For those sales reps and sales managers who are overburdened (who isn’t these days) being asked to do more with less, looking for short cuts to increase sales, and who are under pressure to produce instant results here is my short sales training course for salespeople. It is not as effective or as comprehensive as profession sales training, but hey, it’s better than the sales training most sellers are receiving these days.
Be Real and Authentic. Quit trying to act like a sales person – whatever that is. Prospects want real human beings not some robotic horrible actor who is trying to play a part they have not been trained to do.
Quit Trying To Sell Anybody Anything. Start trying to help people solve problems. Most salespeople don’t give a rat’s ass about prospects. All they care about is how much commission they can extract. Buyers aren’t stupid and they can smell insincerity from a mile away. Take your eye off of your needs and genuinely focus on the prospect’s needs. It isn’t about you and never has been so get over it.
Don’t Sell Them Something They Don’t Need. Your manager won’t like this, but only sell people what will actually solve their problem. If they are unwilling to buy what will work and insist on buying something that won’t work have the guts to walk away. If you don’t they will blame you when it doesn’t work.
Shut Up! Ask Questions and Then Listen. Buyers don’t care about you, your company, the management team, how long your company has been in business or anything else for that matter. They only care about the one thing all human beings care about – THEMSELVES. The only thing that should come out of your mouth on a sales call are good questions that lead the buyer to discover for themselves what their problems are and how you can help solve those problems. Selling is about asking not telling.
E-Mail Is Not A Sales Tool. It is a communication tool that should be used with someone that you have established a relationship with. It does not and should NEVER replace face to face meetings. Quit being lazy.
Quit Cutting Price To Make A Sale. Spend more time looking for buyers who are more interested in value and better service than cheap price. If all of your buyers are low price shoppers –well Bubba you pick who you call on. The question you should ask all buyers is, “If I can fix X for you and make that disappear how much is it worth to you not to have that problem anymore?” This question focuses the discussion where it should be – on how much the problem costs not on how much your products and/or services cost.
Don’t Quit. In the words on Winston Churchill, “Never give up. Never give up. Never give up. That doesn’t mean chasing people endlessly but it does mean to follow up because a “no” today doesn’t mean “no” forever. Buyer’s situations change and you want to make sure you are there when they do.
Don’t Answer Objections. It’s stupid. The only person who can answer an objection is the one who brought it up. If you take the bait and try to answer the objection you will inevitably get into a pissing contest that may well end up in an argument.
Are You Selling or Are You Buying? On every sales call a sale is made. Either you sell them on giving you money for your product or service or they sell you on why they are not willing to do so. The best sales person always makes the sale. Unfortunately, most of the time it is the prospect who is the better sales person.
Be Outrageous. Be different and stand out. One of the biggest mistakes a sales person can make is to be boring and flaccid. Stand up straight, look people in the eye and show them by your actions – not words – that you think your stuff doesn’t stink. No one wants to do business with a wimp.