However, these requests don’t have to undermine your confidence.

With effective sales training, your team can turn price objections into opportunities to showcase your brand’s value without compromising on margins.

One notable example of a successful price matching strategy is the iconic “Never knowingly undersold.” pledge by John Lewis, which exemplifies how to maintain integrity and customer trust.

Let’s explore why customers request price matching and how you can strategically respond.

Why Customers Ask for Price Matching

Customers ask for price matching for various reasons, often driven by a reasonable desire to get the best deal. With the rise of online shopping, price transparency has increased significantly, enabling buyers to quickly compare prices between competitors.

There is also the concept of System 1 thinking (as proposed by Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman) by which humans seek easy heuristics to make easier decisions, rather than employ complex logical System 2 thinking.

In other words, a “money off” sticker often carries more weight than a long list of product specs.

Some more thought through reasons for a price match request include:

• Budget Constraints: Customers may have tight budgets and are looking for the lowest price to stick to their financial limits.
• Perception of Parity: They may believe that similar products or services provide equal value; price then becomes the key differentiator.
• Negotiation Tactics: Some customers may use sales objections as a negotiating tool to secure a discount or an extra benefit.

While these requests can feel like an immediate threat, especially in a competitive market, they also present an opportunity to reinforce your unique value and build a stronger relationship with the customer.

What you don’t want to do is wince, draw-in breath, crinkle your eyes and look like you’re sucking a lemon!

The Real Danger of Price Matching

The primary risk with price matching is that it can lead to a race to the bottom. This is more prevalent in some sectors than others, of course. Constantly lowering prices to compete may:

• Undermine Your Brand’s Perceived Value: If your product is consistently discounted, customers may start to question its quality or worth.
• Erode Profit Margins: Each price match cuts into your profit, which could affect the long-term sustainability of your business.
• Encourage Future Discounts: Once customers realise they can negotiate on price, they may be more likely to ask for a discount again, expecting the same flexibility.
• Undermine the value of discretionary discounts: You’ve probably seen stores that seem to be constantly holding a sale: can there really be any meaningful discounts on offer if a sale never ends?

Without careful handling, overuse of price matching strategies can harm both your business and your brand.

How to Highlight Your Unique Value Proposition

Rather than immediately agreeing to a price match, the focus should shift to showcasing your product or service’s unique value.

This could be your product’s superior quality, exceptional customer service, faster delivery, or additional, unique benefits. Demonstrating how you offer more than the competition is key to justifying a price difference.

For example, you could say:

“We may not be the lowest price on the market, but our solution includes 24/7 customer support and a two-year warranty, which none of our competitors provide at this price point.”

12 Proven Strategies for Handling Price Matching Requests

When faced with price matching requests, how you respond can make all the difference.

Below are several strategies you can use to protect your margins while addressing the customer’s concerns.

1: Reaffirm the Value of Your Product or Service

Before discussing price, remind the customer of the benefits and unique features of your product or service. Emphasise what sets you apart from competitors, such as superior quality, a strong warranty, or excellent customer support. If you’ve won any awards or garnered rave reviews, now is the time to stress those accolades.

Example:
“You’re not just buying a product; you’re investing in ongoing support, faster service, and a long-term solution that delivers better value.”

2: Offer a “Non-Monetary” Concession

If the customer insists on a price match, try to offer non-monetary benefits instead of a direct discount. This could include extended service, additional training, or a free upgrade. You should have a few options at your fingertips for this eventuality.

Example:
“For that price, I can’t match exactly, but I can offer you a free upgrade to our premium customer support plan for six months.”

3: Ask for a Trade-Off

When a customer requests a price match, ask if there’s anything they would abandon to achieve the discount. This strategy not only shifts the focus from the price but also demonstrates that value-based selling comes with certain trade-offs.

You’ll often find the customer backs off when they realise they might miss out on something valuable.

Example:
“We can reduce the price, but it would mean scaling back on the customization options we discussed. How would that impact your project?”

4: Compare the Full Picture, Not Just the Price

Many customers focus solely on the sticker price, neglecting other factors like shipping fees, delivery times, or additional services. Ensure they’re comparing apples to apples by highlighting the full scope of your offering.

Example:
“The competitor may be offering a lower price, but our package includes free installation and a 12-month maintenance service that they don’t provide.”

5: Use Time-Sensitive Offers

One way to handle a price match request is by creating urgency with a time-sensitive offer. Let the customer know you’re willing to work with them but within a specific time frame. Be careful that this deadline doesn’t sound punitive or arbitrary.

Example:
“We can offer you a 5% discount, but this offer is valid only if we can close the deal by Friday.”

6: Bundle Offers

Create additional value for the customer by bundling your product with related services or features. This allows you to maintain your price while still offering more perceived value than a direct price match.

Example:
“If we stick with the current pricing, I can offer a complementary service, such as a one-year extended warranty, to ensure you get more value for your money.”

7: Offer Payment Flexibility

Instead of reducing the price, offer more flexible payment terms, such as extended payment plans or delayed payments. This can make the purchase more attractive without altering the price point.

Example:
“We can’t match that price, but we can spread your payments over six months with no interest. Would that make it more affordable for you?”

8: Focus on Post-Sale Support and Services

Highlight the quality and comprehensiveness of your post-sale services, such as customer support, training, or maintenance, to demonstrate added value.

Example:
“The competitor’s price may be lower, but we include 24/7 customer support, free training, and ongoing maintenance, which will save you time and money in the long run.”

9: Reference Customer Success Stories

Use testimonials or case studies to demonstrate how previous customers achieved better outcomes or ROI by choosing your product over a lower-priced competitor. Highlight how these success stories can help build a strong and loyal customer base, reinforcing the value of your offering. Make sure you can back up such case studies with evidence and specifics.

Example:
“One of our clients had a similar choice between us and a cheaper competitor, and after choosing our solution, they saw a 30% improvement in efficiency within six months. We’d love to help you achieve similar results.”

10: Customise the Offer Based on Customer Needs

If possible, tailor your offering to meet the specific needs of the customer. This could involve modifying the product or service to better align with their requirements, allowing you to maintain the price while increasing perceived value. Bespoke or personalised offerings can more reasonably command a unique price.

Example:
“Let’s customise this package to exactly fit your needs. We’ll include only the features you’ll use most, which ensures you’re getting the best value for your investment.”

11: Highlight Long-Term Relationships and Trust

If you have an existing relationship with the customer, remind them of the trust and reliability you’ve built over time, emphasising the risk of switching to a lesser-known competitor. NB: this needn’t require you to denigrate your competitor, just stress the uncertainty of opting for their offering.

Example:
“We’ve worked together for several years now, and you know you can rely on our timely delivery and exceptional service. While the competitor’s price might look attractive, there’s a lot of uncertainty in terms of what you’ll receive from them.”

Discover more practical strategies to strengthen client connections with our list of 10 relationship selling examples. Learn how to build trust, deepen loyalty, and drive long-term success in your sales approach.

12: Highlight Long-Term Savings

Instead of focusing solely on the upfront price, guide the customer to look at long-term value, such as lower total cost of ownership or reduced maintenance expenses over time. This shifts the conversation from price to the price vs sales value.

Example:
“Our initial price might be higher, but with our energy-efficient design, you’ll save 20% on operational costs over the next five years.”

When Price Matching Might Make Sense

In some cases, price matching can be a strategic move. It might make sense if:

1. You’re in a highly competitive market where price is the main differentiator. This is the situation with John Lewis in the competitive world of retail superstores.
2. You’re trying to win a high-value client who could lead to more business in the future. Sometimes a “loss-leader” offer is a strategic coup.
3. The price difference is minimal, and absorbing the cost won’t significantly impact your margins. If your margin is 20%, perhaps a 5% discount doesn’t make a significant difference.

In these instances, price matching strategies may help you secure long-term customer loyalty.

How to Keep Control of the Conversation

It’s essential to keep control of the price matching conversation by steering it toward value rather than price alone. Here are a few tips:

• Ask questions that get the customer to reflect on what they truly need beyond just the price. This could be convenience, efficiency savings, flexibility, peace of mind, or many other non-monetary values that comprise your product’s UVP.
• Frame the conversation around outcomes rather than features, helping them see the long-term value of your product.
• Stay calm and composed—don’t rush to agree on a discount, as this can diminish your position and invite more customer price concerns in the future.

The Long-Term Impact of Price Matching

Frequent price matching can have a detrimental effect on your brand’s perception and profitability. While it may offer a spike in your sales volume short-term, over time, it may lead to:

• Customer price sensitivity, where clients expect lower prices regularly.
• Decreased brand loyalty, as customers chase the cheapest option.
• Eroded profit margins, which can undermine the sustainability of your business.

To avoid this, focus on the long-term benefits of retaining value, such as higher customer loyalty, better brand perception, and increased margins over time.

To match or not to match

Price matching requests don’t have to be threatening.

When managed strategically, they become opportunities to reaffirm your value and win customer trust. Use the above strategies to maintain control of the conversation, highlight your unique proposition, and protect your margins.

For more insights and hands-on training to enhance your win-win sales negotiation strategies and sales negotiation tactics, explore our Selling Skills Training, or bring our experts to your team with In-House Training.

Test your negotiation aptitude with our Sales Personality Test.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post How to Handle Price Matching Requests Without Losing Value appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

A sales training programme template is designed to turn training from an event into a process that can be repeated to achieve consistent results, with lasting improvement based on behaviour change, not content.

That’s why we created a 1-page Sales Training Programme Template – a simple framework you can use to design training that turns learning into measurable improvement.

1. Why most sales training doesn’t deliver ROI

Let’s be honest, most sales training looks like this:

• Book a one-day course
• Get great feedback
• Nothing changes back at work

The team loved the trainer. They enjoyed the exercises but behaviour didn’t change. And behaviour is what drives results.

Sales training fails when it’s treated as a one-off event instead of a process. Reps go back to overflowing inboxes, busy pipelines, and old habits that swallow everything they just learned. Motivation fades, performance flatlines, and the business concludes “training doesn’t work.”

The problem isn’t the people. It’s the structure.

Real impact comes from consistency in applying, reviewing, and reinforcing behaviours over time. When that structure exists, learning transfers. When it doesn’t, it dies.

2. Sales training is only effective when behaviour changes on the job

Most workshops raise awareness but don’t shift performance. Awareness doesn’t close deals. Behaviour does.

Salespeople don’t improve because they heard about a new technique, they improve because they tried it in a real conversation, reflected on what worked, and adjusted next time.

That’s why effective sales training must be built as a programme, not a workshop. A one-off session can spark interest. A structured programme creates habit.

Here’s the difference:

At MTD, we’ve seen this across every industry, when salespeople have time, structure, and feedback, training sticks. When they don’t, nothing changes.

3. The purpose of the 1-page template

This template isn’t the full programme. It’s the blueprint. A single page that forces clarity before you build the detail.

Too often, teams rush into slide decks and session outlines without asking the fundamental question: What exactly are we trying to fix?

The 1-pager helps you answer that before anything else.

It’s where you define:

• The business problem you’re solving
• The new behaviours you want to see
• The weekly development rhythm
• The actions reps must take in real life
• The measures of success

Once you’ve mapped those five areas, everything else, the content, delivery, reinforcement all flows naturally.

When those five things are clear, training becomes predictable and measurable. You’ll know what success looks like before the first session even starts.

The simplest template in the world won’t work unless you can prove its driving real performance change. Sales Training ROI: How to Prove It Works breaks down how to connect every skill developed in training to measurable commercial outcomes.

4. The 1-Page Sales Training Programme Template

Here’s what it looks like:

SALES TRAINING PROGRAMME TEMPLATE (1 PAGE)

This single page turns vague training plans into concrete performance improvement. It’s not theory, it’s action on paper.

5. Step-by-step: How to build your sales training programme

Step 1: Start with the business problem

Don’t start with “topics.” Start with pain.

Ask yourself: What keeps happening that shouldn’t?

Examples:

• “Deals are stalling because discovery is weak.”
• “Salespeople give up too easily after rejection.”
• “We discount too much because we don’t defend value.”

That’s your starting point. Once the problem is clear, the rest of the programme designs itself.

Insert into template:
“Reps are losing deals at proposal stage due to poor questioning.”

Now the training has a purpose. You’re not buying content; you’re buying improvement.

Step 2: Define the behaviour you need to see

Sales training isn’t about what reps know. It’s about what they do.

To define behaviour, ask:

“What would we see if the problem no longer existed?”

Examples:
• “Reps ask at least five discovery questions before pitching.”
• “Reps present ROI instead of discounts.”
• “Reps follow up within 24 hours with tailored next steps.”

Insert into template:
“Reps lead discovery conversations that uncover at least three quantifiable customer needs.”
Be specific. Avoid vague goals like “communicate better” or “increase confidence.”

If you can’t observe it, you can’t measure it.

Clarity on behaviour gives everyone a shared understanding of what success looks like for the trainer, manager, and sales rep.

Step 3: Build a Weekly Development Method

This is where momentum comes from.

A weekly development method creates rhythm. Rhythm creates repetition. Repetition creates habit.

That’s the formula for lasting performance change.

My recommended method (simple, proven, sustainable):

• Week 1: Live training on a specific behaviour
• Week 2: Field application task
• Week 3: Coaching or accountability call
• Week 4: Reflection and adjustment

Then repeat the cycle for the next key behaviour like prospecting, objection handling, negotiation, closing.

You don’t need a six-month syllabus. You need six weeks of focused improvement, reinforced in rhythm.

This structure keeps the learning manageable and continuous, with clear expectations and built-in follow-up.

If you’re planning to work with an external partner, How to Choose the Right Sales Training Provider shows you what to look for so your provider aligns every module and metric with this framework.

Step 4: Force real-world application

Salespeople don’t learn by listening. They learn by doing.

That’s why the most effective training builds in practical application immediately after learning. Every session should end with a clear challenge, something real, not theoretical.

For example:

• “Use the new questioning framework on your next three discovery calls.”
• “Defend your price using the ROI value statement in one live negotiation.”
• “Reopen a stalled deal using the follow-up sequence we covered.”

This keeps the learning alive in the field, not locked in a workbook.

Insert into template:

“Apply the questioning framework in three live client conversations this week and document the outcomes.”

When people test new behaviours quickly, they start building confidence and skill through repetition. They also experience small wins and those early wins fuel motivation.

The key is specificity. Don’t tell reps to “try using open questions.” Tell them exactly what to do, by when, and how it connects to their targets.

Real-world application is where change becomes visible. It’s where knowledge becomes performance.

Step 5: Track results, not attendance

Training attendance means nothing if sales performance stays the same.

The only metrics that matter are those you can connect to business impact. That’s why results tracking is the fifth and final section of the template.

It’s not about collecting pages of data, it’s about identifying simple, observable proof.

Ask questions like:

• “What did you apply this week?”
• “What happened when you applied it?”
• “What impact did it have on your numbers or conversations?”

Examples of strong measures:

• Conversion rate improved by 7% after objection-handling module.
• Number of value-based proposals increased by 25%.
• Average discount dropped from 12% to 8%.

That’s the language executives understand.

Linking every behaviour change to a business metric like deal size, conversion, margin, or retention, turns training from an event into an investment.

When sales managers review these metrics regularly, accountability grows naturally. Salespeople know their progress will be tracked, so they apply the learning consistently.

Example: 6-Week Sales Training Programme

Here’s how your completed template might look in action:

Business Problem:

Salespeople are discounting too heavily to close deals.

Desired Behaviour:

Reps sell on value, not price, and confidently defend margins.

Weekly Development Method:

• Week 1: Live session on value-based selling
• Week 2: Apply new pricing framework in 3 calls
• Week 3: Coaching review with line manager
• Week 4: Share success stories in team meeting
• Week 5–6: Reinforce through peer practice sessions

Real-World Application:

Reps use value-proving statements in each customer conversation.

Results Tracking:

• Average discount reduced by 5% within six weeks
• Close rate improved by 9%
• £180k additional profit margin generated

That’s not theory, that’s transformation.

Why this template works (when most sales training doesn’t)

Most sales training is too comfortable. People sit, listen, and feel motivated but motivation isn’t measurable.
This template removes the fluff. It forces clarity, action, and accountability.

Because it demands three things:

1. Clarity – Everyone knows exactly what to change.
2. Application – Salespeople act before the next session.
3. Accountability – Someone checks if they did it.

When those three elements align, behaviour shifts and results follow.

It also gives sales managers a simple framework for coaching. They can see what reps are practising, what results are showing, and where further support is needed. That visibility creates momentum.

Training without accountability is entertainment. Training with accountability is improvement. And improvement is what drives ROI.

What to avoid (the classic mistakes)

Even the best sales programmes can fail if the setup is wrong.

Avoid these common traps:

• Starting with content, not problems. Don’t design modules until you’ve defined the business issue.
• Making it too big. Focus on one or two key behaviours at a time.
• Skipping reinforcement. A workshop without follow-up is a waste.
• Leaving managers out. They’re the bridge between learning and lasting change.

I’ve lost count of the number of companies who say,

“We did sales training, but nothing changed.”

They didn’t do a programme; they did an event.

The difference is structure. A one-day course sparks awareness. A six-week rhythm builds capability.

What to do after the programme (the follow-through)

Training isn’t the finish line. It’s the starting gun. Once the formal sessions end, the focus should shift to reinforcement and measurement. Without that, new habits fade and people revert to what’s comfortable.

What Makes Sales Training Actually Improve Results explains why lasting improvement always comes down to behaviour change, not content.

Here’s what to do next:

• Monthly one-to-ones: Review what’s changed and where support is needed.
• Peer accountability: Encourage managers to share progress and best practices.
• Track results visually: Use a shared dashboard or spreadsheet so progress is public.

Small, regular check-ins beat one big review months later.

Follow-up doesn’t have to be complicated; it just has to be consistent. A five-minute conversation about what’s working is often more powerful than a formal report.

When sales managers keep performance improvement in the conversation, behaviour becomes habit. And that’s when training ROI becomes undeniable.

How to use this with your own team

You can download the free template below and start building your own programme today.

Use it to plan internal sales development or to brief an external training partner like MTD.

It keeps everyone aligned on what success looks like before any slides, sessions, or budgets are finalised.

Download link placeholder: [Sales Training Programme Template PDF]

If you’re serious about sales improvement, use this page as your starting point. Define the business problem, map the desired behaviour, create a weekly rhythm, and track results. That’s how learning turns into growth.

Final thoughts

Sales training isn’t about teaching people to sell. It’s about teaching them to change.

Change how they think. Change how they act. Change how they connect value to performance.

That’s what this 1-page template is designed for — clarity, focus, and measurable impact.

Training that changes behaviour always changes results.

If you’re looking to change your sales results, then please check out our Sales Training Courses here or call our team on 0333 320 2883 to discuss your requirements.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Sales Training Programme Template (Free 1-Page Download) appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Sales training ROI can be measured; it just needs to be treated as any other business metric. Knowing the objective (more sales), the measurement (£) and the investment made (course cost), you’ll easily be able to quantify the return on your investment.

However, choosing the right training partner is often the first step towards seeing a return. If you’re evaluating who to work with, The Best Sales Training Companies in the UK outlines the leading providers.

Since 2001, MTD Sales Training has helped over 250,000 sales professionals improve results for their organisations. We’ve seen what works and what fails, when it comes to proving value.

Here’s the real-world guide to measuring sales training ROI properly.

1. Start by defining ROI in plain English

Let’s strip the jargon out of it. ROI simply means:
“What did we get back compared to what we spent?”

In financial terms, ROI = (Net Benefit ÷ Cost) x 100.

But in sales training, the “benefit” isn’t just revenue. It’s the change in performance that drives that revenue. That could include:

• Shorter sales cycles
• Higher close rates
• Larger average deal sizes
• Fewer discounts offered
• Lower staff turnover in sales roles

When these improvements happen because of training, they all contribute to ROI.

If your leadership team wants numbers, tie those behaviours to financial impact. If they want confidence, show clear before-and-after changes in performance.

2. Stop measuring activity. Start measuring outcomes.

Most sales training fails the ROI test because it measures the wrong thing.

Businesses track how many people attended, how much they liked the trainer, or how “engaged” they were in breakout sessions. That’s fine for internal reports, but it doesn’t prove value.

ROI is about outcomes, not activity.

You should be asking:

• Did behaviours change?
• Did those changes improve sales performance?
• Did the performance improvement impact business results?

We call this the “Impact Chain.”

It looks like this:

Learning → Behaviour Change → Performance → Business Impact.

If your measurement stops at the first or second link, you’ll never see the return properly. ROI lives at the other end of that chain where performance and impact meet.

ROI starts with the partner you choose. How to Choose the Right Sales Training Provider breaks down what to look for before signing any training contract, including how they measure impact, handle follow-up, and align with your sales goals.

3. Build ROI measurement into the design, not the aftermath

The biggest mistake companies make? Measuring ROI after training ends.

By that point, it’s too late.

ROI starts in the design phase, not the report phase. You need to build measurement into the programme from day one.

That means agreeing clear answers to questions like:

• What’s the business problem this training is solving?
• What metrics will show if that problem has improved?
• Who’s responsible for tracking progress?
• When will we review and report on results?

Without these anchors, you’re stuck trying to prove something retroactively.

When we design programmes at MTD, we define ROI metrics right at the start. For example:

• • Negotiation training: Track average discount percentage.

Account management: Track client retention and cross-sell.

Sales leadership: Track forecast accuracy and coaching frequency.

That clarity upfront means you can measure confidently later.

4. Use leading and lagging indicators

ROI isn’t just about the end result. You need to measure both leading and lagging indicators.

• Leading indicators show early signs of change (e.g. number of new opportunities opened, calls made, proposals sent).
• Lagging indicators show the business impact (e.g. revenue growth, conversion rate improvement, profit margin increase).

Leading indicators prove the training is being applied. Lagging indicators prove it’s working.

For instance, if a new questioning framework was introduced in training, you might measure:

• Leading: % of calls where reps use the framework correctly.
• Lagging: % increase in conversion rate within 6 weeks.

By tracking both, you can connect the dots between action and outcome.

5. Focus on behavioural metrics first

Behaviour is the bridge between learning and performance.

If you can’t see a change in behaviour, there won’t be a change in results.

That’s why the first layer of ROI measurement should focus on observable behaviour.

Ask:

• What are managers seeing differently in how reps sell?
• How are customer conversations changing?
• What new habits are visible in team meetings or calls?

We use structured observation tools to help managers track this, simple checklists that capture whether specific skills are being applied.

For example:

• Reps now ask three discovery questions before proposing.
• Managers use a consistent coaching framework in one-to-ones.

When behaviour changes, results follow. It’s that simple but that powerful.

6. Quantify the financial value of improvement

Once you can show a performance change, you can translate it into monetary value.

Here’s an example:

• Before training: conversion rate = 20%.
• After training: conversion rate = 25%.
• Average deal value = £5,000.
• Sales team handles 200 opportunities per month.

That 5% improvement equals 10 additional deals per month, or £50,000 in extra revenue.

Now, if the training programme cost £10,000, the ROI is:
(£50,000 – £10,000) ÷ £10,000 = 400% ROI.

That’s the kind of simple, commercial maths executives understand.

The challenge isn’t in the calculation; it’s in linking improvement to the training itself.

That’s why documenting behaviour and performance changes along the way is crucial. It proves causation, not coincidence.

7. Include qualitative evidence as well as data

ROI isn’t always purely numbers. Some of the most valuable impact is seen in conversations, confidence, and culture.

For example:

• Clients report better communication and collaboration.
• Reps say they’re more confident handling objections.
• Managers notice more ownership in pipeline management.

These qualitative insights complement the data. They tell the human story behind the numbers and that’s often what convinces senior leaders that the change is real.

When combined, qualitative and quantitative evidence make ROI far more compelling.

8. Involve sales managers in ROI tracking

If sales managers don’t measure progress, no one will.

They’re the eyes and ears of behaviour change and they need to be equipped to observe, record, and discuss it.

That’s why at MTD, we don’t just train salespeople; we train their managers to measure ROI in real time.

We give them practical tools like:

• Weekly reflection questions (“What did you try this week?”)
• Behavioural checklists
• Coaching dashboards

These tools keep measurement consistent and make follow-up part of normal management practice, not an afterthought.

When managers track progress weekly, they become natural ROI partners.

9. Track short-term and long-term impact

ROI isn’t static. Some improvements show up in weeks; others take months.

You need both a snapshot and a timeline.

For example:

• Short-term (within 4–6 weeks): Confidence, behaviour, and early performance changes.
• Medium-term (3–6 months): Sales metrics and conversion rates.
• Long-term (6–12 months): Cultural shifts, retention, and sustained improvement.

Measuring ROI at multiple points helps you prove sustained change, not just a temporary uplift.

That’s where most businesses fall short. They stop measuring too soon.

10. Use technology to track application and results

Digital tools make ROI easier than ever.

Platforms like Skillshub (MTD’s own digital learning system) can track participation, engagement, and application of skills automatically.

Learners record what they’ve tried, reflect on what worked, and managers see the data in real time.

You can then correlate usage with performance metrics to see clear ROI trends.

Technology doesn’t replace human observation, it amplifies it. When both align, your ROI evidence becomes bulletproof.

11. Present ROI in the language of business, not learning

The biggest mistake I see from sales trainers and L&D teams is how they communicate results.

They present engagement scores, confidence levels, and quotes from feedback forms, all interesting, but none of them are commercial. Executives don’t want to hear how many people enjoyed the training; they want to know what it did for revenue, profit, and productivity.

When you present ROI, talk their language.

Frame it like this:

• “We invested £30,000 in training.”
• “Within 8 weeks, close rates increased from 22% to 26%.”
• “That created an additional £220,000 in pipeline value.”
• “ROI: 633% within the first quarter.”

That’s how you make people sit up.

Training must earn its place at the business table, and the only way to do that is by speaking in commercial outcomes, not classroom outcomes.

At MTD Sales Training, every ROI review follows this principle. We translate learning results into business metrics. It’s simple, powerful, and it earns credibility with finance directors, not just HR.

12. Tell the story behind the numbers

Numbers matter. But the story behind them is what gets buy-in. The most persuasive ROI presentations combine both: clear metrics and compelling narrative.

For example:

“Before training, our account managers were reactive waiting for renewals to chase. After the programme, they built proactive contact plans, increased retention by 11%, and cross-sold 15% more services within six months.”

That’s ROI you can see and feel.

It connects the data to the behaviours that drove it and that’s what convinces executives that the results weren’t luck. They were learned.

Your ROI story should always answer three questions:

1. What problem were we trying to solve?
2. What changed because of training?
3. What’s the business impact?

If you can answer those in one clear paragraph, you’ve nailed it.

13. Avoid these ROI mistakes

Even the best-intentioned programmes fall into the same traps when it comes to proving ROI.

Here are the most common and how to avoid them:

1. Measuring too soon.

Give people time to apply what they’ve learned. Measuring performance after a week will only capture noise, not impact.

2. Focusing on satisfaction, not behaviour.

Happy learners aren’t always effective learners. Measure what changed, not what they enjoyed.

3. Ignoring external factors.

Market conditions, pricing changes, or leadership shifts can skew results. Acknowledge these in your ROI story so your data remains credible.

4. Forgetting the managers.

If line managers aren’t involved, reinforcement disappears and with it, your ROI.

5. Not comparing against a baseline.

Always collect “before” data. Without it, you can’t prove improvement.

Avoid these pitfalls, and your ROI report will hold up under scrutiny even from the finance team.

14. Include real business examples

Let’s make this practical.

Here are three simplified examples of how we’ve helped clients prove ROI through training:

Example 1: Negotiation skills programme

A global software firm had widespread discounting issues. Average discounts were 14%. After negotiation skills training, that dropped to 9%. On £50m annual revenue, that equalled an extra £2.5m in profit margin.

Example 2: Account management development

A manufacturing client struggled with customer churn. Training focused on proactive relationship management. Within 4 months, renewal rates rose from 78% to 86%. £1.8m in retained revenue was directly linked to the training.

Example 3: Sales leadership coaching

A financial services organisation introduced sales manager coaching skills. Within 3 months, average rep performance improved by 12%, and pipeline accuracy rose 18%. Leadership reported fewer escalations and faster decision-making.

These aren’t abstract claims; they’re examples of the kind of ROI that’s possible when you measure what matters.

15. Build a repeatable ROI framework

Proving ROI once is good. Making it repeatable is great.

Here’s the simple framework we use at MTD Sales Training to measure and prove ROI for every client:

Step 1: Define the business problem.

What issue or gap is costing the business money, time, or opportunity?

Step 2: Identify target behaviours.

What will people do differently after the training?

Step 3: Measure baseline performance.

Capture data before training begins — conversion rates, deal values, etc.

Step 4: Deliver the training.

Focus on practical, real-world application and reinforcement.

Step 5: Measure post-training performance.

Track changes in behaviour and results.

Step 6: Calculate ROI.

Compare performance uplift against training cost.

Step 7: Communicate the story.

Present clear, simple business outcomes not learning jargon.

Repeat this structure for every programme, and ROI stops being a one-off exercise. It becomes standard practice.

16. The ROI checklist for any sales training programme

Before you roll out any new training, ask yourself:

Have we defined the exact business problem this training will solve?
Do we know what success looks like, in behaviour and performance terms?
Have we set a measurable baseline?
Are line managers trained and involved in reinforcing behaviours?
Do we have a plan for collecting data over time?
Have we agreed how ROI will be calculated and communicated?

If you can tick all six boxes, you’re ready to deliver training that’s both high-impact and defensible.

If not, go back and fill the gaps now before delivery begins. The difference between “we think it worked” and “we can prove it worked” starts here.

If you want to understand what actually drives better performance once the training is live, this piece digs into the behaviours that move the needle: What Makes Sales Training Actually Improve Results.

Final thoughts

ROI isn’t about spreadsheets, it’s about proof. It’s proof that people learned something meaningful. That they applied it. That it changed behaviour. And that behaviour improved results.

Sales training doesn’t need to be a cost centre. It can be a growth engine if it’s measured and managed properly.

In my experience, once leaders can see the numbers move, training stops being questioned. It becomes part of the business strategy.

We’ve spent over two decades helping organisations build that confidence by showing clear, measurable ROI from every programme.

We’ve trained more than 250,000 sales professionals, proving time and again that the right learning, measured the right way, delivers results you can’t argue with.

Sales training works, when you can prove it.

If you’re curious to find out more, you can do so by checking out our Sales Courses and solutions. Our team of highly trained Learning and Development professionals will give you a good listening to!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Sales Training ROI: How to Prove It Works appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

In my experience, the best sales teams succeed not because they sell harder, but because they adapt earlier. They spot the signals. They adjust before the rest of the market. They rebuild processes around what buyers want, not what the business prefers. And right now, the signals pointing to 2026 are clear. Selling is becoming more intelligent, more consultative and far more dependent on the capability of the salesperson, not the size of the product catalogue.

Before we explore each trend in detail, here’s the full list you can hyperlink inside your final article so readers can jump to the sections that matter most to them.

2026 Sales Trends

• Buyers doing 70–90% of their research before speaking to sales
• AI-powered personalised outreach becoming standard
• Salespeople shifting from “presenters” to consultants and problem-solvers
• Sales cycles getting longer, requiring stronger opportunity management
• The rise of hybrid sales teams and digital-first selling
• Data-driven selling becoming non-negotiable
• The death of generic pitches and templated outreach
• Sales managers becoming coaches, not administrators
• Increased focus on emotional intelligence and trust-led selling
• Sales enablement becoming a core strategic function
• Micro-skills dominating the sales training agenda
• The need for simpler, repeatable sales processes
• How AI will transform proposal creation and make sales teams dramatically more efficient

If you want to see how we help teams stay ahead of these shifts, check out our Sales Training Courses.

Now, let’s break down the first set of shifts shaping what selling will look like in 2026.

Trend 1: Buyers are doing 70–90% of their research before speaking to sales

This trend has been building for a decade, but 2026 is the year it becomes dominant. Buyers now gather almost everything they need before you even speak to them. They’ve read reviews. Compared pricing. Looked at competitors. Watched videos. Asked peers for opinions. By the time they reach a salesperson, they are informed, sceptical and highly selective.

The traditional discovery call is disappearing. Buyers don’t want you to tell them what they already know. What they want is clarity, insight and a perspective they haven’t considered. In 2026, the salesperson becomes the difference between a decision and a delay. If all you can do is repeat what they’ve already read, the opportunity disappears.

This shift places a premium on real expertise. Not product knowledge. Market knowledge.

Business knowledge. The ability to diagnose the real problem behind a customer’s request. Teams that cannot move beyond surface-level conversations will lose to competitors who can.

Trend 2: AI-powered personalised outreach becomes standard

Generic outreach is dead. AI in sales has moved buyer expectations to a new level. In 2026, prospects will not respond to templated emails, generic cold messages or broad statements that apply to anyone.

AI allows sales teams to personalise outreach at scale. It can analyse buyer behaviour, industry context, previous interactions, current challenges and even online signals to craft messages that feel one-to-one. The companies already doing this are seeing response rates rise while others battle declining open rates.

But here’s the shift many are missing. AI doesn’t replace human outreach. It amplifies it. The role of the salesperson becomes shaping the narrative, validating insight and turning AI-generated intelligence into a meaningful conversation. AI gets you in the door. The salesperson keeps you there.

In 2026, teams that fail to integrate AI into their prospecting will appear outdated and irrelevant. Buyers won’t tolerate lazy outreach because they know what personalised looks like.

Trend 3: Salespeople shifting from “presenters” to consultants and problem-solvers

Product-focused selling is over. Buyers can find every product detail online. They don’t need a salesperson to walk them through features. They want someone who can translate those features into outcomes. Someone who understands the impact on their business. Someone who can challenge assumptions, provide perspective and help them make a confident decision.

In 2026, sales teams that rely on presentations will fall behind. Sales teams that rely on conversations will lead the market. The shift is subtle but profound. It means moving from telling to asking. From showing to discovering. From pushing to guiding.

Consultative selling is not new. But in 2026, it becomes the baseline. The organisations that thrive will be the ones that train their teams to think like advisors, not presenters. Buyers will reward clarity, honesty and expertise. They will ignore everything else.

If you are exploring external expertise to build these skills across your sales team, we have reviewed The Best Sales Training Companies in the UK to help you compare the options.

Trend 4: Sales cycles are getting longer, requiring stronger opportunity management

It’s no secret that decision-making has slowed down. More stakeholders are involved. Budgets are under scrutiny. Risk aversion has increased. Procurement is stricter. All of this stretches the sales cycle.

Many salespeople misinterpret longer cycles as a pipeline problem. It isn’t. It’s a process problem. In 2026, opportunity management becomes a core capability. Sales teams will need to:

• identify buying roles earlier
• map decision influencers
• manage uncertainty
• maintain momentum
• keep deals warm without being pushy
• communicate value repeatedly

The winners next year will be those who master the middle of the funnel, not just the start or the end. The real battle will be keeping a deal alive when everything around it slows down.

Trend 5: The rise of hybrid sales teams and digital-first selling

Hybrid selling is no longer a temporary solution. It is the dominant model for 2026. Buyers expect flexibility. Some want face to face. Some want virtual. Some want asynchronous communication. Sales teams must operate across all channels with equal confidence.

This shift changes hiring profiles. A lot of companies are already reshaping how they onboard and upskill teams, often through tailored in-house sales training that reflects how buyers want to communicate today. Digital-first salespeople will outperform traditional salespeople because they move faster, communicate better and manage more conversations simultaneously.

Sales leaders must invest in skills like:

• video communication
• virtual engagement
• digital storytelling
• online rapport-building
• multi-channel pipeline creation

Teams who cling to old methods will appear outdated compared to competitors who embrace hybrid selling fully.

Trend 6: Data-driven selling becomes non-negotiable

For years, sales teams have talked about becoming more data-driven. In reality, most still rely heavily on instinct, experience and educated guesswork. That changes in 2026. The gap between teams who use data properly and those who don’t is widening fast, and it will become a defining competitive advantage.

The pressure for predictable revenue will push leaders to build dashboards that tell a clearer story. Sales professionals will be expected to understand conversion rates, deal velocity, pipeline health, buying signals and engagement data. This shift isn’t about surveillance or micromanagement. It is about giving salespeople the information they need to make better decisions.

When data is used properly, a salesperson can spot stuck deals before they stall. They can identify which accounts show active buying behaviour. They can see which outreach messages resonate and which fall flat. They can prioritise the right prospects at the right time. In 2026, data becomes a leveller. It gives every salesperson the ability to operate with the insight that previously only top performers developed through experience.

The challenge for leaders is to avoid drowning teams in numbers. Data only works when it is simple, accessible and applied to real work. The goal is not to create more reports. The goal is to create more revenue.

Trend 7: The death of generic pitches and templated outreach

Buyers have never been more resistant to generic messaging. They receive hundreds of templated emails, cold outreach sequences and cut-and-paste scripts every week. By 2026, anything that looks or feels generic will be filtered out mentally or automatically.

This is partly due to AI. Buyers know what personalised communication looks like now. They can spot templated wording instantly. It feels lazy and creates the opposite effect of what the salesperson intended. Instead of interest, it creates distance. I have a guide on this exact shift, AI Sales Are Rising, But It Won’t Replace You!, which breaks down why automation works only when it enhances real human selling.

The best salespeople next year will be the ones who can blend AI efficiency with human relevance. They will use AI to gather context and shape ideas, but they will apply the finishing touches themselves. They will reference an actual situation the prospect is dealing with. They will highlight something specific that shows genuine understanding. They will avoid the tired phrases that buyers have heard for years and replace them with clear, confident, problem-led messages.

In 2026, the standard rises. If a salesperson cannot personalise properly, they will struggle to get attention. Buyers reward effort. They punish shortcuts. Sales teams who prioritise thoughtful outreach will consistently outperform those who rely on templates.

Trend 8: Sales managers becoming coaches, not administrators

For many years, sales managers have been pulled away from coaching because of increased reporting, meetings and operational tasks. Coaching has become optional in some teams and non-existent in others. The problem is that coaching is the only activity that consistently improves capability across the team. If managers do not coach, performance stagnates.

In 2026, coaching becomes essential again. Not because it is fashionable, but because the environment demands it. Longer sales cycles, more complex deals and more informed buyers mean that salespeople need support, not supervision. They need someone who can help them think through opportunities, develop better strategies and improve their conversations.

Managers must shift their identity. From pipeline manager to capability builder. From metric checker to performance partner. The best sales managers in 2026 will spend less time reviewing numbers and more time developing the people who produce them.

Businesses that invest in coaching will see a noticeable difference in results. Top performers will stay longer. New hires will ramp faster. Average performers will lift. And underperformers will improve earlier because problems are spotted sooner. Coaching is no longer a leadership style. It becomes a revenue strategy.

If you want to equip your managers with the practical skills to coach properly, our Sales Management Training focuses exactly on this shift.

Trend 9: Increased focus on emotional intelligence and trust-led selling

Despite the growth of AI, automation and digital tools, sales in 2026 becomes more human, not less. Buyers value trust more than ever because risk is higher. Budgets are scrutinised.

Decisions are slower. Reputational risk matters. Buyers want to work with people they trust to guide them, challenge them and tell the truth, even when it might lose them the sale.

Emotional intelligence in sales becomes a differentiator, not a soft skill. Salespeople will need to read situations more accurately, understand the pressure their clients are under and adjust their approach to match the buyer’s communication style. This includes how they handle objections, how they frame conversations, how they manage conflict and how they build rapport in a way that feels natural, not forced.

Trust-led selling also places emphasis on transparency. Buyers expect clear pricing, clear outcomes and clear communication. They expect honesty about limitations. They expect salespeople to act in their interest, not just the company’s interest. The teams who embrace this mindset will stand out in a crowded market. In 2026, trust is not the by-product of a good sale. It is the reason the sale happens in the first place.

Trend 10: Sales enablement becomes a core strategic function

Five years ago, sales enablement was treated as a “nice to have” in many organisations.

Something useful, but not essential. In 2026, sales enablement will become a central part of the revenue engine. It plays a direct role in pipeline creation, conversion and capability development.

Sales enablement now sits at the intersection of training, content, technology and process. It ensures salespeople have the right tools, the right messaging and the right resources at the right time. It closes skill gaps faster. It creates alignment between marketing, sales and customer success. It helps new hires ramp more quickly and existing hires stay consistent.

As sales become more complex, enablement becomes more valuable. The companies investing in strong enablement functions will outperform those who hope salespeople will figure everything out on their own. Sales enablement turns randomness into repeatability and repeatability into revenue.

In my experience, this is also where strong sales development programmes make a real difference because they create the structure and momentum that busy teams usually struggle to maintain on their own.

In 2026, the question is no longer whether you need enablement. The question is whether you can grow without it.

Trend 11: Micro-skills dominating the sales training agenda

Traditional sales training often tries to cover too much. Programmes attempt to teach objection handling, questioning, presentations, negotiations and closing techniques all in one go.
Salespeople leave overwhelmed, and little of it sticks.

In 2026, micro-skills will take over. Instead of broad topics, teams focus on the small behaviours that make the biggest difference. Things like how to open a call with clarity, how to frame value in simple language, how to ask a deeper question, how to guide a buyer through uncertainty or how to close without pressure.

Micro-skills create momentum because they are easy to apply and easier to measure. When a salesperson masters one micro-skill each week, capability grows steadily. It also allows managers to coach more effectively because they are focusing on one behaviour at a time.

Teams that embrace micro-skills will see faster and more consistent improvement than those relying on annual workshops.

This shift aligns with how people learn naturally. Small steps. Small wins. Consistent reinforcement. In 2026, training becomes less about big events and more about small, targeted improvements that compound into performance gains.

If you want a clear breakdown of the behavioural principles behind sales training that actually improves results, check out guide I have created: What Makes Sales Training Actually Improve Results

Trend 12: The need for simpler, repeatable sales processes

Sales used to reward improvisation. Top performers could walk into any situation and talk their way through it. That era is disappearing. In 2026, consistency becomes more valuable than raw talent. Sales cycles are longer. Buyers are more informed. Organisations want predictable revenue instead of heroic deals that appear out of nowhere.

Teams with clear, simple, repeatable sales processes will grow faster than teams relying on individual flair. In my experience, a good process does not restrict the salesperson. It frees them. It removes confusion. It reduces hesitation. It creates a shared language and approach so every deal moves through the same stages with the same level of intention.

The biggest mistake companies make is over-engineering their processes. They create so many steps, stages and administrative requirements that the process becomes a burden instead of a guide. In 2026, the winning processes are the ones that salespeople actually want to use because they make their job easier, not harder.

A simple process transforms team performance. It makes forecasting clearer. It makes coaching sharper. It makes onboarding faster. Most importantly, it makes success repeatable. When your process is aligned to how buyers want to make decisions, you stop fighting momentum and start building it.

Trend 13: How AI will transform proposal creation and make sales teams dramatically more efficient

This is one of the biggest shifts of 2026. Proposal creation has always been a bottleneck in sales. It takes time. It drains energy. It delays momentum. It is often done at the last minute and rushed under pressure. AI changes this completely.

In 2026, AI becomes a partner in proposal creation. It pulls information from previous documents, CRM notes, buyer conversations and solution libraries to produce accurate drafts in minutes. It can tailor language to the buyer’s priorities. It can align solutions with the specific problems uncovered during discovery. It can generate versions for different stakeholders. It can highlight risks, objections and recommended next steps.

But, just like prospecting, AI does not replace the salesperson. It elevates them. A salesperson still needs to add the human layer. Context. Nuance. Credibility. Storytelling. But instead of spending hours formatting and editing, they spend their time strengthening the proposal’s impact.

This shift has three major consequences for 2026.

First, sales cycles shorten because proposals no longer create unnecessary delays. Second, proposal quality increases because every draft begins with a strong foundation instead of a blank document. Third, salespeople regain time. Time for selling. Time for coaching. Time for developing relationships.

The teams that adopt AI for proposal creation will simply move faster than competitors who do not. Deals will close sooner. Buyers will feel more understood. And salespeople will operate with a level of efficiency they have never had before.

What all these trends mean for 2026

Individually, these trends matter. Collectively, they reshape the entire sales landscape. Selling becomes more consultative, more digital and more human at the same time. It demands better thinking, sharper skills and deeper credibility. Salespeople can no longer rely on charm, presentation ability or product knowledge alone. Buyers want clarity. They want insight. They want someone who can help them make a confident decision.

The organisations that thrive in 2026 will be the ones who prepare early. They will invest in capability, not just activity. They will develop micro-skills, simplify processes, integrate AI properly and build coaching cultures that lift performance consistently. They will treat sales not as an operational function but as a strategic growth engine.

And they will win because they evolve faster than everyone else.

Preparing your sales team for 2026

Selling in 2026 demands more from salespeople and sales leaders than at any point in the last decade. It requires better thinking, stronger conversations and deeper understanding of how buyers make decisions. It also requires a willingness to use technology properly without losing the human element that makes great selling work.

If you want your team to stay ahead of these shifts, now is the time to invest in capability. Our programmes are built around real-world application, clear behavioural change and the practical skills buyers respond to.

If you are evaluating partners who can deliver this level of development, here is a practical guide on How to Choose the Right Sales Training Provider. And if you are ready to build these capabilities across your team, our Selling Skills Training is a good place to start.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post The Future of Selling in 2026: 13 Trends That Will Reshape Sales Teams appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Since 2001, MTD Sales Training has trained more than 250,000 sales professionals, from start-ups to global corporations. We’ve seen every version of training — the inspirational, the theoretical, and the practical. Only one kind consistently improves results: the kind built around behaviour change.

So how does this happen?

1. It starts with the business problem, not the course brochure

Most companies start in the wrong place. They ask, “What course should we run?” instead of, “What problem are we trying to solve?”

A training brochure might make sense of your options, but it won’t make sense of your problems.

Before you plan a single session, identify what’s happening in the business. Are deals getting stuck in late-stage negotiation? Are your managers spending too much time firefighting? Are conversions low because discovery calls are weak?

Once you’ve defined the problem, training becomes focused and commercial.

At MTD Sales Training, we design every programme backwards, starting from the business challenge, then identifying the skills and behaviours needed to fix it. That shift alone turns training from “a nice idea” into “a measurable solution.”

When you start with the problem, training has purpose. When you start with content, it has cost.

2. It’s built around behaviour, not buzzwords

Salespeople don’t need more theory. They need better conversations.

The best programmes translate skills into behaviours that can be seen, measured, and coached. For example:

• “Ask open questions” becomes “use three discovery questions before pitching.”
• “Build rapport” becomes “match tone and pace within the first 60 seconds.”
• “Negotiate confidently” becomes “hold price after two client objections.”

These are small, specific, observable behaviours and they’re what drive results.

When training focuses on behaviour, managers can track progress. They can coach to something real. And the team knows exactly what success looks like.

Without behavioural clarity, you end up with motivated people doing the same things they were doing before, just more enthusiastically.

3. It’s delivered as a journey, not a one-off event

Sales habits don’t change in a day. They change through repetition.

That’s why single-session training rarely sticks. Salespeople leave inspired, but a week later, habits take over. The emails pile up, the calls keep coming, and the old ways creep back in.

Effective programmes create momentum. They’re delivered in stages, short bursts of learning, followed by application, coaching, and reflection.

A typical MTD structure might look like this:

• Week 1: Live session focused on a specific skill or challenge.
• Week 2: Real-world task (apply it on three client calls).
• Week 3: Coaching or group accountability.
• Week 4: Reinforcement microlearning via Skillshub.

That rhythm turns new ideas into habits.

Without reinforcement, training becomes a “tick-box” exercise. With it, you create consistent progress over time, the kind that compounds.

4. It connects the dots between learning and performance

Most training reports talk about attendance, feedback scores, or satisfaction. None of those things prove anything changed.

Real training measures performance, not participation.

You should be able to see clear cause and effect:

• After negotiation training, average discount levels dropped.
• After questioning skills training, discovery call conversion increased.
• After coaching for sales managers, deal pipeline accuracy improved.

At MTD, we use the IMPACTS methodology to connect behavioural change to business outcomes. It’s how we prove that what happened in the classroom made a measurable difference on the sales floor.

Training should never stop at “they enjoyed it.” It should reach “we sold more because of it.”

5. It involves the sales managers, not just the salespeople

If sales managers aren’t involved, training fades fast.

The line manager is the bridge between the workshop and the workplace. They reinforce new behaviours, track progress, and keep the pressure on.

When they’re absent, momentum dies.

We build manager involvement into every MTD programme from the start. That includes:

• Pre-programme manager briefings to align expectations.
• Coaching toolkits for use in one-to-ones.
• Post-training follow-up calls to maintain accountability.

When managers ask, “What did you apply this week?” training stays alive. When they don’t, it disappears.

When you’re ready to pick a partner, How to Choose the Right Sales Training Provider walks through the exact criteria to look for.

6. It makes learning feel relevant, not theoretical

Salespeople spot theory a mile off.

If the examples don’t match their world, you lose them. Real sales environments are messy, emotional, and pressured and training has to reflect that.

That’s why all examples, case studies, and exercises must be tailored. A good provider doesn’t just teach techniques; they use your products, your objections, and your customer language in every session.

When training mirrors reality, people buy into it. When it doesn’t, they switch off.

This is why customisation matters more than presentation. Swapping a logo on a slide isn’t enough, relevance is everything.

Our trainers spend time inside the client’s world before delivery begins. We interview leaders, shadow calls, and listen to recordings to build content that feels native. That’s how you get engagement that lasts longer than the workshop itself.

7. It builds confidence through real practice

The fastest way to build confidence is to try, fail safely, and improve.

That’s why practice is non-negotiable in sales training. It’s not about watching slides; it’s about doing the work.

Every concept should be tested in the room through simulation, role play, or coaching. Salespeople should feel slightly uncomfortable; that’s where learning lives.

If training feels too comfortable, it’s entertainment, not improvement.

We run exercises that mirror real client scenarios, using recorded role plays and instant feedback. The goal is simple: by the time a salesperson faces their next customer, they’ve already practised the hard parts.

When learning happens through doing, it sticks.

8. It simplifies, not complicates

Most training fails because it overwhelms. Too many frameworks, too many steps, too much theory.

Salespeople need clarity, not clutter.

If they leave with a few practical tools, they can use immediately, that’s success.

We design training to focus on what we call the “Power of Three” three key techniques per topic, three opportunities to apply them, three ways to measure impact.

That simplicity drives action.

Complex models look clever on slides, but in the real world, no one remembers them.

9. It combines motivation with accountability

Motivation gets attention. Accountability gets results. Many sales training programmes deliver the first but skip the second. That’s why performance spikes temporarily, then drops again.

Motivation is emotional fuel because it lights the fire. But without accountability, it burns out fast.

The best training creates an ongoing system of check-ins, reflection, and support. Managers ask, “What did you apply this week?” and “What happened when you tried it?” Those two questions alone can change behaviour faster than any motivational speech.

Every programme of ours is designed with a clear accountability framework. Salespeople commit to specific actions each week, managers review progress, and results are discussed openly. It’s not policing, it’s partnership.

This approach turns energy into execution. And execution is what moves the needle.

10. It embeds coaching as a leadership habit

Coaching is where training becomes permanent. Without coaching, skills fade. With coaching, they compound.

Sales managers are the most powerful multipliers of training impact but only if they coach effectively. Most don’t. Not because they don’t want to, but because they were never taught how.
That’s why every successful training rollout includes manager coaching development.

Managers need to know how to:

• Reinforce the behaviours introduced in training.
• Ask the right questions to help salespeople think.
• Give feedback that drives action, not defensiveness.

When managers learn to coach in short, focused bursts, during pipeline reviews, deal debriefs, or one-to-ones, performance starts to accelerate naturally.

At MTD Sales, we often train managers alongside their teams, then follow up with coaching toolkits and live support. When coaching becomes part of daily leadership, training stops being an event and becomes part of the culture.

11. It measures what matters

If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it. The easiest trap to fall into is measuring the wrong things like attendance, reaction scores, or post-course surveys. These tell you how people felt, not what changed.

Real measurement looks like this:

• Behavioural change: What are salespeople doing differently?
• Performance improvement: How are their KPIs shifting?
• Business impact: How is the organisation benefiting financially?

For example:

• “Discounting dropped by 17% after negotiation training.”
• “Average order values increased by 11% after advanced questioning skills.”
• “Sales managers report 38% fewer deal escalations.”

These are the metrics that matter.

We use our IMPACTS methodology to measure all three layers of improvement — behaviour, performance, and results. It’s how we prove ROI in ways that resonate with executives, not just HR.

Sales training shouldn’t be a story about what happened in the classroom. It should be a story about what happened on the sales floor afterwards.

12. It aligns with the wider sales culture

Training can’t exist in isolation. If the culture rewards short-term wins, undercuts prices, or ignores coaching, no training programme will survive for long.

That’s why cultural alignment is critical. Training must reinforce and be reinforced by how the business operates.

If leadership values collaboration and customer relationships, the training should emphasise consultative selling, empathy, and long-term trust. If the business prizes fast execution, training might focus more on pipeline velocity and decision-making.

When sales training feels like a natural extension of your company’s DNA, it embeds seamlessly. When it feels bolted on, it fades.

We’re always assessing cultural alignment before delivery. The goal isn’t to impose new habits on people, it’s to strengthen the right ones already in motion.

13. It turns learning into ongoing performance improvement

The best training doesn’t end. It evolves.

Top-performing sales teams treat training as a living process, not a one-off project. They review, refine, and reapply lessons constantly.

That might look like:

• Regular refresh sessions.
• Digital microlearning via platforms like Skillshub.
• Quarterly coaching reviews.
• Peer-led best practice sharing.

When learning is ongoing, small improvements stack up and the compound effect is powerful.

Sales teams don’t become elite through occasional bursts of learning. They get there through consistent, focused improvement over time.

14. It’s led by experts, not presenters

Sales training lives or dies by the credibility of the person delivering it. A trainer who has never sold won’t earn the respect of a high-performing team. They can deliver information, but they can’t deliver impact.

The best UK sales training companies have trainers with scars. They’ve missed targets, faced tough buyers, and led teams through both growth and pressure. That’s what gives them real-world credibility.

When trainers bring their own stories and lessons into the room, salespeople listen. Not because they have to, but because they want to.

That’s why every MTD trainer has real sales leadership experience. We don’t just teach theory; we teach what works when the numbers matter.

15. It simplifies measurement for executives

Ultimately, sales training ROI has to make sense to leadership. Executives don’t want a 40-page report. They want one slide showing how behaviour turned into performance and performance into results.

Here’s how we present it:

1. The business problem: “Discounting was eroding margin.”
2. The intervention: “Negotiation training with 8 managers.”
3. The behaviour change: “Managers held firm on pricing in 80% of negotiations.”
4. The performance improvement: “Average deal value rose 14%.”
5. The business impact: “£1.2m additional profit in 3 months.”

That’s ROI in a language the board understands.

It’s not about showing effort. It’s about proving the effect.

16. It creates independence, not dependence

The goal of training isn’t to make teams rely on the trainer, it’s to help them outgrow them.

When salespeople start coaching each other, sharing best practices, and solving challenges without external help, you know the training has worked.

Training should build capability, not dependency.

That’s why the final phase of any successful programme focuses on transfer of ownership. The team takes what they’ve learned and runs with it through applying, refining, and expanding it themselves.

This is how training becomes a lasting part of the culture instead of a one-time intervention.

18. Final thoughts

Sales training doesn’t work because of what happens in the classroom. It works because of what happens after.

That’s not a theory. It’s what we’ve seen first-hand after more than two decades, training over 250,000 professionals across industries and markets.

Sales training works when it’s designed to solve problems, not fill days, when it’s measured, reinforced, and supported by managers who care about growth.

That’s exactly how we do it. Proven results since 2001. Real behaviour change. Real sales improvement. Check out our Sales Training here to find out how we will make the difference to your sales performance.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post What Makes Sales Training Actually Improve Results appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Choosing the right sales training provider is simple. Look at proven experience, find trainers with real sales backgrounds who focus on behaviour change, and provide tailored programmes for your business model. The right training provider doesn’t just run a good course; they solve a real business problem.

Most sales training fails not because the content is poor, but because it’s a bad fit for the business. I’ve seen it hundreds of times since founding MTD Sales Training in 2001. We’ve trained over 250,000 sales professionals, and the difference between a successful partnership and a wasted budget always comes down to one thing: alignment.

1. Start with your business problem, not a brochure

Most companies start by browsing websites or asking for proposals. But that’s like walking into a car showroom before deciding what you need the car for.

Before you even contact a training provider, get crystal clear on what’s broken.

Ask yourself:

• What’s really happening that shouldn’t be?
• Where are sales being lost?
• What are sales managers complaining about most?
• What behaviours and results need to change?

If you can’t answer those, no provider can design the right solution.

A credible sales training partner should push you on these questions in the first conversation. If they jump straight to talking about topics and prices, walk away.

You want someone who diagnoses before they prescribe.

2. Look for behavioural outcomes, not content lists

Every provider can offer negotiation, closing, or prospecting skills. But content isn’t what changes sales results, behaviour does.

When reviewing proposals, look for outcomes like:

• “Salespeople confidently hold pricing in tough negotiations.”
• “Sales managers coach effectively after every client meeting.”
• “Teams increase conversion rates by focusing on qualification.”

Those statements show the provider understands the link between learning and performance.

Ask how they ensure behaviour change happens. If the answer is just “great workshops” or “interactive sessions,” that’s not enough.

The best sales training companies combine learning, application, and accountability. For example, every programme we create includes live training, real-world tasks, and measurable follow-up so that what’s learned on Monday shows up in sales results by Friday.

3. Check the delivery flexibility

Salespeople are busy. If your training partner doesn’t understand that engagement will drop before you’ve started.

Ask:

• Can they deliver both in-person and virtually?
• Do they offer modular learning that fits around workloads?
• Is there a digital follow-up element for reinforcement?

Modern training should meet salespeople where they are, whether that’s on the road, online, or in the office.

We see the best results from blended learning. Live sessions for impact. Digital microlearning for reinforcement. Coaching for accountability. That combination keeps learning alive long after the course ends.

If a provider still relies purely on classroom delivery with no follow-up, they’re stuck in 2005.

4. Look for evidence, not opinions

Every provider says they’re “award-winning,” “innovative,” or “results driven.” Those words are cheap. Evidence isn’t.

Look for:

• Case studies with metrics
• Testimonials from real clients
• Named companies you recognise
• Clear before-and-after performance data

For example, if a provider can show they helped a client increase conversion rates by 18% or cut discounting by 25%, that’s proof.

We’ve seen buyers get swayed by slick branding, only to find the delivery team lacks real-world experience. Always check who will train your people not just who sold you the programme.

The best trainers have been there. They’ve sold, negotiated, and managed teams in real markets. That’s what makes the content relatable and credible.

5. Ask how they measure success

If a provider can’t explain how they’ll measure training impact, they’re not serious about performance.

Here’s what you should expect to hear:

• Clear learning objectives tied to measurable business outcomes
• Pre- and post-training assessments or 360s
• Behavioural tracking or dashboards
• ROI reporting

At MTD Sales Training, we measure ROI in three ways:

1. Behavioural change: What people are doing differently.
2. Performance improvement: What’s happening to sales KPIs.
3. Business impact: The financial results.

When training partners build measurement in from day one, you can see exactly what’s working and where to refine.

Without that, you’re just buying a motivational event.

6. Evaluate the trainer’s credibility

The trainer makes or breaks the experience. A strong facilitator can take average content and make it land. A weak one can kill even the best-designed programme.

When choosing a provider, ask to meet or speak with the actual trainer before committing. Don’t just rely on their bio.

You’re looking for three things:

1. Experience: Have they sold, led, or coached in real-world environments?
2. Energy: Can they hold attention and connect with the team?
3. Empathy: Do they understand the pressures of modern selling?

A trainer who’s lived sales life can speak the team’s language. They can share war stories, not just PowerPoint slides.

That’s what earns respect and makes the learning stick.

7. Understand their post-training support

Here’s where most training fails: after the workshop ends, nothing happens.

The team gets fired up, returns to work, and by the next quarter, nothing’s changed.

That’s why post-training support is non-negotiable.

Ask what reinforcement your provider offers. Do they include:

• Coaching for managers?
• Digital refreshers or microlearning?
• Accountability sessions or group check-ins?
• Access to resources after the course?

Without reinforcement, you’ll only see short-term gains. With it, behaviours stick and ROI compounds.

8. Make sure their approach fits your sales culture

Every sales team has a personality. Some thrive on process. Others thrive on freedom.

The right training provider understands that and adapts their style to your world, not the other way round.

If your culture values collaboration, but the provider’s training feels competitive and aggressive, it’ll backfire. The content might be good, but the delivery will clash.

Look for a partner that starts by understanding your environment, your buyers, sales cycle, and challenges.

When they design training around your reality, it feels relevant, not generic.

9. Watch for red flags

A good sales training provider should challenge you, not charm you.

There are a few warning signs that should make you pause before signing anything:

• They promise instant results. Behavioural change takes time. Anyone promising overnight transformation doesn’t understand how performance improvement works.
• They focus only on motivation. A great session that gets everyone hyped but delivers no measurable change is a waste of money.
• They talk more about slides than selling. If their language is all about “modules” and “agendas” rather than business outcomes, they’ve missed the point.
• They avoid talking about ROI. Serious partners talk data.
• They’re vague about the delivery team. Always know who’s delivering your sessions, not just who’s managing your account.

If a provider ticks any of those boxes, they’re probably selling training as a product, not a partnership.

And that’s the big difference. You don’t need a supplier; you need a partner who shares your responsibility for results.

10. Involve your sales managers early

This one’s critical. If sales managers aren’t involved from day one, your training will fade fast.

They set the tone for what happens after the workshop. If they reinforce new behaviours, the learning sticks. If they don’t, it dies.

Before choosing a provider, ask how they’ll engage your managers. The best programmes include:

• Manager briefings before training starts, so leaders know what to expect and how to support it.
• Manager toolkits or discussion guides for post-training conversations.
• Follow-up sessions specifically for managers to coach the new skills.

We’ve found that when managers coach weekly on what was learned, behaviour change increases by over 60%.

Training success isn’t just about what happens in the room, it’s about what happens in the following weeks. The best providers design for that from the outset.

11. Understand cost vs value

Sales training isn’t an expense; it’s an investment.

But not all investments return equally.

When comparing proposals, don’t just look at the day rate. Look at what’s included, what’s supported, and what’s measurable.

Here’s how to think about it:

A higher price can be cheaper long-term if it delivers lasting performance improvement.

If a provider helps your team improve close rates by even 10%, that could pay for the training ten times over.

When you evaluate cost, link it to potential impact not just invoice totals.

12. Review their approach to customisation

Off-the-shelf training is rarely enough. If you want real results, the content must sound, feel, and look like your business.

Ask providers how they tailor programmes. A good partner will:

• • Interview your sales leaders and top performers.
  • Review your sales collateral and processes.

vUse real scenarios from your world.

• Align examples and role plays with your markets.

When salespeople hear their own challenges reflected in the training, they engage. When they don’t, they switch off.

At MTD Sales Training, every client solution is built from the ground up. Even when we start from proven frameworks, we adapt language, industry context, and exercises so they resonate deeply with your sales culture.

Generic training creates generic results. Customised training creates ownership.

13. Look for a proven learning methodology

Ask what their approach is to learning transfer.

If they can’t explain how knowledge becomes behaviour, they probably don’t have a structured methodology.

A strong provider should be able to show you:

• How they link learning to on-the-job application.
• How they space and reinforce learning over time.
• How managers are integrated into the process.
• How success is measured at behavioural and business levels.

Our programmes are built using the IMPACTS framework, a proven model for linking training to tangible performance improvement. It ensures learning doesn’t just sound good in the classroom, it shows up in sales metrics afterwards.

That’s what separates training that fills notebooks from training that fills pipelines.

14. Ask about scalability and consistency

If you’re rolling training out across multiple teams, regions, or countries, consistency matters.

Ask:

• How do they ensure every group gets the same core message?
• Can they deliver at scale while maintaining quality?
• Do they have a centralised digital hub for materials and resources?

Scalable providers blend live facilitation with digital delivery, so learning is standardised but still personal.

We often combine in-person kick-offs with Skillshub reinforcement, so every participant gets the same experience, regardless of geography.

When training scales consistently, culture shifts faster and you avoid the classic “some teams get it, some don’t” problem.

15. Check how long they’ve been doing it

Experience counts. Anyone can set up a training company today, but true expertise comes from years of refining what works.

Ask about their history:

• How long have they been delivering sales training?
• What industries have they worked with?
• What repeat clients do they have?

Longevity is proof of results. You don’t stay in business for decades unless you deliver outcomes that make clients come back.

Since 2001, we’ve delivered programmes to organisations of every size, from start-ups to global brands, because our methods work. Proven results. Real change.

When choosing a partner, look for evidence that they’ve evolved with the times. Sales has changed dramatically in the last 20 years. If their approach hasn’t, that’s a red flag.

16. Shortlist, compare, then test

Once you’ve narrowed your list to two or three providers, run a comparison exercise.

Look at:

• Alignment with your business goals.
• Quality of their trainers.
• Delivery flexibility and reinforcement.
• Client results and case studies.
• Transparency in pricing.
• ROI measurement approach.

If possible, ask for a sample session or discovery workshop. A short pilot can tell you more in an hour than a hundred PowerPoint slides.

The right provider will feel like a natural extension of your team, collaborative, curious, and outcome focused.

If you leave the meeting feeling like you’ve learned something useful, even before you’ve signed, you’ve probably found the right partner.

17. The final checklist

Before you make a final decision, ask yourself:

• Have we defined the business problem we’re solving?
• Does the provider focus on behaviour, not buzzwords?
• Can they prove their results with real data?
• Do they include follow-up and reinforcement?
• Do they understand our sales culture and challenges?
• Have we met the trainer who’ll deliver it?
• Do they measure ROI beyond feedback forms?

If you can tick every box, you’ve found a training partner worth trusting.

If you’re still deciding on a provider, you might want to read The Best Sales Training Companies in the UK 2025. It’ll help you understand what to look for before building your own programme.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right sales training provider isn’t about finding the biggest name or the lowest cost. It’s about alignment, trust, and measurable results.

The best providers don’t just deliver training, they build capability. They create lasting change in how your team sells, communicates, and leads.

If you’re serious about finding a partner who can do that, take your time. Ask tough questions. Demand proof.

And if you want to see how a proven provider approaches it, explore our Sales Training Courses. Proven since 2001. Trusted by over 250,000 professionals. Designed to deliver results that stick.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post How to Choose the Right Sales Training Provider appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

The best sales training companies don’t just deliver courses, they deliver change, which is why our top training sales companies include Sandler Training, Huthwaite International, Pareto Law and Imparta.

These firms, as well as others we’ve included, have been chosen on the basis that they offer tailored in-company programmes, strong learning design, multi-language delivery and measurable ROI.

At MTD Sales Training, we’ve trained over 250,000 sales professionals, delivering proven results since 2001. Over the years, I’ve seen what separates good providers from great ones. If you’re investing in training, you need to know what to look for and what to avoid.

Our guide shares the leading sales training companies in the UK, what makes them effective, and how to choose the right one for your team.

Why choosing the right sales training company matters

A great sales trainer can transform a team. A poor one wastes time, money, and credibility.

Salespeople are sharp. They can spot theory a mile away. If the trainer hasn’t been in the trenches, hasn’t felt the pressure of hitting quota, or doesn’t understand buyer psychology in today’s world, the team switches off within minutes.

The wrong provider leaves you with short-term motivation and long-term frustration. You’ll hear feedback like “It was interesting,” or “I picked up a few tips,” but when the numbers don’t move, it becomes clear: the training didn’t change behaviour.

The right provider, on the other hand, connects everything back to the real world. They build confidence, sharpen communication, and install habits that directly improve metrics like conversion rates, deal velocity, and average order value.

Put simply: sales training is an investment in performance, not an event in the diary.

What makes a top sales training company?

There are hundreds of providers out there, from one-person operations to global consultancies. But the best all share a few core traits.

Here’s what to look for:

1. Proven experience, not just polished marketing

Look beyond flashy websites and branded workbooks. Ask for results. A reputable company will show case studies, performance metrics, and examples of how behaviour changed after training.

At MTD, for example, we measure improvements across KPIs such as increased call-to-meeting ratios, higher conversion percentages, and stronger customer retention rates. The data tells the story not the brochure.

2. Trainers with real sales backgrounds

The best trainers have sold under pressure. They’ve dealt with objections, tough buyers, and missed targets. This credibility matters because it builds instant trust with your team. Salespeople listen to people who’ve been where they are.

3. Focus on behaviour change, not content delivery

The best training companies don’t just talk about techniques. They create follow-up structures that turn theory into habit, coaching, accountability, and reinforcement over time.

Knowledge doesn’t equal improvement. Behaviour does.

4. Tailored programmes for your business model

Avoid any company offering a “one-size-fits-all” approach. Selling SaaS isn’t the same as selling manufacturing solutions or professional services. A great provider diagnoses your challenges before prescribing a course.

5. Measurable impact

A top-tier training provider will help you define what success looks like upfront and then prove it afterwards. Metrics like reduced sales cycle time, improved margins, or higher close rates are all trackable outcomes.

If a company can’t link training to performance, it’s not sales training, it’s sales entertainment.

If you want a straightforward walkthrough of how to pick a provider without the usual noise, this guide will help: How to choose the right sales training provider.

The leading sales training companies in the UK (2025)

To save you time, here’s a look at some of the UK’s most recognised and reputable sales training companies operating today.

This isn’t a ranking; it’s a landscape overview of proven providers in different niches.

Each company has a slightly different approach and that’s the key. The best one for you depends entirely on what you’re trying to achieve.

If you want a structured methodology that your entire team can follow, Sandler or Huthwaite might fit. If you want embedded behavioural change that links to KPIs, MTD Sales Training might be your best bet. If you’re onboarding new salespeople at scale, Pareto is built for that.

The mistake most companies make is comparing brochures instead of outcomes.

How to choose the right provider for your sales team

Once you’ve shortlisted a few providers, here’s how to separate the good from the great.

1. Start with your sales problem, not the training topic
Don’t start with “we need negotiation skills.”
Start with:
“What’s happening that shouldn’t be?”
“What’s not happening that should?”

Example:

• Deals are stalling late in the pipeline.
• Salespeople aren’t uncovering real needs early enough.
• New starters take too long to ramp up.

Those are business problems. Once you define them clearly, a good training provider can tailor a programme that solves them.

2. Ask for evidence of measurable change
The best companies can show before-and-after results.
For example:

• “Average deal value increased by 18% within three months.”
• “Conversion rates rose from 22% to 33%.”

If all you’re shown are testimonials like “the team enjoyed it,” that’s a red flag.

3. Check the follow-through plan
The biggest cause of failed training isn’t poor delivery; it’s lack of follow-up. Ask what support comes after the sessions: coaching, microlearning, or accountability sessions.

The real question is: What happens once the workshop ends?

What to avoid when choosing a sales training company

There’s no shortage of providers who can deliver an energetic day, fill a room with buzzwords, and hand out certificates. But that doesn’t mean they can change performance.

Here are the biggest warning signs to look out for:

1. One-size-fits-all training

If the proposal looks like it was copy-pasted, walk away. Your sales environment, products, and buyer journey are unique. Any provider worth working with will take time to understand your sales process, customer types, and challenges before designing anything.

2. No follow-up plan

If all they offer is a one-day workshop and “call us if you need a refresher,” that’s not training, that’s an event. Without structured reinforcement, your salespeople will remember 10% of what they heard within a week.

3. Over-reliance on theory

Good training is practical, not academic. You don’t need endless acronyms or psychology deep dives; you need frameworks your salespeople can apply on Monday morning.

4. Trainers who haven’t sold in years

Sales has changed more in the last five years than the previous twenty. Buyers are informed, competitors are global, and attention spans are short. Trainers who haven’t sold in the digital era can’t teach techniques that work today.

5. No way to measure success

If a provider can’t explain how they’ll measure ROI, they don’t understand how sales training should impact the business. It’s that simple.

How to measure the ROI of sales training

Executives don’t care about how “inspired” the team felt. They care about results.

In my experience, the most effective ROI frameworks measure three things:

1. Behaviour change – Are salespeople doing something different after the training? (E.g., better questioning, improved proposal follow-ups, fewer discounts offered)
2. Performance improvement – Has that behaviour led to a measurable impact? (E.g., higher conversion rate, shorter sales cycle, better margins)
3. Business result – Has this performance improvement contributed to business goals? (E.g., revenue growth, customer retention, profitability)

That’s how you prove training worked.

At MTD Sales Training, we use clear, quantifiable metrics that link each programme directly to performance improvements. For example:

• Conversion rates increase by an average of 22% within 90 days.
• Salespeople report a 30% rise in confidence when handling objections.
• Managers spend 25% less time firefighting because their team closes more independently.

These are the kinds of metrics that show real ROI, not just engagement but tangible business growth.

If you want a clear breakdown of what actually drives performance after training, this piece walks through it in plain English: What Makes Sales Training Actually Improve Results.

Questions to ask every sales training provider

Before signing with any provider, ask them these five questions. The answers will tell you everything about their credibility.

1. What business problems does your training solve?

If they start listing course titles instead of outcomes, that’s a red flag. Training should fix specific problems, not just fill a schedule.

2. How do you measure success?
Look for clear, measurable outcomes tied to your KPIs not vague feedback scores or satisfaction ratings.

3. What reinforcement methods do you use post-training?

Behaviour only sticks with repetition. Look for coaching, online microlearning, or digital reinforcement tools that keep the learning alive.

4. Can you customise the programme for our sales process?

 If they can’t tailor the approach to your sector, audience, and buyer journey, it won’t work.

5. Who will deliver the training?

Ask about the trainer’s experience. Have they sold before? In what industries? Your sales team will only respect trainers who have genuinely walked in their shoes.

The evolution of sales training in 2026

The world of sales has changed dramatically, and training has had to evolve with it.

The best sales training companies in 2026 are doing three key things differently:

1. Blending live delivery with digital reinforcement

Hybrid learning works. The most effective training blends workshops, eLearning, and coaching to keep skills fresh over time.

2. Integrating AI and data-driven personalisation

 The future of training is adaptive. Data analytics can now identify skill gaps, tailor learning paths, and measure performance impact automatically.

3. Aligning sales enablement with leadership development

Modern training doesn’t just focus on front-line reps. It develops sales managers too, so they can coach effectively, not just monitor results.

At MTD Sales Training, we’ve embedded all three into our programmes, combining proven psychology with technology that makes learning stick.

What great sales training feels like (and looks like)

You know training has worked when you can see and hear the change.

After an effective programme, conversations sound sharper. Objections are handled with calm authority. Deals progress faster because the salesperson knows exactly how to diagnose needs, position value, and move the conversation forward.

That’s what great sales training creates — confidence, clarity, and consistency.
It’s not about motivational hype. It’s about tangible improvement in the way your team sells every day.

When training works, you’ll notice:

• Salespeople leading conversations instead of reacting to them.
• Fewer discounts, because value is positioned properly.
• Stronger relationships with decision-makers, not just influencers.
• More predictable pipelines.

If you’re not seeing those signs within a few weeks of training, the provider missed the mark.

When to invest in sales training

Companies often wait too long to invest. They see declining results and think it’s a pipeline issue when it’s actually a skills issue.

Here are moments when training pays off the fastest:

• After hiring new sales staff or promoting reps into management.
• When your sales cycle or product offering has changed.
• When win rates drop despite strong lead flow.
• When margins are shrinking due to discounting.
• When morale and motivation are dipping.

Training isn’t a fix for poor performance, it’s fuel for potential.
The sooner you invest, the sooner you stabilise performance and build momentum.

Why MTD Sales Training continues to stand out

We’ve trained over 250,000 sales professionals across every major industry. Our approach is simple:

1. Identify the business problem.
2. Define the behaviour that will fix it.
3. Build a programme that turns that behaviour into habit.

We don’t deliver training for the sake of it; we deliver measurable results. Every session, coaching call, and eLearning module is designed to change what happens in front of the customer.

Our clients see measurable improvements within weeks because our programmes are built around real behaviour change, not classroom theory.

Whether you’re looking for an in-company sales course, bespoke sales management programme, or ongoing development solution, we’ve done it, refined it, and proven it for over two decades.

Final thought: Choosing isn’t about finding the biggest name, it’s about finding the best fit

Every sales team is different. What works for one organisation might fall flat in another. The goal isn’t to pick the flashiest provider, it’s to find the one who understands your world, your people, and your performance goals.

When training works, it feels less like an event and more like an upgrade to how your sales operation runs. That’s the difference between another course and a genuine change in performance.

If you want to see what that looks like, you can explore our full range of Sales Training Courses to see how we build measurable, behaviour-based results.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post The Best Sales Training Companies in the UK 2025 appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

The best sales podcasts that made this list include Sales Gravy, Make It Happen Mondays, Sales Babble and The Sales Evangelist.  In total we’ve listed 39 of the very best sales podcasts which cover a wide variety of topics including sales motivation, B2B selling and professional development.

So if you’re looking for expert insights, real-world sales strategies, and the motivation to succeed? These sales podcasts deliver it all.

Whether you want to refine your sales skills or enhance your sales training approach, these podcasts offer valuable lessons from top industry sales leaders.

Tune in and take your sales game to the next level.

Why Sales Podcasts Are Essential for Growth

It’s essential to stay updated with the latest sales strategies and industry trends.

Sales podcasts are a convenient and efficient way to gain insights from experts, learn about innovative techniques, and stay motivated.

They tell real-world stories and provide practical advice that you can apply directly to your sales processes, helping you to improve and achieve your goals.

Listening to sales podcasts can help with:

• Developing winning sales strategies
• Improving your negotiation techniques
• Learning from real-world case studies
• Staying motivated and inspired
• Keeping up with the latest industry trends

Best of all, they’re convenient. You can learn while commuting, exercising, or during downtime, making them an efficient and flexible tool for professional development.

What Makes a Sales Podcast Worth Your Time?

Not all sales podcasts are created equal. A valuable podcast should have:

• Experienced hosts and guests – Experts who share actionable insights
• Diverse topics – Covering everything from cold calling to closing deals
• Engaging content – Conversational and practical, not just theory
• Consistency – Regular episodes to keep you learning
• Relevance – Content that aligns with today’s sales challenges

The best sales podcasts offer practical takeaways that can immediately enhance your selling skills.

39 Best Sales Podcasts

Without further ado, here’s our recommendation for 39 podcasts to help you up your sales game. First we’ll suggest some general ones, then dig deeper into industry-specific shows.

1: Selling Made Simple and Salesman Podcast

Host: Will Barron

This award-winning podcast helps sales professionals learn how to find buyers and win business in a modern, effective, and ethical way. It features a diverse range of guests, including NASA astronauts, F1 drivers, and top sales experts.

Recent Episodes:

• AI won’t save bad salespeople
• The psychology behind cold emails that convert
• Best response when a prospect ghosts you

Listen here: Selling Made Simple and Salesman Podcast

2: The Advanced Selling Podcast

Hosts: Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale

This long-running podcast delivers insights into advanced sales techniques, leadership, and business growth. Episodes are short and actionable (5-20 mins), making them ideal for busy sales professionals.

Recent Episodes:

• From features to transformation
• Why team alignment is your new sales superpower
• Finding your authentic path in sales

Listen here: The Advanced Selling Podcast

3: Scale Your Sales Podcast

Host: Janice B Gordon

A show for enterprising CEOs, CROs, and sales leaders, featuring interviews with successful executives who share their strategies to accelerate sales revenue and grow customer relationships.

Recent Episodes:

• Empowering your sales team with the power of three
• Revolutionising Sales Culture and Embracing AI Challenges
• Navigating Company Acquisitions: Positivity and Synergy in Sales Operations

Listen here: Scale Your Sales Podcast

4: Make It Happen Mondays

Host: John Barrows

A go-to podcast for B2B sales professionals, covering topics like personal branding, prospecting, and mindset. These are in-depth episodes too, running up to an hour.

Recent Episodes:

• Big company lessons for small business growth
• Crisis management and building resilient teams
• Breaking free from founder-led sales

Listen here: Make It Happen Mondays

5: Sales Babble

Host: Pat Helmers

Sales Babble focuses on practical, no-fluff sales advice for professionals of all levels. Interviewing global sales leaders, Sales Babble avoids jargon in favour of straight-talking common sense. The podcast ended in 2024 but with 370 episodes, there’s plenty of insight here.

Recent Episodes:

• How to grow confidence when selling
• What it means to be a sales engineer
• How to sell using the buyer’s language

Listen here: Sales Babble

6: Disruptors

Host: Rob Moore

An interview-style podcast focusing on culture, business, and entrepreneurship, featuring guests from various industries who share their insights on sales, marketing, and disruptive strategies. Recently there has been a pivot to culture war topics.

Recent Episodes:

• Building Dubai’s ultimate luxury car business
• How to sell to billionaires
• Breaking the property market delusion

Listen here: Disruptors

7: The Sales Evangelist

Host: Donald Kelly

This sales training guru focuses on helping salespeople build relationships and close more deals. The podcast is an upbeat, entertaining listen.

Recent Episodes:

• Ask like an auctioneer
• Not interested? Use the ‘go around the block’ principle
• Accelerating deals by slowing down

Listen here: The Sales Evangelist

8: Sales Gravy

Host: Jeb Blount

Sales Gravy provides quick, actionable advice on various sales topics from this bestselling author. Episodes range from brief tips to longer discussions with guests, making it ideal to squeeze in whenever you have an idle moment.

Recent Episodes:

• The cold truth about cold calling
• Make your website work as hard as your sales team
• How to motivate salespeople to prospect consistently

Listen here: Sales Gravy

9: Better Presentations More Sales Podcast

Host: Trevor Lee

Focuses on helping sales professionals deliver better presentations and win more sales, offering tips on communication, pitching, and closing deals.

Recent Episodes:

• Top tips from a professional speaking coach
• Why introverts make great presenters
• Three opportunities for better presentations

Listen here: Better Presentations More Sales Podcast

10: Conversations with Women in Sales

Host: Lori Richardson

This podcast highlights the experiences and insights of women sales leaders. Each episode features a guest who shares their journey and offers practical advice, including Zoom’s Ayana Gardner and April Marks from Pangea.

Recent Episodes:

• Be a lifelong learner in sales
• Advocate for and believe in yourself
• Excelling in the male majority boys club

Listen here: Conversations with Women in Sales

11: The Sales Transformation Podcast

Host: Phil Hesketh

Presented by Consalia, the UK’s sales business school, STP explores the changing landscape of sales, discussing topics like digital transformation, customer engagement, and innovative sales strategies.

Recent Episodes:

• How to unlock a competitive advantage in your key accounts
• What makes a great global account manager?
• How to build better B2B relationships

Listen here: The Sales Transformation Podcast

12: 30 Minutes to President’s Club

Hosts: Nick Cegelski & Armand Farrokh

Apparently the #1 sales podcast in the world, this show delivers straightforward selling advice through interviews with top sales performers and leaders. Named after the prestigious annual contest for elite sales reps, it’s high on ambition!

Recent Episodes:

• The AI playbook for sales: book more meetings and close more sales
• Using internet signals in cold outreach
• How to protect your pricing

Listen here: 30 Minutes to President’s Club

13: Confessions of a Serial Seller

Host: Oliver Aust

With one of the snappiest titles in this list, COSS Interviews with top sales performers who share their secrets, habits, and stories of success and failure in the sales world.

Recent Episodes:

• How to write so busy people respond
• Mastering the science of conversations
• The human side of leadership: burnout, growth, and purpose

Listen here: Confessions of a Serial Seller

14: Sales Success Stories

Host: Scott Ingram

As its name implies, this podcast features in-depth interviews with top-performing sales professionals. Each episode delves into the strategies and habits that contribute to their success, offering listeners practical advice to apply in their own careers.

Recent Episodes:

• Balancing sales excellence and parenting
• Building success with high-performing operating systems
• How to survive without sales enablement

Listen here: Sales Success Stories

15: Outbound Squad

Host: Jason Bay

Formerly known as Blissful Prospecting, Outbound Squad focuses on helping sales teams land more meetings with their ideal clients. The podcast covers topics like cold emailing, cold calling, and sales mindset.

Recent Episodes:

• How to instantly upgrade your cold calls
• World class SDRs are not career SDRs
• Enterprise meetings require enterprise effort

Listen here: Outbound Squad

16: Sales Chat Show

Hosts: Graham Jones, Simon Hazeldine, and Phil Jesson

A lively podcast discussing sales topics, tips, and techniques, often featuring guest experts from various industries.

Recent Episodes:

• Unpacking sandbagging – ethical implications and best practices
• The power of follow up – when and how to do it effectively
• Mental resilience – the secret weapon of top sales performers

Listen here: Sales Chat Show

17: The Modern Selling Podcast

Host: Mario Martinez Jr.

The Modern Selling Podcast examines the latest strategies and techniques in sales, including social selling, digital marketing, and sales leadership. It’s great for hands-on practical, and up-to-the-minute tips.

Recent Episodes:

• Scaling your mindset to minimise attrition
• LinkedIn algorithm hacks for visibility
• Leveraging the best tools for sales leaders

Listen here: The Modern Selling Podcast

18: Sales Code Leadership Podcast

Host: Kevin Thiele

Focused on sales leadership, this podcast, which ended in 2024 after 111 episodes, explores the qualities and strategies that make effective sales leaders. It features interviews with industry experts such as JB sales’ John Barrows and author Nick Holbrook.

Recent Episodes:

• The power of expectation, with Nick Holbrook
• Self-awareness for sales leaders, with Hitesh Kapadia
• Sensemaking in sales, with Brent Adamson

Listen here: Sales Code Leadership Podcast

19: The Brutal Truth About Sales & Selling

Host: Brian Burns

This podcast focuses on the complexities of B2B sales, offering insights into the challenges and strategies involved in selling to large organisations. Brian provides practical advice on topics like account-based marketing, sales leadership, and complex sales processes.

Recent Episodes:

• How to become great at B2B enterprise sales now
• Why so few sales reps are making their quota
• How sales has changed and why you need to change with it

Listen here: The Brutal Truth About Sales & Selling

20: The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast

Host: Darren Mitchell

Aimed at sales leaders striving to become exceptional in their field, this podcast delves into developing high performing, engaged teams, and driving consistent, sustainable results. It includes many cutting-edge sales tips and strategies.

Recent Episodes:

• Leveraging AI to accelerate pipeline development
• The chameleon effect, with Stephen Oommen
• The art of conscious leadership

Listen here: The Exceptional Sales Leader Podcast

21: Sales Strategy and Enablement

Host: Howard Brown

Revenue.io’s podcast explores the tools, strategies, and processes that enable sales teams to improve their performance. Howard interviews sales leaders, authors, and experts to unlock insights into current trends and innovations.

Recent Episodes:

• Combining human intuition and AI for sales success
• Metrics every revenue leader must focus on right now
• The future of sales ecosystems

Listen here: Sales Strategy and Enablement

22: How to Scale to $100M

Hosts: Luigi Prestinenzi & David Fastuca

This Australian podcast from GrowthForum.io breaks down top sales, growth, and marketing strategies, providing listeners with practical advice on generating leads, handling objections, and closing deals.

Recent Episodes:

• How to spot deals you’ll actually close
• How to master your tone to win more deals
• The ultimate guide to prepping your sales plan

Listen here: How to Scale to $100M

23: Sales Influence – Why People Buy!

Host: Victor Antonio

Sales Influence explores the psychology behind why people make purchasing decisions. The podcast delves into buyer behaviour, persuasion techniques, and effective communication strategies.

Recent Episodes:

• Upselling Conversation Starters
• Value your offer
• Level up your questions

Listen here: Sales Influence

24: The State of Sales Enablement

Host: Felix Krueger

This podcast offers insights and actionable advice from B2B sales and sales enablement leaders, focusing on achieving excellence in sales enablement practices.

Recent Episodes:

• Scaling enablement, with Alexander Bedford
• Game Maker Enablement, with Krystina Moustakis
• Cultural Assets, with Lawrence Wayne O’Connor

Listen here: The State of Sales Enablement

25: The Official SaaStr Podcast

Host: Jason Lemkin

Hosted by SaaStr.com founder Lemkin, this podcast provides insights into the world of SaaS sales, featuring interviews with industry leaders and discussions on scaling businesses, customer success, and revenue growth. It’s particularly valuable for those involved in SaaS sales and entrepreneurship.

Recent Episodes:

• The Future of AI in B2B SaaS
• What to expect from a new CRO in the first 90 days
• Usage-based revenue models

Listen here: The Official SaaStr Podcast

26: Sales Game Changers Podcast

Host: Fred Diamond

The Sales Game Changers Podcast features interviews with sales leaders who share their journeys, strategies, and tips for success. The podcast covers a wide range of topics, including leadership, personal development, and effective sales techniques.

Recent Episodes:

• Overcoming stalled sales: unsticking deals
• Becoming a top producing B2B sales professional
• Navigating the AI revolution in government sales and marketing

Listen here: Sales Game Changers Podcast

27: The B2B Revenue Executive Experience

Host: Chad Sanderson

This looks at B2B sales and marketing strategies, featuring interviews with industry experts who share insights on leadership, customer engagement, and revenue growth. It’s designed for executives looking to enhance their sales and marketing efforts.

Recent Episodes:

• Rethinking customer engagement through gifting
• How gratitude and mindfulness boost productivity by 50%
• How AI can skyrocket your value management

Listen here: The B2B Revenue Executive Experience

28: The Ed Mylett Show

Host: Ed Mylett

While not exclusively focused on sales, The Ed Mylett Show offers motivational content and success stories relevant to sales professionals across many industries. The host interviews peak performers to uncover their strategies for success.

Recent Episodes:

• How to use time to your advantage
• How to harness the power of one more to transform your life
• Master the most powerful form of communication

Listen here: The Ed Mylett Show

Industry-Specific Sales Podcasts

Exploring industry-specific sales podcasts can provide tailored insights and strategies relevant to your field. Here are 11 notable podcasts across various industries:

29: Medical Sales Accelerator Podcast

Focuses on the medical sales industry, offering strategies and insights for sales professionals in the medical field.

Recent Episodes:

• Brain training for breakthrough sales performance
• Leading the charge in AI-powered medical devices
• Harnessing neuroscience to drive MedTech team performance

Listen here: Medical Sales Accelerator Podcast

30: Tech Sales is for Hustlers

Provides insights and advice for sales professionals in the technology sector, focusing on strategies to succeed in tech sales.

Recent Episodes:

• The Value of being Genuine, with Brandie Schaeffer
• The road to EdTech, with Mike Kelly
• A Seller’s responsibility, with Chris Takacs

Listen here: Tech Sales is for Hustlers

31: Real Estate Rockstars

This podcast offers insights and tips for real estate sales professionals, featuring interviews with successful agents and industry experts.

Recent Episodes:

• Selling 100+ homes a year, with Nick Harris
• Why some real estate agents fail to thrive
• 100 deals in a year using social media, with Chris A. Williams

Listen here: Real Estate Rockstars

32: IPA Podcast

Presented by the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising, this is a comprehensive look at the state of the industry, including current trends, innovations, and best practice.

Recent Episodes:

• AdTalk with Paul Bainsfair
• The effectiveness files: lessons from the IPA Effectiveness Awards
• New business diaries, with Tobi Asare and Andy Freeman

Listen here: IPA Podcast

33: The Insurance Guys Podcast

Provides insights and strategies for insurance sales professionals, featuring discussions on sales techniques, marketing, and industry trends.

Recent Episodes:

• From chaos to command centre
• Insurance industry mental health
• Find out who’s a salesperson, and who’s not

Listen here: The Insurance Guys Podcast

34: Outbound Sales Lift

Focuses on sales strategies for startups and small businesses, offering insights into building and scaling sales processes.

Recent Episodes:

• Recruiting top sales talent, with JR Butler
• Embrace the sales evangelist role, with Amelia Taylor
• Building your personal brand, with Yurii Veremchuk

Listen here: Outbound Sales Lift

35: The Construction Leading Edge

Offers insights and strategies for sales professionals in the construction industry, focusing on business development and leadership.

Recent Episodes:

• 4 foolproof steps to stop construction chaos
• How to hire and retain A-players for your construction business
• Why most sales won’t save your business from chaos

Listen here: The Construction Leading Edge

36: The Recruitment Mentors Podcast

Focuses on sales and business development within the recruitment industry, featuring interviews with successful recruiters and industry experts.

Recent Episodes:

• From consultant to CEO: the journey to recruitment MBO
• Is starting your own recruitment business worth it?
• Breaking into the US market: the reality vs the hype

Listen here: The Recruitment Mentors Podcast

37: The Business of Fashion Podcast

Covers sales, marketing, and business development strategies within the fashion industry, featuring interviews with industry leaders.

Recent Episodes:

• Fashion’s M&A market is heating up
• How to future-proof your fashion career in 2025
• The evolving art of brand collaborations

Listen here: The Business of Fashion Podcast

38: The SaaS Sales Performance Podcast

Focuses on sales strategies and performance optimisation within the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry.

Recent Episodes:

• Partner-first strategies for enterprise sales
• Leadership lessons in sales
• Agile sales strategies in FinTech

Listen here: The SaaS Sales Performance Podcast

39: The GTMnow Podcast

The GTMnow Podcast is a weekly podcast by GTMnow, the media brand of VC firm GTMfund. It features interviews with the top 1% of revenue operators, VCs, and founders who have ‘been there, done that’ to build some of the fastest-growing software companies.

Each episode unpacks the how of company growth – the go-to-market strategies and tactics behind high-growth and successful companies.

Listen here: The GTMnow Podcast

How These Sales Podcasts Can Help You Level Up

What sales podcasts bring crucially is different perspectives, and from professionals who’ve learned valuable lessons the hard way: by making them.

