you are not on it by now then you really are missing out.

LinkedIn is full of opportunities for every executive, sales professional and business owner to generate leads for their business and engage with those all important decision makers  – but how do you ensure that your LinkedIn account is a professional as you are?

Well, here are 5 top tips to take your LinkedIn account from office rookie to high-flying executive.

Are You Up To Date?

You need to think of your LinkedIn profile as being a 24 hour, worldwide advertisement for yourself and your company – so are you keeping it up to date? Having a 100% complete profile is a must if you want to use the LinkedIn platform to the best of its abilities, and it is so important to ensure that you regularly update your status updates and recommendations on the platform.

You need to look at your LinkedIn Profile as if you were a potential client who has never met you before and wants to know more about you – does your profile do you justice?

Time Is Money

What exactly are you hoping to get out of LinkedIn? Are you looking for a new career? Trying to build up your business connections and generate new leads? Or are you looking to position yourself as an industry expert and leading authority in your field?

You need to be clear about why you have chosen to use the platform to ensure that you are getting real value out of the time you spend on the site. So many LinkedIn users just waste their time on the platform, simple because they are not actively seeking a purpose – so ensure you know what you want out of your time and make the time you spend on the site count.

The Opportunities Are Endless

Every time you connect with a new person on LinkedIn, you immediately become connected to all of their contacts, so your network on the site is ever-growing. The key to getting the most out of your connections on the site is to not only network and engage within your own connections but to also seek out which of your connections contacts might be a valuable connection for you.

Take the time to assess your 2^nd Degree connections – there might be some real VIPs right under your nose and you don’t want to miss out on getting that all important introduction to them as they could mean big opportunities for you and your company.

Don’t Be Selfish

When it comes down to it, LinkedIn is still a social networking site, so don’t be anti-social. You will not build your presence on the site by being selfish with your activity, so make sure you regularly contribute to other people’s discussions rather than just posting your own – and contribute something of real value, don’t just make everything you do on the site about self-promotion.

Do You Want To Be In My Gang?

The LinkedIn Groups are a great way to engage with and prospect for new leads, so why not consider starting a group of your own?

By creating a group closely related to your industry, you can immediately see who on LinkedIn is interested in the products and services you provide – think about it, they wouldn’t have joined your group if the first place if they weren’t! You don’t even have to go looking for new prospects, as they will come to you in the form of new group members.

You can then use your own group to network and engage with potential new clients, as well as sharing all of your great content with them and demonstrating to them why you would be a valuable connection for them to have.  

Regards,

Louise

Louise Denny

Marketing Manager

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

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

Many sales people today still have problems getting enough good referrals. While there are a few astute sales professionals that have truly mastered the art of getting referrals, it still seems to be primarily in getting referrals from clients. Some sales people have become skilled at getting referrals from those prospects that buy.

However, there remains to be but a rare few in the world of selling that have mastered the art of getting referrals from those prospects that DO NOT buy. If you can manage to get quality referrals from both the SALES and the NO SALES, you would dramatically increase your income!

Here is a quick, yet powerful and effective tip to help you get more referrals from the prospects that say “NO.”

A Common Scenario
The main problem sales people have with asking for referrals from the no sale, is that the request for the referrals comes only AFTER the NO SALE. What I mean is that after the sales person closes for the order, asked for the sale, received an objection, then closed on the objection, then asked for the order again, and again….and maybe again; then, finally after it appears to be a lost cause, the sales person now asked for a referral.

At such a point in the sales process, not only is the prospect concerned about referring associates, but also the sales person is too afraid to ask!

The Timing of the Request
Once you ask for the order, a certain amount of tension and pressure evolves. While this is normal and natural whenever people have to make an important decision, it is the wrong time to ask the person to recommend one of their friends or associates to go through the same thing.

Ask for Referrals Earlier in the Sales Process.
Just who said that you have to wait until the very end of the sales interaction before you can ask for referrals? It wasn’t me!

Find a moment early in the sales interaction, when the prospect and you both are still at ease, before it starts to come to the price and the money. Build in a time to ask for referrals just after you explain those great, fantastic benefits that solve all of the prospect’s problems.

“Steve, as you can see, our XJ7 software solves a ton of problems and will save you a lot of money. I’m going to take just a couple of minutes and put together a quote for your plant. While I do that, I wonder if you would introduce me to a few of your associates that you know are having the same problem. I will do exactly what I have done here; show them that there IS a solution. Don’t worry if they may buy or not…I don’t know if you will yet. But it is good to know what is available, don’t you agree?”

Ask for referrals before the close and get more referrals from those who you do NOT close.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

(Image by Renjith Krishnan)

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 your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

The modern day sales process has changed, and sales professionals across all sectors and industries are having to change the way that they sell in order to engage and interact with the modern day buyer.

