Sales Training Tip #200: 3-Step Sales Process

I'm always amazed at how people want to complicate the sales process. This past week I was asked by a new sales person what it takes and I replied:

1. Uncover pain
2. Evoke confidence
3. Close the sale

It's that simple. Ask questions that get the customer to reveal their pain. At the same time, ensure that the customer gains confidence that you can help alleviate that pain. Once you have done these two things, it becomes very simple to close the sale.

Nothing complex here at all. The challenge is in taking the time to develop the right questions that will help the customer see and feel their pain.

Sales Training Tip #198: Know Your MLB

You may not follow Major League Baseball, but many of your customers and prospects do. At this time of year, make sure to stay up on who's in the playoff hunt. You don't want to get cut short by not knowing that your customer's favorite team is close to winning their division.

Sales Training Tip #197: Referrals Go Both Ways

Go out of your way to refer some of your best customers to people you know. Better yet, get in the habit of making at least one referral each week. Your customers will appreciate the support!

Sales Training Tip #196: Using Time To Your Advantage

Time is the greatest negotiating tool. When giving a proposal, state half of the time you had planned to offer. For example, by offering one week instead of two, it increases the sense of urgency.

Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

A Question Recently Posed to "The Sales Hunter"

"How can I create a sense of urgency and need for my product?”

Your best way to create a sense of need is by tying the element of time to it. You can do this in a couple of ways. First, offer an incentive to buy now. Don't lower your price, but offer an additional something if they chose to buy now. Second, create a sense of lost benefit if the person does not buy now from you. Ask them what they expect to get from buying from you so they will begin to acknowledge the pain they have. When they do, you can then begin to draw it out more by asking them more questions about it. The whole idea is to allow them to see how their pain will go away and they will be much better off if they buy from you now. Build on this further by helping them realize that if they don't buy from you now, their own personal cost will be higher since they'll have to live with the pain for even longer.

Contact Mark Hunter, The Sales Hunter for your next Conference or Sales Meeting. To see and hear Mark Hunter now visit www.TheSalesHunter.com

Professional Selling Skills Training: Selling Tips Being Put to Use

Each week, I send out a sales tip to help people develop their selling skills and, in turn, I regularly receive emails back from people with their comments on how they're using them. Below is the response I received from a reader in the DFW area. He's done a great job of not just reading the tips, but putting them to use. Special thanks to Bob Lazenby of the Legacy Realty Group for these. Here's just some of what Bob sent me:

"QUESTION or THOUGHT IN A PROSPECT'S MIND: What Makes You Different? In two sentences, can you explicitly define what makes you different from your competition? Great salespeople can!

RESPONSE (TWO SENTENCES): We show clients how to reduce facilities costs by as much as 20% - 30% or more! Would you like to know how we do that?

IF PROSPECT SAYS YES… “Give me a couple of times THIS WEEK or NEXT that we can MEET and I’LL SHOW YOU

AT the MEETING: Theme is… Proactive vs Reactive

OPENING STATEMENT:
Those that have TIME on their side get the BEST DEALS
· PROACTIVE approach;
· In almost all cases they meet or exceed their financial EXPECTATIONS.
Unfortunately, the vast majority of companies address their facility needs on a REACTIVE basis;
· They seldom meet their financial EXPECTATIONS
· Often ends up as a financial disaster. "

Bob has sent me even more examples and I want to thank him for doing so.

A giant plug for Bob and the Legacy Realty Group in the DFW area: If you're looking for commercial property, give Bob a call....www.LegacyRealtyGroup.com.

Thanks, Bob, and all the best to you and your entire team!!