By listening to the experts on sales podcasts, you can:

• Learn directly from industry leaders
• Stay up to date with trends and techniques
• Improve your prospecting and closing skills
• Build a winning, healthy sales mindset – and stay motivated

Incorporating these lessons into your daily sales practice will help you increase conversions and revenue.

Pod is in the details

Podcasts are a fantastic way to continuously develop your sales skills on a macro and micro level. Whether you’re looking for general sales advice, motivation, or industry-specific strategies, there’s a podcast out there to help you grow.

Try a wide variety and don’t just stick to sales specific shows either. Shows about psychology, sociology, or specific industries can deliver unique insights you won’t find elsewhere.

Don’t just listen though—apply what you learn to your sales process.

Combining them with structured training can take your skills to the next level.

Here are three resources we offer to help you level up:

• Selling Skills Training – Improve negotiation, closing, and persuasion skills
• In-House Training – Customised training for your sales team
• Negotiation Skills Test – Assess and enhance your negotiation capabilities

Happy listening, and happy selling!

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post 39 Best Sales Podcasts You Need In 2026 appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Buyer’s remorse is a feeling of anxiety, regret or guilt after making a large purchase such as a car or a house. It’s linked to cognitive dissonance which means a person experiences mind clashes with their expectations or other choices they could have made with their money.

These doubts can include comparing the purchase to others they could have made, second-guessing themselves and justifying, or not, the amount of money spent.  To avoid this people try to avoid impulse buys, they stick to a budget, focus on the positive reasons why they should buy and ultimately learn to trust their own judgement.

Buyer’s remorse is one of those things every salesperson comes up against. The deal is done, and the contract is signed, but a few days later, the customer starts to waver.

Doubt creeps in.

Was it the right decision? Did they move too fast?

In sales, managing what happens after the sale is just as important as closing it. As a sales training provider, we see how the right skills, including discovery, expectation setting, and follow-up, can reduce regret and keep customers confident in their choices.

So, let’s look at what causes buyer’s remorse and how you can prevent it from costing you sales.

What Is “Buyer’s Remorse”?

Buyer’s remorse is a feeling of guilt, regret, or worry about a just-made purchase.

It’s the thought of, “Why did I just do that?”

Buyer’s remorse happens for various reasons. Sometimes, it’s about the investment. At other times, the customer realises that their expectations were not in line with what the product or service was going to offer them.

No matter the reason, buyer’s remorse is a serious problem. Sure, the buyer could back out of a deal. The other problem? It creates a negative perception of the brand, even if you’ve done nothing to warrant it. That makes it challenging to maintain your brand reputation, especially when such experiences occur frequently.

The Psychology Behind Buyer’s Remorse

Every decision a person makes could have good or bad consequences. However, we make decisions throughout any given day. Not all of them will be good ones. But when you consider the buyer’s remorse, there’s more to consider.

Think about these concepts as they relate to the psychology behind buyer’s remorse:

Instant gratification

It’s what so many people strive for today, for the short-term benefit that comes from the release of dopamine.

That excitement of making the purchase wears off quickly, exposing concerns about the necessity or value of the purchase. Impulse purchases happen because people are trying to keep up with social media. They may happen because something is just “too good” at that moment.

In this case, post-purchase remorse develops when someone starts to experience negative emotions associated with that purchase. Once that excitement wears off, concerns move in.

Fear of regret

Another critical concept focuses on the fear of regret or the feeling that potential negative consequences are preferable to missing out. A person makes the buying decision because they don’t want to miss out on the chance. Then, they regret it later.

Emotional drivers

Emotions drive many decisions we make throughout the day. It’s not logic but the way we feel at that moment. This is where emotional intelligence plays a key role in understanding and responding to what really influences buying behaviour. Customer emotions may include a wide array of feelings, such as:

• Social influence. Having this makes them better or just as good as others.
• Instant gratification. The short-lived burst of “winning” or achieving something causes a desirable, pleasurable feeling.
• The feeling of getting a deal. It’s such a good deal that a person feels they’ve accomplished something with their purchase.

Buyer’s remorse, which is more formally considered a form of cognitive dissonance, is that uncomfortable, conflicting feeling that happens after making such a purchase. In some way, perceptions change, and that feel-good moment is gone.

Causes of Buyer’s Remorse in Sales

To beat it, you need to understand it. So, what is buyer’s remorse brought on by?

The more you understand why it happens, the better able you are to create a plan that helps you avoid it. One area often overlooked is post sales follow up, or more specifically, the lack of it. Staying in touch after the sale can ease doubt, build trust, and reduce regret.

Let’s focus on several of the most common causes of buyer’s remorse in sales.

Big Commitments and High Stakes

There’s a lot on the line.

Anytime anyone makes a big decision, there’s going to be some wavering.

Is this really the right decision for me? What if I did something else?

In situations where significant commitments are involved, you can expect some pushback. This may occur in situations such as:

• There’s a lot of money on the line.
• There are high stakes involved or some type of perceived significant risk.
• It takes a lot of commitment to make it happen.
• This decision eliminates other decisions.
• The fear of missing out on a better deal, opportunity, or benefit.

Big commitments and high stakes are common causes for people to waver but not necessarily reasons for them to give up.

If someone is purchasing a high-end luxury car, it’s common to feel excited and all for it on the lot. Driving it home, there are suddenly a dozen factors running through their mind, such as insurance companies, theft risks, and where they are really going to drive it.

Misaligned Expectations

Another, and very important, preventable cause of buyer’s remorse focuses on a misalignment. Specifically, what expectations are versus what reality is are very different. That’s not realised until after the investment happens.

When customers misjudge what a product or service will do for them or what it does in any given situation, it leads to remorse later. That’s often because the salesperson hasn’t uncovered the full picture and hasn’t used the right sales questioning techniques can help reduce this risk upfront.

Additionally, if they encounter complications in using the product, delays in receiving it, or frustrations in applying it to their needs, that will also cause remorse. Learning that there are additional costs could also trigger the same feeling.

Pressure Tactics and Rushed Decisions

Another significant factor is the way a product or service is provided.

When pressure tactics are applied, or a buyer is rushed into a decision, they cannot clearly work through the process of making that decision. After they agree and they have more time to think about it, that’s when questions arise.

Buyers who find themselves frustrated with the pressure they are under may react simply to make the tactic stop rather than because they want or see the value in a product. That creates an instant “bad taste” in their mouth as a result. Ensure your sales pitch isn’t outdated.

The Impact of Buyer’s Remorse on Sales Teams

You’ve made the sale. You’re earning a commission. Why should you care if your buyer is happy about the purchase or not?

Buyer’s remorse in sales is far more than closing that one deal. Consider the implications that come from just one bad experience:

Lost Trust and Future Sales

The most important and impactful consequence is the loss of trust. A customer isn’t a one-time transaction. Many companies spend significant amounts of money just to drive that one customer to their sales floor. That means building a relationship over time, closing the sale, and encouraging them to return.

Buyer’s remorse leads to lost opportunities. That could result in the loss of future sales from that customer. It also means loss of benefits like word-of-mouth marketing. Those are additional sales metrics that are too important to overlook.

Increased Cancellations and Refunds

A secondary and more immediate impact is the desire to refund. A customer who has misaligned expectations or doesn’t understand what they are purchasing is likely to cancel. That leads to refunds and wasted time.

How to Deal with Buyer’s Remorse

Learning how to deal with buyer’s remorse means learning how to avoid it happening in the first place. Being proactive is the best policy here. It is far more difficult to fix the problem later.

Consider these strategies that can make a significant difference in avoiding buyer’s remorse in your sales:

Set Clear Expectations Early

Ensure there is clarity on what the product is and what it does early on. If you are providing a service, state exactly what the buyer can expect. There is no benefit in being misleading, even if it’s just to get the conversation started.

By setting clear expectations early on, you eliminate the risk of not obtaining the valuable insights needed to close the deal.

For example, if your prospect has a specific problem that your product cannot solve, you waste less time by being upfront about it and moving on.

Strengthen Post-Sale Support

Once a customer makes a purchase, don’t walk away from the transaction. Follow up, gather details about how well it is working for them, and ask questions about what could be better. By utilising highly interactive opportunities like this, you can foster stronger relationships.

Even if there is a problem with the purchase, your buyer has an avenue for getting help. Positive interactions addressing a problem can lead to improved relationships over time. This could mean offering a user’s guide. It may mean sending a follow-up email. It could mean looping in the tech team if there are questions on functionality.

Keep Communication Open

Keep the lines of communication open with your buyer. To prevent buyer’s remorse, be sure they know you’re there for them on an ongoing basis – or be clear about what you can and cannot do.

For many situations, this means responding to emails and calls. It may mean interacting with your customer in a post-sales setup session or consultation. In this way, you are providing them with critical support now, alerting them to the fact that you’re not leaving them to manage on their own. That can reduce some of those feelings of regret when there’s a big commitment to change involved.

Reinforce the Customer’s Decision

Ensure that you reinforce their decision. When a customer makes a decision, encourage them. Provide feedback on why you believe this is the right decision for them. Share insights into what they can expect and what happens next. Continue to demonstrate the value of the customer’s decision on their life, needs, or goals.

The Role of Sales Training in Reducing Buyer’s Remorse

One of the most effective strategies for protecting your brand from buyer’s remorse is to apply effective sales training from the start.

When your sales team knows how to sell in a way that prevents customer regret, they can provide a better level of service while also ensuring your brand’s long-term viability.

With an effective sales training plan in place, you’re not just teaching how to close deals. You’re creating authentic opportunities for your buyers to become loyal, brand-building customers.

Consider these factors:

Teaching Proper Qualification and Discovery

Teach your team how to properly and comprehensively qualify their sales prospects. Not only does this minimise instances of buyer’s regret, but it also leads to improved overall time spent. Ensure your team has the necessary tools and knowledge to manage the discovery process, allowing them to use their time better to provide authentic value to every customer they speak to and invest time in.

Improving Customer Conversations

As simple as it sounds, providing your team with better conversation skills can make a big improvement in reducing buyer’s remorse risk. Educate your sales team on essential strategies for effective conversation building, including establishing rapport and gathering key details. It also means being honest, open, and friendly. The art of conversation is quite different in today’s sales environment.

Avoiding High-Pressure Closing Techniques

The days are gone when high-pressure closing techniques, such as the “if you don’t buy, you’re missing out” strategy, is effective. Remember, this is not a one-time sales close. It’s about building relationships that carry your company onward. For that reason, your team must have specific skills to teach them how to close without pressure and, therefore, reduce buyer’s remorse in the process.

Post-Sale Strategies to Prevent Regret

Even if all went right during the sales conversation and closed, there’s still work to be done after the sale to prevent buyer’s remorse.

Teach your team to incorporate these steps into their workflows:

Follow-Up Contact and Check-Ins

Create an automated (preferably) method that enables your customers to get hands-on support when they need it. A simple follow-up contact call or email allows your sales team to stay in touch. It provides them with a way to check in within a few days or weeks to assess how well the customer’s experience is progressing. Most importantly, it helps nip that remorse for purchasing immediately.

Reinforce Value After Purchase

Once you purchase a product, you want to know that you made the right decision. Teach your sales team to reinforce the value after a purchase. To accomplish this, buyers require some assistance. For example, provide them with documents, graphics, and tools that enable them to see how well they did in making this decision.

• What are they going to get from doing so?
• What benefits does it offer?
• Why was this the right decision for their purchase?

Offer Quick Problem Resolution

Reducing buyer’s remorse sometimes means finding a solution. To minimise the negative impact that such a refund or cancellation can have, offer a fast solution to problems.

For example, if your customer experiences a failure in the product’s functionality, replace it without question.

Final Thoughts: How Sales Teams Can Prevent Buyer’s Remorse

Look beyond the initial sales close. Landing that sale is an excellent outcome, but only if the customer is satisfied enough to return and recommend it to their friends.

Ultimately, by reducing buyer’s remorse, you’re strengthening long-term sales for your company as a result. With effective selling skills training, you’ll have more ability to make sure this is happening consistently.

Remember, too, that customers need confidence after the purchase. Reassure them that the decision they are making is the right one. With account management training, you can have your team connect with the buyer for follow-up, reassuring them that they made the best decision.

With in-house training, it’s possible to teach your team skills that close sales and build relationships. That also means reducing the risk of buyer’s remorse eating away at your brand and hard work.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post What Is Buyer’s Remorse and Can You Prevent It? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Not bad for a lad who started his career working in a bookies aged 18, trying to upsell bets to punters more interested in the odds on the 3:15 at Cheltenham than anything I had to say!

That’s where I first learned the power of persuasion, timing, and knowing your audience. All of it learned on the fly with no sales training, no CRM, or polished sales pitch in sight. It was all about people skills and a lot of graft (plus developing a very thick skin!)

This award wasn’t just a popularity contest.

The rankings were data-driven. Measured by an independent research partner using three key engagement metrics:

• Follower interaction (not just how many, but how active)
• Post engagement (likes, comments, tags)
• Content reach (how far your message travels)

All of this was combined into what they called an Engagement Quality Score, meaning this list recognised real influence, not vanity metrics. So, when they called out my name at #1, I was proud, not just for me, but for the sales professionals, leaders, and companies I’ve been lucky enough to work with over the years.

 
Let’s be honest, it’s never been harder to cut through the noise in sales. What used to work doesn’t anymore. Buyers are smarter. The game has changed. So yes, I might have the trophy. But this win? It’s about the work. It’s about showing up consistently. Sharing what actually works. And helping others in a world where trust is hard to earn, and even harder to keep.

Over the years, I’ve tried to strip back the fluff and give people practical tools they can use right away, whether that’s asking better questions, coaching their sales team more effectively, or just surviving in a tough quarter.

And after years of sharing those tools in keynotes, training sessions, and posts, I’ve pulled together what I believe is my most practical resource yet – my latest book!

 
“500 Sales Questions That Close The Deal” is designed to do exactly what it says on the cover.

Whether you’re new to sales or leading a seasoned team, the right question can open doors, overcome the objection, and move deals forward.

This book gives you 500 of them — ready to use, pressure-tested in real-world situations, and built to help you sell smarter, not harder.

You can grab it now on Amazon in paperback or Kindle.

In closing, this award is a reminder that staying useful matters. So, whether you’ve been following me for years or only just connected, thank you.

Every comment, every share, every DM. It means a lot.

And it pushes me to keep raising the bar.

More to come. Plenty more.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
 

The post Sean McPheat named the UK’s #1 Sales Influencer 2025 appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

But that doesn’t mean salespeople are being replaced. Far from it!

While automation can speed things up, it still can’t match the judgment, trust, or emotional intelligence real conversations need.

This blog looks at where AI in Sales fits, where it falls short, and why strong sales training is more important than ever to keep people at the centre of the process, not pushed out by it.

AI in Sales and the Role of the Human Seller

Over the last few years, the use of AI in business has grown rapidly and sales is no exception.

According to McKinsey & Company, 42 percent of companies will be using AI in their sales processes by 2025.

From real time messaging to predictive analytics, AI is already helping sales teams move faster, work smarter and stay ahead of the competition.

What’s Driving The Growth Of AI Sales Tools?

AI in sales offers clear benefits. It increases efficiency, removes repetitive admin and frees up sales teams to focus on what actually drives revenue.

Tasks that are ideal for automation include:

• Sending follow up emails
• Booking meetings through long email threads
• Answering common questions over and over

Beyond efficiency, AI also gives companies a potential edge. With the right tools, businesses can stay closer to market trends, respond faster to shifts and launch campaigns with more precision.

AI does the heavy lifting too. Chatbots can handle queries, guide buyers through decisions and offer personalised responses at scale. These interactions drive conversions but take serious time when done manually.

The bottom line: AI sales tools are already delivering results. But they still have limits. And that is where human skill makes the difference.

Industries Embracing AI In Their Sales Process

AI in sales is not limited to one type of business. It is now being used across industries where speed, accuracy and customer insight matter most. Such as:

Manufacturing

AI supports customer relationship management, predictive analytics and sales automation.

Tasks like proposal generation and follow up are being handled more efficiently.

Healthcare

Even in a people focused sector, AI adds value. From medical devices to pharmaceutical sales, AI forecasting tools help teams focus their time and improve targeting.

Financial services

Banks, lenders and financial firms are using AI for lead scoring, fraud detection and risk assessment. It improves speed and reduces costly errors.

The Limits Of AI Sales In Real Conversations

AI has earned its place in sales.

It works well for admin, data analysis and task automation. But when it comes to real human connection, it still falls short and those gaps can cost you the sale.

What AI Still Cannot Understand Or Replicate

AI can process data, run probabilities and deliver instant responses. But it cannot feel. It cannot sense when to shift tone, read a hesitation or offer the empathy needed to win deals.

It also cannot build trust. AI can answer questions and send messages, but it cannot form genuine relationships. Customers are more likely to buy from people they trust, not from code that sounds confident.

Problem solving is another weak spot. When buyers hesitate, it is often emotional. AI cannot understand the full context behind a customer’s doubt or tailor a response that truly connects. That human judgement, the instinct to know when to ask, pause or reassure, is still missing.

Why Context, Nuance, And Emotion Still Matter

Sales is more than product knowledge. It is about reading the room, adapting to each individual and creating value through real conversation.

Think back to your early days in sales. You studied every feature. You knew the offer inside out. But success came when you understood that features alone do not close deals. Connection does. And that is different for every customer.

This is where AI struggles most:

Context

AI cannot fully grasp a customer’s background, pressures or timing. Each sale is different, and understanding the context, along with the customer’s needs, is key to offering the right solution.

Nuance

Not all customers want the same script. Some need creativity. Others need reassurance or flexibility. Human salespeople recognise and adapt to these cues in real time.

Emotion

AI cannot read tone, body language or subtle changes in mood. It cannot offer empathy. And in high value or complex sales, emotion matters just as much as logic.

These human qualities make the difference between a response and a real conversation. AI is powerful, but it is not personal. And in sales, that still matters.

Human Strengths AI Sales Cannot Match

There is no substitute for a real conversation with a buyer. Sales success still depends on human strengths – the ability to build trust, create rapport and respond to the customer in the moment. While AI can support the process, it cannot replace the parts that matter most.

Trust

Trust is a critical part of any sales interaction. Especially in high value deals, customers want to hear directly from a person why they should choose your business over the competition.

AI can help connect people faster, but it cannot deliver the trust factor. That comes from building relationships, solving problems and responding with empathy.

Trust grows when sales professionals understand customers needs, answer with honesty and create space for two way communication. This is what earns confidence and drives decisions.

Rapport

AI cannot build rapport. It may deliver fast responses, but it cannot smile, make eye contact or pick up on tone.

Rapport comes from shared understanding. It is built when a salesperson shows they genuinely care about the person they are speaking to.

Some of the human qualities that build rapport include:

• Showing real interest in the conversation
• Expressing empathy by seeing the customer’s perspective
• Finding common ground and creating connection

These are not things AI can simulate. They are human strengths that make a real difference.

Building Real Relationships

Customers are unlikely to feel connected to a chatbot. But in real sales conversations, relationships are everything.

A trusted relationship can reshape the entire sales process. It leads to enhanced customer loyalty, improves retention and turns satisfied buyers into long term advocates.

Stronger relationships also lead to a deeper understanding of customers needs, a key driver of meaningful interactions and successful sales.

This is how brands grow. Not just through automation, but through people who connect, support and represent them well.

Reading The Room: Situational Awareness In Sales

AI cannot read the room. It cannot see facial expressions or hear hesitation in someone’s voice. Human salespeople can.

Being present in the conversation means being able to respond to what is really happening, not just what is being said.

Salespeople with situational awareness can:

• Adapt their approach based on individual concerns or context
• Handle tough conversations with empathy and confidence
• Pivot quickly when a customer’s tone or interest changes

In complex or high stakes sales, this ability is essential. AI can support the process, but it still cannot lead it.

How AI in Sales Can Support, Not Replace, People

It is unrealistic to think AI will not play a role in sales. It already does, and that role is only growing.

The difference is in how you use it. Sales professionals who use AI wisely are already outperforming their competition. The goal is not to replace people but to support them, combining smart technology with human strengths to create better results.

Using AI For Research, Lead Scoring, And Admin

One of the most valuable ways AI supports sales teams is through data.

There is more information available than ever, but without the right tools, it is hard to use. AI helps by processing and analysing that data quickly and accurately.

You can use AI for a variety of critical tasks, including:

Here are just a few ways AI can support your team:

Research

AI can scan the market, analyse your competitors, review past campaign performance and assess your brand’s image. That saves time and sharpens strategy.

Lead scoring

AI can help your team focus on the prospects that matter most. By scoring leads based on data patterns, it highlights where time and energy are most likely to pay off.

Admin

Sales automation tasks like data entry, CRM updates or scheduling can be handled by AI. That reduces errors and gives your team more time to focus on selling.

Let People Do The Selling While AI Handles The Rest

Your sales team is most valuable when it is doing what only people can do… building relationships, having real conversations and guiding buyers through complex decisions.

Let AI handle the background work. Free up your team to spend more time with clients, follow up with prospects and manage more interactions that lead to results.

Used well, AI is not a threat to your sales process. It is the tool that helps your people perform at their best.

Training Sales Teams for an AI Sales Future

AI brings huge potential to the sales process. But it only works when people know how to use it.

AI sales software will not deliver results if it sits unused. That is why training your team is just as important as choosing the right tools. Invest time in building the confidence and skills your sales team needs to work alongside AI, not against it.

Upskilling People, Not Replacing Them

The goal is not replacement, it is improvement. Sales training should focus on upskilling your team to use AI tools that take care of repetitive tasks and surface useful data.

Give your salespeople the skills to use AI in a way that supports their role, not overwhelms it. With the right training, they can work faster, make better decisions and focus more energy where it counts.

Where Sales Training Needs To Evolve Next

Sales training must evolve with the tools and expectations around it.

It is no longer just about the handshake or the perfect cold email. Training now needs to include hands-on, emotionally intelligent approaches that help people build trust and adapt in real time.

Relationships are still at the heart of sales. The difference is that now, AI can take care of the admin, so your team can focus on what matters most, selling effectively through genuine, human connection..

Conclusion

AI sales are powerful, but people still win deals. To stay competitive, your team needs the selling skills to close them. Sales will always need the human touch, and that means giving your people the tools to thrive in a tech driven environment.

If AI sales are on the rise, your team needs to rise with them. Our selling skills training and in-house programmes help sales teams adapt, stay relevant and close more deals, with or without AI. Not sure where the gaps are? Try our SalesDNA assessment to find out.

Want to learn more? Read our full guide on AI sales tools.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
 

The post AI in Sales Are Rising, But It Won’t Replace You! appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Cold outreach is the process of reaching out to potential customers or partners who have no prior relationship with you or your business. It’s usually done through email, LinkedIn, or phone, and the goal is simple: introduce what you offer, start a relationship, and open the door to future sales or opportunities.

What separates cold outreach from spam is intent and execution. Done properly, it’s personalised, relevant, and focused on clear value. It aims to spark a conversation, not force a hard sell on first contact.

The most effective approaches are short, credible, and purposeful. They show why you’re worth replying to, make it easy to take the next step, and include a clear call to action. Timing matters too, with many campaigns seeing better results when prospects are contacted during high-attention periods, such as Tuesday or Wednesday mornings.

The takeaway. Cold outreach works when it feels human, useful, and respectful of the other person’s time..

Cold outreach is tough, especially when you only have seconds to make an impact. The wrong sales opener can quickly lose attention, but the right one can spark interest, build rapport, and open the door to a real conversation.

As a sales training provider, we’ve seen what works (and what definitely doesn’t) across calls, emails and LinkedIn messages.

In this blog, we’re sharing 30 proven sales openers that grab attention in the first 30 seconds – and give you a better shot at getting a reply, a meeting, or even a straight yes.

What Makes a Great Sales Opener?

Cold outreach is hard. Why? Because you have just seconds to make a point before your would-be customer goes elsewhere. A sales opener is a way to deliver highly valuable information to the buyer before they move on.

But why do some work and others fail miserably? There are plenty of reasons for this. For example, if you’re stumbling over details during your first 30 seconds of a sales call, that’s a delivery problem. Other times, these are the reasons why cold email openers (as well as phone conversations) fail so badly.

Relevance to the Buyer’s World

The absolutely most important element to learn when starting a sales conversation is this: It must be relevant to the buyer’s world. That means whatever you have to say needs to be a problem-solving, advantage, or competitive edge for the buyer. Solve their problem instantly.

No pressure there. Just remember that the best cold openers are well-prepared statements. They are geared specifically towards the buyer, making them interesting and valuable. By crafting a sales pitch like this, you’re showing your would-be buyer you value their time.

Clarity and Simplicity Over Cleverness

A light-hearted ploy or witty statement sure can turn heads and bring a smile. Yet, you’re wasting time on that super limited cold call script if you’re trying to be clever.

Instead, deliver a statement that’s clear, to the point, and simple to understand. If you’re calling an executive at a company, they have 10 things racing through their to-do list right now. Be direct and clear about how you’re going to benefit them.

Confidence Without Sounding Pushy

Overly sales-specific language doesn’t work. Yes, that means that the best cold openers are not going to be sales-driven statements. They need a bit of finesse. Your goal is to ditch feeling pushy (which often translates into seeming to be desperate). Instead, aim to be confident.

Confidence comes from knowledge. You know your customer. You know exactly how your product or service fits their needs. That, and really having a polished cold outreach process, can make a huge difference.

Customised vs Scripted – Finding the Balance

Let’s be frank here. Openers that get replies incorporate some level of custom pitch. You have to know who you are reaching as well as what their needs are. But the reality is, you need a script.

Scripts help you stay on track. They enable you to optimise your 30-second opportunity. The best cold openers, then, are those that are a blend of the two. Sounds easy, right? We’ll give you some examples of sales outreach to help.

Why the First 30 Seconds Matter So Much

It’s something you’ll learn as you work to build sales conversation starters. You just have 30 seconds to hook your audience. During those 30 seconds, you need to connect with them. You need to persuade them. Most importantly, you need to show this perfect stranger that you can add value to their day.

A long, drawn-out presentation. Perhaps a sales pitch over the phone or a conversation over lunch. These used to be common scenarios for selling your product or service. Today, there are several reasons you only have 30 seconds.

Attention Spans Are Shorter Than Ever

The average attention span of Britons today is about 8 seconds. That’s far less than the 30 seconds we’re discussing here. Time yourself. How many times a minute do you check your phone? How much time do you focus on a single task before being bombarded by other thoughts?

You’re Not Just Selling – You’re Earning Time

Every second you remain in connection with your customer is earning you more time. As you read on about some of the cold communication tips we offer, remember this. Those first 30 seconds could buy you more time if you can hook them into learning more. That’s a critical step in the process of building sales.

The Opener Sets the Tone for Everything That Follows

Finally, let’s make this very clear. Whatever you do in the sales opener is what your customer expects moving forward. Don’t over exaggerate. Don’t overpromise. Be authentic and to the point.

Cold Outreach – 30 Proven Sales Openers

Here’s how to start a sales conversation. These sales openers are proven to work. They don’t close the deal. They buy you more time. Most importantly, they build interest in what you have to offer.

Check out these sales outreach examples to get you started. We’ll give you the opening, you fill in the blanks.

1. A paragraph to solve their problem

Create a short, direct paragraph for a cold email opener. Get to the point quickly.

“We’re sharing our new service that’s helped organisations much like your own to amplify their sales margins while reducing their costs. I would like to discuss the details and collaborate with you on achieving your goals.”

2. How to solve email

Consider this sales conversation starter, but incorporate timely information about your customer’s concerns.

“Clients are reaching out to us about (political news, economic news, etc.) and worried about their operations’ implications. We’re hosting a webinar, and I would love to get you involved. Are you worried about ….? Connect with us for our recommended solutions.

3. Ask for an introduction

Sometimes the best way to get into a meeting with the most likely buyer is to just ask for an introduction. Remember, do so in a way that shows your customer why they should put time into you.

“Good day! My name is …., and I’m representing …. in this short call. Can you tell me who handles decisions related to (service you offer)? How could I connect with them? I’d like to share specific services we offer that enhance operations and make your jobs easier.”

3. Be brutally honest

In some situations, your cold call script is just an honest statement, something people find refreshing.

“Hi, my name is …. I’m calling from …. To be transparent, this is a cold call. I am confident I can offer (whatever it is) to (customer’s goals). Could I trouble you for about 5 minutes of your time?”

4. Show you’re paying attention

Research matters. If you’re using social media to gauge the interests of your customers (and you should), use that to your advantage during your outreach strategy.

“Good afternoon. My name is …. And I’m from … I just read your social post on (specific topic) and I believe I have a solution for you. Any chance you have about five minutes that I could ask a few questions?”

5. Provide a reason, directly

Don’t waste people’s time. Get right to the point so you go to the right person for the job.

“Good morning. I wanted to speak to someone who makes decisions about (topic). I’m hoping to gather some information.”

6. What you’re doing script

Provide information-packed first seconds of a conversation to truly drive interest.

“Good afternoon. My team is working on a solution to help companies recruit talent faster at a lower price point. Is that something that you are looking for within your company right now?”

7. Share a mutual connection

Show that you have some connection with the person you’re speaking to, creating an instant bond.

“My name is, and I was recently having a conversation with …., I believe you know them? I wanted to share what we’re doing to help them because I believe it could help you as well.”

8. Can I solve your problem?

Many of the cold communication tips you’ll see are problem-specific. They require some research, but can help you better understand your customer.

“What if (product) could help you solve (problem)? I wanted to share the exact steps we recently took with (company name) that helped them achieve an increase of (percentage) in sales in the last year. Would you be interested?”

9. Show importance of the call

Demonstrate that there’s a reason why they should be listening to your call. To do this, you’ll need to have a valuable service to offer.

“Hello, I’m (name/company). I realise I may be calling you while you’re in the middle of something important, but I felt you needed to know this…”

10. Straight to the point

Get to the point of the conversation immediately. Ask them a question you know they need to hear.

“Good afternoon. I’m inquiring with companies in your sector that are losing money on customer service support. Is your company struggling to achieve a desired ROI?”

11. Honest about where you’re from

Another way to reach your would-be customers is to be honest about what you did to find them, showing that you took the time to learn about their company.

“Good afternoon. I came across your name as the (title) at (company). I wanted to reach out to see if you had any interest in (achieving a goal specific to your product that you know they need)?”

12. Can you help me?

Another potential strategy is to ask your would-be customer for help. Your goal is to target a lower employee who may want to impress their higher-ups.

“Afternoon. I’m looking for the right person to discuss a (money-saving, sales boosting, etc) service that my company is launching for some of the most elite organisations in your industry. Could you point them in the direction of someone who might have five minutes that I could ask a couple of questions to?”

13. Press release insight

If the company you’re targeting just issued a press release, use that to your advantage.

“Good day. I recently read your press release about implementing (service, feature, product, etc). I’m calling to inquire if you’ve considered (some type of complimentary service) that competitors like (name their competitor) are using? Would you be interested?”

14. Save them time

A sales opener in any type of email needs to be instantly impactful. Offer a way to save time right from the start.

“I’m writing with a request to provide a fast five-minute demo that you can complete whenever it works for you online. It’s for a product that (name of company) just launched, and I’m reaching out to get initial feedback from interested parties. If you want to (achieve goal) and have a minute, would you watch a short demo?”

15. Exclusivity

Show your would-be customer that what you’re offering is exclusive to them.

“I recently saw your company’s report about (losing money, etc) and I can help. My business (name business) works with just a few organisations each year to resolve (problem you can help them fix). I was wondering if you might be interested in a potential opening if it becomes available to discuss this solution?”

16. Build rapport

There’s still something to be said about being friendly and building a rapport. If you meet someone in person, you might use a sales opener such as this.

“Hi! Busy day. How is your day going so far? I saw you were just in a meeting with …”

17. Offer value immediately

In an email, you need to get to the point but provide valuable information. You might say….

“I wanted to share a statistic with you that is directly relevant to your business. (Share that information). Would it be helpful to your company to learn how to (implement, fix, amplify, etc) this?”

18. Share why you matter

Don’t be afraid to share with them why you personally matter.

“Hello, I’m (Name and company title). I don’t often directly reach out to customers but I know my team can help you with (pain point).

19. What you’ve done

Another strategy is to share what you have accomplished. Be authentic.

“I’m looking for (company position) that handles decisions about (industry). I work directly with companies like yours to (achieve specific outcome). I know we can do the same for your company.”

20. Spark a thought

Ask a question in an email. Provide some level of interest based on what you know about the company.

“I read a statistic today about the biggest challenge impacting companies in (industry). My company (name) solves those problems.”

21. Recent research release

Show the value of recent research from a proven company or organisation.

“Did you see the research released by (organisation)? It’s striking and so impactful to our industry. Here’s the solution our company has developed.”

22. What your company is doing

Share what your business is doing now to help customers like them.

“Hello. In the world we live in right now, everything seems like a struggle. I’m doing my part by reaching out to share how my company is overcoming (challenge you know they are facing). I wanted to discuss how we can work together.”

23. Time-sensitive information

Showcase that they need to react right away. Time-sensitive information must show some level of urgency.

“I’m calling you about a limited opportunity that could benefit your business by (specific benefit you can offer). However, I only have a few days before I have to make a decision on who to work with. Would you like your company included?”

24. New launch

Provide information about what your company has recently launched that you know solves their problem.

“I’m writing to a limited group of people to share a new product we’ve developed. There’s a significant amount of proprietary information at risk, so I can only share some statistics on what we’ve accomplished so far. Are you interested?”

25. Looking for feedback

Ask for feedback instead of a sales pitch opportunity.

“My organisation is launching a new service and we’re just trying it out with a few customers. We’re hoping to get some constructive feedback. Would you be willing to participate?”

26. Recent social media interaction

Show that you are following their recent social media interactions by connecting with them through a direct message.

“Thanks for sharing that recent post about (name). It’s interesting for companies like mine because (provide information). We work with companies like yours to offer (name service). Is that something we can discuss?

27. Genuine, simple interest

Sometimes the best cold openers are just statements asking for an opportunity. If you know what they need and value the most, it hits home.

“Hello (name). I’m interested in learning about your company’s needs in (area you can solve). I would like to offer help with (name service). Could we schedule a few minutes to talk?”

28. Save them money

For many companies, the goal is to reduce costs, especially if you’re reaching out to a financial partner.

“Hello, I’m writing to inquire if your business is looking to reduce costs with (name specific service you know they need help with). My company (name) has helped a competitor of yours to save (name specifics). Would you be interested in more information?

29. Put it in their court

Give them the ability to respond when and how they need to.

“Hi there (name). I’m sending off a quick message to learn you know about our recently launched feature. (drop some details here). No pressure. Just wanted you to be among the first to learn about it to take full advantage of it.

30. Recent success story

Share something you’ve recently achieved with your business in a way that matters to your reader.

“I’m sending off a message to a few people in my contacts to share a win we’ve recently had. We worked with (name and details). If you want to be part of the next opportunity, get in touch with us.”

Training Your Team to Use Better Sales Openers

Training your team to offer these types of conversation starters isn’t always simple. That’s especially true if they’ve used the same methods for years. Here are some tips to help you get started.

Spotting Weak Openers in Real Conversations

Listen in. The best way to help them develop openers that get replies is to share your own personal insight. Would this statement or phrase actually help convince you to book some time for service? If not, offer feedback on why.

Role Plays and Real-Time Feedback

Do some role playing with your team. Without a doubt, your customers are valuable to your team, but until they get some confidence they may not feel they can create an authentic connection. Role playing and real-time feedback are immensely valuable.

Encouraging Adaptability, Not Memorisation

Skip the script when possible. Instead, encourage your team to focus more heavily on creating a custom message that rings true with each individual customer. Show them how to do quick research and tailor messages effectively.

Conclusion

Cold outreach doesn’t have to be hard. It could be a creative process.

Our Sales Training Programmes will give your team the tools to sell with confidence. Whether it’s refreshing core skills or building confidence, our Selling Skills Training will help get the results needed.

Improve your sales outreach via the phone by attending our telesales training, and learn the techniques you need to do it properly.

Alternatively, check out our In-house Sales Training for customised programmes which can be designed around your exact requirements and needs, ensuring that the training is relevant and effective for your specific sales challenges.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post What Is Cold Outreach & 30 Proven Sales Openers To Help appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Today’s buyers are sharper, better informed, and less patient with anything that sounds generic or self-focused. If your message isn’t landing, it’s time for a reset. A strong sales pitch isn’t about slick lines – it’s about relevance, clarity, and timing.

Through years of delivering sales training, we’ve seen how the right tweaks can turn a flat pitch into a conversation that clicks. In this article, we’ll show you how to speak your buyer’s language and bring your sales approach up to date.

Why Your Sales Pitch Might Be Missing the Mark

Many sales training courses teach you to create a short, to-the-point sales pitch. It’s a brief few statements strung together to get your point across when you only have a few minutes. An effective sales pitch must deliver enough interest to encourage the user to reach out for more information. But that tried-and-true version you’ve used for years could be holding you back if you haven’t refreshed it recently.

The sales pitch of 20 years ago is no longer causing your would-be customers to think about you after you walk away. It’s gone the same way as flash ads and pop-up gimmicks from online sales pages. Consider some of the most important reasons why your existing sales pitch is hurting instead of helping you reach your financial goals.

Buyers Have Changed – Have You?

One of the most important reasons your pitch strategy needs refreshing is that your customers and prospects are no longer the same as they were years ago. Digital transformation is at the heart of this, of course, but there’s more.

Today’s customer is driven by very different factors than those of just a few decades ago. Are you still trying to convince buyers you’re product is the most affordable? That may not be what they want, for example. It’s quite common today for buyers to want quality and personal service. If you’re not delivering, your competition is.

That’s the other factor that’s changed with buyers today. They are not just the people within your community. In a global economy, you need to cater to people from around the world. If you’re using the same tactics, you’re missing the mark.

Tired Phrases and Generic Messaging

That B2B sales pitch isn’t hitting home because you’re using the same tired phrases and generic messaging you have been using. Are you using these stale words? Skip it.

• Leverage
• Best in class
• Exceeds expectations
• Unique – is anything really unit today?
• Value-added
• Turnkey
• Expert
• Value proposition
• Streamline

If you’re using these words or those similar, you’re not standing out enough. An effective sales pitch must make you memorable. These words – and other cliches you’re using – may no longer be impactful enough to make them truly “unique” or “exceptional.”

Too Much Talk, Not Enough Value

Sales communication strategies have changed considerably in recent years. It used to be common to meet a prospect and have a long talk, shake hands, and know the deal was done. You could “talk” them into buying because people listened and were willing to give it a try.

Today, talk isn’t anything more than filler. Customers – including B2B customers – want value. Show them what the product will do. Tell them what it is already doing for others. Demonstrate the value and ROI it produces. Too much talk means you’re missing opportunities to demonstrate value.

When Your Pitch Focuses on You – Not Them

If you’re doing this, it’s time to drastically improve your sales pitch. Older sales pitch methods were often about you. For example, your marketing messages communicate what makes your business the best. You talk about what your company is doing.

Instead, flip the switch. Every sales pitch you give needs to fully understand the customer’s problem and offer a solution to it. Instead of: “We’ve got a great product at the best price….” You need to focus on “We can help you improve efficiencies and save money.”

Sales communication strategies like this reach your audience more effectively. Consumers need to know what’s in it for them before they become loyal customers to you.

What Modern Buyers Actually Want to Hear

Old sales pitch techniques no longer fit the specific needs of the consumer or B2B customer for many reasons. Often, old methods are no longer effective because they don’t tell your customers what they want to hear.

Remember, in all sales messaging, what you say is only as effective as how well your audience receives it. So, what do they actually want you to tell them?

Clarity Over Jargon

Jargon. Words that sound sophisticated or expert-level. Jargon often happens when you bog down customers with lots of deep details. Even though what you have to say is true, there’s still too much information that’s not received well.

Instead, focus on clarity. To showcase a product’s feature, describe what it is. Then, tell them what that feature does for the customer. They don’t want to hear the backstory of how it works, at least not yet. In your sales pitch, get right to the point. Clearly explain what your product, feature, or company solves, changes, or achieves for the customer.

Proof Over Promises

Another valuable component is proof. Now, consumers are not lacking in intelligence. They know if you through a random percentage out there that may not be true. However, consumers do want to see the proof.

Instead of communicating that your product will “save your business money in the long run…” offer more authentic details. “When XYZ Company employed our technique, they saved $1.5 million in their first 12 months of operation.” Back any claims up with authority. That could be a quote from a business leader. It may be statistics from a third party.

A Conversation – Not a Script

You have 2 minutes in an elevator with a customer. You’re supposed to use a pre-determined script to get your message out instantly in that short period of time. An “elevator pitch” as it has long been called, means describing your services in a few minutes. That used to work when people met in elevators. Today, most of your inbound customers are not likely in that same location.

Even more importantly, consumers know you’re reading a script when you cold call them. They know you have sales quotas to meet. Frankly, they don’t have time for such scripts.

To truly hit home with a customer, you must provide a conversation. Talk to them, not at them. Improve your sales pitch by, in fact, ditching the script altogether. Instead, listen to the customer’s problem and specific needs. Then, offer specific example-heavy details that allow the customer to feel valued. A personal conversation demonstrates value.

Tailored Insight, Not Just Product Features

Don’t overlook these sales pitch tips:

• Skip the list of product features or a product feature rundown during your pitch.
• Instead, listen first. Learn what the customer is looking for and what their pain points are.
• Then, create tailored insight. Show them what your product can do for them.

Sales messaging that is on target for your customer is critical. This could be the average consumer or a large Fortune 500 company you want to land a contract with for your next service. Use tailored insight to provide clarity for the consumer.

Thus far, we’ve outlined a number of “dos” and “don’ts.” It’s sure to become overwhelming. What you need to remember is that your customer wants and needs someone who will change their mind, who is flexible in meeting them where they are, who did their research, and who knows the customer’s specific pain points.

More work, to be certain. Better results assured.

How to Modernise Your Sales Pitch

To improve your sales pitch, put aside everything you were taught prior. Shake off all of the habits you’ve created over the years. Then, focus on these core areas that can provide your customer with a clear answer to this question. “What can this product do for me that’s worth my time and money?”

Start with the Buyer’s World, Not Yours

The starting point isn’t memorising facts about your company or listing out product features down to the detailed specs. Instead, you must get to know the buyer and their world. Before you formulate a modern sales pitch, focus heavily on what you know about the customer:

• Why are they looking for your solution?
• What is their driving force in making a change or spending money?
• What specific area can you help your customer improve?

Consider their sales, customers, and business objectives. If this is a B2B opportunity, how can you support their brand recognition? Step out of your own world and into the buyers’ long enough to understand their needs.

Use Language That Reflects Their Goals

As you formulate your ideal sales pitch, use words important to the customer, not your business. For example, if you are launching a software product designed to enhance productivity, use words that the customer needs to hear. This might include “increase productivity by 10x” but also terminology related to reaching goals and lowering operational costs.

Skip the technical jargon. Instead, focus on what your product will do for the customer. Be specific based on the objectives your target customer has. This could relate to saving money, meeting compliance requirements, improving branding, or achieving objectives.

Ask Better Questions to Uncover Real Needs

As you explore how to pitch a product, one of the most important changes to employ today is research. Long ago, your B2B sales pitch could be as simple as, “Are you looking to save money?” or “Do you have a second to discuss this revolutionary new product?”

Today’s successful pitch requires tailoring any details you offer based on your customer’s individual needs. This means that you need to do the research to be able to ask those questions. Of course, if you are giving a presentation to a company, you’ve spent time researching and designing a comprehensive pitch that is very specific to that company.

When you’re operating in the real world with a fast sales pitch strategy, you need to ask the questions. Some of the most important questions to focus on include:

• What is your biggest holdup right now in this area?
• What is challenging your business, budget, or life?
• Understand the customer’s challenges based on day-to-day operations. Ask, “What is the most costly part of your work day?”

Your questions should focus heavily on the customer’s problems, what factors they view as valuable in making a buying decision, and what your competition isn’t doing.

Connect Emotionally – and Back It Up Rationally

One of the mistakes sales professionals make is talking to the representative as a “company” rather than an “individual.” A modern sales pitch must draw in some emotional connection (even if you are pitching to a large organisation). Your first step, then, is to treat the person you are speaking to as an individual, not as the company as a whole.

Then, find a way to connect with that person on an emotional level. Emotional connections often focus heavily on empathy – understanding the customer’s pain points, as well as benefits, connecting your product to a benefit the customer sees as worthy.

Consider a few strategies that work well in a B2B sales pitch that pull on the emotions (and back it up with real data.”

• If I do not act now, it will hurt my business. Bottom line, you want the customer to know that if they fail to take action, that means they are limiting their business’s success. That pulls on their emotions and fuels their desire to act fast.
• If I act now, I’ll beat my competition. Businesses must be able to compete, and as their competition expands across the globe, that’s harder to do than ever. Demonstrating that your product drives a very specific benefit that allows them to perform better than their competition is a core emotional tug they need.
• Acting now means I am doing something good for others. Environmentally and socially focused emotions are driven by authentic results. If your product or service will help the company to “go green” demonstrate this in figures to make it clear there is a real value.

Know When to Stop Talking

Here’s the hardest part of successful sales messaging. Sometimes, you need to walk away and let them think.

This isn’t an interrogation. You don’t want to wear your customers down, so they buy. Instead, you want them to see the value and potential results and then crave to be a part of it. That means you have to give them time to think and process.

Today’s consumer doesn’t like a pushy sales tactic. They’ve been taught for years now to avoid sales schemes. Present, show value, and let them come back to you.

Sales Pitch Techniques That Still Work – with a Twist

So what does work? Check out these sales pitch examples.

Storytelling with Relevance

Stories do more than tug at the heartstrings. They show value. They communicate a message with clarity. They also create proof that what you’re offering works.

When creating a storytelling strategy, ensure it is directly relevant to your customer. That’s the big difference today. You can’t tell the same story to every customer to get results. Tailor it to their specific needs.

Consultative Selling Over Hard Selling

Consultative selling is the process of understanding your customer’s specific needs and then providing them with a specific solution. A tailored solution means a software product, a service, or some other resource that is designed just for your customer.

Instead of offering a single product or service that fits most needs, offer a wide range of services tailored to each customer’s needs. This type of sales messaging delivers a personal experience. It makes the customer believe you are offering something just for them. At the same time, it ensures your sales message sticks immediately.

Using Sales Messaging Frameworks (Without Sounding Robotic)

Let’s face it. Time is money. You don’t always have time to do detailed research for your customer. You need a straightforward, fast pitch. You can still use sales messaging frameworks. Just don’t act like they are a script.

The trick is to customise them to fit each customer better. Drop in specific metrics or solutions for the customer’s specific pain points. That helps get rid of that robotic feel and creates a more comfortable sales pitch.

Examples of a Sales Pitch That Speaks Their Language

Let’s explore some sales pitch techniques and how they work today.

Old vs New: A Side-by-Side Comparison

A company has a new software product to launch that aims to reduce spending by allocating resources more efficiently.

The old method of marketing their product is straightforward selling. They outline what the product is, how it works, and what it does. It’s interesting, for sure. Yet, this same pitch applies to every other prospect as well. It feels dated and is certainly robotic.

A more modern approach is to have a conversation with the customer. Learn about their business, how they operate, and what their challenges are. Then, offer a more fluid framework for a sales pitch. Present a solution for the software product to the customer based on their plans. The customer learns that your product can help them to improve logistics and timelines, exactly where their complex problems exist.

Breaking Down a Real B2B Sales Pitch

Let’s go further. Here’s what a B2B sales pitch should include:

• Tell a story. An opening, a short story about a brand, a previous customer, or your own experience.
• Provide a value proposition. Provide a fast and straightforward statement about why your customer should consider this product.
• Personalise the pitch with the company’s specific needs outlined. Use the names of customers or clients. Incorporate their business metrics you can improve.
• Switch it up. From here, customise your sales pitch based on the information the customer is looking for. Incorporate industry-specific language targeting their pain point.
• Wow them. Avoid using metaphors, but instead, provide authentic results. What did this do for their competitor or a company like their own?
• Employ some level of emotional pull. That could be simply making an empathetic statement about costs, the economy, or their end customer.
• Express why they need to act now. Don’t say “act now or you’ll miss out.” Instead, offer, “If we put this in place today, we can see XX profit increase as soon as a month from now.”

What Buyers Remember (and What They Don’t)

Remember that customers remember their emotions, feelings and the benefits offered. They don’t remember the product feature list you spelled out. Show they the value of a product that is directly related to their concern.

Coaching and Training Your Team to Pitch Better

As you work to build a modern sales pitch, remember this is a team effort. Everyone on your team needs a refresher, and that means it’s time to get them into some coaching and training.

Spotting Pitch Habits That Need a Refresh

Listen in on how your employees are pitching your company or products right now. Did you notice any of the old and stale methods we’ve mentioned here? If so, it’s time to make a change.

Creating Feedback Loops That Stick

Be sure there’s some level of feedback loop in place within your business. You need to be able to learn what is working and why. You also need to consider both customer and employee feedback so that sales techniques are modified and updated as they go.

Incorporating Buyer Language into Sales Training

Ensure you’re incorporating buyer language into sales training. That is, you need to use the terminology and specific data points important to your customer.

Conclusion

If your sales pitch is a bit dusty and worn, refreshing it not only brings in new customers, but could give you a boost of motivation as well.

It’s not always easy to learn, though. With our selling skills training, you can sharpen your skills using more modern strategies. And with our bespoke in-house training your entire team could develop a mindset that allows them to work smarter and more efficiently.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
 

The post Is Your Sales Pitch Outdated? Learn to Speak to Buyers appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

In an article by Seth Marrs of Forrester, he revealed that 62% of B2B buyers regularly ghost reps. That’s a lot of lost prospects.

Ghosting can be both frustrating and damaging to your pipeline. And understanding why it happens — and how to prevent it — is key to keeping momentum and closing deals.

This piece looks at what causes prospect ghosting and offers practical strategies to help you stay front-of-mind and in control. Whether you’re new to sales or looking to sharpen your skills, the insights here tie closely into effective sales training that actually sticks.

Understanding Why Prospects Ghost Salespeople

It’s important to try to understand the many pressures that may affect mental state of your prospects. There may be many factors in their decision-making that may have nothing to do with you, your product, or your sales pitch.

From sudden money worries to the negative opinion of a partner, many external factors can lead to a prospect getting cold feet. Any of these or many other unknown factors could cause a change of heart, with ghosting simply being a subtle way of not having to let you down in words, voice, or person.

However, there are also factors in a prospect’s decision to back away that you can affect.

Common Reasons Prospects Disappear

Prospects may cease communication for several reasons, including:

• Timing Issues: The prospect’s priorities may have shifted. Unforeseen internal changes, such as budget constraints or organisational restructuring, might have occurred. Example: a merger may require the adoption of an existing software system, rather than the purchasing of a new platform.
• Misalignment of Needs: The prospect may realise that the offered solution doesn’t align with their specific requirements, leading them to disengage rather than communicate their concerns. Example: Having tried out your product, a manager finds it doesn’t have all the features their team requires.
• Engagement with Competitors: Prospects often explore multiple options simultaneously and might lean towards a competitor’s offering, resulting in reduced communication. Example: A Head of Procurement has been free trialling three platforms side by side. Yours is not the platform they have ultimately chosen.
• Lack of Clear Next Steps: Ambiguity regarding the follow-up process can lead to prospects losing interest or feeling uncertain about proceeding. Example: You said you’d call back in five days but took two weeks to leave a message with their assistant. This lowered the prospect’s trust in you.

Psychology Behind Prospect Ghosting

Understanding the psychological aspects of ghosting can provide deeper insights. Three common psychological effects pertain here: conflict avoidance, decision paralysis, and pressure avoidance.

• Avoidance of Conflict: Prospects may find it uncomfortable to decline an offer or provide negative feedback, choosing silence over confrontation.
• Overwhelm and Decision Paralysis: Facing numerous options or a complex decision-making process can lead prospects to disengage as a coping mechanism.
• Perception of Persistence as Pressure: Excessive follow-ups without added value can be perceived as pressure, prompting prospects to withdraw.

Sales professionals need to be aware of these tendencies and act to minimise their triggering. Here, for instance, are three strategies you might adopt, one for each effect:

Conflict Avoidant Prospect: Make it clear upfront how much you’d value honest feedback on the product or service offering.

Overwhelmed Prospect: Simplify the decision-making process by taking things step-by-step. Don’t offer a bewildering array of add-ons if the prospect isn’t sure if they like the basic offering.

Pressurised Prospect: Take the foot off the pedal and lay out a light touch schedule up front, i.e. if you say, “I’ll give you a call in a couple of weeks,” then stick to that schedule.

Proactive Strategies To Prevent Ghosting

Rather than simply being reactive, you can also take certain measures at the start of the negotiation prospect to minimise the chance of ghosting.

Set Clear Expectations From The Start

Establish a clear framework for communication and decision-making to prevent misunderstanding:

• Define the Process: Clearly outline each stage of the sales process, including timelines and responsibilities, to ensure mutual understanding. Example: “The free trial period expires on the 15th, so I’ll give you a call just after than to see how you found it.”
• Mutual Agreement: Collaboratively set expectations with the prospect regarding communication frequency and preferred channels. Example: “I’ll email you the specs, and let’s talk things through on Zoom a week later, since we both prefer to do things face to face.”

Both strategies give some power over the process back to the prospect, which builds trust and confidence in the relationship between seller and buyer.

Building Stronger Relationships With Prospects

Creating genuine connections can enhance trust and reduce the likelihood of ghosting. Here are two ways to do that:

• Active Listening: Demonstrate empathy and understanding by attentively addressing the prospect’s needs and concerns. Write down criticisms they have voiced and take these back to your line manager. If concerns are voiced regularly, this may indicate a weakness in the product or the pitch script.
• Personal Engagement: Engage with prospects on platforms like LinkedIn by acknowledging their posts or sharing relevant content, thereby maintaining visibility and rapport. Stay away from more personal, less business-like platforms (like TikTok or Facebook).

The key word here is genuine. If it feels forced or intrusive, don’t do it.

Creating A Follow-up Plan That Works

A well-structured follow-up plan can keep the conversation moving without overwhelming the prospect.

Instead of simply checking in, offer current information or insights that make your outreach valuable. A good follow-up strategy includes a mix of scheduled check-ins and spontaneous, value-driven messages.

For example, if a prospect has gone silent, try sharing an industry report or a case study relevant to their business. This approach reinforces your value while reigniting their interest.

Effective Communication Techniques To Keep Prospects Engaged

Using personalisation to strengthen connections

Generic outreach is easy to ignore, while personalised communication builds engagement.

When following up, reference specific conversations you’ve had, your prospect’s business challenges, or their key interests. A simple personalised touch, such as acknowledging a recent company announcement, can go a long way to demonstrate attentiveness and sincerity.

Sometimes a small but thoughtful gesture—like sending a relevant book or an article suited to their role—can help deepen the connection and encourage a response.

The Right Way To Follow Up Without Being Pushy

There’s a fine line between persistence and pushiness. Instead of repeatedly asking for a status update, use open-ended questions to encourage a response.

Questions like “What’s the biggest priority for your team right now?” or “What’s changed since we last spoke?” allow the prospect to engage naturally.

Timing also matters—avoid overwhelming them with back-to-back messages and instead space out follow-ups to feel organic rather than forceful.

Maximising Multi-Channel Communication

Email is only one tool in your sales arsenal. If a prospect isn’t responding via email, try engaging on LinkedIn, sending a voice message, or even mailing a personalised note. But don’t overdo it – one extra channel should be enough.

Different people prefer different communication channels, so diversifying your approach can increase your chances of re-engagement.

Some prospects may also be more responsive to casual, low-pressure touchpoints, such as interacting with them on social media before moving to direct messages or calls.

To take full advantage of these channels, check out htese further hints and tips for each of them:

LinkedIn Social Selling
Catchy Email Subject Lines
Leaving a Sales Voicemail

Sales Techniques To Keep The Conversation Alive

Two key techniques worth trying are creating urgency and using objectives to re-engage a prospect.

How To Create Urgency Without Pressuring Prospects

Creating urgency is about emphasising the value of acting sooner rather than later—without resorting to pressure tactics.

Rather than using generic scarcity tactics, such as “limited-time discounts,” focus on highlighting the business impacts of delay. For example, show how acting now could help them capitalise on a trend or avoid a foreseeable risk.

You can also provide a small but meaningful incentive to encourage commitment, such as an exclusive consultation or a service add-on for early decisions.

Overcoming Common Sales Objections To Prevent Drop-off

Objections often signal hesitation, not disinterest. Instead of responding defensively, validate your prospect’s concerns and provide solutions.

If budget is an issue, for instance, offer phased implementation options. If timing is the concern, outline a roadmap that aligns with their schedule.

Sharing testimonials from clients who overcame the same objections can help reassure prospects that they’re making the right choice.

Using Technology To Reduce Prospect Ghosting

Tools can help you re-engage a prospect. Two of the best are your automation CRM tools.

Using CRM Tools To Track And Improve Engagement

Technology plays a vital role in sales ghosting prevention.

A well-integrated CRM allows you to monitor prospect interactions and engagement levels. If a prospect who was responsive stops interacting, your CRM can provide valuable insights. Look at their last opened email, check out their website visits, or examine past concerns.

This lets you craft a targeted re-engagement message that really addresses the underlying issue.

Automation vs. Personalisation – Finding The Right Balance

Automation is helpful for efficiency, but over-reliance can make interactions feel robotic. Don’t over-rely on it but use it where it is most effective and least intrusive.

Use automation for initial outreach, scheduling, and reminders, but personalise critical touchpoints.

For example, a prospect should never receive a templated follow-up email after a detailed sales conversation. Instead, reference their pain points directly and offer relevant solutions tailored to their concerns.

Key Takeaways To Prevent Ghosting In Sales

Be proactive in examining what you might be doing wrong.

You have control over two major levers in your approach to prospects who may be withdrawing. You can either adjust the content of your pitch, or the techniques of your approach, or both.

The content of each act of engagement is worth examining. Focus on continually adding value, establishing clear next steps, and adjusting outreach based on prospect behaviour. Don’t simply send contentless nudges.

Secondly, monitor engagement patterns through CRM tools to refine your follow-up strategy. If a prospect stops responding, assess whether the frequency, content, or timing of your outreach needs adjusting.

How To Build A Sales Process That Minimises Ghosting

A well-structured sales process significantly reduces ghosting. This includes:

• Qualifying Leads Effectively: Target high-quality prospects to avoid wasted efforts.
• Using Multi-Touch Follow-Ups: Use various communication channels to maintain contact.
• Personalising at Scale: Dig into CRM data to tailor outreach while maintaining efficiency.
• Creating Feedback Loops: Analyse ghosted prospects to refine future sales approaches.

Be A Ghostbuster!

Prospect ghosting is a challenge, but with the right strategies, it can be minimised.

By using proactive communication techniques, leveraging technology, and refining your sales approach, you can improve engagement and close more deals.

For more advanced sales techniques, consider our Selling Skills Training programs. If you prefer customised coaching for your team, explore our In-House Training solutions to enhance sales performance and prevent ghosting before it happens.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training
 

The post How to Help Prospects Avoid Ghosting You appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Creating urgency in sales is essential for driving results and closing deals effectively and efficiently.

However, balancing this sense of urgency with a client’s comfort and sense of trust is crucial for building long-term relationships.

We specialise in sales training that empowers professionals to create this delicate balance. We help salespeople ensure that clients feel valued while still recognising the importance of timely decision-making.

So, below we’ve put together some specific strategies that you can use to create urgency without compromising the client experience, ultimately enhancing both sales performance and customer satisfaction.

Understanding Urgency in Sales

Creating urgency in sales is vital for several reasons.

Here are some of the most important ones to keep in mind :

• Encourages Prompt Decision-Making: When clients perceive a time-sensitive opportunity, they’re more likely to act quickly rather than delaying their decision. This can help close deals faster. It also reduces the risk of prospects getting sidetracked by your competitors.
• Increases Conversion Rates: Urgency often triggers an emotional response that can motivate prospects to move from the consideration phase to the action phase. Techniques like limited-time offers or exclusive deals can significantly boost conversion rates.
• Enhances Value Perception: By emphasising scarcity in marketing or limited availability, sellers can elevate the perceived value of their products or services. When clients believe they might miss out, they are more inclined to pull the trigger and invest.
• Drives Competitive Edge: In a crowded marketplace, creating urgency can set a business apart. It positions the offering as not just desirable but necessary, prompting prospects to prioritise it over others.
• Strengthens Relationships: When urgency is handled thoughtfully, it can lead to deeper client engagement. By framing time-sensitive offers as beneficial for the client, sellers can build trust and rapport. This ensures that the sense of urgency feels collaborative rather than pushy.

The Psychology Behind Sales Urgency

No matter what kinds of products or services you offer, it’s essential to understand psychological triggers in sales. The psychology behind sales urgency is rooted in several key principles that influence consumer behaviour:

• Scarcity Principle: People are naturally drawn to things that are perceived as limited or rare. When products or services are presented as scarce — whether through limited stock, time-limited offers, or exclusive access — consumers often feel a heightened desire to act quickly to avoid missing out.
• Loss Aversion: Psychologically, people tend to prefer avoiding losses over acquiring equivalent gains. When urgency is created, it highlights what the consumer stands to lose by not acting quickly, such as missing a great deal or opportunity. This fear of loss can be a powerful motivator.
• Social Proof: Urgency can be amplified through social validation. When potential buyers see that others are purchasing or that a product is in high demand, it can create a sense of urgency to join in. This is often leveraged through phrases like “Only a few left!” or “Join thousands of satisfied customers!”
• Commitment and Consistency: Once a consumer shows interest in a product or service, they are more likely to commit if they feel a sense of urgency. This aligns with the principle of consistency, where people prefer to act in ways that are consistent with their previous commitments, even if those are just expressions of interest.
• Cognitive Dissonance: When faced with a time-sensitive offer, consumers may experience cognitive dissonance if they hesitate. This discomfort can prompt them to make a quicker decision to align their actions with their desires. It helps them to avoid the internal conflict of wanting something but not acting on it.
• Emotional Engagement: Urgency often taps into emotions like excitement, fear, or anticipation. This emotional engagement can create a more compelling sales experience. It encourages consumers to move beyond logical considerations and act based on their feelings. Check out this blog to further understand the importance of Emotional Intelligence in Sales.

14 Ways to Create Urgency in Sales Without Pressure

As you can see, creating urgency in sales is essential to closing deals and growing your business. At the same time, though, you need to learn how to create urgency without putting unnecessary pressure on potential clients.

To create sales urgency, start with a real need, not pressure. Ask questions that surface the cost of doing nothing and make the consequences visible.

Once that’s clear, urgency becomes easier and more ethical. Limited-time offers, genuine scarcity like limited availability, and clear deadlines can all prompt action. So can social proof, showing that others are already buying or benefiting.

The key is clarity. Be explicit about what makes your solution different and why acting now matters. When people understand the value and the timing makes sense, hesitation drops and trust stays intact.

Urgency works best when it’s earned, not manufactured.

Here are some sales urgency tactics that will help you accomplish this:

Use Limited-Time Offers

Limited-time offers in sales create a sense of urgency by encouraging customers to act quickly to secure a deal. By setting a specific deadline, you will motivate prospects to make decisions faster and increase the likelihood of conversion. This approach highlights the need for prompt action while ensuring clients see the value in acting soon.

Highlight Scarcity

Scarcity tactics leverage the idea that limited availability can drive demand. By showcasing how few items are left or the exclusivity of a service, clients feel compelled to act quickly to avoid missing out. This approach instills a sense of urgency without overwhelming clients. It also makes them more likely to engage.

Implement FOMO Strategies

Fear of missing out (FOMO) in sales can be a powerful motivator. By emphasising what clients might lose by delaying their decision — like exclusive deals or access to a limited product — you can encourage quicker action. FOMO strategies create excitement and urgency while also positioning your offering as essential to their success.

Create Compelling Call-to-Actions

A strong call-to-action (CTA) can drive urgency without pressure. Phrases like “Act now for exclusive benefits” or “Join today to secure your spot” guide clients toward immediate action. Effective CTAs make clients feel empowered to make quick decisions. They reinforce the sense of urgency while ensuring they are comfortable with the choice.

Use Social Proof

Social proof can effectively create urgency by showing that others are making similar decisions. Highlight testimonials, customer numbers, or reviews to illustrate demand for your product or service. When clients see that others are choosing to act, they may feel compelled to follow suit, driving quicker engagement.

Communicate Value Clearly

Clearly communicating the benefits of acting swiftly can motivate clients without pressure. By articulating how timely decisions lead to immediate advantages, you help clients see the importance of urgency. This approach creates a sense of urgency based on informed decision-making. It helps clients to feel more confident about their choices.

Educate on Benefits

Taking the time to educate clients on the advantages of quick action can create urgency naturally. When clients understand how immediate decisions can help them achieve their sales goals sooner, they may be more inclined to move forward. This approach positions you as a trusted advisor. This enhances their comfort level.

Set Milestones

Establishing milestones in the sales process can create a sense of urgency by mapping out specific timelines for progress. By outlining key dates for decisions or deliverables, you help clients visualise the benefits of acting promptly. This structured approach makes urgency feel like a natural part of their journey.

Share Success Stories

Sharing success stories from past clients can effectively create urgency by demonstrating real-life benefits. When prospects see how others achieved their goals by acting quickly, they may feel inspired to do the same. This storytelling approach creates connection and encourages prompt decision-making without sacrificing the prospective client’s comfort.

Offer Personalised Solutions

Providing tailored solutions shows clients that you understand their unique needs. By presenting customised options that are best implemented quickly, you encourage prompt action without pressure. This strategy enhances client comfort. It makes them more likely to engage with your offering and act decisively.

Use Gentle Reminders

Gentle reminders, such as follow-up emails or sales calls, can keep your offering top-of-mind without creating pressure. By checking in with clients about their thoughts or providing additional information, you encourage them to consider their options while reinforcing the importance of timely decisions in a respectful manner.

Create a Sense of Anticipation

Building anticipation around upcoming features or launches can motivate clients to act. By sharing teasers and insights about what’s coming, you generate excitement and urgency. This approach keeps clients engaged and encourages them to take action to be part of the experience from the beginning.

Emphasise Expert Insight

Positioning yourself as an expert can create urgency by informing clients of market trends or changes that necessitate timely decisions. By sharing valuable insights, you empower clients to understand the importance of acting quickly. This educational approach creates a sense of urgency rooted in informed decision-making.

Establish Ongoing Engagement

Maintaining regular communication with clients helps build relationships and keeps your offering fresh in their minds. By creating ongoing engagement, you create a comfortable environment where clients are more likely to act when opportunities arise. This approach ensures urgency feels natural and collaborative rather than forced.

Building Urgency While Maintaining Comfort

Building urgency without pressure and maintaining client comfort is essential for several reasons, including the following:

• Trust Development: Clients are more likely to trust sales professionals who respect their decision-making process. When urgency is coupled with a sense of comfort, it creates a relationship built on trust. This can lead to long-term loyalty.
• Positive Experience: A high-pressure sales environment can lead to buyer’s remorse or dissatisfaction. By creating urgency in a comfortable way, clients are more likely to feel good about their decisions. This enhances their overall experience with the brand.
• Encouraging Open Communication: When clients feel comfortable, they are more willing to express their concerns or questions. This open dialogue can help sales professionals tailor their approach. It will ensure that urgency is perceived as beneficial rather than overwhelming.
• Higher Conversion Rates: Clients who feel respected and understood are more likely to make prompt decisions. By striking the right balance, sales professionals can increase conversion rates while ensuring clients feel valued.
• Reduced Attrition: Creating urgency without pressure helps minimise the risk of clients walking away due to feeling coerced. A positive, comfortable experience encourages them to return for future business.
• Long-Term Relationships: Clients who feel a sense of urgency within a supportive framework are more likely to engage in repeat business. Building a foundation of comfort can lead to ongoing partnerships and referrals.
• Empowered Decision-Making: When clients feel at ease, they are better equipped to weigh their options and make informed decisions. This empowerment can lead to a sense of ownership over their choices, which is beneficial for both parties.

Effective Sales Communication Techniques

Are you looking for more practical ways to apply the information discussed so far? Here are some effective sales communication techniques and urgency-driven sales strategies that can enhance your interactions with clients:

• Active Listening: Engage in active listening by fully focusing on the client’s words, asking clarifying questions, and paraphrasing to confirm understanding. This shows clients that you value their input and helps build rapport.
• Empathy: Demonstrate empathy by acknowledging clients’ feelings and perspectives. Understanding their concerns and showing genuine care can create a stronger connection and make them more receptive to your message.
• Storytelling: Use storytelling to convey your message in a relatable and memorable way. Sharing success stories or personal experiences can illustrate the benefits of your product or service, making it more engaging.
• Tailored Messaging: Customise your communication to align with the client’s specific needs and preferences. This personalised approach can enhance relevance and show that you’ve taken the time to understand their unique situation.
• Clear and Concise Language: Avoid jargon and overly complex language. Clear and concise communication helps ensure that your message is easily understood, keeping clients engaged and informed.
• Open-Ended Questions: Use open-ended sales discovery questions to encourage dialogue and gather more information about the client’s needs. This technique helps uncover insights that can guide your sales approach.
• Positive Framing: Frame your messages positively by highlighting benefits rather than focusing on negatives. For example, instead of saying, “This product isn’t as fast as competitors,” emphasise how it provides reliable results.
• Visual Aids: Incorporate visual aids, such as charts, graphs, or product demos, to enhance understanding and retention. Visuals can help illustrate complex concepts and make your presentation more engaging.
• Follow-Up Communication: Establish a routine for follow-up communication to reinforce your message and maintain engagement. This shows clients that you are committed to their needs and interested in their feedback.
• Non-Verbal Cues: Pay attention to non-verbal communication, such as body language and tone of voice. These cues can reinforce your message and convey confidence and sincerity.

Measuring the Impact of Urgency in Sales

Measuring the impact of urgency in sales involves analysing various metrics and feedback to determine how effective your urgency strategies are. Here are some strategies that can help you do this:

• Track Conversion Rates: Monitor the conversion rates before and after implementing urgency tactics. A noticeable increase can indicate that your urgency strategies are resonating with clients.
• Analyse Sales Cycle Length: Measure the time it takes to close deals after they have filtered through the sales pipeline. A reduction in the sales cycle length after introducing urgency may suggest that clients are responding positively to time-sensitive offers.
• Gather Customer Feedback: Conduct surveys or interviews with clients to understand their perceptions of the urgency you created. Ask specific questions about their decision-making process and how urgency influenced it.
• Monitor Repeat Purchases: Evaluate the frequency of repeat purchases from clients who responded to urgency tactics. An increase in repeat business can indicate that clients felt satisfied and valued despite the urgency.
• Review Lead Follow-Up Times: Analyse how quickly leads are followed up after expressing interest. If urgency strategies lead to faster follow-ups, it can enhance the likelihood of closing deals.
• Evaluate Churn Rates: Monitor client retention and churn rates. If clients feel pressured and leave, it may indicate that your urgency tactics need adjustment. Lower churn rates can suggest successful urgency management.
• A/B Testing: Implement A/B testing for different urgency strategies. By comparing the performance of different approaches, you can identify which tactics generate the best results.
• Sales Team Feedback: Gather insights from your sales team about their experiences with clients during urgent sales situations. Their qualitative feedback can provide context to the quantitative data.
• Track Customer Engagement: Use analytics tools to monitor engagement levels during sales interactions. Higher engagement, such as increased response rates to communications, can indicate that urgency is being effective.
• Analyse Revenue Growth: Look at overall revenue growth during periods when urgency strategies were implemented. A significant increase can reflect the effectiveness of urgency in driving sales.

Wrapping Up

Creating urgency in sales while maintaining client comfort is a delicate yet vital balance that can significantly enhance your sales success. By employing the sales conversion techniques discussed above and measuring the impact of your strategies, you can develop a positive environment that drives results without overwhelming your clients.

To further refine your approach, consider investing in selling skills training to equip your team with the tools needed for effective urgency management. Explore our in-house training options for tailored programs that fit your organisation’s unique needs. Additionally, take advantage of our negotiation skills test to assess your team’s capabilities and identify areas for improvement.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Creating Sales Urgency While Keeping Clients at Ease appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

In an era where attention spans are short, creating engaging videos is essential not just for attracting leads, but also for enhancing your sales training initiatives. The right video can turn a casual viewer into a loyal customer, making it imperative to master the art of engagement.

In this post, we’ll uncover 20 effective ways to boost engagement with your sales videos, helping you connect with your audience and drive results. Let’s get started!

Understanding the Importance of Sales Video Content

Sales video content plays a crucial role in modern marketing strategies for several reasons:

• Enhanced Engagement: Videos capture attention more effectively than text or images alone. They can convey complex messages quickly, keeping viewers engaged and more likely to absorb information.
• Increased Conversion Rates: Including video on landing pages can boost conversion rates. A compelling sales video can persuade potential customers by showcasing products or services in action.
• Improved Retention: People remember visual content better than text. Videos help reinforce your message, making it more likely that viewers will remember your brand and offerings.
• Emotional Connection: Videos can evoke emotions through storytelling, music, and visuals, creating a stronger connection with the audience. This emotional engagement can influence purchasing decisions.
• Versatility: Sales video content marketing can be used across various platforms — social media, websites, email campaigns, and webinars — making it a versatile tool for reaching different audiences.
• Demonstration of Expertise: Well-produced videos can showcase your knowledge and expertise, establishing credibility and trust with potential customers.
• SEO Benefits: Incorporating video content can improve your search engine rankings, as search engines favour websites that include rich media, leading to increased visibility and traffic.
• Easy Sharing: Videos are highly shareable on social media platforms, allowing your content to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness through word-of-mouth.

Key Factors for Effective Sales Video Content

Creating effective sales video content involves several key factors that can significantly impact viewer engagement and conversion rates. Here are some essential elements to consider when making conversion-focused video content:

• Clear Messaging: Your video should convey a clear and concise message. Define the main objective and ensure that viewers understand the value proposition within the first few seconds.
• Strong Hook: Capture attention right away with a compelling hook. This could be an intriguing question, a bold statement, or a captivating visual that draws viewers in.
• High-Quality Production: Invest in good sales video production quality, including clear audio, high-resolution visuals, and professional editing. Quality reflects your brand’s professionalism and can enhance viewer trust.
• Storytelling: Use storytelling in sales videos to make your content relatable and engaging. Narratives can evoke emotions and help your audience connect with your brand on a personal level.
• Call to Action (CTA): Always include a clear and compelling call to action. Tell viewers what you want them to do next—whether it’s visiting your website, signing up for a newsletter, or making a purchase.
• Target Audience Understanding: Know your audience and tailor your content to their preferences and pain points. Address their specific needs to make the video more relevant and impactful. This is a similar approach to Target Account Selling.
• Length and Format: Keep your videos concise. Aim for 1-2 minutes for promotional content, as shorter videos tend to retain viewer attention better. Consider the format that works best for your message, whether it’s a demo, testimonial, or animated explainer.
• Visual Branding: Incorporate your brand elements — logos, colours, and fonts — into the video. Consistent branding helps reinforce your identity and increases brand recognition.
• Optimised Distribution: Share your video on the platforms where your audience spends their time. Optimise titles, descriptions, and tags for better search visibility, and consider using video ads to reach a broader audience.
• Analytics and Feedback: Monitor performance metrics to understand what works and what doesn’t. Use viewer feedback to refine your approach and improve future video content.

20 Key Strategies to Increase Engagement with Sales Video Content

Now that you know more about the importance of engaging video content, let’s get into the specific strategies you can use to increase engagement.

Here are 20 effective video engagement techniques:

Strategy 1: Craft Compelling Narratives

Crafting compelling narratives is crucial for keeping viewers engaged. A well-told story creates an emotional connection, drawing the audience in and making your message more relatable.

Start with a hook to capture interest, then develop characters or scenarios that resonate with your audience’s experiences. Use conflict and resolution to create a dynamic flow that highlights the benefits of your product or service.

By integrating storytelling into your sales videos, you not only convey information but also entertain, making viewers more likely to remember your brand and take action.

Strategy 2: Incorporate Interactive Elements

Interactive elements can significantly boost engagement by encouraging viewers to participate actively. Consider adding polls, quizzes, or clickable links within your video that allow viewers to choose their own path or respond to questions.

Interactive video content transforms passive viewers into active participants, increasing retention and interest.

For example, you might ask viewers to answer a question about their preferences or vote on a topic for your next video. By involving your audience in the content, you create a more personalised experience that encourages deeper connections with your brand.

Strategy 3: Optimise for SEO

Optimising your sales videos for search engines is essential for increasing visibility and attracting organic traffic to your sales funnel.

Start by researching relevant keywords related to your content, including terms like “sales funnel,” and incorporate them into your video title, description, and tags. This helps search engines understand the context of your video, improving its chances of appearing in search results.

Additionally, create engaging thumbnails and enticing descriptions that encourage clicks and guide viewers through your sales funnel. Don’t forget to include transcripts or captions, as these elements can also enhance SEO while making your content accessible to a broader audience.

Strategy 4: Utilise Eye-Catching Thumbnails

An eye-catching thumbnail is the first impression viewers have of your video, making it crucial for attracting clicks.

Design thumbnails that are visually appealing, using bold colours, clear text, and relevant imagery. Ensure that the thumbnail reflects the content of the video accurately to avoid misleading viewers.

You might also incorporate elements like facial expressions or action shots that evoke curiosity or emotion. A well-designed thumbnail not only captures attention but also sets the tone for the video, encouraging viewers to engage and click through.

Strategy 5: Using Social Proof

Using social proof in your sales videos can significantly enhance credibility and trust, a crucial aspect of effective social selling.

Showcase testimonials, reviews, or case studies that highlight positive experiences from real customers. Including these endorsements can reassure potential buyers about the value and quality of your product or service.

Consider using statistics or data that demonstrate your success or popularity in the market as well. By presenting evidence that others have found success with your offerings, you create a compelling narrative that encourages viewers to take action and convert.

Strategy 6: Keep Content Concise and Focused

Conciseness is key to maintaining viewer engagement, especially in a world with numerous distractions. Aim to deliver your message clearly and succinctly, ideally within 1-2 minutes for promotional videos.

Begin with the most critical information to hook viewers, then elaborate only on essential points. Eliminate fluff and avoid overloading your audience with details.

Keeping your content focused ensures that viewers stay interested and absorb the main takeaways without feeling overwhelmed, increasing the likelihood of them following through with a call to action.

Strategy 7: Use High-Quality Production Techniques

High-quality production techniques can elevate your sales video content, making it more appealing and professional.

Invest in good equipment for clear audio and high-definition visuals. Pay attention to lighting, framing, and background to create a polished look.

Professional editing can help maintain pacing and enhance storytelling through the use of transitions, music, and effects.

Quality production not only captures attention but also reflects your brand’s commitment to excellence, instilling confidence in viewers regarding the quality of your products or services.

Strategy 8: Promote Videos on Multiple Platforms

Promoting your videos across multiple platforms maximises their reach and engagement.

Share your content on social media channels, your website, email newsletters, and video-sharing platforms like YouTube. Tailor your approach for each platform, using appropriate formats and posting times to capture audience attention.

Engaging with comments and shares can further amplify reach. Consider using paid advertising to boost visibility, especially for important campaigns. By diversifying your promotion strategy, you create more opportunities for viewers to discover and engage with your sales video content.

Strategy 9: Call to Action (CTA) Effectively

A strong call to action (CTA) is essential for guiding viewers toward the next steps you want them to take and helping to increase sales volume. Make your CTA clear, concise, and compelling, encouraging viewers to act immediately.

Position your CTA at strategic points throughout the video, such as at the beginning, middle, or end, ensuring it feels natural within the context. Use action-oriented language that prompts specific behaviours, like “Sign up now,” “Learn more,” or “Get your discount today.”

Strategy 10: Monitor and Analyse Performance

Regularly monitoring and analysing the performance of your sales video content is crucial for ongoing improvement.

Utilise analytics tools to track key metrics such as view counts, watch time, engagement rates, and conversion rates. Assessing this data allows you to understand what resonates with your audience and what doesn’t.

Based on your findings, adjust your content strategy to enhance future videos. Experiment with different styles, lengths, or topics, and use audience feedback to refine your approach, ensuring continuous engagement and effectiveness in your sales efforts.

Strategy 11: Personalise Content

Personalising content can significantly enhance viewer engagement by making it more relevant to individual preferences.

Use customer data and insights to tailor videos for specific segments of your audience, addressing their unique pain points and interests. For instance, you might create different versions of a video that highlight various features based on demographic information.

Personalised content creates a stronger connection with viewers, making them feel understood and valued. This approach not only increases engagement but also improves the likelihood of conversions, as viewers are more inclined to act when they see something relevant.

Strategy 12: Use Humor and Entertainment

Incorporating humour and entertaining elements into your sales videos can make them more enjoyable and memorable. A light-hearted approach can break the monotony of traditional sales pitches, draw viewers in, and allow for more effective video communication.

Use clever jokes, witty dialogue, or amusing visuals that align with your brand’s personality. However, ensure that the humour complements your message rather than detracting from it.

When done right, humour can create a positive association with your brand, increase shareability, and encourage viewers to engage with your content and spread the word to others.

Strategy 13: Host Live Q&A Sessions

Hosting live Q&A sessions is an effective way to engage directly with your audience and address their concerns in real-time. These sessions create a sense of immediacy and interaction, allowing viewers to ask questions and receive answers on the spot.

Promote the event in advance to generate interest and encourage participation. During the session, be responsive and engaging, making viewers feel valued. Live interactions can build community, increase trust, and enhance brand loyalty, as participants see you as approachable and willing to engage with their needs.

Strategy 14: Share Behind-the-Scenes Content

Sharing behind-the-scenes content offers viewers an authentic glimpse into your brand, helping to humanise your business.

Showcase the people, processes, and effort that go into creating your products or services. This transparency builds trust and can create a deeper connection with your audience.

You might also highlight team members, production processes, or day-to-day operations that illustrate your brand’s values and culture. By inviting viewers into your world, you create a sense of inclusion that can enhance engagement and loyalty, encouraging them to support your brand.

Strategy 15: Feature Customer Stories

Featuring customer stories in your sales videos adds authenticity and relatability by addressing customer wants and needs.

Highlight real-life experiences where your product or service made a positive impact. This could involve interviews, testimonials, or case studies that illustrate the problem-solution journey.

Authentic stories resonate with potential customers, making them more likely to relate to your brand. By showcasing how your offerings have benefited others, you create social proof that encourages trust and confidence, ultimately leading to increased engagement and higher conversion rates.

Strategy 16: Implement Gamification

Implementing gamification elements in your sales videos can enhance viewer engagement by making the experience more interactive and fun.

Consider incorporating quizzes, challenges, or reward systems that encourage participation. For example, viewers could answer questions throughout the video to unlock special offers or exclusive content. This playful approach not only captures attention but also motivates viewers to stay engaged longer.

By making your content enjoyable, you create a memorable experience that encourages viewers to return for more and increases the likelihood of sharing with others.

Strategy 17: Utilise Teasers and Trailers

Using teasers and trailers is an effective way to build anticipation for your main video content.

Create short, enticing clips that highlight key themes or features, offering just enough information to pique interest without revealing everything. Share these snippets on social media and your website to generate buzz before the full release.

By creating excitement, you increase the chances that viewers will engage with the complete video when it becomes available. This strategy not only keeps your audience interested but also encourages them to share the content with others.

Strategy 18: Create Community Interaction

Creating community interaction around your sales video content can enhance engagement and loyalty, helping to nurture potential leads through your sales pipeline.

Encourage viewers to comment, share their thoughts, and ask questions, creating a dialogue between your brand and the audience. Responding to comments and participating in discussions shows that you value their input, making them feel part of a community.

Consider creating dedicated spaces, like forums or social media groups, where fans can interact and share their experiences. This sense of belonging can increase viewer engagement and encourage long-term relationships with your brand.

Strategy 19: Collaborate with Influencers

Collaborating with influencers can significantly expand your reach and enhance engagement with your sales videos.

Identify influencers in your niche whose audiences align with your target market, and create partnerships that showcase your products or services authentically. This could involve co-creating content, having them feature your offerings in their videos, or conducting joint promotions.

Influencers bring credibility and a built-in audience, making their endorsement a powerful tool for increasing visibility and driving engagement with your sales content.

Strategy 20: Update and Refresh Content Regularly

Regularly updating and refreshing your sales video content keeps it relevant and engaging.

Revisit older videos and consider how you can improve them with new information, trends, or insights. This might involve re-editing, adding new visual content for sales, or creating entirely new versions that reflect current events or product updates.

Keeping your content fresh not only maintains viewer interest but also signals to your audience that your brand is active and committed to providing valuable information. Regular updates can enhance engagement and encourage viewers to return for more.

Wrapping Up (h2)

Enhancing engagement with sales video content is essential for driving conversions and building lasting relationships with your audience. By implementing these effective video marketing strategies, such as personalising your content and leveraging social proof, you can create compelling videos that resonate with viewers and motivate them to take action.

At MTD, we understand the importance of continually refining your approach to selling.

Our selling skills training programs, including tailored in-house training, equip your team with the tools and techniques necessary to excel in today’s competitive landscape.

By embracing innovative video strategies alongside our expert training, you can elevate your sales efforts and achieve remarkable results.

Start transforming your sales video content today!

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post 20 Ways to Boost Engagement with Sales Videos appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Picture this…

Your product is in the hands of influencers who know exactly how to make it shine.

That’s the magic of influencer-driven strategies!

In this blog, we’ll unpack how to use the power of social media stars to skyrocket your sales, with a few pro tips from a leading sales training company to help you optimise your sales approach in today’s competitive market.

The power of social media influencers in sales

According to Sprout Social, influencer marketing was worth over $20 billion worldwide in 2023. The Digital Marketing Institute found that Gen-Z consumers trust influencers significantly more than celebrities, with 45% more willing to buy an item recommended by an influencer they trust over celebrities, or even their peers.

Social media channels like Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok have become major marketing channels for brands to position their wares in front of millions of potential consumers, using influencers as the medium of persuasion.

Understanding influencer-driven sales and its impact

Influencer marketing works because it leverages trust, authenticity, and relatability.

Unlike traditional advertising, which can feel impersonal or overly commercial, influencer partnerships offer a personal touch. Younger audiences, especially Millennials and Gen Z, gravitate towards influencers who feel like peers, making them more likely to trust product endorsements from influencers they follow.

Or to put it another way, influencers simply seem less phoney and less sales-y than legacy forms of advertising or marketing.

According to a study by Nielsen, as early as 2012 it was already the case that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from individuals, even if they don’t know them personally, over traditional ads.

The growing field of influencer marketing took that impressive truth and ran with it. People value a one-to-one human connection over the slick messaging of corporate marketing teams.

By the mid-2010s, influencer-driven sales were thriving. People felt drawn to influencers who shared their values, lifestyles, and interests.

Creating a social media strategy around influencer marketing

Although influencer marketing has an authenticity and directness that other forms of marketing lack, it still requires significant strategic planning.

To maximise influencer-driven sales, brands need a carefully crafted social media strategy that aligns with their business goals.

The core of any successful strategy revolves around understanding your target audience, identifying the right influencers, and creating authentic relationships.

It is best to begin by defining the essential characteristics of your target audience; you can then map this onto existing audiences and influencers to identify a close match. In traditional marketing terms, this means describing your typical buyer persona.

You also need to identify the essential aspects of your brand, to make sure you achieve a close alignment between your brand values and the influencer’s.

Let’s turn to the practical side of achieving these brand-influencer partnerships.

Key components of a successful influencer campaign

Before you can identify your perfect influencer partner, you must develop a strategy to use such influence to promote your brand. This strategy should include:

Defining clear campaign goals

Setting specific objectives—such as increasing brand awareness, driving influencer-driven sales, or boosting engagement—is essential for measuring the success of your campaign.

Identifying the right influencers

Not all influencers will align with your brand. Look for influencers who share your values, resonate with your target audience, and have a strong social media presence.

Providing creative freedom

Allow influencers to create content in their style, maintaining authenticity while promoting your product. This builds trust with their audience and increases the effectiveness of product endorsements.

Tracking and measuring results

Use metrics like engagement rates, click-through rates, and influencer-generated sales to determine the effectiveness of a campaign. Analytics tools like Google Analytics or influencer marketing platforms can track performance.

Item two in that list is perhaps the most crucial step.

Let’s investigate it a little more deeply.

How to build effective influencer partnerships

As we’ve seen, creating effective influencer partnerships includes aligning brand values with influencers’ content.

Influencers should genuinely connect with your product, making endorsements feel natural. Begin by researching influencers who speak to your target demographic and whose personal brand aligns with your business.

For example:

• A canned coffee drink brand might suit an influencer who talks about focus and entrepreneurship. Shared values: concentration, effort.
• A sports shoe label would be a good fit for a fashion influencer or music producer. Shared values: comfort and collectability.
• A brand of cosmetics might suit a lifestyle influencer or dating expert. Shared values: style and sex appeal.

Look at the types of individuals who follow the influencers you think will suit your brand. There may even be AI research tools to help you find a suitable match by analysing influencer followers at scale.

Finding a good match means you don’t have to try to force an influencer to adopt an approach, or like a product, they would not normally be drawn to. The individual you partner with will naturally like and want to celebrate your brand. By achieving this ideal match, you dodge the dreaded risk of phoniness.

By engaging influencers early in the product development cycle, offering creative freedom, and nurturing long-term partnerships you can achieve more authentic and successful product promotion.

Maximising Sales Through Targeted Influencer Engagement

Influencer engagement is about building genuine connections. Offering exclusive discount codes, giveaways, or product sneak peeks creates a sense of exclusivity, driving social media outreach and influencing potential buyers.

Let’s turn to some effective techniques known to maximised influencer-driven product sales:

Tactics for influencer-driven sales growth

This is not an exhaustive list of approaches but gives you a flavour of some tried and tested methods for achieving sales using social media influencers.

Exclusive product launches

Partner with influencers to introduce new products through exclusive campaigns. This creates buzz and taps into the influencer’s established audience, helping boost sales growth.

Collaborative content

Invite influencers to co-create content around your product. Videos, tutorials, and product reviews shared across both the influencer’s and brand’s platforms can expand reach and drive product sales.

Influencer giveaways and contests

Running giveaways or contests with influencers can significantly increase engagement and brand visibility. Encourage followers to like, share, or tag others to enter, increasing reach. By offering one of your products as a prize, you also create excitement around your brand, driving more people to check out your product.

Influencer affiliate programs

Set up an affiliate program where influencers earn commissions for each sale they drive. This incentivizes influencers to actively promote your product and gives you a measurable way to track the success of influencer-driven sales. Affiliate links or codes are straightforward ways to track these conversions.

Leverage micro-influencers

While big influencers have large followings, micro-influencers (those with 1,000–100,000 followers) often have highly engaged and niche audiences. By partnering with multiple micro-influencers, brands can create a more personal connection with their audience, driving targeted product sales.

Time-limited offers through influencers

Create a sense of urgency by offering exclusive discounts or promotions that are only valid for a brief period and exclusive to an influencer’s audience. This not only boosts engagement but also encourages immediate action, leading to higher conversion rates and social media outreach.

Influencer-led tutorials and how-tos

Influencers who specialise in educational content can show how your product fits into their everyday lives through tutorials or how-to videos. This method highlights the practical benefits of your product, encouraging their followers to envision themselves using it, which can lead to increased product sales.

Live Q&A or product sales demos with influencers

Organising a live stream with an influencer where they demo your product or answer questions in real-time can be a powerful engagement tool. This format allows potential customers to interact directly with the influencer, ask questions, and gain immediate insights into the product, helping build trust and credibility.

Social proof via user-generated content

Encourage influencers to invite their followers to create content using your product. User-generated content adds another layer of social proof, demonstrating real-world use cases and testimonials from other consumers. This approach increases trust and can lead to greater sales growth.

Influencer takeovers

Allow influencers to take over your brand’s social media account for a day or during a specific event. This creates excitement, offers a fresh perspective, and gives followers of the influencer more reason to engage with your brand directly. It’s a dynamic way to blend influencer marketing with your broader social media strategy.

By employing these diverse influencer-driven sales tactics, brands can create multiple touchpoints to reach their target audience, build credibility, and ultimately boost product sales.

The great news about influencer-driven strategy overall is that you have the freedom to be truly creative and collaborative in your approach to marketing and sales.

Using social media promotion for product endorsement

Social media promotion through influencer campaigns amplifies product endorsements. The best campaigns will generate content that can be repurposed across several different social media platforms.

For instance, you might create a YouTube video and TikTok post with the same video content, then generate a Facebook reel and grab a couple of screenshots for Instagram, all from the same initial piece of content.

Don’t spread your creativity too thinly, however. Focus on platforms where your target audience spends the most time and collaborate with influencers who already have a strong presence there.

Make sure each post is optimised for the medium, using the trending hashtags and SEO keywords.

Sponsored posts, stories, and even influencer takeovers are great ways to generate buzz and increase product visibility.

The Role of Digital Marketing in Enhancing Influencer Campaigns

Digital marketing efforts such as email marketing, retargeting ads, and SEO can enhance the impact of influencer campaigns by providing additional opportunities to engage potential customers.

While influencers help raise awareness and introduce your product to new audiences, digital marketing ensures those who have shown interest continue to be engaged through multiple touchpoints.

Email marketing campaigns can target leads captured through influencer promotions, offering exclusive deals or additional information about the product.

Retargeting ads, on platforms like Facebook or Google, can remind visitors who viewed influencer content but did not purchase, encouraging them to return and complete the purchase.

SEO strategies also play a role by optimising web content and influencer landing pages, driving more organic traffic to your site.

When digital marketing is combined with influencer campaigns, it reinforces brand messaging and product visibility, leading to more conversions and maximise sales.