The days of the mighty cold call are fading away fast, as the modern day buyer simply doesn’t want to be sold to. Instead, the internet and has become the buyer’s best friend, and they can find out all about your business and compare and contrast you against your competitors all with just a few clicks of a mouse. 

The buyer is now in control of the sales process, and knowing how to redress this balance of power is so important for modern day sales professionals and business owners.

Sean McPheat, Managing Director of MTD Sales Training and best-selling author of eselling®, will be presenting a session on the modern day way to sell at the Business Boost 2012 event on June 1^st.

In this fun and engaging session Sean will show you how to prospect, position yourself as an expert and sell using the internet and social media. After this session you will go away with an understanding of how the sales process is changing and what you can do to even up the odds with the modern day buyer.

But don’t just take our word for it – here’s what David Brent, from The Office, has to say:

Sean will be joined at the Business Boost 2012 by an array of high impact speakers including Steve Maraboli, Adrian Webster and Sandro Forte. The event is being held at the National Motorcycle Museum in Birmingham on June 1^st and tickets are going fast, so book now to ensure you don’t miss out – www.businessboost2012.co.uk

Regards,

Louise

Louise Denny

Marketing Manager

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

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

The prospect stops by your booth. You make a connection and engage in a productive conversation, discussing possible interests and developing some rapport. Then a few days, a week or more later, you call the prospect back, only to find that the situation is the equivalent of a cold call.

If you have ever returned from a trade show or other type event, with a basket full of business cards; then you are familiar with that awkward, unpredictable moment when you make that second contact and you don’t know what to expect.

Below are a few tips to help you better control and cultivate those leads and take some of the chill out of that after-the-event follow-up call.

#1. A Definitive Next Step
When you have that meeting at the trade show booth, you want to conclude the conversation with a clearly defined next step. Perhaps you will contact the prospect to set up an appointment. Or maybe you agree that you will send further information or send a quote. Whatever the next step, make sure you clarify it, and let that be the last thing the prospect hears.

“Sarah, again, thank you for stopping by our booth, and I will contact you next week to talk about setting up a skills assessment for your staff.”

“I will call you in a few days Steve, and send you a detailed outline of the program design.”

“Ken, I will call you Friday after you get a chance to check your calendar, and we can arrange a time when we can get you together with one of our technical instructors.”

#2. Take Image Notes
You also want to note more than just the basic interests of the prospect. You built some rapport with the person at the show and you noted that she was interested in your XYZ product. However, most of the times, a few days later, you will have no reallocation of that person; their personality, speech patterns, appearance. You will have completely lost the “feel” of the conversation and hence the rapport. Therefore, when you call back, you have to begin all over again. That is a cold call.

Instead, make notes on the image and personality of the prospect. If you do not have some type of a lead form, then have some small slips of paper that you can make notes on and attach to business cards. Jot down things that will remind you of the person you met:

“Tall guy in brown suit, made lots of jokes…nice funny guy”

“Woman who had the very hard handshake and talks really fast…”

#3. Begin Where You Left Off
Now, on that second contact, use the above information to help make that call a little warmer. Begin exactly where you said you would begin and remind the prospect of who you are and what you spoke of. Do not make the mistake of expecting the prospect to remember you or anything. If they do, that’s great. But do not assume they will recall your meeting.

“Hi Sarah, Mary Smith with AOK Copiers. We met briefly last week at the, ‘What’s new in office equipment show,’ and we spoke about setting up a skills assessment for your staff…”

“Yes Ken, Ethan Robert with Exacting Software. We met at the PC Fair on Monday. You know, I am still laughing at that golfing joke you told me…Anyway, we were looking to arrange a time to get you together with one of our technical instructors…”

In addition to those three effective tips, remember that you have to make those contacts fast. Don’t wait weeks to follow up on trade show leads.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

(Image by Estate Agency Events)

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 your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

I came across this brilliant infographic from Intel the other day and I just had to share it with you all.

As you can see, some of the statistics in this image are staggering! For me, the following figures really jumped out at me:

• Over 100 new LinkedIn accounts are set up every minute
• 20 million photos are viewed on Flickr every minute
• 100,000 new tweets are published on Twitter every minute
• Facebook receives 6 million views every minute
• 30 hours of video content are uploaded to YouTube every minute
• Google deals with over 2 million search queries every minute

And why do these figures in particular stand out to me I hear you ask? Well, put simply, these astonishing statistics go a long way to proving the real value of using social media and the internet within your business. If you are not online, engaging and interacting with your prospects and current client base on these platforms then you are surely missing out – and that is each and every minute of the day!

There are so many ways in which you can use social media and the internet to help you prospect, network and engage with key decision makers online – all you need is the know how. If you would like more information about how you can tap into these fantastic figures and make them work for your own business, then please leave me a comment below and I will get back to you.

