Here are some ideas to help you achieve the ultimate goal. There are no tricks or complications here; just common-sense tips that you can use to get the sale:

1) Help the customer buy. Forget putting yourself and the customer under pressure. Think of opening up a long-term relationship. You wouldn’t pressure someone who you’ve built up a good relationship with, would you? Then don’t do it now, when you’re building one! Don’t sell, let them buy!

2) Remain positive and persistent. Maintain the correct momentum for the sale. If the customer is still having to think about things, lay out the right road for them to follow. Follow-up diligently with a personalised follow-up letter. Remain optimistic that you still have a chance, right up to the moment they say yes.

3) Know your goal. Have a specific objective for every meeting you have. It might not be to close the sale that day, but it might be to get them to agree to test your product or introduce you to an end user. Create a real reason for every meeting you have, and you set yourself up for success

4) Check your progress. You know how an auto-pilot on a plane keeps it heading in the right direction? Well, put some ‘milestones’ in the conversation, just like an auto-pilot would check that the plane was on target. Check with the client that everything is sounding good to him or all is looking great.

5) Summarise and ask for the business. Make a final assertion of the benefits you can bring the business and then check if it meets their objective. Make a statement rather than ask a question, and if you’ve built up the right level of trust, the customer will agree to carry out your suggestion. For example, “We’ve covered all the ways your business will benefit from these widgets, Mr Smith. All we have to do now is sign the documents and we can start saving you money immediately”.

Keep reinforcing the value you will offer the customer and remember to follow up diligently.

Closing, then, isn’t a matter of trickery and deceptive remarks – simply by maintaining your professionalism and making it a natural step in the process, you’ll build the trust and close more sales.

Happy Selling!

Sean

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

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As a B2B sales professional, it often happens that the buyer, the person actually making the final decision, will not be the end user of your product or services. And yet they have to make decisions that the end-users have to live with for months, even years.

It’s important to know how your products are used so you can sell them most effectively.

Often, the buyer will have an idea of what the end users are looking for, but their buying criteria (the basis on which they judge the suitability of the product) may be on a different level to the end users. And it’s these end-users who can give you important information that can lead to the sale.

Let’s say you’re selling photocopiers, and you’re targeting a firm that you know would benefit from your products. You could concentrate simply on the buyer, asking them questions about what they want in a photocopier.

Or you could contact some of the office staff who actually use it every day, and ask what they like best about their current model and what they like least. Ask them if there is anything they would like to change about the model, if they could.

This information would give you a different perspective on the sale. It would give you the ability to discuss user needs and wants, ideas that the buyer may not have considered. Naturally, you have to be aware of the political and logistical aspects of this, but it may show the prospective buyer that you have done your homework and will show her how to look good in her end-user’s eyes.

It also gives you hands-on experience of what users are really looking for from your products and services. You can then pass on this very valuable information to your prospect, as it may be that she hasn’t asked the end users for their views. This way, you’re helping to facilitate the buying process. That can only result in progress in the sale.

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…

Maybe it’s down to the fact that you are not confirming them in the right way.

Here’s a way to make the appointment stick!

Just remember the word cement. C-E-M-E-N-T

C – Confirm
Confirm or re-confirm addresses, telephone numbers, and the dates and times

E – Explain
Briefly re-explain what you are going to do. Basically you want to tell them what you just told them

M – Many Thanks or Much Obliged
Thank the prospect for their time and for the upcoming appointment time

E – Exonerate
Absolve the prospect for this decision and reassure them that it is the right thing to do
(Ammunition for buyer’s remorse)

N – Numbers
The logic that helps the prospect keep the appointment set. Mention some brief numbers that seal the decision with logic.

T – Terminate with Tact
Get off the telephone SLOWLY! Always let prospect hang up first

This may sound like a lot, but it is actually very simple and quick:

Prospect:
“Yes, ok. 9:15 in the morning will be fine.”

Sales Person:
“Thanks, Mark. I appreciate your time. Now let me just double check. You are in the Midas Building on Swinton Avenue, is that right near Town Hall Road?

Prospect:
“Yes, actually, it is on the corner of Town Hall Road”

Sales Person:
“And exactly where is your office, Mark?”

Prospect:
“When you come in the main entrance, just turn left, and you will see the glass doors that say Halsbert Maintenance.”

Sales Person:
“Great. And are going to meet me there this coming Friday, that is the 8th, at 9:15 am, is that right?”

Prospect:
“Ok.”

Sales Person:
“Once again, thanks for your time next week, and I’m sure you’ll find the information I will leave with you is really useful. As I mentioned, we will just sit down for a half an hour or so and I will show you how our new technology can save you lots of man hours—as much as 55%. Oh, also, Mark do you have a pen handy—let me give you my number in case anything comes up.”

Prospect:
“Go ahead.”