Integrating social media outreach with digital marketing strategies

When combined with digital marketing tactics, influencer marketing becomes a comprehensive sales strategy for engaging potential customers at multiple stages of their buyer’s journey.

Social media outreach, driven by influencer campaigns, can generate significant awareness and drive traffic to your website. To ensure this traffic converts into sales, follow up with targeted digital marketing efforts such as personalised email marketing, lead nurturing campaigns, and paid social ads.

For example, after an influencer posts about your product, you can run retargeting ads to visitors who clicked the post but didn’t make a purchase. Similarly, personalised offers sent via email to followers who engage with the influencer can increase conversion rates.
This integration of social media outreach and digital marketing not only enhances the visibility and effectiveness of influencer campaigns but also ensures long-term engagement, leading to higher conversion rates and more consistent sales growth.

How social selling complements influencer marketing

Social selling and influencer marketing are natural allies in modern digital strategies, working together to build stronger customer relationships and drive sales.

While influencers are great at generating initial interest and buzz around a product, social selling enables brands to nurture that interest into a sale.

Social selling involves using social media platforms to directly engage with potential customers, answer their questions, provide recommendations, and guide them through the purchasing process.

This works particularly well when influencers introduce a product to their followers, creating a foundation of trust. Brands can then follow up by interacting with the same audience on social media, offering more personalised responses and deals, or further information that helps them make a buying decision.

Together, influencer marketing generates awareness and demand, while social selling helps convert that interest into measurable sales, providing a full-circle customer experience.

Measuring the Success of Influencer Campaigns on Product Sales

Tracking the success of influencer campaigns is key to understanding your return on investment (ROI).

To assess whether an influencer campaign is driving product sales, brands must utilise a variety of tracking tools. Affiliate links and unique discount codes assigned to each influencer can give you direct insight into the sales generated from a particular influencer.

UTM codes added to links in an influencer’s post allow you to monitor traffic and conversions in Google Analytics, providing a detailed view of how users interact with your product after seeing influencer content.

Social media platforms also offer analytics tools, such as Instagram Insights or YouTube Analytics, which provide data on reach, impressions, and engagement.

Regularly reviewing these campaign metrics enables brands to optimise their influencer marketing strategies and make data-driven decisions to improve future efforts.

Top six metrics for influencer-driven success

Engagement Rate

Engagement rate (likes, comments, shares) is a crucial metric for determining how well an influencer’s content resonates with their audience. Higher engagement typically means that followers are actively interacting with the content, which increases the likelihood of sales conversions.

Click-Through Rate (CTR)

CTR measures how many users clicked on the influencer’s link to your product or website. A higher CTR indicates that the influencer successfully piqued interest and prompted their audience to take the next step in the buying journey.

Conversion Rate

Conversion rate tracks how many users who clicked on the influencer’s link or engaged with their content made a purchase. This is one of the most direct indicators of whether the influencer campaign is working.

Sales Volume

This metric measures the total sales generated from an influencer campaign, either through affiliate links, unique discount codes, or other tracking methods. It demonstrates how much revenue the campaign has directly contributed.

Return on Investment (ROI)

ROI is essential for determining the overall profitability of an influencer campaign. By comparing the cost of the campaign to the revenue generated, brands can assess whether their investment in influencer partnerships is worthwhile.

Audience Growth

A successful influencer campaign often results in an increase in followers or subscribers for your brand. Beyond mere sales, monitoring your audience growth after a campaign can indicate how well the influencer drove awareness and interest in your brand.

Together, these metrics provide an overview of the impact and effectiveness of influencer marketing campaigns. Monitoring them allows brands to refine their strategies and maximise future returns.

The Takeaway

Influencer marketing, when integrated with a solid digital marketing plan, can have a transformative impact on product sales.

By crafting a strategic approach around influencer partnerships, brands can tap into the power of social media to generate product endorsements, drive engagement, boost social selling, and generate revenue.

Ready to take your sales to the next level?

Check out some of our courses like our Selling Skills Training and Sales Management Training.

Alternatively check out our Sales Assessment and Sales Personality Testing to optimise your strategy and maximise results!

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Maximise Product Sales with Influencer-Driven Strategies appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

These subconscious influences affect both buyers and sellers, shaping decisions in ways that aren’t always rational. By understanding and addressing these biases, sales professionals can sharpen their tactics and improve outcomes.

Partnering with a sales training company that recognises the importance of psychology in sales can give your team the edge it needs to succeed in today’s competitive market.

Understanding cognitive biases is key to this advantage, which is why we’ll talk you through what these biases mean in sales and how you can effectively manage them to boost your success.

Introduction to cognitive biases in sales

Here’s how the Cambridge Dictionary describes cognitive bias: “the way a particular person understands events, facts, and other people, which is based on their own particular set of beliefs and experiences and may not be reasonable or accurate.”

Cognitive biases are mental shortcuts or tendencies that affect how people perceive, process, and recall information. The are often based upon the twin false assumptions:

• I am a typical person who thinks conventionally
• Other people think as I do

They can also be based upon prejudicial assumptions about other cultures, age groups, genders, or any group of people we incorrectly assume share certain characteristics.

In sales, these biases can distort judgement and decision-making, leading to missed opportunities or ineffective strategies.

Understanding these biases is crucial for sales professionals who want to optimise their approaches and increase their success rates.

What are cognitive biases?

Cognitive biases are systematic patterns of deviation from rationality in judgement. Here are some typical examples of statements that might reveal a cognitive bias:

• “Maybe you need to talk it over with your husband before you come to a decision?”

The salesperson is making two potentially false assumptions based on their notions of how a married couple work. Firstly, that the husband may know more than the wife about a product, and secondly, that the husband is a more competent decision-maker.

• “The last three people I spoke to seemed delighted with the service, so I guess it’s popular.”

The bias here is an inference from a small number of recent cases to a general principle. The salesperson may simply have had three recent calls from customers who all felt the same way about an aspect of their product.

• “I knew this person would never commit; I don’t know why I gave them so much of my time.”

This is an example of hindsight bias: the tendency to ascribe more predictability to past events than existed in the moment.

• “She had such a radiant smile. I couldn’t help but give her a special discount.”

Here’s an example of the “halo effect” where we ascribe goodness to that which we find beautiful. This salesperson has been won over by a customer who may simply have been cunningly manipulating them.

As you can see, there are a host of diverse ways in which our rational minds can be disrupted by false assumptions, many of them deriving from primitive parts of our brains that operate more on instinct than intelligence.

These biases can lead individuals to make decisions based on preconceived notions, emotions, or previous experiences rather than objective analysis.

In sales, these biases can influence both the buyer and the seller, often in subtle and unexpected ways.

The role of sales psychology

Sales psychology explores the underlying mental processes that drive purchasing decisions. It makes it easier to understand a buyer’s true motivations, and to find an honest way to express a product or service’s benefits in a way that reaches an audience.

Salespeople can then manage these distorting biases and correct course to avoid making any foolish mistakes or adopting unsuccessful strategies. This discipline helps salespeople understand and improve their own performance, while guarding against individual performance weak spots.

In short, sales psychology helps in crafting messages, building relationships, and ultimately closing deals more effectively.

Common cognitive biases impacting sales

Understanding the common cognitive biases that impact your sales volume can empower you to adjust your approach, align your messaging, and close more deals.

Here are the top six cognitive biases that may affect a salesperson’s performance:

1. Confirmation Bias: The tendency to search for, interpret, and remember information that confirms one’s preconceptions, which can lead salespeople to overlook key objections or misinterpret client signals.
2. Anchoring Bias: The reliance on the first piece of information encountered (the “anchor”) when making decisions, which can influence how a salesperson presents pricing or product features and how a buyer perceives value.
3. Overconfidence Bias: The tendency for salespeople to overestimate their own abilities, leading to unrealistic sales projections, underprepared presentations, or the misjudgement of client needs.
4. Recency Bias: The tendency to give more weight to the most recent information received, which can cause salespeople to overemphasise the last part of a conversation or overlook the importance of earlier insights.
5. Scarcity Bias: The perception that a product is more valuable when it is scarce, which can be used strategically in sales but may backfire if overused or perceived as manipulative by the client.
6. Herd Mentality (bandwagon effect): The inclination to follow the actions of others, which can influence both the salesperson and the buyer; salespeople might push products based on trends rather than client needs; buyers might make decisions based on what others do rather than what is best for them.

Identifying bias in sales interactions

Recognising when and how biases appear during sales interactions is crucial.
The key moment to look out for is when you are filling in information gaps with assumptions. If as a salesperson, you have the thought “I’m not sure, but I assume…” you are probably in considerable danger of cognitive bias.

In short, if you lack information, try to fill it with researched answers to important questions, rather than an “educated guess.”

Learn the common biases and identify the triggers that call them into being. Remember the times when your assumptions let you down, and you’ll be more guarded against such biases in future.

Awareness of these biases allows sales professionals to adjust their techniques and avoid pitfalls that could derail a deal. Biases might reveal themselves through selective attention, framing effects, or confirmation bias, among other common assumptions.

Selective attention is focusing on one element of a sales relationship, such as a single pain point, while ignoring others (for instance, that the buyer may not be the budget holder).

Framing effects are the emotional valency we place around a statement. For instance, if you are selling a piece of productivity software you might say:

A: “We’ve all been there: tasks are piling up; you have 1000 unopened emails and there’s a deadline looming; our product can save you” (negative framing) OR

B: “On average, our users see a 23% gain in productivity and a 17% accuracy improvement within the first month of implementation” (positive framing).

Depending on your buyer’s personality, either approach might work, but you need to identify whether they are loss-orientated or gain-orientated before you choose a framing. If you tend to go for one strategy over another, regardless of your buyer’s psychology, you’re acting on your own cognitive bias.

In short, study and learn the various biases, and identify them when they pop up.

How cognitive biases affect buyer psychology

Buyer psychology is heavily influenced by cognitive biases.

For example, a buyer might overvalue a product due to the anchoring effect or make an impulsive purchase driven by the scarcity bias.

An unscrupulous salesperson might be inclined to leverage these cognitive biases to make easy sales. However, this is often a mistake, leading to buyer regret, requests for refunds, and negative feedback. You want clients to feel happy with their decisions, to talk well of your brand, and to come back for more.

Understanding these influences upon buyers can help sales professionals guide buyers towards better, more informed decisions.

Strategies for overcoming biases in sales

Overcoming cognitive biases requires deliberate strategies that account for these subconscious influences. By implementing the following four tactics, sales professionals can counteract biases and ensure more rational decision-making.

1. Educating clients about biases

Helping clients recognise their own biases can lead to more transparent and effective communication.

Example: “It’s had a total UX redesign, but don’t be wowed by how beautiful it looks. Let me show you the practical improvements and new features we’ve made since the last release.”
(avoiding the halo effect to show your client the real value your product offers)

This can involve providing data, comparisons, and clear explanations to counteract common biases like anchoring or confirmation bias.

2. Using pre-mortem analysis

Pre-mortem analysis involves anticipating potential objections and biases before they arise.

Example: “I know you’ve previously been a Mac person, and you might not know much about PC builds and how flexible they are but let me show you.”
(dodging confirmation bias in your buyer by addressing their prejudices and preferences)

This proactive approach can help in crafting responses that address these biases head-on.

3. Diversifying perspectives

Bringing in diverse perspectives within your sales team can help mitigate the biases that may arise from a homogeneous groupthink.

Example: Gender balancing your sales team can help address the more diverse buyers you’ll encounter.

Diverse backgrounds and viewpoints can challenge assumptions and lead to more innovative solutions.

4. Framing and reframing

The way information is presented can significantly influence decision-making.

Example: Try A/B testing different framings among your sales team and analysing outcomes. You might assume a negative framing works best but discover that most buyers prefer a benefit-based approach.

By framing your sales pitch differently or reframing objections, you can steer the conversation in a direction that reduces the impact of biases.

Practical sales tactics to mitigate bias

Incorporating practical sales tactics into your routine can further help in reducing the effects of cognitive biases. Consider these strategies to ensure a more balanced and fair sales process.

1. Active listening

Active listening ensures that you fully understand the client’s needs and concerns before responding. This approach minimises the risk of falling prey to biases such as selective perception or the halo effect.

“So, what I’m hearing is that your main concern is reducing overhead costs while still maintaining product quality. Did I get that right? Let’s explore some solutions that should address your needs.”

2. Question-based selling

By asking the right questions, you can uncover hidden biases and address them directly. This technique encourages clients to think critically about their decisions, leading to more rational outcomes.

“Can you tell me more about why this feature is less important to you? What are your main priorities if this is less crucial?”

3. Utilising social proof

Social proof leverages the psychological bias that people tend to follow the actions of others.

“Many of our clients in your industry, like [Client A] and [Client B], have seen significant ROI within the first quarter of implementing this solution. There’s every reason to believe you’ll see the same kind of success.”

Highlighting case studies, testimonials, and endorsements can help sway decisions by aligning with the client’s biases towards conformity and safety.

4. Empathy mapping

Understanding the emotional landscape of your client can help in anticipating biases.

“Making a change like this can be daunting, especially when it impacts your entire team. Let’s walk through how this will affect your day-to-day operations and see if we can make the transition as smooth as possible for everyone.”

Empathy mapping allows you to see the world from your client’s perspective, helping you address their subconscious influences more effectively.

5. Building trust through consistency

Consistency in your messaging and actions helps build trust, which can counteract biases related to distrust or scepticism.

“As we discussed in our previous meetings, our approach has always centred on long-term value rather than short-term gains. Every recommendation I’ve made aligns with that principle, and our team is committed to maintaining this approach throughout our partnership.”

Clients are more likely to make decisions in your favour when they perceive you as reliable and consistent.

Using behavioural economics to improve sales outcomes

Behavioural economics combines insights from psychology and economics to explain how people make decisions. In sales, applying principles of behavioural economics can lead to more effective strategies.

For instance, understanding the concept of loss aversion can help in crafting offers that clients perceive as too good to miss.

Loss aversion is a version of FOMO (fear of missing out) that occurs when people see others benefiting from a great deal and want to be a part of it. People often place greater emphasis on potential losses than actual wins.

Understanding behavioural economics helps leverage cognitive biases in buyers, which still delivers excellent value and earning their trust.

There have been some insightful books written on behavioural economics, including the following:

• Kahneman, Daniel. Thinking, Fast and Slow. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011.
• Thaler, Richard H., and Cass R. Sunstein. Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness. New York: Penguin Books, 2009.
• Ariely, Dan. Predictably Irrational: The Hidden Forces That Shape Our Decisions. New York: HarperCollins, 2008.
• Shiller, Robert J. Irrational Exuberance. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2000.
• Mullainathan, Sendhil, and Eldar Shafir. Scarcity: Why Having Too Little Means So Much. New York: Times Books, 2013.

How to use psychology for better sales performance

Sales professionals can use psychological principles to better understand and influence buyer behaviour.

Techniques such as using scarcity to create urgency, employing reciprocity to build goodwill, and using authority to establish credibility can all enhance sales outcomes.

How to use sales psychology effectively

To use sales psychology effectively, it’s important to integrate psychological insights into every stage of the sales process. By doing so, you can make your approach more persuasive and better aligned with the client’s subconscious drivers.

In the initial stages of engagement, consider using the principle of reciprocity. Offering something of value upfront—such as a free consultation or valuable industry insights—can create a sense of obligation in the client. This often leads them to reciprocate by seriously considering your product or service.

As you move into the negotiation phase, the scarcity principle becomes a powerful tool. Emphasising the limited availability of a product or a time-sensitive offer taps into the client’s fear of missing out (FOMO), driving them to make a quicker decision.

Throughout the entire sales process, maintaining consistency in messaging is crucial. Consistent communication reinforces trust, making the client feel more secure in their decision to move forward with you.

This combination of psychological tactics helps in building stronger client relationships and ultimately leads to more effective deal closures.

Applying cognitive biases to influence buyer decisions

Rather than simply trying to overcome cognitive biases, sales professionals can strategically apply these biases to positively influence buyer decisions.

Understanding biases like the decoy effect or the mere exposure effect allows you to tailor your sales tactics in a way that guides buyers towards favourable outcomes.

For example, the decoy effect can be used by presenting three pricing options: a high-priced option, a low-priced option, and a middle option that is close in price to the high one but significantly better in value. This setup often makes the middle option appear more attractive, steering buyers towards it.

Similarly, the mere exposure effect can be used by consistently exposing the client to your brand or product in a positive light. This could be through follow-up emails, retargeted ads, or a strong social media presence.

Repeated exposure makes the product feel more familiar and trusted, increasing the likelihood that the buyer will choose it.

By skilfully applying these cognitive biases, you can subtly influence buyer behaviour, leading to more favourable outcomes without overtly pressuring the client.

Bias is everywhere; make it your friend

Understanding and managing cognitive biases in sales is essential for any professional looking to optimise their strategies and close more deals.

By using the principles of sales psychology and behavioural economics, you can not only overcome these biases but also use them to your advantage.

Ready to take your sales to the next level?

Whether you’re looking to refine your team’s approach through Sales Training Courses, elevate your own sales leadership with Sales Management Training, or identify areas for improvement with Sales Assessment and Sales Personality Testing, identifying and addressing cognitive biases will be a major part of driving success.

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Understanding Cognitive Biases in Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

By understanding and applying emotional intelligence, sales professionals can build better relationships with clients and improve their overall effectiveness.

As a Sales Training Company we focus on these essential skills, helping sales teams to connect and engage more successfully. In this blog, we will explore how emotional intelligence can transform sales strategies and drive success.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines Emotional Intelligence as “the ability to understand and control your own feelings, and to understand the feelings of others and react to them in a suitable way”

It is contrasted with other forms of fact- or logic-based intelligence, because it focuses on empathy and empathic response. Breaking down the Cambridge definition, we have three parts which could be significant to sales:

• The ability to understand and control your own feelings: to remain calm and reasonable in potential conflict situations, potentially defusing them. Alternatively, to project real enthusiasm and interest in another’s point of view.
• The ability to understand the feelings of others: including skill in reading another’s true emotional state when they are masking, or to recognise flickers of interest that could blossom into a sale.
• The ability to react in a suitable way: Once you’ve recognised and appreciated an interlocutor’s mind state, can you create a point of connection with them, and help them overcome whatever difficulties they’re experiencing?

 
Now that we’ve looked at a definition, let’s examine why this concept is meaningful in a sales context.

The Importance of Emotional Intelligence in Sales

“The best salesperson is not the one who can sell ice to Eskimos, but the one who can sell warmth to a cold-hearted person.” – anonymous

In other words, emotional intelligence allows you to use your insights into how another person is feeling to change their emotional response.

For instance, if your lead is frustrated with the complexity of a choice, can you talk them through the options and make your selling proposition much simpler? Can you take someone who is anxious about overspending, and make them see that they are really making a canny financial investment?

It’s also about recognising that different personalities require different approaches, and being able to flip strategies, depending on what you encounter.

These skills are vital to sales because people often make decisions based upon their emotions, rather than any cold, logical assessment of value.

A Professor at Harvard once reckoned that 95% of purchasing decisions have their root in the subconscious, anchored to emotions, rather than rational decision-making. They are based upon needs we may not even know we have, but that an emotionally intelligent rep can identify.

The Core Components of Emotional Intelligence

Another way to think of emotional intelligence is to see it as comprised of five different skills: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. Let’s break those down a little.

Self-Awareness in Sales

Just as you might check your outfit in the mirror before going out, a good salesperson needs to make an attitude inspection too.

You need to be aware of your emotional affect: how you present to other people. Do you seem friendly, helpful, knowledgeable, and reasonable. Above all, do you project trustworthiness and a desire to help the client?

Learning to become more self-aware, far from making you anxious and self-conscious, should help you communicate more effectively with potential customers.

Self-Regulation and Its Impact on Sales Performance

Self-Regulation is the flipside of self-awareness. Assuming that you do know how you’re presenting to others, what can you do to ensure you always project your best possible self?

Avoiding negative emotional states like frustration, lack of enthusiasm, confusion, or anxiousness, is vital if you want to convey reliability and trustworthiness.

According to the Brooks Group, “Self-regulated salespeople are able to avoid bringing their negative emotions—such as fear, anxiety, or irritation—to sales conversations.”

This means they give themselves the best chance to close deals and deliver what their clients want and need.

Motivation: Driving Sales Success

One thing that’s key to a successful sales career is motivation.

Whatever drives you, whether it’s a sense of achievement, getting to the top of the leaderboard, financial reward, or a real love of the product or service you’re selling, you need to be driven to succeed.

Motivation can be contagious too. If you’re genuinely excited about the product you’re selling, your enthusiasm is likely to transmit to your lead.

It’s also about the ability to pick yourself up, dust yourself down, and get on with the job when you suffer a set-back. A well-motivated salesperson knows that they won’t always seal the deal, but in the majority of cases, they will triumph.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time” – Thomas Edison.
Motivation is so important to all human endeavours that motivational quotes, courses, and gurus have become an industry themselves.

The good news is that, for the most part, motivation can be identified and nurtured. Identify what motivates you and hang your enthusiasm upon that.

Empathy: Building Stronger Client Relationships

Perhaps the most important aspect of emotional intelligence is empathy. You absolutely have to see the other person’s point of view in order to identify their pain points, priorities, and obstacles.

The empathic salesperson can understand why the potential lead has qualms about spending money on their product. They appreciate the alternative choices their interlocutor might make.

Knowing this, they can demonstrate why the product or service they are selling will best address those concerns. Empathy also means, however, not selling a product or service to an individual for whom it is not a good match. Sometimes empathy will lead sales reps to abandon a sale, rather than close a deal.

“If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person’s point of view and see things from his angle as well as your own” – Henry Ford.

Social Skills: Enhancing Sales Interactions

As well as the above large-scale skills, there are a host of behavioural interventions you can make to improve your success rate. The good news is these can be taught or improved.

A helpful article on Indeed’s blog includes the following eight skills:

• Conflict resolution: de-escalating or avoiding an argument.
• Clear communication: making your intentions clear, communicating facts.
• Relationship management: in a word, diplomacy across the organisation.
• Listening: making time to listen to the other person before you contribute.
• Non-verbal communication: watching how you stand, look, and move.
>Small talk: opening conversations with harmless topics to build a bond.
• Collaboration: working together across a wide range of contrasting personalities.
• Networking: the ability to build a contacts list, keep in touch.

Building these eight skills will stand you in good stead when engaging with potential clients.

As I mentioned, any of them can be taught and, in fact, we provide focused courses on many of these topics.

How Emotional Intelligence Improves Sales Performance

As well as making sales interactions less stressful and more pleasant, possessing a high degree of emotional intelligence is correlated with improved conversions.

Sales professionals with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to navigate the complexities of client interactions. They are able to create trust and rapport, communicate effectively, handle objections gracefully, and close deals confidently.

Below, we list ??? ways in which they do so.

Building Trust and Rapport with Clients

Trust is the cornerstone of any successful sales relationship.

Emotionally intelligent salespeople are adept at building trust by demonstrating genuine interest in their clients’ needs and concerns. They use active listening to understand the client’s perspective and respond empathetically, creating a strong foundation of trust and rapport.

This connection makes clients feel valued and understood, leading to more open and productive conversations.

Effective Communication and Listening Skills

Effective communication is essential for conveying the value of your product or service.

Emotionally intelligent sales professionals excel in both verbal and non-verbal communication. They are clear, concise, and articulate, ensuring their message is understood.

In addition, they are skilled listeners who give their full attention to clients. They pick up on subtle cues and underlying concerns. This dual capability for empathy enhances mutual understanding and shapes stronger relationships.

Handling Objections with Emotional Intelligence

Objections are a natural part of the sales process. Emotionally intelligent salespeople view objections as opportunities rather than setbacks.

By understanding the emotional basis of objections, they can address concerns more effectively.

They remain calm and composed, empathise with the client’s viewpoint, and provide thoughtful solutions that alleviate fears and doubts. This approach not only resolves objections but also strengthens the client’s trust.

Closing Deals with Confidence

Closing a deal requires confidence and self-assurance.

Sales professionals with high emotional intelligence project confidence in their product or service. They understand the client’s emotional journey and align their closing strategy accordingly.

By reinforcing the value proposition and addressing any last-minute concerns empathetically, they can close deals with ease and assurance, leaving clients satisfied and confident in their decision.

Of course, they also remember to make follow-up calls or send emails to check if the client is happy with their purchase. Empathic aftercare helps encourage repeat business.

Implementing Emotional Intelligence in Sales Training

To harness the full potential of emotional intelligence, it must be integrated into sales training programs.

This involves designing comprehensive training modules, incorporating practical exercises, and establishing metrics to measure the impact.

Which is exactly what we’ve done at MDT Training!

Designing an Emotional Intelligence Training Programme

An effective training program should cover the core components of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills.

Training should include both theoretical knowledge and practical applications, allowing salespeople to practice and refine these skills in real-world scenarios.

Interactive workshops, role-playing exercises, and case studies can be particularly effective in reinforcing these concepts.

Practical Exercises and Techniques

Incorporating practical exercises into training helps sales professionals develop and hone their emotional intelligence skills.

Techniques such as mindfulness practices for self-regulation, empathy-building exercises, and active listening drills can significantly enhance a salesperson’s ability to connect with clients.

Regular feedback and reflection sessions also help in continuous improvement.

Measuring the Impact of Emotional Intelligence Training

To gauge the effectiveness of emotional intelligence training, it is important to establish clear metrics. Choose KPIs that reflect the importance of emotional intelligence and demonstrate how it can affect conversion rates.

These can include improved sales performance, higher client satisfaction scores, and increased retention rates.

Regular assessments and feedback from both clients and sales teams can provide valuable insights into the training’s impact, guiding further refinements.

You can use automated pop-up feedback boxes in software, or follow-up emails with links to online questionnaires. You can also ask for paper surveys (similarly anonymised) or ask for honest feedback in a group setting.

Overcoming Challenges in Developing Emotional Intelligence

Developing emotional intelligence is not without its challenges.
Identifying common barriers and implementing strategies to address them is vital to success.

Next, let’s turn to some barriers to the improvement of emotional intelligence, plus some strategies to combat these blockers.

Common Barriers and How to Address Them

Common barriers include:

• Resistance to change (the pull of the status quo),
• A lack of self-awareness, and difficulty in managing emotions.

To overcome these, organisations can provide ongoing support and coaching, create a culture that values emotional intelligence, and offer personalised development plans.

Encouraging a growth mindset and supporting an environment where feedback is welcomed can also help sales professionals overcome these obstacles.

Continuous Improvement and Lifelong Learning

Emotional intelligence is a lifelong journey. We’re all on the path, and nobody has a perfectly accurate map.

Key to sustaining high levels of emotional intelligence is encouraging continuous learning and improvement.

Sales professionals should be provided with opportunities for ongoing training, access to resources such as books and seminars, and regular performance reviews that include emotional intelligence assessments.

By building a culture of continuous improvement, organisations can ensure their sales teams remain emotionally intelligent and effective.

The Future of Emotional Intelligence in Sales

“Leadership is not just about algorithms and data; it is about understanding and engaging with people. Emotional intelligence is what sets exceptional leaders apart in the age of AI.” – Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of Apple.
As the sales landscape changes, the importance of emotional intelligence will become ever more vital.

Many sales are now conducted over videoconferencing or phone calls. This requires a different kind of empathic presentation than in-person meetings that conclude with a handshake.

Emerging trends and technologies will shape how emotional intelligence is leveraged in sales strategies.

Remember too, that different cultures have different expectations for how a salesperson should present themselves and brave. Learning and appreciating cultural differences can be a boon to any global sales team.

Emerging Trends and Technologies

Technological advancements such as artificial intelligence and data analytics are transforming the sales process.

These tools can enhance emotional intelligence by providing insights into client behaviour and preferences. They automate many of the rote administrative tasks, freeing up reps for more face-to-face time and human to human interaction.

Sales professionals can use the data derived from analytics to tailor their approach, creating more personalised and emotionally resonant interactions. For instance, sentiment analysis can reveal how customers really feel about a product or service when they’re talking to one another.

This can be invaluable, both in tweaking a sales approach, and in making potential alterations to the product itself.

Additionally, virtual and augmented reality can offer immersive training experiences, further enhancing emotional intelligence skills.

The Role of Emotional Intelligence in the Evolving Sales Landscape

In an increasingly competitive and fast-paced sales environment, emotional intelligence is a key differentiator. It shrinks lost conversions, builds customer trust and loyalty, and reduces revenue lost through product returns.

As clients become more discerning and expect higher levels of personalisation and empathy, sales professionals with strong emotional intelligence will be better positioned to meet these demands.

Organisations that prioritise emotional intelligence in their sales training and strategies gain a competitive edge. They boost stronger client relationships and achieve greater success.

Final Thoughts on the Power of Emotional Intelligence in Sales

Emotional intelligence is a powerful tool that can transform sales performance.

By developing and honing skills such as self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills, sales professionals can build stronger client relationships, communicate more effectively, handle objections gracefully, and close deals with confidence.

To fully realise the power of emotional intelligence, organisations should invest in comprehensive sales training programs, practical exercises, and continuous improvement initiatives.

Emotional intelligence will remain a crucial factor in achieving sales success in the years to come.

For those looking to enhance their sales skills, explore our Sales Training Courses, Sales Management Training or take our sales assessment course or Sales Personality Testing to boost your performance and build stronger client relationships.

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post The Power of Emotional Intelligence in Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

As a leading Sales Training Provider, we’ve created this guide to help you manage the complexities of creating and delivering impactful demos.

We will delve into real-world sales demo examples, explore cutting-edge sales demo software, and share sales demo best practices.

This guide aims to equip you with the insights and tools necessary to transform your sales presentations into compelling, problem-solving interactions that resonate with clients.

What is a Sales Demo?

A sales demo is an important part of the modern sales process. It is a practical demonstration designed to showcase a product or service’s value to potential clients.

Or as HubSpot puts it, “a sales demonstration, or a sales demo, is when a sales rep delivers a presentation to a prospective customer to show them the features, capabilities, and value of the product or service. The purpose of a sales demo is to close a deal.”

Unlike a basic presentation, a sales demo is interactive, allowing the sales representative to tailor the experience to the client’s specific needs and pain points. What it needn’t do is require a hard sell or aggressive product push.

“The best teachers are those who show you where to look, but don’t tell you what to see.” (anonymous but attributed to Alexandra K. Trenfor)

The perfect sales demo renders the product or service’s appeal so obvious that the potential buyer realises it’s a perfect fit. Though you might back up your pitch with more persuasive techniques, if your prospect is a good match to what you’re offering, the demo should do most of the work.

The goal of a comprehensive product demo is to move beyond simply highlighting features to demonstrating how the product or service can solve real-world problems.

By doing so, you gently nudge the client by degrees towards a purchasing decision.

The Dual Purpose of Sales Demos

Sales demos serve a dual purpose: they highlight problems and present tailored solutions. These form the flipside of one overarching goal: to demonstrate a perfect match between the product and service and its buyer.

This approach shifts the traditional role of the demo from a simple show-and-tell towards a more engaging and consultative process. Ideally, you should be asking as many questions as you answer, to find out exactly what aspects of the product to demonstrate.

By identifying and addressing the client’s unique challenges, sales professionals can position themselves as trusted advisors rather than just vendors. On occasion, a salesperson will realise that what they are selling isn’t a good fit and a sensible and honest broker will walk away, advising the buyer to do the same.

Better to lose a sale than create an unhappy and disgruntled client who resents their purchase. The sales demo makes this disastrous outcome less likely to occur, however, since the buyer should feel they have been given a good walkthrough of the product and all it can do, prior to committing to their purchase.

Key Elements of an Effective Sales Demo

There are nine core elements to a good sales demo, both in terms of the research you should do prior to the demo, and the structure of the demo itself.

These are:

1: Understanding the Client

Before the demo, research the client’s industry, challenges, and goals. Personalising the demo based on this information ensures relevance and engagement. It will help you know which aspects of the product to emphasise, and which details could prove sticking points (prepare answers to likely objections).

“Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realise it themselves.” Steve Jobs (source: Strategies for Influence)

Problem Identification

Clearly identify the client’s pain points. Use questions and active listening to uncover these issues during the demo.

Example: “Before I begin, what would you say are your three biggest challenges in today’s marketplace?”

A Forbes article on active listening by Ray Makela, CEO of Sales Readiness Group, reveals that: “top performers [in an influential study] were selling an average of 120% above their quota — and they did it by focusing less on presenting technical features and specs and more on getting customers to open up about their problems.”

After all, it makes logical sense – problems precede solutions. So, start there.

Solution Presentation

Demonstrate how your product or service addresses the identified problems. Use specific examples and case studies to illustrate the effectiveness of your solution.

Example: “You talked about your sales team members finding it hard to focus when working remotely. Let me talk you through our focus building and time tracking features.”

Case studies should originate from real clients who are willing to share provable metrics demonstrating how using your product or service provided the solution to the challenges they were facing.

Example: “X-Corps used our platform for 18 months and saw a 23% rise in new clients during that time, as well as a reduced employee churn rate of 11%.”

You can use infographics to help demonstrate the success of your product in practice.

Interactive Features

Incorporate interactive elements, such as live demos, Q&A sessions, and hands-on trials, to keep the client engaged and involved.

Particularly with SaaS products, your clients will want to try out key features, and you should prepare test data or test environments that allow them to do just that.

Perhaps begin with a salesperson-led walk-through, then let the client experiment with the parameters and inputs/outputs of key features. Make sure your demo version is bug free of course before you let this happen!

Prepare for Q and As by getting as many stakeholders as possible together to provide sample Q&As for as many features as possible. Group these sample responses together into themes, e.g. analytics, collaboration, productivity, communication, pricing.

Value Proposition

Highlight the unique value your solution offers. Compare it to competitors, emphasising why your product or service is the best fit.

Consultancy Branding Compass defines it this way: “a clear statement that describes the benefit of what you offer and how it helps your ideal customer.”

A Unique Value Proposition (UVP) should be expressed in terms of value, rather than specific benefits Note that the above definition requires you to define your ideal customer first. Hopefully, this is exactly the kind of person you’re demoing to!

Example: “Our platform gives you peace of mind, knowing that your team’s work is being continuously analysed. You have full oversight of the project, and, unlike Rival-Product, we send automated alerts if productivity dips beyond your specified parameters. We’ll also notify you when targets are exceeded.”

Visual Aids

Use visuals like slides, videos, and infographics to enhance understanding and retention of information.

As HubSpot points out, 65% of brands use infographics when marketing, and 69% of marketers ranked visual content as either very important or absolutely vital.

Success Stories

Share testimonials and case studies from similar clients to build credibility and trust.

Make sure you have permission to share any concrete stats and figures, and make sure these are more than marginally encouraging. Don’t over-exaggerate, but don’t underwhelm either.

If you can add a few verbatim testimonials from satisfied customers to your presentation, so much the better. Use concrete metrics and KPIs where possible.

Technical Demonstration

Provide a detailed walkthrough of the product’s features and functionalities. Ensure it is relevant to the customers needs.

At times, you may have to tailor this to the time slot available. If not doubt, highlight the features that best contribute to solving the client’s problems. You can always offer a fuller demonstration at a future time if you’re forced to cut it short.

Call to Action

End with a clear call to action, outlining the next steps and how the client can move forward. This is where you walk that fine line between being confident and pushy.

Hopefully, your demo has successfully prepared the way for you.

Example: “If you’d like me to set you up for a 14-day free trial, so you can play around with it, let me know. I can do that right now for you.”

How to Structure a Sales Demo

Like any good narrative, a sales demo needs a compelling, logical structure. Here’s what we suggest you use as a template:

1: Preparation

Before the demo itself, do your homework.

Thoroughly research the client and customise the demo accordingly. Set clear objectives for what you want to achieve.

Do you want them to commit to a purchase today, or set up a second meeting with a decision-maker who holds the purse strings? Would a free trial sign-up be a great outcome?

2: Introduction

Start with a brief introduction, establishing rapport and outlining the agenda.

Something like: “I’m Antony, and I’m the main client liaison for this product. I’d like to walk you through the key features, after I’ve asked you a few questions about what you’re looking for. Then you’ll get a chance to try it out, and I’ll answer any questions you may have. It should take around 30 minutes.”

It may feel like you’re stating the obvious, but it’s helpful to demonstrate that you have planned the whole demonstration, which will help put your interlocutor at ease.

They’ll know what to expect, what part they should play in the proceedings and, crucially, you’ve let them know that it will be interactive, and they can ask anything they like.

3: Needs Assessment

Engage the client with questions to identify their specific needs and challenges. Here’s where you get the intel you need to match your UVP to your customer’s problems.

Take notes, and it should become apparent which aspects of your product demo you should spend a little more time on. You can also start thinking of likely objections and how to counter them.

4: Solution Presentation

Showcase your product or service, focusing on how it solves the identified problems. Make it clear your potential buyer can ask questions at any point or ask you to slow down or repeat anything they didn’t get.

Remember, this isn’t a training session, so you can talk in broad brushstrokes about the key features of your product. Don’t get bogged down in irrelevant details. Make sure you don’t overrun here, or the client will feel their time for hand-on experience or questions is being squeezed.

5: Interactive Q&A

Allow time for the client to ask questions and address any concerns they may have. Provide practical examples where possible and let your potential buyer try out anything they’re unsure of.

If you can’t answer any questions and need to consult, take a note, promise you’ll get back to them, find out the answers, and then make good on that promise.

6: Recap and Benefits

Summarise the key points, reiterating the benefits and unique value of your solution.

Think of the summations delivered performed by a trial lawyer at the end of a long case. You’ve already made all the necessary points to convince your audience. Now’s the time to remind them of the main bullet points of your argument.

7: Call to Action

Conclude with a clear call to action, outlining the next steps and how the client can proceed.

Identifying and Highlighting Problems in Demos

Effectively identifying and highlighting client-specific problems is crucial in a sales demo. There are several common pitfalls to avoid. These include:

• A Lack of Active Listening: You have failed to pay close attention to the client’s words, tone, and body language to uncover underlying issues. This can occur if you’re worrying too much about your own demoing skills, and not concentrating on identifying those pain points.
• Failure to Ask Open-Ended Questions: Ask questions that encourage the client to speak freely and elaborate on their challenges. If the client feels they are being led, they may become resistant and resentful. Remember that you’ll need to walk away if there isn’t a good fit between product and buyer.
• Difficulty in Empathy Mapping: Empathy mapping is the art of identifying why a buyer feels a particular way about a scenario or product and using that to position your offering appropriately. Use empathy to understand the client’s perspective and pain points. Empathy is a great sales tool – it’s also a fundamental part of being a good listener.
• Insufficient Scenario Analysis: Present hypothetical scenarios to help the client visualise their problems and the impact of your solution. You should prepare some hypothetical examples, or real-world case studies to back-up your sales story with real-world examples. This will demonstrate your knowledge, confidence, and preparation, all of which should contribute to your ability to convince.

Using Sales Demo Tools and Software

Various tools and software can enhance the delivery of sales demos

Screen Sharing Tools

Tools like Zoom and Microsoft Teams allow for seamless screen sharing during demos. They permit multiple users to view the same demo screens from far-flung locations at once.

You can also use tools such as Zoho Assist and LogMeIn which allow you to temporarily take over another individual’s computer (obviously obtain permission first) or grant access to another system remotely.

Interactive Platforms

Solutions like DemoChimp (now Consensus) enable interactive and personalised demo experiences.

Many such systems double as onboarding and training platforms since you’re essentially performing the same functions (demonstrate and allow test access).

Great alternatives to Consensus include Saleo, Demostack and Walnut.

Presentation Software

Microsoft PowerPoint, Prezi, and Canva offer robust features for creating engaging visual aids.

Software for creating high quality infographics include Lucidchart and, for those on a budget, Adobe’s free Express feature.

CRM Integration

Tools like Salesforce and HubSpot can integrate demo data with your CRM for better follow-up and analysis. They may also allow you to access key information from existing clients to help back-up your UVP claims.

Need some help choosing a CRM? Check out our blog post on 47 Salesforce Alternatives & Competitors

Closing a Sales Demo Effectively

Closing a sales demo effectively ensures the client is left informed and interested, and hopefully wanting just a little bit more (this is where your free trials and freemium versions come in handy).

Strategies for closing aren’t that different from any other kind of face-to-face or remote sales meeting. They include:

• Summarising Key Points: Recap the main benefits and how your solution addresses the client’s needs.
• Handling Objections: Address any remaining objections or concerns confidently.
• Providing Next Steps: Clearly outline the next steps, including follow-up meetings or trial periods.
• Asking for Commitment: Directly ask for the client’s commitment, whether it’s scheduling a follow-up or starting a trial.

Remember to build in a few minutes at the end of each meeting for final questions and additional bits of demonstration. The last thing you want to do is rush those essential final stages by seeming that you need to escape as soon as possible.

Hopefully, you’ll have left more time for your demo than you thought you needed (i.e. you know the demo meeting generally lasts 30 minutes, but you’ve booked out 45 minutes from your potential client’s calendar just in case.

Leave your client with something if you can – a glossy brochure, a gift, or a discount code (as well as your business card or V-card).

Sales Demo Best Practices

Let’s look now at some vital skills and best practices to master prior to your demo meetings.

These include:

Personalization

Tailor each demo to the specific client’s needs and industry. Make sure your case studies and sample data match the sector your potential buyer is in.

Storytelling

Use stories and real-life examples to make the demo more relatable and engaging.

Shape these with a set-up (beginning), the sales process for how those key client concerns were addressed using your product (middle) and the outcome (end).

Check out our Ultimate Guide To Storytelling In Sales

Preparation

Prepare thoroughly, including practising the demo and anticipating potential questions.

Make sure you time your demo, so you know how long a session to book with each client! Always allow about 20-25% overspill time, in case the meeting runs late, there are technical issues, or the Q&A part proves more involved than you’d imagined!

Flexibility

Be flexible and ready to adjust the demo based on the client’s feedback and reactions. Don’t be afraid to ask “did I answer everything you needed to know at the end.

You’ll often get the most honest and useful feedback from people who could commit to spending thousands of pounds on your product.

Follow-Up

Always follow up after the demo with additional information and next steps. If you’ve promised to return the answer to outstanding questions, make sure you do so in a timely manner.

Sales Demo Examples That Work

Here are some virtual SaaS sales demos we found online that give a good, albeit brief and non-interactive version of a product demo.

ClickUp for Project Management

ClickUp showcases its project management tool in a demo that significantly improves a client’s workflow.

By emphasising features like customizable views, task timelines, and seamless integrations, the demo illustrated a 30% increase in productivity for the client​.

Monday.com for Remote Team Collaboration

In a demo aimed at improving remote team collaboration, Monday.com shows its platform’s flexibility and real-time collaboration capabilities.

The demo highlights how teams could better manage project milestones and workflows, leading to enhanced team efficiency and project success​.

Vidyard for Personalized Video Marketing

Vidyard’s on-demand demo reveals the power of personalised video marketing by showing how custom video messages can significantly increase client engagement.

The demo includes interactive content and live webinars, highlighting Vidyard’s ability to enhance marketing and sales through personalised video communication.

These examples show how top SaaS brands zero in on client pain points and then show how their product offerings uniquely solve those problems. They are also energetic and accessible, without going into irrelevant detail.

And for a classic example, here’s Apple’s late CEO Steve Jobs demonstrating the wonders of the iPad for the first time. It’s even a fitting example of how to deal with the inevitable technical glitch, which Jobs takes in his stride!

Conclusion

Sales demos are not just about showcasing a product—they are about revealing and solving client problems.

By focusing on the client’s unique challenges and demonstrating tailored solutions, you can transform your demos into powerful tools for driving sales.

For more information on how to improve your sales demos, explore our Sales Training Courses, Sales Management Training, and Sales Assessment programs.

Additionally, consider our Sales Personality Testing and Sales Competency Assessment to further enhance your sales team’s effectiveness.

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post The Ultimate Guide to Sales Demos appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools for sales are revolutionising the way companies approach their sales strategies, offering smarter, faster, and more effective solutions.

In this blog, we’ll explore how these tools not only enhance sales training but also provide comprehensive AI sales solutions that can transform everyday operations. You’ll learn how to use AI for sales, integrating advanced technologies to streamline processes and increase productivity.

Whether you’re new to AI or looking to refine your strategy, this guide will equip you with the knowledge to leverage AI effectively in your sales efforts!

Introduction to AI in Sales

AI is transforming sales processes by automating tasks, analysing vast amounts of data, and providing insights that were previously impossible to obtain.

What is AI in the context of sales?

Put simply, AI systems employ complex pattern recognition and prediction algorithms to spot trends and signals in the data that no human would be able to detect.

This ability allows these AI-powered tools to predict customer behaviour, personalise interactions, and enhance decision-making, leading to more efficient and effective sales strategies.

AI can’t replace the human touch in closing a sale, but it can give you the edge when you’re researching leads, planning a strategy, or marketing your services.

Next, let’s look more closely into how AI can help you become a better seller.

The Role of AI in Sales and Marketing

AI integrates seamlessly into both sales and marketing, streamlining efforts and increasing efficiency. That’s because both sales and marketing are data-driven activities, where the more you know your potential audience and its behaviour, the better you can meet their needs.

That last element (delivering what the customer needs) is key.

Says Rob Garf, VP, and general manager at Salesforce, “The future of sales is to serve, not sell. Generative AI gives us guidance that’s so personal and precise, we’re always presenting the most relevant solutions — no pushing required.”

In sales, AI can automate numerous functions including:

• Lead scoring: by analysing large datasets to predict which leads are most likely to convert, allowing sales teams to prioritise their efforts on high-potential prospects.
• Sales forecasting: by assessing historical data and current trends to generate predictions of future sales, enabling better planning and decision-making.
• Customer experience personalisation: by examining customer data to deliver tailored content, recommendations, and interactions to meet individual preferences and needs.

In marketing, AI tools can assist in a range of activities including:

• Optimising content: by analysing audience behaviour and engagement metrics to recommend the most effective topics, formats, and distribution strategies.
• Targeting the right audience: by reviewing demographic and behavioural data to identify and reach the most relevant and receptive audience segments.
• Tracking campaign performance: by continuously monitoring and assessing data in real-time, providing insights and recommendations to optimise strategies and achieve better results.

What all these functions have in common is the need to analyse copious quantities of data, recognise behavioural patterns and shape sales or marketing responses accordingly.

Put simply, AI is excellent at all of the above.

A recent paper published in the International Journal of Intelligent Networks (Artificial intelligence (AI) applications for marketing: A literature-based study) had this to say:

“Analysing data is the most critical advantage of AI in marketing. This technology will analyse massive amounts of data and provide marketers with real-world and actionable insights.”

Essential AI Tools for Sales

AI is a multipurpose tool. It can fulfil a range of functions within sales and marketing and thus has been incorporated into all manner of digital solutions.

Here we will break them down into seven categories and provide two to four examples for each type of tool.

CRM Systems with AI Integration

CRM systems like Salesforce and HubSpot incorporate AI to provide predictive analytics, automate routine tasks, and personalise customer interactions.

Salesforce: The leading sales platform has a dedicated suite of AI tools, Einstein 1, which can analyse data from internal and external sources to provide insights and recommendations. It can automate email writing, identify trends, and even analyse videos and image content.

HubSpot: The other giant of sales CRM software provides several AI-powered tools including a content assistant, an SEO recommendation engine, and AI summarisation. Most of its current AI functions are centred on content marketing and social media, but they have big plans, as laid out in their AI roadmap.

Zoho CRM: The age of AI assistants is here. Zia is Zoho’s sales assistant, designed to fetch data, help you organise your notes and automate everyday tasks. She’ll also help with email writing and sales predictions.

Pipedrive: Pipedrive offers its own AI-enabled personal assistant, powered by OpenAI, the creators of Chat-GPT. Although it hasn’t given the AI a snappy name, it aims to assist with email creation, marketplace searches, and other automatable tasks. A 14-day free trial is available.

Need a hand picking a CRM system? Check out our blog post on Salesforce Alternatives & Competitors

AI-Powered Sales Analytics

Tools like Gong and Clari use AI to analyse sales calls, emails, and meetings, providing insights into sales performance and customer behaviour.

Gong: Claiming to increase win rates by up to 50%, Gong.io describes itself as an “all-in-one revenue intelligence platform.” It specialises in sales forecasting and engagement and offers an overview of every customer touchpoint, to help sales staff improve their game.

Clari: This unified platform for sales analytics claims to reduce lost deals by 10% and increase win rates by 24% via its RevAI app. It’s very much aimed at enterprise-level businesses and includes conversation intelligence, the ability to analyse sales calls and generate sales coaching tips to improve rep performance.

InsightSquared: This platform, aimed at SMBs, has an AI-powered sales forecasting function, using machine learning-derived metrics like “confidence to close” and “ideal customer profile” to help direct rep energy and effort where it’s most useful.

Chief: Chief is an AI-powered revenue intelligence platform that goes beyond reporting to predict deal risk and recommend next actions. By analyzing behavioral signals across CRM, email, and sales activity, Chief helps revenue teams increase deal velocity, act on risk earlier, and achieve sales forecast accuracy within ±3%.

Chatbots and Virtual Assistants

AI chatbots like Drift and Intercom engage with customers in real-time, answering queries, and guiding them through the sales funnel.

Drift: This describes itself as a “buyer engagement platform” and listens to your conversations to help shape more convincing pitches and better personalisation.

Intercom: Intercom prioritises customer service, since reducing churn and upselling are both vital elements of sales. It provides more than a chatbot, being a support agent, an assistant, and an insights platform all-in-one.

Lead Scoring and Predictive Analytics

Tools such as InsideSales and Leadspace utilise AI to score leads based on their likelihood to convert, helping sales teams prioritise their efforts.

InsideSales: Inside Sales is great at helping you build sales playbooks tailored for maximum success, using data to back-up your reps’ experience and gut instincts. It includes “neuralytics,” the art of knowing when and how to connect with each lead.

LeadSpace: This tool specialises in gathering market data to help you segment leads and prioritise your approaches. It connects to your CRM to graph your leads and draws from over 30 B2B sources and more than 700 million contacts.

For more information on Predictive Analytics check out this blog post: The Power Of Sales Forecasting And Predictive Analytics

Sales Automation Tools

AI-driven platforms like Overloop and Outreach automate sales workflows, ensuring that sales representatives can focus on high-value activities.

Overloop: Formerly called Prospect.io, Overloop automates the sales funnel by importing LinkedIn and other prospect details and generating effective email campaigns.

Outreach: Describing itself as a sales execution platform, Outreach helps automate all stages of the sales pipeline, from account-based sales and prospecting through to closing and retention. It even has features for recruitment professionals.

Personalisation Engines

AI personalisation tools like Dynamic Yield and Smartech tailor marketing messages and sales pitches to individual customers, enhancing engagement and conversion rates.

Dynamic Yield: Hyper-personalisation is the buzzword of the moment, and this tool includes something called Experience OS that optimises everything for individual recipients, including emails, push notifications, app UX, web content and more.

Smartech: One of the market leaders in omnichannel personalisation, Smartech has been folded into Netcore’s customer engagement platform to create customised landing pages, product listings, recommendations and more. With Smartech, literally every site visitor will see a uniquely curated landing page.

Natural Language Processing (NLP) Tools

NLP tools like Conversica and Crystal analyse customer communications to provide insights and recommend the best ways to respond.

Conversica: This generative AI platform uses several LLMs to mimic a real human personality in a natural, responsive, and personalised manner.

Crystal: Describing itself as a “personality data platform”, Crystal helps you dig deep into the characters of your interlocutors before you meet, ensuring you adopt the right approach. It applies psychology and data analytics to help you forge those vital connections.

Chat-GPT 4o: Even in its naked, non-specific form Chat-GPT can provide tailored content and responses to an infinity of prompts, including mimicking style and tone, and formatting its content just the way you need it. However, OpenAI now offers a range of tailored AIs, including “humanizers” and a data analyst.

How to Use AI to Enhance Sales Performance

Implementing AI tools effectively in sales strategies involves several practical steps:

1. Start with Clear Objectives: Identify specific goals such as increasing lead conversion rates, improving customer retention, or enhancing sales forecasting accuracy.
2. Choose the Right Tools: Select AI sales tools that align with your objectives and integrate well with your existing systems. If in doubt, A/B test several systems using free trials, then cancel the least effective platforms.
3. Train Your Team: Ensure your sales team is well-versed in how to use AI for sales and understands how it can benefit their workflows.
4. Monitor and Adjust: Continuously monitor the performance of AI tools and adjust as required to maximise their effectiveness.

Seamless AI Sales Solutions

Several AI solutions integrate smoothly with existing sales platforms to optimise processes.

For instance, Salesforce Einstein and Microsoft Dynamics 365 offer integrated AI capabilities that enhance CRM functionalities without requiring significant changes to existing workflows.

Sugar is a new AI-driven CRM, using AI’s data wrangling power to automate and assist multiple departments, from sales and marketing to customer support.

Such solutions provide real-time insights, predictive analytics, and automation features that drive AI sales enablement and efficiency.

Crucially, they don’t require you to create an API connection between platforms which may or may not communicate well.

Generative AI and Its Impact on Sales Strategies

Generative AI, which involves AI systems that can create content, is changing the sales landscape.

Tools like OpenAI’s GPT-4 can generate personalised emails, proposals, and content at scale, allowing sales teams to focus on building relationships and closing deals.

This and similar LLMs have been installed within many sales platforms and CRMs. In fact, platforms that don’t include some form of AI-powered data analytics or content generation are becoming a rarity, for good reason.

Generative AI technology enhances creativity, reduces workload, and ensures a consistent and high-quality customer experience. What it doesn’t do is replace the individualized touch and human interaction of sales reps

Says Cory Benz, Revenue Operations Manager at Crexi, “Sales AI is making it easier and better to work, but not by taking jobs from sales reps. Deals are won by having a conversation, and I think you’re always going to need a person to have that relationship and build that rapport with the customer. What we want to do is leverage AI so that they can do more of that.”

Optimising Sales with AI: Case Studies and Results

IBM Watson and Vodafone

IBM Watson’s AI capabilities have significantly enhanced sales for companies like Vodafone.

By integrating AI in sales and marketing, Vodafone uses Watson to analyse customer data and predict trends, resulting in a 20% increase in customer satisfaction and a 40% reduction in churn rates.

Watson’s AI sales optimization enables personalised customer interactions and effective sales strategies.

Sephora’s Visual Artist

Sephora leverages AI tools for sales through its Virtual Artist tool, which uses AI to provide personalised product recommendations and virtual try-ons.

This seamless AI sales solution has led to a 30% increase in online sales and improved customer engagement.

By understanding how to use AI to increase sales, Sephora has transformed its customer experience and streamlined its sales processes.

Tesco and Recommendation Engines

Tesco has implemented AI sales tools to enhance its customer experience and sales performance.

By using AI-driven recommendation engines and personalisation algorithms, Tesco has seen a 25% increase in online sales. It has begun to use AI to create location-specific product ranges for its Express stores.

Tesco’s AI system analyses customers’ online purchase history and preferences, then offers personalised promotions and product suggestions. This seamless AI sales solution has not only boosted sales but also improved customer loyalty and satisfaction.

BT Group and AI chatbots

BT Group uses AI for sales enablement to streamline its sales processes and improve customer interactions.

By integrating AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants, BT Group has achieved a 35% increase in lead conversion rates. These AI tools for sales handle routine inquiries, allowing sales teams to focus on high-value tasks.

Additionally, AI-driven predictive analytics has helped BT Group forecast sales trends and optimise their sales strategies, resulting in a 20% increase in overall sales performance.

A Note of Caution: The Downside of AI

While AI offers numerous benefits for sales teams, it is essential to approach its implementation and use with caution.

Missteps in adopting AI can lead to inefficiencies, ethical issues, and unintended negative consequences.

Here are some potential downsides and ways in which a sales team might misuse or fail to benefit from AI:

Over-Reliance on Automation

Loss of Personal Touch: AI tools can automate many aspects of sales, but over-reliance on automation can lead to a lack of personal interaction with customers. Sales is fundamentally a relationship-driven field, and excessive automation can make customers feel undervalued and disengaged.

Reduced Critical Thinking: When sales teams overly depend on AI recommendations, they might neglect their own critical thinking and intuition. This can result in missed opportunities that a more nuanced, human approach could capture.

Data Privacy and Security Concerns

Mishandling Sensitive Data: AI systems often require substantial amounts of data to function effectively. If not managed properly, this can lead to data breaches or misuse of sensitive customer information, damaging the company’s reputation and customer trust.

Compliance Issues: Different regions have varying regulations regarding data privacy (e.g., GDPR in Europe). Failing to comply with these regulations when using AI can result in legal repercussions and hefty fines.

Bias and Fairness

Embedded Bias: AI systems are only as good as the data they are trained on. If the training data contains biases, the AI can perpetuate or even amplify these biases in its predictions and recommendations, leading to unfair treatment of certain customer segments.

Unintended Discrimination: Bias in AI can also lead to discriminatory practices, such as unfair pricing or targeted marketing that excludes certain groups. This not only harms those groups but can also attract regulatory scrutiny and damage brand reputation.

Misinterpretation of AI Insights

Ignoring Context: AI provides data-driven insights, but these insights need to be interpreted within the context of the specific business environment. Without proper context, AI recommendations might lead to misguided strategies.

Overestimating Accuracy: Sales teams might place undue confidence in AI predictions without recognizing the limitations and uncertainties inherent in AI models. Overestimating the accuracy of AI can lead to poor decision-making.

Implementation Challenges

High Initial Costs: Implementing AI solutions can be expensive and resource intensive. Smaller sales teams might struggle with the initial investment required for AI tools and technology.

Integration Issues: Seamless AI sales solutions need to be properly integrated with existing systems. Poor integration can lead to data silos, workflow disruptions, and decreased overall efficiency.

Resistance to Change

Employee Pushback: Sales teams may resist adopting AI tools due to concerns about being made redundant or a reluctance to change established ways of working. Without proper training and change management, the adoption of AI can be met with resistance and underuse.

Lack of Training: Insufficient training on how to use AI tools effectively can result in misuse or lack of understanding. Sales teams need comprehensive training to grasp the capabilities and limitations of AI, as well as how to interpret its outputs correctly.

While AI holds exciting potential for transforming sales strategies, it is essential to approach its implementation thoughtfully.

By being aware of these potential downsides and proactively addressing them, sales teams can maximise the benefits of AI while mitigating the risks.

A balanced approach ensures that AI serves as a powerful tool for enhancing sales performance rather than a source of unforeseen challenges.

Future Trends in AI Sales Technologies

The future of AI in sales promises even more advanced capabilities. Here are three brief predictions for how AI will continue to revolutionise sales in the coming years:

1. Predictive analytics will become more accurate, enabling better decision-making.
2. AI sales tools will increasingly personalise customer interactions, creating more tailored and effective sales strategies.
3. The integration of AI with emerging technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will provide immersive and engaging customer experiences.

AI: An amazing tool if used well

AI is transforming the sales landscape by automating tasks, providing deep insights, and personalising customer interactions.

By adopting AI tools for sales, sales teams can enhance their performance, streamline processes, and achieve better results. To stay competitive, it is essential to embrace these technologies and continuously refine your AI strategy.

Explore our Sales Training Courses to upskill your team or consider our Sales Management Training for comprehensive sales team leadership development.

Assess your team’s strengths with our sales assessment tools, including a Sales Personality Test and our Sales Competency Assessment, to ensure they are well-equipped for success in an AI-driven sales environment.

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Applying AI Tools for Sales Success appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Sales training programmes often emphasise the significance of implementing effective monetisation strategies to drive revenue growth and boost profitability. By adopting various monetisation models, businesses can optimise their sales processes and capitalise on new opportunities.

Explore the synergy between monetisation models and sales training methodologies, uncovering strategic approaches to enhance organisational sales performance.

What is Monetisation?

Monetisation refers to the process of converting something into revenue.

In the context of business, it involves creating revenue streams from products, services, or data through various models that dictate how consumers are charged for value.

Effective monetisation not only generates income but also generates growth by aligning your product or service offerings with market demands and customers’ willingness to pay.

From a SaaS company offering subscription tiers for their CRM platform, to a car rental firm continually hiring the same vehicle to different drivers, there are a wide range of ways to monetise a product or service.

How you choose to do so will of course depend on the nature of your product or service, the market in which you operate, your customer’s preferences, and how your competitors monetise their offerings.

The Importance of Monetisation in Sales

The role of monetisation in sales cannot be overstated. Revenue is of course the bottom line. There’s no value in securing additional free subscription sign ups if your revenue drops to the point where your business model becomes unsustainable.

“If something can’t be monetised, it ain’t a business. And if there’s no path to profitability, then it has no worth.”
– Hendrith Vanlon Smith Jr, CEO of Mayflower-Plymouth

The investment and consultancy CEO has a point, however harshly expressed.

There are whole sectors whose monetisation continues to prove problematic. Consider social media, for instance. Customers expect it to be free, which makes any attempts to sell subscriptions (or the blue tick marks on X) almost futile.

Instead, advertising led models, which can irritate users if implemented badly, proliferate on social media. Even then, these products struggle. By offering significant value for free, they devalue the add-ons that allow monetisation.

Monetisation strategy directly influences how a product or service is perceived in the market, affects customer acquisition and retention strategies, and ultimately impacts the profitability of a company.

Well-conceived monetisation ensures that the value proposition is clear and compelling, essential for closing sales and creating customer loyalty.

Fortunately, there is no shortage of ways to monetise a product or service, from direct sales to pay-per-use and transaction fees. Here we’ve identified nine of the easiest ways to transform that bright idea into reliable revenue streams.

9 Monetisation Models

1: Direct Sales Model

Let’s begin with the most obvious method of sales. You produce a product or service, which you sell to your customers, who then own it. There are no third-party intermediaries involved, so this method benefits from its simplicity, overall.

Direct sales allow companies to have full control over the sales funnel process, customer service and relationships, and pricing strategy.

This approach is common in B2B environments and can lead to higher margins.

Examples: Xerox selling photocopiers and printers direct to businesses.

2: Subscription Model

A subscription model charges customers a recurring fee at regular intervals for access to a product or service.

This model is beneficial for ensuring steady cash flow and building long-term customer relationships. It is widely used in software, media, and service industries.

Most software companies offer tiered subscriptions, with each price rising point providing access to either a wider range of features, or most enabled users.

In recent years, recognising the convenience and simplicity that this strategy offers, many fast-moving consumer goods (FMCGs) traditionally sold directly have diversified into subscription models. This approach helps tie customers into regular purchases in exchange for discounts and access to limited edition products or offers.

Think food subscription boxes, men’s grooming supplies, or even pet food. Other services commonly using this model include internet service providers, mobile phone companies and streaming networks.

3: Freemium Model

The freemium model offers basic services for free while charging for advanced features or functionalities.

This model is particularly effective in the tech industry as it allows users to try the product before committing financially, thus lowering the entry barrier, and potentially increasing the customer base.

Many SaaS companies use this model including HubSpot’s CRM platform, which has a free version, plus two subscription tiers for “professional” or “enterprise” customers.

Free trials are another way to offer a taste of a product or service before the customer commits. In software, this usually means a fully functional version with a time limit on usage, whereupon locks the user out unless they sign up for a paid subscription.

4: Pay-Per-Use Model

In this model, customers are charged based on their usage levels. It is ideal for products or services where customer demand fluctuates, allowing flexibility and scalability.

Utility companies and cloud service providers commonly use this model. Some companies combine a subscription model with a pay-per-use charge. On-street car hire company ZipCar is a good example of this. Users must first sign-up to the service and then can choose between a per-use basic membership, or a subscription-based service.

The downside from a company’s point of view is that economic downturns can have a sudden knock-on effect on revenue since it’s an easy expense for users to cut. Revenue too can only be calculated based upon statistical estimates derived from past performance plus any projected growth.

5: Advertising Model

The advertising model generates revenue by offering advertising space within the product or platform. This model is prevalent in online businesses where large volumes of user traffic are converted into ad views and clicks, providing revenue without charging the users directly.

Social media platforms generally operate on this basis and this is also referred to as Social Selling. Usually, the customer doesn’t directly pay for the service, they effectively “pay” by being subject to the marketing messages of third parties.

Many social media platforms such as Instagram or TikTok also sell “boosted posts” or e-commerce facilities to their users, as well as selling advertising space to third parties.

Advertisers benefit from being able to directly target highly specific segments of the platform’s users, delineated by area, age, gender, or interests. They can use trending hashtags or keywords to generate exposure as well as paid-for clicks.

The challenge with such a model is in creating a platform which grows organically and reaches a large audience of free users, making it a desirable place to advertise, without irritating users with unsolicited content.

As recent controversies surrounding X and TikTok have shown, the high-profile nature of these social networks makes them vulnerable to political interference or PR calamities.

6: Licensing Model

This model allows companies to licence their products or technologies to other businesses for use over a specified period. Licensing can provide a stable income stream and is commonly used in software and media.

Microsoft 365 is an example of this – it’s licensed to its purchaser for a limited number of devices, and additional licences can be bought to exceed this limit. If an office buys 50 PCs, they’ll also have to buy a corporate licence to cover Microsoft products installation across those devices.

The problem with such a model is that, unlike an annual subscription, buyers may feel aggrieved if they are made to re-purchase their licence too frequently, or if they feel tied-in to a contract. However, the software supplier must keep upgrading their systems to provide bug fixes, and security updates, and therefore incur ongoing costs, which they must eventually recover through re-selling licences.

There has been recent concern that cloud computing services using the licensing model may be open to charges of anticompetitive and unfair licensing practices. This has been extensively explored in the report Unfair Software Licensing Practices: A Quantification of the Cost for Cloud Customers by Professor Frédéric Jenny.

Certainly, this is a challenging model when rolled out to enterprise scale, requiring a complex balancing act between risk and reward.

7: Transaction Fee Model

In this model, businesses charge a fee for each transaction processed through their platform. This model is prevalent in financial services and online marketplaces.

Examples of companies using this Transactional Selling model include PayPal, eBay, or Amazon. Amazon charges transaction fees to the seller only.

Amazon’s publishing wing, Amazon KDP is a variation of this model, offering two tiers of royalty payments to the authors self-published on their platform. Once the royalty is paid, the remainder is retained by Amazon as their fee for publishing services.

8: Value-Added Services Model

Companies offer additional services for an extra fee on top of a base service or product. This can include extended warranties, enhanced customer support, or additional features.

This model can be combined with a freemium basic product, a common approach for apps, including games, lifestyle apps, and productivity tools. The basic download is free, but the app offers “in-app purchases,” encouraging the user to spend money to move to a new level or obtain additional benefits.

Examples of brands using this model include Tinder, Rovio (Angry Birds), and Strava.

9: Hybrid Model

A combination of two or more monetisation models to leverage the benefits of each. Many businesses use hybrid models to diversify their income streams and adapt to customer preferences.

Brands can either offer users a choice of how they pay (like ZipCar) or have price tiers with optional add-ons for advanced features (many SaaS companies), combining the subscription and value-added methods.

Companies who use this approach for revenue maximisation include GitLab (per user per month subscription plus storage bundles (value-added) and John Lewis (direct sales plus extended warranties—a value-added component).

Implementing Monetisation Strategies

Given the variety of monetisation models on offer, it pays to think carefully about which one you want to implement. There are several aspects to consider, including your distribution method, technology, the marketplace, and customer profile.

Let’s break down those components.

Market Analysis

Conduct thorough market research to understand customer needs and how they align with your monetisation options.

What do your competitors do? Do they offer subscription tiers, or a one-off purchase with add-ons? Could you carve out competitive advantage by doing things a little differently? What do customers expect?

If you’ve created a dating app, then users will almost certainly expect a freemium version, so they can check out the potential of the app working for them, before committing to regular monthly outlay.

These are all vital considerations and will help you build a case for one monetisation model over another.

Customer Segmentation

Identify different customer segments and tailor monetisation strategies to match their specific needs and payment capabilities.

If you largely sell your product to middle-class professionals, then a premium monthly subscription model might work best. However, if young people are your target market, then perhaps a free version plus paid-for add-ons might appeal.

Alternatively, you could adopt a hybrid approach, and offer users a range of ways to pay—per use, per month, or a one-off annual payment.

You’ll want to incentivise long-term commitment by making annual one-off payments better value than month-by-month payments, i.e. annual subscription = £100 or £12 per month.

Technology Integration

There are several different technological innovations you can integrate to help maximise revenue. By incorporating the right tools, you can better manage your chosen revenue model, ultimately driving profitability and growth.

Some of the main tools you might consider include:

Automated Billing Systems (h4)

These ensure accurate and timely invoicing, minimising delays and errors that can affect cash flow.

Such systems can handle complex billing cycles, multiple payment methods, and international currencies, making them indispensable for subscription-based and usage-based models.

They also allow for the automatic application of discounts, promotions, and variable pricing, which can help attract and retain customers.

Subscription Management Platforms (h4)

Subscription management platforms ease the administration of subscription services, from sign-up to renewal and cancellation.

They help businesses increase customer lead engagement by sending timely notifications and reminders about subscription renewals, exclusive offers, and new features. This ongoing engagement reduces churn rates and boosts customer lifetime value.

Best of all, such systems free up time for human ingenuity, so you can concentrate on innovating new products, services, or expansions of service.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Tools (h4)

CRM tools these days use AI to provide insight into customer behaviour and preferences.

These tools can segment customers based on their interactions and responsiveness to different monetisation strategies, allowing you to tailor your offerings more effectively.

By understanding customer needs better, businesses can optimise their sales approaches and improve conversion rates.

Need help deciding if a CRM is the right choice for you AND which CRM System to use? Check out these articles:

• Salesforce Alternatives & Competitors (Free & Paid)
• What Are The Benefits Of A CRM System And Software?

Data Analytics and Reporting (h4)

Data analytics tools collect and analyse vast amounts of data to generate actionable insights. This proves essential for helping you make informed decisions about pricing strategies and product offerings.

Real-time reporting capabilities enable businesses and solo entrepreneurs to monitor their revenue streams and adjust strategies promptly to capitalise on market opportunities or address emerging challenges.

AI-Powered Predictive Analytics (h4)

Sales Forecasting and Predictive Analytics are revolutionising the sales landscape. But what if you took analytics one stage further with AI? AI-driven predictive systems can forecast future trends in customer behaviour, market conditions, and revenue potential.

These predictions help businesses anticipate changes in demand and adjust their monetisation strategies proactively, ensuring they remain competitive and relevant.

Cloud Technologies (h4)

The use of advanced CRM or data analytics generates enormous quantities of data in real-time, which must be stored securely, providing you with easy access, even on the go.

Cloud-based solutions offer scalability and flexibility, qualities essential for growing businesses. They allow companies to expand their service offerings without significant upfront investment in IT infrastructure.

By integrating these technological solutions, you’ll build a robust framework for revenue maximisation.

AI and Automation

To maximise efficiency in your chosen monetisation model, using AI and automation is essential. These are the two most significant areas for tech stack investment. They should repay your initial investment many times over.

AI delivers complex insights from the vast pool of customer behaviour data you’ll soon have at your disposal. It can also engage in competitive analysis, to help you find out what your rivals are doing, and perhaps more importantly, what they are not doing.

Much of this insight will come from consumer review platforms, in which people feel free to discuss when a product is overpriced, undervalued, or has an unnecessarily complex monetisation mechanism.

Automation in subscription management can alert customers about renewal dates, ensuring continuous service and consistent revenue flow.

Continuous Testing and Optimisation

Ongoing evaluation of your monetisation strategy is vital. What worked in the past may not be fit for the future, and there are changes and trends in the way people pay for products and services.

Regularly test and optimise every aspect of your monetisation strategies to stay ahead in a dynamic market environment. This constant refinement ensures that your offerings remain relevant and appealing to your target audience, which is vital for maintaining competitive edge and maximising revenue.

Techniques for Effective Testing (h4)

This process may involve a variety of testing methods:

A/B Testing: Compare two versions of pricing structures to determine which one performs better in terms of customer response and revenue generation.

Feature Experimentation: Test the various features of your service offering to see which ones are most valued by customers, potentially leading to enhanced service packages.

Subscription Model Adjustment: Modify your subscription tiers based on detailed analysis of customer feedback and usage data to better meet the needs and preferences of different user segments.

Utilising Analytics: Deploy analytics tools to measure the effectiveness of different strategies and changes to your monetisation approach.

These insights will guide further refinement, helping you to craft offers that more accurately match market demand and customer expectation.

Training and Development

The start of any monetisation strategy is building a good sales team, and offering the training appropriate to the revenue generating model you employ.

To maximise the potential of your revenue strategies, it is paramount to invest in comprehensive training for your sales team. Specialised training programmes should encompass both fundamental selling techniques and a thorough understanding of your company’s specific monetisation models.

Tailored sales training programmes enable your team to:

Articulate the Value: Clearly explain the benefits and nuances of different monetisation models to potential customers.

Customise Solutions: Tailor monetisation strategies to better fit the specific needs of customers, thereby enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Invest in advanced sales training courses that provide deep dives into selling skills, negotiation tactics, and strategic sales planning.

This focused approach ensures that your team not only understands the products and services they’re selling but also excels in conveying their value to customers.

Monetisation is Everything

The effective implementation of monetisation strategies helps drive sales and increase sales volume.

But your monetisation strategy is only as good as the ability of your team. By offering Selling Skills Training, you align strategy and sales ability.

You can boost your sales team’s effectiveness with:

Targeted Training: Offer targeted selling skills training to address specific areas of need within your sales pipeline processes.

Personalised Development: Utilise Sales Personality Tests to tailor training and development efforts to individual strengths and weaknesses of sales personnel.

This tailored approach not only optimises your sales team’s performance but also contributes significantly to your business’s overall success.

All of this is something that we can help with at MTD. We offer a variety of Sales Training Courses, Customised Sales Training solutions.

Alternatively take a look at our Sales Assessments too.

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Maximising Sales with Monetisation Models appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

You’re probably not qualifying hard enough.

Instead, you might be making more and more cold calls and hoping some mud will stick. You think that persistence alone will make up for your lack of qualifying.

It won’t. Instead, it’s time to qualify a little harder and you can do so by using the acronym: MAN.

What does MAN stand for?

This handy little aide mémoire stands for Money, Authority, Need and refers to the three most useful types of contacts you might make:

• Money – There is a budget in place and money available for the sort of product or service you’re selling. Individuals who are qualified to answer this might include financial officers, budget holders, and procurement leads.
• Authority – this is an individual in charge of deciding budget priorities or anyone else with some seniority who can direct procurement strategy. They could be as senior as Sales Director or a member of the C-suite, just someone with budget-setting responsibility within their department.
• Need – this is anyone who will directly benefit from your product or service because they’ll be actively using it. The twist is, that they may not know that they need what you’re selling, so you may have to convince them.

Ideally, you’ll find you’re talking to someone with two or even all three of the above qualities. If that’s the case, you’ve hit the jackpot, so press on!

And if the individual you’re talking to has none of the above, you’re probably not going to get very far unless you can convince them to transfer the call to someone else.

Qualifying Prospects with MAN

Now that we know what MAN stands for, how do you use it to qualify leads when prospecting?

Let’s take this aspect by aspect.

Money

How do you find out if your prospect holds the purse strings? And if they have money to spend?

That can be an awkward question, particularly in the UK, where money questions are considered impolite.

You want to find this out early in the conversation. It may seem a little insulting if you admit they’re the wrong individual to talk to and ask for a call transfer. So, try to ascertain their position in the hierarchy and their remit early on.

Could you just be direct and ask:

“Do you mind me asking, are you the budget holder in your department?”

Perhaps. But that’s rather blunt and might raise the hackles of those who don’t enjoy a direct approach. Maybe there’s a more indirect route to the same information:

“How are purchase decisions made in your department?” or “Do you have a budget for X?”

If they are unable to answer these questions, then you’re probably not speaking to someone who actively manages the procurement process.

In a B2C context, it’s harder to lead with these questions since an individual’s solvency can be highly personal. You might drop into conversation, something like:

“What sort of budget do you have in mind for X?” or “How much do you typically spend on X?”

The latter formula will tell you whether their budget is aligned with the pricing of your product.

The financial aspect might be the last part of the MAN formula you qualify for, since it’s often the most delicate.

Authority

Qualifying authority might be as simple as asking for someone’s job title or saying “What does your role entail?”

However, direct questions about someone’s level of seniority can come across as impolite or pushy. Remember that what you need to know is whether this individual can drive procurement decisions.

In a B2C context, if you’re talking to one half of a couple, you’re effectively asking who holds the purse strings, so tread carefully. However, in B2C it’s probably safest to assume that any adult you talk to has the authority to make purchase decisions.

Here are some roundabout ways to gauge authority:

“Who makes the purchasing decisions with regards to X?” or “Does your department have delegated power to make purchasing decisions about X?”

The individual will likely tell you that either they have the authority to make purchases, or that someone else does. In the latter case, when you’ve got your prospect interested in hearing your pitch, you can ask something like:

“Do you think Y would be interested in meeting?”

Here you’re flattering them by asking for their judgement on where the authority lies. They may then qualify that they have sufficient influence to proceed, or that you do need to talk to someone else.

If your prospect does not have authority, they may still influence those who do, so it’s not necessarily a disqualifying factor. They could become a useful champion for you.

Need

Need might be one of the easiest qualities to qualify since everyone enjoys complaining about their problems. Grumbling is human nature, so encourage that urge.

However, you don’t want to imply that the business with whom you’re dealing (or the household, in the case of B2C) is failing in some way. Let your prospect tell you that if it’s true.

Instead, ask open-ended questions that poke at the pain points your prospect may have, such as:

“What are your biggest challenges in terms of X?” or “Are you happy with your current provision of X?”

In both cases, X is the product or service you’re offering. If you’ve established sufficient trust, your prospect may open up here.

They may also fear directly revealing a weakness, so may be circumspect in their reply. Look for the subtext of statements like:

“We’re doing about as well as anyone else in this economic climate” or “It could be better, but we’re mostly okay.”

Both statements suggest the status quo is far from perfect, allowing you to offer to demonstrate how to solve their problems.

Effective Cold Calling Techniques for MAN

Here are some effective cold-calling techniques for MAN-based sales qualification:

Research those Leads

Make sure you know everything you can about the individual you’re calling. LinkedIn and the company website may help you, alongside brand mentions in trade websites, and publications. Or simply perform a Google search.

Things you can find out: current job title, previous workplaces, areas of responsibility, time with the company, opinions from social media posts, hobbies, and interests.

The latter can be good for bonding and establishing trust, so long as there’s an appropriate opportunity to mention your shared love of golf, R&B, or Portugal.

Find a hook

Don’t want the answer to the question “how did you get my name?” to be “I was handed a list of leads to qualify.” Therefore, find an alternative story to tell.

Did you see a post they made on LinkedIn? Were you browsing the company site? Did you get their name from a mutual contact?

It doesn’t need to be deeply meaningful, but it shows that you’re in the know about the lead’s role and interests, and that’s both flattering and builds trust.

Ask open-ended questions

Remember that a major part of being an effective salesperson is listening to a prospective customer’s pain points and priorities.

Ask the sort of discovery questions that free them up to give you the information you need:

• “What are your priorities in the next two quarters?”
• “How are you coping with this economic downturn?”
• “How do you deal with X (current household problem)?”

These are general enough that your lead is forced to fill in some of the blanks.

Focus on the value (3)

There’s only one thing that’s going to make your prospect bite, even if they have the money, authority, AND need, and that’s if your offering provides real value.

Focus on what you can give to your prospect which will make their job easier, more efficient, more productive, or more profitable. That’s really what you’re selling; it will make your prospect realise that they want, as well as need it.

i.e. if you’re selling an ad automation platform, you could stress the time savings it offers. The value here is efficiency.

Or if you’re selling a limousine service, you could stress the luxury of the product, and how much it impresses client’s clients. The value of this strategy is prestige.

Check out this article about how to use value-based sales conversation for more information and learn how to win more deals.

Focus on Decision Makers

Try to ensure you reach a decision-maker since, of the three MAN components, it’s probably the most vital. Always have this thought at the back of your mind: can this person greenlight a decision to buy?

If they can’t, can they transfer you to someone who will, or can they put in a good word? If the answer to all three questions is no, you’re probably just wasting everyone’s time.

Check out this article for even more support and information for your sales journey: Successful Cold Calling Tips & Examples

Objection Handling

Try to think through all potential sales objections to your offer before you make the call, and have responses prepared, so that you’re not caught off guard.

When your prospect offers an objection, make sure you know you’ve heard their concern. You can say something like this:

“I can see how that’s a worry, but have you considered…?” and then offer some significant plus points that hopefully tip the balance back in your favour.

Don’t ever contradict your prospect. “You’re wrong about that…” is not a good way to create a relationship.

Try to think of ways in which your product or service directly addresses their concerns, so that you can turn their objection into a solution.

OBJECTION: “Our priority isn’t offering better service, it’s more about improving efficiency”

SALES REP: “I get it. We’ve found that by automating your customer support ticketing, you save, on average, about two hours per staff member per day.”

Appointment Setting Strategies with MAN

Here are some simple strategies you can use for face-to-face appointment setting with a decision-maker.

1: Do you have time to talk?

Etiquette is important. If your prospect feels time-pressured, they are likely to become irritated with your call. Set a follow-up time that’s convenient for them and take the opportunity to ask for a face-to-face.

2: Leverage social proof

People are influenced by the trust that their peers place in an unknown party. If your current prospect hasn’t had dealings with you, mention some high-profile clients they will have heard of (direct competitors are good).

3: Promote cost savings

The best way to overcome money-related objections is to demonstrate how your product or service will save your client money, rather than cost them dearly. Something like “Can I meet with you to show you how X will save you up to £Y per month?”

Of course, you’ll need the stats and metrics to back this up when you do meet.

4: Don’t try to sell immediately

If your priority is to move from a cold call to a meeting, then don’t go in all guns blazing. A “softly softly” approach can be more disarming and should help you build a relationship.

5: Use your entertaining budget

If you’re aiming for a decision-maker, the chances are they’re quite senior and used to life’s finer things. Can you meet them out of the office in a chic café or restaurant? A tasty meal or a chance to escape the humdrum might tempt them to say yes to a meeting.

6: Use facts and figures

A hard-nosed decision-maker is motivated by data-driven evidence. If you’re trying to set a meeting with them, ask for a chance to show them some metrics on your laptop, or via PowerPoint. That might get you in the door.

7: Present a short case study

If you know they have the budget and authority to purchase, ask to meet to show your prospect how well your existing clients have fared. This meeting will probably involve paperwork or onscreen data, so you can insist on a face-to-face.

8: Lead with who, what, and why

If you want to move promptly to setting an appointment with a MAN-compatible prospect, then don’t waste the time of the individual who picks up the phone.

State clearly who you are, what your company is offering, and why a face-to-face meeting is advisable or essential.

The Takeaway

“If you make more appointments with quality people, you will have fewer disappointments with non-quality people” – Robert J Braathe.

Business trainer and founder of Be Your Start, Braathe has a point. You’re saving yourself time, effort, and disappointment by following the MAN framework and talking to individuals with the means, authority and need to close the deal.

Money, authority and need. That’s the golden perfect triumvirate. Bear MAN in mind next time you begin on that long list of cold calls.

If you need support elevating your sales skills to the next level, please check out our Sales Training Courses

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post What does MAN stand for? (Money, Authority and Need) appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Even with the best Sales Training, if the contest isn’t designed effectively, it can demotivate rather than inspire.

Crafting the right contest requires an understanding of your team’s dynamics, incentives that genuinely excite, and clear rules that level the playing field for all participants.

Dive in to learn how to create a sales contest that not only boosts performance but also fosters teamwork and camaraderie among your sales representatives.

What is a Sales Contest?

A traditional sales contest rewards salespeople for the number of sales they make in a given period. You can focus on other key performance indicators, though, such as the number of cold calls made, the number of upsells someone makes in a week, etc.

There are a few different ways you can host a sales competition, too.

For example, you can organise a direct competition in which all salespeople compete against each other, a team competition in which teams of salespeople compete against other teams, and a goal-oriented competition in which multiple people are rewarded as they reach specific milestones.

Why Host a Sales Contest?

Hosting a sales competition offers numerous benefits to your team members and the company as a whole.

The following are some of the most significant advantages these competitions (when properly organised and executed) can deliver:

Increase Motivation

There’s nothing like a little friendly competition to help your salespeople get over a slump and feel more motivated on the job.

If you’re a sales manager, then a sales contest can light a fire under your team and encourage them to set (and work toward) more ambitious goals.

Encourage Innovation

In addition to increasing motivation, a sales contest also has the potential to push your employees to be more creative and innovative.

It’s easy for salespeople (and any other type of employee, for that matter) to find themselves repeating the same routine day after day. When you encourage them to work toward a new goal, though, you can help them break out of that rut and think of new ways to solve old problems.

Boost Revenue

Naturally, increased motivation and innovation can lead to improved performance among your sales team. Performance improvements, in turn, typically translates to an increase in sales and more revenue for the company.

Whether your company has experienced a sales plateau or you just want to boost profitability and drive sales performance, a sales contest can give you a jumpstart.

Evaluate Team Members

After you introduce the sales contest and work with team members to set and work toward new sales goals, you have an opportunity to watch your employees and monitor their performance.

These evaluations can help you get to know team members better (especially new employees or those who tend to fly under the radar) and identify top performers (as well as those who may need some extra coaching or attention to reach their full potential).

Sales Contest Ideas

There are lots of ways that you can run a successful sales contest for your team.

Here are some sales contest examples, tips, and ideas to get you started:

The Starting Line

When designing a competitive sales contest, you have to take into consideration the starting point of each individual salesperson. By that, I mean that you have to consider the experience, skills, closing averages and client base of each salesperson to design an equitable contest.

If you base the contest purely on bottom-line closed sales, then salespeople who have more experience and clients from whom they can get referrals will have an unfair advantage over newer, less experienced team members.

A Handicapping System

Come up with a method to make all salespeople equal for the purposes of the contest. Perhaps you consider the closing averages of each salesperson and design the contest so that those who don’t close deals as much can compete.

As an example, for the salesperson who has a 20% closing average to win or place high in the contest, they have to close four sales.

Then, for the sales rep with a higher closing average, like 25%, perhaps he or she must close five sales to place in the same bracket.

A Win-Win

With such a method, both levels of salespeople compete hard and get better. The salesperson with the 20% closing average would have to complete 20 sales presentations or closing attempts to get the four sales.

However, the salesperson with the higher closing rate of 25% would also have to complete 20 closing attempts!

This creates an incentive for all salespeople to put forth a greater effort regardless of their skill level. In addition, it gives the newer salespeople an equal opportunity if they work hard enough.

One Step Further

If you decide to use such a system for the long term, then also create a bonus system, award or incentive to give to the salespeople who maintain the lowest handicap.

Level the playing field with a handicap system and watch more salespeople come in under par!

Offer Daily or Weekly Prizes

When deciding what kinds of sales contest prizes to offer, consider incentivising team members with one grand prize and a variety of smaller daily or weekly prizes.

These smaller prizes can help to keep your salespeople motivated throughout the course of the contest. They can also create a sense of momentum for employees who might be a bit unsure of themselves.

For example, after someone wins a daily or weekly prize, they might feel more confident in their ability to earn the grand prize, meaning they’ll push themselves harder and continue to perform at a higher level.

If this is an avenue you’d like to explore further, check out our list of sales incentive ideas.

Appoint a Salesperson of the Month

Another way to break the contest down into smaller pieces – and keep employees motivated – is to recognise one person as the salesperson of the month.

You could also put those people in the running for salesperson of the quarter or year.

Similar to the point made above, monthly prizes like this boost motivation and give more people an opportunity to be recognised and celebrated for their hard work.

Focus on Different Metrics

It’s easy to get hung up on the number of sales your team members make. Those aren’t the only metrics worth monitoring, though.

For example, you can hold contests to reward those who make the most calls in a week, those who have improved most in the last month, etc.

Focusing on different metrics and encouraging improvement in all areas of the sales process will result in better overall performance for your team members (and better results all around).

Pair Top and Bottom Reps

Consider making your sales contest an opportunity for lower-performing team members to learn from higher performers.

By pairing top and bottom reps and encouraging them to work as teams, you give lower performers a chance to improve their skills and experience what it feels like to be at (or at least closer to) the top.

The higher-performing sales rep on the team also gets a chance to sharpen their skills (especially when it comes to coaching and training others, which can help them prepare for other positions in the future).

Reward the Hardest Workers

Don’t just focus on the team members who produce the greatest number of sales. Focus on those who are working the hardest, have heard the most “nos,” and continue to persevere.

This approach rewards your salespeople for their commitment to the process, not just the end result.

Tips for a Successful Sales Contest

Regardless of the types of sales contests you’re drawn toward, these tips will help you plan an effective one that gets your team excited and eager to compete:

Set Specific Goals

When developing a contest for sales team members, make sure you’re setting specific goals.

It doesn’t matter if you want to see who books the most meetings or who increases sales revenue by the largest amount. Whatever you pick, just remember to be specific, not just when it comes to what people are working toward but how long they have to achieve or exceed the goal (a week, a month, three months, etc.).

Don’t Over-Complicate It

Resist the urge to over-complicate the contest. Even if you decide to offer daily or weekly prizes or implement any of the other ideas shared above, strive to keep things as simple as possible.

Clearly outline the rules and share them with your team, too. That way, everyone is on the same page regarding what they can and can’t do.

Don’t Hold Multiple Contests Simultaneously

Some people make the mistake of trying to implement too many contest ideas for employees in sales at once. For example, they might try to set records for sales calls, meetings, retention rates, and conversions all at the same time.

The problem with this approach is A) it goes against the tip above about not over-complicating things, and B) it stretches your team members too thin. They may try to accomplish too many things at once, resulting in them not making any significant accomplishments at all.

Ask for and Implement Feedback

Give your salespeople an opportunity to share feedback and offer ideas and suggestions for future contests. What’s the point of hosting a sales contest if nobody wants to participate because they don’t like the structure, the rules, the prizes, etc.?

Encourage your team to deliver feedback and, whenever possible, follow up and implement their suggestions. Doing so can further motivate your salespeople. It also helps to refine your contest and make it better in the future.

Communicate Often

Check-in with team members throughout the contest not only to seek feedback but to make sure they’re doing their best to achieve their goals.

Talk to individual team members and teams or groups and discuss their accomplishments and the challenges they’ve encountered. Make time to offer guidance and discuss potential improvements to people’s sales strategies as well.

Keep It Fun

Yes, your salespeople are at work. That doesn’t mean the contest can be fun, though.

If your team members have fun with the contest, they’ll be more inclined to keep participating and trying their best to achieve their goals. If they’re committed to the contest and continuously strive to do their best, you’ll see a natural increase in sales productivity for the department.

Don’t Forget to Deliver

Make sure you uphold your end of the bargain and deliver the rewards you promised to your team. If you don’t make good on your promise, people will stop participating in the contest.

On a similar note, don’t offer anything you aren’t sure you can deliver on. For example, if you don’t get the final say over whether or not someone can get extra days of paid time off, don’t make that a reward.

Conclusion

Keeping your team motivated can feel like a full-time job — and you have enough to do and worry about as a sales manager. Sales contests are an excellent option for boosting motivation and engagement and increasing performance.

Have you never hosted a sales contest before? Use these fun sales contest ideas and tips as a jumping-off point to develop an effective contest that your salespeople want to participate in (and that provides the greatest benefits for your team and the company).

If you’re looking for more assistance in guiding and motivating your sales team, explore MTD Sales’ range of training solutions.

We offer Selling Skills Training providing comprehensive training solutions to enhance your team’s skills.

Additionally, we provide a Sales Competency Assessment that accurately evaluates your sales team’s expertise, ensuring targeted and effective development.

Happy Selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Level The Playing Field For A Great Sales Contest appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Hiring a sales team is a unique game – it’s less about the resume and more about the grit.

Unearthing those potential star performers, despite lack of experience or fancy credentials, is no easy task. Sales demand unique, often elusive traits.

It’s a world where hard work and perseverance pay off like no other, where belief in a product can make or break success. A salesperson might flop with one product but score a home run with another. It’s that unpredictable.

Some sales management training programmes touch on hiring top-notch sales talent, while others skip it. We’ll navigate this journey assuming you’re fresh to the scene, unveiling the secrets of identifying and recruiting those hidden gems – regardless of your starting point!

Hiring For A Sales Team

Ultimately, sales success depends as much on the individual’s personality and character as it does on experience and knowledge. Good salespeople come in all different packages and recognising them is much like digging for diamonds in a coal mine.

Therefore, when hiring a sales team, you must be able to assess the individual’s character traits and personality assets in addition to their work history and experience if you’re going to be confident that they will achieve the sales targets set.

You may have found that traditional hiring concepts and conventional sales personality assessments and evaluation strategies are not as effective when it comes to hiring salespeople.

The successful salesperson possesses a unique set of personality characteristics and life experiences and therefore, to find, recognise and hire good salespeople requires an equally unorthodox hiring process.

This template will give you some tips on how to better recognise people who may possess the variables needed to succeed in your business and a checklist to help you make better hiring decisions on a consistent basis.

The information and advice contained in this document is compiled from more than 30 years of practical, real-world hiring experiences and not from scientific sales assessment testing or psychological theories. This information represents a study of hundreds of successful salespeople and presents traits that are common in most of them.

This strategy is not foolproof, but it will help you find more of those people with the potential to become sales superstars in your field.

Remember that a “diamond in the rough” first appears as a lump of coal.

Sales Team Hiring: How to Recognise Sales Potential

As mentioned, because a salesperson has shown success with one company or product, does not mean that they will achieve equal results with your firm, which is why we use the term, “potential.”

First, we will examine some tips on how to distinguish signs of “success potential” in resumes and job applications.

Then we will explore interviewing techniques and finally, we will present a checklist for you to use as you build your sales organisation.

The Resume or Employment Application

Often when examining the resumes of good salespeople, issues that appear to be “red flags” or areas of concern may be positive signs.