Regards,

Louise

Louise Denny

Marketing Manager

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

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

The cold call went so well, you wished it were recorded so you all of your peers could hear. The prospect sounded glad you called, and seems anxious to receive your information package.

However, when you call back, it sounds like you are talking to a totally different person. Suddenly, the prospect became defensive and short. The rapport you established in the first call is gone and the prospect seems to be rushing off the telephone.

What Happened?
While there are several possible reasons for this, let me concentrate on just one culprit that you can eliminate right now and immediately begin having more success on that follow up call.

Watch the Sales Pressure
In that first contact call, even though it may have been a cold call, the prospect felt no pressure. You were not too aggressive and all you wanted to do was send a package. However, when you call back, the prospect can feel an enormous amount of pressure concerning if they have read the material and can recall it. Most of that pressure of reading the material, actually comes from you.

Usually, the first words in that follow-up call are something like this:

“Yes, Steve, I sent you out some literature in the post last week, have you had a chance to look at it yet?”

This question, while seemingly innocent, can cause immediate harm. In most cases, this nice prospect begins searching his or her memory, trying not only to remember the information, but trying to remember YOU. Remember also, this is a phone call, so the prospect has but a second or two to respond. That is why you usually hear responses like:

“Ah, I, um…well, I was really busy last week…” or, “Ah, I was out of the office…” or, “No, I don’t think I got it…”

An Adversarial Position
The prospect feels the pressure of an obligation to explain WHY he has not read your package. It is an offensive motion that forces the prospect to adapt a position of defence. That innocent question often produces an adversarial atmosphere that is usually impossible to reverse.

Redirect the Responsibility
The solution is simple; just do not confirm if the prospect has actually read or even remembers the material in the beginning of that call. Of course, you want to know if the package arrived, so ask exactly that, and put the blame for the prospect not seeing or remembering it on someone else.

Put the responsibility on the post or someone in the prospect’s office:

“Sarah, I sent a package to you last week, did the post get it to you safely?”

“Steve, I got out that literature pack that we spoke of, I was just wondering did it ever cross your desk?”

If the prospect begins to offer excuses for not reading or remembering, exonerate them!

Prospect
“Well, I, ah, I haven’t had a chance to get a look at it yet…”

Sales Person
“Oh no, Steve. Please don’t worry about that. I know how busy you are. I just wanted to make sure it got there in one piece. Anyway, the reason I’m calling…”

Your literature pack should be a mere extension of the first call and a way to move the sales process forward. Do not allow it to become the focal point.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
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 your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…

I talk a lot about qualifying the buyer. You need to spend your time talking to and working with those prospects that CAN do business with you. So you do need to qualify potential buyers to your minimal levels and try to screen out those that may prove to be a waste of time.

However, I find that many sales people go too far with this. Some are so afraid of under-qualifying, they OVER-qualify; eliminating qualified buyers and missing legitimate sales opportunities.

Following are a few tips to help you make sure you are not closing the door on opportunity when it knocks. Depending on what you sell and your sales process, some of these thoughts may not apply, but I think you’ll get the idea.

The Perfect Prospect
You have the image, the exact parameters and the makeup of what is the perfect prospective customer for your product or service. However, you must be careful not to force EVERY prospect to meet those qualifications before you decide to give the opportunity your best effort.

You may think that waiting on that perfect prospect is prudent because you only spend time with “Buyers.” The truth however, is that waiting on the perfect prospect is simply being lazy. That so-called perfect prospect, in most cases, represents the easy, lay-down sale.

Stop waiting for the perfect prospect and start converting marginal prospects INTO perfect prospects. Better yet, start turning marginal prospects into perfect clients!

Minimal Qualifications, Maximum Effort
Define the minimal qualifications a prospect needs to do business with you. Then, give every prospect who meets those qualifications, your best effort in closing the sale. Too often, sales people give less effort and attention to those prospects that do not APPEAR to be of the highest quality. Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Do Your JOB!
Usually, part of that over qualifying is due to potential funding or the lack of a pre-established need. In other words, if the prospect does not seem to have a clearly defined budget and readily available funds, or if the prospect cannot yet firmly define the need, then the thought is to pass over this lead.

Think about that though. You want a prospect that already knows exactly what they need, knows exactly what they will spend and has the check ready? If that were the case, then why would any company need you? Why would anyone pay a professional sales person to get that business?

Stop waiting for the prospect to do your job for you.

As a professional sales person, YOU need to uncover the problems. YOU need to expose the need. YOU need to help the prospect with funding.

YOU NEED TO HELP THE PROSPECT BUY.  Go to work!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

(Image by David Castillo Dominici)

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 your very existence as a sales person is in doubt…