Sales Person:
“That’s Linda Johnson…….with New Day Maintenance Supplies. And my office is 0843 849 6900. My mobile is 0743 844 8181. Please give me a call should anything come up.”

Prospect:
“OK”

Sales Person:
“Mark, again, thank you for your time and I look forward to meeting with you on Friday.”

It was not a long drawn out speech, but she did not rush off of the telephone. That is a solid appointment!

Happy CEMENTING!

Sean

Sean McPheat
The Sales Jedi
MTD Sales Blog

MTD Sales Training

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…

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

Here’s his top 6 tips for making sure that your next sales meeting is well and truly a sales meeting from hell!

Ivegotta Closeya

1. Just Wing It!
Go into the meeting with no specific objectives in mind. Just play it be ear and have no specific outcome for what you want to achieve. That’s a real test of a salesperson! Fly by the seat of your pants!

2. Research Is For Whimps
Conducting clent research is a real pain in the 8ss! Just don’t bother. After all, sales is a numbers game isn’t it? If the next sucker doesn’t buy then some other sucker will…won’t they?

3. Decision Maker? Keh?
Assume the person you are going to meet is the decision maker. After all, they must be important to be meeting you right?

4. My Kit Has Never Let Me Down Before
No need to check your laptop cables, your laptop batteries or whether you’ve got a back up plan if the laptop packs up. What’s the use of that? Also, you’ll have plenty of business cards either in your brief case or in your jacket pocket so no need to waste time on them.

5. That’s Enough About Me, What Do You Think About Me?
Me, me, me, me, me! Love it! I’ve perfected my pitch and I’m gonna close this person and get them to buy it. I’m not going to waste time hearing about their pain and their issues as I know these already. So I’m gonna go for the kill. Wish me luck!

6. I Get Objections All The Time, I’m Great At Handling Them!
I was once told by my Sales Manager and some Bald Sales Jedi Guy to frontload my objections into my presentation but that’s a waste of time. I love it when objections surface at the end and then I have a ping pong match in overcoming them. Oh, yes, that’s the true test of a sales rep! 15 love!

And now a tip from “The Bald Sales Jedi Guy” – Ivegotta Closeya is a complete loser!

Make sure you reverse his logic and tips and be prepared for your next client sales meeting!

Happy Sales Meetings!

Sean

Sean McPheat
“Bald Sales Jedi Guy” – thank you Ivegotta!
MTD Sales Blog

Telephone: 0800 849 6732

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…

People tend to have two chains of thought on this, and I am glad to see this question as it tells me you have not automatically bought into either of those standard chains of thought.

While some managers believe that sales meetings can be a huge waste of time and therefore usually have too few; others believe that sales meetings are important but tend to have too many. Which is right?

There are a lot of factors that go into figuring out the best sales meeting set up for each company and situation, so I will give you the foundation and you can design a plan that best fits your organization.

You want to base the sales meeting schedule and structure on three things:

1. Your sales model; your overall selling cycle
2. The geographical and logistical parameters of your sales operation
3. The overall sales experience of your sales force

Your sales model; selling cycle: Let’s say that your sales model is such that an above average sales person should do five presentations or closing attempts every day (five days a week) and should close one sale everyday or five sales a week. In this case, I would meet with the entire sales crew everyday. Have short sales meetings to start their day, paying accolades to those who sold the previous day, correcting mistakes and motivating them to go out in the field again. You can then hold a longer, more strategic company or regional sales meeting once a month.

However, if your sales cycle is such that sales people complete only one sales presentation per week and close one sale a month, then you might meet once a week, with a more detailed sales meeting celebrating closed sales once a month and a quarterly regional meeting. You see what I mean? Figure out how often sales people should close sales and meet around those times.

The geographical and logistical parameters of your sales operation: Now with what I said above, we have to realize how geography and other logistic play into the situation. Perhaps your model is to close one sale everyday, but your sales people are spread around the county and you can not possibly see them everyday? In a case like this, I would have each sales person call me at the end of each day for a brief personal one-on-one sales meeting via telephone and hold the weekly sales meeting.

The overall sales experience of your sales force: However, in addition to the above, you have to also consider the experience level of the sales team. If they are very experience people who have been with the firm a number of years and work well independently, perhaps you scale down the weekly or personal meetings. On the other hand, with a younger less experienced sales team you might want to meet everyday, plus have a big weekly meeting and sales training session, PLUS meet with sales people individually, going out with them in the field, coaching and training them constantly.

So first, meet around the time that sales should close, your sales cycle. Then take into consideration the logistics and finally make adjustments depending on experience level. I hope this helps!

Happy Selling

Sean

Sean McPheat
MTD Sales Training

http://www.mtdsalestraining.com

Looking for sales training?
Call 0800 849 6732

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…