Conversely, items that first look like positive traits may be clues to potential problem areas. So let us look at some suggestions on how to better discern sales potential from a resume and the logic and reasoning behind each.

1. Unstable or Inconsistent Job History

A person with an unstable work history is usually the first applicant to pass over when making a hiring decision.

However, this apparent negative trait for most jobs may be a positive attribute for salespeople. Apart from actors and models, entry-level salespeople are the most victimised by unethical companies by misleading recruiting techniques and fraud.

A lot of salespeople have also been missold about their new role and especially the commission structure.

Salespeople, especially early in their careers, are easy prey for firms that make outlandish promises and use deceptive hiring practices, and recognising such companies takes many years of industry experience.

Also, many entry-level sales positions, requiring little or no experience, offer a dead-end career path with minimal Sales Training and no potential for long-term growth.

The result is that many salespeople “bounce around” in the beginning of their career trying to find a quality firm, with a legitimate opportunity that delivers what they say.

This often means that the salesperson, despite constant disappointment and failed attempts, continued to persevere, which can be a very good sign.

Also, realise that the sales profession involves the selling of thousands of products and services and while a person may change the product, they are still in the same profession. Someone who spent six months as a bookkeeper, then invested six months training to be a nurse, then worked for eight months training to sell property, is someone who has changed career paths multiple times and has no consistency.

However, a salesperson who sold water purifiers for six months then sold air filtration systems for a year, then worked for a home carpet cleaning company, is someone who continued the same career path of sales and in the same area of selling home improvement products. Often this is the only way for salespeople to grow their industry knowledge and income. However, such a past will reflect badly on a resume.

Of course, this does not mean that someone with a stable employment history is a bad salesperson. It simply means that you should take a transparent view into the resume of a salesperson and do not be too quick to dismiss the candidate that has the “shaky” resume. Look for a consistent “theme” in the job history.

2. Income History and Requirements

You should always ask applicants to report past salary and earnings history as well as their present income requirements on their resume. Earned income is the primary common denominator in the sales profession.

Since products and services vary widely, the only true measurement of past success is income.

A true sales professional is also aware of this and will openly and routinely state income and needs on his or her resume. Be careful of applications that leave out salary history, even though it was requested. Give special attention to those who not only display past earnings openly, but also break the earnings down into the percentage of commission vs base salary.

Contrary to popular belief, most sales positions do not offer an unlimited income. As a top sales manager, you should know what an average salary is, what an expectation is and what exceptional means. If a salesperson requires an income that is beyond the capabilities of the position, the manager should make this clear.

Therefore, in addition to past income, you should ask applicants to include their income requirements on their resume or application. Be careful of the applicants who leave this out, people who have trouble stating what they need often have trouble asking for the sale.

3. No Experience needed

If you’re hiring for an entry-level position where salespeople need no experience, here are a few things to look out for:

1. A good aptitude for math and numbers
2. Commercial knowledge via a university, college or online course
3. Part time experience where they needed to communicate with people
4. Participation in sports or other activities
5. A history of reaching goals or winning contests and awards of any nature

4. Other Resume Tips

Good

• Positive reports from past employers
• Moving up, reasons for leaving
• Neat and well organised
• Achievements listed rather and responsibilities
• Excellent grammar and spelling
• Resume is tailored based on the role

Not So Good

• Too much usage of I, me or my
• Negative talk
• Dissatisfaction, problems, reasons
• Careless errors
• The resume is just a standard stock CV

Now that you have some potential candidates in mind, it is time to meet them and make some decisions.

Sales Team Hiring: Interviewing Techniques

You should view honesty and integrity above all else when it comes to hiring salespeople. You must find people who will NOT do anything for money.
You must find people who CAN NOT and WILL NOT sell anything to anybody.
Find people who are honest and who believe in your product, company, and mission, and you will build a strong sales team.

Here is a process:

1. Sell the Salesperson

You must first sell the candidate on your company and product/service just as strongly as if they were a prospective customer.

2. Verify the Sale

When you have made your case, ask the applicant questions as to their belief in the product and company and industry. Ask the applicant if they can understand why customers NEED the product.

3. Executive Summary

Ask the applicant to give you a general overview of their experience and history.

4. Ask Specific Job Qualifying Questions

Verify whatever technical qualifications the successful candidate must possess.

5. Ask General Questions

Ask many simple personal and job-related questions:

• What were your responsibilities at ABC Company?
• Why did you leave?
• What didn’t you like about the product, company/management?
• How do you set up your daily/weekly work schedule?
• How do you set sales goals? Give some examples of personal goals you’ve set yourself?
• What training have you attended?
• Do you feel you have failed/achieved that goal?
• What has been your biggest achievement at work?
• What do you like to do in your spare time?
• What are your sales career ambitions?
• How well do you handle rejection in sales?

As mentioned above it’s always good to ask what training they have received in the past. Generic sales training is a must, but other examples can include sales negotiation training and account management training for example.

6. The Deciding Factor

In making your final decision for hiring a salesperson, ask yourself this question:
Would you take total responsibility for this person’s success or failure?

As a sales manager, you must take the success of your sales team, personally. If the salesperson fails, you fail. Would you take personal and financial responsibility if the person you hire does not obtain at least average success with your company?

Would you pay the salesperson’s rent, food, and bills out of your own pocket if they cannot?

Of course, such things are not required of you.

However, this is the attitude you should have when hiring salespeople.

You should only hire those whom you believe in your heart will be successful in your firm and take their success personally. If you follow this thinking, you will make very few hiring mistakes.

Let’s put it all together.

Hiring Top Salespeople – Checklist

Resumes and Job Applications

• Do not dismiss an unstable job history
• Look for themes and links in past jobs
• Ask for “Salary History and Requirements” on resumes
• Watch for those who omit salary history and requirements
• Look for those who break down history in terms of base and commissions

For Entry-Level Sales Positions look for

• A good aptitude for math and numbers
• Part time experience working with others and customers
• Participation in organised sports and activities
• A history of reaching goals or winning contests and awards of any nature

Check resumes for

• Teamwork, unity
• Positive reports on past employers
• Key achievements
• Positive reasons for leaving last job position
• Neat, organised document

Watch out for those who have long gaps, or no gaps between jobs: it is only natural for there to be small gaps between jobs. People who say they left job A one day and started at job B the next, could be dishonest or someone who takes any job that comes along without thought.

The Interview

• Sell the salesperson
• Ask questions to ensure the salesperson believes in the product & company
• Ask for personal history
• Verify technical qualifications
• Ask general questions, mixing personal and job-related topics
• Ask ethical based questions or a sales role play

The Hiring Decision

Assume complete and sole responsibility for the new hire’s success or failure.

Only hire salespeople that you believe in so strongly that you would bet your own personal income on them succeeding.

Happy Sales Hiring!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Top Tips For Hiring A Sales Team appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Door to door sales is a beast!

Dropping in uninvited to engage a busy, potentially uninterested buyer makes door to door selling arguably the toughest sales gig out there.

Most people dislike receiving telesales calls, let alone a door to door salesman appearing at their doorstep. So, if you’re tackling this challenging role, I salute you!

Like with cold calling, many struggle with crafting effective door to door sales scripts. They’re often either too lengthy or lack the directness needed to truly leverage the opportunities d2d sales offer.

There’s less demand for this type of Sales Training today. Fortunately, we’re here to help!

In this post, we’ll explore how you can develop an impactful sales pitch through door to door marketing and share strategies to enhance your pitches, making them more successful.

Contents

• What Is A Door to Door Sales Pitch?
• How To Create A Door to Door Sales Pitch
• Door to Door Sales Scripts Examples

What Is A Door to Door Sales Pitch?

Before we look at how you can create a door to door sales pitch and the strategies you can use to make them more effective, let’s first recap what a door to door sales pitch is.

As the name suggests, door to door sales are where you go from door to door to make sales presentations to residents or business owners, in the hopes that they would become customers. Flowing from this, a door to door sales pitch is the presentation you’ll use to persuade and convince these prospective customers of the nature and benefits of your business or product.

A sales pitch mainly serves two purposes. For one, a sales pitch helps you keep your ideas organised and your narrative compelling. So, in other words, it helps you know and remember what to say to effectively show leads that you’re able to solve their problems.

Moreover, because you only have a minute or two after someone opens their door to convince them of the merits of your products or service, a sales pitch helps you plan ahead and engineer your sales pitch to be most effective and take advantage of every second you have.

How To Create A Door to Door Sales Pitch

Now that we’ve recapped what door to door sales pitches are, let’s look at how you can create an effective door to door sales pitch. Here, it’s important to keep in mind that, depending on your specific industry or what you’re selling, the process of creating a sales pitch may differ slightly, but you’ll generally need to consider the aspects mentioned here to create yours.

Step 1: Develop Your Customer Persona

Let’s face it, you don’t want to attempt to sell power tools to someone who is in the market for kitchen appliances, would you?

So, prospecting for door to door sales is just like prospecting for cold calling or sending sales emails. This means, just like you would for any other sales campaign, you need to develop your customer or buyer persona for your sales pitch to be most successful.

But how do you go about this? Well, you could think of a specific demographic that’s more likely to buy your product or pay for your service. Or you can go deeper to describe your ideal customer in more detail. These are both very effective strategies.

The key, however, is that, by developing your customer persona, you’ll understand your customers better. And when you understand your customers better, you’ll know their goals, what their pain points and challenges are, and how your product or service can solve them.

Think of it like this. When you understand your customers and their challenges, and you can present them with a solution, you’ll be more likely to close more deals. And once you have your ideal customer persona in hand, you’ll be able to prospect and find the right prospective customers that fit this description and meet these criteria.

Step 2: Get The Basics Out Of The Way

It’s understandable that you won’t be able to script an entire generic sales pitch for every prospective customer that opens their door. This is simply because you don’t know what they’re going to say.

Despite this, one thing is certain. It’s that you only have a few seconds to persuade them to listen further. As a result, you need to get the basics out of the way quickly. And by basics, we mean those questions the prospect will have when they open the door and you’re standing there.

And let’s be clear, when they open the door, the first thing that’ll come to mind is certainly not how your product or service can solve their problems. No, they’ll want to know who you are and what you’re doing there. If you don’t tell them quick enough, you’ll never get the opportunity to show them the merits of your product.

So, the common questions that prospects will usually have and which you’ll need to answer are:

• Who you are?
• Where you’re from?
• What you’re doing there?
• When you’ll be leaving?

An effective strategy to use during this stage of your pitch is focusing on you being there only for a few minutes. In this way, the prospect will know that you won’t be there for long and will be more willing to listen to what you have to say. Once you get over this hurdle, you’ll get the opportunity to illustrate the benefits of what you’re offering. So, feel free, work in that “I won’t be long” or “I’ll be brief”.

Step 3: Understand Your Customers’ Pain Points

We mentioned earlier that, as part of developing your ideal customer persona, you’ll understand what their pain points are. So, you might already have an idea of the challenges a prospect is facing. However, when meeting face-to-face, you’ll need to ask questions that will help you find a specific prospect’s problems and challenges.

These questions serve a dual purpose. For one, they allow you to confirm the pain points you’ve established when you determined your customer persona. In a sense, you might also realize that a specific prospect isn’t facing the challenges you anticipated which, ultimately, saves you from wasting time on a prospect who’s not likely to buy.

If the prospect does face the challenges you anticipated, these questions also allow you to interrogate these pain points in more detail which, in turn, allows you to tailor your pitch “on the fly” to be more effective and meet your prospect’s needs even better. This then increases your chances of closing a deal.

Step 4: Know How You Can Solve Your Customers’ Problems

Once you’ve confirmed your prospect’s pain points and challenges, you’ll be able to use your product knowledge to demonstrate how you’ll be able to solve these problems with your Solution.

And when we say product knowledge, we mean you should know your product inside and out. As such, you constantly need to stay updated with the latest developments in your field and industry and you’ll have to build up extensive product knowledge and experience.

If you do, you’ll achieve two things. Firstly, you’ll be able to answer any questions a prospect might have about your product. Secondly, you’ll know that you’ll be able to answer any questions your prospect might have. In other words, you’ll exude confidence which, by now, you know is a crucial sales tool.

Confidence allows you to adapt your pitch to the specific requirements of the prospect and meet their needs better and gives you the ability to negotiate better which means improved chances of making a sale. And speaking of making a sale, you should also believe in your product. Simply put, how will you convince someone to buy your product if you don’t believe in it yourself, right?

Step 5: Finish Off With A Strong Call-to-Action

Once you’re done with your pitch, you should finish it off with a strong call to action. And don’t be mistaken, how you close the pitch can, ultimately, make or break it. Fortunately, there are many options to choose from and, over time, you’ll find the one that works best for your specific style and customer persona.

You can, for instance, use a direct approach and assume that you’ve already closed the sale. Here, you might, for instance, ask the prospect when they want their product delivered.

As an alternative, you could use a less aggressive approach and ask open-ended questions to which you assume the answer will be “yes” in the right circumstances. Here, for example, you could use a free product as an upsell or cross sell to convince the prospect to buy your product.

Finally, you could use an emotionally driven approach that helps you connect emotionally with your customer. Here, you’ll typically share something personal about yourself that forges that connection that helps the sale along. Apart from these approaches, there are many others you can use. No matter what approach you use, though, just make sure to ask for the sale at the end of your pitch.

Door to Door Sales Scripts Examples

Now that we’ve seen how you can create an effective door to door sales pitch, you can develop your own. When you do, here are three valuable strategies that you can use to make it more effective and that’ll help you pitch more successfully.

1. Be Brief

You don’t need to go into every conceivable feature and benefit of your product for your sales pitch to be successful. What you basically want is for your pitch to persuade and convince your prospect that they want to know more about your product or service.

The key to doing this is, as mentioned earlier, identifying, and understanding your prospect’s pain points and challenges and understanding how you can solve them. Here, it also helps to be direct in demonstrating to your prospect how what you’re selling can solve their problems.

Ultimately, when you’re able to do this, you should be able to effectively pitch your product in a few sentences. If you take too long then you’ll start to hear all of those sales objections – and you don’t want that!

2. Start With A Question

Yes, yes, we know that we said earlier that you should get the basics out of the way quickly. However, in some cases, this might not even be enough to prevent the door from closing in your face. Remember, we also mentioned earlier that the idea of your sales pitch should be to persuade and convince your prospect that they want to know more about your product.

So, why not change it up in some cases and start your pitch with an open-ended question that grabs the prospect’s attention from the outset? For example, imagine an insurance salesperson that knocks on the door and starts off by explaining who they are and what they’re doing there when the prospect opens the door.

Once the prospect hears that the salesperson is from an insurance company, they probably want to end the conversation already. Now, change it up, and imagine that they ask, “You’re probably paying too much for insurance?” when the prospect opens the door.

In this case, the prospect’s attention will already be piqued, especially since insurance is a grudge purchase that many people believe they’re paying too much for. As a result, the prospect will be more willing to hear the salesperson out.

3. Build A Connection With The Prospect

Another effective strategy is to build a connection with the prospect. Here, you’ll have quite a few options to do this. For one, you could find some common ground from interactions with a previous prospect, something about the area the prospect lives in, or any other aspect that could help you find common ground and incorporate that into your pitch. It could be about the weather, the new drive they have just had laid or something of note to break the ice.

Imagine that it’s pouring with rain, and you’re soaked. You don’t have an umbrella and as someone answers the door you say with a grin on your face “And think, I do this for a living!” You get a reaction and then you lead in with your question.

Another strategy to build a connection with your prospect used to know their name and all their relevant information beforehand. When they notice that you took the time to learn more about them, it will help you connect with some of them on a more personal level which, in turn, will help them feel more comfortable with you. But be careful, knowing someone’s name can freak some of them out – they might wonder what else you know about them. It’s a high-risk strategy that will either work very well or it could bomb for you.

Although these are just two examples of strategies you can use to build a connection with your prospect, there are many others you can use. No matter which you use, the result is that, when you build a connection with your prospect, your pitch will feel more like a conversation between two friends than a sales pitch. It’s all about building rapport in the initial moments of the interaction.

The Bottom Line

If you want to sell better door to door, it’s crucial that you create an effective door to door sales pitch that will help you engage prospects better and close more deals. Hopefully, this post helped illustrate how you can create such a pitch and the strategies you can use to improve yours.

If you want to up your sales performance even further, why not consider MTD Sales Training for your training needs.

Through our Account Management Training, Sales Management Courses and Sales Coaching we’ve delivered training solutions to thousands of organisations around the world.

To learn more about our courses and how we can help you, contact us today for more details or to discuss your specific needs and requirements. Also take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses here.

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post Door to Door Sales Scripts That Work appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Looking for sales interview tips? You’re in the right place!

Sales interviews are often a nerve-wracking prospect, especially if it’s a job you’d really love! Don’t be daunted by the prospect, as a salesperson you’re in the perfect position to smash it – just treat your interview as a sales pitch and the whole process will take on another meaning.

I’m surprised at the lack of preparation that many salespeople do when it comes to interviewing. As a hiring manager it gives you a great insight into how they will sell for you. After all, if they can’t sell themselves then what chance have you got of getting them to sell your products and services.

With a bit of thought and a plan of action you can nail your sales interview and enjoy the process.

Contents

• How To Interview For A Sales Job
• How To Sell Yourself In A Sales Interview
• Nailing A Sales Role Play Interview
• Now Go and Ace that Role Play!

How To Interview For A Sales Job

Here are 5 specific areas to look at. The first 2 areas are all about being prepared for the sales interview.

The final 3 areas are all about the interview itself and what you can and should be doing during the sales interview.

Understand Your Own Features & Benefits

You really need to start with getting your own house in order. You’d never sell anything without knowing it’s features and benefits and what’s in it for them to purchase. Same goes with your skills, attributes, mentality, motivators and above all else your performance.

Imagine that you had yourself as a client and needed to sell you to the company who you are interviewing with. Take a piece of paper or type the following out as a brainstorming exercise to include the following:

• The key skills you have (for a match in terms of what they have)
• Your approach to selling (congruent with their approach)
• Relevant qualifications (normal on a job description)
• Sales performance achievements during the past 5 years (they want to know if you have a track record)
• How quick you became effective in previous roles (they want to know when you will start earning for them)
• Your biggest achievements in sales (any big sales or when you overcame adversity)
• Areas you fall short on (the old weakness question normally raises its ugly head so be prepared to use it as a weakness and a strength)
• The systems you have used (CRM, social, Microsoft, virtual technology etc)
• Be crystal clear about your motivators and how to relate them to the employer (yes, you can say money. But is it money through achieving and a job well done?)
• Write down the value you bring to the company over and above what’s on the job specification (languages, skills, leadership, training you’ve been on, experiences you’ve had)
• Write down all the sales skills training courses you have been on, the key skills you covered and any accreditations that they came with.

After you are clear about all the above think about how they benefit the company.

For example, if you’ve always hit target for the last 9 years then you will be able to wrap that around that you’ve got a proven track record and you’re a safe pair of hands like this:

“Yes, I’ve got a proven track of exceeding my sales targets. At XYZ for the last 4 years I was 35% over quota and at ABC in the previous 5 years I was on average 28% over quota. You’ll be in safe hands Jenny. I don’t job hop and I exceed my targets (which always went up by the way!)”

Can you see how powerful that is?

Too many salespeople would just say something like “I’ve always hit quota over years”

You need to be always asking you the “So what?” question.

In the example above the salesperson demonstrated:

• They knew exactly what their figures were (this demonstrates attention to detail and that you completely understand your sales performance)
• They exceed targets over the long term (safe pair of hands and a good earner for the company)
• They stay at an organisation and don’t job hop (all of this recruitment investment will not be wasted in a years’ time)

Preparation On The Company & The Interviewer

Do Your Research

You wouldn’t make a sales call without doing a bit of digging about the company, and a job interview is no different. Check out the company’s website, but also their social media pages, to get a feel for how they operate. It’s also a good idea to search for your interviewer on LinkedIn, so you can get an early understanding of exactly who you’re going to be meeting and prepare yourself accordingly.

Here’s what you should do:

• Research their website and especially latest news
• Search for the company on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Insta etc
• Look for the interviewer on their website
• Look for the interviewer on LinkedIn – look for any interests, their summary, what words do they use?
• Look for the interviewer on Facebook – any interests?

Questions

Think about the questions that you will ask the interviewer. Don’t just leave them to the end. Ask them all the way through the interview. Here are some killer questions to have up your sleeve:

• What will your expectations of me be within the first 90 days?
• How will you measure my success in that time?
• Could you please let me know what the training plan will be?
• What are the top goals of the company currently and in the future?
• What is the culture like? What’s it like to work here?
• What do you enjoy about working here?
• What are the challenges do you feel I will face when working here?
• What will a typical week look like in the role?
• Thinking of the people who have been in this position what differentiated the good ones from the great?
• What are the company’s values and what do you look for when selecting employees to work here?

How To Sell Yourself In A Sales Interview

Armed with all of your preparation you will need to pull it all together in your sales job interview.

Here are some additional tips for you.

Build Rapport

If you can start building a strong working relationship from the start of the interview, you’re helping to show what you’ll be like to work with day-to-day. It’s all very well telling your interview panel that you’re great at building rapport – but you have the chance to do it! It’s far more convincing to an interviewer that you can do it if you prove it to them there on the spot.

Add Value

A great way to demonstrate your sales skills is to show the value you will bring to their company. There are likely to be plenty of other candidates with similar experience levels – so what’s the added value that only you can bring? Perhaps you have relevant business contacts that you can convert to customers for your prospective employer. Maybe you’ve noticed no-one in the company is using social selling techniques, which is an area you could help the whole team with. It could be anything. Just be honest – don’t make promises you can’t keep!

Make It Memorable

Busy sales managers and will conduct many interviews, often in a short space of time. So, you need to make yourself memorable, and a great way to do so is using anecdotes. Try to give as many real-life examples of your skills and achievements as you can, and if they have an amusing or interesting story to go with them, then all the better! It just helps your name stand out when they’re reviewing all the candidates.

Ask For The Job

Many closing techniques are perfect for the ending of your job interview. Asking a question such as ‘are there any skills that I can demonstrate to prove my ability to do this job?’ shows that you firmly believe you have everything they need – you just need to know what’s important to them.

A sales job interview is just a pitch, so use it as a chance to show off all your skills. If the interviewer can see that you can sell yourself, you should have no problem selling their products and services.

Nailing A Sales Role Play Interview

For many companies, it won’t be sufficient to simply ask you a few questions and talk through your resume and expectations. Some will want to take things further, either with a single extended interview, or a second (or even third) meeting. Commonly you’ll be asked to role play a scenario or two. While this is one of the least predictable parts of the interview process, there are still tips and tricks you can apply to stand out.

Read on to discover how to ace this challenge.

What Is A Sales Role Play Interview?

Put simply, the interview panel will want to put keep on your toes and find out how you respond to a challenge in the moment. They’ll pose some hypothetical situations, perhaps playing a reluctant customer or procurement lead, to see how you react.

The big challenge, of course, is that you’ll have no idea what this will entail. It might be anything from closing a deal where the customer is close to walking, to selling an impossible product (the classic “sell me this pen” gambit).

The panel will be watching two things. Firstly, they’ll want to know how you solve the problem, interacting with the hypothetical customer or client. Secondly, they’ll be looking at your demeanor overall when tackling a stressful situation.

Why Is This Style Of Interview Important?

This is really the most vital part of any interview. It’s relatively easy for anyone to study the background of the company and the employees comprising the interview panel. It’s also straightforward to turn a resume and recent employment experience into a pitch. This is the very least a potential employer will expect applicants to prepare.

What makes candidates stand out is how they perform under adversity, and how good a problem solver they are. This is especially important in sales, when interlocutors may be keen to pull away or find any excuse to end the conversation.

These interviews let the panel “try before they buy.” For your potential employer, it’s a demonstration of you in action. Every sales team wants members who can perform under pressure and, provided you really want the job, things can’t get much more intense. That’s why mastering this type of interview is so vital – employers place a lot of stock in how well you do.

So how can you prepare for an unpredictable round of all-important role play?

Below, we’ve put together a list of six ways in which you might prepare, deliver, and ace a role play session.

6 Tips For Sales Role Play Interviews

1: Research Common Scenarios

Although you can’t know in advance exactly what situation you’ll be asked to act out, there are some common ones that interviewers favor. These may be different, depending on which industry you work in, but examples could include:

a. A customer wants to cancel their subscription. Talk them out of it, without irritating them.
b. A client doesn’t think they can afford your service. Let them know how vital it is.
c. A customer is complaining about poor service. Send them away satisfied.
d. Your product isn’t right for your customer, and yet they are interested. What do you do?

Be careful with questions like the last one above. The employer is testing your integrity and seeing whether you’ll be honest in your response. Remember that protecting a company’s reputation is part of a sales role too.

Look up some common scenarios which occur in the specific industry for which you’d be selling. What are the common sticking points and challenges? Prepare for those and you’ll at least have the basis for a response if a similar scenario is offered in your role play.

2: Re-Read the Job Description

There will be many clues in your job description about where the real challenges lie for the role. These are likely to be the areas your role play will focus on. After all, why concentrate on the day-to-day tasks, when it is far more revealing to look at how reps might perform in a high-pressure situation.

Phrases like “candidates should be experienced in dealing with customer complaints” or “applicants will be expected to close high-ticket deals” should clue you in to what’s expected. By the way, if you’re going for a sales leadership position then these sales director interview questions might help.

3: Do Some Run Throughs

Ask a suitable friend to run though some common role-play scenarios with you, challenging you as realistically as possible. This will give you the experience of having dealt with adversity in an improvisatory manner.

Think of those legal practice shows where defendants are given a practice grilling by their own lawyers, playing the role of the prosecutors. Attorneys do this to give their clients the experience of facing down challenging interviews. You should do the same.

4: Ask Questions

This is a great technique for eliciting useful information to work with, in both real-life selling and role play. It demonstrates a willingness to listen and build a relationship with the customer. It also buys you time to think!

Ask open questions, so that your interviewer must give meaningful responses, rather than simple a simple yes or no. Then incorporate this new information in your pitch, demonstrating flexibility and the ability to think on your feet.

5: Be Yourself

Don’t affect a different personality in your role play than you have demonstrated in earlier parts of your interview. Unless you’re a brilliant actor, customers can see through insincerity, and it won’t play well with your potential employer. They want to hire someone who is innately able to sell, whose personality is already inviting and convincing. So be yourself and demonstrate that you really are that person.

It’s also much easier to just be yourself – you have many years of experience doing just that!

6: Relax

Easier said than done, you might think. Although interviews are nerve-wracking, and role play can be the most challenging part of the process, try to see it as a real opportunity to shine. Have fun with it and think “I’ve got this.”

If you need additional help getting into a suitably relaxing state of mind, meditation and breathing techniques can help, as can repeating a positive mantra (silently, of course) before you begin. These mantras should be encouraging, not self-excoriating. Something like don’t sell, help can shift the way you approach a scenario.

Now Go and Ace that Role Play!

We hope this rundown of half a dozen sales interview techniques for improving your role play performance has been helpful. Check out our sales blog for some of our other articles for other strategies for improving your pitch and facing down sales challenges.

If you ever go for a promotion here are some useful sales director interview questions to prepare for.

If you’re ever looking for some training, check out our Sales Training Courses including our Account Management Training and Sales Management Training.

All will help you to improve your skills and will also provide you with a formal ISM Sales Qualification as well.

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post 5 Steps To Nail A Sales Interview appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

Do you know the difference between needs and wants? In particular, do you know how to grasp truly what a customer wants and needs?

A lot of people think that they are the same, but a customers needs and wants are different!

When selling it’s important that you understand the difference between customer needs and wants because you need to appeal to both impulses during the sales interaction.

And understanding this element of sales is always one of the most important areas that any Sales Training course will cover.

Let’s take a closer at the different needs of customers in more detail, as well as looking at some customer wants and needs examples.

Contents

• What is the difference between Needs and Wants??
• Customer Needs
• Customer Wants
• Uncovering the Customer’s Needs and Wants

What is the difference between Needs and Wants?

Look at needs as those things that are vital for survival and a want is something that you desire.

Wants are almost always linked to an emotion that the want gives you.

You need food to survive right? But why do you have that expensive cut of steak?

The answer is that you want it, you’ll love the taste, maybe how it looks and if you’re on a date then you want to impress your partner. They are all wants.

The need would be to put calories in your body for survival. The want is everything else.

Needs were famously codified by psychologist Abraham Maslow in his 1943 paper “A Theory of Human Motivation.” Maslow’s hierarchy of human needs is often depicted as a pyramid, with physiological needs at the bottom and more emotional and spiritual needs towards the top.

The needs are further split into “deficiency needs” (things without which life can be intolerable) and “growth needs” (those things which help us develop and improve our lives).

The implication of this model is that we must satisfy those needs at the bottom of the pyramid before we can work on the upper tiers. Common sense confirms the truth of this – you haven’t time to worry about “self-actualization” if the rain is pouring through your ceiling.

Most of our selling is aimed at “growth needs” (although safety products, food staples, mortgages etc might also target the lower part of the pyramid). These are products and services which help people live fully realised lives, where their ambitions and desires can be satisfied. Many of these upper tier “needs” can also be described as “wants” since, at least for a limited time, we can do without them. However, it makes sense to sell your product or service across as many tiers as possible.

In short – when a want and a need are aligned then you have a lay down sale!

Customer Needs

In terms of selling think of needs as MUST-HAVE-DO-OR-DIE criteria. These MUST be fulfilled. Wants are everything else.

When selling to someone listen very closely to the language that they use because it will reveal all and what is most important to them.

Here’s an example:

“The car needs to have 4 doors because of my kids and Bluetooth because I travel a lot and want to sync my phone with the stereo. It must be economical too because I travel more than 20,000 miles per annum to and from work. Bit of poke would be nice, and I’d like heated seats and a wireless charger”

So, let’s look.

The MUST-HAVE-DO-OR-DIE items were:

• Four doors
• Bluetooth
• Miles per gallon

These MUST be fulfilled first before anything else so as a salesperson these would be your go to items to cover off before you look at the other items which were nice to have wants.

They were:

• A bit of poke
• Heated seats
• Wireless charger

So those 3 items could be negotiated but the 3 must have items would not be. Now if you had a car to sell with all 6 features then it should be one of those sales that is easy to close that I mentioned earlier if the price was right.

If you had the 3 must have items and say 2 of the nice to have items, then you could have a sale if you included something else.

Different Types of Customer Needs

There are many different needs which a customer may cite when choosing a product or service. Much will depend upon the unique priorities of each customer but there are consistent and common themes.

Here are some of the most frequently cited needs, beginning with product-orientated needs:

1. Functionality and Fit

It may seem like a no-brainer, but it bears highlighting – your offering must fit the customer and solve the problem they are facing. A sports car is a bad fit for a family man (unless he’s buying a second car for track day escapades). A compact car won’t work well for someone who is unusually tall. You want the customer to instinctively feel “this is right.” Listening to what their needs are and finding a solution that really works will close the sale.

2. Price

People may be willing to go a little higher than their initial budget would allow (most frequently with property purchases) but every customer has a breaking point. Pitching in with a price that preserves your margins but meets the customer’s reasonable expectation is key.

Remember that it isn’t necessary about offering “low, low prices.” For some luxury items, customers expect to pay a premium and may be suspicious of a price tag that’s pitched too low. Would you buy a £100 Rolex?

3. Design and Experience

The look and feel of the product are very important to customers. For one thing, the products we buy often makes a statement about the buyer. What values does your brand promote? Convenience? Beauty? Environmental friendliness? Luxury? Do these values align with the product’s design features and the experience of using it, and do both align with customer needs?

4. Reliability and Performance

You probably thought about n car, reading that header, didn’t you? Cars sell on these needs very frequently. People rely on their vehicles for work, play and getting in the weekly shop. They also enjoy showing off their acceleration, corner handling, safety features and fuel efficiency.

However, both these related qualities apply just as well to a raincoat, an accountancy platform or laptop. People don’t want to keep renewing their products repeatedly, or constantly repairing or upgrading them. Reliability may not be a sexy sell, but it’s a proven one.

There are four main needs that services, in particular, frequently fulfil:

5. Empathy

This is too often overlooked, but people want services that understand them. This is most frequently exemplified in customer service encounters. Will your customers have the best possible experience when they call for assistance, or email to change a booking?

6. Openness and Fairness

Particularly with regards to subscription contracts, customers expect to be treated fairly, offered any discounts they are eligible and not hoodwinked into opting for extras they do not need. Fail to do this and your sale could go badly wrong (cf. the British scandal around insurers’ PPI payments, which were deemed to be sold fraudulently and had to be repaid to over 64 million customers to the tune of over £40 billion to date).

7. Options

Sounds like a simple ask, doesn’t it? But product and service designers know you can’t give every customer everything they want. Within reasonable limits however, services which can be tailored to each customer satisfy the human need for control.

Perhaps it’s in the way subscriptions are structured, or there may be a suite of options that customers can add into their package (a common strategy for cable TV providers and car manufacturers). Customers want to feel free to make the service work for them, rather than having to work around its limitations.

8. Information and Accessibility

Services which are open and accessible to all are the most popular. Going over and above locally mandated disability access requirements can often convey a brand advantage, particularly when this is advertised and sold.

Accessibility is also about making services easier to understand. Mobile contract providers have historically struggled with this, offering far too many variables and options for some customers to understand, leading to the growth of price comparison websites. In a sense, this is the flipside of options – offering too many alternatives can cause paralysis in a customer who is wavering.

When customers need to learn about their service or product, how available is the necessary information, via chatbots, blogs, software demonstration, videos, FAQs, and other functions? Poor customer service has been cited as a major component of consumer choice, with 58% of customers changing service providers after experiencing it, according to a Microsoft report.

Those eight categories contain most (but not all) of the needs that customers most frequently cite. But what of wants? How are they different, and how can they be leveraged by salespeople?

Customer Wants

As we’ve seen, wants are those desirable features which customers have on their “wish list” but whose absence won’t necessarily mean a lost sale.

Example:

A customer needs a family car with a sizable boot, and would like a video-enabled parking aid built in. The “would like” clues the salesperson in to the fact that this second preference is negotiable. In other words, it’s a want, but not a need.

Different Types of Customer Wants

Here are some common wants that customers will express, plus the emotions you are leveraging when you fulfil those wants:

1. Prestige Brands: some customers really put stock in a notable brand, rather than opting for a less well-known or newer provider.

Emotion Leveraged: Pride of Ownership, Confidence.

2. Beauty: Not everyone needs everything in their life to be beautiful, but for some it’s important. Form usually triumphs over function, but for some consumers these are equally important considerations.

Emotion Leveraged: Desire.

3. Add-Ons: This is a catch-all for all those optional extras that certain products love to bundle in. Think cars and PCs, for instance. From ergonomic keyboards to heated passenger seats, there are loads of additional features that could help push a sale over the line. You probably won’t lead with these features, but it’s useful to have them in your back pocket. Up-selling and cross-selling are very important for a salesperson!

Emotion Leveraged: Desire and Confidence.

4. Simplicity: Some customers really do value products and services that they can think about as little as possible. For those consumers, stressing how easy the product is to use, or the service to access, will prove a useful sales strategy.

Emotion Leveraged: Peace of Mind.

5. Creativity: Finally, some customers really value creative and interesting solutions to problems. Think those corkscrews shaped like fish, or James Dyson’s Airblade hand-dryers in toilets. Consumers with a particular interest in product design, creativity or invention may value this feature more highly than other wants or even needs.

Emotion Leveraged: Fascination.

These are just a few examples of customer wants, which you can discover by asking open questions and then tailoring your sales pitch accordingly.

Uncovering the Customer’s Needs and Wants

Imagine that you need a car to get to work each day and to drop the kids off at school. So, you’ve made the decision to buy a car because you NEED it.

But the brand, the make, and the model that you choose will be based on your WANTS. If it was a simple as getting from A to B, then everyone would be driving low-cost cars that did the job.

But purchasing decisions are not made like that!

That’s a good example of grasping the difference between customer needs and wants and is one that I recommend that you take into yours selling interactions.

Normally the decision has been made to make a purchase to fulfil a need. Your job as a salesperson is to cater for their wants and this is where most of your focus should be.

That doesn’t mean ramming benefits and features down the customer’s throat.

Customers hate to be sold to, but they love to buy.

Give the Customer a Good Listening to

So how can you illicit the customers’ needs and wants?

Well, it all comes down to the quality of your questioning and listening skills.

A Consultative Sales approach is a must when it comes down to understanding needs and wants. It’s not a one-way sales pitch here. Instead, you should be asking lots of questions around why they want something, how they want it, the impact it will have on them and what’s important when they make decisions like this.

And what they don’t want is as important as understanding what they do want. Your customer may have made purchasing decisions in the past and have got their fingers burned.

“And I don’t want the payment protection cover because I’ve never made a claim in over 20 years, so I’ve been wasting my money”

Now imagine a salesperson trying to convince this customer that they do need it? It will probably come over as pushy and that it is in the self-interest of the salesperson’s commission rather than what the customer wants.

Some people have fears about what will happen in their business if they don’t achieve their goals. By helping them move away from those situations, you lessen the fears and help them build confidence.

Others have opportunities to achieve goals and they need help to move towards them. This is a chance for you to discuss the gains they would get from your products and services.

Never sell anything unless you understand their needs and wants

“Prescription before diagnosis is malpractice” It’s an old one but a good one.

Your doctor wouldn’t prescribe medicine or drugs without first asking you lots of questions around your symptoms and situation. The same can be said with selling.

Never sell anything without first understanding the customers’ needs and wants.

You can then tailor your interaction with them on the areas that are most important to them. Not the area’s most important to you.

Want to learn more? Why not try one of our Sales Competency Assessments or our free Sales Skills Test which will highlight if you are strong in this area.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling!

Sean

Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training

The post How To Differentiate Between What the Customer Wants & Needs appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

The bottom line is that it’s all about sales improvement. So, let’s look at what sales coaching is, why it’s so important and then we’ll move onto some sales coaching tips and techniques.

Contents

• What is Sales Coaching?
• Why is Sales Coaching Important?
• Sales Coaching Techniques That Work

What is Sales Coaching?

The Coaching Federation describes sales coaching as “an interactive process to help individuals and organisations develop more rapidly and produce more satisfying results; improving others’ ability to set goals, take action, make better decisions and make full use of their natural strengths.”

Sales coaching is all about developing your team. Stretching your high achievers and improving those who are struggling. It helps to be an excellent salesperson yourself, but what’s more important is to have the ability to communicate practical methods for performance improvement and inspiring your sales team to better themselves.

Harvard Business Review points out that the coaching role can’t entail a one-size-fits-all approach. As they note, “coaching is about clarifying relevant behaviours and whether the issue is motivation or ability.” Sales coaching is about the mental attitude of the salesperson as much as it is about what techniques they use to make a sale.

Some call this the skill and the will.

The key skills of a sales coach include:

• A full appreciation of the psychology of sales.
• An understanding of the sales process from prospecting to closing.
• An ability to inspire and encourage people.
• An arsenal of tips and techniques to improve performance.
• The thoroughness and determination to see a challenge through.

Over the years I’ve developed a set of useful sales coaching tips and skills which can help a sales manager to improve their sales team’s performance. We cover these and a lot more within our Sales Management Training that we deliver. Below I’ve listed just 21 of them. I hope this list is practical, useful, and revealing.

Why is Sales Coaching Important?

When you’re managing a sales team of any size, you ideally want to ensure consistency and parity between sales reps. In other words, you want everyone reading from the same script and applying the same approach and sales process. It doesn’t help team cohesion if one rep’s calls are twice the length of another’s, even though both reps’ conversion rates are about the same.

Sales coaching enables you to forensically investigate what’s limiting some of your reps from achieving their potential, which benefits everyone. A coaching approach, rather than a disciplinary one, motivates underperforming reps without assigning blame or creating a punishing atmosphere.

A good sales coach is a successful sales professional who leads by example, someone who reps both want to consult and emulate. Having a great sales coach on your team provides a valuable and always available resource for new reps struggling with the sometimes-steep learning curve that sales can present.

Top Sales Coaching Skills

There are a few general skills that a good sales coach will develop, allowing them to perform this invaluable role.

These include:

1. Listening
2. Asking Questions
3. Being Empathic
4. Consensus Building
5. Motivating
6. Monitoring

Let’s look at these abilities in a little more detail.

Listening. It’s important to begin by listening to a rep’s issues and concerns before stepping in to offer solutions. Asking open questions to prompt free responses and learning how to divulge the subtext of what a rep is saying, are value parts of the listening process. A top coach will take notes and lead by active listening, before offering their opinions and ideas.

Asking Questions. To get at the truth behind a difficulty a rep is facing, it’s vital to ask the right questions, in the correct format, at the right time. You may get more insight by asking a rep why they think they’re currently having troubling closing a sale, than by offering your analysis upfront and discovering whether they agree.

Every rep is different, of course, and some lines of questioning will work better with certain personalities. Good sales coaches get to know their sales teams and develop an intuitive understanding of which strategy will work with each team member.

Hubspot offer a useful half dozen questions to ask to dig into the truth behind underperformance. These include:

• What part of the process do you find most promising, and why?
• How would your prospects describe working with you?
• What strategies and steps would you use to work on X task?

As you can see, most of these questions are open and allow the rep to use their imagination, memory, and creativity to construct a response.

Being Empathic. Linked to the process of listening and asking questions, is the employment of empathy, the ability to see the world the way another does (to “walk a mile in their shoes”). Being able to relate your own experiences to the challenges a rep is facing can be helpful, so long as you don’t always insist that your way of responding to difficulties is the right way. Empathy, to a certain extent is innate and cannot be taught, but it can be enhanced and exercised like a muscle.

Consensus Building. At the end of the day, you want your team to work together, to adopt the same playbooks and approaches, so you need to develop the skill of getting others to agree with the established team sales strategy (or collectively agree a new one). Negotiation and consensus building is a key skill to learn and develop to become an excellent sales coach.

Motivating. It may seem like an obvious point, but if you can stimulate and excite a rep by focusing on the achievement of goals, the attendant rewards, or a sense of deep satisfaction, then that individual is likelier to perform better. If your team members leave one-to-one sessions feeling hyped up about hitting the phones, then you are a great motivator.

Sweeteners and prizes can help, of course. Much has been written about activities and rewards to help motivate a sales team, including running competitions, setting short term goals, and building in more breaks from cold calling. Designing the right reward program is also a key aspect of being an effective motivator.

Monitoring. Lastly, it’s important to have an overview across the sales team, and stay up to date with who’s doing well and who’s struggling. This doesn’t require micromanagement, but it would be advantageous to walk the sales floor now and gain, use team performance dashboards and analytics, and hold regular meetings, so that you have clear and complete oversight.

There are other skills to develop, including the ability to use new technologies, analyze data and communicate effectively with senior management, but the six core skills described above will most likely be the ones you turn to every day.

Sales Coaching Techniques That Work

1. Schedule a regular check-in. Sales managers should plan regular get-togethers with their team to ensure progress is being made. Ad hoc arrangements can allow too much time to elapse between encounters and lessons can slip. A meeting roughly every two weeks is ideal.
2. Reserve time for mentoring. Make sure you set aside specific hours to talk to your salespeople. Think how successful therapists operate – they keep regular, timed hours, setting time aside to focus on their clients. This makes the subject feel listened to and appreciated, and it means you have time to take notes, concentrate and focus.
3. Don’t be afraid to use metrics. KPIs are important – they are what make sales teams answerable to senior executives and act as an overall measure of performance. They also mean you can track improvements over time and demonstrate the effectiveness of your coaching. Don’t necessarily lead with individual performance indicators – this can seem too aggressive – but keep track of how your team is improving across a range of measures which can range from sales funnel metrics and closing ratios through to the age of opportunities and sales velocity
4. Focus on mindset. The attitude and mindset of a salesperson can prove either their secret weapon or their Achilles heel. Major changes can be implemented if the subject starts feeling optimistic about their ability and chance of success. This doesn’t mean being blasé about failure, but it does require a degree of acceptance. After all, for even the best salespeople, less than a quarter are likely to meet their quotas in any given year.
5. Use visuals to back-up theory. Interestingly, for a profession that relies so fully on communication, too few coaches use visual aids such as diagrams, graphs, video, or visual metaphors to make a point. Using images can be both effective and refreshing to an audience that spends so much of their day in verbal or written communication. From team leaderboards to graphs of performance improvement, to examples of great selling, visual aids enliven any coaching session.
6. Go one-on-one when possible. If you’re delivering feedback, or you want your sales rep to really open up about how difficult their role is proving, giving them some personal time can help. Nobody likes to be critiqued in front of their colleagues, but people generally do appreciate honest feedback. When time permits, a few minutes one-on-one can contribute significantly to motivation.



Contents

1. What is Sales Coaching?
2. Why is Sales Coaching Important?
3. Sales Coaching Techniques That Work

The post 21 Effective Sales Coaching Techniques appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/sales-coaching-techniques.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/trade-show-tips.html Thu, 16 Jun 2022 03:00:53 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/trade-show-tips.html Let’s face it – trade shows can be both a blessing and a curse. Get them right and you could collect a horde of potential clients or business contacts in a matter of days. Get them wrong and you’re going […]

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Let’s face it – trade shows can be both a blessing and a curse. Get them right and you could collect a horde of potential clients or business contacts in a matter of days. Get them wrong and you’re going to have some very lonely, desperate hours watching disinterested visitors skirt your stand. These huge fairs can either be exhilarating or dispiriting (for attendees as much as exhibitors). It all depends on your preparation, approach and aims.

To help you get the most out of your investment, we’ve compiled a list of our top trade show tips, learned the hard way from years of attendance on both sides of the fence. For ease, we’ve divided them into categories from pre-planning to last-minute giveaways.

Let’s get started!

Contents

• Trade Show Tips: Planning and Preparation
• Trade Show Tips: Creating a Dynamic Display
• Trade Show Tips: Attracting and Approaching
• Trade Show Tips: Freebies and Handouts
• Trade Show Tips: Contact and Deal Making
• Trade Show Tips: What NOT to do!
• Trade Show Tips: Top Selling Ideas
• Trade Show Tips: Building a Buzz
• Trade Show Tips: Going out with a Bang


 



Trade Show Tips: Planning and Preparation

1: Building your Team & Sales Objectives

Here’s where you should begin. You’ll need confident, friendly, but not desperate or over-familiar people to host. They’ll need to be well-briefed and have concrete aims in mind. Are you trying to build business contacts or make some sales? Is your number one priority to establish your brand or launch a new product line? Settle upon your sales strategy and everything else will follow. Ensure everyone has some effective Sales Training so everyone is on the same page.

2: Divide and Conquer

As well as meet-and-greeters, you’ll need somebody with technical knowhow in case something goes wrong (believe me, it will). You’ll need runners to fetch coffees and liaise with venue staff. Maybe you’ll need someone to give a sales presentation or provide a product demo. You’ll also need to roster sufficient people to cover all the hours of the show. Don’t make people work 14-hour days, since they won’t be able to maintain that 1000-watt smile or can-do attitude when they’re dog tired.

3: Know your Enemy

Before you finalise your planning, or your display, take a tour of your competitors. What are they doing well? What don’t they provide that you could? There may be opportunities to improve your stall to maximize footfall before you open. During the event you’ll want someone to go and talk to your competitors and report back. There may also be opportunities to cross-promote with affiliated companies.

4: Schedule Events

Don’t be too ad hoc – schedule some mini presentations, product demos, or other events to both draw crowds in, and keep your team busy and engaged. Obviously, much will depend upon footfall, and what the event organisers permit in terms of PA, music et cetera. But you’ll have had all those conversations well in advance, won’t you? Any event program which stops your stall simply being a table full of leaflets, will draw eyes and bodies.

5: Get the Tech Right

Get in well in advance to test out any technical equipment you need. It’s easy to overlook things. Do you have enough power points for a printer? Where can your team charge devices? How good is the WiFi when you have potentially thousands of people using the network at once? Is your POS sale device working? Test everything… then test it again!



Trade Show Tips: Creating a Dynamic Display

6: Think Video and Interactivity

We’re basically magpies, forever seeking out the next sparkly thing. Photos are better than text, videos beat photos and interactive displays, where your clientele can navigate to what they want, beat passive video consumption. Have you considered VR? There are a growing series of apps for building virtual 3D walk-throughs (make sure you have enough room for people to move safely!) Perhaps you can create an app that visitors can download and keep?

7: Make it Bright

Think about lighting, colour, and design. What would you want in an inviting space to escape the hubbub of the event venue floor? Have you got comfortable places for people to sit? Is the colour scheme dynamic and eye-catching? Does your stall have a roof, and lighting, so you can address the flat, white light these venues often have as default?

8: Strike a Branding Balance

You’ll want your brand elements to be dominant – logos and colour schemes especially. However, you don’t want to look like you’ve just plastered every surface with your corporate livery. You may also want to check the colour schemes of your neighbours (in advance, of course) so you’ll know whether you are likely to complement, clash or (worse of all) get lost. As soon as you get your event plan, check from which directions your stall will first be encountered and design something which works from those angles.

9: Add an Element of Surprise

When every stall is beginning to look the same, how do you make yours stand out? You don’t need to be too wacky – ditch the clouds and bubble machines. Some unique furniture items, perhaps a fish tank or a video wall can create surprise and create an inviting space. If your brand permits, you could potentially pick a theme – bazaar, cocktail bar, sweet shop – to draw the eye and invite curiosity. Strike a balance between surprising and outré.

Interactive experiences are a big draw too. One of the most popular features at the trade shows that precede major marathons is a treadmill set to make participants run at the speed of the fastest Kenyan champions. It’s fun, memorable – and surprising.

10: Think Instagram, Linkedin and Facebook

One of the best ways to get your brand or stall mentioned on social media is to have a feature display wall that’s “Instagrammable” – think colour, glitter, patterns. Attendees will want their friends and colleagues to know they’ve been to the trade show, so give them something to remember their visit (and you) by.



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/coffees-for-closers-only.html Tue, 03 May 2022 09:51:35 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/coffees-for-closers-only.html   You might be thinking where the term ‘coffee is for closers’ comes from? I think we’ve all watched those sales movies that either act as a lesson or a warning when it comes to sales and business in general. […]

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You might be thinking where the term ‘coffee is for closers’ comes from?

I think we’ve all watched those sales movies that either act as a lesson or a warning when it comes to sales and business in general. I’m thinking of Gordon Gecko in Wall Street and his “Greed is good” speech. I’m talking about Boiler Room and Ben Affleck’s “Group Sales Interview” speech – whilst I’m sure we’d all love to give that speech, we’d be dragged across the hot coals by HR and personnel if we did.

Then there’s The Wolf of Wall Street. Need I say anymore.

Alec Baldwin’s Speech

For my money nothing comes close to beating Alec Baldwin’s “Coffee’s for closers only” speech in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross.

Alec Baldwin is a sales manager sent from company Head Quarters to “Motivate” and to kick in to action a bunch of underperforming real estate salespeople.

It’s an enthralling watch. I wonder if you have ever come across any sales managers like this. Hopefully you haven’t.

If you’d like to know how to motivate your sales team the right way then please check out our Sales Management Training. Our programmes are ethical and focused on providing you with the tools, techniques, and strategies to improve your sales performance in the right way.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

We play the Coffee’s for Closers video on our Sales Training from time to time to show people what not to do. This is an old, outdated and fear driven method to get the best out of salespeople (if you can call it that)

Alec Baldwin’s sales contest is interesting to say the least. First prize is a Cadillac Eldorado, second prize is a set of steak knives and third prize if you’re fired!

All the sales team sat up and took note.

Hope you enjoy it.

Happy Selling

Sean



Sean McPheat

Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Coffee’s For Closers Speech appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/you-still-need-to-sell-the-sizzle-not-the-steak.html Wed, 27 Apr 2022 02:00:12 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5760 We’ve all heard the adage, sell the sizzle, not the steak. However, I often wonder if some salespeople truly understand the concept. Let’s look at what sell the sizzle, not the steak means and how you can apply it to […]

The post You STILL Need To Sell The Sizzle, Not The Steak appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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We’ve all heard the adage, sell the sizzle, not the steak. However, I often wonder if some salespeople truly understand the concept.

Let’s look at what sell the sizzle, not the steak means and how you can apply it to your selling.

Contents

• Sell The Sizzle, Not The Steak – It’s Meaning
• The Feature Benefit Matrix Exercise



Sell The Sizzle, Not The Steak – It’s Meaning

In a nutshell it all comes to down to selling the outcomes and benefits of your products and services.

You will need to discuss and/or present the benefits, results, outcomes, and problem-solving solutions of what you sell to get to a “yes”. You must know how the VALUE of what you sell is worth far more than the sum of its parts.

It all comes down to understanding the difference between features and benefits.

The phrase dates back almost 100 years, to sales guru Elmer Wheeler’s exhortation that salespeople should sell the experience that a product gives to the client, rather than the object itself.

As the 1938 New Yorker profile on the head of the Tested Seller Institute put it, “once Mr. Wheeler has discovered the sizzle in anything, meaning the tang in cheese, the bubbles in wine, the whiff in coffee, the customer is his, or rather his client’s.”

This style of selling engages the senses, the emotions and the memories of a client, which are far more powerful levers than mere logic and common sense.

Those classic Mad Med scenes where Don Draper takes charge of a presentation? Pure sizzle. Look at his Kodak Carousel pitch, where he sells the emotional journey a slide show creates, rather than the new (1960s) technology which makes it possible. It’s a masterclass in emotion-led selling.

What’s In It For Me?

Your customers don’t care how long you’ve taken to build up your business, or your struggle to become the best salesperson in your division.

They only have one question for you, and that’s “What’s in it For Me?”

By this, customers mean, what benefits will I get from the product?

And by benefits they are not talking about nifty features, a more intuitive UX or a special price offer. They are primarily talking about how the product will make their lives better in some way. That’s an intuitive decision first and foremost, which the buyer will then shore up with facts.

And it’s been proven by neuroscience too. As Michael Harris from the Harvard Business Review found out when he talked to neuroscientists, subconscious intuition makes a lot of our decisions for us, sometimes triggering emotions to follow. Only then do we justify our actions using facts and logic. In fact, Harvard Professor Gerald Zaltman claims that 95% of our purchase decisions take place unconsciously.

Of course, it’s not all about triggering powerful emotions or hopes. To clinch the sale, you do still have to run through a product’s main features, since this is the post-rationalization stage the buyer will inevitably experience before they finally commit.

As a rule of thumb, therefore: the more complex or expensive a sales proposition is, the more it helps to begin with the sizzle, then move to the meat of your pitch.

Benefits may have a primal role to play but you still need to have a good grasp of the unique features of your product too.

Extolling the powerful lure of the open road may make someone want to buy a new car, but why your new car?

Now let’s look at what differentiates benefits and features, and how to delineate them in your pitches. This is Sales Training 101!



Examples Of Features

Features of a new piece of accountancy software might include:

• Drag and drop functionality.
• AI-driven formula consistency checking.
• Easy integrations with other popular SaaS platforms.
• Visually intuitive reports and dashboards.
• Free product upgrades for five years.
• 24/7, 365 days a week telephone support.

They are all great attributes and some of them may stand-out from the competition (perhaps you’d highlight the unique use of AI). But to get to the stage of expressing these virtues, you first must persuade the buyer that the product will solve that thorny problem they are experiencing. You must show that the product will make their life better in some way.

That’s where the sizzle comes in – the product benefits.



Examples of Benefits

For the same product (accountancy software), you might stress one or more of these benefits:

• Users report significant time savings, freeing staff up to work on other projects.
• Users have seen accuracy gains of up to 98%.
• Senior management love the highly readable monthly, or weekly reports.
• Real-time data helps reduce unpaid invoice days and improves cashflow.
• Onboarding proves up to 76% faster than the three leading competitor products.

Notice that all these benefits offer to improve the buyer’s working life. Convey these advantages effectively and the customer may imagine themselves having a better work-life balance, gaining approval from senior management, making cost savings, or working more effectively.

Also note that all but one of these benefits can be backed up with metrics, thereby engaging the more logical (and skeptical) side of the buyer. To understand how both the features and benefits of a product or service can be used in tandem, a salesperson can engage a process of enquiry called the Feature Benefit Matrix.



The Feature Benefit Matrix Exercise

Here’s an example of a feature-benefit matrix for the above imaginary accountancy SaaS product, Xerbu. On the rows, we’ve listed the features described above, and in the columns come up with some of the benefits these features provide.

FEATURE
BENEFIT 1
BENEFIT 2
BENEFIT 3
Drag and Drop Functionality
Improved accuracy
Time saved in writing out formulas
Easy and intuitive
AI Consistency Checking
Improved Accuracy
Time saved by avoiding manual checks
Peace of mind
Easy Integrations
No need to build API integrations by hand
Time saved in moving between systems
Less chance of errors and glitches
Better Reports and Dashboards
Provide just what each stakeholder needs
Easier to share between departments
More impactful, informing decision-making.
Free Product Upgrades
Convenience
Cost savings
24/7 Support
Time saved in working out issues
Peace of mind

 

If you take a blank matrix and run your own product features through this process, you’ll quickly see recurring benefits (in the above example, time savings, peace of mind and accuracy). You don’t have to fill every column, and you can add more than three columns for features that provide a host of benefits.

If a salesperson were pitching our fictional accountancy software, they might extol its time saving qualities, how accurate its spreadsheets are and how well it communicates complex financial information. Knowing the benefit-feature matrix, the salesperson can then back up their assertions by pointing to features which achieve these ends.

In so doing, they will effectively engage the intuitive and emotional part of their buyer’s nature, as well as their more logical and fact-driven side.


 

B2B Example

Here’s an example of part of a B2B pitch based on the above matrix:

“Our intuitive accountancy platform, Xerbu, eradicates those easy to make, but hard to detect, mistakes. Its AI-driven automatic formula checker highlights inconsistencies and outliers. It’ll save you thousands of hours annually, and our users have reported a 15% reduction in errors and 27% reduction in unpaid invoice days.”

This spiel focuses on a single benefit (accuracy) and links it to one of the more unusual features (the automated consistency checker), then throws in some impressive metrics.

B2C Example

It should be easier to use benefit-based selling in a B2C context.

After all, in a B2B sale you may be pitching to hardened procurement leads who are used to seeing through the sizzle and getting stuck into the hard facts.

The public, however, ought not to be quite so jaded!

Here’s an example of a benefit-led pitch for a dog walking and grooming service:

“Your dog is your best friend. The last thing you want to do with a friend is entrust them to the care of a total stranger. That’s why at Doggone Care we only employ rigorously vetted animal care specialists, and provide a full, free tour of our 7-day doggie daycare facilities to all prospective customers. You’ll meet our staff and many of our most important clients – the furry, four-footed ones.”

This pitch stresses the benefit of trust and safety, which is highly important to animal owners leaving their beloved pets in the care of strangers. It also details the vetting procedure and all-week daycare facilities, both features enabling this benefit. It does so using a bit of humour too, which helps trigger a positive emotional response.

The Takeaway

We might want to rephrase the cliché a little. Perhaps it should be “sell the sizzle, then the steak.”

Both emotional benefits and physical features are important, but there’s always a primacy to the benefits of a product. The product benefits speak directly to the priorities of the client, which can always be reduced to simple two- or three-word propositions:

• Reduce stress
• Improve revenue
• Reduce errors
• Save Time
• Save money
• Impress the boss
• Work smarter
• Beat the competition

Or, to think of it another way, while invoking another cliché – “cut to the chase!”

Remember, it’s always advisable to gain insight into what your clients want before you start to sell to them – what do they really need? Once you know this, you can sell both that delicious, mouth-watering aroma, and the juicy steak that satisfied that hunger.

Please contact us to discuss your Sales Training Course requirements. We offer several different programmes that include Account Management Training and Sales Management Training Courses.

Don’t know what course to take? Take one of our Sales Assessments that will create a training needs analysis for you.

Make sure to check out, our full portfolio of Sales Training that we offer to gain better knowledge and skills in the workplace.

Happy Selling

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



Contents

1. Sell The Sizzle, Not The Steak – It’s Meaning
2. The Feature Benefit Matrix Exercise

The post You STILL Need To Sell The Sizzle, Not The Steak appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/icebreakers-for-sales-meetings.html Thu, 03 Mar 2022 08:15:46 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=15508   Before I cover some meeting icebreakers for your sales meetings, let me ask you a quick question: Do you enjoy the sales meetings that you run? As a sales manager they are one of the most important parts of […]

The post 17 Sales Icebreakers To Use Within Your Sales Meetings appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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Before I cover some meeting icebreakers for your sales meetings, let me ask you a quick question: Do you enjoy the sales meetings that you run? As a sales manager they are one of the most important parts of your role. However, the number of productive and motivational sales meetings that I have experienced, can be counted on one hand.

Does the following sound familiar to you? The Sales Meeting starts off with the normal banter between salespeople and then the sales manager opens with the current sales performance, tells you they need to improve and then does the same with the opportunities in your pipeline.

“There’s loads bubbling” reply the sales team followed by some of the Best Sales Excuses you’ve ever heard of why they are not making their Sales Targets. Even including the “there are too many leads” excuse.

The Sales Manager tries to pump everyone up without any real substance, only for the sales team to leave the meeting feeling a little demotivated waiting until next months sales meeting. Oh, the joy.

The bottom line is that a sales meeting needs to be a development event. Yes, you need to review the figures, but more time needs to be spent on coaching, training, and helping your sales team to improve their performance. That approach improves Sales Team Motivation much more effectively than just a number crunch.

And this is where a regular icebreaker activity comes into its own.



Why are Sales Icebreakers Important as Part of a Sales Meeting?

As with any activity involving concentration and creativity, salespeople need to warm up to hit their full potential. When you next run a sales meeting or Sales Training session, it’s a good idea to begin with a warm-up exercise, or icebreaker.

These are not the cringeworthy ‘getting to know you’ activities sometimes forced upon teams who don’t know one another very well. Rather, the exercises we’ll describe below are ways of flexing those cognitive muscles so that your meeting can proceed with full focus and creativity.

We’ve pulled together seventeen of the best. Let us know what you think, and whether anything here worked well for you (or didn’t).

1: Brainstorming Sales Objections

Brainstorming is a classic ideation strategy, which helps teams to quickly source thoughts and ideas, without value judgement or self-censorship.

Apply this strategy to the common statements made by potential clients who resist a purchase. What objections are your team facing? It can be both fun and enlightening to think like a buyer for once. It can also provide empathic insight, which can help your sales professionals to overcome resistance.

Do this with Post-It Notes attached to a whiteboard or write them on a flipchart. Ask your team to pair up, then assign two of the most common objections to each pair. Give them five minutes to come up with at least one strategy to Overcome Each Sales Objection.

For the final five minutes, discuss these solutions as a group.

2: Tricky Questions

Ask each salesperson to think of the trickiest question they have been asked by a potential prospect over the last month. Then each team member should present their question to the group, who have a couple of minutes to answer them.

Examples might include: Why aren’t you offering a free trial of this product? Why would I buy your product over your competitor’s cheaper solution?

Patterns should emerge in both the above exercises, which can be helpful when addressing future customer pain points.

3: Beat The Competition

Analyse the USPs of your two top competitors and compare their offerings to your own. Where are you particularly strong or weak?

This can be done in an abbreviated version by listing just the top 3 pros and cons for each competitor. Make sure everyone is honest about the products and services they are analyzing. Do this for five minutes.

Divide into pairs. In each pair, one person is the salesperson, and one is the customer loyal to one of your competitors. Role play the act of changing a prospect’s mind about their favored choice. Try to do so in no more than ten minutes.

4: Speed Pitch

Dealing with time poor clients is one of the big challenges salespeople face. It’s all very well having the perfect pitch outlined, but if you have only a minute to deliver it, you need to think on your feet.

Divide into small teams. Within each team, brainstorm a couple of sentences that sell your product clearly and fully, but in as few words as possible. After five minutes, present your final pitches to the group.

The winning team is the one whose pitch contains the fewest words, yet still conveys the key selling points of your product offering.

5: What’s Wrong With This Call?

Use a recorded customer service call. Play the recording and stop it whenever a mistake is made by the sales professional. Make sure you use a call by an ex-employee, or someone who has agreed to it being used in this way!

Get your salespeople to put a hand up to stop the recording and voice their opinion on what the sales pro did wrong.

Make sure the call is no longer than five minutes in duration. This exercise can also be very useful for training customer service personnel.



6: Sell Me This Pen

A version of the classic sales challenge presented by Jordan Belfort in Wolf of Wall Street, this game can be extended to any object in the room (a whiteboard, a clock, a chair).

Divide into pairs, with the other sales team members watching (it helps to create a little competitive pressure). The first salesperson chooses an object and becomes the potential customer considering a purchase. The second must sell them that object.

To do so they must identify a problem the ‘buyer’ has and present the chosen object as its solution. Keep each turn to a minute or two, then repeat with a different pairing and object.

This exercise focuses the mind on the problem-solving nature of sales, as well as the creativity required to think in the moment. You can remind your team of this experience when they come to discuss the real product offering and customer pain points.

7: Listen Up

When on a call to a prospect, there are certain pieces of personal information your potential customer may give you that can be used as hooks for persuasion. They may indirectly be telling you why your product will solve a specific problem they face.

To perform this exercise, either read aloud a call transcript or play a recording where a customer provides personal insights into their situation.

Without writing anything down, your team should try to recall the useful tidbits of personal data they could leverage were they in a sales situation with the speaker. You can run this exercise a couple of times, with the first run through done cold (your team don’t get the instructions until after you’ve played the call).

8: The Matchmaker

Use printed cards or sheets for this exercise. The idea is to match potential prospects to key products (either your real product range or imaginary ones). The skill being practiced here is primarily recognizing suitable prospects.

Five of the cards feature short product descriptions and the other five contain brief customer biographies, including a description of a task that each customer is trying to undertake. Make sure there is a clear match between each product and one of the customers.

Examples:

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION: A productivity tool that schedules meetings, organizes Zoom calls and automatically updates your Google calendar.

CUSTOMER DESCRIPTION: A busy middle-manager whose PA has just been let go and does not have a budget for a replacement.

Your salespeople can work in small groups, or individually on this task. Go through the correct answers and discuss any ‘wrong’ answers, especially where there’s an argument to be made that a really good salesperson could still make the sale.

9: Questions, Questions

Sales is often about Asking Probing Sales Questions, to try to get the prospect to open up about what they really need.

Your sales team should pair up into seller and prospect for this exercise. Use a real product and a typical customer profile for each pair. You may pre-prepare written customer biographies if this helps.

Each seller is only allowed to use questions to counter any statement made by the prospect. The prospects must answer each question asked of them. Hopefully this will help your sales team think about the psychology underlying a customer’s potential resistance or desire to purchase. By asking the right questions, you can identify and answer any pain points.

10: Keeping It Real

Too often, Sales Scripts can become stale, containing empty buzzwords or phrases which mean little to real customers. In this exercise, all such overused or unhelpful terms are identified and eradicated.

First brainstorm your team for overfamiliar, obscure, or meaningless terms you’d like to avoid using. Write all of these up on a whiteboard or flipchart and keep this in sight throughout the exercise. This stage should take less than five minutes.

Divide into pairs with a seller and buyer in each pair. Roleplay a sales call where the seller must avoid using ANY of the terms on the whiteboard. The buyer can make it more challenging by asking questions which might tempt the seller to use a forbidden term.

The exercise emphasizes the gulf between what a buyer understands about your product and what your salesperson knows. Being able to use simple words and phrases to convey your product value propositions can be immensely useful.

11: Common Ground

Establishing Rapport is key to selling, especially by telephone or face to face. It can be useful to try an exercise where you identify connections between the buyer and seller.

Divide into pairs – prospect and salesperson. The prospect starts by making a generic statement about their day, the weather, or how they are feeling. The aim is to begin with small talk and end up somewhere meaningful and connected.

The salesperson must ask questions leading from that initial statement to reach a place in the conversation where they can identify common ground.

Perhaps they have visited the same seaside town, suffered the same sports injury, or attended the same college. You can run this exercise once where the ‘connections’ can be fictitious, and then a second time where the salespeople must use real connections from their own lives.

The trick, as with all good conversations, is to forge connection, while keeping the subject located within the prospect’s experience. In other words, it’s all about the prospect, not the salesperson.

As well as providing a conversational entry-point, common ground can be vital to making a sale. Where both parties genuinely benefit, a deal is likelier to be struck, as this Harvard Business Review article explains.

You can keep this exercise to five minutes and run it with two or three different pairings for each participant.

12: Selling ICE To Greenland

Creativity and quick-thinking are vital skills to nurture. The following game can be a good way of flexing those lateral thinking muscles.

The game uses two sets of flashcards – one set contains brief product descriptions and the second lists unlikely sales prospects. Ideally all the products are a hard sell for all the prospects. This game helps sales professionals deal with some of the bad leads they will inevitably be dealt from time to time.

Divide the group into pairs (or threes) and have one salesperson and one or two prospects (an individual or a couple) per grouping.

Have them randomly select their products and profiles but not show these to the other side of the negotiation. Then let the sales challenge commence. Make sure your prospects get properly into character and offer objections that might typically pertain.

13: Product Quizzes

If you have a new product line to sell, and you want to challenge your team to absorb as much information as quickly as possible, it can be helpful to gamify the process.

Create a focused Sales Presentation about the new product line (perhaps using slides) and read / show this to your team. Then simply run a quiz where you invite answers to key questions about the product.

You can decide whether you want your team to know that a quiz is coming or not. If the quiz is sufficiently compact (perhaps ten questions), you could run it twice. For the second run-through re-read the presentation, then ask ten different questions.

To make it more competitive, you can divide the room into two teams. For the second half of the quiz, you can decide whether you want your team to be provided with pens and notepaper, or simply listen and remember.

Using a quiz provides a more entertaining way to motivate deep product knowledge, while inviting competition between your sales teams.

14: Sales Funnel Experts

Have all of your sales team come armed with their pipeline and a print out of where each deal is in their respective Sales Funnel Stages. Jot down on a whiteboard or flipchart who is the strongest salesperson at each stage.

For example, some salespeople might be able to create proposals quick, but others might have a blockage at the “Creating Proposal” stage whereas others are weak at the “Follow Up” stage.

The objective of this exercise is to identify who the strongest salesperson is at each stage of your Sales Process and for them to present and go over what they do.

Create a best practice guide for each stage of the pipeline and ensure all your sales team receive this.

15: Take Inspiration

Play a short 5-minute clip of a YouTube video and ask your sales team for some key takeaway lessons from it.

The lessons can be examples of inspiration or what not to do!

For example, you could use Al Pacino’s Inspirational Speech and ask your team how they can apply it to their sales. Conversely, ask them to watch the famous sales manager’s speech Coffee’s For Closers given by Alex Baldwin in the movie Glengarry Glen Ross.

I’ve compiled a list of the 10 Best Sales Movie clips that you can use for this exercise.

There’s a lot of learning to be had, good and bad, from all of them.

16: Vote On The Quote

Ask each of your sales team to bring to the meeting a top motivational quote.

It can be about sales, business, or life in general.

Everyone in turn reads out their quote and why they like it. The whole team then votes on the best quote they have heard that day and then it becomes the quote of the week.

The quote is then displayed somewhere for all to see.

If you’re in need of some ideas for this we have created 69 Inspirational Sales Quotes to get you started!

17: Sales Skills Audit

There’s a little preparation that’s required before this session. Ask each of your sales team to take this Sales Skills Test.

It’s completely free, there’s no charge, and it consists of 64 questions and covers all the main areas of selling.

Each of your salespeople will receive a personalised 19-page report broken down into their strengths and areas of development in the following competencies:

• Planning and preparation
• Needs assessment
• Offering solutions
• Overcoming objections
• Closing
• Negotiating
• Follow up
• Self-development

Pair everyone up and ask them to discuss their results with each other for 5 minutes.

Were there any surprises? What did you learn? What are you going to do more of, less of, start doing and stop doing because of the output from the Sales Skills Assessment.

How to End Each Icebreaker

You want to leave five minutes at the end of each initial session to evaluate what was gained from the exercise.

There are really three key questions to ask:

1. What was particularly challenging about the exercise?
2. What did we learn from doing it?
3. How can these lessons be applied to our core sales functions?

To reiterate, these are not primarily team-building exercises, but instead are ways of getting into gear, so that the rest of the training session runs smoothly and effectively.

Please get in touch with us for more information on our Sales Management Training and Account Management Training Courses. All our courses are highly practical and interactive.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 17 Sales Icebreakers To Use Within Your Sales Meetings appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/handle-deal-rejection-sales.html Thu, 06 Jan 2022 09:00:04 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4490   A salesperson with a fear of rejection is like a lifeguard with a fear of water. It is a serious problem. Although, faced with a constant flow of rejection, absorbing one “No” after another, it is only understandable to […]

The post How To Handle And Deal With Rejection In Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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A salesperson with a fear of rejection is like a lifeguard with a fear of water. It is a serious problem. Although, faced with a constant flow of rejection, absorbing one “No” after another, it is only understandable to begin to develop a pessimistic anticipation when cold calling or even when you’re asking for the sale.

In addition, those old thoughts like, “It takes X amounts of NOs to get a YES…” and, “You should not take rejection personally…” provide little comfort.

So, let’s look at how you can handle and deal with rejection in sales.

Rejection In Sales

You may have heard of the dreaded “Fear of Rejection,” or “Phone Phobia.” Those dreaded mental and psychological blocks that hamper and even destroy sales success.

To have a fear or apprehension of rejection is a very natural human reaction.

However, as a sales professional, you do not have the luxury of succumbing to this normal human emotion.

A professional salesperson who suffers from a fear of rejection, is like a brain surgeon who suffers from a fear of the sight of blood. It is not going to work. Dealing with rejection is an integral part of your job.

So how do you, as a human being, overcome this natural fear of receiving rejection in sales especially when you are asking for the order?

Here are a few ways to help you get over it!

Understand the Fear

Let’s face it; the fear of rejection is not unfounded, in particularly if you work on a low basic salary with potential high commission rates. The problem is that rejection in sales involves the loss of money that is often substantial. The fear comes from the risk of losing income and even food on the table or the roof over your head.

Yes, as a salesperson faced with possible rejection, in your mind, it is more than just the potential loss of money. It is the possible loss of EVERYTHING: your home, food, car, family, dignity; and your lifestyle, as you know it. With so much at stake, so much to lose; of course, there is fear.

Put the Fear in Perspective

You first need to put the entire situation in its proper perceptive. You need to get a clear and definitive picture in your mind about exactly what is at risk when you ask for the order. When you ask for that sale, what is it that is truly at stake? What will you lose if the prospect says no? A clear sales mindset at this stage is essential for your success.

Not What You Think

Let’s make this simple; you’re about to ask for the sale in which you would earn a commission of £1,000. Naturally, you feel that if rejected, you lose £1,000. However, that is not true. To determine what is truly at risk, figure out the true momentary value of that ONE sales call.

What is Actually at Risk?

As an example, let’s say that you earn an average of £1,000 when you close a sale. However, with a 20% closing average, it takes you 5 closing attempts to close one sale. Therefore, each closing attempt is essentially worth only one fifth of the total, or £200.

Should the prospect buy, you earn £200, not £1,000. Does that make sense?

What Do You Lose?

Let us take this a step further though. Since you earn £200 per closing attempt, it does not matter if the prospect buys or not. You still earn £200. Every time you ask for the sale, you earn a certain amount of money, no matter what.

You Are Paid Every Time

Do you fear rejection when cold calling and making those telesales calls? Assume that you earn £200 for every closing attempt. Yet, it takes you 10 cold calls to set one appointment for that closing attempt. Therefore, you essentially earn £20 for every cold call you make regardless of the outcome of any individual call. The people who are really good at telesales do this.

Figure out your actual numbers, the true value of each closing attempt and each sales activity in your business. It does not matter if you earn £200 per close or £20. It does not matter if you make £10 per cold call or £1.

The fact is that you get paid for every rejection.

You lose nothing. You risk nothing. You get paid no matter what.


 

How To Handle Rejection In Sales

Rejection and fear are the most debilitating emotions a human being can experience. It can stop you emotionally and physically from carrying out even mundane tasks, depending on the level of fear experienced.

Being fearful is not something that can normally be instantly put aside. If you’re really concerned about an upcoming sales meeting, where you feel you may be put on the spot, or you haven’t prepared enough for, someone telling you that ‘it’s ok, everything will be alright’ isn’t actually very helpful, because the person suffering knows that the opposite will probably be true.

Psychologists tell us that fear of rejection is a protection mechanism that the brain employs when it realises it faces a dangerous, difficult or pain-inducing position.

Wikipedia’s definition of fear is:

‘Fear may occur in response to a specific stimulus happening in the present, or to a future situation, which is perceived as risk to health or life, status, power, security, or in the case of humans wealth or anything held valuable. The fear response arises from the perception of danger leading to confrontation with or escape from/avoiding the threat (also known as the fight-or-flight response), which in extreme cases of fear (horror and terror) can be a freeze response or paralysis.’

The fear-triggering memory or stimulus can make us appear nervous wrecks in front of decision-makers. But remembering that it is there for a purpose should help us as salespeople in coping with the situations we have to face. If you also remember that FEAR could stand for False Expectation Appearing Real, it could help you approach that situation with a little less trepidation.

What can you do if you face a situation that makes you fearful?


 
NHS Choices give us some tips on how to deal with those types of situations. Here are just a few:

1. What’s The Worst That Can Happen?

When you’re anxious about something, it can help to think through what the worst result could be. Even if a sales pitch, a call or a meeting goes horribly wrong, chances are that you and the world will survive. Sometimes the worst that can happen is a panic attack.

If you start to get a faster heartbeat or sweating palms, the best thing is not to fight it. Stay where you are and simply feel the panic without trying to distract yourself. Placing the palm of your hand on your stomach and breathing slowly and deeply (no more than 12 breaths a minute) helps soothe the body.

It may take a while, but eventually the panic will go away on its own. The goal is to help the mind get used to coping with panic, which takes the fear of fear away.

2. Get Real

Fears tend to be much worse than reality. Often, salespeople who have been rejected feel that it will happen on every call, but with proper cold call preparation, it may not happen that way again. Similarly, people sometimes tell themselves they’re a failure because they don’t hit their sales targets every campaign. This then makes them feel bad. But when you recognise these fears are normal, the anxiety often goes away.

3. Don’t Expect Perfection

Look for progress rather than perfection. Thinking such as, “If I’m not the best salesperson in my company, I’m a failure,” could be unrealistic and only set us up for anxiety.
Life is full of stresses, yet many of us feel that our lives must be perfect. Bad days and setbacks will always happen, and it’s essential to remember that life is messy.

4. Go Back To Basics

A good sleep, a good meal and a walk are often the best cures for anxiety. The easiest way to fall asleep when worries are spiralling through the mind can be to stop trying to nod off. Instead, try to stay awake.

Many people turn to alcohol or drugs to self-treat anxiety with the idea that it will make them feel better, but these only make matters worse. On the other hand, eating well will make you feel great physically and mentally. Also, go for a walk and take in some exercise.

5. Reward Yourself

Give yourself a treat. When you’ve met that decision-maker from hell or made that call you’ve been dreading, reinforce your success by treating yourself to a country walk, a concert, a meal out, a book, a movie, or whatever little gift makes you happy.

You will associate this success with overcoming the fear, so next time you brain will concentrate on how well you did last time and help you to look forward to the situation next time.

It may be that your fear of rejection is hindering your sales success and causing more problems than these five ideas could solve. In those cases, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy has been successful in helping people overcome fear. Because fear is more complex than just forgetting or deleting memories, an active and successful approach involves people repeatedly confronting their fears. By confronting their fears—in a safe manner—a person can suppress the fear-triggering memory or stimulus.

Above all, don’t think that you are alone in having fears. Every human being, no matter how confident they appear, will have fears, so be aware that they can be overcome with the right strategies and approaches.



A Useful Way For Dealing With Rejection

Bestselling Sales Training author Brian Tracy, came out with a very useful method for handling rejection in sales. I recommend that you use it to bring perspective to your selling.
He called it: SW, SW, SW, SW.

This stands for:

• Some Will
• Some Won’t
• So What?
• Someone Is Waiting

Some Will

Some people will say yes and will purchase your products and services. It will be right for them, and it will be the right time.

Some Wont

Conversely, some people won’t buy. It might not be right for them, or the timing might be off.

So What?

At times it may feel like it’s the end of the world, but it isn’t. The sun will rise tomorrow, and you can go again. Put things into perspective. Don’t get into a sales slump, instead shrug your shoulders, and say so what?

Someone Is Waiting

Potential customers are out there waiting to hear from you. Someone is waiting right there now and will say yes. So go out and find them.

Responding To Rejection

I find that a useful way to respond to rejection is to always have your anti-rejection levels high in the first place.

I’ve covered some sales techniques to use within this guide but I’m always keeping my mindset right and my mental approach to selling the right way so whatever is thrown at me just bounces off.

Therefore, I don’t have any peaks and troughs to how I feel. I feel good when I’m on top and I feel good when I am having a tougher time. I play the averages remember.

Some of the ways I keep my anti-rejection levels high is that I listen to a lot of sales audios, I watch a lot of sales videos, movies and read a lot of books. Here are some of our own resources that you might find useful:

• 69 Inspirational Sales Quotes To Keep You Going
• Al Pacino’s Inspirational Speech
• Best Sales Movies To Watch

I’m forever questioned why I keep watching all these resources and continually working on myself. I take my profession very seriously and so should you.

They all enable me to develop a growth mindset which means I am always looking for the positive in all situations and looking to take all experiences as an opportunity to develop, learn and grow.

Below is one of my favourite growth mindset images.


 

Faced with rejection you can easily destroy your self-worth and confidence with negative self-talk. You can quickly fall into a fixed mindset about it all with negative self-talk such as:

“I give up”

“I’m just not that good at this”

“I’m never going to get this”

These are never going to help you. Instead, you need to train your brain to rephrase and remodel negative thoughts like this:

Instead of “I give up” say “I’ll keep trying”

Instead of “I’m just not good at this” say “I’ll try the strategies that I’ve learned”

Instead of “I’m never going to get this” say “I’m on the right track”

Most Selling Skills Training that you will attend do not cover areas like this and they should. Our Sales Training programmes do cover them because we recognise the importance of being able to deal with and handle rejection. It’s a big part of a sales role so why shouldn’t it be covered!

You can have all the techniques and strategies in the world. The bottom line is that you will not win every deal. You will be rejected. So, you need to be able to cope with it and move on.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Handle And Deal With Rejection In Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/oversee-cultivate-maintain-accounts.html Sat, 18 Dec 2021 12:26:02 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/cultivate-your-accounts.html   So, you’ve located the prospect, qualified the lead, made the contact, secured the appointment, made the presentation, presented the proposal, asked for the sale and finally closed the business. You now have a customer; that is someone who has […]

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So, you’ve located the prospect, qualified the lead, made the contact, secured the appointment, made the presentation, presented the proposal, asked for the sale and finally closed the business.

You now have a customer; that is someone who has done some business with you.

But now what do you do? The objective must be to gain more repeat business from that customer and increase their lifetime value.

Oversee & Maintain Your Accounts

How do you turn that customer into a loyal client?

Understand this: creating long-term client relationships is not as easy as it once may have been. Today’s consumers are sophisticated, educated, savvy buyers who have a whole world of information at their fingertips.

You need to develop an account management strategy for each of your customers to maximise their profitability over the long run.

Add the fact that your competition has become fiercer and are constantly trying to “buy” your customers and the result is buyers who are far less loyal then in the past and stand ready to “trade up” the moment you miss a beat.

You must know how to build “relationships” and become an integral partner in such that you transcend the lure of a discount.

In reviewing your account base for more business remember three words:

• Care
• Cultivate
• Consult

Care – for the Customer

The dictionary definition for “to care” means to be concerned.

The first thing you must do is demonstrate that you are concerned; that you care for your customer and their business.

Note the word I used was “demonstrate” and not “talk about.”

You can tell the customer how much you care but you must show that in what you do. How often do you call to ensure their needs are met?

Not to see if you can get another order; but to see if you can be of service?

As you work with your base, you want to contact your customers and show that your concern for their well-being and success goes beyond the commission you already spent.

Send an email asking new sales questions, continuing to sell your services and the fact that you are always available.

“Hi Jane; of course, you know we sell software solutions, but I noted the last time I was there that you were having some problems with your file and print servers. I was just wondering if I may be of some help.”

Let your customer know that you are there to assist even in areas where you do not get paid to do so. Keep notes in your CRM database, keep your eyes open for industry news that may apply to the customer and ask questions.

You did things like this when you were trying to impress the prospect to get the first sale—now keep it up as you are managing the account.



Cultivate – the Relationship

Most salespeople believe that the way you cultivate and build a relationship is to go out of your way to become drinking buddies, golfing partners or talk about your kids or pets all the time. It’s much more than that.

The correct path to a deep relationship is to continually provide valuable services, solve problems and become a close “partner” to your customer.

By doing this, the personal relationship will automatically develop—but it will be sincere. People are not going to remain loyal to you just because you sent a bottle of scotch or ‘butter them up’ with false flattery every time you see them. Be sincere and help them.

“Jane, I came across this article on international mortgage rates and I know you are looking for a new location, so I thought you could use this information…”

A good way to cultivate is to ask the customer to explain and boast about their achievements. As they do this, it gets you deeper in to the company and closer to the client.

“Jane, since you took over IT at XYZ, you increased efficiency 85% and I am glad I was able to help with our software solutions. But I would really be interested to know how you overcame so many other challenges like that high turnover you had in the helpdesk department. How did you overcome that?”

Having quality conversations like these is what a successful account manager does in their daily schedule.

Consult – Always

Continue to be a consultant, which means to give advice; to be a counsellor, industry authority and mentor.

“Jane, there is a conference next week on international shipping; it might be a good idea if your shipping manager could be there.”

“Jane, I know you have a stand at the upcoming conference, and I would like to give your sales team a few extra tips on using our CRM that will help them maximise the amount and quality of the leads they capture…”

For solid account management: Show you care. Cultivate and broaden the relationship and continue to be a consultant.

Interested in taking some Account Management Training? Our Sales Training is practical, interactive and will provide you with the account management strategies that you need to oversee, cultivate, and maintain your accounts.

If you’re leading a team of account managers, then please check out our Sales Management Training which will provide you with techniques on how to manage your sales team to farm their accounts more effectively.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Oversee, Cultivate & Maintain Your Accounts appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/three-steps-to-handle-the-im-just-looking-objection.htm Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:00:45 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2991   It is incredible that three mere words from a total stranger will often create fear, frustration, and feebleness in some of the most experienced retail salespeople. The extremely common response of “I’m just looking” from a prospective customer, causes […]

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It is incredible that three mere words from a total stranger will often create fear, frustration, and feebleness in some of the most experienced retail salespeople.

The extremely common response of “I’m just looking” from a prospective customer, causes some retail sales reps to walk away and wait for the prospect to convert themselves into a buyer.

But is it really a sales objection or is it something else?

If you think about it, the term, “I’m just looking,” it’s not an objection, a stall, or an excuse.

“I’m just looking,” is a literal and logical fact that is a clear and decisive step in the sales process.

This step in the sales process is also a good thing for the salesperson because you should know that it is coming and you can therefore plan for it.


 

“No thanks, I’m just looking” is not a sales objection

The fact is that people do not look at things they do not like or want. When was the last time you got up and went out to a new car dealership just to look at some cars when you had absolutely no intention of ever buying a new car? If you have ever gone out and looked at some new cars, it is only because you had some desire to eventually purchase a new car.

Even the preverbal window-shopper still has a purchase in the back of their mind, even if that purchase, at the time, is not much more than a dream or a wish. When a prospect says that they are just looking, they are telling you that they are looking for something that they desire; something that they want or need.

The looker is a buyer

Instead of assuming that the “I’m just looking,” prospect is not a buyer; assume the opposite and that they are.

When they say, “I’m just looking…” understand that the prospect;

1. Has the purchase of something in mind
2. May not yet have a set budget for the item or even believe they can afford it
3. May not yet have a time frame in mind or believe the purchase is even possible

If you just look at those three points, you will note that they consist of the things you are supposed to do as a professional salesperson; and that is to HELP the prospect.



How To Help The Prospect To Look

Look at the above three points.

• The prospect has the purchase of something in mind

Is it not your job to help people get what they want and need?

• The prospect may not have yet a set budget for the item or even believe they can afford it

Is it not your job to HELP the prospect understand the VALUE of the item or service, and how they can afford it?

• The prospect may not yet have a time frame in mind or believe the purchase is even possible

Is it not your job to HELP the buyer understand the urgency, and how and why they need to act quickly?

Example 1 – Help there and then

Instead of…

Salesperson: “Hi, can I help you with anything?”

Prospect: “No thanks, I’m just looking.”

Try…

Salesperson: “Hi, is there something specific you would like to look at, or would you rather just look around?”

(This instantly prevents a defensive response from the prospect regarding just looking.)

Prospect: “Ah, yeah, I’d like to just look around for a while.”

Salesperson: “No problem. We’ve got some specials on today. Was there anything you’re looking for in-particular?”



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/why-companies-lose-customers.html Wed, 08 Dec 2021 09:20:42 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2578   How many customers have you lost in the past year or two? Are you certain of that number? How many have simply stopped buying from you, but you don’t know it? Remember; people don’t stop buying, they just stop […]

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How many customers have you lost in the past year or two? Are you certain of that number? How many have simply stopped buying from you, but you don’t know it?

Remember; people don’t stop buying, they just stop buying from you. You might not even be aware of your customer churn, and it could be costing you a lot in terms of lost sales.


 

Why do we lose customers?

There are many reasons, some of which are below. But the interesting fact is that most salespeople know why they lose customers, but they just don’t do anything about it.

Customers will walk away from you without telling you, unless you have built up a good relationship with you, in which case they might tell you why they are going to use your biggest competitor.

Here’s why many customers leave:

1. You show no genuine care or personal attention. It’s the main reason we all leave a supplier. We just don’t matter to them. If you don’t care, they will go somewhere that will care. People will even sacrifice quality for speed. If you don’t have an account management strategy then everything is left to chance.
2. You’re hard to do business with. Complicated terms and conditions, difficult to get hold of the right people, a thousand buttons to press before you get hold of a human being. All these things and more tell the client that our sales processes and procedures are more important than you ever will be.
3. Unfriendly people. I’m staggered by how many unfriendly people there are on the front line of service providers. We all have a bad day, but don’t take it out on the next customer. It’s not their fault. If you don’t want to help people, leave, and let someone else do it who has manners.
4. You blame the process or system for poor service. Apologising for the delay only scratches the service. If you can’t be bothered to invest in updating your systems, don’t expect me to put up with delays and problems. I’ll go somewhere who puts customers first, thank you.



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-key-sales-skills-of-the-modern-sales-professional.html Fri, 03 Dec 2021 08:00:47 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6465 What does it take to be a successful sales professional? It’s a question we get asked a lot on our Sales Training. Our answer is always the same. It’s a case of having the skill and the will to succeed. […]

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What does it take to be a successful sales professional? It’s a question we get asked a lot on our Sales Training. Our answer is always the same. It’s a case of having the skill and the will to succeed. Having and mastering key sales skills is important but if you’re not motivated or have a bad attitude then it will be a waste. On the flip side, if you have someone who is extremely motivated but doesn’t know what to do then you’ll never make your sales target.

Let’s look at the habits, the sales skills and the approach needed to be a successful modern-day sales professional and then we’ll list 100 top sales skills and ways that you can improve.



Professional Sales Skills List

Qualification Skills

It’s impossible to sell to everyone you meet – not all will have the need or want for your products and services right now. Concentrate on those who are most likely to need your services and spend less time on those who don’t. Don’t let your pipeline get blocked with prospects who keep you waiting too long or cause more trouble than they are worth.

To do:

• Create strict qualifying criteria that your prospects have to meet in order to earn your valuable time dealing with them.

Problem Solving Skills

Get away from the idea that you are selling products or services. Apprentice and recognise the fact that you are solving prospects’ problems. Many of our prospects will not be aware that they have problems until we show them how life for them could be like if they made the decision to go with us. And you can motivate your prospect to choose you over your competition when they discover that you can do it better than everyone else.

To do:

• Work out what problems you solve
• Spend your time searching for companies who have those problems

Communication Skills

On our Selling Skills Training we find many people who believe they are very good communicators, but this is a very broad area. They can master one area only to fall on another.

The 3 areas with the biggest pay off include the ability to ask quality questions, listening and rapport building. If you master those 3 areas, you will be a top sales professional.

To do:

• Think of 5 questions you can use to build rapport when talking with a prospect
• Identify 10 quality sales questions you can ask of your prospect.
• Improve your listening skills by making lots of notes as others talk and really focus in on what they are saying rather than thinking of what to say next

Telephone Skills

Sounding good on the telephone is a given. I want to focus on voicemails and getting through gatekeepers. You would cringe if you could hear some of the voicemails we get left at our office by salespeople. At worst, they are dire and create a terrible impression for their company and services; at best, they are not well-prepared. Getting your voicemails returned requires a unique approach so you sound different to everyone else as does identifying and getting past those gatekeepers.

To do:

• Have 5 prepared scripts you can use if your decision-maker is unavailable
• Make your message focus on a prospect-specific reason why they should talk to you. Show you’ve done your homework on them.
• Keep statistics per message on the number of returned calls. Use the best performing message and then repeat the process
• Learn how to identify a gatekeeper screen and how to get through it
• Attend some formal telesales training to learn how to do it right



Sales Presentation Skills

When you get to the point where you can present or talk about your solutions, remember that they have recognised they have a problem, so here’s your chance to impress. Don’t talk on and on about your products and services. Instead, talk about how their results will change as they reap the benefits of using them.

Make the presentation come alive with stories, anecdotes, testimonials, and results from customers who have used you before. Here’s why using sale case studies are important.

Ensure that you cover the logical and emotional reasons of using you.

To do:

• Be clear on the problems your prospect faces and how your product and services solve them
• What are the benefits of your products and services?
• Gather case studies, testimonials, and examples of how you have helped others
• Use these sales pitch tips to ensure your presentation is engaging and inspiring

Social Selling Skills

We are getting more and more requests for Social Selling Training on how to use LinkedIn in the right way to prospect and sell. Ensure that you’ve got an up-to-date profile with a professional photo and that all your career history and summaries are relevant. Your prospects and customers will more than likely check you out on LinkedIn so make sure your profile gives them the impression you want them to see.

To do:

• Audit your LinkedIn profile. What would a new prospect think to your photo and contents?
• Take an hour or two and ensure that it is on point and covers how you help your prospects. Unless you are looking for a job it should appeal to your prospective customers and not to headhunters.

Negotiating Skills

I’m always surprised when I hear that the vast majority of salespeople have not attended any formal Sales Negotiation Training. Negotiation is all about agreeing the terms of the deal and they can surface as early as at the sales objection phase. Negotiating is all about giving to get and focusing on an outcome that is a win for all parties.

It’s easy to close a deal if you discount all the time and the buyer takes the shirt off your back. That’s why I recommend improving your negotiation skills to protect your margins and your integrity.

To do:

• Learn why sales negotiation skills are important
• Discover phrases to use when negotiating discounts
• Understand the 5 stages of the negotiation process
• Work out what you have to trade apart from price

Customer Service Skills

Some sales cycles can be a long, drawn-out process and you will need to keep your cool as well as your nerve at times as the customer changes their mind and as their circumstances change. It’s important to learn customer care skills, empathy and sometimes even complaint handling.

To do:

• Learn what good customer service skills are
• Think about the customer journey and the touchpoints you have with them – are you giving them the best possible customer service?
• When faced with aggressive sales objections how do you handle them? Do you get defensive, or do you focus on the customer and helping them?



Top Salesperson Qualities

So far, I have touched on the skills you need to become a top sales professional. I’d like to look at the qualities you will need to demonstrate. This is more of a mindset and approach to your craft rather than any hard or soft skills.

A Commitment To Learning

You need a sense of growth in everything you do. When you develop your skills over time, you become a more valuable person in sales and in general.

It requires you to make time to improve and invest in your future career. Only then will you see rewards for the time you put into your work. If you think that the road paved with gold will miraculously build itself for you, you’ll be sorely disappointed.

The only time success comes before work is in the dictionary.

Curiosity

This quality allows you to ask the better and deeper questions, to become the source of knowledge and wisdom and highlight the ways a company can improve. Curiosity reduces the tendency to judge and builds an attitude of inquisitiveness rather than one of criticism. It makes you want to dig deeper and find out the reason ‘why’.

Instead of simply condemning a decision that a prospect makes, a curious salesperson will develop a keen eye and keep a watch on what would make someone change their mind or create opportunities for growth. A curious mindset is a great quality to engender and develop.

Embed Yourself In Their Company

Rather than viewing yourself as a salesperson you should look at yourself as a trusted advisor. Someone your customer can call for advice and guidance on all matter of topics. This means getting under the skin of the company and really understanding what is going on. It’s much more than any Account Management Training can cover. This is all about becoming an extension to your customer’s business.

Become A Change Agent

The only constant in sales will be change, so you need to develop the mastery of dealing with change and its incumbent results. Learn how to become more resilient and how to deal with ambiguity and uncertainty.

Agility

Agility can be defined as ‘the power to move quickly and easily’.

With an agile mindset, a person can respond quicker to situations and challenges that come their way. How do we define an agile mindset?
Leanne Howard, an Agile Practices Consultant, defines five components that make an agile mindset:

• Positive attitude
• Thirst for knowledge
• Goal of team success
• Pragmatism
• Willingness to fail

Those ten skills and qualities will help you become someone who will be welcome in your clients’ businesses.

If you’re looking to take your game to the next level, try our 2-day Sales Skills Training course. It will cover the concepts learned in this blog in greater detail and in turn will help you to close more sales.



100 Top Sales Skills To Improve

We’ve covered a lot in this guide to answer the question; what makes a successful salesperson and overall, they can be put into 4 main categories:

• Attitude
• Skills
• Knowledge
• Hard work

The best salespeople expect to succeed. They always see the glass as being half full, not half empty. They have excellent communication skills and really care about their clients.

They see selling as a problem-solving process where their role is to help their customers and build solid, long-term relationships. They know about their products and their market.

Also, they work hard, especially when times are tough.

I was challenged to come up with the 100 ways to improve sales results and here they are.

You will notice they are all simple, practical, and sensible. Sales is not Rocket Science.

The basic principles are what matter and like the top sports people, the high performers in sales are successful because they understand and put into practice, the basic skills.

Ready? Here you go.



Attitude & Mindset Skills

1. Begin with your attitude. The best salespeople think positively. Beware of negative thoughts. Thoughts like, “I could never do that” and “What if I fail?” can seriously impact the way you behave

2. When top salespeople catch themselves thinking a pessimistic thought about their situation, they evaluate the evidence. What are the facts–not the fears—but the facts?

3. The best salespeople are aware of the importance of the image they present to clients. Invest in the way you look. You don’t want to be perceived as just another rep!

4. Online research. Find out about your client’s future. Keep up with technology.

5. Don’t use high pressure selling techniques on your customers. They don’t work. Treat your customers as you would want to be treated.

6. Develop a style of selling that is relaxed and friendly, while still being professional

7. Never sell anything to a customer that they don’t need, or can’t afford



Goals, Plans & Targets

8. Set yourself goals. The most successful salespeople have clear goals and can tell you what they are

9. Set SMART goals. Specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timebound

10. Put together a sales plan.

11. Discuss your sales plan with your manager. Use your manager as a resource

12. What is happening in your market? Set yourself short, medium, and long-term goals that reflect the way the market is changing

13. When you write your sales plan begin by defining your objectives. What do you want to achieve over a defined period? Write your objectives down and make sure they are SMART



Self-Development & Your Career

14. Read a serious newspaper (online or offline) at least once a week. Be aware of current affairs so you can have a sensible conversation on any topic. Read blogs and publications that can keep you up to date. This was one of the best bits of advice I was given as a young salesperson

15. Read books on selling. Listen to sales podcasts on selling and watch videos on selling. Use inspirational sales quotes to keep you going when times get tough. Invest in your own long-term development

16. Find out the long term aims and goals of your company. Where do you see yourself going in the next 3, 5 10 years? Set yourself a career plan

17. Find a mentor or sales coach. This is someone who is already successful, either in your organisation, or elsewhere. This is someone you can talk to and who can give you the benefit of their experience

18. Solve problems in your own organisation. Most people just sit back and complain. Come up with solutions. You never know, they may promote you!

19. Get the right balance between work and the rest of your life. Take care of your health and fitness

20. Learn new skills that may not directly contribute to your job. Learn a language or attend a night class. The brain is a muscle that needs to be kept active

21. Network – online and offline. Build your LinkedIn network and become a thought leader by contributing regular content

22. Think. Set aside some thinking time to review progress and the direction you are going in. Most people say they are too busy, but it is a useful exercise

23. Find someone who is already successful and mirror what they do



Prospecting

24. Plan to hit your target. Break your overall target down so that is becomes more achievable. If you have a target of £250,000 a quarter this makes no sense. If, by breaking it down you estimate you need to make 10 sales visits a week, this becomes more achievable

25. Manage your pipeline. We only convert a percentage of potential customers into actual customers. Plan prospecting activity into your schedule. Keep topping up the pipeline

26. Analyse your customer profile. Who buys from me? Where are they based? What is the best way to identify and contact potential customers?

27. Put together your hit list of prospective customers; targeted at people most likely to buy your products or services. Keep the list manageable. If you are going to contact 50 people a week every 4 weeks, you need 200 prospects. Quality is better than quantity

28. Keep targeting them. Most people don’t buy first time, especially if you are selling the idea of an appointment to meet you.

29. Set aside time for prospecting. It works best if it is, say, every Tuesday morning, or whatever day you prefer. The key is making it every week without fail. This is what the top salespeople do

30. If you are phoning your prospects write yourself a script and practise it with colleagues. When preparing a script always follow a statement with a question. This keeps you in control. “We specialise in sales and management training. Is this something you have purchased in the past?”

31. Disqualify poor quality prospects. This keeps your prospect list fresh and full of the kind of people that you really should be doing business with

32. Understand that prospecting is a numbers game. Set yourself targets for the number of people you contact each week and stick to it

33. Sending an email upfront is a great way of prospecting. It takes less time and can be very effective. Just make sure that you use a catchy sales email subject line that gets the email opened. Send information, or free stuff which will add value even if they don’t buy. When they are ready to buy you will be at the top of their list

34. Keep accurate records of your prospecting. This is what the top salespeople do

35. Remember the Pareto Principle. 80% of our business comes from 20% of our customer base. Focus first on repeat business. How to keep it and grow it. Most lost business happens because of neglect. Build into your plan a strategy for your existing customers



Know Your Numbers

36. Understand your key ratios. This is about using historical data to plan forward. Measure everything. If your target is to book 5 appointments and you know that, historically, you have had to make an average of 6 telephone calls to get an appointment in the past, you need to prepare 30 prospects. The ratios don’t always work every time, but do work overtime

37. Top salespeople measure everything. If it can’t be measured it can’t be managed.

38. Lead times. Understand that sales activity today will generally lead to results in weeks or even months ahead. Even when you are doing well you need to be planning for future results. If you want more information on improving lead times check out this guide on sales velocity

39. Keep reviewing your market. What is changing? What will the market look like in 3 years’ time? What can you be doing now to stay ahead of the game?

40. What resources are available to you to help you sell more? This could be anything productivity apps and software, to an opportunity to receive some training, or a sales manager who has lots of experience that you can tap into. Seek out opportunities to help you sell more



Telesales & Cold Calling

41. If you are booking appointments by phone, begin by putting together a good telephone script. If you’re knocking on doors, then check out these door to door sales scripts

42. If you are cold calling, why not try a 3-stage process that professional telemarketing companies use. Phone call-email-phone call. This approach pre warns the potential customer they are about to receive information and checks out that they are the right contact. Information is then emailed with a follow up phone call to book the appointment

43. When you call someone for the first time think about how you are going to introduce yourself.

44. Speak slower. We say our names 3 times faster than other bits of information. If you sound relaxed it will relax your customer

45. Sell the appointment. Don’t say that you are in the area next week and would like to pop in for half an hour. These people are busy. What have you got to talk about? Is it worth 30 minutes of their valuable time? What’s in it for them?

46. People will naturally try to say no unless you have struck lucky and rung at exactly the right time. Give them time to explore the issues you want to discuss. Minimise the risk of agreeing to an appointment but sell the benefits to them.

47. Deal with objections in a positive may. Most people will say no. That’s a fact. Look for the longer term. Send information. Agree a call back. Don’t beat them up to gain a short-term advantage. If they want to think, that’s okay. Just make sure you agree the next steps once they have done their thinking

48. Practice dealing with the most common objections with your colleagues. There are relatively few objections. Two things to remember. Don’t interrupt and don’t attack your customer’s belief system.

49. For more information on dealing with objections go to our blog. Here’s an article on objection handling

50. If you are sending out information don’t leave it too long before following it up. Follow up once you feel they have had a chance to read the information. Don’t leave it 3 weeks!

51. When asking for the appointment, ask for a specific time and day. This way you are in control of your diary. Go for an early appointment. This frees up time in your diary for later in the day

52. Confirm the appointment by e-mail. Remind them about the reason for the appointment and send an agenda for the meeting if appropriate



Sales Meetings

53. Once you have confirmed the appointment begin your planning and preparation for the meeting. Things you need to consider are your objectives, your agenda, the questions you need to ask, visual aids and finally your attitude.

54. Set objectives for the meeting that is ambitious, but realistic. Have more than one objective. “If I don’t make a sale, what else could I achieve from the meeting?”

55. Prepare your questions in advance. Areas you need to cover, especially at a first meeting are: contact (the person I am meeting with), organisation (their business), decision making processes (how they make decisions, who gets involved and their timescales), current suppliers (who they buy from now), competition (who else are they talking to?), problems (what issues are they facing at the moment?), needs (what are they looking for from us?) finance (what financial issues are appropriate?)

56. Building rapport. It is necessary to have some social time before we get down to business. The amount of time we spend here should be led by the customer. Different cultures have different ideas about this subject.

57. Agenda. Once you have settled down reaffirm the purpose

The post Key Professional Sales Skills You Must Master (100+ of them!) appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/sales-pitch-tips.html Wed, 01 Dec 2021 01:45:46 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=20465   A sales pitch is a concise, persuasive message that influences or persuades a potential customer or an an existing customer to purchase your product or service. It’s an opportunity for the salesperson to build the value of what they […]

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A sales pitch is a concise, persuasive message that influences or persuades a potential customer or an an existing customer to purchase your product or service. It’s an opportunity for the salesperson to build the value of what they are selling by matching is closely to the wants, needs and requirements of the customer. Normally a sales pitch will cover needs analysis, pain points and urgency. Sales pitches come in many different formats and include formal presentations, one to one meetings in-person, over the phone or virtually or even a short 30 second elevator pitch.

Presenting and pitching are areas where most salespeople could do a lot better.

Most people in sales present a standard pitch that all their customers get to hear.

This doesn’t work. Your buyers are different and buy for different reasons. When people purchase products and services, they have what we call buying criteria. These are the overriding reasons for buying that are most important to them.

So, before you prepare a sales pitch, you need to understand what is going to motivate your customer to buy from you. What is important to them? What are their priorities and needs? Let’s take a look at some sales pitch tips to help.


 

Sales Pitch Tips

On our Sales Training Courses we stress the importance of asking sales questions before we pitch in a controlled and structured way. Many salespeople lack the self-discipline to plan and prepare their questioning strategy. Their lack of professionalism excludes them from the top 5% of salespeople who make all the money.

Here are the areas we need to probe into if we are going to successfully identify facts, opinions, needs and feelings that will enable us to put together a sales pitch that is truly persuasive:

• The contact. The person or people we are meeting with. We need to find out who they are, what they do and what motivates them.
• The organisation. This is the company they work for. What is happening in their business? How might changes in their business provide us with selling opportunities?
• The decision-making process. How do they make decisions, who gets involved and what are the relevant timescales?
• Current suppliers. Who are they buying from now and how well is the competition performing?
• Competition. Are we in a bidding situation with other companies to compete against?

li>Finance. What budgets have they prepared? What is their perception of price?

• Problems. What are the current issues that we need to help them solve? All selling is problem solving. What are their problems?
• Needs. What are their buying criteria? What do we need to provide to make us their choice of supplier?

Once you have all this information you are ready to begin preparing your sales pitch.

Here are some more ideas:

1. Proposition. Identify which services or products the customer is interested in. You need to have a killer proposition that is well suited and aligned to what they want.
2. Establish your objectives. Set yourself more than one objective so you have a fallback position if you fail to make the sale or move the sale forward in the way that you’d like.
3. Clarify what style and length of presentation the customer wants: for example, a full-blown PowerPoint presentation, a product demonstration or a short briefing followed by a discussion. This is important. I’ve turned up assuming it was a discussion, and the company was expecting death by PowerPoint!
4. Establish the key messages you want the customer to take away from your presentation – the main benefit or set of benefits that make your offering attractive. You need to tell a compelling story within your sales presentation.
5. Establish a few key points that support this message; relate your points to the customer’s needs and interests. Don’t over argue your case. The more arguments, the less persuasive your case.
6. Prepare a logical argument for buying your product or service based on your knowledge of the customer. However, also be aware that there will be emotional issues that have a major influence on the decision to buy so you will need a watertight logic vs emotion case to move forward with you.
7. Anticipate any sales objections or questions the customer might raise.
8. Prepare a beginning, a middle and an end for your presentation. Tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them and tell them what you told them.
9. Collate any facts and evidence to support your argument: for example, product samples, brochures, case studies or customer testimonials. Make sure your samples work.
10. Rehearse your sales pitch until you are satisfied. Practice makes perfect
11. Think about how you are going to close. You must look for commitment, either asking for the sale, or what the next phase of the sales process will be.

Make sure when you present your pitch you remind the customer of what was discussed in prior meetings. This shows you were listening. Finally, during your pitch remember to trial close. Trial closing is a process of asking questions during your sales pitch to get feedback on how the customer is feeling.

Trial close questions include:

• “How does that sound?”
• “Is that the kind of thing you are looking for?”
• “How do you feel about that?”



The post Sales Pitch Tips To Ace That Presentation appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/best-sales-movies-films.html Fri, 26 Nov 2021 01:15:57 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11292   Did you know that exploring the best sales movies and best sales films in your interactions, offers not only entertainment but also valuable lessons in persuasion and strategy? We’re big film fans in the office and any new salesperson […]

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Did you know that exploring the best sales movies and best sales films in your interactions, offers not only entertainment but also valuable lessons in persuasion and strategy?

We’re big film fans in the office and any new salesperson (or member of staff come to that) that starts with MTD, I always grill them as to the movies they’ve seen about sales.

“Have you watched Glengarry Glen Ross? Have you watched Boiler Room?” The list goes on!

So, I thought I’d compile my best sales movies of all time.

I’ve also excluded both Wall Street films. Yes, they are my favourites, but every list seems to have them in so I’m assuming they’re a given. There are also 2 movies where you don’t have to watch the whole movie, but I have embedded the clip below that you MUST watch from it.

There’s also some in this list which are a little left field too.

I warn you there’s lots of the “F” word in the videos and don’t expect to find them on any Sales Training that we run.

How many of these movies have you seen?

1.    Boiler Room

You want the hard sell?

You got it with this film.

This is about an ambitious young stock broker who bulldozers his clients into buying stock from him and his firm.

Check out the clip below of where the firms recruiter (Ben Affleck) holds a group interview. Just love this scene!

2.    Glengarry Glen Ross

This includes an all-star cast including Pacino, Spacey, Baldwin, Lemon and so on!

It’s about a group of middle aged sales people and the trials and tribulations that they go through on a weekly basis.

Check out this sales meeting below.

I hope your sales manager is not like Alec Baldwin!

3.    Two For The Money

This is a film that is often passed over but I love it.

Matthew McConaughey sells sports betting tips over the phone for a company owned by Al Pacino.

Pacino head hunts McConaughey and makes him the main man at the firm.

Soon the pressure is on as his tips need to come good.

Here’s a scene below where McConaughey asks for more commission from Pacino – I think the response will surprise you!


4.    The Wolf Of Wall Street

A new favourite of mine!

Complete hard sell, ball breaking sales!

Probably goes against everything I stand for as a sales person but I love it! I just love the energy of the film and what they had in the firm.

Here’s a scene where Jordan Belfort (The Wolf) asks his team to “Sell me this pen!”

Quality!

5.    The Goods – Live Hard, Sell Hard

This movie is about sales people in a car dealership doing what it takes to make quota.

It’s a really funny film with a lot of home truths and not so home truths about the stereotypical sales industry.

In this scene below, the sales manager is shredding the photos of a sales person’s family saying they are too fat to be on show in front of a potential customer and that he needs to find photos of skinny kids so they feel sorry for him and give him the sale!

6.    Any Given Sunday

Ok, so this film has nothing to do with sales – it’s about an American Football Team.

But it makes my top 10 because of the motivational speech that Al Pacino gives to his losing team at half time.

Should you watch the whole movie? Damn right. It’s great and fast paced.

Here’s Pacino’s motivational speech. It’s awesome.

7.    The Pursuit Of Happyness

A heart-warming film of a salesman (Will Smith) who just doesn’t give up despite so many setbacks and knock backs

Check out this scene below where he finally gets a chance at a firm and how he approaches his cold calling and his mindset behind how he can make more calls than anyone else.

Really great piece.

8.    Rocky Balboa

The biggest lesson I took from this movie was the line “Life aint about how hard you can hit, it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done”

WOW!

I just loved this.

Ok, so I’m a huge Rocky fan anyhow. I’ve got posters and signed autographs in my office at home but you just got to watch this scene below where Rocky tells his son he’s worth more.

9.    Moneyball

Once again this has nothing to do with sales but everything to do with winning.

Billy Beane (played fantastically well by Brad Pitt) is the General Manager of the Oakland Athletics. A bottom of the league baseball team with no hopes.

With the help of a Harvard Graduate he looks into the science of winning Baseball games after he loses all of his best players.

This is actually a true story and changed the way clubs were run in the future.

You can take a lot from this film about making the way that you sell more scientific in terms of the percentages and your sales process. I know I took a lot out of this movie which helped me and got me to look at things in a different way.

In this scene below Beane is running a meeting with his team of scouts where he spells out that they need to think differently to succeed.

10. Jerry Maguire

“Show me the money” enough said!

Our prospects and clients get us jumping through hoops sometimes to get their business and Cuba Gooding JR is no different with this famous scene

I hope you enjoyed those best sales movies clips.

If you want to learn how to do it right, please take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses or contact us to discuss your Sales Training requirements. Our L&D team can help you to work out which course will be best for you or your team.

Popular sales courses include:

Selling Skills Training
Account Management Training
Sales Management Training

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/post-sales-follow-up.html Mon, 15 Nov 2021 11:05:57 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=254   One of the reasons so many sales people have trouble committing to after sales service and follow up is because they cannot see the return on their investment. Many people feel that once the sale is closed and the […]

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One of the reasons so many sales people have trouble committing to after sales service and follow up is because they cannot see the return on their investment.

Many people feel that once the sale is closed and the commission earned and spent that any further time allotted to the customer is a waste. After all, you are paid to make sales not to “hold a customer’s hand” after the sale is done.

We cover in our Sales Training that the value is in the follow up and those sales follow up statistics back that up!

What is post sales follow up?

Let’s forget about selling for a moment…

Following up after the sale is made is just good old fashioned manners!

It shows that you care. I’m sure you’ve been in the situation where someone has sold you something only never to be heard of again. How did it make you feel? I know every time that it happens to me that it doesn’t make me feel good and it doesn’t build any loyalty from me either.

Follow up also doesn’t mean you must bend over backwards and “jump through hoops” at a customer’s whim. While you should always provide your clients with a value that is greater than the money they paid, you will still perform a service.

Follow these three simple steps:

1. Continue to sell
2. Make yourself available
3. Become a liaison for everything

Continue to Sell

What happens to your enthusiasm for your product or service once you close the sale?

After you have asked for the sale and when the customer has signed the order, received the goods or services and have paid the invoice, the salesperson discontinues the “selling.”

At first glance this appears to make sense, because the customer has bought the product; the client has agreed to the service and therefore no more selling is needed.

The sales person feels no need to continue to try to convince the customer, because the customer is “sold.” However, this instant “drop” in your enthusiasm for your product or service can have a detrimental “buyer’s remorse” effect on your customers.

From the client’s perspective, you were first very excited to get the opportunity just to speak to the client about your wonderful product.

You and your company spent a lot of money promoting this product and securing an appointment. You jumped up and down about how essential the product was to your customer and pushed for the sale. You pushed the client to buy the product NOT because you needed the money but because you felt the customer needed the product.

You assured the client that you had his or her best interest at heart. You insisted the prospect buy the service because he would benefit more than anyone. You emphatically claimed that your primary motive was to help the customer and the money was only secondary. Then, once you “got the money,” that was it. It all stopped and you disappeared.

If you are genuinely excited about a product, that excitement should remain with you after the sale, whether the customer makes a purchase or not. Also, it is after the customer makes the initial purchase that their doubt and second thoughts begin to creep in.

It is after the customer has spent their money when their neighbour tells them that they made a mistake, or your spouse tells you that you shouldn’t have signed the agreement. It is after the sale that the true sales objections arise!

You have to continue to SELL your product to the customer almost as if the customer did not buy: continue to sell the product long after the sale. It’s something that we feel very strongly about and if you ever attend our Sales Training events you’ll know why!

As you visit the customer and continue to sell the product for which the customer has already made the purchase, it strengthens the buying decision in the mind of the customer and raises your level of professionalism. The customer realises that you are still selling even though there is no commission to be made. The customer realises that you actually believe in what you said. The customer’s trust in you grows and this is where the customer will begin to “open up” and inform you of their other needs.

Depending on the product or service you sell, this continuation of the sale, can be simple or very complex. If you sell services that interconnect, then this process will be ongoing and more detailed. You want to come up with three to five ways that you will continue to sell your product AFTER the sale. Here are a few examples:

A. Security systems sales person closes the sale for an alarm system with the business owner. Two weeks after the sale, the sales person visits and takes the customer some recent news articles about robberies in the area, reassuring the customer that his decision was sound and well timed. Another two weeks later, the sales person sends customer a letter in the post with some statistics that show that owners of their systems have never suffered a break in.

B. Car sales person sells new car. Four days after the sale, sends customer a news clipping that shows the car has won new awards for safety. Two months later, sends the customer a birthday card and a note that the demand for the car they bought has increased and pushed up the price and value of their car.

You want to have three to five after the sale “Selling” points for your customer. This can happen over a period of a few months or years due to the nature of your product. In either case, over the course of time, develop and deliver three to five selling points. You can use the form at the end this document to keep track.

Benchmark Your Sales Skills & Competencies For FREE!

Receive a 19-page personalised report on the findings

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some recommendations on how to improve





Make Yourself Available

Let your customer know that you are “available” anytime for anything. Make an occasional telephone call or send a letter that tells the customer that you are “there” to assist.

It is important NOT to sell on these occasions and you can combine this with your staying in touch occasions. Create three to five ways to inform your customer that you are available and don’t give them an interrogation with a hundred sales questions. This is your nurture time.

Remember, these can be days apart or months apart.

Become a Liaison for Everything

One of the most effective ways to maintain account management and to follow up is to become a liaison for your customer to other services and needs.

Become someone that the customer can call for ANYTHING that they may need even though it may not relate directly to your product or service. Become a “resource” for your customers.

For example, let us say that you sell executive training services and your client, Mr. Jones, is a happy customer.

Of course, you will stay in touch with Mr. Jones in as far as providing him with additional training services. However, what of Mr. Jones’ other needs? You find that Mr. Jones is in the market for a new car. You do not sell cars, but one of your clients owns a dealership. You also have clients involved in technology, real estate, finance and insurance. You want to inform your client that before he goes to search the telephone directory to buy anything, to call you first.

Sales Person: “Mr. Jones, please remember that you can call me for anything and I mean anything. As I mentioned, I have a lot of customers in all types of industries in this area. They are all successful people just like you. So, when you need an estate agent or a lawyer, don’t pick up the telephone book, call me first…”

You then become a major resource for the customer; a super directory: a Super Sales Person. This networking will bring you a lot of extra business in addition to keeping your customers happy. Over the course of time, make three to five actions that inform your client that you are the conduit to all of his or her needs.

Setting up a sales follow up process

Is your follow up left to chance or do you have a process or a system in place to help you? Most sales funnels just stop at the close. I’d recommend that your sales process includes a solid follow up strategy for each customer.

It’s an area that I seem to cover a lot in the Sales Coaching that I have with sales people. Some follow up ad hoc and others are right on it!

As with all other areas of your sales it should be well thought through and planned out. Don’t leave anything to chance.

Exactly how often and when do you follow up with your customer? Do you visit? Do you call or send an email?

What records do you keep?  How many follow up calls do you make each week and how successful are they? Do you add your customers to an email drop feed campaign?

None of these should be taken for granted. You want your customers to come back to you time and time again so it’s worth developing a solid follow up process. It will also insulate you against a sales slump too.

In closing a word of warning. If you offer a subscription service or some kind of renewal or upgrade and the only time your customer hears from you is when it’s time for renewal then shame on you.

That’s appalling and you don’t deserve their business. Instead, become a useful resource to them in all matters. When you receive an email or call from your customer and it has nothing to do with the product or the sale then you know you’ve “made it”

Until you get to that stage keep in front of your customers and front of mind. And even when you have  made that trusted adviser status, take it to the next level because there is always someone else out there ready to eat your lunch for you!

Our Account Management Training and Selling Skills Training courses will provide you with some more insight into farming your accounts and keeping front of mind status with your clients without becoming a pest!

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/three-good-closing-questions.html Thu, 18 Jun 2020 08:40:34 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=3008   Closing the sale is not a skill that can be learned in isolation from the rest of the sales process. Closing is one element in a chain of events that begins with the salesperson planning and preparing for sales […]

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Closing the sale is not a skill that can be learned in isolation from the rest of the sales process. Closing is one element in a chain of events that begins with the salesperson planning and preparing for sales meetings and works through the sales process.

What happens during the sales process is that the salesperson:

• Opens the sales meeting and sets an agenda.
• Asks questions that help identify the buyers’ needs.
• Presents the features, advantages and benefits of their product, or service that satisfy those needs.
• Overcomes any objections the buyer might raise.
• Closes the sale by gaining the agreement of the buyer to make the purchase.

This is a very simplified summary of a complex process that requires a high degree of skill on the part of the salesperson, and it may take several meetings before the buyer is in a position to make a decision. However, what most salespeople fail to realise is that closing is more about timing and confidence than sales techniques.

Many salespeople are looking for Sales Training that covers sales techniques. This is to help them make the decision making process easier and take away some of the pressure felt by both buyer and seller at that moment of truth.

The problem is that at this moment of truth, the salesperson is worried about getting rejected and the buyer is worried about making a mistake, so it is all too easy for either, or both sides to delay the buying decision, rather than risking rejection, or making a bad decision.

It is up to us as salespeople to have the confidence, at the right time, to ask for commitment and risk rejection. That is our role and unfortunately, 7 times out of 10 we fail to ask for commitment and this can lose us the sale we have been working so hard to achieve.


 

8 Closing Skills Principles

The main reason for not asking for the sale is fear of rejection.

The most important principles, therefore, when looking at closing the sale are:

1. Closing the Sale is an integral part of the sales process

This means that closing techniques in themselves are not enough to ensure success, if the other parts of the sales process have been neglected.

Before a buyer will place an order with you, they will have to see a need for your product and be convinced that your particular product represents the best solution to the problem represented by that need. That is, the cost is reasonable, they have confidence in your ability to deliver your promises and so on.

2. No salesperson ever closed every sale

Everyone who has ever sold professionally has had to get used to living with rejection. A good salesperson will always be rejected more times than they are successful.

In fact, if this is not the case the salesperson probably isn’t trying hard enough. The secret is to `learn to live with rejection’. Every time you fail, you move closer to the time you will succeed.

3. Selling is a `numbers game’

Given a `basic’ level of skill in sales techniques, the amount you sell is directly related to the number of calls you make. The more customers you see, therefore, the more business you will close.

4. Certain key ratios apply to your sales activity

By measuring your sales performance over a period, you will understand more fully the key ratios that apply to your business.

Examples of these could be:

• Appointments booked to Number of Telephone calls made
• Number of successfully `closed’ calls to Number of `cold’ calls made
• Number of successfully `closed calls to Number of `enquiry’ calls made
• Number of successfully `closed’ calls to Number of presentations made

In sales, these ratios vary depending on the industry, the products and how the products are sold. The key learning point here is that these ratios will tend not to change much over time and can be used in planning individual activity to exceed sales targets.

Also, by being aware of the relative success of different kinds of calls you will be able to plan your activity more effectively by spending the maximum amount of time on your potentially most productive sales activities.

5. The right time to close is when the customer is ready to buy

This is so important. Closing tends to happen towards the end of the sales call but don’t assume this will always be the case.

If the customer wants to buy early into your sales presentation then you should get commitment straight away. There may be more information you need to give, however, having gained commitment the customer will be more relaxed and less likely to raise objections at a later stage.

6. Look for more than one opportunity to close the sale

There will be several occasions during the sale when the customer is ready to buy. There will also be more than one opportunity for you to close the sale. Just because the customer says `no’ now, it doesn’t mean it won’t be `yes’ in ten minutes’ time.

`No’ can mean various things:

• Not on the terms you describe
• Not at the moment
• Not in your timescale
• Not at that price
• Convince me further
• I’m getting interested but I need more information

7. Buyer resistance is natural and should be expected

During the sales process the buyer is under as much pressure as the salesperson. The buyer is often thinking about the consequences of agreeing to your proposal.

The buyer may be thinking:

• Does this represent value for money?
• What will my partner/boss think?
• Are they as reliable as they say they are?
• They say they can achieve significant growth. Is that true?
• Is their product better than their competitor?
• Can I afford the monthly payments?

Often when the buyer hesitates during the closing stages they are seeking reassurance from the salesperson in a consultative, non-threatening way, that the decision that is about to be made, is a good decision.

8. Buyers seldom ask you for the order

Most buyers rely on the salesperson to make the buying process easy for them.

However, they rarely ask for the order outright so the most effective and most obvious closing technique, having gone through the several stages of the call, is to ask the buyer if they wish to place an order.

By this stage, if you have carried out the other stages of the call, it is likely the customer will be ready to buy, but more importantly, you have earned the right to ask for the order.

It is a fact, however, that around 70% of sales calls end with the salesperson failing to ask for the order. This is due to the salesperson’s fear of rejection.

So, let’s look at how you can overcome this problem.


 

5 Sales Closing Questions

You had a great sales interaction: Both you and the prospect were calm and comfortable. You developed some rapport, and the prospect showed some positive buying signals during the meeting.

However, when you presented your proposal, it seems as though everything became silent, time began to slow down, and tension filled the air as you anxiously waited for the prospect’s decision.

If that’s been your experience, maybe you need to review the sales closing questions you ask to drive the conversation on, professionally and with confidence.

Each will ease the tension and help you maintain the flow of your sales interaction as you begin to ask for the order.

1. “Does that make sense for you?”

This question is simple and helps the prospect understand that what you have just proposed is, at worst, reasonable. You are not asking, “Do we have a deal?” You are simply asking the buyer if what you have presented thus far seems right in a business sense.

Example:
“So, Susan, we are talking about three cases of our classic style blades, and we will pick up the shipping cost, and as I mentioned, I am including a full year of maintenance at no charge. So, this gives you an entire year of worry-free operation for only £2,675. Does that make sense for your business?”

From there, simply assume the sale or address whatever issue the prospect feels does not make sense. For them or their business.

2. “Is that fair enough?”

This second question is perfect for the customer who loves to negotiate. You know some prospects are going to insist on a lower price or higher value no matter what you first propose. This question considers this without challenging the prospect.

“So, this gives you an entire year of worry-free operation for only £2,675. Is that fair enough, Susan?”

The prospect’s answer will tell you whether you are required to look at ‘fair’ from a different perspective.

3. “Is that OK?”

With this question, you want to point to the future of your business with the customer. The proposal on the table is but a stepping-stone to a broad and long-term mutually beneficial relationship.

“So, this gives you an entire year of worry-free operation for only £2,675. This will get us started Susan and take care of your immediate needs. Then, after a few months we can begin to look at a plan to outfit your whole plant— is that OK?”

This gives the prospect the chance to decide now and look at future prospects for the rest of the business. By highlighting what could be happening in the future, you open opportunities for further discussions.

4. “If we get this sorted today, we can…”

This is a sales transition closing statement rather than a question, but it serves the same purpose.

You determine what the benefits would be to the prospect if they agreed to go with your solution and then you introduce this ‘conditional clause’ to make the prospect realise when they would be receiving the benefits (saving money, making more profit, increasing productivity, etc)

“So, Susan, we’ve agreed that you would have worry-free operation for a whole year. If we get this sorted today, we can start saving you money from next week. Does that make business sense to you?”

5. ‘Does that sound good to you, too?’

Again, more of a statement first, but again it gives you the chance to recommend a solution for now and get the agreement of the prospect at the same time.

“Well, Susan, my recommendation is that you start with the three cases that we have been discussing, so you can see your overheads cut by 10% in the first quarter and continue those savings with our free maintenance in the first year. Does that sound good to you, too?’

You’ll notice that, by saying ‘too’ at the end of the question, you are showing that your recommendation already has a subliminal agreement with you, so it’s only natural that their business would benefit also.

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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/leave-voicemail-gets-returned.html Sat, 16 May 2020 09:00:52 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5247 How do you get prospects to return your sales voicemails? Of course, it seems impossible to get a return call from leaving a voicemail message. However, salespeople also have problems getting calls returned from warm calls, or referrals given by […]

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How do you get prospects to return your sales voicemails? Of course, it seems impossible to get a return call from leaving a voicemail message.

However, salespeople also have problems getting calls returned from warm calls, or referrals given by satisfied customers.

“My prospect won’t return my voicemail”

Of course, it’s the prospect who’s missing out, isn’t it? It’s the prospect who should be doing the work isn’t it? It’s the prospect who should be picking up the phone after you’ve left your message and begging you to come and see him, isn’t it?

The slight sense of sarcasm is deliberate, because when we ask salespeople what they said that would cause the prospect to return their call, much of it is based around the salesperson’s products or services, and how good they are, and if only the prospect would get in touch, their whole world would change for the better.

How To Leave A Voicemail

So, what is it that you have to do in a voicemail to get people to call you back?

Or should you even LEAVE a message in the first place?

Let’s take a close look.

The Objective Of The Voicemail

Just like any cold 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.

I would say that the biggest mistake salespeople make with voicemail is having too many objectives for that short message.

Often the sales person is trying to:

• Distinguish his or her company from the competition
• Distinguish him or herself from the competition
• Sell the product or service
• Get the prospect to return the call
• Impart valuable information

This is simply too much. Choose ONE and only one goal and accomplish it.

Sell The Return Call Not Your Product or Service

Once you have established what the goal of the message is, then SELL it. If for instance, the goal is to get a return call, then sell the reason for the call back. Do not sell the reason that you have a great product, or why you are better than the competition. Sell the reason why the buyer should call you back.

You must remember to sell and concentrate 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 0333 320 2883 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:

Leaving The Sales Voicemail:

“Hi Ethan, Sean Colby with ABC Widgets. A mutual acquaintance of ours, Sarah Edmonds, suggested that we speak with each other for a brief moment about your XYZ product, she said we have a lot in common!  Please can you call me back at your convenience, my number is 0333 320 2883. Once again, that’s Sean Colby at ABC on 0333 320 2883, and I look forward to talking with you. Thanks Ethan”

This sales person sold ONLY the return call by leaving some intrigue.

He did not try to get the prospect to make a buying decision in a 30-second voice mail message.

He just sold the intrigue of the returned call.

Don’t Leave Too Much Information

In addition to picking one central objective and selling it, do not leave too much information in the message. Unless you are thinking of having the receiver sit down with a piece of paper and pen and write a small dossier on the call, limit the information that you leave.

Usually, all you really need is your name, company name and telephone number, in practically if looking for a return call. In which case, your web address, email address, blog address, company location, the number of years you been in business, customer references and the name of your grandchildren are just not necessary.

Repeat Your Name & Number Twice

Ok, I think you can really understand this one.

Someone leaves you a message and you want to respond, but you can hardly understand the caller’s phone number or web address. Now you have to replay the message again. Then again. SLOW DOWN and REPEAT important contact information several times.

It’s great if they call your mobile with caller line ID but if it’s on your work number then sometimes this can be hard.

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Should You Actually Leave A Voicemail?

Leaving voicemails and not getting them returned can be very frustrating can’t it?

And when you have dozens of them in your weekly call cycle, it can be demoralising and make you wonder if it’s all worth it.

There is a train of thought that asks whether you should leave a voicemail message or not.

Opinions differ as to whether you should leave a message when you get the prospect’s voicemail.

There isn’t a hard and fast answer as it depends a lot on the type of message you are leaving and also what the receiver’s voicemail has said.

But here are a few guidelines to help you decide:

Avoid Leaving Voicemails By Catching “Them Available”

If you get through to a high number of voicemails, try calling before 9am and after 5pm.

This will ensure you get hold of those decision-makers before they start their day’s work or after they have finished them.

The decision-maker may be dealing with their emails at those times, so they may be at their desks.

Listen To The Type Of Voicemail Message They Have Left

Does it sound like a permanent message, that is, does it sound generic with no times or dates mentioned?

Or has it been recently recorded saying, for example, that they are out of the office on Friday and will be back on Monday?

If the message has been recently left, it’s possible that they will re-record it again soon, and also will be listening to all messages that come through. If it’s a generic message, it’s possible that they won’t be listening to their messages every day.

Need To Leave A Message?

Don’t forget, your prospect is time-poor, so a sales message has to recognise that fact. As soon as they get bored, they will delete it.

There are specific questions the prospect will be subliminally asking themselves:

• Who are you and from where?
• Why are you calling me?
• What benefit is there in me listening to you?

They don’t want to know about your product or service. They want to know why they should listen to you and have another discussion with you.

So, the big question is, should you leave a message or not?

The best answer is, if you can ensure the receiver will have a reason for calling you and your message is compelling enough, then, yes, a message should be left.

If all you’re going to do is leave a name, number and product pitch, I would suggest you try another way of getting through to the decision-maker.

If you’re getting poor results from your voicemail messages, think of how you can make them more compelling.

Identify what the biggest problems your chosen target market are experiencing and say in your message that you have been helping clients who have these specific challenges.

Quickly get to the point that you would like to share ideas with the decision-maker.

Leave your contact details and also mention you’ll try to contact them again soon.

Remember the decision-maker will be busy and there is no guarantee that they will return your call.

If you make your message important to them without detailing what your products are, you will pique their interest and increase the chances of having your calls returned.

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

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Here are a few more useful articles to help you.

• The Most Important Part Of Your Sales Call
• 10 Ways To Prepare For Your First Call Of The Day
• How To Respond To “I’m Not Interested Objection”
• How To Be A Successful Business Development Manager

I hope this article and the resources above will help you.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Leave A Voicemail That Gets Returned appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/telesales-commission.html Thu, 30 Apr 2020 07:00:37 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5334 More and more companies are electing to employ their own in-house telesales staff to set appointments for the field sales teams.  The question that arises though is how do you compensate this inside sales team? I can tell you that […]

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More and more companies are electing to employ their own in-house telesales staff to set appointments for the field sales teams.  The question that arises though is how do you compensate this inside sales team?

I can tell you that the most obvious answer is usually the worst one. How you structure the compensation of the telesales force is critical.

Commission on the Sale
The most obvious and seemingly logical answer is to pay the telesales person (TSP) a percentage of the order when the outside or field sales person (FSP) closes the sale. However, I strongly caution you about this. While this idea appears reasonable, attractive and very cost effective…it can cause more problems than you may imagine, and below are just a few.

#1: The Telesales Person Tries to Make the Sale Rather Than SELL the Appointment.

The biggest and most detrimental problem that occurs when the TSP’s income comes from closed sales, is that the TSP will look for SALES on the telephone rather than APPOINTMENTS. The TSP must think ONLY about appointments that he or she believes will SELL, since that is how they are paid. Now you have people who are trying to determine, well too early in the sales process, if the prospect will buy, rather than just setting a qualified appointment.

You do not want the TSP to be make judgements about who will buy and who will not. All they should do is set qualified appointments!

Your job is to sell the appointment and not the product or service – if the prospect pushes back then say that’s why you need the meeting because it’s easier to explain and illustrate than over the telephone.

#2: The Lay Down Prospect Does Not Buy

You have a TSP that has no choice but to consider if the prospect will buy or not. When this happens, they will also seek out the easy sale; the prospect who SOUNDS as if he or she is just waiting with check-in-hand, for the sales person to show up. The TSP then sets an appointment with a prospect they feel is a guaranteed sale. Then what happens? The FSP does NOT close the sale!

Experienced sales professionals know that the prospect that sounds like the easy, lay down sale on the telephone, is often the most difficult prospect to close. However, when the FSP fails to close this apparently EASY sale, it creates severe feelings of animosity and resentment between the two sales people. The TSP feels the FSP is incompetent and is throwing away great leads, and then no longer wants that FSP to run his or her appointments.

#3: The FSP Feels the Same

In the #2 scenario, the TSP felt the appointment was a sure sale. Conversely, the FSP felt the same appointment was a pure waste of time with an uninterested prospect. The FSP now becomes less than enthusiastic to run appointments set by the same TSP, and the same bitterness grows within the team.

#4: Cannot Control Destiny

One of the most positive and alluring aspects of selling is that you can have some control over your income and your destiny. However, with the above pay scenario, both the field sales and telesales people feel a distinct LACK of control.

The above scenario makes both sales teams feel as they have little control over their own income and destiny.

The Answer

Since the TSP does not close the sale and is not responsible to close the sale, why pay them on closed sales? The TSP is responsible for setting qualified appointments.

More specifically, the TSP is responsible to SELL the appointment!

Pay them for just that! We’ve got a ton of Cold Calling Tips if you’re interested to improve your skills further. Also, check out this interesting article on What Is The Sales Velocity Formula. It will show you have to make more sales more quickly!

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Paying Your Telesales Staff To Set Appointments? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/5-online-sales-meeting-mistakes-to-avoid-at-all-costs.html Mon, 13 Apr 2020 04:00:56 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11061 Are you using online sales meetings throughout your sales process? More and more companies are going down this route especially those that sell software, SAAS products and online services. Sometimes it can save you a ton of time if you […]

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Are you using online sales meetings throughout your sales process?

More and more companies are going down this route especially those that sell software, SAAS products and online services.

Sometimes it can save you a ton of time if you can jump on a video conference call with screen sharing capability. Do it correctly and it can work wonders for you. Do it wrong and it can completely ruin the sale!

Here are 5 mistakes to avoid at all costs!

Connecting & Technology Issues!

I absolutely hate it when at the start of an online meeting people can’t login to the session or they need to download some piece of java script for the session to work properly.

It ruins your opening and it’s then hard to recover from thereon in.

Be prepared and make sure everyone knows what they need to do to access the session beforehand.

There’s nothing worse that people logging in late and some have heard your message and some haven’t.

You just lose all momentum and it always seems to be the decision maker!

Close Down All Other Windows

One company was pitching me some software and we had a screen share on – his screen.

All of a sudden one of his mates Skyped him a message “Are we going out on the lash tonight? See if you can bunk off work early and say you’ve got a sales meeting somewhere”

If the ground could have swallowed him up!

The lesson? Close down all of your other applications!

You know that if you’ve got email open or some other application that the people on the call will be looking!

Manage Your Look & Environment

Be aware of your appearance.

Approach the meeting just as you would a face to face encounter.

And don’t forget chances are there will be a close up on your face too.

Watch out for what is directly behind you too. People are more forgiving if you’re working from home but if in the office not so.

When I work from home I work out of my home office and there’s lots of movie and sport memorabilia on the wall.

People love it and it’s a great rapport starter. If I’m on a call with a client, prospect or a supplier and I am taking it from home I let them know about it in advance.

Turn Your Mobile Off!

If I were meeting you face to face I would turn my mobile off so you need to do the same in a virtual meeting as well.

It’s just good manners.

There’s nothing worse than being interrupted to the Match of The Day theme music because you’ve forgotten to turn your mobile off.

Awkward!

Prepare For Online Meetings

Virtual meetings are different to face to face.

There is a knack and a technique to them that is different to face to face encounters.

It’s harder to read body language, people’s attention span is more difficult to maintain and you need to present information/demos in short, sharp chunks.

And talking of demos don’t just present your products and services in a one way monologue.

Instead find out the pain points and then tailor your demo/presentation to the areas that are most applicable to them.

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We run a LIVE webinar training event on how to hold interactive online meetings and webinars.

So you can see it all in action as you learn the techniques.

It’s not a case of do as we say, it’s a case of do as we do.

Alternatively, as a Sales Training Provider we have a variety of courses to choose from, including our Selling Skills Training.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 5 Online Sales Meeting Mistakes To Avoid appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-conduct-online-sales-presentation-virtual-meeting.html Sun, 12 Apr 2020 08:15:04 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=14720 You’re conducting an online sales presentation to a prospective new customer… Just how can you increase their engagement and keep them interested – and how can virtual meetings and virtual presentations achieve this? This really comes down to a number […]

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You’re conducting an online sales presentation to a prospective new customer…

Just how can you increase their engagement and keep them interested – and how can virtual meetings and virtual presentations achieve this?

This really comes down to a number of key points. I will outline these below, but owing to the detail and complexity that each possess I will hone in on the main points only.

The biggest reasons why demonstrating products and services fail is down to several important elements:

– The Message – poorly thought out, not logical and too much information

– The Deck / Presentation – poorly designed too wordy and lacks impact.

– The Delivery – monotonic voices that lack inspiration, belief or passion

– A lack of understanding about the features and functions of the meeting tool being used. WebEx, Google Hangout, Fuze etc…

The Message

When designing a message to engage your audience you must take the perspective of what does the customer need / want to know in order to make a buying decision, namely:

• The product? What is it for? What does it do? What are its benefits?
• What pain or problem will it solve for me? What is the value to me and my organisation?
• What is the cost? And here I don’t just mean the bottom line. I am also referring to the cost to the company regarding resources. How many IT people, project managers, and support people will I need to implement it.
• Does the person I am speaking with fill me with a sense of belief? Namely, is this person filling me with confidence that this company can really deliver what I am asking for.

Having observed this on so many occasions, if the answer to any of the above questions is in doubt by the customer, the chances are you won’t get the sale.

This is why the structure, its relevance to the audience and the language used is so vitally important.

Presentation Slide Deck

So what is a bad presentation?

A bad presentation, is filled with worthless and meaningless C.L.I.P.A.R.T (Crass Little Inserted Pictures Always Rubbish and Trite). Are filled with bullets, are dull and boring, lack personality and deliver far too much information.

Good presentations are incredibly visual, and use what is known as Visual Cognitive Dissonance or VCD. Visual because the content is highly relevant to the audience and visually tells a story to a point, cognitive because each slide makes no sense until the speaker or presenter narrates over the top of it, and dissonance relates to the intrigue surrounding the message or story that the slide tells you which initially is incomplete, hence you feel the need to know more.

Add to this the correct language, presentation style, animations and relevant message and you’ve got the makings of a first class presentation that engages the audience and closes deals.

Virtual Delivery

You need to be asking the right questions and seeking the right answers.

Presenting to an audience on a product or service that you either have faith in or believe in, will speak volumes in a very short space of time, in as little as 30 – 40 seconds in fact. Your opening statement in an online meeting has to show confidence, belief and credibility. If it doesn’t you will for the remainder of that meeting or presentation be on the back foot and fighting a losing battle.

So if you are delivering a presentation using an online tool, go in with a script. However, delivering it in this scripted style, every time not only grabs the audiences’ attention, but it tells the audience that what they are about to hear has been thought through, considered and planned meticulously.

Planning, preparation, as well as rehearsal, mean everything. You have to know what is coming next in your presentation upon every single click and yes, on occasion people lose their way. So, here are some useful tips to help you:

1. If for any reason you plan on using multimedia, make sure that it is rewound and cued up ready to go. If the file is large it is probably best to run it from a USB rather than to wait for the data to buffer. If you are streaming the content from the web this requires a little more thought and consideration.
2. When working with figures don’t use specifics 76.4% is roughly ¾ so use this instead.
3. If you forget what you are going to say, as this does happen more frequently than you think, simply advance to the next slide. Nobody need know and the flow will be sustained.
4. If for any reason the slide that you put on screen did not make perfect sense to the audience you will probably need to consider one of the following options post presentation:
   – Build it slowly in a different way
   – Change it / redesign it
   – Delete it.
5. Rehearse your presentation to the point that you know what is going to happen and when upon every click of your mouse button or remote.
6. As and when necessary use the power of the ‘Pause’ to best effect. When people feel an awkward silence they often feel compelled to fill it with nonsense. Instead use it to your advantage.
7. Whatever happens do not apologise. It undermines the work and effort that you have put into your presentation.
8. Never criticise your own presentation. I recall attending a major law firm webinar recently where the guest presenter opened with, “Sorry about the quality of the slides I just threw something together over the weekend”. I call this the ‘blame syndrome’ this is incredibly unprofessional and sets a very clear expectation to the audience that very little effort has been made. It also gives the impression that you do not care about your audience or possibly your role in your company.
9. If talking about money or earnings off topic, changing the frame of reference can sometimes sound more appealing e.g. Saying £2.4m per annum says £200k each and every month.
10. If you use figures at any point during your presentation never, under any circumstances contradict them. Make sure that all figures are consistent from start to finish.
11. In any presentation situation make sure you always have a backup plan in the event of something going wrong. Laptop fails (can you jump on your tablet), remote fails (spare batteries)
12. The topic of digital hand-outs is somewhat controversial. As a presenter myself, I want it all to be a surprise. This is harder to do if you send the slide desk or digital material to them ahead of the event. So use them only as an afterthought to support your audiences’ ability to recall your presentation.

Become A Virtual Meeting Expert

One of the key differentiators for any individual presenting is knowing the message you wish to convey and how you are going to use the features and functions within the chosen tool Cisco WebEx EventCenter™ or Google Hangout for example, to best effect in order to convey it.

Do I wish to capture feedback from the audience using Chat?

Do I want to use Q&A?

Do I want to use specifically designed slides that promote interaction?

Do I want to use video?

Do I want to share my screen, an application or document?

Most providers will offer training to all clients free of charge.

So, knowing your virtual meeting product inside and out is so important to the delivery of a smooth and compelling presentation. Become the best that you can be, as poor experiences will hinder your sales pitch.

When you understand all of the core controls, as a presenter, your levels of both comfort and confidence will grow exponentially. It’s important however, to set yourself a reasonable timeline to learn these new skills. Don’t try to rush it. These skills are not something that you simply pick up overnight they will require some time and effort.

Presenting is an art. Presenting online is a science, by that I refer to the fact that it requires a certain approach and methodology because of all of the elements involved. There is no set formula but if there was then I would recommend.

E = M C² Where E (Efficiency) is equal to Meetings * Conferencing Squared.

The more of them that you host the better you become.

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Improve your online sales presentation skills…

If you’re looking to take your virtual presentation skills onto the next level have you ever thought about taking a Sales Course? It can provide you with the skills and techniques to improve your sales performance. We also have a very useful online programme which is delivered to your email over a 2 week period – it’s aimed at beginners and will provide you with 9 useful Sales Techniques.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you with our wide range of sales courses that can help you.

Thanks again

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Conduct A Virtual Sales Presentation appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-webinars-online-meetings-help-close.html Sat, 11 Apr 2020 09:00:40 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=14688 We’ve always wanted to conduct more online sales meetings with our prospects but have probably been too scared to actually push through with it all. “You can’t beat face to face” said many a Sales Manager. And they’re probably right. […]

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We’ve always wanted to conduct more online sales meetings with our prospects but have probably been too scared to actually push through with it all.

“You can’t beat face to face” said many a Sales Manager. And they’re probably right.

But with the coronavirus pandemic we were all backed up against the wall with only one way out. Yes, you’ve guessed it, virtual online sales meetings.

So what tools and technologies are available for the modern day sales person to help them conduct these virtual meetings?

Virtual Meeting Solutions

Currently the Unified Communications (UC) market is worth several billion a year globally and there are many UC collaboration tools on the market.

Some of the main players include Cisco WebEx, Fuze, Microsoft Teams, GotoMeeting, Zoom, Skype and Google Hangouts to name but a few. (No money was exchanged hands in creating that list so apologies if your favourite is not up there!)

It’s not just sales people who use these tools for their meetings and for virtual sales training. The above technologies are used to deal with day to day business activities such as:

• Meetings
• Recruitment
• Remote Team Management
• Sales Team Management
• Training
• CO2 & Organisation Carbon Reduction
• Webinars and Product Launches

What’s great about these virtual solutions is that owing to the inter-connectivity that each of us has globally. Very few people on the planet are now unreachable. We have wireless devices such as the Tablets (iPad and Surface), Smart Phones (iPhones, HTC, Samsung), faster, smaller and lighter weight Laptops. There may even be a few PDAs kicking around too. However, each of these devices merely offers the sales person with the tools to connect with a number of people simultaneously, and each is capable of running many of the above collaboration solutions whilst on the move thanks to dedicated internet connections like 3 & 4G.

The challenge comes in knowing what to say in order to engage your audience using these technologies.

Create A Compelling Sales Message

Having the right solution and technology is one thing, but knowing how to use it correctly to engage a prospect … now that’s something else.

Having decided on the right solution, the next challenge a sales professional will face is knowing how to go about conveying a compelling message that grabs the prospects attention and or can help the sales professional potentially close the deal, and that comes down to the solution that you are using, its features and functions.

Sadly, it’s not as simple as just launching an event via your iPad or Laptop and inviting a few prospects. It requires a great deal of consideration, thought, planning and a shed load of marketing.

You have to know how and in what way that message will take shape and what tools and features will I need to use, to convey that message effectively.

• Do I want my audience to interact with me?
• If so how?
• How can I provoke the right emotion in the prospect to make them buy?
• How can I trigger pain?
• How can I solve their problem and communicate it effectively using this technology?
• Thus, tilting the prospect towards buying. How do I get them to hang on to my every word?

Webinars are seen as being the new marketing, by many. If done correctly, the results can be incredibly effective especially if the way in which the webinar is positioned is compelling and touches on the nerves of your prospects and gives the prospect a good reason to attend.

All of the technologies mentioned above are capable of delivering what I speak of. Prospects can join a meeting from anywhere, and all they need is device with a dedicated internet connection and a reason to join your compelling event.

What’s The ROI For Virtual Meetings?

So is there any research to suggest any time savings or the effectiveness of virtual meetings and webinars?

There’s no doubt that all of the technologies mentioned offer organisations a huge opportunity to enhance and make radical changes in day to day productivity. Most of the above solutions, for example, will run from the web, an iPhone, an Android device or a tablet.

Meetings can be accessed whilst on the move.

You can use these technologies to reduce the carbon footprint in your organisation significantly which is ideal for a company with a green agenda that wishes to enhance its brand.

That said there are additional cost savings in the form of reducing out-of-pocket costs for communications services such as telecom and cellular bills and hosted audio and video conferencing, and for related expenses such as travel and office facilities.

Potential annual savings range from £1.6M to over £4.9 million per 1000 employees.

Consolidating communications infrastructure to lower operating costs by replacing multiple diverse and dispersed legacy products with the integrated functions of the new UC solutions means there is a potential annual savings are in the range of £300,000 per 1000 employees.

Leveraging human capital by supporting individual productivity; workgroups and collaboration and managing unforeseen risks with enterprise governance and secure communications means there is a potential annual savings combined range upwards from £1.2 million per 1000 employees.

The fact that we are so interconnected with each other and through the development of presence capability, we are now better positioned to conduct meetings online with voice, video and file sharing; which negates the need for travel and thus gives us the ability to respond to situations using this technology in the blink of an eye.

However, we must tread carefully. With all of this technology, nowadays, it is very easy to feel that there isn’t much of a need to travel beyond the realms of our homes and/or offices in order to meet clients, unless it absolutely necessary.

Whilst this may be the truth for many employees and organisations alike, we must never lose sight of the fact that face to face customer interaction on all levels; in person or remote, is always going to be an essential part of the sales process.

Ultimately this technology enables us to make the best use of our time and our prospect / clients time, we are still productive, effective, save time and save money. So using these solutions more is a win-win for all involved.

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If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How Online Sales Meetings Can Close The Deal appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/closing-sales-transition-statements.html Tue, 03 Mar 2020 09:00:35 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5377 I still receive numerous questions regarding what to say, or how to transition from the sales presentation to asking for the sale. Questions on WHEN to begin to close as well as exactly HOW to start the closing process. Sales […]

The post The 3 Best Sales Transition Closing Statements appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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I still receive numerous questions regarding what to say, or how to transition from the sales presentation to asking for the sale. Questions on WHEN to begin to close as well as exactly HOW to start the closing process.

Sales Transition Statements Examples

In fact, the entire sales interaction is one continuous closing effort; seamlessly moving from one stage of the sales process to another. However, for many sales people, there is still that awkward moment between presenting the offer and asking for the order.

What could you consider are sales transition statements that would work? Are there statements you can use to transition to the gaining commitment stage that would not put pressure on the prospect?

Here are three short and quick, but very powerful ideas to help you get across that huge chasm and turn it into a simple step.

“Does that make sense?”

This simple, harmless and non-threatening question will help ease the move. The question is clear and helps the prospect digest what it is you just offered. You are not confronting the prospect with questions like, “Do we have a deal?” Or, “So what do you say?” Or even, “How do you want to pay for this?”

You are simply asking the prospective buyer if what you have presented thus far, at least sounds reasonable. That’s all. Does it make sense?

As an example:

“So Steve, what we are looking at is 11 cases of our Vintage Chardonnay, and 4 cases of the Zinfandel. Again, I will pick up the delivery costs on this first order, to get us started. So, the whole thing comes to only £1,255, and we will provide all of the advertising and signage as well. Does that make sense?”

If the prospect agrees that the offer makes sense, then confidently assume the sale. Wouldn’t you expect a good businessperson to do something that makes sense?

Assume the sale and address whatever issue the prospect feels does NOT make sense. If no NON-SENSE issues spring up, then move forward.

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Another simple step to transition to the close would be:

“Is there anything else you need to know that will help you decide?”

This is enabling the prospect to bring up anything that is still holding them back and asking if there are any questions that are currently unanswered.

It could sound like this:

“So, Tom, we’ve discussed how this new approach will increase engagement within your staff and allow for higher levels of communication to take place within the team. Is there anything else you need to know that will help you decide on what to do?”

It allows for the prospect to clarify any outstanding issues and opens the way for the discussion to continue, either by journeying toward the close or by adapting the solution to something that work better for their company.

Another sales transition statement that could work is:

“I suggest we go ahead and plan the next stage”

Notice this is not a question but a positive-focused statement that drives the conversation forward. You use this statement when the prospect has no more questions and is a natural progression to the decision-making phase.

You need to have convinced the prospect of the merits of your solution before using this transition statement. It could sound something like this:

“Thanks for agreeing to the trial period, Christine. That’s thirty days use of the machine, with back-up support from our team, and you providing the materials for usage. I suggest we go ahead and plan the next stage.”

Do you see how this statement is a natural progression, assuming quite rightly that the prospect has agreed to the offer?

Try one or more of these sales transition statements and see if they take the conversation into the final phase in a natural and non-pressured way. By adopting this approach you won’t have to overcome those sales objections because it’s just a natural progression of the sales process.

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Want some training on how to transition to the close?

Check out our 2-day face to face Selling Skills Training which is certified through the Institute of Sales Management and also our  sales training to help take your selling game onto the next level.

Take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post The 3 Best Sales Transition Closing Statements appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/two-quick-retail-sales-tips.html Tue, 19 Nov 2019 11:50:23 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=177 I was in Dublin recently with a MAJOR player in the food retail industry and it reminded me of two of the very best retail sales tips that every store should use. So it doesn’t matter what you sell in […]

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I was in Dublin recently with a MAJOR player in the food retail industry and it reminded me of two of the very best retail sales tips that every store should use.

So it doesn’t matter what you sell in your store, use them!

And if you don’t sell in retail then next time you are in a store see if the sales assistant uses any of the following one liners on you.

If they don’t have a smug look on your face knowing that they are leaving a lot of money on the table!

Retail Sales Tip 1

When a customer reaches the counter ask:

“Did you find everything you were looking for today?”

Simple as that.

Sometimes you forget what you went in for. Sometimes you just couldn’t lay your hands on an item.

Let’s look at the math.

If you had 50 stores and during each interaction at the till your staff asked:

“Did you find everything you were looking for today?”

Over a day I would assume that each store would make an additional £20 (let’s be ultra conservative here).

I mean, one item could be £20! So I am being ultra-cautious here just to illustrate my point.

50 stores x £20 = an additional £1,000 per day

Let’s assume 300 shopping days.

300 shopping days x £1,000 per day = £300,000 in additional turnover.

A no brainer if ever I saw one!

Imagine if this figure was an additional £100 or £200 per day?

We’re talking big numbers.

Retail Sales Tip 2

“Can I help you?”

That’s what you normally get asked when a shop assistant creeps up on you in a store.

And how do you reply?

“Just looking”

Of course you do!

Try saying this instead…

“Hi there, what can I help you to look for today?” or “Is there anything I can help you to look for?”

How are they going to say “Just looking” now?

It won’t make any sense.

I’m not going to say it will work every time but you’ll sure get better results than asking “Can I help you?”

Happy selling and if you’d like more tips like these then think about attending one of our Retail Sales Training Courses.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

You’ll add a lot to your bottom line without the hard sell. We hate the hard sell. You’ll come across as an expert in your field and at the same time be able to offer up and cross sell products without looking pushy.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Two Quick Retail Sales Tips appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/6-ways-to-build-up-goodwill-with-customers.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/6-ways-to-build-up-goodwill-with-customers.html#comments Mon, 18 Nov 2019 09:10:04 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2648   Building goodwill in business is a pre-requisite for companies to advance in their strategic forward planning. The British Department Store, John Lewis, is renowned for its quality customer service and its build-up of goodwill. Here’s what one of their […]

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Building goodwill in business is a pre-requisite for companies to advance in their strategic forward planning.

The British Department Store, John Lewis, is renowned for its quality customer service and its build-up of goodwill. Here’s what one of their managers said:

“If we rely on value alone, we’ll get considerable success.

Then if we add constant and careful cultivation of the other arts of maintaining and building up goodwill, we shall be vastly superior to our competition.”

Sounds like good advice. And when you consider those words were said by the founder, John Lewis himself, in 1917, you realise that quality customer service and goodwill were part of the culture of their organisation nearly 100 years ago.

Quality in a product or service is not what you put into it, but what the customer gets out of it. National Express, a UK travel company, encourages passengers to text them about their experience while riding on their coaches. This enables the company to deal with the needs of customers instantaneously, and builds goodwill with the customer base quickly and easily.

But how do you actually build customer goodwill? Can it really be built? Marketing author Dr Bill Nichols thinks it can.

Dr Nichols says that there are six levels you can go through to build goodwill with a customer. He starts with the base level,

1) Service Satisfaction.

It goes without saying that unless the customer is satisfied with your back-up service, goodwill will be severely dented, if not destroyed. Satisfaction is the baseline for customers when it comes to how they view a company’s overall quality

2) Utility Satisfaction.

That’s all-round satisfaction with the products, service and quality that is offered. If the overall satisfaction is simply average, there won’t be much reason for the customer to build goodwill. High levels of satisfaction with the performance of products is again the baseline that you can build from.

3) Brand Commitment.

If they are committed to the brand, it’s natural that they will feel happy and contented when they buy from you. Where does this commitment come from? It’s the element of trust that is built up over time, as you offer consistency and care across the established connections you have with customers.

4) Relationship Commitment.

When a client is committed to the relationship, they are more likely to see you as a partner than as a supplier. This relationship level can make a huge difference in they view you now and in the future.

5) Fairness.

This means the client feels they are getting a fair reward for the long-term relationship with you. This doesn’t just mean fair pricing structures, but also the way they feel they are treated in general. Building goodwill in business is about showing and demonstrating the fairness that customers expect.

6) Pleasure.

This is the emotional connection they have with you and your company. If they feel contentment in the relationship, they are less likely to look elsewhere for price differentials. It makes them feel they are valued by you, as an individual and as a company.

What struck me more was that these two last factors, along with relationship, brand and utility satisfaction, rank higher than service satisfaction in terms of building customer goodwill.
In other words, you don’t have to be the best at service delivery as your clients are looking for more than just a good service. Perhaps it is taken for granted when paying for a service that it will be delivered well and as promised? I think so.

Dr Nichols’ ideas help us to see how goodwill can be built through a series of levels. Think of ways that you can enable customers to feedback their feelings about your levels of service. Your clients are in the best position to tell you what they want in terms of product, service and back-up. Without listening and learning from their experiences, you won’t get a good assessment of the feelings of goodwill you client base has for you.

Want to learn more? Then take a look at our Sales Training solutions, like our Account Management Training Course.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 6 Ways To Build Up Goodwill With Customers appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/6-ways-to-build-up-goodwill-with-customers.html/feed 2 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/set-appointments-over-phone.html Tue, 30 Apr 2019 08:30:35 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4898   While setting appointments over the telephone seems to be becoming increasingly difficult, the need and importance of being able to pick up the phone and set quality appointments remains high. Yes, there are now many alternative prospecting avenues available […]

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While setting appointments over the telephone seems to be becoming increasingly difficult, the need and importance of being able to pick up the phone and set quality appointments remains high. Yes, there are now many alternative prospecting avenues available to the astute sales person. However, in most sales processes, cold or warm, you still have to make a call.

How can you set appointments over the phone? What can you do to achieve this goal while still being professional?

Here are three very powerful, yet extremely simple tips to keep in mind when you pick up that phone to start your sales call to make an appointment.

#1. Do Not Sell Your Product or Service

I know it seems obvious that when you call to set an appointment, you are not calling to try to make the sale over the telephone. However, most sales people fall into the trap of selling the product or service in the process.

Remember, you are selling the appointment, not the product.

While attempting to set an appointment, the prospect objects. The problem is that usually the objection is a “buying” objection. The prospect says something like, “I can’t afford your product or service right now…,” or “I am happy with my current supplier…” or something of that sort. Those are objections to making a purchase, and the normal response is to answer and try to overcome such objections.

When this happens, the prospect is objecting to BUYING and the sales person is trying to CLOSE. Think about that. Why on earth are you trying to close the sale at this stage of the sales process? You are trying to sell the appointment.

Neither you nor the prospect should even be thinking about making a buying decision at this point! Be careful not to fall into that trap. Instead, help the prospect understand that you are not asking for a buying decision; you are not asking for their business. All you want is a meeting and focus on that.

Remember; you are setting the appointment, not the sale.

#2. Build the Value of the Appointment Itself

When setting appointments over the phone, you should be focusing on just setting the appointment only. In other words, you need to SELL the appointment ONLY.

That is, sell the value of the meeting on its own merits. When setting an appointment on the phone, often the prospect feels that to meet with you will be a waste of their time if they do not believe they will buy; and since they have not yet seen your sales presentation, that is only natural.

Therefore, you need to help the prospect understand that they receive VALUE, they get some return on their investment of time, just to meet with you, regardless of if they choose to buy what you are selling or not. Figure out the reasons how the prospect benefits just by talking to you, and sell those benefits. The selling of the appointment on the phone can achieve this.

#3. Alternate of Choice

Finally, in setting the appointment on the phone, use a strong ‘alternate of choice’ close. Give the prospect two choices and narrow down the parameters.

“So Sarah, are mornings good for you to talk for a few minutes, or are the afternoons more convenient?”

“Paul, I can meet with you next Thursday sometime, or would a Monday be better?”

“Sean, we can get together Friday at 4:00 pm, or would Monday morning be easier with your schedule?”

Don’t try to sell the product or service or you will receive the “I’m not interested” sales objection. Instead, just sell the appointment. On the phone, the appointment is the product they are buying. Build the value of that appointment on its own merits. Use the old, but reliable alternate of choice close and you will set more appointments!

Making appointments over the phone can be difficult enough these days. By following the above ideas, you increase your chances, but only if you remember exactly what you are selling on the phone; the appointment!

If you’re still itching to learn more, try out our range of Sales Training solutions which include both offline and online options to help you further. 

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Set Appointments Over The Phone? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/5-ways-to-ensure-great-communications.html Mon, 03 Sep 2018 07:45:36 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2751   You’ll no doubt agree that one of the most important key skills you need to develop today as a salesperson is that of communication. Ok, it’s a well-banged drum, but I’m going to say it again anyway…you simply will […]

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You’ll no doubt agree that one of the most important key skills you need to develop today as a salesperson is that of communication.

Ok, it’s a well-banged drum, but I’m going to say it again anyway…you simply will not be the success you could be without having excellent communication skills, especially with clients.

How can you start to improve, so that you have the best chance to make an impact and create high level communications with clients that will persuade them they are making a good decision to choose your products and services?

Well, as with all skill development, it starts with laying a solid foundation to build on.

And any message you send will only be listened to and dealt with if you lay this foundation.

A Useful Acronym For Communication

Think of the acronym PIMMS, and you have laid the foundation.

PIMMS stands for:

Purpose

What is the purpose of your message?

What are you trying to achieve?

Without the answer to this most basic of questions, you are going on a magical mystery tour.

Intent

What do you intend to accomplish?

If you’re purely giving information, you may approach a client differently than if you wished to motivate them to change suppliers.

Meaning

What meaning do you want the client to get from your communication?

How do you want them to react?

What decisions should they make?

Identify this meaning before setting out to communicate.

Message

When you’ve gone through those three stages, you can determine the best method to send the message.

Would an email suffice?

Should you send a personalised, hand-written letter?

Should you call in person?

Would a phone call be best?

Structure

How should you structure the message so the message gets through first time to the person?

Think of these steps every time you need to communicate a message.

If you know the destination first, you have a better chance of finding the right route and achieving the goal, because the person will know what benefits the communication will have for them.

That will set the scene for you to deliver your message and get the results you were hoping for.

In our Sales Training, we put a lot of emphasis on improving your sales communication skills, like in our Selling Skills Training programmes.

Take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses, where you can find a wider range of what we offer.

Both courses are geared around making you an excellent communicator!

We hope the PIMMS acronym will help you.

Here are some cold calling tips and how to get your voicemails returned. Both require you to have effective communication skills.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 5 Ways To Ensure Great Sales Communications appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-respond-to-call-me-back-in-6-months.html Wed, 04 Jul 2018 08:00:27 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=13566 Yes, it’s that old chestnut again: the age-old-how-can-I-get-rid-of-this-pesky-salesperson answer. Most prospects will use this simply to get rid of you and if you take it on face value, you might feel there might be a chance in six months’ time. […]

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]]> Yes, it’s that old chestnut again: the age-old-how-can-I-get-rid-of-this-pesky-salesperson answer.

Most prospects will use this simply to get rid of you and if you take it on face value, you might feel there might be a chance in six months’ time.

Your manager asks you about this prospect and you say,

“Yep, this one’s in the bag…all I need is to go back in six months and the order’s mine, all mine”.

Well, some will be genuine and really mean they will be making a decision in 6 months.

With others, it may well be a stall.

Reasons for the stall may include:

They’re not the true decision-maker

They don’t like the product or service

They don’t like the price

They don’t have the money

They don’t like you

They simply want to get rid of you

The best way to determine if it’s genuine or they are simply playing for time is to ask specific questions.

These might include:

What will be different in 6 months?

What’s preventing you from making a decision today?

Would you actually be buying in 6 months’ time?

How will the decision be made at that time?

Would you like to purchase now and pay in 6 months? (If you offer this kind of credit, of course)

Would you like me to show you how much you would save if you bought today, rather than in 6 months?

Remember though that any delay is not really the fault of the prospect.

It’s more often than not the fact that you haven’t built up the value in their eyes of making the decision now.

By determining how valuable a decision today would be to the prospect, you accentuate the benefits and lessen the value of making a choice further down the line.

Think how much benefit it would be to them to make that choice today and communicate that value in hard cash terms to the prospect.

That way, the emphasis is on how the individuals concerned would gain from a quick decision, and you create awareness of how this decision is really the right one to take right here, right now!

Please check out our Selling Skills Training or please contact us to discuss your Sales Training requirements. Our L&D team can help you to work out which course will be best for you or your team.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our popular Sales Training Courses.

Popular sales courses include:

Account Management Training
Sales Management Training

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Respond To “Call Me Back In 6 Months” appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/six-questions-to-ensure-you-build-value-for-your-customers.html Thu, 07 Jun 2018 06:00:06 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=10038   You know well how customer don’t buy on price alone. The risk that is taken when they buy the cheapest option is sometimes too great and so other components are taken into account when decisions are made. We often […]

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You know well how customer don’t buy on price alone.

The risk that is taken when they buy the cheapest option is sometimes too great and so other components are taken into account when decisions are made.

We often say that we should sell the concept of value, as it appears in the eyes of the prospect.

But how can you generate that value?

How do you know what would be valuable to a client?

We have to analyse what we can do to increase that value early on in our planning.

Your discussions concerning how you build that value in the eyes of the prospect can boil down effectively to six points, derived from answering these questions.

These questions clarify the value your business provides:

“Compared to our competitors, what’s our quality level?”

You must have adequate knowledge of what your competition are offering, so you don’t come up short when prospects are comparing your products with other companies.

“What unique benefits do we provide?”

 People see uniqueness in different ways.

If they see the benefits of uniqueness as meaning they get some added advantage over their competition, then it will be an area that they see real tangible value

“What customer needs do we fulfill?”

This is a good question to open up discussions on how value is displayed to prospects.

Try to build as many value opportunities as you can for clients, so they see you as the natural and obvious choice to solve their problems.

“How convenient is it to buy from us?”

This is all about ease of use and ease of contact.

For many, this is a key reason to choose a supplier.

Ask how easy it is to place orders with you, how easy to get through on the phone, how easy to complain or get hold of a support person.

Convenience is a factor that can make a big difference when making a choice.

“How reliable is our product or service?”

Value is always specific to the individual person or business.

Reliability can drive a choice-making decision, as it takes away the worry and concern that a buyer may be making when deciding who and what to go for.

“What are we best at?”

When you know what you’re good at, and why people choose you specifically, you can concentrate and focus on those qualities so they become your brand image, the picture your prospects create when they think of you.

Remember, build up your value message, because if you don’t, you may well be selling what is viewed as a commodity, and that’s when customers see price as more important than value, and you’ll find yourself up against those who are cheapest.

Check out these 2 resources that can help you further. The Sales Person’s Crisis and Drive Time Sales Strategies will help you make more sales, more often.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 6 Questions To Ensure You Build Sales Value appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/three-buying-motives-of-the-modern-day-buyer.html Mon, 04 Jun 2018 06:00:39 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8343   Selling today is all about recognising the true motivations of buyers and aligning your presentation/solution to match their needs and desires. We all know that! And we cover is excessively in our Sales Training. Or take a look at […]

The post 3 Buying Motives Of The Modern-Day Buyer appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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Selling today is all about recognising the true motivations of buyers and aligning your presentation/solution to match their needs and desires.

We all know that! And we cover is excessively in our Sales Training.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

So, with an up-to-date buyer, who has little in the way of time and resources to spend, what do we need to do to assist them to make a decision to choose us and our offering?

Well, our research has shown that there are probably a small number of over-riding drivers to decision-making that affect the majority of purchasers.

We recognise that these will be used in different levels and amounts by each person, so there is no one-size-fits-all approach that can be taken.

But if we realise that most buyers tend to be influenced by these specific drivers, we can align what we say and do to match these ways of thinking.

In the modern-day buyer’s mind, what are the major factors that influence their decisions?

And how can we mirror them so the buyer feels we are the best choice for them?

Firstly, and naturally, it’s Money.

But in a slightly different way to how you might have anticipated it.

Most salespeople think that when a buyer asks for a discount or a lower price, it’s because they don’t see the value in your product or service.

However, it goes down to a deeper level than that.

We have to remember that most of our B2B buyers want a lower price because:

1) They want to get more repeat business from their customers

2) They want to offer something better than their competition

So their rationale in asking for a lower price may revolve around their ability to offer their customers a better deal.

And the reason for that could be they are looking for greater profits themselves.

The way to discuss this with the prospect is to confirm the real reason why they want a lower price from you.

Sometimes it may be they simply want to get a good deal.

But it probably really means they want to have lower costs so they can pass the savings onto their customers and beat their competition while making more profit themselves.

So the underlying reason is for them to make more money.

This enables you to highlight the benefits and advantages of your products and services that will enable your prospect to prosper.

Discuss how you can help him to improve his profitability.

Point out the benefits over the competition’s offerings that will make his company look good.

Determine how your back-up and warranties will build long-term loyalty and allow your prospect to gain more from existing and new customers.

Always determine the real reason behind the request for price reduction.

Most times it will be to enable the prospect to make more profits, and that ultimate goal could be achieved in different ways than simply by reducing your prices.

Secondly, a buying influencer may be Reduced Risk.

What I mean by this is that they may want to have greater confidence they won’t miss their deadlines with their customers.

It could be they want greater confidence that the products they offer will actually do what they promise they will do.

And they want to give their customers more reasons to use them, so their reputation increases and they become more attractive to new clients.

So, one of the areas you can highlight could be how your products and services reduce the risks they have to take in their market-place.

This will give them more confidence and peace of mind when they sell.

Don’t underestimate the power of risk reduction.

Another key component in decision-making may be Time.

If you are able to offer confidence to your prospect that you will be able to deliver on time, there will be less time spent by them on worrying about customer complaints and issues of inventories.

It will also give them confidence that the value of dealing with you is greater because they can trust your promises and can get on with what they do best, without worrying about what’s happening in the background.

Remember, then, to concentrate on these three key buying motives (Money, Risk Reduction and Time) so that you match the needs and desires of your prospects and don’t get dragged in to surface-level debates about costs and other incidentals that hide the real reasons why they may be buying from you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 3 Buying Motives Of The Modern-Day Buyer appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/overcoming-the-fear-of-cold-calling.html Wed, 02 May 2018 08:00:04 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6179   You’re all ready to go. You’ve got all your leads for the day prepared and lined up in front of you. You have all your rebuttals ready, and you have rehearsed your main talking points. You’re ready to begin […]

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]]>
 
You’re all ready to go. You’ve got all your leads for the day prepared and lined up in front of you. You have all your rebuttals ready, and you have rehearsed your main talking points. You’re ready to begin your cold calling session.

You pick up the telephone and make the first call. The prospect was not in. What a relief. Time to take a break. A quarter of an hour later you’re back at your desk and you start again.

You make a call. The prospect said they were not interested and hung up. You then suddenly realise you have some paperwork from last week’s sale that you must get done right now.

If this prospecting period sounds remotely familiar, it is because you suffer from a fear of cold calling. Chances are you’re looking for all manner of alternatives to cold calling to ensure your sales funnel is full. You’re doing everything but make the calls.

Cold Call Anxiety

Cold call anxiety is a serious problem and entails much more than what you may think. To overcome the fear of cold calling, you first must understand the fear.

So, first let me give you a clear explanation of the fear, followed by a way to get rid of it.

The Fear Of Cold Calling

At the heart of the fear of cold calling is that usually the salesperson puts too much weight or importance on the value of a single telephone call.

The thought process, though mostly subconsciously, goes something like this:

1. To be successful and have all the things you want, you must close lots of sales
2. To close lots of sales, you must close one at a time
3. Before you can close one sale, you must do a successful sales interaction
4. Before you can complete a successful sales interaction, you must set an appointment
5. The next telephone call is to set that appointment and first you need to get past the gatekeeper
6. Therefore, if you fail at this call, you lose everything!

The salesperson believes that everything depends on this one call, and since they have no real control over the call or what the prospect says, it creates a horrible feeling of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.

To overcome this fear, you must put the cold call in its proper perspective.


 

What Is A Single Cold Call Worth?

So, exactly what is a cold call worth to you and your company?

It is certainly not worth your entire future, your home, car, and life as you know it.

But exactly, precisely what is the value of a single call?

To figure this out, you need conclusive data. That is, real data from a CRM or database that contains actual sales activity records. Once you have the definitive data then you can work it all out.

First, figure out your closing average, as in how many closing attempts does it take on average to close one sale. Let us assume that it is 20% or 1 out of 5.

Then check out how much money, on the average, you earn from one sale.

And let’s assume that figure is £400. Therefore, we know that it takes you 5 appointments to earn £400 so you earn £80 per appointment.

Does that make sense?

Now, calculate how many cold calls it takes for you to set one appointment, and let’s say it takes 10 calls.

So, it takes you 10 cold calls to set 1 appointment, and that 1 appointment earns you £80.

That works out to just £8 per cold call. That’s it. In this scenario, a single cold call is worth £8, and you get paid that £8 no matter what. Now you could work all of that out for turnover, profit or indeed the sales commission that you will get paid because of your sales. Whatever gets you motivated and whatever you understand, you should use.

The Truth Shall Set You Free!

This is no trick or play on numbers.

This is how you get paid. If you work with any type of a commission, then you earn a certain amount of money every time you place a call, no matter what happens.

So, the next prospect that yells, “I’m not interested” Don’t get upset. Just move on to the next call.




 

Myths About Overcoming Your Cold Calling Fears

In spite of a million cold calling tips out there in the universe, salespeople at every level and in every profession still struggle with this often unavoidable task. While cold calling advice ranges from the useful and practical, to the sublime and ridiculous, there are some cold calling ideas and beliefs that are harmful and will cause you to be fearful if you believe them.

There are some ideas that salespeople have heard for so long that people have just started to believe they are true, when in fact, they are anything but.

The following are three cold calling myths that have shrouded the minds of unsuspecting salespeople for decades and can cause irrefutable harm to your career.

Cold Calling Myth #1: Don’t Take It Personally

You’ve heard this one before. You have people that hang up on you over and over, and you should just brush it off. Just continue to accept the hang-ups as part of the process, and don’t take it personally. “They are not rejecting you, just your services or products…” While this appears to be a reasonable sentiment, the fact is that such a concept is insane.

Be honest. How can you not take it personally?

This type of thinking is what causes burn-out in the telemarketing industry and is one of the primary causes of cold call anxiety. It is personal. In fact, usually the main reason for the hang-ups is you, and the sound of your voice.

Instead of trying not to take it personally, understand that you need to make some changes in your telephone approach and your sales mindset. Understand what you are being paid per call as previously covered in this blog.

Cold Calling Myth #2: You Often Have to Take Some Abuse

Many salespeople believe that the only way to be successful on the telephone is to tolerate the abuse you may get from prospects in cold calls. Aside from the hang-ups, many believe in the idea that you must also “Endure the pain to make the gain” philosophy.

As in myth #1, if you often get overly rude or obnoxious prospects that tend to downgrade or humiliate you on the telephone, then there is a problem in your telephone selling technique.

While there are some people that are invariably and unjustly discourteous and intolerable, it’s not a large percentage. If you routinely run into overly rude people, maybe it has something to do with your approach. However, you do not have to just take it.

Cold Calling Myth #3: Never Hang Up On a Prospect

Riding along the heels of Myth #2, is the fact that while it is rare, there are times when you need to terminate the call with a cold called prospect. Occasionally, you are bound to run into that truly horrible person. No technique, skill or amount of professionalism will stop this individual from lashing out at whoever it is on the other end of the telephone. However, you do not have to sit there and spend your valuable time taking abuse.

It is true, that you cannot lower yourself to their level, and return like rudeness or just slam the phone down. But you can, at your discretion, “terminate that telephone call with tact.”

Firmly thank the prospect for their time, and then use a finger to disconnect the call.

Make sure the last words the prospect hears is you thanking them, and then use your hand so there is no sound of the telephone hanging up. If the receiver touches the base of the telephone, it will sound harsh and rude. Instead, use your finger to depress the button so the prospect barely hears a “click.”

If necessary, do this in the middle of a sentence and even speak over the prospect.

Prospect: “…And another thing! I told you people to never call me again, blah, blah, threatens, yell, yell…”

Salesperson: “I really appreciate your time, thank you” Click.

It is true that you must remain professional. But that does not mean that you must become a doormat.


 

Overcome Your Fears By Developing Rapport

At the start of your sales call, you have a few precious seconds to accomplish a whole list of objectives, one of which is to get the prospect to continue to listen to you. Of course, to do this you need to create some rapport with the prospect. If you are fearful of making cold calls and suffer from cold anxiety, then developing rapport will help to settle you down considerably.

Following are tips to help you instantly create a stronger rapport with the prospect in a cold call.

Reflect a Like Attitude

First, listen. Listen intently from the very moment the telephone begins to ring. Every sound you hear is an important clue as to the prospect’s state of mind. Listen and reflect a similar or like attitude. This does not mean to mimic or copy the prospect. Just slightly adapt to the prospect’s current temperament.

As an example, the prospect answers and you instantly detect an upbeat, enthusiastic, and cordial demeanour. In such a case, you should respond with a similar tone. Conversely, should the prospect answer with a very business-like, sombre attitude, then you should be a bit more subdued and direct.

Drop the Smile & Dial Enthusiasm

The old idea that if you are excited and enthusiastic at the beginning of the cold call, then the prospect will magically become excited and enthusiastic also; is as outdated as the smile and dial era it came from and is a common sales mistake. Someone who is having a horrible day and is in a miserable mood is not suddenly going to feel better at the sound of your over-animated voice. Slightly adapt your attitude so that you are on the “same page” with the prospect.

Adapt to the Formality of the Prospect

Listen carefully in the beginning of the call and the prospect will give you clues as to how formal or informal they are. Should you refer to this prospect as Mr. Dillon or Steve? To “warm up” with talking about the weather with some prospects, is the worst thing you can do. Conversely, with other prospects, not to engage in some small talk could spell disaster.

Stay Level with the Prospect’s Pace of Speech

Very simply, if the person with whom you are speaking talks very slowly, then you may have to slow down a bit. On the other hand, should the prospect be a very fast talker, then perhaps you need to speed up a little.

Adapt your attitude, formality, and pace to that of the prospect.

Overcoming your fear of cold calling is down to skill and will. The skill is all down to your telesales technique. The will is keeping the right mental attitude and understanding that you get paid for each call you make no matter what.

The most successful Business Development Managers have skill and will in abundance. They get through gatekeepers, they set their appointments and they get their voicemails returned and they can only achieve this by calling. Phones aren’t going to call themselves.

Check out our range of Sales Training and Sales Assessment solutions. All of our services are engaging, practical and will provide you with the strategies that you need to have a successful sales career.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Overcoming The Fear Of Cold Calling appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/5-steps-to-effectively-follow-up-prospects.html Mon, 30 Apr 2018 08:00:03 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2500 What strikes me as strange and rather puzzling is a piece of research I read this week that said less than 10% of salespeople actually follow up a prospect more than once after they have sent a proposal. I had […]

The post 5 Steps To Effectively Follow-Up Prospects appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> What strikes me as strange and rather puzzling is a piece of research I read this week that said less than 10% of salespeople actually follow up a prospect more than once after they have sent a proposal.

I had to read that twice before it sunk in.

What causes it? Lack of time? No desire? Carelessness? Laziness?

I don’t know the real reason, and there might be many, but I certainly know that the majority of sales people have not been taught how to do it effectively and efficiently.

Is it worth learning?

I think it is, so here’s some steps that will help you make following up a natural part of the sale for you:

1. Ask exploratory questions that give you a reason to follow up.

Make these questions hard-hitting, based on the pain your prospect is currently going through or the opportunity you might be able to provide.

Help them make the decision to at least talk further with you.

2. Make what you and your company have to offer the customer absolutely compelling.

Your uniqueness has to stand out to them, and the follow-up must build on the platform you originally built with them.

If they are thinking of using the competition, this is the time to make your unique proposition very personal and specific to their business.

3. Show the prospect that you are the right partner for their business.

Partnerships grow from small beginnings and there are many opportunities during follow-up to help them see how the link with your company can be good for both of you.

You will have had the chance to find out more about the company following your first contact(s) so use the extra knowledge to convince them you and they would look good together!

4. Speak to your customers’ dreams and aspirations.

People buy when they see a brighter and better future with your product, so paint pictures with your words that add sizzle to the substance of what you offer.

If they see things so much better because of being in partnership with you, then you’ve brightened the image they had of you when you first met.

5. Don’t give up too early.

Too many salespeople will make one or two calls to follow-up, leave a non-returned voice-mail and think it’s dead as a dodo.

Instead, make a commitment to try a few ways to contact them.

I sent a note with a chocolate foot in the envelope to a prospect.

I wrote on it that it was my way to get a foot in the door.

This humorous element was appreciated by the prospect and they got back to us.

You might try calling, faxing, texting, tweeting them, dropping a line on their linked-in page, emailing them, sending a postcard, calling in person…do whatever it takes, and learn from the experience.

Track the results of what you do and continue to do what works for you.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you with our wide range of Sales Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 5 Steps To Effectively Follow-Up Prospects appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-turn-failure-into-success-in-sales.html Mon, 23 Apr 2018 08:00:19 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=14895   Let me say something that, on the face of it, may sound puzzling. You learn more when things are going badly than when they are going well. Go on, admit it…that’s an interesting statement (even if you don’t agree […]

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Let me say something that, on the face of it, may sound puzzling.

You learn more when things are going badly than when they are going well.

Go on, admit it…that’s an interesting statement (even if you don’t agree with it!)

What I’m referring to is the fact that no-one goes through life being successful every time.

The only way you can avoid failure is if you stay in bed all the time.

And even then you might fail to get up in time to get to the loo! (oops, failed again!)

Do you know anyone who has never failed?

Nor do I. So why are we so worried about failure?

Actually, we’re worried about failing because of the consequences.

We might lose the sale or get a rollicking from the boss or miss out on a promotion.

Yes, the consequences of failure can often be hurtful.

However, our attitude towards failure can often make the difference in the future.

As the saying goes, ‘It’s not the falling over that’s the problem….it’s the not getting up again that causes the problems.’

I like that quote because it proves that actions are the remedy to failure.

A failure only remains a failure if you don’t learn something from it.

If you learn something, it’s an outcome that won’t be repeated, so it’s not classed as a failure.

So what can you learn when things go wrong?

You learn what not to do next time.

You learn how that particular person needs to be approached in the future.

You learn how to present better, matching product benefits with customer needs.

You learn what will make that person happy.

And you learn the difficulties that can be caused to a client if we get our service wrong.

In other words, if you learn from when things go wrong, the chances of the same thing happening again are vastly reduced.

Compare that with what you learn when things are going swimmingly.

You might see a long-time prospect become a new client.

Doesn’t that feel good? Of course!

Though if you tried the same technique with a different prospect, you might not get the same response.

No, the truth is that you can learn better lessons when things go wrong, because you can identify the rationale that caused you to make the mistake and you can ensure you put in strategies so it doesn’t happen again.

An old boss of mine said to me, ‘Fail often. At least I know you’re trying. But make sure you learn your lessons well. I’d rather that than you try nothing in case you fail.’

I’ve always remembered that, as it has given me the confidence to try out things that I might not have done before.

If I apply the idea that you should learn from failures, it guarantees I won’t go down the wrong road twice.

Michael Jordan once said, ‘You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take’.

By taking the shot, missing, re-aligning, matching up, learning from what went wrong and applying those lessons, we stand a much better chance of hitting the next shot successfully.

Applying that dogma to sales, we see lots of failures magnified against the backdrop of poor results and we think we will never get better.

On the contrary, if we examine the way things are done and make sure they don’t get repeated in the same way, we can’t help but get better and aim higher.

Please try out our Telesales Training for the latest tips and techniques and also our Sales Negotiation Training to help take your selling game onto the next level.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Turn Failure Into Success In Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-only-4-reasons-your-prospect-will-buy.html Mon, 16 Apr 2018 08:13:07 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=13533   It’s really quite simple when you consider it: customers become customers if you solve a business problem or create an opportunity for them. That’s basically it, really. But so many salespeople think that just regurgitating a whole brochure-load of […]

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]]>
 
It’s really quite simple when you consider it: customers become customers if you solve a business problem or create an opportunity for them.

That’s basically it, really.

But so many salespeople think that just regurgitating a whole brochure-load of facts and information about their products or services will do this for the customer.

Unfortunately, this makes the customer have to do the hard work.

They have to make the connection between what you’re saying and how it will impact their business in the future.

So, the best way to encourage the customer to think of your solution is to link up with the valid business reasons why they should make the decision to go with you.

So, ask yourself, “What valid business reasons have I got for the customer to see me today?”

Here are some of the main business reasons people will see you and consider your solution:

1)  My solution will have an measurable and important impact on their business results

Somewhere down the line, the solution has to satisfy this basic business need better than their current supplier or add something to what they have in a different way.

2)  My solution will get customers the results they want quicker or more efficiently than the competition.

If your solution increases the urgency for the customer, you have another valid reason for them to listen to you

3)  My solution will make the decision-maker look good and help them achieve their goals in the business

Most decision-makers will be able to see the relationship between how the solution affects their business and the kudos they gain by choosing it too.

If that can be advanced during the discussions, there is validity in considering your solution.

4)  My solution takes away the pain or achieves a gain better than what they are doing now or with a current competitor 

It takes a lot for a company to change suppliers.

There has to be clear and measurable distance between the current position and future possibilities for a person to even consider a change.

So your solution has to been seen as alleviating the problem or achieving a realistic goal in a much better way than anything else they are using.

So, think about how your product or service will help the prospect achieve any of the above.

One or two is good. Three is better. All four is the ideal.

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of courses that can help you.

Please try out our Essential Selling Skills Training for the latest tips and techniques and also our Sales Management Training to help take your selling game onto the next level.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post The Only 4 Reasons Your Prospect Will Buy appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/5-reasons-why-your-prices-should-be-higher-than-your-competitors.html Wed, 04 Apr 2018 08:15:58 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=14819   I met a salesperson on one of our Sales Courses who was really upset that his company had raised his product’s prices by over 3%, and hadn’t given him an explanation as to why. It was simply called ‘an […]

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I met a salesperson on one of our Sales Courses who was really upset that his company had raised his product’s prices by over 3%, and hadn’t given him an explanation as to why.

It was simply called ‘an inflationary mark-up’, even though inflation is actually running lower than that figure.

His frustration about the situation made me feel sorry for him, as he couldn’t affect the decision.

He had to ‘just live with it’ as he told me.

I sent him some information about pricing, and why it’s important to see your product as adding value to the customer’s business.

In fact, having higher prices should actually make you feel prouder of your products as they send a different message out to the market.

Here, I share some of the ideas below:

Customers will have a different view of your services, your business and you

It’s all about perception. Which I stress all the time on our Sales Training.

If the customer sees you with a higher price than the competitors, it will make them curious as to what you’ve got that the competitors haven’t.

They may ask what they can get that they wouldn’t get elsewhere.

It makes you look at your proposals from a different angle

You will have to move away from concentrating on your price and focus instead on how you will be able to solve customers’ problems in a more dynamic way

You’ll lose some of the ‘price-is-the-only-thing’ time-wasters

Believe it or not, some of the customers you may lose aren’t worth your time anyway.

If they’re a price-only buyer now, they will always be one, and that will only hurt long-term margins.

Your higher prices actually mean you’re attracting higher-value customers who understand the meaning of value and appreciate the extra work you do for them

When price is taken off the table, you create a different level of relationship with the client.

It becomes a partnership and allows you to work at a deeper level with them, as price and costs become less important than quality and effectiveness

The better customer base you acquire allows you to build further attractiveness to future prospects

This increases your image in the market place, so you become more attractive to those prospects who want to have great service, guarantees, back-up and so forth, and the increased profitability will allow you to invest in better and more successful processes.

It’s really just a matter of perception.

If you actually believe your products are better than the competition and the value outweighs the price customers pay, it will give you the confidence to approach prospects, proud that you are more expensive than others.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Your Price SHOULD Be Higher Than Your Competitors appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/asking-for-the-sale.html Wed, 28 Mar 2018 08:00:47 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4432   After all the preparation, sales questions, proposals and meetings you’re so close to closing the deal. But there’s one thing stopping you! Asking for the sale… So let us look at a few more direct and clear ways to […]

The post 3 Ways Of Asking For The Sale Or Order appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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After all the preparation, sales questions, proposals and meetings you’re so close to closing the deal. But there’s one thing stopping you! Asking for the sale…

So let us look at a few more direct and clear ways to ask for the sale that will help you make more money. We’re not talking about any cheesy closing hard sell tactics here. Instead we’re talking about a natural progress to move the sale forward.

How To Ask For The Sale

#1 Be Direct:

• “Shall we move forward with it?”
• “Shall I send you the terms and conditions?”
• “If you can just sign this order form I can get it sorted for you?”
• “Shall I put it through the till?”

There are not too many ways to be more direct when closing than to ask to prospect to put their signature on the order form or contract or a let’s proceed message.

Such closing requires a strong and confident salesperson, as well as some very tactful wording. If you get it wrong you’ll need to overcome sales objections like there’s no tomorrow.

Here’s an example:

Sales Person:
With order pad or contract in hand, uses pen to direct the prospect’s eyes as he speaks, carefully watching the prospect for reactions, says:

“So Steve, the whole thing looks like this: We have the two dozen cases of the extra-wide widgets, two cases of the medium, and one case of the small. It all comes to only £2,844, plus shipping.”

Sales Person turns the order, placing it and the pen in front of prospect, and saying:

“Now all I need is your OK right there Steve, and I’ll put a rush order on the shipping.”

Like I said, such a close is not for the timid.

#2 The Alternate of Choice

Though many sales people use this method to ask for the order, often they do so with little conviction and strength.

Verify order details or logistics by giving the prospect two options, but you have to do it with an assumptive attitude.

You have to believe that you are merely verifying the details, or it comes across as a con and the prospect will feel as if you are trying to manipulate them.

Give the prospect the alternative of choice between two buying or logistical options

Sales Person:
“…and then Sarah, we will deliver, install and test the software. The total comes to £3,400 for the first year and then £425 per year in maintenance fees. Would you like to set up the installation for Friday, or the beginning of next week?”

Sales Person:
“The whole thing comes to only £2,844, plus shipping. So, Steve shall I put that on our express delivery service or our normal 4-day delivery?”

# 3 Ask a Closing Question, Congratulate and Assume the Rest

This also requires confidence.

Ask a closing or bridge question, and then assume the sale.

By a bridge question, I am referring to that question that simply helps bridge that gap between the end of the sales presentation and the time you strongly ask for the order.

A few I really like are: “Does that make sense?” and “Is that fair enough?”

So ask such a question, congratulate the prospect on making a great decision, and start with the paperwork. You can also use such a bridge with the above closes as well.

Sales Person:
“Finally, Sarah, we will deliver, install and test the software. The total comes to £3,400 for the first year and then £425 per year in maintenance fees. Does that make sense?”

Prospect:
“Yeah. It looks good.”

Sales Person: Extends hand to shake…
“Great Sarah! Thanks for your business. We have a little paperwork to take care of and we’ll be all set…”

Also, use this close combined with the above…

Sales Person:
“The whole thing comes to only £2,844, plus shipping. Is that okay, Steve?

Prospect:
“Yeah. It looks like a good rate.”

Sales Person:
“Great Steve. So, Steve shall I put that on our express delivery service or our normal 4-day delivery?

It is normal for people to want to put off making a decision.

It is your job to help them make that decision and you cannot do that if you do not properly ask them to make a decision.

Failing to Ask For the Sale

A problem that many sales people have is that they do not properly ask for the sale. They do not clearly ask the prospect to make a decision.

Now before you say, “Oh, I don’t have that problem…” you may want to read on.

Below are three ways of NOT asking for the sale, followed by three ways of really asking for the sale.

Three Ways of NOT Asking For The Sale

#1. Wait For The Prospect To Make the First Move

One of the most popular closes, (or should I say anti-closes), is when the sales person presents the offer and waits for the prospect to say something. The sales person waits, hoping the prospect will say, “Ok! Give me a pen, where do I sign?” which usually does not happen.

Sales Person:
“So Steve, the whole thing looks like this: We have the two dozen cases of the extra-wide widgets, two cases of the medium, and one case of the small. The whole thing comes to only £2,844, plus shipping.”

Silence.

Sales Person looks up at prospect, smiles, and then looks back down at order.

Silence.

I’m sorry but this is not asking for the order.

#2. The, “So What Do You Think?” Close

Sales people terrified to ask for the sale, often use this.

Since they appear to be asking a closing question, the sales person feels as if he or she accomplishes something, without directly asking for the order and thereby avoiding the risk of direct rejection.

The sales person does indeed accomplish something with this close…they make the whole situation much worse.

Sales Person:

“So Sarah, we will deliver, install and test the software. The total comes to £3,400 for the first year and then £425 per year in maintenance fees. So what do you think?”

First, asking the prospect what they think, is not asking them to buy.

However, what is worse is that turning to logical thinking is the last thing you want the prospect to do at that point. People make buying decisions based primarily on emotion. They then back up those decisions with the logical thinking.

By asking the prospect what they think, you are invoking the wrong part of the prospect’s brain and you still have not asked him or her to make a decision.

Is it any wonder why the prospect eventually responds by telling you they want to THINK about it? You just asked them what they think!

#3. The Incentive Close

Another way that sales people can ask for the sale without clearly asking for the sale is to use some incentive in an effort to stimulate the prospect to action.

Sales Person:

“So Steve, the whole thing looks like this: We have the two dozen cases of the extra-wide widgets, two cases of the medium, and one case of the small. The whole thing comes to only £2,844, plus shipping.”

“However Steve, if you place an order with me today, not only will we pick up the shipping costs, but we will give you an additional box of the small widgets…absolutely FREE!”

Silence.

You cannot wait for the prospect to snatch the contract out of your hand and close themselves! You need to sign post the way for them.

I hope this has helped. I go into more detail on how to ask for the order with my article The Top 5 Phrases That Will Close The Deal.

I also mentioned earlier about using sales transition statements or “bridging” as it’s normally referred to.  I’ve got 3 Great Examples Of Sales Transition Statements if you’re interested in learning more on them.

I recommend that you check out those articles and if you’re ever looking for Sales Training then don’t forget that we have a number of offline and online learning solutions that can help you including our most popular 2-day Selling Skills Training open course.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/7-things-successful-sales-people-never-say.html Mon, 26 Mar 2018 06:00:13 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11424 What’s interesting about us humans is the fact that, even though we don’t like to admit it, we are judgemental beings. Often, we don’t view ourselves as being judgemental; we consider ourselves to be realists. A situation occurs and we […]

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What’s interesting about us humans is the fact that, even though we don’t like to admit it, we are judgemental beings.

Often, we don’t view ourselves as being judgemental; we consider ourselves to be realists.

A situation occurs and we decide whether it is right or wrong, good, or bad, black or white.

Where do those ideas come from?

From our programming and conditioning, that’s where.

We are conditioned to identify what we consider to be right based on our experiences, our values, our standards, and our rules.

Every other person on the planet has had different experiences from you, and so will have different values, different beliefs and, hence, different judgements.

For instance, when you say, “You shouldn’t do that!” you are coming from your own judgements and rationale.

You’re weighing up the situation, determining what you would do in a similar spot and then balance up whether what is done instead lives up to your standards or rules.

It’s natural.

It’s human. It’s us being us.

So, are there some things that salespeople should never say?

Isn’t that being judgemental just asking the question?

Well, in a way, yes.

However, when you see the ideas below, you will probably agree these are things that shouldn’t be said because clients and prospects will probably judge us negatively if we did.

And that’s the main reason.

Not because we consider them to be right, but because most of our clients would say they are wrong.

Let’s face it, all clients use judgement to determine if the like you, believe you, have confidence in you and trust you.

What you need to do is to lower the resistance by shying away from phrases or words that will cause judgements to rise up in the first place.

Let’s look at some of the thing’s salespeople should never find coming out of their mouths:

“Trust me!”

Really? Do you need to tell me that? Your words are worthless if you don’t prove trustworthy.

It’s pointless asking someone to trust you if you haven’t given them reasons to do so.

Demonstrate you are trustworthy; don’t tell them. “Trust me” is not a term you would hear any of my trainers use if you attended any selling skills training with us. We do not recommend it.

“How are you today?”

After opening a cold call.

Please!

Leave that to the slimy, smarmy toothy-grinned salespeople of yester-year, who thought that it built rapport with a stranger.

These days it screams out the message “I AM GOING TO SELL YOU SOMETHING!”

“What will it take to earn your business?”

Err…give me a free sample?

This antiquated question lost its power when the first transaction took place in Antique-Land.

It puts so much pressure on the prospect because it’s asking them to do all the work.

They must think about what ‘deal’ they would take.

Instead, you should be building the value so that the prospect sees that accepting your offer is the best thing to do for them and/or their business.

“This is a limited offer”

Yeah right!

This smacks of all those furniture store closing-down offers, only to spring back, phoenix-like, from the ashes of despair, making customers feel cheated. We’d never cover these tactics on our Retail Sales Training.

If it really is a limited offer, build value first before you discuss price.

Limited offers come and go…they don’t have the impact they may have had in the 20th century (such a long time ago!).

“I give you my word”

Hah! The cheese monster rises from his lair again.

Another is “My word is my bond”.

If you have to say these sentences, you are thinking words have a greater effect on people than deeds.

Prospects want to know WHY they should trust you. Just saying it doesn’t make it right or true.

“What do you think?”

Eh? Surely there’s nothing wrong with this one?

After all, isn’t asking for the opinion of the prospect a good way of discovering their needs and wants.

Yes, of course, but this isn’t the way to do it.

The question creates logical triggers.

It’s better to ask how the person feels about the situation.

Thinking is rational, left-brained in its drivers.

‘How do you feel about this?’ gets the person to go deeper into their thought patterns and connects to the emotional decision-making process.

“Let me be honest with you!”

What? You mean you weren’t being honest before?

I know that seems far-fetched, but the subliminal message that gets through is that everything I’ve said up to now is questionable…I am going to be honest with you from now on!

Successful people don’t say these phrases because they don’t want to give the other person even a glimmer of a reason to doubt them or question their professionalism.

Think things through before you say things that might cause you to regret it afterwards.

Get in touch to discuss your Sales Training Course requirements or take our Sales Skills Assessment Test

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/4-powerful-sales-coaching-tips.html Thu, 22 Mar 2018 09:00:10 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5134   I will make this short and sweet. Add these four golden rules to your daily management style and you will be a more effective sales coach. Depending on what you do, and your business structure, some of these may not […]

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I will make this short and sweet.

Add these four golden rules to your daily management style and you will be a more effective sales coach.

Depending on what you do, and your business structure, some of these may not apply exactly to your situation.

However, you will get the idea.

Lead By Example

The old commanding, “Do as I say, not as I do…” style of management does not work well with today’s modern sales people.

Anyone in an immediate, hands-on, supervisory position should have some hands-on, tangible and successful experience selling the product or service as those on the sales team.

You are far more credible when you have personally done and accomplished those things you tell the sales team they can do and accomplish.

Simply put; if you can’t walk the walk, you don’t talk the talk.

Care About Your Team

I mean this literally.

You should have personal care and concern for the welfare and success of everyone you supervise.

Yes, a lot of it is about money, but you have to care and believe in your people.

People perform at peak levels when they believe that the company truly cares about them.

Praise In Public

Have something good to say about a team member? Make is known!

You want to praise a lot in public.

Recognition is a critical ingredient to a successful sales mentality.

There are times you want to keep some praise private and of course, always keep any negative communication personal.

However, you want to shout the positive congratulations from the rooftops.

Never Let Them Go Home On A Negative

You have may have heard the martial advice that a couple should never go to sleep on an unresolved argument.

As a sales coach, you also should never end the day on an unresolved or negative issue.

A bad day or month, lost sales, mistakes made, whatever the case may be, make sure you give the sales person something positive to take away at the end.

In summary, lead, care, praise, positive!

If you’d like to improve your skills then check out our Sales Training solutions. We have a wide range of Sales Training Courses like our Sales Coaching.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training


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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-build-value-in-a-sales-presentation.html Mon, 12 Mar 2018 09:00:33 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5090   Increase the value, or the perceived value of what you sell, and you will make more sales! Something we always say during our Sales Training. You have to have ways to raise the value of your product or service. […]

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Increase the value, or the perceived value of what you sell, and you will make more sales!

Something we always say during our Sales Training.

You have to have ways to raise the value of your product or service.

By that, I mean, when the buyer feels that the return, is greater than the investment, you will close more sales.

The sale often takes place when the prospect feels that the value of the product is significantly greater than the value of the money.

Once the benefits outweigh the costs, you are in position to do business. This is Sales Presentations Training 101!

Of course, the process of building perceived value differs depending on what you sell, in particularly, if you sell a tangible product or an intangible service.

Below, find three powerful tips for both sides of the sales spectrum.

How to Raise the Value of a Tangible Product

1. Handle the item as if it is made of glass

The way you handle the product you sell can greatly increase or decrease its value.

Handle the item as if it were made of glass and worth £1,000,000.

Even if you are selling strong, durable machinery or tools, handle them as if they were Faberge Eggs, and watch the perceived value soar.

2. Do not touch it—caress it

Automobiles, furniture, appliances, clothing or even machinery, when in contact with your product, be gentle and soothing.

Contrary to popular belief, do not ever kick the tires!

Gently caress the item, sooth it.

3. Savour with your eyes

When you first saw this great product you sell, your eyes lit up like a fire.

However, after selling it for months or years, you don’t see it the same way today.

The prospect sees and feels how you react when you gaze upon your product, and they react likewise.

Selling essentially is a transference of FEELING, and if you do not feel genuinely excited when you see your product, neither will the prospective buyer.

Savour the item with your eyes and the prospect will do the same.

How to Raise the Value of an Intangible Service

1. Promote the value of YOU

The more of an important person you are, the more valuable your service is.

Promote yourself; articles you wrote, awards for service, etc.

Also, dress to impress. Look like you have millions in the bank and you do not have to work.

2. Explain the value of people behind the scenes

Let the prospect know that your firm invests in only the best.

For instance, assume there are two software companies whom both sell a comparable accounting application.

One company employs entry-level, unproven, programmers still in college, while the other hires only high-level, seasoned and certified professionals.

The higher worth and investment for the professional programmers, will increase the intrinsic value of the software.

3. Uncover the behind the scenes processes

Explain how your company has enhanced processes and procedures.

Does your company spend more money on research and development, legal areas or security?

Perhaps the filtering process and assessment tests you use to hire accountants are more sophisticated than the industry norm.

Such information will increase the value of your service.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Raise the value and raise your closing averages!

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/critique-sales-meetings.html Mon, 12 Feb 2018 09:54:01 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=15461   Do you move from one sales meeting to the next without conducting a full review on how the last one went? If the answer is yes, then chances are that you’re leaving a lot of money on the table. […]

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Do you move from one sales meeting to the next without conducting a full review on how the last one went? If the answer is yes, then chances are that you’re leaving a lot of money on the table.

Early on in my sales career my mentor asked me this question:

“Sean, what do you do after a sales meeting that ensures the next one will be even better?”

That question struck me because, basically, I hadn’t considered it much before.

I used to simply write up my notes, put them on the CRM system and carry on from there.

But it got me thinking about what the best way would be to learn from the meeting experience and determine how I could improve next time. You don’t need to go on any Sales Training courses to learn this. You can do it all yourself and all it takes is a little time and discipline.

Sales Meeting Review

There are essentially two things you should critique about your sales meetings after you’ve met with a prospective buyer…the how and the what.

The ‘how’ is the process that the meeting took, how you conducted the conversation, what worked well and what didn’t. The ‘what’ is the actual content of the meeting and what you gained from it.

Let’s look at the HOW first.

As you learn from experiences, you can ask yourself three fundamental questions:

1. What happened?
2. What does that mean?
3. What will happen next?

Sales Meeting Critique – What happened?

In the ‘what happened?’ section, you can recall what the client said and how you responded.

Ask yourself questions like these:

• How did the meeting start?
• How did the buyer bring up their problems or opportunities?
• How did I respond to those?
• What questions did the buyer bring up?
• What turning points occurred in the conversation?
• Were there any points they brought up that I couldn’t answer?
• How did I build value in the solutions?
• How did I get the buyer involved in those solutions?
• What direction did the meeting take, and was I able to keep it on track?
• How did I deal with any sales objections that came up?
• Did I summarise and gain commitment to the next stage?

Sales Meeting Critique – What does that mean?

In the ‘what does that mean?’ section, you can highlight the rationale behind the meeting direction and the implications that might come from it.

Ask these types of questions:

• What positive signs came from the buyer?
• What more could I have done to have built value in their eyes?
• What weaknesses or disappointments did you take away from the meeting?
• What would you do to turn round those disappointments?
• What else would you change if you could?

Quickly scanning those questions after the meeting will help you rationalise what happened and the meaning behind them.

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Sales Meeting Critique – What will happen next?

In the ‘what will happen next?’ section, you identify the learning points behind the results you achieved and determine what will change next time.

Let’s assume you realise your sales conversation could have involved the buyer more, especially when it came to making decisions for advancement.

You can ask yourself:

• What should I stop doing?
• What should I start doing?
• What could I improve on and do better?

Maybe it shows that your industry knowledge needs to be brought up to date.

You recognise you haven’t been reading the blogs, writing articles, and identifying the trends in business lately.

Maybe you could plan for an improvement by setting aside a couple of hours a week to update yourself on what is new, and the implications of those changes to your potential customers.


 
Now onto the ‘What’.

The ‘what’ is the actual content of the meeting and what you gained from it.

By reflecting on the content, you will learn what will benefit this or the next contact when you meet up with them.

This debrief will help you determine the next steps for the relationship-building part of the interaction.

Go over your notes and decide what were the ‘need to know’ items from the meeting and the ‘nice to know’ items.

The ‘need to knows’ are those things that the buyer can’t do without.

Things like increase in productivity to keep up with competitors, decrease in staff turnover to reduce costs or improvement in quality to enhance margins might be seen as ‘baseline’ benefits.

In other words, without those benefits, the buyer won’t progress.

The ‘nice to know’ items are the more personal or emotion connections that would make the buyer feel better about any solution.

They may have mentioned that their bonus is tied up with improvements in sales, so this is something you recognise as an opportunity to discuss further.

You could think of these points as getting to know your buyer better, identifying their personal goals, what obstacles they are facing and how they will personally be measured on the projects on which you are working with them.

The whole purpose of going over the content of the meeting afterwards is to decide how you can demonstrate value, build relationships with the decision-makers, and create real reasons for their business to use your services in the future.

It’s probably the most basic area of review that you can do as a salesperson, but most don’t do it properly and hence miss out on the opportunities they may have found out in the meeting itself.

So, think about both process and content.

When you review your well-scribed notes after the meeting, build value in the time you spent by seeing what you learned and identifying the way forward now that you’ve created the springboard for advancing your knowledge and understanding of your prospect’s business needs.

Please check out our Selling Skills Training or please contact us to discuss your Sales Training requirements. Our L&D team can help you to work out which course will be best for you or your team.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Popular sales courses include:

Account Management Training
Sales Management Training

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/understanding-prospective-buyers.html Mon, 20 Nov 2017 09:00:56 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=229   If only everyone was the same, it would make selling a lot easier. Just imagine if you could predict how they buy, their behaviour and their next move. We’d all have smiles on our faces as we went into […]

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If only everyone was the same, it would make selling a lot easier. Just imagine if you could predict how they buy, their behaviour and their next move. We’d all have smiles on our faces as we went into our next sales interaction. Sadly, this isn’t the case. There are several different personality types that we have to sell to, and this requires us to flex our approach.

While every person is different, you will find that most prospective buyers fit into certain categories. We will examine how to recognise each one, and then provide tips on how to sell to them.

These tips, of course, are not concrete rules that apply to every personality and every situation. However, you will find that they provide a good overall view of commonalities in the different types of buyers that exist.

Some of these tips will also suggest that in some cases and at some point, you should terminate the sales process. You may feel that this is giving up or accepting defeat. No. This is about being smart and staying professional. You will not make every sale and you will not change the laws of psychics by sacrificing your time, money, and dignity.

Definition Of A Prospective Buyer

Let’s start by a quick definition. According to Collins dictionary the term buyer means:

“A person who is buying something or who intends to buy it”

Prospective means:

“To describe someone who wants to be the thing mentioned or who is likely to be the thing mentioned”

Therefore, a prospective buyer can be said to:

“Be someone who is interested in buying something or who intends to buy”

Different Prospective Buyers

1. The Assertive
2. The Paranoid
3. The Know-It-All
4. The Price Only
5. The Timid
6. The Joker


 

Prospective Buyer – The Assertive

This buyer personality can be difficult to deal with. If you have been in the world of selling for any length of time, you have met this person. This is the prospect that interrupts you, is often rude or disrespectful, tries to antagonise you and seems to be someone who eats salespeople for lunch.

You need not too many tips on how to recognise this person, as it is usually quite clear. When come across one in a B2B sales setting it can be very challenging.

However, let us look at a few traits:

Assertive/Aggressive Buyer Traits

1. Has overly firm handshake. This person usually puts too much emphasis on a handshake, grasping hard and long.

2. Maintains deep and constant eye contact. The person will stare you directly in the eye with unwavering penetration. It is almost as if they are testing you to see who will look away first.

3. Sits forward and upright. Usually, will not lean back or take a relaxed posture.

4. Overly confident in self and accomplishments. Very sure of themselves.

5. Will begin to interrupt your presentation. This person will often interject your presentation with objections long before they should arise.

Assertive/Aggressive Buyer Tips

1. Do not change your personality to match, be yourself. This includes your handshake. Allow this person to have the stronger hand. This person often wants some control and if you begin to change, you are allowing the buyer to control you. Be yourself.

2. Keep your eye contact natural. You should always maintain good eye contact with everyone, but don’t go overboard and force unnatural eye contact. Don’t be intimidated to the point where you are afraid to look away. When asking questions and closing, get close and maintain steady eye contact.

3. Sit back and relax. This is one place where you want to adapt. If you are sitting with the person across from a desk or table, as this buyer leans forward don’t lean forward too, this will cause unnecessary challenges and tension.

4. Don’t patronise. Be careful not to patronise this person with condescending, phony complements and agreeing with everything he or she says. If anything, try not to be overly impressed.

5. Patience – then continue. Once again, you do not want to patronise this person.
Often this prospect will want to throw you off track or see if they can disrupt your normal flow. Address each question IF it is a question and continue with your normal sales process.

6. Don’t be overly friendly. This is the worst prospect to try to make friends with and try to get them to “buy you” first, false admiration and condescending comments are always a bad idea but will mean an instant closed lost with this person.

Summary

With the aggressive and overly assertive buyer, you want to be yourself. Maintain your composure and do not be moved. You want to give the person respect, but you want him or her to know that you are a professional and will do your job.


 

Prospective Buyer – The Paranoid

This person seems to be afraid of everything and trusts nothing and no one. It can be very difficult to find their sales hot buttons.

Paranoid Buyer Traits

1. Usually answers questions and comments with, “But…” As in, “I understand that, but what about this…”
2. Will see a negative possibility in almost everything
3. Wants proof and guarantees
4. Will have examples of bad experiences with competitors or industry

Paranoid Buyer Tips

1. Good question.

Answer and move on. Let the prospect know that the question or concern is valid.

Don’t linger or continue to ask if the customer fully understands.

Just answer clearly and continue.

2. Don’t try to alleviate unwarranted fears or phobias.

Address legitimate issues, but don’t give too much time to fears that are completely ridiculous.

If you fall into the trap of fighting ghosts and monsters that don’t exist, you will waste a tremendous amount of time and if by some stretch of the imagination, you happen to make the sale, this customer will be your worst nightmare.

Such a customer will cost you far more money in unnecessary service calls, unwarranted complaints, and imaginary problems than the sale is worth.

3. Address questions but don’t justify.

With this personality, most salespeople have the tendency to try to justify or prove everything they say. Answer questions clearly and completely but don’t try to justify your statements.

Truth needs no justification and the more information you volunteer, the more this person will turn it against you.

4. Don’t bash the competition.

This is a critical mistake. If the customer’s bad experience is something that you are aware of, then show how your company has risen above this problem.

If the customer’s complaint is something that appears to be an isolated incident, then don’t justify it by slamming the competition.

Let the customer know that it’s an isolated incident and that you are shocked to hear of it. Defend the competition and the integrity of your industry.

Summary

Don’t add fuel to the fire.


 

Prospective Buyer – The Know-It-All

This buyer can also be very frustrating to deal with. This buyer believes that they know more about your product and company than you do and there is nothing in your presentation that provides any new information. This patient wants to tell the doctor what the prognosis and remedy is. They want to buy and will hate to be sold anything.

Know-It-All Buyer Traits
1. Will challenge or debate much of your claims
2. Will test your knowledge of details and industry information
3. Will claim to know more about your competition than you do, including prices

Know-It-All Buyer Tips

This buyer and the assertive/aggressive are similar. However, unlike the assertive buyer, this prospect needs the preverbal pat on the back.

Let the customer know that someone as educated in the industry as she always buys your product and the easiest sale your company will make.

1. Complement buyer on thinking
2. Congratulate buyer on ideas
3. Let buyer know that the educated consumer is best

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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/managing-accounts-tips.html Mon, 13 Nov 2017 08:00:35 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/managing-accounts-tips.html   I received an email last week from Trevor Borrows who is a newly appointed National Sales Manager in charge of a team of Account Managers. Here’s what Trevor asked: “Hi Sean, being a new National Sales Manager I need […]

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I received an email last week from Trevor Borrows who is a newly appointed National Sales Manager in charge of a team of Account Managers.

Here’s what Trevor asked:

“Hi Sean, being a new National Sales Manager I need to understand how to develop key account strategies. I’m really wet behind the ears with this.

I appreciate that you run Account Management Training around this, and I will be asking you to come in and help us to put some account management strategies in place and then to train my team in account management best practices but for now, could you give me some guidance
whilst I secure the funding? Thanks Trev Borrows”

Managing Accounts Tips

Here’s my word for word reply:

Hi Trevor,

A good place to start is by looking at a key account management definition to ensure we’re all on the same page as to what you class a key account as!

There are various labels that can be used to describe the way a sales team is set up to approach its market, covering the sales approach and parts of the structure.

The “Traditional” Approach

– Get new accounts
– Get the order
– Push for the option to discount
– Give extra services etc to get the sale
– Treat all accounts the same way
– Sell to anyone
– Think that everyone in the organisation should fit around your promises to customers
– Feel that certain internal functions are a nuisance and only there to block sales.
– “Lone ranger” mentality

Relationship Selling

– Manage existing accounts
– Develop wider contacts
– Focus on service and support
– Create a sense of partnership
– Can see everything from the customer’s point of view
– Inclined to want (or need!) to be liked

Consultative Selling

– Can add value, not just talk about it
– Knows customer and their industry very well
– Probes and questions to explore issues
– Keeps learning and developing
– Harnesses team to work together with the client
– Works on a business partnership basis – supported by personal relationships where appropriate

Which describes your approach?

A bit of everything maybe?

To go forward into the future with confidence and success your team must be geared towards working with profitable accounts. Here’s what successful account managers do.

This involves the following:

* Account selection
* Account retention
* Account dominance (becoming the preferred supplier)
* Getting the price
* Managing the selling and service cost

Account Selection

Identify, and develop the relationships, with accounts you want to do business with – and who may want to do business with you.
Too many salespeople chase accounts where there is not a good fit or who will never buy.

Part of this is having the skills to know which business to not do.

Account Retention

This is the key to real profitability – if managed properly.

The better the relationship then both parties know how to work together and so costs are reduced.

The costs of acquisition become absorbed and so the relative and actual profit increase.

Account Dominance

If you can get to the position of being the dominant supplier, then the account becomes even more profitable.

Most major organisations either choose to, or must, multi-source and will often split business between 3 providers.

However, this is often done unequally, and major supplier often has several advantages in terms of prices and profitability.

Getting The Price

The professional sales force needs to be able to understand their pricing and also the costs involved in servicing the client.

The need to have a grasp of the cost of their own time, what it means when they offer “specials” and trials to clients and how all of these effect the bottom line.

Learning to negotiate is key! So maybe add some Sales Negotiation Training to the list when you speak with us.

Managing The Selling & Service Cost

This links closely with the previous point.

The professional seller is careful about this and ensures that they do not over-commit themselves or the company and hit the profitability of the account.

We can cover all the above during our Sales Training, but your new approach needs to:

– Identify and focus on the potential high profit accounts
– Retain existing accounts
– Aim to become the principle of preferred supplier
– Manage each account for the long-term business and profitability
– Price for profit
– Understand the cost implications – and manage the accounts for profit

To Help This – Follow These Points:

– Get aligned with the customer on their fundamental business issues
– Keep the aim on a long-term relationship
– Customise solutions to meet the customer’s particular needs, using technology when you can
– Constantly learn about the customer, their business and their needs as they change – and be willing to adapt to those

Thanks again Trevor, I look forward to hearing from you shortly

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Top Tips For Managing Accounts appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/5-tips-for-consultative-selling.html Mon, 16 Oct 2017 08:00:39 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=771 Consultative selling is a sales approach where you act as an advisor rather than a product pusher. Instead of walking into a meeting with a pitch ready to go, you ask questions, listen properly, and build your recommendation around what […]

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Consultative selling is a sales approach where you act as an advisor rather than a product pusher. Instead of walking into a meeting with a pitch ready to go, you ask questions, listen properly, and build your recommendation around what the buyer actually needs — not what you’ve already decided you want to sell them.

Simple enough in theory. Harder to do in practice than most salespeople want to admit.

I’ve spent 24 years training sales teams across every sector you can think of, and the most common thing I see is salespeople who understand consultative selling in principle but revert to pitching the moment they’re in the room. Old habits. The pull of wanting to show what you know. The anxiety of silence. It all conspires against the approach.

Which is why I want to go beyond the definition and give you something practical — the specific things that separate salespeople who do this well from the ones who think they do.

Consultative Sales vs. Solution Sales — What’s the Actual Difference?

Honestly, this trips people up more than anything else. I’ve had sales directors sit across from me and use “consultative” and “solution selling” interchangeably in the same breath  and they’re not the same thing, not even close. Worth clearing up before we go any further.

Solution selling has a structure to it. You qualify someone, you find a pain point, and you match your product to it. The product — or at least the category of product — was decided before you walked in. What you’re doing is building a case for something you’ve already landed on. That’s fine, by the way. It’s not a dirty word. It works in plenty of contexts.

But consultative is different in a way that actually changes the dynamic of the whole conversation. You go in genuinely not knowing what you’re going to recommend. You’re not performing curiosity — you’re actually curious. You ask questions that help you understand the full picture, you sit with it a bit, and then — and only then — you start thinking about what might help.

I’ve recommended competitors’ products. I’m not joking. Early in my career, I had a conversation with a prospect and halfway through realised that what they actually needed wasn’t something we offered at the time. I told them. Lost the sale, obviously. But they came back 18 months later when their needs changed and spent considerably more than they would have done originally. That’s the long game.

The other thing, and this is underrated, is that buyers can tell. They might not be able to put their finger on why a conversation felt off, but they know when someone’s just waiting for their turn to pitch. It changes how much they share. Which then limits what you can actually do for them.

More on where this fits with other approaches in our piece on different types of selling,  worth a read if you want the fuller picture.

Top 5 Tips from Sales Experts

Before I get into the tips, let me tell you about a client we worked with, a technology reseller, Midlands-based, around 30 people on the field sales team. This was maybe four or five years back. Good team, not a bunch of novices.

Their pipeline looked fine on paper. But close rates had been quietly slipping for the best part of 18 months. Not a cliff edge, just a slow bleed. They’d convinced themselves it was the market, then the pricing, then something about the product mix. All reasonable explanations. All wrong.

When we actually got in there and sat with the team, on calls, in meetings, it was obvious within a couple of days. Every single interaction started the same way. Product overview. Demo. Brochure. The first ten minutes of every meeting was the salesperson talking about themselves and what they sold. Meanwhile the buyer had already read all of it on the website before they turned up.

We changed the approach. Took a few months to really stick — it always does, habits are stubborn — but six months in, average deal size was up 22% and close rate had moved from 28% to 41%. Same team, same product, same market conditions. Different conversation.

Here’s what shifted.

Tip 1: Think Like a GP, Not a Salesperson

When you’re feeling rough and you go to the doctor, they don’t walk in and immediately start writing out a prescription. They ask what’s wrong. They ask how long it’s been going on. They ask follow-up questions to the answers you give. They might send you for tests before they’ll commit to anything. The prescription comes last.

That’s exactly backwards from how most salespeople operate.

Most salespeople lead with the prescription. They’ve decided what they’re selling before they’ve understood what the problem is. And I get why — you know your product, you’re proud of it, you want to show it off. But the moment you start talking product before you’ve done the diagnosis, you’ve lost control of the conversation.

In 2026 this matters more than it used to. Buyers have done the research before they even agree to meet you. They’ve watched your demo video. They’ve read three comparison articles. They know roughly what you do. What they haven’t had is someone actually ask what’s going on in their world, what’s keeping them up at night, what they’ve already tried.

Ask first. Always. Even if you think you know what they need after five minutes. Ask anyway.

Tip 2: Ask About Cost, Not Just Pain

Most discovery questions are fine. “What challenges are you facing?” “What’s not working?” They’ll get you somewhere. But they tend to produce surface-level answers, because they’re surface-level questions.

The shift I always push for is from “what’s the problem” to “what’s the problem actually costing you.” Those are very different questions and they produce very different conversations.

Things like:

“If this is still the situation in 12 months, what does that mean for your team?”

“When it breaks down, what’s the knock-on — for your customers, for revenue, for you personally?”

“Has anyone tried to tackle this before? What happened?”

That last one is particularly useful. The answer almost always tells you something about internal politics, past failures, or sensitivities that will shape how you need to position anything you recommend.

One thing I’d flag: this only works if it’s genuine. If you’re running through a list of impact questions because someone told you to, buyers can smell it. The curiosity has to be real. We spend a lot of time on this in our consultative sales training — specifically on how to make these conversations feel like conversations rather than questionnaires.

Tip 3: Stop Talking So Much

Every time I say this to a sales team I get the same reaction. A bit of shuffling. “We do listen, Sean.”

So I ask them to record their next three calls and come back to me.

They always come back a bit quieter.

In a proper consultative selling conversation, the buyer should be talking for at least 60% of the time. Not as a target you’re gaming, just as a rough indicator of whether you’re actually finding things out or just filling the air. If you’re doing more than 40% of the talking, you’re probably pitching.

With the technology reseller — before training, the average salesperson was talking 68% of the time. Not unusual. After six months it was 38%. And the thing that happened almost straight away was that buyers started volunteering things that had never come up before. Real budget numbers. The internal champion who’d been blocked by someone above them. The timeline they’d been vague about. Because for maybe the first time, they felt like the other person in the room was actually listening.

Silence makes salespeople nervous. A pause feels like something to fill. But often it means the buyer is thinking, and the worst thing you can do is interrupt that.

Get comfortable with a bit of quiet. It’s doing more work than you think.

Tip 4: Become the Person They Call — Not Just the Person They Buy From

There’s a version of a sales relationship that’s essentially transactional. They need a thing, you have the thing, money changes hands. You’re useful in roughly the same way a vending machine is useful. Interchangeable. Replaceable the moment someone offers the same thing for less.

And then there’s the version where they call you before they’ve even decided whether they’re buying anything. Where they run things by you informally. Where they forward you something they’ve seen in the industry and ask what you think. That’s a different relationship entirely, and it doesn’t happen because you sent a nice brochure.

It happens because you’ve been consistently, genuinely useful. You’ve shared things they didn’t already know. You’ve remembered what they told you and followed up on it. You’ve occasionally said “that’s probably not the right move for you right now” even when it cost you a sale.

That last one is hard. But it’s the thing that earns the relationship.

Have a look at our sales techniques resources for more practical ways to build this kind of credibility over time.

Tip 5: “Just Checking In” Is Not a Follow-Up Strategy

I reckon “just checking in to see if you’ve had a chance to look at the proposal” has killed more deals than any objection I’ve ever heard. It’s the laziest sentence in sales and everyone still sends it.

What it communicates, whether you mean it to or not, is: “I want to know if I’m getting the money yet.” That’s it. There’s nothing in it for the buyer. So they don’t reply. And then the deal dies in a inbox.

Good follow-up brings something. It doesn’t have to be complicated — a short note about something that came up in your conversation that you’ve been thinking about. An article that’s relevant to something they mentioned. A question that builds on what they told you, because you actually retained it.

When the Midlands reseller made this switch — personalised, specific follow-ups rather than “just checking in” — response rates went up over 60% in the first quarter. That’s not a minor improvement. Deals that had been sitting cold started moving again.

The follow-up is part of the consultative approach, not an afterthought. Every message is an opportunity to demonstrate that you’re paying attention. Most salespeople waste it.

Closing Those Sales — A Quick Summary

None of this is rocket science. Consultative selling isn’t some complex methodology that takes years to master. The principles are straightforward.

What’s hard is doing them consistently when you’re under pressure to hit a number, when the silence in a meeting feels unbearable, when you’ve got a product you believe in and you desperately want to tell someone about it.

That’s the actual challenge. And that’s why most salespeople revert.

To pull it together:

• Lead with their problem, not your product.
• Know the difference between consultative and solution selling — and use the right one.
• Diagnose properly before you recommend anything.
• Ask what the problem is costing, not just what the problem is.
• Talk less. Significantly less.
• Build relationships that matter beyond the invoice.
• Follow up with something useful, not a nudge for an answer.

Get this right and something changes in how buyers treat you. They stop seeing you as a salesperson and start seeing you as someone worth talking to. That’s worth more than any closing technique I’ve ever come across.

If you want to develop these skills properly across your team, take a look at our consultative selling training, our selling skills training programmes, or have a look at the upcoming schedule to find something that fits.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 5 Top Tips For Successful Consultative Selling appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-get-past-the-gatekeeper.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-get-past-the-gatekeeper.html#comments Mon, 16 Oct 2017 08:00:36 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-get-past-gatekeepers.html   If you still view gatekeepers as annoying, low-level, annoying pawns whose mission in life is to do nothing but waste your time, cost you money and make your life miserable, then I have news for you. The fact is […]

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If you still view gatekeepers as annoying, low-level, annoying pawns whose mission in life is to do nothing but waste your time, cost you money and make your life miserable, then I have news for you.

The fact is that today’s modern gatekeeper is an educated, highly trained, sophisticated and sales savvy professional, who often has power and authority.

Misunderstanding, and worst yet, underestimating these modern-day guardians of the gold will cost you much more than the tough screens you face will.

What Is A Gatekeeper In Business?

A gatekeeper is anyone whose job it is to “screen” your call and stop you from talking to a particular person which is normally some kind of decision maker.

We all understand the importance of talking to “The Decision Maker” because if you talk to someone who is not qualified then you’re wasting your time. If you’re in B2B sales then you have come across gatekeepers on a regular basis and the various tactics they use on you.

If you set appointments over the phone for a living or if cold calling is a big part of your role then learning to get past these gatekeepers is a mission-critical objective in your sales career.

Understand that gatekeepers are important and powerful and play a pivotal role in business. Do not underestimate them, ever.

Today’s Gatekeepers Are Smart

In the past, the gatekeeper may have been viewed as someone whose job it was to simply answer the telephone or work on reception.

However, today most of them are at least college educated skilled professionals and most have worked with the company for a long time and held other positions. Many gatekeepers began their careers in customer service or making outgoing telephone cold calls themselves.

In addition, the modern gatekeeper has often dealt with so many salespeople, that they have become familiar with and can see right through all the tricks and traps that they use to try and get past them.

Technically, they have more cold calling experience than the salespeople who call them and can receive dozens of calls each week for the decision makers that they protect.


 

Today’s Gatekeeper Has Some Authority

Understand that sometimes, the gatekeeper you are speaking to on your initial cold call, could be the first-level decision maker in the sales process. When considering a large purchase, often a busy decision maker will assign the beginning legwork to a member of their team who is often the gatekeeper.

The gatekeeper’s job is to narrow down the list of potential suppliers by gathering information, investigating the company’s history, and evaluating the company’s sales practices and such. Even if the gatekeeper has no direct authority, a negative or positive report from them to the decision maker can make or break the sale.

Therefore, although the main decision maker may decide if they will do business with you or not; often the gatekeeper that decides if you can even get to that point.

Today’s GKs are Public Relations People

Modern business understands that image is everything and that anyone can be a potential customer. Therefore, businesses today try to avoid alienating or dismissing anyone. Today’s gatekeepers act as PR people protecting the image of their decision makers and company.

Years ago, the salesperson would face a harsh, direct, even a rude wall of resistance when trying to reach the decision maker. Today’s gatekeepers however, erect a subtle, often invisible barrier that is far more deadly. The most sophisticated screen does not appear to be a screen at all. In fact, a skilled gatekeeper can conceal a screen so well that the salesperson believes they are trying to help them but in reality, they are not.

In short, do not underestimate or take for granted today’s gatekeeper. Understand them. Respect them.


 

Getting Past The Gatekeeper

It’s a bit like cracking a safe. You need the code. There are two elements to getting past a gatekeeper. Firstly, you need to understand the different types of screens that a gatekeeper will use on you and secondly, once you know, you will need to use the right technique to get past that screen.

Also, realise that while some gatekeeper screens may frustrate and anger you, the best screens are invisible.

A high-level gatekeeper’s screen is so sophisticated that most salespeople never realise it is there, usually attributing their failure to reach the decision maker to bad timing or misfortune and many gatekeepers in large corporations even have gatekeepers of their own.

You may have to go through one or two screens just to get to the main gatekeeper.

There’s a vital clue in recognising a gatekeeper screen – watch for the timing of their questions. If you listen carefully, you can often tell if they are screening you or not by the way they ask questions.

Example #1

Salesperson:
“Is Jenny Smith available?”

GK:
“No, she’s not in at the moment. Who is calling please?”

Salesperson:
“It’s Jo Brown from XYZ industries”

GK:
“I’m sorry, Jo, Jenny is out, can I take a message?”

Example #2

Salesperson:
“Is Jenny Smith available?”

GK:
“Who is calling please?”

Salesperson:
“It’s Jo Brown from XYZ industries”

GK:
“I’m sorry Jo, Jenny is out, can I take a message?”

Did you notice the difference?

Note that in the first example the gatekeeper answered the question as to the whereabouts of the decision maker before asking who was calling.

In the second example however, the gatekeeper first asks the salesperson to identify herself, before telling her anything.

It is very likely that number two is a screen.



Determining the TYPE of Gatekeeper Screen

The must first immediately identify the type of screen you are facing within the opening of your phone call. The reason it is so important to be able to recognise a screen is that getting past them requires the exact opposite technique.

There are two types of screen:

There’s the Investigative Screen and the Blind Screen.

The investigative screen is the screen in which the gatekeeper investigates and asks you a lot of questions. With a blind screen, the gatekeeper wants to stop anyone from getting through without asking any questions. If they do not recognise your name, that’s it, you’re done.

Let’s look at both in a little more detail.


 

The Investigative Gatekeeper Screen

With the investigative screen, the gatekeeper’s primary asset is time, and they will usually ask you lots of questions. They will usually have a pleasant personality and will often seem to be a very nice, innocent person who will often engage you in small talk. The key to getting through is that you need to force them to make a decision quickly without having time to think or ask the usual questions.

You need to come across as a VIP who does not have a lot of time.

You sound like a very important person. Could you be the big boss?

Could you be a very important customer?

This gatekeeper must either connect you to the decision maker or risk offending someone who might be a VIP.

The Blind Gatekeeper Screen

The blind screen is just the opposite.

This gatekeeper has no time and does not want to ask you any questions. They just want to get you off the telephone because you are not on a preferred list of callers.

With the blind screen you want to be someone who talks extremely slow; someone who must think for a few seconds before each sentence. The gatekeeper is expecting the high-level salesperson who is smooth, polished, and perfect.

So, you do not want to be smooth, polished and perfect. You need to be opposite of this. This gatekeeper has no time, so you want to take up their time.

Once again, you force them to make a quick decision.

You don’t sound like a salesperson; in fact, you sound harmless. So, they must let you take up their time or put you through. And since they feel that you are harmless, they will put you through.

To get past the gatekeeper and their screens you need to do the opposite of what the gatekeeper expects and is trained for.

If the gatekeeper is looking to stop the fast-talking smooth salesperson, then you want to be a slow talking, confused person.

On the other hand, if the gatekeeper wants to talk and ask questions, be a fast-talking person who has no time to talk and answer questions.

Force the gatekeeper to make a quick decision and they will connect you rather than risk making a big mistake.

Here are some useful telesales articles and tips:

• Common sales mistakes to avoid
• How to leave voicemails that’s get returned
• How to response to not interested cold call objection

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Get Past The Gatekeeper appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-get-past-the-gatekeeper.html/feed 3 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/key-account-management-definition.html Mon, 21 Oct 2019 09:20:10 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11764   So, what exactly is a Key Account? Think about your own organisation for a moment and what you class as a key account.  Is there an easy to follow definition? Does everyone understand what one is? Or are they […]

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So, what exactly is a Key Account?

Think about your own organisation for a moment and what you class as a key account.  Is there an easy to follow definition? Does everyone understand what one is? Or are they just classed as the “important ones?”

Let’s take a closer look a this much discussed topic!

What is key account management?

There are many key account management definitions out there but here are the 7 most common types of classification:

1. Are they just the big ones?
2. Are they the ones you mustn’t lose?
3. Are they the ones that offer future profit?
4. Are they the ones you want your team to focus on – to look after the very best?
5. Are they the ones where extra effort will bring extra returns?
6. Are they the ones that demand more of you?
7. Are they the ones that will take your business where you want it to go?

A ‘key account’ might be the result of any one or more of the above or agreed within your organisation as a result of completely different factors.

It is for your organisation to choose its own definition based upon the dynamics of your industry, your customers and your own business.

So how has your organisation gone about choosing its definition?

It’s not just a case of semantics – there should be some very serious thought behind the definition, because each can generate its own potential challenges. Let’s look at these key account management definition.

Key account management definition

The Definition	The Potential Challenges
The BIG ones	What about tomorrow’s oak trees? Do you always let the sales statistics make the decisions for you? You need to assess whether size is the key to the time you would devote to the account
The ones you MUSTN’T LOSE	You’ll do anything to keep them happy, even if it kills you … What if it’s unprofitable to please this particular whim of theirs? How would you cope if the account decided to look elsewhere?
The ones that offer FUTURE profit	Where does today’s profit come from? What happens if they’ve been over-valued before they pay off? The account needs to add value to reflect the time you are giving them
The ones your staff FOCUS on	So, what happens with the rest, do they just ignore them? Why are your staff focusing on them anyway? The focus on time and approach should be where the results will be achieved
The ones where EXTRA EFFORT brings EXTRA RETURN	What does return mean? How many accounts can you do this for – and at what cost to your business and your other customers? If you can assess the concentrated effort’s results, you have better utilisation of your time
The ones DEMANDING more	Every industry has its loud mouths – does that make them more important? Just how profitable do their demands make them? Then way you deal with the high-demanding clients can determine the results achieved
The ones that will take YOUR business where it wants to go	Could these be the best? Are you certain? The future is never clear. Organisational plans change, yours included. So you need to assess whether the business you get from the account will help your account to thrive

 

Key Account Management is based firmly upon the 80/20 rule:

• 80% of any effort or expenditure gives 20% of the results
• 20% of any effort or expenditure gives 80% of the results

The key account manager v sales person

Applied to Key Accounts the 80/20 theory hits home – if we apply 20% of our organisational effort to just 20% of our customers (our Key Accounts) we will receive 80% of the organisational rewards.

However, we are not just talking of our 20% Key Account Customers in terms of their size, but in terms of their profitability and sustainability.

Therefore, a Key Account is also an investment in the future, as we know all too well from recent stock market news, past performance is no indicator of future performance.

This is where the biggest difference lies between selling and key account management.

A salesperson needs to live in the past, present, and future.

They base their sales on the past requirements of their customers and present discussions with potential and new customers on their present and future needs.

The majority of salespeople are reactive to the needs of their customer, only being proactive when they need to cold call potential new customers.

The Key Account Manager lives in the present and the future, but in a completely different way.

They are constantly looking for emerging trends, whether they are emerging in the present or seem likely to emerge in the future.

They apply these emerging trends to the industry that they are in and to the industries that there customers are in, proactively.

And thus, position themselves as advisers to their customers and portfolio managers to their own organisations, managing a portfolio of customers who will provide a solid and sustainable return on investment.

We’ve discussed the key account management definitions here. Do you see the one that’s most important for you? Have you got other definitions of your key accounts?

Here are a couple of Account Management Guides that will help you further:

• What is Key Account Management?
• What Makes A Good Account Manager

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Want to learn more? Then why not book a place on our Account Management Training open course. They are run at various locations throughout the UK.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 7 Different Key Account Management Definitions appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/cold-calling-to-make-an-appointment.htm Wed, 30 Aug 2017 07:00:40 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2269   When you call someone for the first time, it can be a bit unnerving to get their voicemail. But it needn’t be, if you prepare effectively. It always surprises me how many salespeople are not prepared for voicemail. These […]

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When you call someone for the first time, it can be a bit unnerving to get their voicemail.

But it needn’t be, if you prepare effectively.

It always surprises me how many salespeople are not prepared for voicemail.

These days, buyers are busier than ever, and even if they are available, may put their phones through to voicemail, simply because they don’t have time to take calls.

They consider it better to not take calls at all, rather than tell the caller they are too busy and please call back later.

So what should you do?

Well, firstly calculate how many of your calls to prospects do end up going to voicemail.

Work it out as a percentage of your total calls and I’m sure you’ll agree that you could be wasting a lot of time and energy if you don’t get this right.

What do you say when you get through to voicemail?

Have a prepared bullet-point list of things you would like to say, so you sound professional and reduce the ums and errs that often accompany these messages.

It also surprises me how some salespeople go to pieces when they talk to a machine.

It’s as if they lose part of their brain that drives their common-sense and they dissolve into a mumbling, stuttering, incoherent wreck.

But it doesn’t have to be that way.

Remember this sequence, and all should be well:

Introduction:

A cheery greeting with your name and company.

You’re not trying to fake your way passed a gatekeeper or anything like that, so just be straight up and honest.

What you offer:

This has to be a benefit to the prospect.

Don’t just rattle off what you do or the products you sell…your message will be deleted before you get to the end.

What you want:

An appointment would be good!

So ask the prospect for one.

He can’t say no at the moment, so you’ve got the initiative.

If you’ve sold the benefits effectively, he should be willing to at least see you.

So you might want to give one or two alternatives when you leave the message.

End effectively:

Terminate with what happens next.

Leave your contact details (ensuring your phone number is spoken at the same rate that people write) and say that you’re going to call again.

By saying that, when you call next time and the gatekeeper asks if he is expecting your call, you can truthfully say ‘Yes!”.

By keeping this sequence in mind, you will be more confident and professional when you leave any messages for your prospects on their voicemail.

If you’re looking to sharpen your sales approach, take a look at our Sales Training.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post A Cold Calling Sequence To Land The Appointment appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/12-tips-to-nurture-and-build-relationships-with-clients.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/12-tips-to-nurture-and-build-relationships-with-clients.html#comments Thu, 22 Jun 2017 08:30:24 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6439 Looking to understand how to build client relationships and to grasp the importance of building client relationships? Building strong client relationships is essential for sustained business success. Effective communication, trust, and mutual respect are the cornerstones of any prosperous client […]

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Looking to understand how to build client relationships and to grasp the importance of building client relationships?

Building strong client relationships is essential for sustained business success.

Effective communication, trust, and mutual respect are the cornerstones of any prosperous client relationship.

Whether you’re a seasoned professional or just starting out, learning to enhance your client interactions can lead to more referrals, higher satisfaction, and increased loyalty.

Gavin Ingham once said “Most salespeople make a sale to a client and then move on to the next one. Most clients think that salespeople only ring them when they want to a) sell something new or b) renew their contracts.

If someone only rang you when they wanted to sell your something or get you to commit to a new contract what would you think about them? What feelings and emotions would you associate with them?”

It’s a good point and a very good question.

When you want to nurture the relationship with a client, what should you be concentrating on?

What areas should you spend most time on and what does the client expect?

Here are some concepts that we often cover in our Sales Training Courses:

1. Build Trust: You need to be respectful and caring in a way that you deal with the client. This includes a) always being punctual with contacts (phone, email, face-to-face), b) being personal in all contacts (like sending them a hand-written note or giving them small gifts on special occasions) and c) being personal when the time is fitting (like sharing family anecdotes, etc)

2. Maintain Effective Contact: Always, always, always link up with the client on LinkedIn. It’s the best way to share articles, valuable information, ideas and concepts. When you come across an article, blog or web-page that you know your client would be interested in, it will take you 15 seconds to forward it onto them. And they will thank you for it.

3. Build a personal bond with them: Yes, business relationships are the most important area you should be concentrating on, but do not neglect the personal touch. We’re human beings, and we like to share things with people we like. If they like you, they are more likely to believe in you and trust you. So that personal touch is vital when you want to nurture the relationship.

4. Put them into Google Alerts: Putting a Google Alert aside for their company means you get their company news and blogs first. When you find out something interesting about their company, and you write to them to mention it, they will often thank you because they may not have heard about it! You become a font of knowledge to them and they appreciate you thinking of them.

5. Listen out for important information: As you nurture the relationship, you’ll hear things that they wouldn’t tell other suppliers. So pay attention to all the things they talk about because, although it may sound trivial to you, the very fact they are mentioning it means it could be important to them.

6. Always deliver more than you promise: Your client ill expect you to deliver quality products and services, on time and at the right price. Those are ‘givens’. If you want to build relationships long-term, do more than is expected. let the client know that you really care. Show them your abilities stretch further than just being a service provider.

7. Show them how to make good business decisions: This means that you stop thinking of yourself as a sales person and start being a partner to their business. Come up with ideas that others have used and succeeded in doing. Your experience with many other clients should help you share ideas that have worked for others. Even companies in different industries may benefit from an idea that a company you know have tried and succeeded with. So share how to make great business decisions, and they will thank you for it.

8. Respond Proactively: This might seem like an oxymoron, but if you can make all your responses to their needs as quickly as possible, you build the reputation for speed of response and quality of information. Plus, you start to anticipate problems before they occur and can come up with ideas and suggestions that they will appreciate, before they become big issues.

9. Give advice. Be proactive in what advice you give the client. They want knowledgeable, informed suppliers who can help them run their businesses in a successful way. Giving  advice when you have the knowledge to do so will build solid foundations for long-term business relationships.

10. Get referrals the proper way: Most salespeople (if they ever do) will ask for referrals and hope to get extra business. The best way to get referrals id to introduce new prospects to your client’s business. That way, you are giving as well as asking to receive.

11. Nurture the business for their benefit: This makes it a win-win for both you and the client. When you do things that will benefit their business, they get the returns and you create more reasons why they should remain loyal to you.

12. Learn from every interaction: Do your contacts with the client build close relations, help the client to sell more, build their profits, cut their costs, reduce their overheads, improve turnover, and a plethora of other benefits? If so, learn how you actually accomplished those things. Then you apply them with other clients so they receive those benefits too.

These tips will help you develop your skills as a client-relationship manager and offer all your contacts the benefits of having you as a partner to their business.

And if you’re looking for some Sales Training to level up your game, check out some of our most popular courses below:

• Selling Skills Course
• Sales Management Training Course
• Account Management Training Course

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Nurture & Build Client Relationships appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/12-tips-to-nurture-and-build-relationships-with-clients.html/feed 2 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/sales-logic-vs-emotion.html Thu, 08 Jun 2017 06:00:44 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6386   Scientists tell us that humans have more than one brain. Some people you know may disprove that rule (only half a brain?!) but the truth is that everyone has three parts to their brain: firstly, there’s the reptilian brain, […]

The post Nailing Logic v Emotion In Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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Scientists tell us that humans have more than one brain.

Some people you know may disprove that rule (only half a brain?!) but the truth is that everyone has three parts to their brain: firstly, there’s the reptilian brain, responsible for fight or flight, and located at the top of the spine, close to the back of your skull.

Secondly, there is the limbic system, commonly called the emotional brain, naturally responsible for the emotions we all feel.

And third, there’s the thinking brain, the third brain, the grey matter.

This is divided into two halves, the left side responsible for logical thinking, the right side for more creative, musical thinking.

Logic vs Emotion

When was the last time you purchased a car?

How did you make your purchasing decision? If you think about it the purpose of a car is to get you from A to B. But you will have certain logical requirements that are needed. If you have kids, it might be safety. If you have a caravan, it might be a built-in towbar. These are all logical traits. But I bet at sometime or another you thought about what others would think of you or how good you would look in it? Better still, you’d get one over on that neighbour who is bragging that their motor is the best. These are examples of emotional reasons to purchase.

Logic

You may think that all of your different buyer types are rational, logical thinking prospects.

Logic includes return on investment, speed of response, quality of product or service, length of warranties, terms of credit, etc.

If we think that all decisions are made at the logical level, then we miss a lot of communication that is made by the prospect at a differing level, something that drives decision-making and problem-solving deeper than we realise.

You see, humans (yes, even your prospects) are affected by the emotional contacts we have, as decisions are made at a deeper level than just the logical.

You may have heard the expression, “we buy on emotion then justify with logic”.

It’s true, because the decision-making processes we use go through the emotional brain first before being presented to the logical thinking brain.

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The post Nailing Logic v Emotion In Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/7-ways-to-make-your-brand-stand-out-against-the-competition.html Wed, 29 Mar 2017 08:42:39 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=21028   Brand is often described as ‘a variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic’. Apple’s brand, for instance, is characterised by the statement ‘Think Different’. It creates a label in people’s mind that attracts them and builds trust in […]

The post Make Your Brand Stand Out Against The Competition appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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Brand is often described as ‘a variety of something distinguished by some distinctive characteristic’.

Apple’s brand, for instance, is characterised by the statement ‘Think Different’.

It creates a label in people’s mind that attracts them and builds trust in the product or services.

No matter what your brand is, you can make it stand out against competitors by putting the emphasis on what differentiates you.

If you’re not differentiated in some way, you quickly become a commodity, and the biggest differentiator then will be your price.

So, unless you’re the cheapest on the market, you had better be looking at your brand to build your value.

And if you are the cheapest, then brand probably isn’t that important to you!

Here are some ways to appeal to buyers through your brand:

Focus

What are two or three words that define your brand?

Go beyond ‘quality’ ‘service’ and ‘guarantees’ on this one.

There must be something that makes you stand out, just like Apple does with its slogan.

Feelings & Emotions

Describe what you would like people to feel about your brand.

For example, Harley-Davidson wants people to feel independent and free.

How would you like people to feel about your brand when they consider you?

Individuality

Here, we are talking about uniqueness and distinctiveness.

It gives you a personality and emotional connection.

What personality do people attach to your brands?

If it was a celebrity, who would it be like?

Consistency

If your brand only delivers its promise every once in a while, people will begin to mistrust it.

You have to engage people on a regular basis.

Whenever people come across your brand, is there a consistency of approach?

Will they get the same message, no matter who in your company they speak to?

Credibility

This means aligning the brand with experiences.

If there is an incongruence between what you talk about and what you provide, there will not be the trust that’s required to gain the emotional impact of a true brand.

Longevity

What are you doing to make sure your brand stands the test of time?

Most brands don’t make it past five years, so if you want to ensure you are around for some time, the essence of the brand has to hit home with consumers and make them feel they have some sort of connection with you.

Portable

Is the brand transportable across networks?

Does it market well on mobile devices?

This will epitomise a strong brand as it acts consistently in its marketing approach.

Remember, you are a brand as well, so think about how your brand essence can be driven by paying attention to the above ideas.

If your brand is something that you want to differentiate from the competition, put these points into action and measure its effectiveness with your loyal customers.

Need help with dealing with your clients?

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Make Your Brand Stand Out Against The Competition appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/assertive-salesperson.html Fri, 27 Jan 2017 08:23:40 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=20512   One definition of assertiveness is being confident and direct in dealing with others. Assertive people know what they want and aren’t afraid to ask for it. They also respect the feelings and needs of others and are prepared to […]

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One definition of assertiveness is being confident and direct in dealing with others.

Assertive people know what they want and aren’t afraid to ask for it.

They also respect the feelings and needs of others and are prepared to negotiate solutions that are acceptable to both sides.

Aggressive people want to win at all costs.

Passive people give in and are prepared to lose to keep the other person happy.

The Assertive Salesperson

Here are some tips on becoming more assertive:

Work on your appearance.

How you look tells a lot about you.

55% of the message you send out when you meet people is through your body language.

Dress appropriately, make eye contact.

Try to look and sound confident.

Use a clear, calm voice.

You don’t need to be loud, but you do need to make yourself heard.

If people aren’t noticing you and you need service, say clearly “Excuse me?”.

Also, whatever you are trying to say, try to be concise. You’ll need to stay calm and not excited when you ask for referrals and also when you use sales statements with your prospects and clients.

Know what you want.

People can tell if you already know what you want out of them, and it’s much easier for them to do what you ask them if you can tell them clearly what that is. Your buyers love to buy, they hate to be sold.

Whether you’re speaking to an insurance agent or a waiter, their job is to serve you and you’ll make their job about ten times easier if you know what you want.

Be realistic about your aims.

Have a clear objective of what you want.

Assertive people are not afraid to ask, but they also pick their battles.

Don’t misdirect your frustration.

If the airline counter agent tells you that you must pay extra for your heavy bag, don’t get angry at the agent.

Your beef is with the airline’s policy (and possibly your failure to read the fine print).

Instead, treat the agent like an ally.

If the policy was made available to you, apologise, and ask for an exception.

If you were never informed of the policy, say so, and ask for an exception.

Either way, the agent herself did you no harm, so do not direct your frustration at them!

They are not the aggressor; they are your potential ally.

So, treat them well and negotiate respectfully…then take the matter up with the airline’s customer service agents.

Practice.

If you’re about to engage in an important encounter, ask a colleague to role-play with you.

Practice what you are going to say and have them give you feedback.

If you aren’t assertive enough, try it again.

Be respectful.

Being assertive does not mean that you should be rude.

People are more willing to help someone who is both direct polite and respectful

Do not be afraid to ask questions.

Asking questions will help you determine what you want and give you an idea of potential solutions.

Don’t be afraid to tell someone exactly what you think but do so in a polite way.

Speak your mind.

If you must deliver bad news, don’t offer unnecessary details.

If you explain every single reason for your decision, the other person can use those reasons as negotiation points.

Your decision is firm, and this will come across most clearly if you are short and to the point.

Don’t get angry.

It doesn’t promote a problem-solving atmosphere

Remember the big picture.

True assertiveness, as opposed to pushiness, allows you to come away from any situation respectably.

Pushy people may win battles, but only assertive people win wars

In confrontations especially, emotions can run high.

Remember to be respectful and keep a cool head.

The key to success in confrontations is to use an appropriate tone of voice and the correct words.

Speak to someone like you would like to be spoken to!

Try asking first; don’t demand things straight away.

Gather information and make the other person an ally.

If that approach doesn’t work, then you may put your foot down.

Be friendly.

If you are not, you won’t be assertive.

Perspective.

Keep a sense of perspective as well as a sense of humour

Please check our Sales Training Courses to help take your selling game to the next level.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Become A More Assertive Salesperson appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-5-stages-of-the-buyers-decision-making-process-how-to-utilise-it.html Tue, 13 Dec 2016 07:15:25 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=17863 How do you make a decision? Ever thought about it? Many of us have, and have used the facts behind decision-making in identifying how they should work with clients. But many more haven’t studied this subject and consequently lose the […]

The post 5 Stages Of The Buyer’s Decision Making Process appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> How do you make a decision?
Ever thought about it?

Many of us have, and have used the facts behind decision-making in identifying how they should work with clients.

But many more haven’t studied this subject and consequently lose the ability to influence buyers in making decisions that will progress a sale and take the prospect on a journey of discovery.

Actually, most people make decisions at a deep psychological level without really identifying how the process is taking shape.

We all go through a process of making decisions without realising it, most of the time.

Just think about when you decide what to have at a restaurant, or what car you want to buy, or where you want to go on holiday.

You may think that many of your decisions are instinctive, but actually you are always going through a process, even subconsciously.

If you’re able to see what these stages are in the process, it will help you help the buyer to come to a natural conclusion, and it will answer many questions you may have as to why someone hasn’t made the decision to go with your product.

Let’s take a look at the stages and see how we can deal with them when discussing progress with a prospect:

Stage 1: Unawareness

At this point, the prospect isn’t aware of what options or choices they have. In a restaurant, they haven’t seen the menu yet.

In a sales situation, they have little idea of what your products can do for them.

If they look on-line, they are unaware of you until your marketing prowess opens their eyes.

The next stage is the obvious one:

Stage 2: Awareness

They may look on-line and checkout your website.

They may read your brochure or literature and see what it is you do.

They may get a phone call from your company.

Whatever way it happens, they now go through a series of connections that makes them aware of your product or service.

This awareness is simply that; aware of what or who you are. That has narrowed it down dramatically.

Think of the billions of people who don’t know about you (unless you work for Google or Facebook or Amazon, that is!).

This awareness is the next stage of decision-making.

Stage 3: Understanding

This starts to play at the intellectual level. In other words, they have a logical understanding of what you have to offer.

It could be anything from seeing the choice on the menu to knowing the range of offers you have to checking out the hotel amenities.

This understanding level narrows down the process, as it allows buyers to see for themselves what their business or lives would be like with your product or service.

Stage 4: Conviction

Now, emotion starts to play a role. It may look like you are very competitive price-wise, but that doesn’t convince people you are right for them.

At this point, they must be out of their comfort zone.

They must either associate pain with their current position so they need something or someone to solve their problem, or they see opportunities for the future that you are able to help them achieve.

Your solution has to be worth investing in, to solve their problems or take them on the journey to improved results.

When they see this happening, they have an emotional connection to the results and are convinced your solution will be the change they are looking for.

Stage 5: Action

If the first four steps are carried out effectively, this stage is the next logical step.

You as the sales consultant now can eleviate the fear of making this decision to take action.

If this is the area where most of your sales stall (lack of closing ability, etc), it’s probably because you haven’t built a solid foundation with the previous stages.

If everything has been done satisfactorily beforehand, the decision on behalf of the buyer to take action comes naturally.

The real danger here is in trying to make the buyer jump too quickly through the decision-making hoops.

Many salespeople will try to jump from understanding to action to quickly.

They forget that the buyer has to connect with the solution first.

Without doing that, you run the risk of creating fear in the buyer’s mind because you haven’t followed their natural pathway of making decisions.

So, try to identify where you are with each buyer on their decision-making cycle.

Be aware of the progress you need to make with each individual and, if you solidify each stage before moving on, you have a much better chance of linking in with the way they make their decisions.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 5 Stages Of The Buyer’s Decision Making Process appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-do-you-do-when-your-customer-wants-to-vent.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-do-you-do-when-your-customer-wants-to-vent.html#comments Tue, 01 Nov 2016 08:55:10 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=19412   There are times when the customer simply wants to let off steam. Maybe the delivery you promised hasn’t arrived. Or some of the equipment has broken down. Or there’s simply too much pressure on the prospect and they must […]

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There are times when the customer simply wants to let off steam.

Maybe the delivery you promised hasn’t arrived.

Or some of the equipment has broken down.

Or there’s simply too much pressure on the prospect and they must let someone know how they feel, and you’re the nearest human being at that time.

Whatever the reason, it’s always a good idea to let the person finish their rant.

Why is that? Because the emotion they are feeling at that time needs to find a way to be expressed.

If it doesn’t, the pressure of being bottled up may cause a more serious explosion later!

So, what’s the best behaviour to adopt when the customer decides to let you have it both barrels?

Here are some tips.

Resist the temptation to jump in and interrupt.

If you do interrupt, you make the customer lose their thread and the emotion (justified, in their mind) will remain there and even be fed more ammunition.

Instead, carefully listen to the facts, and differentiate them from opinions.

Hearing the customer say, “Your products stinks!” is a lot different to “Your product has broken down three times this month!”

Give the customer chance to be clear on what they are saying, which is often difficult if you are in an emotional state.

Use reflective statements to show your level of understanding.

Reflective statements show you’ve been listening and don’t act as judgements about what’s been said.

A reflective statement reflects the emotions felt by the other person.

They sound a little like these:

“It sounds all this has frustrated you”
“I can tell you’re really exasperated by this”
“That couldn’t have been very good for you”
“I can understand your feelings on this”
“Go ahead…I’m listening…”

Each of these shows you have been listening and trying to understand the customer’s anger or disappointment or vent.

It also shows you are being slow to judge and are trying to see the position from their eyes.

When the customer has calmed down (and they will if you let them expand on their emotion) sum up the situation as you see it.

Remember, when the customer is in a highly emotional state, they simply can’t think logically.

Think that through for a second.

When you are highly emotion and someone asks you to calm down and think logically about something, what’s your general reaction?

Probably to get even more emotional!

So, the way to see this is to let them vent and then explain how you see if, validating the feelings before trying to act on it.

It would sound something like this:

You “OK, Jon, I can see this has really caused you some problems”

Jon “You bet it has……!”

You “Let me make sure I’ve got this right. You were promised by the office that the delivery would take place on Monday. It’s now Wednesday and you’ve not received it, and it’s caused you major problems with your customer because now you’ve broken your promise to them. Am I correct in that?”

Jon “Yes, that’s about it. What are you going to do about it?”

What you’ve now got to is a point when you can work out a solution.

Nothing can be done to rectify what caused the situation in the first place.

The time and place to find out what went wrong is not now and not here.

Start talking in terms of logical assessments, solution opportunities and collaborative answers.

You do this after the customer has finished venting, not before.

Remember, this is one of those occasions where you simply must bite the bullet and let the customer express their feelings.

Your company may have let you down but trying to make justifications here is not what is needed.

Leave that until afterwards when you do your enquiries and make sure it doesn’t happen that way again.

By doing this, you gain control of the conversation again and allow it to focus on solutions rather than errors or problems that caused the emotion in the first place.

Have you ever thought about taking a Sales Assessment to reveal your strengths and weaknesses? You’ll receive a personalised report at the end with tips on how to improve. Also, check out our Telesales Training and Social Selling Courses.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post What Do You Do When Your Customer Wants To Vent? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-do-you-do-when-your-customer-wants-to-vent.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/use-these-6-opening-statements-to-make-your-sales-interactions-more-effective.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/use-these-6-opening-statements-to-make-your-sales-interactions-more-effective.html#comments Thu, 22 Sep 2016 08:15:16 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=19052   Last time, we discussed how your ‘elevator speech’ could be full of mistakes and not do what it’s supposed to do, i.e. open your conversation effectively with a prospect. We covered six of those mistakes and why they shouldn’t […]

The post 6 Sales Opening Statement Examples To Use appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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Last time, we discussed how your ‘elevator speech’ could be full of mistakes and not do what it’s supposed to do, i.e. open your conversation effectively with a prospect.

We covered six of those mistakes and why they shouldn’t be used early on in your discussions.

Here, we cover how the elevator speech should actually be the foundation for a great discussion.

This is naturally just an example, so take the principles and apply them to your own individual circumstances:

“Hi, Mr Prospect, it’s a real pleasure to meet you/talk to you”

This is called a softener, and it eases you and the prospect into the next part of the conversation.

“I’m Fred Smith with ABC Widgets. Our company works with businesses like yours in the xxx industry”

Here, you’re simply stating facts that cannot be disputed, and makes it immediately applicable to the prospect because you’re talking about their industry.

“I’m here because we are introducing a new concept within the industry and the CEO of XYZ International has been trying it out for a couple of moths now.

He’s seen a 15% drop in his overheads using this new concept and he’s agreed that I can present some of his overall results to other companies so they can see if similar or better results can be obtained”

This is talking the language of the prospect, because they are primarily concerned with the results of their business, rather than in buying a product or service.

“I’d be delighted to discuss with you what this new concept can do for your business,”

A short trial close at this point determines the interest of the prospect, and if you have done your homework previously, you will know what drives their business decisions and what challenges they are going through at the moment.

“OK, if it’s not convenient now, let me send some details through to your email and show you how we have helped others to increase productivity/decrease overheads/improve profits (whichever is right for this prospect) in their businesses”.

This is your secondary objective, as the prospect isn’t ready yet to accept your primary objective.

“Let me just confirm the details….”

This makes sure you have got everything right and you can ensure the prospect feels good about their decision.

Did you notice the six points that the salesperson made?

• The softener. This takes the edge of the introduction and eases you into the remainder of the opening.
• You state facts that cannot be disputed, not claims that need to be backed up.
• You talk the language of the prospect – their needs, their business’s needs, what’s important to them. The product or service isn’t important at this point. Not yet, anyway.
• Short trial close. This might seem strange in the opening, but it allows you to gauge the interest of the prospect at this point.
• Aim for a secondary objective if the first objective (appointment with the decision-maker, demo of the product, further discussions, etc.) isn’t achieved
• Confirmation of everything discussed, or next steps if they don’t want to go any further.

These points allow you and the prospect to work together to achieve a mutually-agreeable next step after your opening.

If you’ve touched the right pain points, there’s a good chance of moving forward in the conversation and starting to get solid answers from the prospect to the sales questions you have lined up.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 6 Sales Opening Statement Examples To Use appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/use-these-6-opening-statements-to-make-your-sales-interactions-more-effective.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/were-happy-with-our-current-supplier-what-now.html Tue, 12 Jul 2016 08:15:38 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=18427   This is an interesting and, for some salespeople, a ‘killer’ response from a prospect when you are presenting your solutions. Your product may be the best in the make, you may have all the gizmos that impress other clients, […]

The post “We’re Happy With Our Current Supplier”…What Now? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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This is an interesting and, for some salespeople, a ‘killer’ response from a prospect when you are presenting your solutions.

Your product may be the best in the make, you may have all the gizmos that impress other clients, you may have recommendations spilling out of your top pocket, your value may be better than your competitors.

But the prospect is happy with what they already have.

“We’re satisfied with our current supplier, thanks” is often the biggest stumbling block to many presentations, as it often comes up before you’ve even started the conversation.

The prospect knows you’re trying to muscle in on what they are currently using, and doesn’t want to change.

They’re satisfied with the status quo.

They’ve been with their current supplier for some time now, and they’re comfortable.

Why go through the hassle of change?

Our Sales Training Courses cover a lot of sales techniques and strategies but here’s something you can say that will identify if there still might be an opportunity:

“That’s fine, Mr Prospect, and I can appreciate your most likely satisfied at this time. We are always on the look out for clients who are ‘satisfied’ with their current situation, as we try to make our clients ‘delighted’ with our services. Could you tell me, please, what would it take for you to be more than satisfied?”

Here, you are planting those seeds of doubt in the prospect’s mind.

Notice that you picked up on the word that the prospect used.

“Satisfied”.

The problem with a person being ‘satisfied’ is that it lulls us into a state of homeostasis.

One definition of this is “the tendency toward a relatively stable equilibrium between interdependent elements, especially as maintained by physiological processes.”

Notice the words there?

Stable equilibrium and maintaining.

When something is just maintained and stable, does it get better?

Does it improve?

Does it progress in any way?

No. It just stays the same, and as we know, if something stays still it will atrophy and gradually get weaker.

So this aspect of being ‘satisfied’ needs to be investigated.

I sometimes ask my clients how they feel about our services.

If they say they are satisfied, I get nervous. I don’t want satisfaction; I want ‘impressed, grateful, excited, inspired, amazed, influenced, impacted’.

If the prospect is satisfied, take a few moments to check in with them on what would make them more than satisfied.

This creates dissonance in their mind.

They now have to think about what they are NOT happy with, or how something could be made better.

Previously, their satisfied state was good enough for them; now, you’re making them think that it isn’t.

Their answer could be just the chink in the armour they had been protecting themselves with.

Many prospects will say they’re satisfied with the status quo because they don’t want to sit through a presentation.

Then don’t make them do so.

Ask them questions.

Find out what could be improved. Identify the pains they are experiencing.

Get them out of their bland thinking that today’s solutions will also be here tomorrow.

When you get them to acknowledge just one thing that could be better, it opens up the door for you to find out what results would come from the changes you could offer.

That’s when you will get a hearing ears from the prospect.

Please try out our Telesales Training for the latest prospecting tips and for some more techniques on how to overcome this sales objection and others. We also have this guide on how to be really good at telesales. Be sure to check it out.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post “We’re Happy With Our Current Supplier”…What Now? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/21-questions-that-will-build-instant-rapport.html Wed, 18 May 2016 08:15:04 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=18172   Rapport building questions should guide every sales interaction, enhancing it through your tonal choices, body language, and active listening skills. From the first moment you meet a prospect—at the reception, walking to the meeting room, during a phone call, […]

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Rapport building questions should guide every sales interaction, enhancing it through your tonal choices, body language, and active listening skills. From the first moment you meet a prospect—at the reception, walking to the meeting room, during a phone call, or when concluding your interaction—it’s vital to use questions to build rapport and break the ice.

Remember, building rapport is not merely a stage in the sales process, it is a continuous practice throughout all your interactions.

This sales blog is an excerpt from our 450 Sales Questions – click to download your complimentary copy.

RAPPORT BUILDING WARNING…

Please do not think that building rapport just covers topics like the weather, favourite football teams or cheesy comments on how beautiful their kids look from the photos on their desk.

Instead, you should build rapport by keeping things light but business like.

Rapport Building Questions

Here are 21 questions to build rapport:

“I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that you’ve only been here for 3 months. How are you settling in?”

“I noticed on your LinkedIn profile that you used to work for ABC Company. I used to work for them / we’ve done work for them/ what did you do there?”

“Looking on your website I noticed that you’ve just done this / achieved that / won this contract / moved to bigger offices / (anything newsworthy to talk of) how’s that going?”

“How’s business?”

“How long have you been with the company?” (If you don’t know via LinkedIn)

“So you’ve been with ABC for 5 years?” (If you do know via LinkedIn)

“So you’re the title/position. What exactly does that entail?”

“So as the title/position, do you also oversee…”

“How many people in your department/do you manage/ do you employ?”

“How long have you been in that/this field all together?”

“How long have you been in the/this business?”

“How did you get your start in the business/field?”

“How did your company/business that you own get started?”

“How many people do you manage?”

“Does your company have other locations?”

“Does your role involve a lot of travelling?”

“How do you keep up to date on important information in the industry?”

“What periodicals do you read?”

“What are you up to this weekend?” (On the way out of office / meeting / end of call)

“What have you got planned for the rest of the day?” (On the way out of office/meeting/end of call)

“What have you got on for the rest of the day?” (On the way out of office/meeting/end of call)

Use whichever ones are appropriate – read the situation and try a couple for size during your next sales interaction!

Don’t Forget Your Body Language When Asking Rapport Building Questions

Understanding body language is an important skill for salespeople to learn.

You can ask questions to build rapport until the cows come home but if your body language is not on point when you ask them then all of that hard work will be lost.

Before we look into this it’s important that we understand some key concepts first:

Try this for example.

Cross your arms.

It feels good doesn’t it?

You are hugging yourself.

Yet, if you read books on body language they will tell you that this is a negative signal that is being sent out.

You have closed down your body language and are being defensive.

We have to link verbal and non-verbal signals to understand the real message that is being sent out.

If I have my arms crossed and, at the same time I am saying what a great time I had at the match last night I am being positive.

If I look worried and am describing a service problem that I recently experienced then I am feeling negative.

Look for more than one clue.

Look for clusters of body language.

Look for changes in body language.

I attended a presentation recently and at one point members of the audience lent forward and started to make notes.

This told me that the presenter had just said something of interest, but he missed it and continued with the presentation.

I would have asked a few questions if I had been him.

Some of my top tips to help you look and sound more confident when asking your rapport building questions.

Eye contact.

Make positive eye contact when communicating.

Don’t stare but make regular contact.

This says you are confident.

Body posture.

Stand up straight and face the other person.

Smile.

Look as if you are enjoying yourself

Personal space.

Different cultures tolerate different personal spaces.

For example, some cultures are very expressive when it comes to physical touch.

Think about Italy where a big hug and kiss on each cheek is considered a common and acceptable greeting, and then compare it to Japan where a proper greeting consists of a respectful bow and no touch at all.

Slow down a bit.

This goes for many things.

Walking slower not only makes you seem more calm and confident, it will also make you feel less stressed.

Talk a bit more slowly too.

It makes you seem more thoughtful and intelligent.

Respond to what is being said.

Use non-verbal listening techniques; smiling, nodding, changing your facial expression to demonstrate that you are listening. Don’t just take it in turns to talk when you’re building rapport.

That’s just lip service!

Try not to interrupt.

This is irritating and makes you appear less confident.

Match, or mirror their changes in body language.

When we feel comfortable in a group we match, or mirror the body language of others without thinking.

This can be done proactively to build rapport.

Avoid negative signals.

We all know when the person we are talking to is in a rush or late for a meeting.

Looking at their watch, pointing their body towards the exit and looking frustrated.

Dress for success.

Yes, it is a cliché but how you look determines how people respond to you.

Invest in quality business clothes and take care of your appearance.

So don’t forget to think about your body language when building rapport. They go hand in hand.

Our Sales Training covers how to build rapport.

Please check out our Sales Training Courses like our popular Selling Skills Courses which are run throughout the UK.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director

This sales blog post is an excerpt from ‘450 Sales Questions’. Click below to download your free copy and use these questions in your sales interactions!

MTD Sales Training



The post 21 Questions That Will Build Instant Rapport appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/6-questions-that-will-enhance-your-client-relationships.html Thu, 14 Apr 2016 10:03:11 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=17852 Many salespeople we talk to are happy to discuss their sales techniques and what they do right with their clients. The topics often drift onto which customers they love dealing with and which they would sell to the devil himself […]

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]]> Many salespeople we talk to are happy to discuss their sales techniques and what they do right with their clients.

The topics often drift onto which customers they love dealing with and which they would sell to the devil himself if they could.

Oftentimes, we take these really great customers for granted.

By that I mean we continue getting great results with them but we expect that anyway, and we often forget to treat them as clients who we respect, admire, appreciate and rely on.

Whichever way you categorise ‘great’, you can sue this close relationship to build permanent partnerships, and it allows you to ask them questions that would seem impertinent or simply too brash with lesser customers.

Think of the relationship you have with your great customers as allowing you to get closer to them and get ‘under the skin’ so you can find out exactly what can and should be done to develop that partnership even more.

Here are some examples of questions to keep that closeness:

“What do you think our competition are doing better than we are?”

This question would be risky if it were to be asked of a new customer, but because the relationship is close with a great customer, it allows you to delve deeper into what the thoughts are of your buyer and what could be better, without risking the future business.

“If I knew something you were doing as a business was not getting the best results, would you like me to tell you?”

This question proves you have a consultative mind-set rather than one that is always looking for the sales opportunity.

It proves you have their business in mind and helps you and they retain that good partnership.

“What improvements would you like us to make in our products or services that I could take back to the office/factory/designers? I can’t promise anything, but it would be nice to know”.

This again is risky because they may talk about improvements you can’t deliver.

But when you get the responses, it will help you look at developing your own product awareness and keep your ear to the ground for new ideas.

You are the eyes of the company in the field and, sometimes, honest customer feedback can help you develop tweaks that would make even more businesses be interested in your products.

End-user feedback should be treated like gold-dust, and your great customers can be a mine of information here.

“Who do you know who would also benefit from these products or services?”

These great customers could be an excellent source of referrals for you because they’ve used your products, seen the results, adapted to the changes you have instigated and tasted the benefits to their business.

What a great opportunity to help others experience what they have achieved!

“Can I get a quick testimonial on video from you for our website?”

You can’t ask this from ordinary customers as you haven’t proved your worth.

But a great customer’s testimonial would be very valuable for the front page of your website. Imagine half-a-dozen quick-fire testimonials from customers who are advocates of your business!

People believe peers much more than they do salespeople, so it offers a good opportunity to share their opinions.

“How can we help you be more productive/profitable/safe/reliable in the future?”

With a great customer, you’re offering to work even closer with them to improve their sales opportunities and build their business in the future.

Because you and they have been working together for a while, you will get more specific and fruitful answers, based on what they know you can do for them, as opposed to simply asking you to reduce your prices!

These few questions can help you improve your relationship with great customers and help them help you to develop your business in the future.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

I hope they prove useful for you to gain even better results with them, for yours and their businesses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training






The post 6 Questions To Enhance Your Client Relationships appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/improve-listening-skills.html Thu, 18 Feb 2016 09:24:15 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=17586   We often get asked on our Sales Training how to improve listening skills? They want the golden ticket, the one thing that will mean the million-pound deal, the loyal customer, the added business. Naturally, there isn’t just one skill […]

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We often get asked on our Sales Training how to improve listening skills? They want the golden ticket, the one thing that will mean the million-pound deal, the loyal customer, the added business.

Naturally, there isn’t just one skill that will be the ‘holy grail’; various things make up the top salesperson’s abilities to get results. If there was one thing, though, that would make the biggest difference in the skills armoury of the salesperson, it would probably be the ability to listen effectively.

Listening is a vastly under-rated skill, one that is bypassed in many sales programmes, or glossed over as one part of the overall communication skills we all must adopt.

However, for many reasons, it is the key to opening the door to sales, as it can set you apart from the plethora of salespeople who concentrate more on their product push than on actively getting the knowledge they require to know exactly what to push.

The way to become a better listener is to practice “active listening.”


 

Improve Your Active Listening Skills

Active listening is where you make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that another person is saying but, more importantly, try to understand the complete message being sent.

To do this, you must pay attention to the other person very carefully.

You cannot allow yourself to become distracted by whatever else may be going on around you, or by forming counter arguments that you’ll make when the other person stops speaking. Nor can you allow yourself to get bored and lose focus on what the other person is saying. All of these contribute to a lack of listening and understanding.

If you’re finding it particularly difficult to concentrate on what someone is saying, try repeating their words mentally as they say them – this will reinforce their message and help you stay focused.

To enhance your listening skills, you need to let the other person know that you are listening to what they are saying and that’s if you are cold calling or face to face with a prospect.

To understand the importance of this, ask yourself if you’ve ever been engaged in a conversation when you wondered if the other person was listening to what you were saying. You wonder if your message is getting across, or if it’s even worthwhile continuing to speak. It feels like talking to a brick wall and it’s something you want to avoid.

You should also try to respond to the speaker in a way that will both encourage them to continue speaking, so that you can get the information if you need. While nodding says you’re interested, an occasional question or comment to recap what has been said communicates that you understand the message.

What makes a great listener?

– They practice listening skills
– They keep an open, curious mind
– They link what they listen to with what they already know
– They find areas of common interest
– They resist external distractions
– They ask questions to clarify understanding
– They summarise often
– They analyse non-verbal signals
– They listen to content and emotion

I would say the most important item in that list is to ‘practice’ the skill of listening.

The truth is you will never become perfect, but you can always improve and get better at this fundamental but vastly important skill that will make you so different to your competitor who is more interested in pitching than learning. Many have a fear of cold calling because they feel that their overall communication and listening skills are not up to scratch – it’s most likely their of rejection but if you don’t have the skills you are not going to feel confident.




 

Improving Your General Listening Skills

It’s often said that you never learn anything when you’re talking, only when you’re listening. How true is that statement!

But we often meet people who are poor listeners. They interrupt, they are full of their own self-opinionated ideas, they love the sound of their own voice, and they seldom allow you to get a word in.

Know who I mean?

Listening is a skill that can be developed. Yes, it’s a skill, which means it can be improved, built on and enriched. Ever feel that you could do with listening a bit better?

Here are 10 ways you can improve your listening skills:

Practice your listening skills.

This seems obvious but listening improves with practice. When you’re watching TV or even listening to two people having a discussion in front of you, practice real listening. Imagine someone gave you a test after the conversation and asked you to sum up the main points. Would you be able to?

Stay curious.

You need to be inquisitive rather than judgemental. Ask yourself why the other person has that opinion. Especially if their ideas differ from yours, you should wonder why they think that way.

Link what people say to what you already know.

Memory is all about association, so think how what they have said links up with your current knowledge. Does it add some value? Does it fill in any gaps? Does it act as a contrast to what you already know? By listening attentively, you build up a real storehouse of information, even it contradicts what you already believe.

Find areas of common interest.

Is there a way you can link what they are saying to something you have an interest in as well? Maybe you both know similar people. Maybe you lived in the same area a few years back. This commonality breeds security and builds rapport between people.

Try to resist external distractions.

I say ‘try’ because this is a hard one. If it’s a noisy room, block out the noise by concentrating hard on what they are saying. Focus on them rather than what others around are saying. The speaker will appreciate your interest.

Ask questions to clarify understanding.

If what they’re saying is too general or they have missed out important details, ask for clarification and allow the person to fill in the details. If you use guesswork or only think you know what they mean but are unsure, you cause confusion to reign supreme!

Summarise often.

Just to make sure you are on the right wavelength as the speaker, summarise your understanding of what they have said so they can correct you or confirm you have understood perfectly.

Watch the non-verbal signals.

How a person says something often gives more of a message than what they say, so watch what they are doing with their hands, establish eye-contact and keep in tune with their whole-body language.

Listen to content and emotion.

Very often, we hear the words, but we don’t listen to the emotions that come with them. By identifying how people feel about something, you get more than just part of the message, so be interested in how the message is coming across too.

Listen to understand, not necessarily agree.

Stephen Covey said that most people listen with the intent to reply. What we should do is attempt to understand their meaning. It doesn’t mean you agree with them; you simply see what their perception is, you wonder why they feel that way and you have a clearer view of why they have that opinion.

Having followed these ideas of how to improve your listening, you then earn the right to share your views and hopefully the other person will learn from your good listening skills how they should listen too.

You never know, you might affect how many of your products they buy from you too.

And remember; no-one ever got sacked for listening too much.

Listening is just one of the key skills needed to be successful in sales. Why don’t you benchmark yourself against what excellence looks like in your role by taking a Sales Assessment. You will receive a personalised report of your strengths and weaknesses.

Improve your skills further by attending our 2-day Sales Skills Training masterclass. You’ll attend with people from other organisations and learn from them as well. It’s a fun, practical course which is accredited by the ISM who are responsible for creating Sales Qualifications within the UK.

Remember to take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How Salespeople Can Improve Their Listening Skills appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-3-main-components-that-drive-customer-loyalty.html Mon, 11 Jan 2016 10:24:25 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=17321   Most companies agree that loyal customers are the lifeblood of their business. Clients who return continuously to restock or re-purchase make it easy for companies to provide service and back-up because the effort needed to ensure satisfaction is minimal. […]

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Most companies agree that loyal customers are the lifeblood of their business.

Clients who return continuously to restock or re-purchase make it easy for companies to provide service and back-up because the effort needed to ensure satisfaction is minimal.

But how do we ensure this loyalty isn’t just short-lived?

What attitude do you as a salesperson and as a business need to exhibit to ensure that a loyal customer doesn’t become just a satisfied one and eventually an ex-customer?

There are essentially three components that make up a business operation that causes someone to be loyal, and the best companies ensure they go through these components to encourage more loyalty.

First, there’s Customer Service.

This is the operations part, doing the task well, achieving basically what the customer wanted.

It’s the minimal requirement to make sure the customer is satisfied and, essentially, it’s the lowest level the customer would expect.

They expect you to stock what they want and deliver it perfectly and on time.

That’s basic. If anything goes wrong, they expect redress quickly and efficiently.

In other words, it’s the base level of expectation a customer has and it only results in satisfaction.

Secondly, there’s Customer Relations.

This is the human part, the one-on-one actions, the things you or your company do to make things personal.

For some, this is an essential part of the interaction because they like to feel they are welcomed by the company they are buying from and that they mean more than just a number to them.

Relationships deepen the trust that companies and individuals experience, so it’s the second component that works towards loyalty.

There’s a third component that creates advocates of your business and encourages people to put the emphasis on returns rather than price, benefits rather than costs.

It’s Customer Development, and this is the sales and retention part that brings true satisfaction to every relationship.

What it entails is the improvement of the customer’s business through working with you. It means there are elements of the customer’s business that would fail if it wasn’t for you.

They get more profit, better productivity, greater peace of mind, or whatever the tangible and intangible benefits might be, simply by being your customer, your client.

These three components work synergistically together, harmonising the essence of what makes a great company attractive to its clients.

It’s only by creating the culture that provides these components on a consistent basis that you will see the returns in terms of loyalty, dependability and reliability.

Put the emphasis in your business on developing the relationship and the development of the customer’s business and you will quickly reap the rewards.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post The 3 Main Components That Drive Customer Loyalty appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/always-be-closing-abc-sales.html Wed, 14 Oct 2015 08:15:37 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=16915   You might think that this article is about the famous line: Always Be Closing! It isn’t. It’s about something completely different and in my opinion will be much more valuable to you than those hard selling words of the […]

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You might think that this article is about the famous line: Always Be Closing!

It isn’t. It’s about something completely different and in my opinion will be much more valuable to you than those hard selling words of the past! So, keep on reading.

Years ago, I was working with a salesperson who considered himself to be one of the best in his business. He thought that he was that good!

If he ever failed, he said that it was the prospects that the company gave him that caused the problem, not him.

If profits from his accounts were down, it was the customer’s fault for wanting something for nothing. He would have no idea of how to use powerful sales statements or any B2B sales techniques to use.

It was never his problem.

I had the ‘privilege’ of going on two calls with him while I was consulting with his company. After the two calls, I realised why he failed more than he succeeded.

He thought he was good because of his product knowledge, his experience and his ‘gift of the gab’.

What he had was the ability to bore the pants of his prospects with his patter. It would go on and on and on, blinding the prospect with facts, information, and background.

He didn’t understand that the whole idea of quality salesmanship is to determine customer needs and then work with them to create a solution.

Basically, he was talking too much and not listening enough.

It reminds me of something I learned years ago when I was picking up sales tools and ideas.

I thought of it as the ABC of selling, as the three terms that have served me well start with those three letters.

Firstly, Accuracy.

In sales, you need to be correct and sure of your facts before you make any conclusions or offer solutions. Accuracy involves asking questions, summarising effectively, building confidence in the solution and being efficient in creating options. Being accurate in you assessments builds confidence in your prospect that the solutions you discuss will be appropriate for the challenges they face.

Then, there’s Brevity.

You’ve heard the expression, “Why use two words when ten will do!” Many salespeople live by this motto, as they think that the more they tell the prospect, the more they are building up value and knowledge in the prospect’s mind.

In most cases, less is more. Being brief is the sign of quality thinking. By putting your ideas and concepts in a brief format while still giving the amount of information the prospect requires to make a decision, you prove yourself to be effective and efficient.

Finally, there’s Clarity.

Clear communication is the by-word here, and when it’s coupled with accuracy and brevity, you encourage the customer to think through the options and they can make the decision they need to because they’re clear on what is required and can see the results.

So, by combining these three components, you create opportunities for both your prospect and you to be sure you’re making correct decisions and recognise when to move forward quickly and easily.

Please check out our Selling Skills Training for more tips and advice on how to improve your selling game.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post The ABC of Selling appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-to-say-when-the-customer-asks-why-should-we-use-you.html Thu, 17 Sep 2015 07:15:25 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=16340   So, you’ve got to the part of the conversation where the customer asks the £64,000 question, hence indicating they are interested but haven’t yet been persuaded to think seriously about your solution. What do they really want and need […]

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So, you’ve got to the part of the conversation where the customer asks the £64,000 question, hence indicating they are interested but haven’t yet been persuaded to think seriously about your solution.

What do they really want and need when this question, ‘Why should we use you?’ is asked?

Well, they want confirmation and assurance that they are taking less risk going with your company than the solution they are using now.

Or they want to know how the benefits of your solution outweigh the competition.

Or they simply want assurance they are making the best decision.

Whatever the reason, you should go through five steps that will help you answer the question to the complete satisfaction of the customer.

Step 1: Think Like Your Customer Thinks

Why are they asking the question now? Look at what your offer provides from the standpoint of the buyer. Are you reducing their costs? Giving them more options? Increasing their profit opportunities? Giving them more reliability?

How does the buyer see the problem your product solves or the opportunity it opens up?

Then use that in your opening statement.

Step 2: What Sets You Apart?

You could say something like, ‘Our customers use the product to….”. This offers the differential that sets you apart from the competition. If it’s saving money that your product does best, then it sounds like ‘Our customers use the WX453 to save them, on average, over 10% on their annual running costs”.

Step 3: What’s Unique About This?

How does your offering make you stand out from other companies?

This leads you to a solution that will make the buyer think about your company and associate you with the results they will get.

Step 4: Add A Concrete Example That Will Give The Buyer Confidence

You could say ‘For example, we put this machine into a similar-sized business last year and the savings they are reporting are even greater than they had anticipated. I can give you the exact figures if you wish?’

Step 5: Bring All The Steps Together

Put this all together so it sounds like the buyer will lose out if they don’t go with you. You could say, ‘Because our company offers you the peace of mind that goes with a reliable product like this, most of our customers see the benefits straight away. Without this, you may lose profitability and productivity this solution brings.’

These five steps help you to show the buyer the overall benefits the product offers and how your company provides solutions that beat the competition in areas that are important to their business.

Remember to tweak your sales message often to keep up with specific changes in customer demands and ensure you are speaking the language that would persuade them your solution is the best for theirn business.

If you found this article useful, it is likely you’ll like this one too: check out ‘How To Respond To “Call Me Back In 6 Months”

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post The Customer Asks, “Why Should We Use You?” appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/5-keys-to-becoming-your-customers-trusted-partner.html Thu, 30 Jul 2015 08:15:01 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=16369   If you aim to become your customer’s trusted partner, you should focus on making the purchase and use of your products both easy and profitable. This is fundamentally why people choose to buy products—to simplify their lives or enhance […]

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If you aim to become your customer’s trusted partner, you should focus on making the purchase and use of your products both easy and profitable.

This is fundamentally why people choose to buy products—to simplify their lives or enhance their business operations.

For products that aren’t just one-time purchases, cultivating customer loyalty becomes crucial. Achieving an optimal relationship where customers see you as a partner means they trust you to deliver products and services that yield consistent and promised results.

In fact, becoming your customer’s trusted partner should be your long-term objective in all your dealings.

So, what are the keys to building these relationships so that your connections with customers turns them into clients, advocates and raving fans?

Here are some ideas.

You really must understand, appreciate and have a deep knowledge of the following:

1. The customer’s ultimate goals, objectives and priorities

If you have an awareness of these, you create opportunities for yourself to present in ways that meet these prime concerns and help you achieve better inroads into their inner sanctum

2. The customer company culture and values

Very few salespeople get this far, but if you’re able to determine them it gives you a massive headstart. What’s their integrity like? Does everyone keep their promises? Will they pay good money for good quality or is saving money their prime motivator? Understanding this will help you in the long-term partnership. 

3. The customer’s decision-making process

Do all small decisions have to go through the procurement manager, or do the buyers have authority and autonomy to choose themselves? How high in the organisation do decisions have to go before they are signed off? You need to identify everyone in the process, so you have an idea of what should be done to gain approval for decisions.

4. The customer’s clients and their competitors

If you can make your customer look good in the eyes of their customers, you increase their market share and offer chances of increased profitability. Also, if you know more about their competitors than they do, you put yourself in prime position to be an advisor and expert in your field.

5. The customer’s market opportunities

By showing them how your products and services will enable the customer to be stronger in their market place and possibly open up new markets for them, you create opportunities with you that wouldn’t exist without you.

Each of these key points show your customer that you are interested in their success stories and gives them reasons to build trust in you, as they realise you are not there just to sell your stuff, but also to maintain the relationship in the long-term.

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 5 Keys To Become Your Customer’s Trusted Partner appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/sales-excellence.html Thu, 02 Jul 2015 08:25:06 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=16284 Excellence is a word that is bandied about so much these days that it can often lose its meaning or its differentiation. The dictionary defines it as ‘being exceptional, being superior in some way, achieving extreme merit, pre-eminence or distinction’. […]

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Excellence is a word that is bandied about so much these days that it can often lose its meaning or its differentiation.

The dictionary defines it as ‘being exceptional, being superior in some way, achieving extreme merit, pre-eminence or distinction’.

When we use the term, we commonly confuse it with something that is just better or an improvement of some sort.

However, for something or someone to be given the accolade of ‘excellence’, we must be more than just better; we need to identify the qualities that deserve the term, or we are in danger of diminishing the stand-out qualities that are required to receive the honour.

To achieve excellence in sales, we need to lay the foundations that support and enable the results we need to achieve. I wrote about the qualities of a good salesperson. Here, we discuss a further six key components that create excellence in salespeople and make them stand out from the crowd.

The first three are classed as intrapersonal skills (internally focussed) and the others are interpersonal (externally focussed). Each one will assist in the development of quality and stature.

Sales Excellence Components

Develop A Full Range of Skills & Attributes

The top salespeople we have encountered take their own personal development very seriously. They create and implement a development plan for themselves that include seeking out Selling Skills Training and Sales Coaching opportunities, reading, listening to and watching subject matter experts, update their product knowledge, develop their industry knowledge and plan their career progression in such a way that it enhances opportunities at every step.

Also, they see how new technologies their own company and competitors are producing add value to the industry, learning how these advancements affect and add value from their customers’ perspectives.

Accept Change as The Norm & Embrace It for Progressing Salesmanship

Great value-creators recognise that they must build a clear and flexible path through the changes their customers and industry must go through. They understand that their products and services must be instrumental in driving those changes. This requires the mindset to be adaptable to whatever circumstances the customer may throw at them.

It’s all well and good having a pre-defined sales process and sales funnel but is it continually aligned to your different buyer types make their purchasing decision? This is often overlooked.

Become Future-Focussed

The high-quality salesperson will recognise the lessons that past teaches, grab hold of the opportunities the present offers and develop the foresight to apply those learnings to the future. In other words, they see the only thing they really have control over are those future opportunities.

By recognising the future is a blank slate ready to be written upon, the great salesperson doesn’t harbour resentment over what has occurred but treats it as a school to learn how to build resilience and elasticity in their future.

It’s a shift in their sales mindset that makes them stand out from the rest.

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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/main-traits-bad-salespeople.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/main-traits-bad-salespeople.html#comments Tue, 02 Jun 2015 08:15:30 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=16113   We often conjecture at what great salespeople do to create the status of being ‘great’. If, however, we were to study those people who are not so good, we can identify habits that act as warnings for us and […]

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We often conjecture at what great salespeople do to create the status of being ‘great’.

If, however, we were to study those people who are not so good, we can identify habits that act as warnings for us and enable us to avoid those activities that take us in a wrong direction.

One dictionary defines ‘trait’ as ‘a distinguishing characteristic or quality, especially of one’s personal nature’.

So, when we think of salespeople who don’t succeed, we can often look at what these people do and identify their characteristics that bring them those results.

Here are my top three characteristics that I believe epitomise the worst salespeople I have come across:

Bad Salespeople Don’t Take Personal Responsibility

Sales is a long-term career where people will always meet with ups and downs. The triggers to the troughs and the supports for the highs will always be there, but the worst salespeople seem to disregard these inevitabilities, and tend to focus on what is wrong without accepting their personal role in making it happen and getting out of bad times.

We are often here these salespeople blame everything on things out of their control. This blame culture, not accepting responsibility for changing what can be changed, can create a mindset of victimisation, where the person feels they are powerless to stop whatever is occurring from having a detrimental effect on their current and future status.

When this happens, the lack of personal responsibility holds the person captive to the lie that they are powerless. Instead of identifying how they can personally develop skills to derail and overcome inevitable downtimes, they abdicate that task to other things or people and allow themselves to wallow in the despair that is blame.

The antidote is to identify what can be controlled, working on those controllables and dropping the game of blame. Blame will only blind you to the realities of any situation and will always create a downward spiral that will be hard to get out of.

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Bad Salespeople Are Lazy

Wow, this is a ‘cat among the pigeons’ trait, if ever there was one! How many salespeople would admit they are lazy, rather than pick up their mental tools and put them to work?

Laziness is displayed in many areas, from failing to complete their CRM files fully so that others don’t have the proper information to follow up, to allowing short-term frailties to derail them from long-term career goals and cutting massive corners in their sales process.

It’s often displayed in procrastination, covering over justifications why something can wait until tomorrow. People will always be able to give reasons why something can’t be done; when they cover over the real reason that they are simply too lazy to follow though, it can develop into a habit that will eventually lay down a track difficult to get out of.


 

Bad Salespeople Lose Focus

This trait or characteristic is insidious, as it develops slowly and wheedles its way into people’s lives oftentimes unnoticed.

Staying focussed especially when going through personal or emotional turmoil is one of the more difficult facets of human nature. Personal challenges will always be with us in one form, and the ability to refocus away from those to concentrate on what is needed, even in the short term, helps you to create an ability to stave off emotional downers that can influence results and moods.

Losing focus reduces your positive state of mind, increases stress, sends mixed messages to others, loses your competitive edge, and impacts on your ability to communicate effectively. Along with this could come blame, allowing others to control your emotional reaction.

Focussing on actions and results is the only way to overcome this trap. You may need to reassess the importance of what you are focussing on to develop your positive muscles and get away from the entrapment that many poor salespeople suffer from.

These, of course, aren’t the only three traits shared by poor salespeople around the world, though they do manifest themselves more regularly than others when it comes to identifying poor habits and characteristics in others. If you have more traits to share, please let me know.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Here are some useful articles so you get it right:

• 17 Sales Tips To Blitz Your Targets

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post The 3 Main Traits Of Bad Salespeople appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/main-traits-bad-salespeople.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/reptilian-buying-buttons.html Tue, 12 May 2015 08:15:08 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=16011   Every person you have ever met has a strategy they use to make decisions. Whether it’s to go for a particular food or to choose a particular career, the way people decide is hard-wired into the parts of our […]

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Every person you have ever met has a strategy they use to make decisions. Whether it’s to go for a particular food or to choose a particular career, the way people decide is hard-wired into the parts of our brains that are designed for the job.

Scientists realised long ago that we have, not one brain, but three. Understanding the roles of these different brains is fundamental to tapping into the decision-making processes that people use…

Understanding The Reptilian Hot Button

The newest of our brains is called the neo-cortex. This is the outer layer of the cerebrum and is responsible for the seat of consciousness. We sometimes call this our ‘grey matter’ as the neurons making up this part appears grey in its many folds.

The ‘mid-brain’ is, as it suggests, in the middle of our heads and is responsible for our emotional connections and visual, auditory and body movements.

Our ‘first-brain’ or ‘reptilian brain’ is responsible for our instinctive reactions and drives our unconscious decisions.

And it’s this section, in our oldest, always-on, uncontrollable part of our heads, that can drive our deepest buying-decision motivations.
When we make decisions, we like to think that we are being rational, logical, well-reasoned, consistent, and objective. We try to justify our decisions and make them seem sensible to us.

Little do we know that really, we are being hoodwinked by our irrational, emotive and instinctive part of our brain. It’s the emotion vs logic pull.

This can be seen as our ‘buying button’ that, when pressed, initiates our thought processes that helps us determine what is good or right for us. We are wired to avoid pain and go towards gain.

Patrick Renvoise in his book ‘Neuromarketing’ shows that there are six stimuli that drive unconscious decision-making.

He discusses how our unconscious brain can be influenced to make decisions based around drivers we have little or no control over.

The six are;

• being self-centred, so marketing that refers to ‘me’ is more persuasive than a general marketing message.
• offering contrast, so we can see the difference between where we are now and where we wish to be
• being tangible, allowing us to recognise the benefits rather than having to think them through ourselves
• have a natural beginning and end, helping us determine what the journey is between one and the other
• being visual, appealing to the optic nerves that react 50 times quicker than our auditory nerves
• connecting emotionally, making us ‘feel’ differently about the experience

Each of these are key drivers to buyer’s decisions, so if we are to appeal to the ‘senses’ of our prospective buyers, we have to direct them towards making decisions that are in keeping with their reptilian instincts, so it feels right for them, even though they may not be able to ‘rationalise’ it in their own minds.

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Buying Buttons

These ‘buying buttons’ can be pressed at various times during the sales process. Remember, these are not to be used to manipulate the buyer, as they will see through it and will consciously be aware of the pressure you are putting them through.

Instead, these buttons can be pressed by appealing to the emotional processes that drive every human’s decision-making. Here are four ways it can be done:

• Diagnose the pain they are currently experiencing.

They may not see the pain itself, but your solution may initiate that pain when they see what could be better. Have you ever ordered a meal at a restaurant and been happy with your choice, only to see someone else receive a different meal that seems tastier or more appetising than yours? You were happy up to that point. What changed? Seeing there was something better than what you were currently happy with! So, the pain to your buyer associated with their current position may not be obvious, until your solution shows them what they COULD be experiencing.

• Differentiate your claims.

This means showing the contrast between what they currently experience and what you could offer. These differentials create incongruence between their current position and what future benefits they could be enjoying

• Demonstrate the gains.

This is where you show them, through examples, testimonials and proofs what they could gain from using your solutions. We all like to have risk minimised before we decide, and this will help convince the buyer the decision is low risk.

• Deliver to the reptilian brain.

This means highlighting what they will instinctively benefit from by choosing you. These basic needs that must be fulfilled before decisions are made will be easier for the buyer to assimilate if they are carried out in these four steps.

Selling the way your buyer buys is beneficial in so many ways, both to you and to the buyer’s business. It’s what we cover a lot on in our Sales Training. By being on the same wavelength as the buyer, you make it easier for decisions to be made, not having to resort to tricks or manipulation in gaining agreement. You also will find it easier to find and press the ‘buy’ button inside every buyer’s head.

Please check out these B2B Sales Techniques for more tips and techniques and learn how to properly Critique A Sales Meeting so you continuously improve your sales approach.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 4 Ways To Press Those Reptilian Buying Buttons appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/when-your-customer-asks-you-to-match-your-competitors-price.html Thu, 30 Apr 2015 08:15:31 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=15899   You’ve been there many times. You’ve convinced the customer that the product is right for them and the quality is just what they want. Then the bombshell hits – they start talking about price. Price is always a mirror […]

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You’ve been there many times. You’ve convinced the customer that the product is right for them and the quality is just what they want.

Then the bombshell hits – they start talking about price.

Price is always a mirror of the value the prospect places on the solution, so if they don’t see the value, the price will always seem too high.

However, there are times when the buyer brings up the competitor’s price and asks you to match it.

This means you have to have clarity of thought to help you to redirect the conversation away from price and back onto value.

For example, if the buyer says something like: “Your competition are quoting 15% lower than your price. Can you match that?” you have to be careful you don’t get dragged into a discount war or a Dutch Auction that will just result in cheapening the perception of the product or services.

A good response may be something like:

“I appreciate you being open with me on this, though I am curious about one thing. Why are still looking and checking out our product if you can get the same value with our competitors? We’d really like your business. However, if they can give you the same value for the price you say, I really can’t blame you for choosing that option”

This is a good response for two reasons.

Firstly, it determines if the buyer is simply a price shopper, or if there might be something else on the buyer’s mind.

Secondly, it calls their bluff slightly, as you are advising them to go with the competition if price is more important than anything else.

This could help you in two ways. The buyer may be more open about what they are looking for and highlight items that are more important than just pure price. Also, they may feel they are wrong to discount your proposal simply because your price is higher. It gives them more to think about and creates some dissonance in their thought processes, as they contemplate the meaning behind the meaning of your response.

The fact that your competitor may be 15% cheaper may be a bluff or absolutely true.

At this point, it doesn’t really matter because you are trying to ensure whether the buyer is really interested in price or value. If it’s value, you should be so up-to-speed with the competition’s pricing structure that, even if they are cheaper than your offering, you have support items or guarantees or warranties or something else that is of more value to the buyer than a cheaper price.

Their answer to your question above may be that they want the product but are hoping that you are cheaper or will drop your price to match the competition.

The problem is that if you do match the competitor, they may go back to the competitor and try to negotiate down with them. It turns into a farce until one of you decides to bring some sanity to proceedings and refuses to drop any further.

Allowing the buyer to make the final choice with the questions mentioned above will help you see what’s most important. to them. The last thing you want to do is make the customer think you’re a soft touch – that will spoil the relationship for the foreseeable future.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Should You Match Your Competitor’s Price? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-improve-your-lead-engagement-process.html Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:26:26 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=15478   There’s more to lead generation than just cold calling. Nowadays most companies have an inside sales team of some sorts that react to incoming calls and other engagement opportunities. In today’s world, it’s necessary for you to combine your […]

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There’s more to lead generation than just cold calling.

Nowadays most companies have an inside sales team of some sorts that react to incoming calls and other engagement opportunities.

In today’s world, it’s necessary for you to combine your outgoing strategic prospecting with identifying ways to engage with people who are providing you with incoming leads.

It’s the engagement of the lead that should determine the time, effort and creativity you put into dealing with it. The more engaged the prospect is with your company, the greater the chances of helping them learn how you can help their business.

Examples of this engagement could include:

• They visit your website and make an enquiry

A quick response to this kind of engagement will set the expectations of the prospect. If you can get back to them while they are still on your website then even better!

• They opened your unsolicited email

The research shows that the percentage of people who open these emails is in single figures, so they may be the ones who are really interested or curious. A straightforward ‘thanks for your interest’ email back may open up some more opportunities, then a follow-up with ‘we have helped companies like yours, so maybe we can help you too’ might open up a few more.

• They typed in a relevant key phrase for your business into social media

This will help you to detect proactively what they are looking for. A simple question on social media may well lead to something more, especially if you responded in a friendly manner rather than just making a sales pitch. Something like ‘Hey there, if you want to know more about this xxx, just let me know’ won’t put any pressure on; it may be the answer they were looking for.

• Someone may mention your company on social media

Whether it’s good or bad news, it is a prospective customer who made the link. If it’s because of a bad experience, being able to turn it round quickly could make a real difference to their future buying process. If it’s a good mention, it’s an idea to thank that person and see if there’s any way you can encourage them to look further at your company

• They might be following your company, you or your Chief Exec on Twitter

What a great way to show your ability to assist them in knowledge or background of your company or products. No need to do overt selling; just add valuable information to the twitter feed so they feel you are interested in them, rather than just trying to get their money

• They might request to link up with you on LinkedIn

Always, always thank them for their request and ask how you could be helpful in the future to them. The fact they have requested to link up with you rather than the other way round, shows a definite interest in wanting to stay in touch. Don’t just jump in after connecting with a brochure-type sales pitch; instead, send them items of value for their industry or their specific company. That way, you will show them it was a good idea to link up and it won’t run the risk of being just another dead number in your LinkedIn profile

• They download one of your eBooks, comment on your blog or like your Facebook page

These are great opportunities to build your prospect base. Thank the person as soon as you see it. Identify the level they work at within their company. See what else you have that might be of interest to them. Their response will have been for some ‘stand-out’ reason, so it will be effective to follow up their interest.

As I said, you need to check out the level of engagement the prospect has with you.

Remember, these are incoming leads from people who have expressed some kind of interest in you or your products and have done something pro-active to tell you as such.

These kind of leads will outweigh any cold-calling leads any day, so make sure your systems allow you to find out about and follow-up on these leads of gold.

If you still love cold calling then please try out our Telesales Training for the latest tips and techniques and also our generic Sales Training to help take your selling game onto the next level.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Improve Your Lead Engagement Process appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/list-excuses-sales-goals-not-met.html Tue, 04 Nov 2014 07:15:35 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=14591   When I managed a team of salespeople it was always interesting to hold meetings with them when their sales targets hadn’t been met. I often had to smile to myself when they were avoiding eye-contact, rubbing their hands together, […]

The post List Of 11 Excuses Why Sales Goals Are Not Met appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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When I managed a team of salespeople it was always interesting to hold meetings with them when their sales targets hadn’t been met.

I often had to smile to myself when they were avoiding eye-contact, rubbing their hands together, breathing heavily, umming and erring as they tried to find specific reasons to back up their poor performance.

It’s natural for someone who hasn’t performed up to expectations to find excuses (or reasons, in their mind) for the situation. The defense mechanisms churn over and the salesperson will attempt to defuse any potential bad feedback.

Some even look at you as the sales manager for some sales team motivation ideas and try to deflect the blame on you as a weak sales manager.

Top Excuses That Salespeople Make

Just for fun, here are the top excuses I hear salespeople make when they don’t make their sales goal, plus what they mean.

“The sales leads are weak!”

What they mean: “I haven’t the motivation to make my own leads so I’m going to blame the company for not giving me an easy life and laying great leads on a plate for me.”

“There’s loads bubbling”

What they mean: “I have lots of potential business out there, but those pesky customers aren’t making decisions and until they do, they’re missing out on what I can offer…”

“I’ve got too much sales admin to do”

What they mean: “If you would get me a PA, secretary, and admin assistant, I would have time to go out and get the business. Until then, don’t expect me to spend more than 9 hours a week actually selling”

“The client is on holiday”

What they mean: “I knew they were going on holiday, but I left it too late to help them progress towards making a decision, so it’s on hold for another couple of weeks. Don’t blame me!”

“I didn’t receive the message”

What they mean: “I saw the email, but (delete as applicable) ignored it/didn’t want to deal with it/it was 4pm so too late to deal with it/thought it was spam/I couldn’t be bothered”



“I don’t have the capacity”

What they mean: “I don’t have the organisational skills to be able to see what was important and what was urgent, and I don’t have the PA, secretary or admin assistant to help me out and I’m always expected to do a 75-hour week and I can’t fit in 12 calls a week and so I’m obviously too busy”

“The sales goals are unrealistic”

What they mean: “I know I could achieve these stretching targets if I work smarter, but it’s too much like hard work, so I’ll blame my manager for setting the targets too high. Don’t blame me!”

“The prospects are ignoring me”

What they mean: “I’ve tried to contact them twice, but they haven’t replied to my messages and I don’t have any ideas how to make them really want my product so I’ll blame them, not me”

“Their call was just a fishing exercise”

What they mean: “I don’t want to do the necessary work to help this prospect see what we could do for them, so it must be their fault that they didn’t simply ask me for my product.”

“It’s marketing’s fault not ours”

What they mean: “I don’t have the skills, talent, business acumen or competence to be able to sell my products so I’ll have to blame the marketing department for not making people make my phone ring day and night, begging me to sell them my stuff”

“Our products/services are too expensive”

What they mean: “I haven’t worked out how my customers benefit from the better value my products offer, so I’ll blame the price as that’s easier than building the real reasons why prospects should choose me”

These aren’t all the excuses salespeople use, of course, but they have been used since Adam sold Eve the first apple. Check out our Sales Training solutions if you’d like some further information on how to improve your sales performance. And if you’re a sales leader we have a great Sales Management Training programme that will help you to get the best out of your people.

Check out our Sales Manager’s Guidebook for more tips on how to become a better sales leader.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post List Of 11 Excuses Why Sales Goals Are Not Met appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-take-effective-notes-during-a-client-meeting.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-take-effective-notes-during-a-client-meeting.html#comments Tue, 14 Oct 2014 08:15:15 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=14501   From time to time on our Sales Courses we’re asked about the best way to breach the subject of taking notes in a client meeting. Some state they’re worried about asking or simply taking out their notebooks because it […]

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From time to time on our Sales Courses we’re asked about the best way to breach the subject of taking notes in a client meeting. Some state they’re worried about asking or simply taking out their notebooks because it may put the client off or slow down the meeting.

Also, some have asked whether it’s OK to use a tablet rather than a notebook, or whether it may look a bit pretentious to use such technology.

Actually, I’ve never met a customer who has objected to me making notes during a meeting. It’s a natural thing to do, but still some may not know how to do it effectively. Here’s my take on making it look professional:

A Chinese proverb states, “The faintest ink is better than the greatest memory”. You don’t want to miss out something important in your records. So it is always good to have some form of record of what the meeting was about

The way to approach it is, at the start of a meeting take out your tablet or notebook as if it’s the most natural thing in the world.

As you open it up, establish eye contact and say “You’re ok with me taking notes, aren’t you?” Say it as if it’s a foregone conclusion the obvious answer will be “Yes, of course!”, which it almost definitely will be. (I’ve yet to come across a prospect who has said, “Actually, I would like you to memorise my every word rather than write them down!”)

The benefit of taking notes is that you can control the pace of the conversation. If the prospect sees you writing, they are more likely to slow down rather than race ahead. Also, they may take more time to consider what they are saying, if they know that each word may be dissected and transcribed.

Write down only the key points. You’re a consultant, not interviewing a star for a front-page tabloid story. The main points are those things that are most important for you to remember and will help you assimilate the solution for this specific client.

Writing notes will help you resist the temptation to interrupt, as you will be concentrating on what they are talking about rather than thinking through what you wish to say in response. It actually changes the whole complexion of the conversation and turns you into the listener rather than the salesperson. This will aid you in building rapport, rather than losing it, as many people think when they take notes.

When you get to a specific point, you can then take control by saying something like, “So, Mr Client, what I see from our discussions so far is….” and you can then cover the main points so the client can see you’ve really appreciated the situation from their viewpoint.

After the meeting, use your notes to be absolutely clear on the needs of this specific client from this meeting. If necessary, link them up with notes from other meetings you may have had from them, so you can see the connections and identify the way forward from now on.

As you can see, there isn’t really any need to feel nervous about taking notes. They are simply another way to show the prospect how important you see the discussions. Done correctly, it will add to your professionalism and help them see the benefits of dealing with you, the real consultant.

As a Sales Training Provider, make sure to get in touch to discuss your Online Sales Training and Sales Assessment options. Our team can help you to determine which of our Selling Skills Courses are the right ones for you.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Take Effective Notes During A Client Meeting appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-take-effective-notes-during-a-client-meeting.html/feed 2 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/be-a-first-rate-version-of-yourself.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/be-a-first-rate-version-of-yourself.html#comments Thu, 21 Aug 2014 08:15:55 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=13514   I remember years and years ago being on a sales training course where we were learning sales coaching skills. The facilitator was coaching someone to use a golf putter when they had never played golf in their life. It […]

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I remember years and years ago being on a sales training course where we were learning sales coaching skills. The facilitator was coaching someone to use a golf putter when they had never played golf in their life. It was fun to watch this person try to hit a golf ball a few yards across the room into a cup laying on its side.

The person tried a few times, and with the coach’s help, eventually managed to get the ball into the cup, to cheers and applause from everyone around. The smile on his face showed he was proud of his accomplishment, even though a little embarrassed by the attention.

The discussions centred around how we could improve as individuals and one person said that if we modelled someone like Tiger Woods (who was number one at the time), we would eventually be as good as him.

The facilitator then said that even if we did model ourselves on Tiger, would we ever be as good as him? Our conclusion was that, as Tiger had been hitting golf balls since he was 3 years old, we probably wouldn’t ever be as good as him. Then the facilitator said something that I wrote down and have had in my learning journal ever since.

He said, “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, rather than a second-rate version of someone else”.

It’s an interesting phenomenon that we as humans tend to compare ourselves against others’ accomplishments and feel that we must in some way ‘compete’ with them to be a ‘good’ person. The winner is honoured, the losers forgotten. (Do you remember who came second and third to Usain Bolt in 100 metres at the London Olympics?).

But that quote from the facilitator on that day brought it home to me that we would probably always lose if we were trying to copy someone else. In sales, this would include trying to use the script of someone else to sell our products or copying a successful person’s characteristics when with a client. What could be the possible outcome?

Well, we might try to be as assertive as another person, so we can come across as being confident and assured. Unfortunately, if we move outside our comfort zone without a support mechanism behind us, we naturally fall back into that zone, as we feel safe there.

It’s far better to take our own skills, talents and attributes and try to improve those, instead of looking at what someone else does and trying to emulate or live up to their standards. You are not them. You don’t have their thought patterns or abilities. You don’t have their mindset.

Take note of how successful people have achieved that success. But make them applicable to your own persona, build confidence from building your own foundations and create situations where you have the natural ability to improve, rather than thinking you must try to be like someone else.

That first-rate version of you will always make you feel better than the second-rate version of someone else.

Get in touch with us to discuss which selling skills course might be the best one for you or whether having your very own sales coach might be a viable option.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you with our wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Be A First Rate Version Of Yourself appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/be-a-first-rate-version-of-yourself.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/questions-to-ask-yourself-when-you-review-the-sales-call.html Tue, 05 Aug 2014 08:40:03 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=13460 Whether you’re successful or not on a sales call, it is always advantageous to review what you did and didn’t do. This is your own Sales Training review 101! The main reason for this is to check whether you and […]

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]]> Whether you’re successful or not on a sales call, it is always advantageous to review what you did and didn’t do. This is your own Sales Training review 101!

The main reason for this is to check whether you and your prospect got the most out of the interaction. If you did well, you can learn how you can apply those ideas in future calls. If you didn’t succeed in your main objective of the call, you can identify what learning opportunities the experience can give you.

Here are some specific questions you can ask yourself in reviewing the call. Identify which ones are most important for you and create a checklist for yourself to review after each call.

1) Was I prepared enough at the start?

Did you arrive in time, with confidence and with the right amount of preparation to achieve your goals? Simply turning up with a suite of questions isn’t enough these days. You must have your reviews of their business, their problems, their needs, and the individual buyer’s profile as the basics before you start. Did you go into this encounter with the right sales mindset and mentality for success?

2) Were my questions ‘deep’ enough to gain specific information?

I hope you didn’t turn up just to present your product! If you did, you risk sounding like every other salesperson. Your visit should include probing sales questions that go deep into the real needs of the prospect.

3) How did I deal with questions about my ability to deal with their needs?

Ask yourself: Did I simply try to ‘big-up’ my product? Or did I align the product details with the specific situation the prospect is currently facing?

4) What objections came up and how did I deal with them?

Did I create a good feeling about the way the products and services would change the future of their company? Was I able to handle sales objections in such a way that the prospect felt good about moving on? Are specific objections coming up regularly with prospects, and if they are, what can I do to stop them from become obstacles to the progress of the sale?

5) Did I end up with some form of commitment from the prospect?

Remember, you won’t get a sale on every call, but you could get a commitment to agree to a further product presentation, or an agreement to compare your offer with a competitor, or an arrangement to meet with another decision-maker. It doesn’t have to be a failure if you didn’t achieve your main objective in the call; having a secondary objective may well be a good compromise so that you have opportunities to advance with this prospect in the future.

By asking quality questions like these as you review your call, you give yourself the chance to learn from every experience and you then build confidence in dealing with future situations that you may have been concerned about in the future.

Get in touch with us to discuss our Selling Skills Training and Sales Assessments.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Questions To Ask When You Review The Sales Call appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/wolf-of-wall-street-jordan-belfort-seminar.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/wolf-of-wall-street-jordan-belfort-seminar.html#comments Fri, 30 May 2014 08:36:44 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11895 The Wolf of Wall Street’s story; his rise, his lies, his demise and now the resurrection of Jordan Belfort’s career has fascinated me. So much so that when he came to London at the Excel Centre to run a short, […]

The post 53 Takeaways From The Wolf Of Wall Street’s London Seminar appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> The Wolf of Wall Street’s story; his rise, his lies, his demise and now the resurrection of Jordan Belfort’s career has fascinated me.

So much so that when he came to London at the Excel Centre to run a short, 3-hour seminar, I just had to go!



“The Truth Behind His Success” seminar inspired 6,000 people to be go-getting animals, but ethically!

I don’t condone what he did back in the nineties, it’s estimated that The Wolf owes 1513 victims $110 million as part of a sentencing agreement but it seems now that he’s a reformed character and is now on a year-long quest to pay back the vast majority of that to the unlucky ones that he duped.

Whenever I attend an event, I make copious amounts of notes so here are my 53 takeaways from the event. Some are detailed, some are not. I hope they help you.

Jordan Belfort Seminar Learning Points

“Fail Quickly”

1. Try different things out and see if they work. If they are not going to work then find out quickly, move on and then go again


“What’s Your Worth?”

2. Work out a figure of what you think you’re going to be worth until you die. What is the figure? £200,000? £2 million? £20 million? Would an investor pay you £100,000 for a 10% stake in you? Would they get a return?

 

“Get Honest With Yourself”

3. The first step on the road to improvement is to get honest with yourself. See and evaluate how life is right now.

 

“There Are 2 Types Of People”

4. There are REASON people and there are RESULTS people. The REASON people will give you all the excuses as to why they can’t do or achieve something. That they are unlucky, they never had the opportunities, they blame their parents, upbringing – you name it. They give you the story of why they can’t do something. The RESULTS people are action people, they have a “I can” internal dialogue and see the opportunities and possibilities in everything.

 

“What’s Your Business System?”

5. Marketing provides leads for the sales team to close. But what is your business system to make this happen and do you have a system in place to monetize your activity and to make a profit?

 

“There’s an Inner World and an Outer World of Wealth & Success”

6. Inner World

a. Emotional State Management

b. Empowering Beliefs

c. High Standards

d. Vision Focus

7. Outer World

a. Entrepreneurship

b. Sales & Influencing/Persuasion

c. Online & Offline marketing

d. MSI (Multiple streams of income)

8. Two Bonus Others

a. Expertise At Raising Money

b. Desire To Learn & Be Mentored

 

Emotional State

9. Your state is how you are feeling right now. You need to get into the right positive state before you do anything. Try and anchor positive feelings.

10. When anchoring most people think of a time that they were invincible and create a movement associated to that feeling. Try also to use the sense of smell too when anchoring, you’ll find this really intensifies the anchor and feeling.

11. Positive states/emotions include: certainty, clarity, courage, confidence, compassion, love, patience, happiness

12. Toxic states/emotions include: uncertainty, overwhelm, fear, self-doubt, cruelty, hate, impatience, misery

 

Limiting Beliefs

13. These are the “silent killers” of success

14. They hold you back and stop you from being what you want to be. What are your limiting beliefs? You need to question the crap out of them to make you doubt them.

15. A limiting belief is the story that you tell yourself of why you can’t achieve or have a certain thing.

Vision Focus

16. You need to create a compelling vision for the future. A vision is different than goals and objectives and sits above both of these

17. How and where do you see yourself in 5 years-time and why?

18. The “Why” is very important as you MUST have a compelling vision that moves you and motivates you to jump out of bed every day to achieve and strive towards it.

19. What can your vision include? Where you’re living, your job, work, business, kids, spouse, charities, holidays, car you drive, achievements – you name it. Anything to get you going and to give you a purpose

 

Focus

20. You need to train yourself and force yourself to focus on your vision everyday

21. What you focus on becomes your world. If you “focus on shit” you’ll become a “shit magnet!”

22. Focus on the end vision but have peripheral vision to opportunities. Don’t be blinkered.

 

High Standards

23. Do you have high standards all of the time? You should in the areas that are important to you

24. Think about the standards you have for your body, money, relationships etc

25. Do you have high standards in one area but not in another? i.e the rich man who weighs 25 stone

 

Entrepreneurship

26. “Fail elegantly” – test out ideas/new divisions of your business/work without destroying your company. If it fails then make sure it fails quickly

27. “Succeed Wildly” – turn small business and turn it into a profit generator

28. Leverage your business and sales, work smarter and grow it

29. If you own a business think about: its structure, staffing, IT, operations, sales, accounts, finance, delegating, brainstorming, OPM (other people’s money!)

30. The art of brainstorming – this is really important to generate new ideas. Have sessions with your teams to come up with new ideas

 

Marketing

31. Should be made up of online and offline marketing

32. The role of marketing is to generate leads for the sales team to close

33. Methods can include: direct mail, telemarketing, door-to-door, tv/radio, promotional, newspaper/magazine adverts, direct response/offer based, outdoor advertising like billboards, bus stops, word of mouth campaigns, network marketing, referral based marketing, community outreach programmes, educational marketing, joint ventures, testimonials – written, audio, video, PR, pay per click, SEO, email marketing, affiliate marketing, social media, banner adverts

34. Can you collect email addresses through a squeeze page and put them into a marketing and sales funnel?

Benchmark Your Sales Skills & Competencies For FREE!

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Raising Money

35. The purpose of seeking venture capital is to fund your projects and to give your VC a return for their money.

36. Two fundamentals to raising the cash:

a. You have to ask for it! Obvious but many people just don’t have the balls to ask

b. Your have to structure the deal in the right way or it can cost you tons of money

37. Deal structure; always make sure that the deal includes earn back options. For example; someone pays you £1 million for 85% of your company. Over time if you hit certain financial goals or growth targets then the 85% becomes 80% and then down to 70% so you effectively earn back your company over time

 

Sales

38. Tonality and body language are vitally important in the sale. They make up 90% of all communication

39. You need to sound and act like an expert in your field

40. To create different tonalities you need to move your body in different ways. i.e when you are being certain do you clench your fist, when you are talking quieter do you lean forward like you are telling a secret. Find out what your moves are

41. On the phone or meeting someone in person you need to demonstrate 3 things within the first 4 seconds of meeting them:

a. You’re sharp as a tack

b. Enthusiastic (not overly so and cheesy but confident and assured)

c. You’re an expert in your field. An authority figure

42. Contrary to what you were told as a child, people DO judge a book by its cover so pay close attention to the way you present yourself physically, your body language and how you sound.

43. Jordan’s Straight Line System is about getting from the OPEN to the CLOSE and the steps you need to take “along the line” in order to make this happen. If the prospect goes “off the line” your job is to get them back on it

44. The steps you take along the line include your opening tonality and body language, building rapport, gathering intelligence, the presentation and the close

45. Building rapport. You need to get into rapport because it

a. Unconsciously shows that you care to the prospect

b. Demonstrates to your prospect that you’re “just like them”

46. Building rapport is not about using cheesy lines or making small talk about your shared hobbies or comments about the family photo on their desk. Stay on topic and professional and build rapport by showing that you care and that you know your stuff

47. Gather intelligence. You need to gather:

a. Their needs

b. Their beliefs

c. The pain they are currently facing

48. Presentation. After gathering their needs you need to present your solution to meet them. Start by saying “John, based on what you’ve told me our XYZ product is the perfect fit for you”

49. The sales close. To close, 3 things need to happen. They’ve got to:

a. Love your product

b. Love your company/brand

c. Trust you

50. The prospect has got to score you 10 out of 10 for each of the above or you will not close. If there are doubts you need to go back and resell.

51. Remember that as you travel along the line you are building up more and more trust as you go

52. You need a water tight emotional business case of why they should buy and also a water tight logical case. People buy on emotion and they back up their decision with logical reasons.

53. At the close your prospects are running two movies through their mind:

a. The best outcome that will happen if they buy

b. The worst outcome that will happen if they buy

It’s your job to ensure that the picture they run is the loaded with all of the best outcomes they’ll experience by doing business with you.

That’s It!

So that’s my 53 takeaways from the Wolf of Wall Street’s seminar. Take from it what you will.

It’s a wonder I could read my writing! At the start of the seminar it was very legible but come the final 10 minutes my writing looked like a 3 year old’s scribble!

What’s your favourite takeaway from the 53 above? If you went, did I miss any out?!

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop your sales skills further, so please check out our range of Sales Courses.

Also, please check out our B2B Sales Techniques and our article on Why Sales Case Studies Are Important throughout the sales process.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 53 Takeaways From The Wolf Of Wall Street’s London Seminar appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/wolf-of-wall-street-jordan-belfort-seminar.html/feed 5 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/negotiation-tactics-the-nibble.html Thu, 29 May 2014 08:15:31 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11767   You’re nearly there. The sale is drawing to a close and you’ve been negotiating back and forth. You can see the light at the end of the tunnel and finally the relief comes over you as they say “Right, […]

The post Negotiation Tactics To Look Out For: “The Nibble” appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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You’re nearly there.

The sale is drawing to a close and you’ve been negotiating back and forth.

You can see the light at the end of the tunnel and finally the relief comes over you as they say “Right, let’s do this”

But at that very moment when your adrenalin is pumping and your body is being flooded with emotions please note that you are wide open and vulnerable to a sneaky attack called “The nibble”

A nibble is an assumed request from the other party that doesn’t have a big impact on the final outcome but it will erode your margins.

For example, you’ve just sold a car and as your prospect put pen to paper, he looks up at you and says: 

“Oh, by the way, you’ll give me 6 months road tax right?”

Nibbles work best when they are small and asked for at the right psychological moment.

So watch out for them!

The modern day buyer is an astute being and many of them hold back items on their “want list” to the last minute because they know there’s a good chance you’ll say yes when you’re in this state that the deal is done.

Be careful!

If yourself or your team are ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Negotiation Tactics To Look Out For: “The Nibble” appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-best-question-to-ask-when-customers-enquire-about-your-price.html Wed, 07 May 2014 07:45:59 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11589 The whole economic world has changed in the last few years. It will never be ‘business as usual’ again. Most companies that haven’t adapted to the changes will either no longer exist or will have suffered dramatically. One thing that […]

The post Responding When Customers Enquire About Price appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> The whole economic world has changed in the last few years. It will never be ‘business as usual’ again. Most companies that haven’t adapted to the changes will either no longer exist or will have suffered dramatically.

One thing that many salespeople tell us has risen high on the client’s agenda more than ever before is the concept of value and pricing. Costs have been squeezed until the pips don’t only squeak; they cry out in agony.

It would be strange these days if prospects and clients didn’t ask about the price of your products and services. Gone are the days when the costs incurred were absorbed into the overheads of the buyer’s company. Now, every penny or cent is vetted before being spent.

So, how do you deal with prospects who seem to put the price of your products at the top of the list of priorities when they are making decisions?

There is a very good question you can ask when the customer enquires about your price. It helps you and them to assess the relative importance of the price in their decision-making process. And it identifies what direction you take the rest of the conversation. The question is simple in its execution but profound in the results it obtains.

When the question of price comes up in the conversation, try asking, “Is price your only consideration, or are there more important things that you would consider?”

Now think about what the client’s answer will tell you. If they say “Yes, it’s my only consideration”, then you can weigh up the consequences of going down the ‘cheapest option’ route. You can assess whether you want to beat the competition and lower your price to the cheapest available. You may get the deal there and then. Or they may go back to the competition and ask whether they could match your lowest price.

The price shopper will always want to go cheaper if they can, and you are in danger of being taken to the cleaners by someone who simply wants a transaction and not a service. They may know the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

On the other hand, if they say, “Well, price is very important, but we also have to have speedy delivery and good quality. So, yes, I want good quality and your best delivery terms, but at your cheapest price”.

Now you’ve ‘smoked out’ the real criteria they will be judging your price against. In this example, the customer has confirmed that quality and delivery are foremost in his mind, but he still wants a good price.

You can start by emphasising that quality and delivery are your main concerns, too, and you want to make sure the value you offer is as good as it could be. You can emphasis that your company always wants to maintain their quality standards and that includes offering good delivery terms as well. The prices you offer allow you keep those high standards and cover the quick delivery too.

Here you justify your price, rather than apologising for it. If the client still feels the need to haggle, you can restore their confidence in you by returning to their words, which highlighted things other than price as being more important.

This type of question allows you to see exactly what you’re up against when the issue of price is raised and it shows you how serious they are about getting value from you rather than just seeing how low you will go.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Responding When Customers Enquire About Price appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-pain-and-gain-can-help-clients-make-decisions.html Thu, 01 May 2014 07:15:52 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11520   Before we can effectively guide clients towards our products and services, it’s crucial to delve into their pains and gains. How can we tailor our approach to address their needs and capitalise on their motivations? When we are working […]

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Before we can effectively guide clients towards our products and services, it’s crucial to delve into their pains and gains.

How can we tailor our approach to address their needs and capitalise on their motivations?

When we are working with a client, we need to know what would be the best way to encourage them to make decisions that draw them to our products and services.

It’s been known for some time by psychologists that people are driven in two different directions when they are making decisions. One way is ‘away from’ pain; the other is ‘towards’ gain.

If you are aware of the direction your prospect is thinking about, it opens up opportunities for you to present solutions that match their way of thinking. This will help the prospect to realise the benefits of change and possibly increase the urgency of that change.

Remember, prospects make decisions to move away from challenges and problems. To increase awareness of the urgency to make a decision, we can use questions that increase the pain points and stress the impacts of those pains

This makes the prospect think seriously about the solution, while reducing the impact of the money they would spend or the risks they would take.

Examples of pain sales questions

• How long has this been going on?
• How much time have you already spent on this?
• What has it cost you in lost production?
• How have these issues impacted on your business so far?
• Has it affected other areas of the business?
• What other impacts is this problem having on you?
• How much longer are you willing to let this happen?
• What impact has it had on you personally?
• How has it affected your customers?
• Has it cost you money? How much?

What you’re doing is getting the prospect to feel uncomfortable about the situation and increasing the urgency of finding a solution and making the decision to go with you.

There is another question consultants ask that increases the impact of pain. It’s known as the ‘Do-Nothing’ question.

• What would the costs be if you did nothing about the situation?
• What would happen if you waited to solve this?

There is also the other direction that prospects take that can make your questioning process go in the opposite direction. Prospects also make decisions to move towards solutions, benefits or opportunities. We can use questions to heighten the value of what they would gain by using your  solutions.

These types of questions build awareness of what they would gain with the solution. It helps the prospect see how they and the business would benefit.

Examples of Gain Questions:

• How would the business benefit of solving this?
• What results are you expecting from the improvements?
• How will you know you’ve succeeded in this project?
• How will the staff feel when this is solved?
• When do you see the project making you a profit?
• How do you see this improving profitability?
• What impact do you see this having on your client/customers/staff?

All of these questions help the prospect to imagine the value that changing the situation may have on his future operations.

So, think through how you can either increase pain to make the prospect aware of the urgency of the change, or increase the impact of gain if they decided to go with your product or service.

Check out our Sales Training and Sales Assessments to help you formulate some killer questions. By following this course of action you’ll find that you won’t have to overcome those sales objections because you’ll have done all of the hard up stream.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How Pain and Gain Can Help Clients Make Decisions appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/ever-heard-of-the-straight-line-sales-system-by-jordan-belfort.html Thu, 20 Feb 2014 09:15:45 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=11044 Ever heard of Jordan Belfort’s ‘Straight Line Selling’ technique? The Wolf Of Wall Street in my opinion is one of the best sales movies of all time. I just love it. I love it for the fast pace of the […]

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Ever heard of Jordan Belfort’s ‘Straight Line Selling’ technique?

The Wolf Of Wall Street in my opinion is one of the best sales movies of all time. I just love it. I love it for the fast pace of the movie and the sales. The film is about Jordan Belfort a greed obsessed, drug taking Stockbroker who made hundreds of millions only to be convicted of fraud due to his penny stock boiler room business.

At the end of the movie it pans onto Belfort, some years later as a Sales Trainer and Motivational Speaker promoting his Straight Line Sales System. It’s when he famously ask’s people in the audience to “Sell me this pen”

They fail miserably by the way. Most of them just start to talk about features and benefits when what he is really looking for is someone to ask him a question back and to qualify him in or out.

Although Jordan Belfort was an advocate of the “hard sell” which I am not, I took time out to actually look into his Straight Line Sales System.

There’s lots to it but the crux of it is this…

What Is The Straight Line Sales System?

In an ideal world a sale would be like the straight below from A to B. The open would be at A and the close at point B in a straight line. i.e the prospect would say yes to everything you say with no resistance or objections whatsoever.



But that’s never going to happen!

Instead, the prospect will give you objections and excuses taking you away from the straight line like this:



Now it’s your job to keep the prospect within certain boundaries bringing them closer to the straight line and if the prospect takes you out of those boundaries, then you lose control of the call and you need to reign them back in.

Here’s a tip: The person who asks the most questions is in control of the call. It’s your job to be in control of the call.

It might sound obvious, and it is to be honest but it’s a good explanation of what happens on a call from building the initial rapport on the call all the way through to the close.

I attended Jordan Belfort’s entrepreneurial bootcamp and it was great. I got to meet the man himself and have a chat with him personally as me and 40 other business leaders learned what to do and what not to do from him.

I wrote copious amounts of notes at the event, and I put them into a blog for you.

You can access my 53 takeaways from Jordan Belfort’s Seminar. Hopefully you will learn a thing or two?

We offer several different Sales Training options to help you improve your sales skills.

Of course, they are in direct competition to Jordan Belfort’s seminars, but we like to think we’re pretty good as well.

In closing, here’s some great Cold Calling Tips to help you get past those gatekeepers.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Heard Of The Straight Line Sales System By Jordan Belfort? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/sales-managers-guidebook.html Wed, 29 Jan 2014 09:02:25 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=10916 Improve Your Sales Management Skills The Sales Manager’s Guidebook contains a wealth of valuable information for sales managers, split up into 3 manageable volumes which cover the main aspects of sales management. From the Guidebook you will learn… How to […]

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Improve Your Sales Management Skills

The Sales Manager’s Guidebook contains a wealth of valuable information for sales managers, split up into 3 manageable volumes which cover the main aspects of sales management.

From the Guidebook you will learn…

• How to create a sales plan for you and your team
• How to recruit new sales staff
• How to develop your sales management skills
• How to build and develop your sales team
• How to solve common sales performance problems
• How conduct successful appraisals with your team



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So what exactly is in each volume?

 


Sales Manager’s Guidebook – Volume 1
Sales Planning & Target Setting
Volume 1 will teach you…
• How to create a sales plan
• How to Set Sales Targets
• How to develop an appropriate management style
• How to take over new sales teams
• How to manage the sales effort
• How to recruit and select sales staff

 


Sales Manager’s Guidebook – Volume 2
Leading & Motivating Your Sales Team
Volume 2 will teach you…
• How to develop your leadership skills
• How to motivate team members
• How to set standards of performance
• How to manage team discipline
• How to build and develop your team

 


Sales Manager’s Guidebook – Volume 3
Managing Sales Performance
Volume 3 will teach you…
• How to effectively solve problems
• How to improve your decision-making skills
• How to manage both your own and your teams time effectively
• How to improve your negotiation skills
• How to conduct a successful appraisal of your sales teams’ performance



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Sales Manager’s Guidebook Overview

If you’re a sales manager or an aspiring sales manager then this guidebook will equip you with the skills, techniques, and strategies for you to be a success in your role.

It’s ideal if you can’t attend a Sales Management Training Course or if you want some ideas and quick tips to help. It’s a practical guide to sales management with exercises and activities to complete as you work your way through each of the 3 volumes. Being a Good Sales Manager can often be the difference to your sales team making their quota or not so it’s always a good idea to keep your skills fresh and updated so you can get the best out of your people.

The guidebook covers the 3 main areas associated with successful sales management: people, process, and profit.

You will learn how to lead and motivate your sales teams more effectively. You’ll learn how to manage their sales performance and you will also understand the sales planning process so you can manage the overall sales effort.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.



The post The Sales Manager’s Guidebook appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/investigating-prospecting-and-planning-for-the-call.html Wed, 20 Nov 2013 06:57:42 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=10643   There’s a quote originally attributed to Abraham Lincoln that goes something like “If I had an hour to chop down a tree, I’d spend 55 minutes sharpening my ax!” I’ve always been intrigued by that idea; spend more time […]

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There’s a quote originally attributed to Abraham Lincoln that goes something like “If I had an hour to chop down a tree, I’d spend 55 minutes sharpening my ax!”

I’ve always been intrigued by that idea; spend more time planning for a job than actually carrying it out. It gives you all the confidence you need to then attack the project, because you’ve laid the foundation before building the structure.

The same can be applied when making initial contact with the prospect. When you consider everything that’s involved (the type of business they run, the current supplier of their solutions, the style of buyer that will make the decisions), it’s obvious that the investigation work should take the necessary time and effort to lay that firm foundation.

There are basically four people who you need to be aware of within any company you’re going to approach; the gatekeeper, the decision-maker, the end user and the advocate. Many of these will roles will cross over, but you have to be aware of their roles and responsibilities within the business.

When you know who these persons are, you can develop a series of questions that will help you progress in the call.

Here are some of those questions that will sharpen your ax and get you closer to getting the business:

• Who’s going to be my main competition in getting business with this client?
• What does my competition do that will impress the client?
• How does the client buy and use the product they are using currently that I am attempting to replace?
• What’s the relationship like with their current supplier? What will I be up against?
• What time frames might I be working in with this client before they make decisions?
• What will they possibly know about me and my company?
• Will they have come across my products and services before, or will this be totally new to them?
• What will be most important to them? Price? Quality? Warranties? Long-term costs? Back up?
• What buying structure does the company have? How do they go about making decisions?
• What are the key buying motives that will drive the decision there? Is timing an issue?

The answers to these questions will help you formulate your plan of action and improve your chances of creating a need for your product in the prospect’s mind. If you can get clear on as many of these points as possible, you build confidence in your offering in their mind as well as your own. With that confidence comes a much more determined approach that you are the right supplier of solutions for their business.

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Investigating, Prospecting & Planning For the Call appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/14-ways-for-sales-managers-to-improve-the-quality-of-leads-at-an-exhibition.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/14-ways-for-sales-managers-to-improve-the-quality-of-leads-at-an-exhibition.html#comments Tue, 05 Nov 2013 08:28:12 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=10550   As a sales manager, you probably have the responsibility of manning your company’s exhibition stand. But like most sales managers I have met over the years on our Sales Training Courses, it’s unlikely that you have received any formal […]

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]]>
 
As a sales manager, you probably have the responsibility of manning your company’s exhibition stand.

But like most sales managers I have met over the years on our Sales Training Courses, it’s unlikely that you have received any formal training on how to manage your sales team at an exhibition and get high quality leads.

One of the main challenges for anybody manning an exhibition stand is qualifying the suitability or potential of a visitor. It’s ncan heot like your typical face to face customer or supplier meeting where the pre qualification has already taken place.

So in order for you to maximise your exhibiting potential I have put together a few tips that might help you qualify your leads and improve your team’s performance.

1. Gather and share your exhibition objectives with your team prior to the show.

2. Identify the profile of your typical customer using job titles, purchasing authority, size and nature of company or location.

3. Explain ways to identify these types of prospects so your team can pick them out from the crowd.

4. Look at using open questioning techniques to help confirm that the visitor fits this profile, and as a way to assist in the initial introduction.

5. Produce a VIP list of visitors that you would personally like to meet. Perhaps call it your “Top 20 dream client wish list”.

6. Ensure that your stand is manned by your most personable staff. There is no point sending people that don’t want to be there. The people manning the stand should be the best communicators, who enjoy face to face conversations and are good with people.

7. Identify reasons why customers might want to switch suppliers and reinforce those messages in your graphics and in your conversations.

8. Think about the questions that you are likely to be asked by your prospects and make sure that your team knows the answers.

9. Regularly monitor your teams performance to see who is having the most success and why.

10. Share best practice and encourage those that have less success, experience or confidence.

11. Encourage activity by offering incentives for achieving objectives.

12. Agree on a method for accurately recording  your lead information and regularly check to make sure that your system is being followed

13. Think about what follow up action you are going to take so that your team and your prospects are clear as to what is going to happen after the show.

14. Ensure that all leads are followed up after the show according to the agreed actions and timelines.

By following all, or at least some of these tips should help you justify exhibiting and be an eye opener as to how successful it can be to attend shows to raise awareness of your product and brand, and most of all, generate those all important leads!

Happy Exhibiting!

Guest blog by Peter Bowen, CEO at www.accessdisplays.co.uk

MTD Sales Training



The post Improving The Quality Of Leads At An Exhibition appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/14-ways-for-sales-managers-to-improve-the-quality-of-leads-at-an-exhibition.html/feed 4 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/finding-out-who-the-decision-maker-is.html Thu, 31 Oct 2013 07:28:16 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=10518   There’s one bugbear that most salespeople tell us about when we run Sales Training for them. And it’s the lack of ability to get the decision-maker’s name when calling a company. Now, I totally understand the rationale behind why […]

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There’s one bugbear that most salespeople tell us about when we run Sales Training for them. And it’s the lack of ability to get the decision-maker’s name when calling a company.

Now, I totally understand the rationale behind why many companies have a ‘no-name-policy’ and don’t share the buyer’s names with callers. It saves time and stops hindrance-calls when they aren’t wanted.

But they also miss out on so many opportunities that great companies like yours have available for them. How else are they supposed to know about the new products out there that will save them tons of money if they don’t let suppliers in on their new products? The old response’ we’ll call you if we’re interested” no longer can apply, because the changes happen so quickly, no company can ever keep up.

When trying to find decision-maker’s names, I always suggest that you dip into the techniques that we cover on our Social Selling Training and complete some online research before you go into any cold calling session.

Put in the job title of the person who would buy at that company into Google or LinkedIn

‘Procurement Manager ABC Ltd’ in speech marks will bring up any reference to them, probably giving you the info, you require.

Check out their LinkedIn page too, learning about what they do now and anything about their job function and roles as it stands today.

Go onto their company page on LinkedIn to see what’s happening. It keeps you up-to-date and may offer you some insights and ideas on what to talk about, particularly if their recruiting or expanding their operations.

If you are searching for information over some time, let Google Alerts proactively send you specific information about their company.

All of this will open up the chances for you to find out more about the decision-maker.

If all this fails, you can call the company.

Ask something like this:

“Oh, hi there, it’s Sean from MTD? I wonder if you could help me?”

“I’ve got some important information about training and development, and the changes that are happening over the next few months. Who would be the person to whom I should send it?”

If there’s a no-name-policy there, you can ask ‘What would be the best way to get this important information to the right person?’

If they say for you to send it to an ‘enquiries@’ or ‘help@’ email address, enquire how you will know that it’s got to the right person. It may fall into a black hole, and, as someone who knows how valuable this information is, you want to ensure it gets into the right hands.

Some Gatekeepers will tell you to send it to them and they will pass it on. Thank them and get their name, so you can politely follow up soon.

When you get the decision-maker’s details, it gives you a great chance to add value immediately and identify how you can build that relationship in the future.

If you want to learn how to be good at telesales we recommend that you review our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses. All designed to help aid you on your sales journey.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Finding Out Who The Decision-Maker Is appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-importance-of-coaching-in-sales-leadership-development.html Tue, 15 Oct 2013 07:41:33 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=10344   Training Alone Won’t Develop Sales Leaders UK companies spent a combined £13 billion on sales training last year. They made this investment with the hope that training would dramatically improve their top line growth by transforming their average sales […]

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Training Alone Won’t Develop Sales Leaders

UK companies spent a combined £13 billion on sales training last year. They made this investment with the hope that training would dramatically improve their top line growth by transforming their average sales reps into good ones, and their good reps into all-stars.

But research on traditional sales training reveals a dramatically different story: one month after completing training, reps already have forgotten 87% of what they learned, according to the Corporate Executive Board.

Think about the golf swing. While a training session with a pro can provide an important introduction to the fundamental elements — grip, stance, ball position, backswing, follow-through — taken together, these discrete pieces of information quickly become overwhelming. When shared in small increments, however, and reinforced with ongoing coaching and regular practice, training becomes a valuable foundation — the first step on the path to mastery.

“Becoming a better leader (or manager, or pipefitter, or ballet dancer) requires wanting to learn, then acquiring new behaviors and putting them into practice,” writes Mike Myatt in Forbes. “We know intuitively that you can’t become a prima ballerina just by listening to somebody else talk about great ballerinas and how they danced.”

The process Myatt is describing isn’t really training — it’s coaching. While the two terms often are used interchangeably, they are actually very different, particularly when it comes to sales. Coaching isn’t a single event. It’s a process, requiring frequent, ongoing communication between rep and manager.

And it works. A recent study by Ventana Research found that sales reps are four times more productive when their training is complemented with ongoing in-field coaching and reinforcement — productivity that translates into better sales performance. Sales teams that incorporate Sales Coaching into their sales process see a 21% increase in close rates and a 23% increase in quota attainment, according to CSO Insights.

Coaching the Coach

The problem is that most companies aren’t training their sales managers to become great coaches. A study by ASTD found that only 11 percent of companies train their sales managers to a high extent, while 22 percent don’t train them at all.

Managers typically come from the sales ranks themselves, and after receiving a promotion, they suddenly find themselves managing a team. Absent support and mentorship, they often must figure out how to manager and coach on their own, with mixed results.

Equipping sales managers to make this shift successfully will have a significant impact on sales performance — and ultimately, on the overall performance of the company. On average, sales managers impact the behavior of 10 reps. So every hour invested in developing a manager has the potential to yield a 10X return.

A manager also has the greatest impact on sales rep turnover. The cost of replacing an effective sales rep is £63,000, when you factor in the time it takes to onboard a new rep and rebuild their pipeline. When reps leave an organisation, 70% of the time they cite a poor relationship with their immediate manager as the primary reason for their departure.

The most successful sales team leaders harness their sales reps’ innate drive to win by teaching skills for constant improvement. They take mere management a step further by offering mentorship and fostering one-on-one relationships with each member of the sales force. They cultivate a cohesive team unit by setting ambitious but achievable goals for both individuals and the group as a whole. Successful team leaders, in other words, are coaches.

The Three Keys to Effective Sales Coaching

Sales training can set the table for success. But once a training session ends, sales managers need to coach their reps to ensure best practices and techniques become ingrained. Here are three keys to every successful sales coaching relationship:

1. Frequency

The only way a sales manager will truly understand the relative strengths and weaknesses of their reps is to connect with them 1:1 on a regular basis — at least once a week. Setting clear goals, determining the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving them, and sharing strategies for overcoming those hurdles can only come through frequent and ongoing communication.

2.  Accountability

In a coaching relationship, goals only have meaning if sales managers hold their reps accountable for achieving them. When a rep commits to change their behavior and undertake certain actions, it’s crucial for a sales manager to be able to measure their progress and provide feedback about what’s working, what needs to be improved, and why. Over time, sales reps will be able to chart their development as new techniques and strategies start to yield results.

3. Recognition

One of the most effective things a coach can do to inspire a team is to celebrate it. Sales managers who highlight the importance of the sales team and the unique qualities like resilience, tenacity, and charisma needed to succeed at the job will produce sales reps who feel valued and vital. Taking concrete steps to remind reps that the work they do is vital and value to the company and even the world at large can count for a lot.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Guest Blog By Nick Stein, Sr. Director Marketing, Salesforce Work.com

MTD Sales Training


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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/five-ways-to-gain-commitment.html Mon, 09 Sep 2019 08:09:23 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=10036   We often get salespeople asking “What’s the best ‘close’ I can use?” or “How can I ‘close the sale’ more often?” Putting the emphasis on the ‘close’ can be a big mistake in the sales process. Too often, the […]

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We often get salespeople asking “What’s the best ‘close’ I can use?” or “How can I ‘close the sale’ more often?”

Putting the emphasis on the ‘close’ can be a big mistake in the sales process. Too often, the salesperson will try to get the order and prescribe an answer before determining and diagnosing the real problems that occur in every business.

A ‘close’ will not just materialise as a result of asking the right questions, though. Other skills are needed to get to the stage where the prospect will trust you enough to say ‘yes’. If we think about building relationships with clients, instead of ‘closing the deal’ it may help us to develop our sales.

Knowing how to build relationships with clients is paramount in sales. We do need to work with clients, of course, in trying to gain commitment in sales; however, we don’t really want to ‘close’ the customer. We want to gain commitment and open the relationship, rather than close something. It may sound a case of semantics, but it will make a big difference in your attitude and response as the conversation goes on.

Gaining commitment in sales requires a different mindset to simply selling your products. Building relationships with clients helps us in the journey to the close, or in gaining commitment in sales.

Determining how to get that commitment can be difficult at times, so here are some ideas that will make it a tad easier:

* Have goals for every stage in the process

Decide what you want to achieve in every meeting. Is it to make a further appointment? Or to start a trial period? Or to visit another part of the business? The goal is the objective for this session, so you need to know what you want to achieve. Building relationships may be important but we need to have short-term goals as well.

* Summarise everything the prospect has said to you

What this does is prove you have been listening and understand the real needs of the prospect as they have been describing them. It builds your credibility as well as your knowledge and helps you on the journey to gaining commitment.

* Give them reasons to trust you

As you create trust, you build believability, and this opens up the connection and relationship between the two of you. You’re more likely to get the prospect thinking about the next steps when they see the conversation progressing well.

* Talk about solutions as they will affect the buyer’s business

Buyers will make decisions that create a better future for them and their business, so you need to discuss what the solution will mean to them. Buyers will only concentrate on objections if the value of those solutions don’t outweigh the cost of change. Only then will they see some form of commitment to the sale.

* Paint a rosy future for the business by using your products

Commitment is about making a decision based on what future results and outcomes will be. If you put the emphasis on what your products or services will do for them and what they should see as a result, it is more than likely you will get a favourable response to your request for commitment to the next stage in the sale.

What you’re attempting to do at each stage is build relationship with the client, so it makes it easier for them to trust you and say ‘yes’ to your proposal. As they see that rosy future developing for them, your client will naturally see you as the catalyst for that eventuality. Every stage you develop with them will show how your client relationship-building skills can be improved.

Each of these ideas will create the foundation for the prospect to agree to what your suggestions are and help them see the benefits of committing to your ideas.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 5 Ways To Gain Commitment From A Client appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-7-and-a-half-sales-phrases-to-avoid-at-all-costs.html Thu, 27 Jun 2013 07:40:08 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8662 In any profession there is the risk that you will pick up bad habits, and it often seems the longer you have been doing the job the more bad habits you have accrued and the harder it is for you […]

The post Condescending Sales Phrase Examples To Avoid appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> In any profession there is the risk that you will pick up bad habits, and it often seems the longer you have been doing the job the more bad habits you have accrued and the harder it is for you to break them. The sales profession is no different, and many sales people will have picked up some out-of-date and cliché sayings that you would only ever hear from someone who works in sales. There are certain sales phrases that buyers just detest and it is so easy as a sales person to fall prey to these sinful sayings without ever realises how annoying they can be!

The infographic below gives you MTD’s top 7 (and a half!) sales phrases you should avoid at all costs. So, it’s time to ‘fess up – have you ever uttered one of these in front of your prospect or client? Are there any more sales phrases that you would like to add to the sin bin? Leave your comments below.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.



Click here to download a full size version of the infographic above

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training | Image by MTD Sales Training – please give attribution to MTD Sales Training if republished



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/solving-prospects-problems-the-easy-way.html Tue, 25 Jun 2013 07:12:06 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8635 The salesperson of today is a problem-solver who works in conjunction with the prospect to identify any issues that his organisation has and then uses that information to present solutions to the prospect’s problems or situations. Before you make your […]

The post Solving Prospects’ Problems The Easy Way appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> The salesperson of today is a problem-solver who works in conjunction with the prospect to identify any issues that his organisation has and then uses that information to present solutions to the prospect’s problems or situations. Before you make your sales presentation, the tricky part of this situation is ensuring that the problem that the prospect is attempting to solve is the actual problem that exists.

For example, when you first speak to a prospect, she might say that she needs a specific type of software. You could just make a presentation on the software and that would be the end of it. Or instead, you could ask the prospect some probing sales questions to determine what the problem is that they are trying to solve. Then during your sales presentation, you will be able to:

• Offer a better product or solution than the specific one the prospect asked for
• Offer a broader solution that the prospect didn’t even know they needed or wanted
• Offer additional products or services that enhance your sale and also exceed the prospect’s expectations
• Identify additional needs that the prospect has which you can then offer to resolve with other products or services
• Determine that you don’t have a product or service that will solve the prospect’s problem

The final point above may not seem like a solution you would want to offer. But the fact is that telling a prospect the truth will establish you as a reliable, trustworthy source of information for the next time they need something.

The first step in problem-solving is to ensure that the problem the prospect is trying to solve is the actual problem that needs solving.
One simple problem-solving tool is to use something called ‘The Five Whys.’ It is simple because it uses the question ‘why’ up to five times to help get to the root of a problem.

But remember that it is indeed a simple tool – if you are dealing with a more complex problem, you may need to learn other problem-solving skills. An example of how to use this tool is below. Notice that in this case, it’s not necessary to use five ‘why’ questions to get to the root of the problem.

Prospect: I might be interested in a copy of your ABC billing software.

You: OK, may I ask why you’re interested

Prospect: We are having problems keeping track of customer bills.

You: I see. When you say ‘having problems’, what might they be?

Prospect: We do it by hand, but now our customer base has grown so much that we can’t keep up. Correspondence in general is difficult.

You: I understand how your customer base has grown, so why does that make correspondence difficult?

Prospect: Because we have about 10 different pieces of information that have to go out to different customers in addition to the bills. Keeping all that in order is quite a challenge.

You: It sounds to me like you need more than a billing system – it sounds like a customer contact management system is what you really need. Why don’t I show you some of the benefits it could provide?

By digging deeper into the prospect’s business challenges, you find there are bigger problems that need to be sorted, and this is one way it can be achieved. Use this tool when appropriate and you’ll see it helps you solve prospects’ problems easier in the long run.

Get in touch to discuss your options. Our team can help you to determine which of our Selling Skills Courses are the right ones for you.

Make sure to check out, our full portfolio of Sales Training that we offer to gain better knowledge and skills in the workplace.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Solving Prospects’ Problems The Easy Way appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/ten-reasons-why-salespeople-fail.html Tue, 04 Jun 2013 07:47:03 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8385   In our consultancies and trainings with salespeople, we consistently get asked how to be successful in the career they have chosen. There are so many answers to this question, and many books have been written with authors’ opinions on […]

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In our consultancies and trainings with salespeople, we consistently get asked how to be successful in the career they have chosen. There are so many answers to this question, and many books have been written with authors’ opinions on what makes people a success in sales in today’s modern world.

I thought it appropriate to discuss this from the opposite angle today. By asking the question ‘what makes salespeople fail?’ we get a different perspective and identify the consistent traits that occur in people who don’t achieve their goals and objectives. take a look at our top ten and see if you agree and (more importantly) can add to them.

1) They haven’t changed their prospecting methods to match the needs of today’s buyers.

Many salespeople still buy lists, pick up the phone and make their cold calls to people they know nothing about, trying to get them interested in a product they (the prospect) know nothing about and don’t know why they need it. No wonder these salespeople are crying out for tips on how to cold call more effectively…they get rejected more times than they can cope with.

2) They are too reactive.

Many salespeople who fail simply wait for their company to provide them with the leads, then blame the company for providing leads that don’t materialise into sales. They don’t think proactively or make their own leads work for them.

3) The main emotion that they rely on is hope.

They hope this deal will materialise after they have sent a proposal. They hope their website will bring in scores of enquiries. They hope their pipeline will fill up, even though they haven’t spent any time nurturing it. Hope, hope, hope.

4) They blame everything else for their failures, without looking at what’s in their sphere of influence.

We often can see a failure a mile off; they’re the ones who blame other things for their problems (the economy, the competition, their boss, the products they sell, the leads, etc, etc) instead of thinking about what they can influence and affect.

5) They live in Pity City, instead of just visiting and passing on.

My trainers often tell me they deal with salespeople who want answers but then criticise every possible solution with the proverbial ‘Yeah, but….’

Many people have every right to feel pity for themselves because of what is going on within their company or because their competition are wiping the floor with them. But we need to see what can be done to progress, rather than living in a state of mind that keeps us trapped in feeling sorry for ourselves.

6) They don’t manage their time effectively.

Time is one of the most important things you have to work with. Too many salespeople don’t invest their time effectively enough. You can be really busy, really efficient, but it doesn’t always equate to effectiveness. Salespeople who fail don’t think hard enough how their time can be utilised to assist themselves and their clients

7) They don’t utilise their phone skills well enough.

The phone is a great ally for salespeople, but many think they should try to sell using it. Today’s modern buyer is very wary of making any decision, and it’s rare to find someone deciding to make a big change over the phone. The failure comes by not knowing the true use of the phone, which is to confirm arrangements, build interest and create desire.

8) They fail to engage clients

Many failures occur because salespeople are unable to describe what life will be like when the customer is actually using the product or service. The salesperson still thinks that waxing on about the features and benefits will make the prospect leap for joy and wonder how they had got by without the product. With no engagement, the buyer loses interest and stalls or brings up objections. They need to see how their business will be different, how things will be better, what problems will be solved. No engagement means no decision.

9) They don’t know how to split their time between hunting and farming.

Farming for new business from existing clients is important. So is hunting for business from new prospects. Knowing how to differentiate between the two, and what support existing users need from you, is vital to create good use of time.

10) They have forgotten how important it is to constantly learn, grow and develop.

Most learning in sales occurs in the field, in the real world. How many books have you read in the last 12 months that can make a real impact on the way you serve your clients? How many times have you shared learning experiences with colleagues or your boss and changed your approaches to make sure you develop your skills?

Many failures don’t take their skill development seriously and consider that things they learned 5 or 10 years ago will suffice in today’s world. Sorry…they won’t. Failing to recognise that sales is a developing business is the same as thinking that the buyers who were around 5 or 10 years ago are still here today.

These are my ideas of what makes salespeople fail. Add your own and let me know them. I’ll compile a list and publish them soon.

Before I sign off, here are some more tips on becoming a great sales person:


• 3 Ways To Mess Up A Perfectly Good Sale

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you with our wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 10 Reasons Why Salespeople Fail appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-should-be-on-your-pre-call-checklist.html Wed, 22 May 2013 07:53:00 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8348 When  we discuss planning and preparation with salespeople, they consistently see the need for ensuring they are ready for the call and have the confidence in their products and services. But when we dig deeper, we often see that many […]

The post What Should Be On Your Pre-Call Checklist? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> When  we discuss planning and preparation with salespeople, they consistently see the need for ensuring they are ready for the call and have the confidence in their products and services.

But when we dig deeper, we often see that many haven’t a robust system for ensuring they will give the prospect a good enough reason to meet up with them.

So here we cover a pre-call checklist that will enable you to have confidence before making that call and also convince the prospect you have a lot to offer.

1) What do you sell, and why should they care?

I don’t mean your product or service. I mean what is the solution you are offering? What pain are you taking away, or what benefits are you bringing? And, importantly, why should the person taking your call actually care? the fact you are trying to sell them something isn’t a good enough reason for them to talk to you. Have good reasons why they should care about what you do and what you offer.

2) How are you different and better than your competition?

Very few companies have USPs these days. Most of what you consider to be your USPs should be seen as ‘givens’ in today’s market place. Keep up-to-date with what your competition are offering, so it doesn’t come as a shock when your prospect says they have a better offer from them.

3) Answer the question, “Even though we’re not the cheapest, people buy from us because…”

You should have a list of at least 6 answers to this question. Imagine you’re in front of the prospect and they ask why they should spend extra money with you. Don’t just rattle off the generic ‘our quality, back-up, service, etc’ stock answers. Your competition will be saying exactly the same things. Be specific so your prospect sees your value up-front.

4) Do your research

There’s so much information out there for you to gain knowledge before your call. But many salespeople stop after they’ve checked out the prospect’s website. Remember to also do your homework on their Linked-In profile, their Linked-In company page, their Facebook business page, any Twitter updates, their You-Tube channels if they have one, and other social media outlets that allow you to catch up on what they stand for in the market place

5) Set your primary and secondary objectives

What do you hope to achieve on the call? Why should the decision-maker talk to you at all? If you don’t get your primary objective (appointment? Proposal offer, tender list?) what’s the next best thing you can aim for?

6) Determine how they will benefit from talking to you

There has to be some reason why they should spend their precious time talking with you. What would they achieve by partnering with you? What changes would their business go through by buying from you? If you can answer those questions you can have confidence the prospect will talk to you.

This isn’t an exhaustive pre-call listing, but it should give you an idea of some of the things you can do to prepare for a call with a new prospect. It will also give you the confidence to pick up that phone or knock on that door when you need to prospect for more business.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you with our wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Before I sign off, here are some more tips on becoming a great sales person:


• 3 Powerful Tips For Setting Appointments On the Telephone

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post What Should Be On Your Pre-Call Checklist? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/why-matching-and-mirroring-really-works.html Tue, 14 Dec 2021 07:52:11 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8263   Have you heard of matching and mirroring? It’s something that we regularly cover on our Sales Training Courses, but do you know what it is and the background behind it all? It’s the concept psychologists talk about when they […]

The post Why Matching & Mirroring Really Works appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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Have you heard of matching and mirroring? It’s something that we regularly cover on our Sales Training Courses, but do you know what it is and the background behind it all?

It’s the concept psychologists talk about when they refer to us building unconscious rapport with another person. They talk about matching their unconscious body language and gestures so that they feel at ease in our company.

They also refer to matching or mirroring the words they use to describe their experiences. By using similar words, we can match the feelings they may be experiencing and are able to appeal to their deeper level of communication, commonly referred to as the unconscious level.

Are you aware of why this works?

Scientists have found a network of neurons in our brain that refer to as ‘mirror neurons’. These demonstrate how we are all interconnected with each other and the world in general.

In one experiment in Italy, they wired up a single neuron in a monkey’s brain to observe what was happening with it. One day, a researcher lifted his hand to eat a nut.

He noticed that the monkey’s brain cell or motor neuron had activated. These motor neurons are the largest in our brains and deal with movements and action.

The monkey didn’t move…only the motor neuron fired. Further experiments showed that when an arm movement was made by the researchers, the monkey’s arm movement neurons moved too. After much excitement, the published paper (Rizzolatti, Fadiga, Gallese & Fogassi – Premotor cortex and the recognition of motor actions. Brain Research, 3(2) pp131-141, 1996)) showed the following implications:

• We are connected to other people around us via these mirror neurons
• We move into synchronicity when we are with other people, firing similar brain patterns
• Being on the same wavelength isn’t imaginary…it’s biologically real



What this means is that when someone makes a specific body language movement, we are programmed through mirror neurons to copy the movement, if only in our minds. And as our minds can’t tell the difference between something real and something imagined, the feeling we get inside is as if we had carried out the movement.

So, we can mirror our client’s intentions, looking forward to something that may happen in the future. If you talk about something that would happen if the client used your services, you get them to imagine a future with your company. Their mirror neurons fire off to see the picture as you see it.

We pick up how people are feeling, and our minds start to mirror it. Remember that this is at a subconscious level, so you may not actually make the person match your movements, but it will be certainly easier for them if they do.

Mirror neurons have been strongly associated with how people learn. We ‘model’ other people’s ideas and so pick up ways of doing things ourselves. Have you ever felt embarrassed for someone when they make a mistake? That’s because your mirror neurons have seen the situation and imagined yourself in the same place…they determine how you would have felt if you had been in their shoes.

This explains how matching and mirroring really works. You and the other person are firing off these neurons every moment without realising it. If you can bring it to the conscious level, you can create rapport consciously with whoever you are with. You can encourage people to be on your wavelength and help them match your thought patterns.

We’ve known that embedded commands can work at a deep unconscious level for some time now. These findings of how mirror neurons work explain the reasons why.


 

Differences Between Mirroring and Matching

You know that both mirroring and matching work when building rapport with a client, but do you know the difference between the two concepts?

To mirror someone is to precisely match their behaviour, mannerisms, and speech cadence back to them. Thus, mirroring involves a more deliberate copying, which, when done with the kind of discretion and respectfulness required in a successful sales scenario, can help build a positive connection to the client.

To mirror a client, you would, for example, observe their seated posture. If the client is crossing their legs, then you would cross yours, thus mirroring their posture. You would also observe their tone of voice, speech patterns, cadence, and whether they use formal or informal language.

Having identified these traits in your client, you would then copy them as closely as possible while still demonstrating the kind of respect and deference that would differentiate such behavior from mere mimicry. Finally, you can work on paraphrasing and repeating your client’s statements, thus validating what they are saying while you work on your pitch.

As a contrast to mirroring, matching refers to a more general copying of another’s behaviour. In using a mirroring technique, you might repeat the client’s words back to them directly. A matching technique would not necessarily repeat the client’s words verbatim; instead, other words might be used to convey the same idea. Likewise, you might not exactly copy your client’s mannerisms, facial expressions, or posture; instead, you might choose to adopt a stance or posture that complements your client’s without actually mirroring it.


 

Examples of Mirroring and Matching

Mirroring and Matching In a Retail Environment

In a retail environment, you and your client are likely to be gathered around merchandise or products or service offerings that your client is considering purchasing. These environments are high pressure and in the moment, and you have to be at your best to make the sale.

We know that mirroring and matching will greatly assist you in selling whatever the environment, but what might such techniques look like in a retail setting?

As an example, let’s say you work in a jewellery store, and your client is looking at engagement rings. Your client is likely to be nervous, excited, and trepidatious about the cost of what is basically a leap of faith.

If your client is high energy and smiling a lot as they look at the rings, then to mirror that client properly, you must exhibit the same kind of high energy and smiling as your client. Your client might lean over the display case to investigate the choices. You should also lean over the case and help your client with their choices, observing whether your client does a lot of pointing with a finger, or whether they peer into the case while grabbing onto it with both hands and leaning over. In either case, mirroring will help you build rapport with your client.

On the other hand, strict mirroring might not be called for in this instance. A matching technique may also work to build rapport. Instead of copying your client’s exact mannerisms and body language, try to adopt body language that complements that of your client.

If your client is smiling broadly and speaking in rushed tones about how excited they are to propose to a potential spouse, you can match your client – not mirror your client – in how you respond to your client’s energy. Instead of responding with rushed, excited tones, you might choose to respond with calm warmth, smiling in a welcoming and open-handed manner to show that you are excited for your client’s future and want to provide them excellent and professional service.

This matching technique might work even better than strict mirroring for this sort of high-pressure sales situation – your warm, calm, professional tones might help to put an anxious client at ease and make them more likely to buy that ring.



The post Why Matching & Mirroring Really Works appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-transition-from-small-talk-to-real-business-in-a-meeting.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-transition-from-small-talk-to-real-business-in-a-meeting.html#comments Thu, 16 May 2013 07:45:55 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8308 This is an interesting question that came up in one of recent sales courses. The sales person wanted to know if there was an ideal time period to spend on idle chit-chat (or rapport-building, as he termed it) before getting […]

The post How To Transition From Small Talk To Business appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> This is an interesting question that came up in one of recent sales courses. The sales person wanted to know if there was an ideal time period to spend on idle chit-chat (or rapport-building, as he termed it) before getting into the meat of the meeting. He felt that sometimes he sounded as if he was avoiding the real issues the client had by making small talk, but he also didn’t want to just say ‘Hallo, here’s what we can do for you’!

Well, what would you say the purpose of small talk is? Let me give you three scenarios:

1) You compliment something in the prospect’s office, like their view or posters or pictures

2) You refer to a big news item so they see you are up-to-date and interested in world affairs

3) You refer to something that proves you’ve done your homework on their company or they themselves

The first two are typical introductions and make you fall into the same barrel as every other salesperson who has crossed their threshold.

The third is something that makes them feel you have their best interests at heart and that you are getting round to business, without (and this is the main point) digging deep into your products or services or putting too much pressure on.

Think of the introductions as an opportunity for you to build rapport at the professional level. If your initial discussion points revolve around the global picture of how their business is going, you set the scene for taking discussions deeper later on, and you don’t have to worry about crossing the threshold from how good or bad the weather is to talking about why you’re really there. There’s plenty of time to talk about last night’s game when you are having a natural break in the meeting.

Here’s an example of openers I like to use in sales meetings when I meet with prospects:

“I noticed from your LinkedIn profile that you used to work in the (xxx) industry. Was it a challenge moving into a new industry like this one?”

“I really appreciate that you’re taking the time to meet with me when I know things are really busy for you these days. You must be facing some real challenges with the re-organisation that your company announced recently.”

“The company results you announced yesterday must have been really pleasing for you. Were they better than expected?”

This way, you are still creating small-talk, but the emphasis is on how professional you are, and the rapport can still be built as you walk through the global issues before honing into the more detailed areas.

Consider the small-talk in the sales meeting as helping you build rapport with the client on a business level. There’s plenty of time to discuss more mundane matters after the rapport has been gained. That way, the prospect doesn’t feel that you are simply asking questions that everyone else has in order to try to get ‘friendly’. Many prospects simply see it as patronising, so get to their level quickly and decisively, showing you appreciate they are busy and want your help as soon as possible.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you with our wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Transition From Small Talk To Business appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/the-transition-from-small-talk-to-real-business-in-a-meeting.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/digital-influence-customers.html Wed, 24 Apr 2013 07:55:40 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=8122   You don’t need me to tell you that we need to increase and improve our customers’ experiences for them to develop loyalty and advocacy to our businesses. Depending too much on new customers rather than selling more to existing ones […]

The post How Digital Influence Affects The Buying Decision appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]>
 
You don’t need me to tell you that we need to increase and improve our customers’ experiences for them to develop loyalty and advocacy to our businesses. Depending too much on new customers rather than selling more to existing ones is a sure-fire way to send yourself into oblivion.

Customer experiences are the new way to measure success in sales. They provide the foundation for everything else we build on. So what is the impact on people when they share experiences with others? How important is the measurement of their experience and how influential are people’s views?

Understanding how your customer thinks is the only way you can develop meaningful sales strategies. It also helps you to inspire a vision for what their overall experience could and should be. It helps you identify what your brand image should be now and in the future. And it will show you opportunities to determine where and how you can create value, deal with expectations and build activities that will drive further experiences and bring benefits to your business.

Did you know?



92%

Of People Trust
Recommendations
From Family/Friends

92% Of People Trust Recommendations From Family/Friends

Neilsen’s 2012 Global Trust in Advertising Survey of more than 28,000 internet respondents in 56 countries showed that 92% of people trust recommendations from their family and fiends more than any other.

The digital age and social media has brought to the surface the specific ways that people buy today. Social Selling Training is becoming more and more popular and elements of social selling and online prospecting are included in most Sales Training. A recent survey by Crowdtap has shown how the influence of peers has catapulted that particular medium of choice to the  top of the list of factors determining what and how we buy. Their ‘Power of Peer Influence’ showed the top ten influence factors on how people make decisions today.

The question was: What influences your buying decision? The percentage of people who completely or somewhat trusted the source were: (top ten answers)

92%…..Recommendations from people I know

70%…..Consumer opinions from people online

58%…..Editorial comments

58%…..Branded websites

50%…..Emails I signed up for

47%…..Ads on TV

47%…..Brand sponsorship

47%…..Ads in magazines

47%…..Billboards and ads outdoors

46%…..Ads in newspapers

This 2012 survey shows 92% of people surveyed were influenced by the opinions of people they know. 70% of people stated that they were affected by people’s opinions online.

This Crowdtap survey showed that:

*    70% of people were influenced online.

*    61% were influenced by word-of-mouth, either in person or on the phone.

*    59% were influenced by reading an article online (blogs, reviews, youtube videos, etc)

Your job, then, is to ensure your business keeps up to date with the dynamism that the market is showing. You have to move faster than your prospects and customers in order to define and lead customer experiences.

Here at MTD Training we offer a wide range of training to select from check out our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses, for yourself or your team.

(Source: The Power of Peer Influence: https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/crowdtap-pk/12941457)

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How Digital Influence Affects The Buying Decision appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-sales-person-infographic.html Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:31:30 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=7995 Many business people think they know what a sales professional does with their day and could map out exactly how the average sales person spends their time, which would probably involve a few meetings, some cold calling and (of course) […]

The post A Day In The Life Of A Sales Person – Infographic appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> Many business people think they know what a sales professional does with their day and could map out exactly how the average sales person spends their time, which would probably involve a few meetings, some cold calling and (of course) a fair bit of selling – either over the telephone or face to face. However, today’s modern sales people have to do far more than their managers and team leaders may realise. The modern day sales professional now has to juggle the time they spend prospecting and actually selling (which is time that is noted and recorded by their company) with a large amount of time spent planning, organising, reporting and travelling that is often not accounted for or even recognised by their managers as being part of their everyday role.

The infographic below breaks down the different aspects of a sales professional’s workload each day, and details the tasks that the average sales person will have to undertake on a day to day basis outside of their main focus of actually prospecting for new clients and closing deals.

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.



Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training | Image by MTD Sales Training – please give attribution to MTD Sales Training if republished



The post A Day In The Life Of A Sales Person – Infographic appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/qualities-super-salesperson.html Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:49:01 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/?p=7982   All salespeople are judged on the results they achieve. It’s no good making all the calls, completing all the paperwork, asking for the sale countless times and overcoming sales objections time and time again if the orders aren’t coming […]

The post 10 Qualities That Make A Super-Salesperson appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]>
 
All salespeople are judged on the results they achieve. It’s no good making all the calls, completing all the paperwork, asking for the sale countless times and overcoming sales objections time and time again if the orders aren’t coming in and the margins aren’t being met.
It’s always good to assess what we are doing against the best practices carried out by the most successful people in the real world.

I recently came across Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield’s book The Art of Doing: How Superachievers Do What They Do and How They Do It So Well.

They interviewed 36 star performers that climbed to the tops of their various fields, and I thought it would be good to assess how they apply in the sales world.

“We didn’t want to theorise about success,” says Gosfield. “We went straight to the source, finding the most amazing people in all fields and asking them, ‘How do you do what you do?’”

After interviewing some of the world’s most successful people, they began seeing patterns emerge. No matter how diverse their goals or crafts, these super-achievers shared many of the same habits. Let’s look at some of them and how they apply in sales.

Qualities of Good Salespeople

1. Dedication To A Vision

“Every great success starts with inspiration, but not every inspiration leads to success,” Gosfield says. “The most common thing we found was these people’s devotion to the day-to-day struggle.” When we look at how salespeople dedicate themselves to ‘the goal’, the most successful ones are those who know the direction they need to go and keep going till they achieve their ‘destination’. They have a total commitment to sales excellence in all that they do.

2. Intelligent Persistence

One thing successful people know: Dedication and blind persistence are two very different things. “You can work hard but not smart,” says Sweeney. “When something’s not working, you’ve got to tweak it. Some people just keep banging their heads against the wall.” Instead of doggedly using the same ineffective tactics, super-achievers pivot and try to tackle the problem from a different angle.

Salespeople can do the same thing. Notice what is working for you and what isn’t. Keep persisting but do it intelligently. Identify what has value and what hasn’t. The same can be said for sales follow up. Don’t just keep following up if you’re getting nothing back. Kick the opportunity into touch if you are being ghosted and go and work on some other deal where you have a chance of closing it!

3. Fostering A Community

Star performers know they can’t achieve success on their own. Instead, they must galvanise a group of people around their idea or goal. Teamwork, or having an ecosystem of supporters, turns out to be critically vital for success.

Salespeople can choose who they follow as leaders. I have several ‘thought-leaders’ who give me ideas and contribute to my success. Choose people who you can follow wisely, and you can also foster a community of people who offer you value and support.

4. Listening & Remaining Open

“You don’t normally think of hard-charging, action-oriented leaders as being good listeners,” says Sweeney. “These people’s ability to practice the art of listening helped them learn what they needed to know about the world around them.”
We’ve discussed many times how successful salespeople have excellent listening skills; it appears that listening is the epitome of highly successful people in all areas of work. Along with great listening comes asking quality, probing questions as well.

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5. Good Storytelling

Stories can transport people to your world, and then they’re more likely to invest in you and your brand. Stories, metaphors, concepts, and ideas are what convince people that you have something of value. It communicates your ability to get the prospect involved and helps them see the benefits of using your services without the ‘selling’ process turning them off. Effective storytelling can create that logic vs emotion tug of way that your buyers will have in their mind as they listen to you. It’s your job to create a story that appeals to both the logical reasons – your unique selling proposition as well as your emotional selling proposition.

6. Testing Ideas in The Market

“Everybody has a bias to think their own idea is brilliant,” says Gosfield. “Achievers roll it out in an environment that’s as close as possible to the market.” High achievers determine what their market will take and then build their expertise around that niche.

7. Managing Emotions

“We found that managing emotions is a key element to success,” Sweeney says. “It’s so easy to be derailed by them, but these people are able to channel anger and frustration into their work. You can’t change conditions—just the way you deal with them.”

Emotional intelligence is one of the best skills that salespeople can develop, as it determines how you deal with the imposters of success and failure. The best salespeople at the top of their game have an enviable sales mindset to all that they do.

8. Constantly Evolving

Successful people maintain success by consistently learning and adapting to the environment around them. Tennis champion Martina Navratilova realised this when her game suddenly started sliding. She decided to transform her training routine and diet, and soon was back on track to become an all-star athlete.

You can have the same mindset by deciding how you will achieve better results. 1% improvements every week in every part of your strategy will mean you double your skills, talents, and abilities in just two years…without hardly any effort avoiding any sales slump along the way.

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

You could look at our 2-day Selling Skills Training or learn from our closing sales transition statements for some helpful hints and tips.

9. Practicing Patience

Inaction, or stillness, can sometimes be just as useful as action. The importance of patience was a primary theme among the super-achievers–whether it’s strategically waiting for the best time to make a move or continuing to pursue a larger vision without receiving immediate rewards.

Salespeople can also generate this skill. Trying to push a prospect to decide before they are ready will inevitably make them believe they are being sold to. The power of patience can never be over-estimated.

10. Pursuing Happiness

Success fuels happiness, and happiness in turn fuels greater success. Seeking happiness in your life and work turns out to be a win-win.
Sometimes we forget why we are doing it all. The idea that we should put happiness on our list of priorities often is seen as fluffy and touchy-feely. However, how do we really benefit if we get everything we want and yet aren’t happy when we achieve it? Happiness shouldn’t be a goal; it should be a way of life.

These ideas from Camille Sweeney and Josh Gosfield epitomise what we as salespeople should be aiming for. Practice these are see what difference they make.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post 10 Qualities That Make A Super-Salesperson appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-increase-your-lead-generation.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-increase-your-lead-generation.html#comments Thu, 17 Jan 2013 08:39:39 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6472 There isn’t much in sales that’s more important than your pipeline generation. Without leads, you’re dead in the water, and to take control of the quality of leads coming through, and manage them effectively, you need a quality sales system […]

The post How To Increase Your Leads For A Full Sales Pipeline appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

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There isn’t much in sales that’s more important than your pipeline generation. Without leads, you’re dead in the water, and to take control of the quality of leads coming through, and manage them effectively, you need a quality sales system that will back you up and keep those leads coming to you. Check out our Selling Skills Training for some proven ways to keep your pipeline full.

Here are some tips on how to generate and increase your lead generation:

Quality Referral Systems. These must be robust and offer both you and the customer opportunities for more business

Guaranteeing Orders Through Risk-Reversal. This means there is no-risk on behalf of the client actually agreeing to your proposal. You should offer a money-back promise if the product or service doesn’t do what you say it will. You should be baring the risks, so the customer feels they can trust you and not worry about consequences if there are discrepancies in performance

Long-Term Relationship Benefits. There should be a system in place that recognises when a client gives repeat and long-term orders. The longer they sign up to you, the better the results for them and the easier it is for you to manage.

Proper Use Email Campaigns. This means your list must be well-defined and that you have a good chance of hitting the prospects who are in the market for your products. A one in a thousand response rate is a waste of your and their time. Check out these Catchy Sales Email Subject Lines.

Effective Telemarketing. Your marketing approach should offer real, tangible benefits to the companies you are approaching, rather than just being a cold-call approach that undermines the morale of those making the approaches. For more information please check out how to be good at telesales.

Hold Special Events Or Information Sessions. These free-of-charge events should add extra value to all prospects. It allows them to see what you can offer and makes it a no-brainer to deal with you. It also gives you a great list of prospects that you can nurture

Develop A Unique Selling Proposition. You have to differentiate yourself in ways that will be beneficial to your prospects. These do not include quality, warranties, speed of delivery and such-like. All your competitors will offer the same. No, these are tangible benefits that the client will get from you that they can’t get from anyone else

Increase The Perceived Value Of What You Offer. You do this by showing the results you will bring to the client. The more they see how their business will thrive and grow by using you, the better your chances of doing business. Perceived value is what they get as a result over the long-term, not the cheapness of your product up-front

Better Client Education. Here, you become the partner to your client by showing your knowledge of their market and guiding them on how to exploit opportunities that you, with your wider experience and research, have found lurking in the undergrowth. They may be too close to the ground to see the opportunities that you can see from your higher position

Increase Your Sales Skills. You do this by researching the new ideas of what works and what doesn’t in today’s market-place. Take some Sales Training. If you’re still selling in the same way as you did five years ago, you are being left behind by those sales professionals who have adapted to the new markets and what is now required to drive businesses forward

Qualify Leads Up-Front. Not every lead will be worth the time and effort to pursue.  Be aware of which clients will benefit most from spending time working on, and utilise that time efficiently

Deliver More Than You Promise. Your clients will expect the level of service that’s in your SLA. It’s only by going beyond that level that you will create excellent ‘moments of truth’, situations that will ‘wow’ them and make them delighted they chose you as a partner

Nurture The Relationships Through Quality Communications. This means sending them articles you find that will benefit them, referring them to customers you find on your travels, expanding the contacts within your company and theirs, and making them aware of new opportunities in new markets. This will prove that you’re not contacting them simply to sell more of your stuff…you genuinely are interested in their business success and want them to make more profits

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Creating more leads can be as simple as getting more of your voicemails returned or following these cold calling tips.

For additional help please visit our Sales Assessments.

And if you’re ever looking for expert sales training, then check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Increase Your Leads For A Full Sales Pipeline appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-increase-your-lead-generation.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-are-hot-buttons.html Thu, 27 Dec 2012 09:00:15 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6359   We have all heard the terminology about the so called “Hot Button.” “You have to find the prospect’s hot buttons…” “Push their hot buttons…” etc. But here is a question for you: What exactly are hot buttons? The last […]

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We have all heard the terminology about the so called “Hot Button.” “You have to find the prospect’s hot buttons…” “Push their hot buttons…” etc.

But here is a question for you: What exactly are hot buttons? The last time I looked I did not see any buttons on the buyer. What are these magical buttons or triggers that you can push that suddenly make the prospect turn wild with desire of what you sell?

If you look it up, you will find ‘hot buttons’ defined something like this…

“An emotional and usually controversial issue or concern that triggers immediate intense reaction.”

Well, simply put, a hot button is…

“A problem, need, urgent desire or source of pain that stirs enough emotion in the prospect to motivate the prospect to want to take immediate action to solve the issue.”

The key words to remember are emotion and intense. A benefit does not usually create an emotional reaction that leads to a buying decision. Also, understand that the fear of loss is a far more intense emotion than the desire for gain.

So how do you find and consequently push these hot buttons?

Finding The Hot Button

To find the prospect’s emotional triggers, you need to find their problems. Unearth the prospect’s problems and pain and you will discover their hot buttons. Then present how your product or service will solve those problems, and you will be pushing those hot buttons.

Don’t Confuse Mere Interest with Hot Buttons

Often when a prospect mentions some area of interest, the salesperson assumes such is a hot button, and relentlessly pursues the idea. However, such initial areas of interest usually just scratch the surface of the prospect’s situation.

Also, keep in mind that today’s modern buyers are smart, and are not too quick to reveal their emotions and concerns, as they know doing so will weaken their negotiating strength. In addition, the prospect’s true hot buttons, those areas of serious problems and pain, may not be immediately evident, even to the prospect.

They love to buy, they don’t want to be sold.

Solutions to Problems = Hot Buttons

You need to have a systematic method of asking sales questions to uncover the prospect’s problems.

Find areas the prospect is losing, hurting, or suffering in some way due to the lack of your product or service. Exemplify those areas of problems and pain, and then present your solution and you will hit the hot buttons on the head.

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you – so check them out.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post What Are “Hot Buttons” In Sales? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/a-plan-for-successful-key-accounts-management.html Mon, 10 Dec 2012 09:00:16 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6252   Closing the sale is one thing. However successfully managing the account is yet another level of selling entirely. In particularly, when dealing with large, major or key accounts; after the sale management is where the actual selling begins. The […]

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Closing the sale is one thing. However successfully managing the account is yet another level of selling entirely. In particularly, when dealing with large, major or key accounts; after the sale management is where the actual selling begins. The following is a generic, but effective plan to help you better manage your key accounts.

Here are 3 key messages that we have taken from our Account Management Training open course.

Consult & Advise

If you did your job well, then during the sales process you were able to elevate yourself to the level of an advisor, a trusted consultant to your client. If you did not achieve this or if due to your sales process it has not yet happened, now is the time. You have to continue to solve problems and provide advice. In addition to being an expert on your product, you are an industry expert, and you need to show it.

Depending on the nature of your business, you may want to offer much of this advice at no charge to the client. If that is not possible, offer something. You have to establish ways to help the client without asking for payment.

Also, find at least two additional areas that you can help the client. If your services relate primarily to the help desk, for instance, then begin to look deeper into the IT department and begin to consult on other problems.

Care & Cultivate
Like any good harvest, the planting requires great care and cultivation. The same holds true when growing your relationship with an account. Keep in mind that to cultivate means to plant and invest without any immediate return. You have to plant, and then wait.

Invest time and effort into the account and let them know that you actually care. Ask yourself, when was the last time your clients heard from you when you were NOT selling something? Before you made the commission on the first sale, this prospect was the most important thing in your life. Now that they have become a client, who are they?

Map out an amount of time for each client to spend every week or month just making telephone calls or sending emails that do nothing but touch base. Don’t ask for anything, don’t suggest anything, don’t sell anything. Just ask how all is going and if YOU can help them. Offer some ideas, industry information, etc.

Sell & Service
With all of the above, you must continue to sell. I am not talking about selling new products however. I am talking about selling what you already sold. Continue to sell the value of the product or service the prospect already owns. This continued re-commitment and belief in the first sale will open the door to second and third sales.

Often the sales person is well into pushing a second product before the client has actually benefited from the first. For the client, the jury is still out. Continue to sell what you sold.

Then service what you sold and what you have not sold. Help service the client on issues that go beyond your wares and beyond what they own. If there are competitive products, help the client with problems associated with that LESSER product or service.

When you do this, you will find that you will not have to ask for additional orders; the client will ask you and insist.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post A Plan For Successful KEY Accounts Management appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/social-media-movement.htm https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/social-media-movement.htm#comments Mon, 19 Nov 2012 09:50:04 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6120   I have spoken many times on this blog about how the sales process has changed, and that the modern day buyer now makes their purchasing decisions in a completely different way to their predecessors. Modern day buyers are much […]

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I have spoken many times on this blog about how the sales process has changed, and that the modern day buyer now makes their purchasing decisions in a completely different way to their predecessors. Modern day buyers are much more sales savvy than before, and are able to find out everything they need to know to help them make a purchasing decision before they’ve even contacted a potential supplier or spoken to a sales person.

The sales landscape is changing, and sales professionals and indeed, Sales Courses need to move with the times in order to stay on top. Talking you through all of the ways in which the sales process and the modern day buyer has changed, and explaining how you need to change the way you approach a sale with the modern day buyer in order to close more sales, could be very time consuming – so instead I thought I would give you a quick visual tour through the complexities of the modern day buyer’s behaviour and show you the effect the Internet and social media has had on the traditional sales process.

Our infographic below will give you a whistle stop tour of how the Internet has changed the way that people buy, and show you exactly why we as sales professionals need to change the way that we sell.

We also run a very popular Social Selling Training programme that can help you to improve your skills further.

Make sure to check out, our full portfolio of Sales Training that we offer to gain better knowledge and skills in the workplace.



Here’s a plethora of useful statistics:

Top 5 Concerns Of Marketers:

2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Social Media Examiner found top 5 concerns of marketers: effective social tactics (92%), engagement ways (90%), measurement of ROI (86%), identifying ideal prospects (86%), and social management tools (86%).

Websites Are Passé:

A 2015 State of Content report by Adobe highlight key websites facts as follows:

39% – People stop engaging with a website if it takes too long to load.
38% – People stop engaging with a website if the content/layout is unattractive.
67% – People with 15 minutes to consume content would rather read something beautifully designed than something plain.
88% – People multiscreen and use an average 2.42 devices at the same time.
7% – Business owners prefer investing in new or improved websites.

Content Marketing Tactics Is Key:

2013 IMN Inc. research found top five B2B content marketing tactics: social media content (92%), eNewsletters (83%), website articles (81%), blogs (80%) and in-person events (77%). Generally 82% of marketers curate marketing content and 45% of content is produced ad-hoc. Only 49% of U.S. companies now have formal content marketing strategies in place.

Content Rules:

2016 CMO Council research found the following key statistics:

65% – Images, infographics, videos and illustrations are essential tool for communicating brand’s story.
60% – Infographics use will increase in 2016.
46% – Photography is critical to marketing and storytelling strategies.
27% – System for aggregating, organizing and managing the marketing visual assets.

According to LookBookHQ, almost 60% of marketers reuse blog content 2-5 times and mostly generate “snackable” content based on media assets. A record 78% B2B businesses use blogs. Only 62% B2B and 51% of B2C companies optimised blog content for mobile SEO. Research shows that infographics are liked or shared 3X more on social media platforms than any other types of content. According to eConsultancy research, 74% of marketers who used targeted personalization strongly agreed that it improved customer engagement.

As per Google’s 2017 research outcome, 50% of 18 to 34 year old YouTube subscribers would drop what they’re doing to watch a new video by their favourite creator or channel. A record 67% of users watch YouTube on a second screen while watching TV at home in prime-time. Also 85% of adults (ages 18-49) consume content on multiple devices at the same time which help marketers to reach 56% more adults using YouTube ads compared to prime-time broadcast television.

Influencers Matters:

A 2016 study of 14,000 respondents by Collective Bias found the following key statistics,:

30% – Purchase is based on reviews from non-celebrity influencers or bloggers.
70% – Millennials prefer product endorsements from “peers” rather than celebrities.
60% – In-store shoppers influenced by social media and blog posts results in10X more purchases than celebrity endorsements.

Mobile Consideration Is Must:

A 2017 VisionCritical study found the following key statistics:

89% – Companies are competing mainly on customer experience. By 2020 the purchase experience will be valued more over product and price.
86% – Buyers will pay more for a better customer experience. Customer service issues than product or price will persuade customers 4X more to turn to a competitor.
84% – Customer-centric companies focus on the improving mobile customer experience.
82% – CIO are focused on developing technology for creating better mobile experiences.
70% – Buying experience is based on how the customer feels they are treated.

2015 State of Marketing report from Salesforce found the following key statistics:

71% – Marketers believe mobile marketing is core to their business.
68% – Companies are now using mobile marketing as a strategy.
58% – Marketers had dedicated resources (team) for mobile marketing.
52% – Mobile app technology is most critical for creating a cohesive customer journey.
34% – Marketers are trying marketing automation in 2016.
70% – Marketers plan to increase their social media ad spend in 2016.
33% – Marketers say subscribers read emails on a mobile device at least 50% of the time.
80% – Businesses say email is tied to primary source of revenue.
73% – Marketers say email is core to their marketing strategy.
42% – Companies actually send welcome emails.
63% – Marketers use e-newsletters.
72% – Email marketers rate email loyalty campaigns as “effective” or “very effective.
33% – Marketers admit e-newsletters campaigns somewhat effective or not effective at al.
3% – Marketers rated their demand gen campaigns as effective.

2018 IBM study found the following key statistics:

49.1% – Of all emails are opened on mobile devices.

Social Media is More Powerful:

According to Adobe, digital advertising spend is set to grow from USD 83 billion in 2017 to over USD 129 billion by 2021. Dedicated Media (2013) report found that native ads are viewed 53% more than banner ads, generates up to 82% increase in brand lift and result in an 18% increase in purchase intent compared to display ads. In addition 32% of consumers share a native ad with friends and family compared to just 19% who shared banner ads.

VisionCritical research shows that 43% of social media users have purchased a product provided 50% of such purchases occur within 1 week and 80% of purchases occur within 3 weeks after ‘Sharing’ or ‘Favoriting’ it on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. Visual content is more than 40X more likely to get shared on social media than other types of content. This is why 51% of B2B marketers prioritized creating visual content compared to 42% of B2C.

2016 Social Media Marketing Industry Report by Social Media Examiner found the following key statistics:

90% – Social media is important ((86% of B2B organizations).
81% – Integrated social media marketing with traditional marketing to increase website SEO.
68% – Effectively analyse company’s social media activities.
59% – Marketers have at least two years of social media marketing experience.
49% – Social media marketing is the most difficult type of marketing to crack.
41% – Capable to adequately measure the social media ROI.
40% – Social media marketing has gotten more difficult for them.

Benefits Of Social Media Marketing: Increase exposure (89%), traffic (75%), loyal customers (68%), marketplace insights (66%), leads (66), SEO ranking (58%), partnerships (55%), thought leadership (54%), sales (51%) and reduction in marketing expenses (50%).

Top Social Media Platforms in 2016:

Top 7 Social Media Platforms:
Facebook (93%), Twitter (76%), LinkedIn (67%), YouTube (53%), Google+ (49%), Instagram (44%), and Pinterest (40%) were the top seven platforms used by marketers.

Overall Top 7 Most Important Social Media Platform:
Facebook (55%), LinkedIn (18%), Twitter (12%), YouTube (4%), Instagram (4%), Google+ (3%), and Pinterest (2%)

B2B Top 7 Most Important Social Media Platform:
LinkedIn (40%), Facebook (37%), Twitter (15%), YouTube (4%), Instagram (2%), Google+ (2%), and Pinterest (2%)

B2C Top 7 Most Important Social Media Platform:
Facebook (66%), Twitter (11%), LinkedIn (7%), Instagram (5%), YouTube (4%), Google+ (3%), and Pinterest (2%)

Top Social Media Platforms Marketers Increasing Use Next Year:
Facebook (67%), YouTube (63%), Twitter (61%), LinkedIn (61%), Instagram (57%), and Pinterest (42%)

Overall Top 7 Most Important Social Media Platform Marketers Want To Learn:
Facebook (73%), LinkedIn (61%), Twitter (59%), YouTube (58%), Instagram (55%), Google+ (48%), and Pinterest (45%)

Paid Social Media:
Facebook ads (87%), Google ads (39%), Twitter ads (18%), LinkedIn ads (17%), Pinterest ads (15%), Instagram ads (12%), and YouTube ads (12%)

Time Spend On Social Media Marketing:
6 hours or more each week (63%), 11 or more hours each week (39%) and more than 20 hours each week (19%).

Top Social Media Platform Statistics In 2016:

Facebook:

90% – B2C brands use paid Facebook ads.
63% – Plan on increasing use of Facebook and YouTube.
61% – B2B plan on increasing Facebook efforts, compared to only 57% of B2C.
52% – B2C marketers feel marketing to be more effective, compared to only 38% of B2B.
46% – Marketers feel like their Facebook efforts are working.
40% – Marketers don’t know traffic details in the past year.
35% – Marketers aren’t sure about marketing effectiveness.

LinkedIn:

18% – B2B SMB marketers are using LinkedIn ads while it uses 75% of Facebook ads.
76% – B2B marketers are likely to plan on increasing their use compared to 52% of B2C.

Twitter:

80% – B2B marketers are using Twitter compared to 75% of B2C.

Youtube:

71% – Businesses with more than 100 employees use YouTube.

Instagram:

33% – B2B companies are on Instagram.
63% – B2C marketers are more likely to increase investment compared to 48% of B2B.

Pinterest:

47% – B2C more likely to increase activities compared to 35% of B2B.

Snapchat:

5% – Marketers are using Snapchat.
16% – Marketers plan on increasing activities.
28% – Marketers want to learn more capabilities.

Content Types Used In 2016:

Commonly Used Types Of Content:
Visuals (74%), blogs (68%), Videos (60%), Live video (14%), and Podcasting (10%)

Most Important Content For Marketers:
Blogging (38%), Visual (37%), Videos (21%), Live video (2%) and Podcasting (2%)

Marketers Plan To Increase Content Use:
Videos (73%), Visuals (71%), Blogging (66%), Live video (39%), and Podcasting (26%)

Content Forms Marketers Want To Learn More About:
Videos (66%), Visuals (65%), Blogging (65%), Live video (50%), and Podcasting (40%)

Content Republishing By Marketers:
Facebook (32%), LinkedIn (25%), Other (8%), Medium (4%), other media outlet (4%).

Here are some further ways to help you with your social selling:

• How Digital Influence Will Impact Your Sales

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Why Social Media Has Changed The Face Of Selling appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/social-media-movement.htm/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/love-to-buy-hate-to-be-sold.html Wed, 14 Nov 2012 09:00:15 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=6088   You did everything right. You maintained an excellent prospecting track and qualified the decision maker. You got through a tough gatekeeper screen, set a good appointment, and sealed it with cement. The sales interaction was flawless; you covered every […]

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You did everything right. You maintained an excellent prospecting track and qualified the decision maker. You got through a tough gatekeeper screen, set a good appointment, and sealed it with cement. The sales interaction was flawless; you covered every objection and left the prospect no choice but to buy. You followed every B2B sales technique to the letter but still nothing.

So, what happened? Why didn’t the prospect buy?

People Love To BUY

People do love to buy things. That is, they love to decide on their own and make a purchase they consider a good one. They make such decisions based primarily on emotion and then use whatever logic and reasoning they can find to help them to justify that decision.
In such buying however, the person has to feel and believe that it was their freewill CHOICE. The prospect must believe that they and they alone made the decision.

Therefore, asking questions is such a powerful way to help persuade people to buy.

By asking questions, people can come to their own conclusions based on the answers.

Hate To Be SOLD

However, people cannot tolerate being sold. In that, I mean that when a person feels that he or she did not have a choice, or was tricked or trapped into buying, they will vehemently object. This often what happens when you leave a prospect no other choice but to say YES. Overly assertive salespeople come to my mind!

When you cover every possible objection and you have an answer for every possible thing the prospect can say, the prospect will resist. Basically, the prospect will object when there is no objection!

Don’t Sell. HELP The Prospect Buy

As a professional salesperson you must be careful not to push too hard or to do your job too well. You want to help the prospect to understand that the purchase is in their best interest but leave room, so the prospect feels he or she has a choice, an option.
Of course, you can have the answers or the successful rebuttals to those objections.

But it is usually a good idea to hold on to an ace-in-the-hole. Hold on to some objection that the prospect can use. Then, slowly, discuss the issue and overcome the objection. In this way the buyer feels he or she had some say, some option.

Don’t be the slick salesperson who has an “answer for everything.” Instead, be the consultant who, together with the prospect, can figure out a solution to every problem. This approach will help you down the line when you ask for referrals as well.

If need a helping hand to up your sales game, please check out our essential selling skills training which offers real-life scenarios to equip you with the essential skills to maximise sales opportunities in the real world.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post People Love To Buy, But Hate To Be Sold appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/at-what-point-in-the-sale-should-you-disclose-the-price.html Tue, 04 Sep 2012 09:00:08 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5707   We all know the old rule-of-thumb in selling which is to try not to reveal or discuss the price of what you are selling, until after you have completed your sales presentation. However, dealing with today’s modern, more educated […]

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We all know the old rule-of-thumb in selling which is to try not to reveal or discuss the price of what you are selling, until after you have completed your sales presentation.

However, dealing with today’s modern, more educated consumer, many of which are demanding price before presentation; should you still try to avoid  talking about the price early in the sales interaction?

Not As Easy, Yet Just As Important
Of course, there are some products and services where price is common knowledge and not integral to the sales process, as in many retail selling scenarios. In addition, with today’s sophisticated internet connected buyer, it’s not as easy to hold out on discussing rates and fees.

However, in most sales situations, it is still essential not to expose pricing until you have accomplished several mission-critical objectives.

Below are a couple of reasons why you should still try to delay pricing discussions until after the presentation. We often cover these in our Sales Training courses.

Also note that this is not just for your benefit, but more so for the benefit of the buyer.

Revealing Price Too Soon Is Unfair To The Buyer
Uncovering the price too soon in a sales interaction is actually a disservice to the prospect. If you believe in what you do, then you know that it is imperative for the buyer have all of the necessary information and facts so he or she can make a PROPER INFORMED BUYING DECISION.

Revealing price too early, inadvertently forces the prospect to make a buying decision before receiving all of the information. Even if the prospect decides to buy, it is an ill-informed decision. Such buying decisions create cancelled orders and unsatisfied customers.

Looking to improve your client and customer interactions? Check out our Customer Service Training courses.

If on the other-hand the prospect decides NOT to buy after hearing the price, you have robbed the prospect of the opportunity to solve their problems and benefit from the sale. After hearing the price, the prospect will make a buying decision and like all buying decisions, is based mostly on emotion. Any amount of logic you add on after the fact to try to justify the price is irrelevant.

The Price Is Irrelevant Until You Have Established The Value
For your product or service to have ANY value or meaning to the prospect, the prospect must have a NEED for that product or service. Before you can establish a need, there must be a solution. Before there can be a solution, you must unearth a problem. The significance of the problem for which the product is a solution, determines its value. Until there is such a value, the price is meaningless. The following analogy, though absurdly fictitious, will help demonstrate the point.

If I came to sell you a gigantic inflatable toy and I told you that the price for this huge, bright yellow blow-up toy is £500, would you be interested in buying it? What if I discounted the price to only £250? You would have to think that such a child’s toy is not worth more than £5 or £10.

However, what if only moments before I walked in with the blow-up toy, you heard in the news that the local reservoir dam had just collapsed, and the equivalent of a small tsunami was on the way. In a matter of a few minutes, the entire town is going to be 20 feet under water. Now if I asked £10,000 for that same child’s toy, you would consider it a bargain.

The price is irrelevant until you have established the value. Revealing price after you have established the value, benefits both buyer and the seller.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses, to find out what other courses and knowledge we can provide to your business.

Happy Selling

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training






The post When In The Sale Should You Disclose The Price? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-reduce-your-price-without-reducing-the-value.html Wed, 27 Jun 2012 09:00:40 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5412   Once in a while, (and it really should be just once in a while,) there comes the time when you absolutely have to lower your price to close the sale. While this may seem like a simple and easy […]

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Once in a while, (and it really should be just once in a while,) there comes the time when you absolutely have to lower your price to close the sale.

While this may seem like a simple and easy operation, it is something that sales people mess up all the time. Done correctly, a “small price drop” can indeed help close the sale. However, done incorrectly, the smallest price decrease can cost you the sale, the trust of the buyer, many other sales and possibly your reputation in the industry.

Handle With Care
“Price dropping,” reducing your price or offering discounts, however you call it, is an extremely delicate issue requiring skill and practice. Also, keep in mind that reducing your price is not a practice for EVERY type of business and product, so the following may not apply. However, if you are in such a business where a small price inducement may help clinch the order, then read on!

The Proper Way to Lower the Price
Follow these critical steps:

1. Stand firm
2. Build value X3
3. Find a justifiable reason

#1: Stand Firm.
This is where most sales people blow it. The sales rep made a great presentation and then proposed an offer that he claimed was his best recommendation, the best price and value. He told the buyer, that this is exactly what they need and this is the best price.

Then the buyer hesitates and barely objects, and instantly the sales person is ready to change the offer or lower the price! The customer says, “Boo!” and the sales person says, “Ok, how about THIS price instead!”

Will the REAL Price Please Stand Up?
Was the first price just a ruse? When you immediately begin to reduce your price or change the offer, you tell the prospect that your original offer was not in their best interest. You tell the buyer that the first offer was just a test to see how much you could get, and your credibility and any trust for you goes out the window.

You should close and ask for the order at your original price, a minimum of three times before you even THINK about changing anything. Stand firm on your original price and offer for as long as possible.

If you believe your offer was the best thing for the buyer, then why would you change it?

If you do NOT believe your offer was the best thing for the buyer, then why did you offer it?

Make your offer, ask for the order and stand firm.

#2: Build Value x3
Second, in effectively offering a discount, you have to build value. Most price objections actually have nothing to do with price or even the money. A price objection is usually about VALUE. In fact, almost all objections, one way or another, ultimately come back to a question of value.

Is it the Price or the Value?
In the mind of the prospect, the total value of the benefits received from the purchase, do not yet equal the value of the price or fee to obtain that product or service. In the prospect’s mind, the price is greater than the value. Therefore, you get what sounds like an objection on price.

“No…that’s too much…” The prospect is not saying that the price is too high. They are telling you that the price is higher than what it is worth. The value is too low.

The normal reaction to this is to reduce the price. However, since the objection is actually about the value, when simply reduce the price; you simultaneously LOWER the value—even more!

Therefore, before you lower the price, you MUST INCREASE THE VALUE. You should have a plethora of value building statements and “proofs” and testimonials.

“Steve, everyday your warehouse is losing money in delayed shipments. Our solution will stop those losses and put more money back in your budget!”

“Sarah, this plan will actually increase the value of your property…”

Build the value, build the value and keep building the value.

#3: Find a Justifiable Reason
So, first stand firm on your offer as long as possible. Lowering your price should be as a last resort. Then, build the value of the offer repeatedly. Now, if you have still not closed the sale, then and only then you might begin to offer a price inducement.

WHY?
You must have a VALID REASON to justify reducing the price. If you can just take out a pen and magically change the price, then what is the REAL price? IS there a real price? Understand that today’s modern buyer is educated and perceptive. If you just change the price with the wave of your hand—today’s consumer is not going to buy it! (Literally)
You need a real and justifiable reason to offer the discount, and it cannot be that you simply want the sale. There has to be some benefit to you and your company, to offer a discount. If it is REAL money, then how can you freely give it away? What is the motive and justification for the discount?

“Sean, if you could be a point of reference for me in this area, it will help us make more sales. If you will do that, I will give you a small referral fee in advance by reducing this offer…”

Have a reason for the reduction and show how it helps you and your company. This is also a great time and reason to BUY referrals…

“Susan, every person you recommend that I can demonstrate our product to, is worth a lot to ABC Company and I; it is great word of mouth advertising. If you can give me ten referrals, I’ll pay you £400 and I’ll take right off of our initial fee…”

So, first, stand firm. Then build the value at least three times. Then present a justifiable reason for the price drop. Do this and you can actually lower the price and RAISE the value at the same time!

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Reduce Your Price Without Reducing The Value appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/i-am-happy-with-current-supplier-is-not-an-objection.html Mon, 07 Oct 2019 09:00:05 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5261 Every day, I hear from salespeople who are confused, frustrated or defeated by facing what they feel is a nearly insurmountable Sales Objection: “I am sorry, but I am very happy with my current supplier/vendor. We have been doing business […]

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Every day, I hear from salespeople who are confused, frustrated or defeated by facing what they feel is a nearly insurmountable Sales 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 salespeople 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.

In all honesty, how many of you think that a company is NOT using someone else for the product or service you are offering? It’s obvious that, if they may be in business for your products, someone else is already in there, dealing with the need.

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 by now? 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?

So, the statement ‘I’m happy with my current supplier’ isn’t an objection.

It’s a situation that you should be familiar with, expect to hear and have planned to deal with.

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, Paul. 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.”

Paul, I am not asking you to GIVE me your business because I have NOT earned as they did. However, I’m sure you agree that there have been many technical developments recently, and we have been at the forefront of a lot of interesting research that we are sure would interest you.

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.

Initially, all I’m asking for is a quick meeting that will help you to see how we can add value to the work that XYZ Tech are doing with you”

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

As you see in the above example, there is nothing really to fear. You are offering something of extra value to the prospect, and that’s always a good thing. The prospect will see you as an asset to their company, rather than trying to oust an existing supplier. You add value, and they see the value in you.

Please check our Telesales Training courses for more tips and techniques.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can help you develop further check out our wider range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/take-away-sales-close.html Thu, 19 Apr 2012 09:00:22 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5123   For some reason, an intrinsic part of human nature is to desire that which is forbidden. It seems that whatever it is that we cannot, or should not have, are the very things we want most. Take anything, and […]

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For some reason, an intrinsic part of human nature is to desire that which is forbidden. It seems that whatever it is that we cannot, or should not have, are the very things we want most. Take anything, and deny someone of their right, ability or choice to have it, and they will want it more, simply because they can’t have it.

Hard to Get

Take a child who has no interest in a particular toy. Tell that child that he or she cannot have that toy, and suddenly the child wants it more. As adults, we are the same. We all seem to have an affinity to desire the preverbal “forbidden fruit.”

For some reason, that which is harder to obtain, has more value when possessed. Hence, a cornerstone of relationship theology is that of the act of “Playing hard to get.” A woman may believe that the more difficult it is for the man to gain her affection, the more he will desire and cherish it when obtained. And frankly, that philosophy is often correct.

Going with the Flow

Please understand that I am not going to try to explain the complexities of human nature, nor am I going to try to fully understand such. However, I know that there are ways to capitalise on this inherent human condition. My point is that perhaps you should learn to take advantage of a situation that already exists.

The Take-Away Close

Depending on dozens of factors about what you sell, the type of selling you use to sell it and your sales funnel process; it may be helpful for you to, at some pre-planned point in your sales process, slightly to “take away” the offer or opportunity from the prospect.

You may have been asking sales questions to pull out the problems and then pushing benefits and selling throughout the interaction; trying to get the prospect to accept the offer and to envision having it.

However, at some point, you may want to reverse that momentum and inform the prospect that maybe they can’t have it.

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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/a-powerful-way-to-handle-the-spouse-objection.html Thu, 05 Apr 2012 09:00:35 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5044   “Well, everything looks good. But I just have to ask my wife about this…” “Yes, it is a great offer, but I always discuss things like this with my husband first…” We are all familiar with the spouse objection, […]

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“Well, everything looks good. But I just have to ask my wife about this…”

“Yes, it is a great offer, but I always discuss things like this with my husband first…”

We are all familiar with the spouse objection, and before I give you a great way to overcome this sales objection, let me first make one thing clear:

You first must make sure that you are dealing with an objection or a stall and not a condition.

What I mean is that if your sales process is such that to have a qualified prospect, you need both the husband AND wife together, then you are not dealing with an objection or a stall. If you are doing a “one-legged” presentation, that is a condition.

In such a case, you need to strengthen your qualifying and Appointment Setting.

Closing is not the issue here.

However, in situations where a couple is not the decision-making unit, then you have, in most cases a stall, sometimes an objection.

The Spouse Objection

Who Is The Real Decision Maker?

Imagine that you have the business owner in front of you and you know that their spouse has absolutely nothing to do with the business. Yet the shop owner tells you that they need to speak with their spouse. Or the doctor or accountant tells you that they must “run it by” their spouse husband first. In these cases, try the answer below.

This answer, however, is not for the faint of heart. It takes a strong salesperson. As always, the words are nothing more than an example of the concept and not meant as a script.

Also, it will work for either spouse, as well as for other unconnected people that the prospect wants to use as the basis for a stall.

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Spouse Script

As soon as you get that stall, your reaction needs to revert to pure shock and utter disappointment. You cannot believe what you are hearing. Then, very sincerely and almost defeated, come back with something like this…

Salesperson:
“Ah…wow. Um, I really just don’t know what to say, Steve. I mean, I ah…I really don’t know what to even think about that.”

Prospect:
“What? It’s no big deal. I always talk about things like this with my wife.”

Salesperson:
“Steve, let me get this straight…you run this business every day, and make all the decisions every day, is that right?”

Prospect:
“Well, yeah…”

Salesperson:
“And, you have your finger on the pulse of this business. I mean you know what is going on every minute; you manage the daily operations, correct?”

Prospect:
“Yes. But like I said, I like to talk to her about things like this.”

Salesperson:
“Steve, you know this business inside and out, and more intimately than anyone on earth can know this business, including your wife. Then, on top of that, you have me, right here in front of you, giving you all the information that you need to make an informed, intelligent business decision and I’m right here, now, to answer questions. Now, with all of that, you are apparently still not able to make a business decision.

So, you are telling me, you are going to go to your wife, who knows one-tenth of what you know and understand of the needs of YOUR business…then you are going to give her just a small fraction of the information. Steve, I have spent three years learning how to deliver the information I just gave to you in the last 45 minutes. There is simply no way possible for you to give her the same information and you will not have all the material I have either.

But, you are going to ask your wife; Sarah, right? Who has but a fraction of the knowledge and understanding of your business, and you are going to give her but maybe 10% of the information needed to make an educated decision? And you are going to put 100% of the responsibility to make your business decision on her shoulders? Steve, I just cannot believe you would put that type of pressure on your wife.”

The Truth

Now I have exaggerated that statement above for affect but that message is exactly what the prospect is saying. When you make it clear to the buyer what they are telling you, usually you will get the truth.

Prospect:
“Well, no. I mean. I make the decisions. I just wanted to talk to her. The main thing I want to talk to her about is the monthly payment. I’m just a little concerned about that…”

If it is a one-legger, you are done. If not, this close may salvage a few sales you may have thought were lost.

As a Sales Training Provider we can support you with any formal development requirements, so please take a look at our Selling Skills Training.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post A Powerful Way To Handle The Spouse Objection appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/stick-out-your-tongue-and-say-ahh-to-build-sales-value.html Wed, 04 Apr 2012 09:00:49 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=5037   You’ve spent years perfecting your craft and learning everything there is to know about what you sell and the competition. However, you have to be careful not to allow that knowledge to flow too swiftly. The Instant Response Of […]

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You’ve spent years perfecting your craft and learning everything there is to know about what you sell and the competition. However, you have to be careful not to allow that knowledge to flow too swiftly.

The Instant Response
Of course, some products and services require light-speed responses, but selling most products and services today, requires more of a consultative approach. The problem that often befalls experienced sales professionals is that they answer questions too quickly and solve problems too easily.

From extensive experience and knowledge, the sales person knows within minutes exactly what the prospect’s problems are and the precise combination of products and services to offer. However, when that determination appears to come too fast and without much effort, it diminishes the value.

The Examination
Let me try to explain with the following analogy.

Not feeling well, you go to your doctor’s office. From the symptoms you wrote down on the appointment sheet, the doctor already knows exactly what the problem is. She has seen 20 other patients in the last few weeks with identical symptoms and identified the local virus that’s going around town. Before even seeing you, the doctor is near certain of the problem and the solution.

The Good Doctor
However, a good doctor will still take some time to ask questions and perform some type of an examination.

“So how long have you been feeling this way?” “Have you changed your diet?” “How is your appetite?” etc. The doctor begins to utter those famous phrases that show she is deep in thought in consideration of your case… “Uhm-um.” and “I see…”

Finally, after the, “Open your mouth and say ahh…” the doctor informs you of the virus, prescribes the medication and sets a follow up appointment.

Too Fast
Imagine however, the doctor who walks in and without even speaking to you, or checking you out just says, “You have a virus, take two of these pills, drink plenty of fluids and call me next week.” And then walks out!

The doctor builds the value of her services by properly recognising the value and severity of the problem.

The Consultative Response
When you solve issues and answer questions too quickly, you can unwittingly diminish the significance of the problem.

When you diminish the significance of the problem, you simultaneously lower the value of the solution TO the problem. Does that make sense?

Slow down. Don’t be so quick to blurt out answers, and that includes answering objections. Just because you can solve some problems or issues in a matter of seconds, does not always mean you should.

The more severe the problem is, the more valuable the solution will be.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Use The Sales Value Equation appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-is-the-difference-between-a-sales-person-and-an-order-taker.html Fri, 09 Mar 2012 09:00:51 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4909   Are you an order taker or a salesperson? What do both mean and what is the difference between the two? The difference between a professional salesperson and an order taker is like the difference between a vulture and an […]

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Are you an order taker or a salesperson? What do both mean and what is the difference between the two?

The difference between a professional salesperson and an order taker is like the difference between a vulture and an eagle. A vulture, sits, perched, and waits. It waits for a meal to develop and appear, usually by something that has died. It then meanders over and scavenges the rotting carcass, and barely survives in a state of half-starvation.

The eagle, on the other hand, does not sit and wait, but goes out, flies around, and finds fresh food. It then swoops down and creates a bountiful meal and enjoys a life of opulence.

Order Taker vs Order Getter

Similarly, an order taker sits around and waits for someone to buy something. The order taker waits for the incoming call. Waits for the web lead from the prospect that has just made an enquiry. The order taker waits for the buyer to say, “I’ll take it!”

It’s a reactive way of selling. Although, I don’t call it selling at all.

The professional salesperson, however, does not wait. The professional salesperson goes out, flies around, and finds opportunities. They find prospects who never even thought about buying anything. The sales pro then helps the prospect by uncovering problems and exposing needs and desire, and then diagnoses those problems, offers solutions, and then solves those problems.

Our Sales Training primarily focuses on order getting rather than order taking. Order taking is more focused around having a good level of product knowledge rather than Selling Skills per se.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

So, which one are you?

Below are a few questions to ask you.

Of course, depending on what you sell, some may not apply. However, be honest with yourself.

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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-earn-a-phd-in-sales.html Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:00:34 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4681   Most sales people have aspirations of being the best in their field. Most have a desire to excel beyond their peers and rise to the top of their industry. One of the most frequent questions I get is, “How […]

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Most sales people have aspirations of being the best in their field. Most have a desire to excel beyond their peers and rise to the top of their industry. One of the most frequent questions I get is, “How do I become a top sales person?”

Well, let’s relate the selling profession to other professions. In many areas, one way to recognise someone who is a qualified expert in their field, who has an abundance of knowledge on a particular topic, is someone who holds a PhD in that field.

The abbreviation PhD stands for “Philosophiae Doctor,” which is Latin for Doctor of Philosophy. Of course, I would say that term could not be any more appropriate to describe a master sales expert! If you want to become the best, then get a PhD, a doctorate in sales!

Sales Doctor
On average, earning a PhD or Doctorate’s Degree requires 8 to 12 years of study or at least 4 years after earning a Master’s Degree. However, one of the most appealing aspects of the sales profession is that time is not the issue. In the sales business, it is all about merit. Like a car, it is the mileage, not the age that counts.  In sales, it is not about time; it’s about productive activity.

How Many Prospects Have You Seen?

In sales, the true test of knowledge and experience eventually comes down to how many qualified prospects you have seen and how may closing attempts you have made.  The challenge then is to figure out how many closing attempts you need to perform in your business to be able to compare your knowledge to the level of a PhD.  Well, of course, there is no available science for this, but I believe below is a very sound idea on how to earn a PhD in sales.

How Many Closing Attempts Earns You a PhD?

Remember, the goal is to come up with a number of closing attempts, sales presentations, or interactions that demonstrate a doctorates level of knowledge and experience.  In addition, the method must take into account the vast differences in products, services, commission structures and sales processes.

My idea is to figure out what is the top annual income in your sales profession, determine how many closing attempts (on average) it takes to earn that earn income, and then multiply that number by three.

In other words, find out how many closes it takes to earn the top annual income, and then close three times that amount.  Why three times the yearly amount?  I think it demands more consistency in work ethic, which is an integral part of achieving any successful sales career.

Use These Steps

You want to find out how many sales presentations it takes to earn the top annual income in your business.  Multiply that number by three and you have the goal to earn your PhD.  Here are the steps you can use to go about this.

#1 – Top Income
First, find the top earning sales person in your profession or industry.  That does not mean just in your firm, but in your industry.  Find a top-level sales person or consider what the highest level of sales achievement is in your company. In either case, get a number in terms of annual income that the big dogs make.

#2 – Average Sale and Commission
Now, find out what is the average sale in your business, and the average commission for that sale.

#3 – Divide the Average Commission into the Top Annual Income
Next, take the average commission earned on the average sale and divide that into the top annual income. This will give you the number of sales needed to earn the top income.

#4 – Times the Closing Average
Multiply the number of sales needed by the closing average to get the number of closing attempts needed to earn the top income for one year.

#5 – Times Three
Finally, multiply that number by three.

The resulting number is the amount of closing attempts you need to earn a PhD.

An Example
Let us assume that in your field the top sales people earn £100,000 a year. You then find that the average sale commission is £250. Therefore, on average, it will take 400 sales to earn the £100,000.  (£100,000 / £250 = 400)

Of course, the top sales people may have a much higher average sale. However, use your personal current average or the company average, not that of the top sales person.

Now, with 400 sales, consider the closing average. Again, this is your average or the company closing average and not that of the top producers. The closing average we will assume is 20%, or one out of five. Therefore, we will say that it will take 2,000 closing attempts to close 400 sales.  (400 x 5= 2,000)

Finally, take that 2,000 and multiply it by three and you get 6,000.

If the above numbers represented your business, and you put yourself in position to close, to ask for the order 6,000 times, you would have earned a PhD!

You see; prospecting skills, setting appointments, closing skills, knowing your business, understanding the competition, account management, referrals, everything must come into play for you to be able to perform the required number of sales interactions.

How Long Does it Take?
How long it will take to achieve a sales PhD in the above example, is completely up to the sales person.  The goal is to do 6,000 sales interactions. That may take one sales person three years, doing an average of 2,000 per year.  However, another, harder working sales person, may see 2,400 people per year and get it done in two and a half years.  Yet still, a sales person with exceptional cold calling and appointment setting skills, may see 3,000 people per year and earn a PhD in just two years!

Alternatively, for a less organised sales person with a lackluster and inconsistent work ethic, it may take six years to get there.   Figure out how many closes you need to get your doctorates.

Then earn your PhD in selling your product or service and you are sure to become a tenured member of the sales elite in your industry!

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Earn A PhD In Sales appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/lead-by-example.html Thu, 19 Jan 2012 09:00:33 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4595   Most people in sales management or with a title that is responsible for leading a sales team, speak about leading by example. However, exactly what does that mean? Many who attend our Sales Training think that to lead your […]

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Most people in sales management or with a title that is responsible for leading a sales team, speak about leading by example.

However, exactly what does that mean?

Many who attend our Sales Training think that to lead your team by example, is to sell as much or as more as each member of the sales team.

In some sales organisations, this may be practical.

However, in many other situations, due to time constraints, additional responsibilities, and a host of other reasons, it may not only be impractical, but impossible for the manager to lead the team in sales. And should the sales manager still be responsible for “closing sales” too?

In some companies when a sales rep moves into a sales management role they step back from the day to day selling and are now responsible for motivating, coaching, developing and driving the sales performance of their teams.

So how can you lead by example? What do good sales managers do?

Excel in the following four critical areas and you will not only lead your sales team by example but lead them to another level as well!

Just remember that your goal is to L.E.A.D.!

L = Loyal

The single most vital leadership area that your salespeople must see in you is a complete and unalterable loyalty to your company, products or services and your industry.

You must believe in what sell wholeheartedly, but also in HOW you sell it. You must have total faith in your sales processes, your operating methodology, sales philosophy and the future of your entire industry.

Your sales teams must know that you eat, sleep, walk, talk, and even bleed your company at all times.

E = Ethics

First, you need to have a set of ethical standards that are uncompromising, and you must practice what you preach. You must have a zero tolerance for anything that in any way represents a misleading concept or statement, misrepresentation, over exaggeration or a fabrication of any kind. In addition, you need to possess and demonstrate an unyielding personal work ethic. Be the first one in, and the last to leave.

A = Attitude

You need to be the unshakable rock of positivity.

Nothing, from tough economic times to competitive issues, to personal problems, should ever dampen your enthusiasm, passion, and optimistic outlook on today, tomorrow, and beyond. You should be able to see some good in everybody and everything.

Your salespeople should get a boost of positive energy just from being in your presence.

D = Done It

Finally, to lead by example truly, you need to have been there and done that. While it may not be possible for you to get in the field and sell with your team, the goals and quotas you assign should be things that you have accomplished at some time in your career.

You can tell your sales team that they should be closing ten sales every week and that it is easy and all they must do is follow the plan. However, if you have never, personally closed ten similar sales a week in your life yourself, you have a serious credibility problem.

The team needs to know that anything you ask of them, that you are not only willing to do yourself, but have done it.

L.E.A.D. and your sales team will follow!

If you’d like to improve leadership skills even further then our Sales Management Training Course will equip you with the sales techniques, strategies and management skills to take your game to the next level.

The course is certified from the Institute of Sales Management so it will not only make you into a better sales leader, but it will also give your credibility with your people and your current and future employers.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-push-your-prospects-hot-buttons.html Mon, 16 Jan 2012 09:00:00 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4564   “Find the prospect’s hot button and push it” One of my earliest sales mentors told me this during the first ever Sales Training that I attended. We’ve heard these thoughts before; but what do they mean? Is it to […]

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“Find the prospect’s hot button and push it” One of my earliest sales mentors told me this during the first ever Sales Training that I attended. We’ve heard these thoughts before; but what do they mean? Is it to say that as a salesperson you should try to discover your prospect’s primary areas of interest? How do you push those so-called buttons anyway? How do these hot buttons help you close sales? Exactly what is a Hot button?

Let’s start with a quick definition.

Hot Button Definition

Merriam-Webster defines the adjective, “hot button” as, “An emotional and usually controversial issue or concern that triggers immediate intense reaction.”

The key words to remember are emotion and intense. A benefit does not usually create an emotional reaction that leads to a buying decision. Also, understand that the fear of loss is a far more intense emotion than the desire for gain.

Hot Button Examples

For most salespeople, the term Hot Button refers to some topic, product, or service-point for which the prospect has very strong interest or desire. With this avenue of thinking, many salespeople look to the benefits their product or service offers. They think, ‘find a benefit the prospect likes and push it to make the sale.’ Unfortunately, this is a mistake.

Find Hot Buttons

To find the prospect’s emotional triggers, you need to find their problems. Unearth the prospect’s problems and pain and you will discover their hot buttons. Then present how your product or service will solve those problems, and you will be pushing those hot buttons. Sales storytelling is a key skill with all of this and can help you to probe and dig deep into the circumstances of the customer.

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Don’t Confuse Interest and Desire with Hot Buttons
Often when a prospect mentions some area of interest, the salesperson assumes it’s a hot button, and relentlessly pursues the idea.
However, such initial areas of interest usually just scratch the surface of the prospect’s situation.

Also, keep in mind that today’s modern buyers are smart, and are not too quick to reveal their emotions and concerns, as they know doing so will weaken their negotiating strength. In addition, the prospect’s true hot buttons, those areas of serious problems and pain, may not be immediately evident, even to the prospect.

Solutions to Problems = Hot Buttons
You need to have a systematic method of asking probing sales questions to uncover the prospect’s problems. Find areas the prospect is losing, hurting, or suffering in some way due to the lack of your product or service. Exemplify those areas of problems and pain, and then present your solution and you will hit the hot buttons on the head.

Our Consultative Selling Training shows you methods to uncover pain points and then how to probe deeper into them to find those emotional trigger points. Also, check out the Solution Selling Methodology for an approach to help you with this as well.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/use-personal-recruiting-to-build-your-sales-team.html Thu, 24 Nov 2011 09:00:38 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=4172   With the advent of the Internet and numerous sites like CareerBuilder and LinkedIn, job searching has become largely electronic. Yet hiring a sales team, especially those who will become long-term loyal assets to your firm, remains a difficult task. […]

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With the advent of the Internet and numerous sites like CareerBuilder and LinkedIn, job searching has become largely electronic. Yet hiring a sales team, especially those who will become long-term loyal assets to your firm, remains a difficult task.

However, with all of our advanced technology, word-of-mouth is still a powerful and effective tool, not only in selling, but in recruiting sales people as well.   When sales people are doing well, making good money and happy in their position, it seems natural that they would tell their friends.   Nevertheless, it does not happen automatically.

Our Sales Management Training will provide you with some proven hiring tips and below are a few thoughts to help you focus more on personal recruiting to build your sales team.

Winners Associate with Other Winners
Top sales producers usually have friends who possess like qualities.  As the old adage says, “Birds of a feather flock together.” Chances are your best sales person knows people who are as enthusiastic, hard working and determined as he or she is, and in this economy, the odds that one of those people is looking for a new opportunity are good.

Offer Personal Recruiting Incentives
Offer some incentives for those who refer other sales people for a position with your firm.  Perhaps you give some small inducement for those who submit a qualified resume.  Then, more for those who interview, and even more for those who sign on.  Then you can offer an additional reward for those who refer sales people that you hire and that attain some basic level of performance.

Monthly or Quarterly Recruitment Lunch
Have a regularly scheduled recruitment luncheon or outing, in where members of the sales team invite friends and relatives they feel may have the qualifications and interest to join your firm.

Sales Help Wanted Advertising
In constructing your next ad to hire sales people, get some input from your sales team.  Ask your sales people what type of ad would attract them and people like them.  This will also help sales people to begin thinking about people they know who may be likely candidates for the job.

Help your sales people spread the word to grow their team.  You will build a stronger, more loyal sales force and save some advertising money as well.

Using a Sales Assessment can help you during the sales hiring process so you can ensure that your prospective salespeople have the right level of selling skills that you desire and also the right levels of motivation.

Visit our Sales Training Courses for a range of different programmes that can help to take your game onto the next level.

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Use Personal Recruiting To Build Your Sales Team appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/an-effective-way-to-identify-top-sales-people.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/an-effective-way-to-identify-top-sales-people.html#comments Thu, 10 Nov 2011 09:00:01 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=3899   Finding and hiring good people is a challenge in any industry.  However, identifying and hiring people who can become top sales producers is a monumental feat few have been able to achieve with any level of consistency. However, I […]

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Finding and hiring good people is a challenge in any industry.  However, identifying and hiring people who can become top sales producers is a monumental feat few have been able to achieve with any level of consistency.

However, I have found that this one test, this short role-playing scenario, can help you identify people who have all of the necessary traits that make top producers.  Use this during the interview process and it will give you a deeper insight into the candidate’s personality and help you uncover some diamonds in the rough.

The Concept
This idea is far more sophisticated and modern than the old sales interview role play of, “If you are such a good sales person, then sell me something.”  This role play will help you learn more about the applicant’s disposition in key areas such as integrity and listening skills.  It accomplishes this by posing a challenge to the sales person that is not exactly what it seems.

Below is a generic example of this role play.  Of course you can alter it significantly to fit your industry and selling situation. However, you can use this example as it is with small changes to the wording.

The Role Play
Towards the end of the interview, propose this scenario:

Interviewer:   
Suppose you sell home fire protection equipment: fire alarms, heat and smoke detectors.  You sell two types:

Type A: Heat detectors that sell for £250 each
Type B: Smoke detectors that sell for £150 each

I am the prospect and during the sales interaction you tell me…

“Mr Prospect, I have done a complete and thorough analysis of your needs.  And I have determined that the only system that will adequately protect you and your family in the event of a fire is four of our heat detectors and two of the smoke models.  This is because you have so much electronic equipment, that a fire is likely to be one that produces little smoke.  So your fire protection system comes to £1,300.”

As the prospect I answer with this objection:

“Well, that looks good.  But it is much more than I had in mind.  I was planning on spending closer to £800, maybe £900 tops.  What can you do for me for that much?” 

How would you handle that objection?

The Answer
Now you have the sales person role play his or her answer to the objection with you.  The key is that the sales person will do whatever he or she can to “sell” you and close the sale (since this is an interview for a sales position).  However, how the sales person goes about answering this objection, speaks volumes about his or her personality, honesty, professionalism and true potential.

Three Responses
You will usually get one of three types of responses to the above role playing objection:

1. The sales person who immediately begins to work the math and discount or change the offer to meet the prospect’s price.

2. The sales person who attempts to get the prospect to come up a little, as he or she slightly lowers the pricing or the offer to find some middle ground.

3. The sales person who refuses to drop the price or alter the offer in any way, and continues to build value and close on the original offer at the original quoted price.

What does each response say about the salesperson?

Please check out our Selling Skills Training or please contact us to discuss your Sales Training requirements. Our L&D team can help you to work out which course will be best for you or your team.

Take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Popular sales courses include:

Account Management Training
Sales Management Training

Happy Selling,

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post An Effective Way To Identify Top Sales People appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/an-effective-way-to-identify-top-sales-people.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/is-selling-an-art-a-practice-or-a-science.html Mon, 24 Oct 2011 09:00:43 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=3766   How do you view the profession of selling? Let’s face it; selling is unlike any other business or profession in the world. I am not referring to those who do a little selling as part of their overall job […]

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How do you view the profession of selling?

Let’s face it; selling is unlike any other business or profession in the world.

I am not referring to those who do a little selling as part of their overall job function.  I am referring to those people who choose to make their living purely by selling products or services, and most often to strangers.  I am talking about those who have chosen to get what they want and need, by helping others get what they want and need.

While some look on the profession as an art, others see it as more of a practice, while still others see selling as a science.  So, let us pause for a short, philosophical debate on this issue.

First, we’ll look at each opinion on its own merits, and then I’ll give you my take on this water cooler subject.

Is Selling an Art?
Well certainly, to become successful in the world of professional sales, one has to be artful.  The successful sales person has to be imaginative, creative and passionate.  In fact, some say that selling at its essence, is a transference of feeling.   Is that not what artists do?

Is selling an art, in that like the artist, the sales person must transfer his or her feelings to others by stimulating the senses of sight, touch and sound?

Is selling an art, in that in involves the in-depth understanding of the human psyche and complex emotions?

Is selling an art according to the modern dictionary definitions below?

• A system of principles and methods employed in the performance of a set of activities
• A trade or craft that applies such a system of principles and methods
• A skill that is attained by study, practice, or observation
• A skill arising from the exercise of intuitive faculties

There is a good argument for the concept of the Art of Selling.

Is Selling a Practice?
I have often compared professional selling to medical practice and use many analogies of such.  When you see a prospective customer, do you not first give a thorough examination and then recommend the needed prescription, just like a doctor?

Is selling a practice, in that it is a never ending journey of trial and error, rehearsal and persistence in the pursuit of an all too elusive perfection?

Is professional selling a practice, in that we continue to study, learn, expand and improve in the performance of the craft?

Is selling a practice, in that in involves the in-depth understanding of the human psyche and complex emotions?

There is a good case for the Practice of Selling.

Is Selling a Science?
More than understanding the proverbial law of averages, a professional salesperson must also possess expertise in skills that help to seal the deal, as well understanding the scientific data associated with past, present, and future performance, along with the detailed statistical analysis involved in determining if invested effort is worth the return on said investment.

Is selling a science, in that consistency in work ethic is imperative and requires impeccable record keeping and theoretical testing?

Is selling a science, in that there is a process to follow with logical steps?

Is selling a science, in that in involves the in-depth understanding of the human psyche and complex emotions?

Is selling a science as according to this modern dictionary definition?

1. A branch of knowledge or study dealing with a body of facts or truths systematically arranged and showing the operation of general laws.

There appears to be an excellent case for the Science of Selling, as well.

Please check out our Selling Skills Training or take a Sales Assessment for more tips and advice on how to improve.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Is Selling An Art, A Practice Or A Science? appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/response-to-not-interested-cold-call-objection.html Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:00:55 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=3075   Cold Call Objections No matter whether you’re a telesales rep, a business development manager, telemarketing agent or anyone who works in sales, you’ll receive lots of them throughout your sales career. What am I talking about? Cold call objections […]

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Cold Call Objections

No matter whether you’re a telesales rep, a business development manager, telemarketing agent or anyone who works in sales, you’ll receive lots of them throughout your sales career.

What am I talking about? Cold call objections and rebuttals.

You’ll hear all types of excuses, delays, and objections.

“I have no money”

“I don’t have time”

“Call me back later”

“We already use someone”

Some people will be pleasant to you as you make your calls and others will not. If you are persistent and are professional, you will come across people who are interested in what you sell. So, if you’re patient and use the right technique then you can succeed cold calling.

And don’t think cold calling is dead either. There might be a movement for Social Selling but that means a lot of salespeople are hiding behind their keyboards sending loads of messages out, hoping some will stick. If you make the cold calls, you’re going to face much less competition than the past. So, let’s dive in and take a look at some cold calling tips and examples.

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Best Sales Rebuttal For Not Interested

You:
“Hi, Louise. Ethan James here, with XYZ Solutions…”

Prospect:
“I’m not interested!”

Arrrgh!

Below is a very effective way to handle the “not interested,” come back.

However, it is not a script to follow verbatim.

Though I am going to put this in the form of a hypothetical cold call, the words are not important.

I want to convey the idea, the concept, and the thought process behind it.

The concept is only to help get you past the initial automatic “not interested” reaction.

From there, you can proceed.

The concept consists of five steps:

1. Understand: Let the prospect know that you fully understand that he or she is not interested and in fact, should not be interested at this time
2. Compliment: Commend the prospect for his or her lack of interest and reasoning
3. Raise Objections: Give the prospect a few reasons, objections why they should not be interested
4. Pick One: Ask prospect which is the primary reason, objection
5. The Reason: Inform the prospect that is the very reason for your call

Here is an example

Sales Person: “Hi, Mr Prospect. Ethan James here, with XYZ Solutions…”

Prospect: “I’m not interested!”

Sales Person: “I knew you wouldn’t be interested Mr Prospect. I fully understand that. Do you have a real quick minute?”

Prospect: “Ah….Well, I guess…”

Sales Person: “You see, Mr Prospect, my information is that your company is a leader in the industry so I have to assume that if you had an interest in my company/product, you would have called me. Does that make sense?”

Prospect: “Yeah.”

Sales Person: “I also have to assume that the reason you are not interested is because you already have a supplier you work with and are completely satisfied…good service, great pricing and they have earned your business—is that right?”

Prospect: “Well, actually, yes. I’ve been dealing with the same company for six years—have no complaints.”

Sales Person: “Of course. And that is exactly why I called. At this time, I dare not even think about asking you to give me any of your business; I haven’t earned it. However, I have found that most business owners in your industry…

And you are into your presentation.

Understand that it is normal and OK if the prospect is not interested when you call. Don’t fight it. Use it.

As a Sales Training Provider, we offer several sales training courses that you can attend to improve your skills and up your sales game.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/handling-the-no-name-policy-when-cold-calling-part-i-how-to-get-a-name.html Mon, 22 Aug 2011 09:00:45 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=3082   Your mission is to cold call the company, find out who is the decision maker (DM), find out that person’s name, get pass the gatekeeper, reach this DM, and set an appointment.  Whew! Even if you already know the […]

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Your mission is to cold call the company, find out who is the decision maker (DM), find out that person’s name, get pass the gatekeeper, reach this DM, and set an appointment.  Whew!

Even if you already know the likely job title of the DM, it is still frustrating when you do not have a name and the gatekeeper (GK) refuses to give you one or to connect you without one.  In the following three articles, I will give you some extremely powerful and effective ways to deal with the no-name policy situation.  First up: How to get a name…any name.

Get a Name…Any Name
First, find a name…any name in that company.  Check the company’s web site, literature or business listing and get the name of anyone in any department.

The Web Search
Another way to do this is to go to any internet search engine and enter the position, title or department you are looking for, an asterisk (*), AND the company web site name, and enclose the entry with quotes.  For instance, looking for someone in the purchasing department at ABC Widgets, you might enter…

“purchasing* AND abcwidgets”  Or

“*purchasing AND abcwidgets” Or

“*purchasing AND abc+widgets”

These entries command the search engine to return all pages that contain the word purchasing in relation to the company.  Of course, most of these pages will be on the company’s web site, but there will be others as well.  With this, you are bound to find a name in that department.

You might also enter the asterisk along with the company’s email configuration:

“*@abcwidgets.com”

This command will return pages that contain an email addresses for that company.

With enough skill and a bit of luck, sometimes you will actually find the exact name or email address of the decision maker you are looking for.  In any case, get a name or two in that company, and hopefully in the department for which you need to contact.

Coming Wednesday August 24^st, 2011
Handling the “No Name” Policy When Cold Calling Part II – What to Do with the Name

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Handling the “No Name” Policy: Part I appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/5-ways-to-handle-i-want-to-shop-around.html Wed, 16 Mar 2011 09:55:50 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2533   How frustrating is it when your client has gone through your proposal and your sales presentation and then said ‘I want to shop around and get some quotes from other suppliers’? It’s not obvious from his statement what exactly […]

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How frustrating is it when your client has gone through your proposal and your sales presentation and then said ‘I want to shop around and get some quotes from other suppliers’? It’s not obvious from his statement what exactly their sales objection is to your proposal, so it may be necessary for you to probe a little deeper to find out precisely they need to shop around for.

Here are some ideas that we cover on our Sales Courses on what to do to find out exactly what they will be shopping for:

1) Confirm that they want to get the best product and service around. It may be that they don’t mind what quality they get, if it’s cheap. If that’s the case, you need to identify exactly what they want for the money they will be investing. Basically, people want value for money rather than cheap, so you need to confirm if the quality of what you’re offering will be good for them.

2) Ask what they will be checking with the other suppliers. This gets the real objections out in the open, whether it’s price-orientated, delivery-driven, or quality-based. It enables you to deal with the challenge up-front if it’s a specific area of concern for him.

3) Confirm that they will buy from the supplier that meets or exceeds their requirements in the particular area(s) they are looking at. This way, you get commitment from them up front

4) Show him your prepared document of how you fare against the competition in all competitive areas. This document shows you’ve done the homework for him. If he’s price-sensitive, look at all the prices your competition offers against similar products, and how you compare against them. Be ready to justify any higher prices you charge through your back-up services, warranties, deliveries, services, etc. This comparison will help your client make the right decision without having to do the legwork themselves.

5) If you don’t have that comparison chart already prepared, tell him you will do it for him and let him have the comparisons. If the competition win, you will tell him how your company can still offer value in other areas that will outweigh the benefits of going with the competition. If they say they don’t want you to go to that trouble, then confirm that their business means a lot to you, and you don’t mind going to the trouble of finding out. It keeps you at the top of your game and helps you with your competitor analysis.

So, the prospect saying that he’s shopping around shouldn’t be the major obstacle that many salespeople think it is.

If you do your homework properly, you will be able to help your prospect realise you offer the best possible quality and service out of all the competition, and you will save them having to do the hard work themselves. You also prove that you would be the kind of supplier that will offer great back-up and service after they start their partnership with you.

As a Sales Training Provider, we can give your employees the best knowledge and skills to better themselves in the workplace, get in touch to find out further information about Account Management Courses. Our team are here to help.

Happy Selling

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-is-your-reticular-activating-system-and-how-to-use-it-in-sales.html Fri, 19 Nov 2010 10:00:39 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=2185   There’s a universal law that states you attract what you focus on. By focusing on ways which you can be productive in sales, you tend to see things that add to that productivity. And it works the opposite way, […]

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There’s a universal law that states you attract what you focus on. By focusing on ways which you can be productive in sales, you tend to see things that add to that productivity. And it works the opposite way, too. Have you noticed that when you focus on how bad things are, more bad things seem to crop up?

This is all due to a specific part of our brain called the reticular activating system.

What Is The Reticular Activating System?

RAS for short, the reticular activating system operates to provide an awareness of what is around us, deleting things that are natural and obvious to us, and highlighting things that are different.

Have you ever played the game in your car on a journey when you look for all white cars or all red cars? When your senses and neurons are heightened to look for them you will see them all over. However, you probably would never have noticed them before.

Not so long back we won a piece of business with a national electrical distributor. I’d never heard of them before to be honest but after the name become known to me and those little neurons started to work, I saw their vans everywhere!

What does this mean in terms of you smashing your sales target?

Well, if you want to look for all the things that are bad in your sales approach and performance, believe me, you will find them. You’ll become wired that way.

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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/what-to-do-if-they-ask-for-discount.html Wed, 04 Aug 2010 09:00:13 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=1757   Although we’ve spoken in the past about avoiding the discount question, there will come a time when we have to face reality and have to discount at some point. What I’m referring to is damage control and that’s what […]

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Although we’ve spoken in the past about avoiding the discount question, there will come a time when we have to face reality and have to discount at some point.

What I’m referring to is damage control and that’s what our Sales Training focuses on because how much you give away will affect your profitability, your credibility and the perception of the product or service by the prospect.

Start by asking some questions so that your response is more strategic and less knee-jerk.

Here are some:

*  Why are they asking for a discount? This seems obvious, but it’s surprising how many salespeople start negotiating prices without ascertaining the real reason why they want a discount. There may be another way you can meet the buyer’s objective other than discounting the product. If cash-flow is an issue, for example, extending credit terms may be more valuable to the customer than a discount would be.

*  What other pressure points might the buyer be facing? If time is of the essence, price is seldom as big an issue as speed of response. If your solution is the right one for the client and your competition can’t match your quality, again price is not the key issue.

*  Will this set a precedent? Your discounted price becomes the reference point for the buyer on future purchases. Who knows whether they will see you as a pushover if you agree on this occasion?

*  How will the competition respond? It might be that the buyer goes to a competitor and quotes your price, so starting a price war. Your retaliating competition may make it even harder for you to support this customer in the future.

*  What happens to trust? Discounting tells the customer you could have charged less, but you wanted to make a bigger profit from them. Discounting confuses the pricing policy that you offer. If you cut the price on this, what about your other offerings? It can only build suspicion in the buyer’s eyes.

*  What does it do to our overall pricing strategy? It may be that you can offer discounts for certain end-of-line products, or if you’re targeting sectors that carry a lower cost-to-serve. But if it’s random, what does it do to your overall pricing plans?

*  Will this account be profitable in the long run? Or will they be more trouble than they are worth? Often, customers who hit you hard for discount don’t see the value in anything you do, and can be a right pain to service. Are they worth it? It might be more profitable to ignore their requests and look for a customer who values your services more.

*  If you’ve diagnosed the buyer’s problems before discussing price, you will have knowledge of what is more important to him than price. So, what frightens them more than the price? Is is poor quality from a cheaper competitor? Bad credit terms from another supplier? Find out if there’s something more important than price in his eyes.

Our Sales Negotiation Training will help you further in your quest to overcome the dreaded “D” word. A lot of sales people simply crumble when asked about giving a discount but if you know what to do and know how to respond you’ll soon feel a lot more comfortable in dealing with these requests and then transitioning to the close.

These thoughts will help you position the request for discount in a clearer way, and help you determine the level you offer, if you must!

Or take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post What To Do If They Ask For Discount appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-follow-up-if-you-lose-a-sale.html Mon, 04 Nov 2019 09:00:52 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=1720   There will be occasions when the prospect does not go with your solution and chooses either to do nothing or go with a competitor. Even if you have the best solution available to the client, their buying decision may […]

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There will be occasions when the prospect does not go with your solution and chooses either to do nothing or go with a competitor.

Even if you have the best solution available to the client, their buying decision may lie elsewhere, and we often can do nothing about it at that time.

And that’s the key issue here…’at that time’!

It may be that things will change in the future, so what can you do to learn from the experience and lessen the chances of it happening again? What are some questions to ask after losing the sale?

You need a robust process that will gather information, and help you prepare for a similar situation in the future. What the prospect tells you could have a big effect on your future training and development, product presentation, pricing, marketing and competitor analysis.

Instead of just forgetting the prospect and moving on, if you think or feel there may well be future opportunities with them, it’s a good idea to plan a follow-up call to identify key reasons why they made the decision that they did.

Think about what information you require from the prospect. You could contact them by phone, face to face or via email, but you want to be specific and you don’t want to waste too much of their time.

Here are some questions to ask after losing the sale:

What was the decision-making process you went through?

Hopefully, you will have found out the answer to this question during the earlier processes, but it’s a good opportunity for you to find out what the key decision-making process was that your prospect went through

What was it about the competitor’s product that made more sense for your business?

You don’t want to make this sound accusatory, but you do want to ascertain what it was about the competitor that they liked. That way, when you approach this customer again in the future, you have a chance to recalibrate your offering closer to what the prospect was looking for

Did we miss anything in our analysis of your situation?

This question elicits information that will help you in future sales and help you identify components of your sales presentation that may need sprucing up

Was price an issue?

If it was, how many times might you be missing opportunities to build your value with prospects before presenting solutions?

What was it about our competitor’s offer that you liked better?

It might have been something you could do something about in the future. Were their payment terms better? Was speed of response an issue? Or could it be that price was the main issue and you will never be able to price-match? Finding the answer will help you plan for similar situations in the future

What could we do in the future for you to consider us again?

This question gets the prospect to open up on what changes you may have to consider making for them to give you another opportunity. It may be that you don’t have a future chance with this specific prospect, but at least you had the conversation to find out.

These questions help you see why you may have lost the sale on this occasion. However, it doesn’t mean all is lost.

Find out when the product change cycle is due to come around again. If they’re leasing the product, how long is the lease? What would you have to do differently next time to win the sale? How can you keep in touch with them during the next few weeks or months while they are assessing the suitability of the choice they have made?

Remember, when you have the opportunity to contact them again in the future, it is not a cold call, as you have already built up some kind of relationship with them. You can check on the viability of their choice, how happy they are with their service provider, and find any chinks in the armour that you can possibly fix for them in the future.

By learning from every lost sale, you give yourself opportunities to build good client relationships in the future, and that can only be good for business!

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



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



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/people-buy-for-their-reasons-and-not-yours.html Thu, 11 Mar 2010 11:22:40 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=1267   One of the best one-liners I’ve ever heard in sales is this: “Always remember that people buy for their own reasons and not yours” This is so true for a number of reasons and this should be engraved on […]

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One of the best one-liners I’ve ever heard in sales is this:

“Always remember that people buy for their own reasons and not yours”

This is so true for a number of reasons and this should be engraved on your office wall!

Your products might be awesome and you’ve got key USP’s and benefits for them but if your buyers have no need or don’t want it, or don’t have the money or the authority to purchase it then you’re onto a loser.

A lot of sales people try to ram their features and benefits down the throat of their prospects without ever really understanding what they want and what their reasons are for purchasing.

You need to uncover their pain first and find out the reasons why they would want your products and services before doing anything! Their reasons come first above all else.

And don’t assume that their reasons will be the same as yours because they’re usually not!

That’s why I always like to say “Make it easy for them to buy, rather than you sell to them”

“Buying” means that they have purchased for their reasons.

“Sold to” means that you have pushed something.

Don’t get me wrong, as long as it’s in the best interests of the client then I do not have a problem with influencing and persuading to get the deal done. Buy still, they must be centred on their reasons and not yours for wanting the sale.

If you’re ever looking for some Sales Training then please check out our Sales Training Courses.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-to-use-the-columbo-sales-strategy.html Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:52:12 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=779   I remember my nan used to love Columbo. Everytime I was around her house as a youngster Peter Falk would be on solving another murder case wearing that horrible overcoat! I loved the way he used to play dumb […]

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I remember my nan used to love Columbo.

Everytime I was around her house as a youngster Peter Falk would be on solving another murder case wearing that horrible overcoat!

I loved the way he used to play dumb to get further information from his suspects and you can learn a lesson or two from him to get further information from your prospects and clients too!

Columbo was far from Dumb!

Here’s how to use the Columbo sales strategy…

Now do you remember that he’d be questionning a suspect, the suspect would give him a reply that put him in the clear and then Columbo would agree with him and start to walk away. The camera would pan to the suspects face who would have that smug “I’ve got away with it look” and then Columbo would turn around, put his hand on his head and say:

“Oh, by the way. There’s just one more thing….”

And whammo, that question would rip open the suspect and expose their alibi.

Well, you should do something similar when faced with an objection over the phone.

Listen to the end of this call:

PROSPECT:
“Like I said earlier on in the call, I’m not interested”

YOU:
“Oh ok, John. Well thank you for listening anyhow.
I hope your programme is a success (Prospect is relieved that the call is ended and then…) Oh, by the way, just out of interest, when is your contract due to end with ABC John?”

PROSPECT:
“Next August”

YOU:
“Well good luck with everything John…”

Right. Now a lot of calls would have ended after the
initial: “Like I said before, we’re not interested”
stage.

But our Columbo fan lowered the defences of the prospect by saying they were going and then came in with:

“Oh, just one more thing…”

This technique will get you a lot of information.

You have to say it in such a way that it comes across as an after-thought though and that it’s unrehearsed.

But both you and I know that it’s completely planned…..just like Columbo’s responses!

As an award winning Sales Training Provider in the UK, we offer a wide range of Sales Courses that can help you.

Happy Selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post How To Use The Columbo Sales Strategy appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/al-pacino-inspirational-speech-motivation.html https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/al-pacino-inspirational-speech-motivation.html#comments Fri, 06 Mar 2009 14:08:12 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/?p=550 You really need to watch the Inspirational Al Pacino Speech! If you ever need a little bit of motivation or inspiration, need a kick up the backside or just need to regroup and “go again” then this speech is the […]

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You really need to watch the Inspirational Al Pacino Speech!

If you ever need a little bit of motivation or inspiration, need a kick up the backside or just need to regroup and “go again” then this speech is the one for that. I’ve popped it below.

Al Pacino Sales Motivation Speech

This video is from the movie “Any Given Sunday”

Al Pacino is the coach of an American Football team and at half time they are losing, and it looks like they are going to lose big.

He then gives one of the most powerful inspirational speeches I have heard. So much so that I play it regularly when I or my sales team need a boost.

Within his speech he talks about the small things that count. It’s that one percent improvement across several different factors that when you add them all up, make a huge difference to winning the business or not.

Al Pacino says it all in the video below.

Al Pacino Inspirational Speech Debrief

How did you find the video? The team looked broken at the start of it didn’t they?

As the speech progressed you saw the team one by one become more interested and started to believe in what the coach was saying. Come the end they were all pumped up and raring to go.

What one percenters can you think of within your sales process and activity that you could improve that when added up will make a big difference?

Think about those 10 extra calls per week. That’s just 2 per day but when added up comes to over 500 additional calls per year.

If you make 1 appointment every 50 calls then that’s an additional 10 appointments across the year just from making 2 additional calls per day that take 5 minutes!

If you take those 10 appointments and your closing average is 30% then that equates to 3 additional sales per year for just 5 minutes per day.

And if the average order value is £10,000 then the 3 sales work out to £30,000. Which means for 5 minutes per day you are creating an additional £30,000 in sales per year.

And that’s just one area of improvement. Imagine you could increase your average order value by 10%? Imagine that you could increase efficiency that you could make an additional 5 calls per day?

All of these add up in a big way and that’s what Al Pacino’s sales motivation speech was all about. We’ve got several sales motivation ideas that you can use or our Sales Manager’s Guidebook will provide some ways to inspire and motivate your teams.

Please check out our Sales Manager Training if you’d like to improve your sales leadership skills further and also our generic Sales Training to help take your selling game onto the next level.

We’ve also got a useful guide on how to set sales targets that you might be interested in.

Take a look at our full portfolio of Sales Training Courses.

Happy selling

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



The post Al Pacino’s Inspirational Speech For Motivation appeared first on MTD Sales Training.

]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/al-pacino-inspirational-speech-motivation.html/feed 1 https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/communication-skills-sales-managers.html Thu, 31 Jul 2008 15:33:01 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/communication-skills-for-sales-managers.html   Sales Managers need to be able to communicate very effectively. If you’ve been in management for any length of time you will already know it doesn’t take much to cause animosity, resentment, or even real distaste with people that […]

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Sales Managers need to be able to communicate very effectively.

If you’ve been in management for any length of time you will already know it doesn’t take much to cause animosity, resentment, or even real distaste with people that you manage simply by answering a question.

I mean just by answering a question, you can cause a host of serious problems.

You must remember the old adage, “It’s not what you say, but how you say it.”

The wrong word, the wrong sales phrase or the tone you use to deliver the word can cause misunderstandings, ill feeling, and resentment, which create barriers that will cost your organisation lots of money, time, employee retention and eventually unsatisfied customers.

It is essential that you approach and communicate effectively with your salespeople.

First, keep in mind that it is extremely easy to inadvertently make people feel belittled or even stupid when you speak because of your position and experience.

When people you supervise feel that you talk “down” to them, it makes them fear talking to you or asking you questions. Then, small problems you thought you’d resolved suddenly spiral out of control, they fester and grow into major obstacles before you know it.

So how do you communicate comfortably with people without sounding like the big cheese?

Developing effective communication skills requires serious and practice. However, here’s a few tips to avoid making people feel inferior:

Listen

When someone comes to you with that question you’ve heard and answered a million times. You know! that one you know what they’re going to say before they say it question; do you tend to “cut them off” with an answer that goes something like this “I know what you’re going to say, it’s a stupid question which I’ve answered a thousand times, go away and stop wasting my time”.

BIG MISTAKE.

What you need to think about is, ‘OK, YES’, I’ve been asked this question lots of times, along with many other questions which I know the answer to before the question is even asked.
You know though, no matter how tempting it is to be abrupt and cut them off because you know you have far more important things to do, you must let them talk. Let them get it out, look them in the eye when they ask the question, yes, the question maybe one asked many times before but not by them so LISTEN—HEAR IT!

Wait

When someone comes to you with a question or situation, they feel is important, don’t be too quick to answer or provide a solution straight away, let them SPEAK and you LISTEN.

You may well have the answer on the tip off your tongue, but slow down, don’t blurt it out, you can gain a lot of respect and credibility by simply delaying the response, wait a second or two and in-between a “yes, that’s a good question”, gives you time to think about the tone and attitude you use to deliver your response.

Your response, if well thought out won’t be patronising or demeaning, instead it will make them feel valued and important and WOW they will even think they’ve asked the BOSS a question he’s had to stop and think about!

Can I get back to you?

Let’s face it though, sometimes we’re too busy to employ such tactics.

However, you don’t have to say, “I don’t have time for you now, go away.”

You can still build value and camaraderie if you accept and understand that any question is important!

You need to get across that ‘YES’ you appreciate the value of the question but to give it the attention it deserves you need more time than you have right now to deal with it.

As an example, (you don’t want to cut someone off and make them feel un-important so you might say something like;)

“Listen, Steve/Sue, I think I know what you’re getting at, and it’s a really good point, which we do need to talk about, but I need more time to figure it out. I’ve only got a few minutes now so let’s meet first thing Friday and we can give it the attention it really deserves.”

Can you help me?

You can give commands and orders all day long. However, it is often better to ask for help instead, that’s what makes a good sales manager. They are never afraid to ask.

For instance, when you must delegate tasks, especially tedious or labour-intensive ones, people can feel “dumped on”

They’re at the bottom of the pecking order, the lowest employee, so you dump the worst jobs on them.

No one wants to feel worthless and it’s never your intention to make them feel this way, so why not try a different approach, and ask for ‘HELP’ with a ‘PROJECT’ it humanises you, ‘My BOSS needs my help’ is much better than “My BOSS is dumping those CRM reports on me again”

Why not try something more like this:

“Ann, I really need your help… You know those outstanding CRM reports for the new starters? I’m way behind with them and they need to know how well they are performing. Could you help me with them please and get them back into shape? I’d really appreciate it”

People respond when asked to ‘HELP’ instead of being ‘TOLD’

Ineffective communication is like a cancer, if it isn’t detected early, it will grow and spread quickly throughout your organisation; directly and indirectly it will cost your company precious time and a lot of money.

Effective Communication is a process, and an ‘Effective communication skills will increase productivity, bring down costs, thereby enhancing your bottom line!

If you’d like to improve your communication skills further, then please check out our Sales Management Training open course. It will equip you with and arsenal soft skills approaches and techniques.

Alternatively, check out our generic Sales Training to help take your selling game onto the next level.

Here at MTD Training we offer a wider range of Sales Training Courses, take a look to decide what’s best for you.

Happy communicating!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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]]> https://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/how-does-sales-commission-work-telesales.html Sun, 30 Mar 2008 10:38:28 +0000 http://www.mtdsalestraining.com/mtdblog/sales-commission-tactics.html   Have you ever wondered… ‘how does commission work in sales?’. I received a great question from a sales manager about sales commission. They are in charge of the sales operation for a B2B engineering firm, and he was dipping […]

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Have you ever wondered… ‘how does commission work in sales?’.

I received a great question from a sales manager about sales commission. They are in charge of the sales operation for a B2B engineering firm, and he was dipping their toe into employing some telesales staff to set appointments for their field sales teams.

The question:

“Sean, how do I set the commission levels for my telesales people? I’d like to offer them a % when a deal is completed, and the money is in the bank i.e they do not get paid by appointment but instead they get a % of sales revenue made from the deal if it is made from the field sales rep. Is this the best way to go around this? Look forward to your guidance as always”


 

Sales Commission Structure For Telesales

My take on this comes from me being on all sides of the fence; a professional telemarketing executive setting appointments for someone else; an outside salesperson running appointments set by someone else and as a sales manager and owner who had to pay the commissions and costs all the way around.

Also, as a telemarketing services company where all we did was set appointments for other companies.

Here is my take on this:

As a professional telephone salesperson responsible to set appointments only, I would never, ever have my commission rely on closed sales or receipts from someone else. And as an owner-manager, I also found that to be the thing to avoid.

At first glance it looks like the most logical and cost-effective thing to do; but it is a mirage. I know it looks like that if you pay the telesales appointment setter out of closed sales and actual income, that you can’t lose, but it is the reverse. And most people start out their telemarketing commission structure with this thinking.

Let me try to give you a couple of the problems with this set up, from an owner/manager view:

First, when the telesales rep (TSR) knows that their real income depends on the direct salesperson (DSR), it causes a ton of problems.

1. First the TSR has no feeling of control over their destiny and income. This is one of the core principles we teach in our Sales Training Courses, that you are in control and that you work via science, not luck. But if your income depends largely on someone else, it kills the whole concept.

2. Whenever the DSR misses sales that the TSR thought should have closed, a natural resentment and animosity develops. There will be times when the person on the phone sounds like a pure lay down, just waiting for the DSR to get there. The TSR is so excited, they mentally spend the commissions. The DSR does not close the sale.

There is a big problem, and this will happen every day. You and I know that what a prospect sounds like on the telephone really means nothing. With that in mind the reverse situation also causes problems.

3. The TSR does not do what we teach and tries one of the biggest mistakes in setting appointments: They will try to make the sale instead of just setting the appointment. Because their income is based on the sale, then the TSR has to think about that sale and will begin to make judgements about what prospects will buy and who will not. This creates two real serious, even detrimental problems:

a. The TSR, without the knowledge or experience of the DSR, lets tons of qualified prospects the slip away, because they don’t think the person will buy. The prospect did not SOUND good enough, so the TSR let it go. You will lose tons of money in lost opportunities that you could have closed.

b. Even those they go after strongly; they lose most of because they are trying to make the sale instead of selling the appointment only. The commission structure forces them to think that way.

4. The TSRs will begin to want to know what DSR will run their appointments. They will want to set appointments for the “best closer” for instance, and not someone else.

5. When the TSR is also paid on receipts, their fate also now lies in the hands of the firm’s billing and invoicing practices, collections, delivery systems and everything else. They MUST feel that although they are the ones who do the most important thing: get the prospect to agree to listen to your story, they get paid last and least.

There are a host of other serious problems with that system, but once you begin to think on these lines, you’ll see what they are yourself.

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Ideas For Sales Commission

So, what do you do?

You want the TSR to do one thing only: Sell the appointment and pay them on qualified appointments that consummate only. Their job is to set a solid appointment with qualified prospects and that is what they get paid to do. Too many salespeople start their phone calls with completely the wrong mindset.

Now, you must “define” exactly what constitutes a “qualified appointment,” such as the true decision maker must be present, they must have one hour for a presentation, the company must have X number of employees, whatever.

But you do not want any qualifying issues that force the TSR to have to make a judgment call. Once the DSR walks in and shakes hands with the qualified decision maker – that’s it – the TSR gets paid.

Ok, so how do you do this without losing your shirt or putting up too much money in advance?

You want to calculate the “value” of a qualified appointment and pay the TSR a commission based on that. If you have not been out in the field closing like this, you will need to make some hypothesis, but I’m sure you can get close.

For example, if you figure that your field sales teams will close 20% (and you can start with low estimates) and that the average new customer will generate £5,000 on an initial contract, then you know that if you run 10 appointments, you will close 2 and bring in £10,000.

So, the average appointment brings in £1,000.

Hence the “SALE” that the TSR makes brings in £1,000. I now pay a commission on that £1,000 sale, which could be 10% or £100 (or whatever) per every good appointment set/consummated.

You can also figure in any salary, taking into consideration the anticipated closing rate of the TSR. In other words, if you think the TSR will set 10 in a month for a total of £10,000 and you already pay £1,500 a month in salary, you can adjust the commission to say £50 per appointment.

For additional incentives and bonuses, you want to direct the TSR toward more effective targeting: i.e., more appointments with targeted companies, or more set appointments in the same area within the same week, or appointments with companies who have over 50 people, etc.
Other bonuses might include paying them a bonus on the amount of qualified decision makers they get to do something else besides set an appointment; something that moves the prospect closer or at least keeps them in the fold.

For instance, perhaps they can get the prospect to open an account on the website or agree to have some of their salespeople take a “sample” assessment test online or agree to a newsletter or something else.

I know this may look like it is risky at first glance, but please believe the other way around is far worst.

When you set up a system where the telemarketing executive gets paid only for what they are responsible for then everything we teach comes true.

You get a TSR who is proud and confident and professional and who knows how to concentrate on just getting you and your people in front of the right people the right time. They sell the appointment only and not the service on the phone and hence they set a hundred times MORE appointments.

I did this so effectively with my company that I was able to guarantee to my clients the quality of the appointments we set for them.
When other telemarketing firms where charging by the hour, regardless of the number of appointments they set or the quality of those appointments, I was charging by the appointment and only those appointments that consummated.

The client paid only for the number of appointments they received and if any of those were not qualified as per our contract or if any no-showed, there was no charge!

I hope that was useful. Our Sales Training Provider will provide you with plenty of cold calling tips and you will learn how to overcome the I’m not interested objection so you can make more sales commission.

Happy selling!

Sean



Sean McPheat
Managing Director
MTD Sales Training



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