Author: mike

Four Proven Responses to: “We’re all set”

by mike
overcome sales objection. sales scripts,

Many sales reps still have trouble handling the initial resistance statement: “We’re all set,” or “We already have a dealer/supplier/vendor for that.”

If you struggle, too, then you’ll love the proven response below. Adapt them to your style and product or service, and start getting past this common objection.

“We’re all set”

Response One:

“That’s great, and I’d just like to see if we could get on your vendor list for the next time you’re in the market. Let me ask you…”

Now get into your qualifying questions…

Response Two:

“Most companies I speak with are ‘all set’ and that’s why I’m reaching out to you now—I want to give you an option for the next time you’re in need of this. Let me ask you…”

Back to qualifying…

Response Three:

“I understand—I didn’t expect to catch you in the market right now. Instead, let me get an idea of your perfect profile, and then I’ll send you some information you can keep on file next time you need this…”

Now re-engage by asking a qualifying question.

Response Four:

“Got it.  Let me ask you: the next time you are in need of this, are you the right person to speak to about it?”

If yes, then qualify them for that next time – especially asking about time frame, budget, etc.

As with all selling situations, it’s easy to handle objections and stalls if you’re prepared with a good response.

Need More Proven Responses to the Selling Situations You Face Every Day?

ON DEMAND SALES TRAINING THAT GETS RESULTS!

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then get instant access to our On Demand training today. We provide the exact talk tracks, templates, and proven tools your team will be motivated to apply, all structured around an award winning comprehensive inside sales approach that gives your team the confidence to succeed in every selling situation they face today.

Unlimited License: One to 100 reps can attend for one low price!

Perfect for reps dealing with the following issues:

  • Reps struggling with call reluctance
  • Getting screened out by the gatekeeper
  • Overcoming blow off objections like, “Just email me something”
  • Identifying decision makers
  • Qualifying prospects
  • Setting call back appointments that stick
  • Giving successful presentations and dealing with objections
  • Staying motivated
Get Access Today

Gatekeepers: Six Things NOT to Do

by mike
gatekeepers what not to do, prospecting, sales tips,

If you’re getting screened out by gatekeepers, then chances are you’re probably causing that screening. Before we get into the things you may be doing to cause them to begin interrogating you, let’s quickly define some terms.

First, not all gatekeepers are the same. About 30% of the gatekeepers you get are closer to being assistants, or office managers, or influencers. The other 70% are straight receptionists or operators. With both groups, you shouldn’t do any of the six things you’re going to learn today, but adjustments will need to be made in the kind—and amount—of information you give (to the 30% group).

That said, we’re going to concentrate on the 70% of the gatekeepers you get, and I bet you would love to learn what not to do to antagonize or encourage that 70% to screen you out.

Key Point: The vast majority of receptionists and operators would prefer not to screen you or interrogate you. Their job isn’t to “vet” you, but rather, it’s to find out your name, company name, and a brief reason why you’re calling. They need this complete info to give to the person you’re trying to reach.

Failure to give this complete info—coupled with not being polite and not using instructional statements—is what triggers the screening you get now.

The first step to getting put through to decision makers is to make the receptionist’s job easy. And that means you need to stop doing some (or all) of the six things you’re about to learn next.

Each of these six points just cause the gatekeeper to begin interrogating you, so if you stop doing these things, you’ll have a much better chance at being put through—without screening! As you read these, ask yourself which of them (or most of them!) you’re doing now and adjust your approach accordingly. You’ll be amazed by how much easier it will be to get through:

#1: Only giving your name when asked who is calling (and not giving your company name). If you only give your name, the natural thing the gatekeeper is thinking is, “And from what company??”

Making the gatekeeper ask you what company you’re from immediately triggers her/him to begin screening you. And why would you want that?

#2: Pausing after giving any information (like your name or company name, or even the reason for the call). As soon as you stop or pause without giving an instructional statement, you’re handing control over to the gatekeeper. And guess what? She will begin interrogating you!

#3: Pitching the gatekeeper. With the other 30%, a little bit of info must be given, but with receptionists, the moment you start pitching, that’s the moment you raise a big Red Flag that says, “I’m a salesperson!” As that point, they will begin to screen you out…

#4: Just giving your first name (and then pausing). Every gatekeeper knows this trick, and nothing will get them interrogating you faster than this.

#5: Being pushy or rude. Some sales people think that if they just bully their way in, the gatekeeper will step aside and let them through. Yeah, right. How’s that going for you? Truth is, being courteous and polite will get you much further than almost anything, and you’d do well to get on their good side—right away.

#6: Opening your call with, “Hi, how are you?” This puts gatekeepers (and everyone else) on the immediate defensive because they don’t know who you are! And it also triggers them to begin screening you because it telegraphs that you are a salesperson. By the way, it’s especially annoying when you greet the decision maker this way as well.

So, how many of these mistakes are you making every day? The more mistakes you’re making, the more you’re getting screened out.

If you’d like to know exactly what you could be doing and saying, then you can view a special (short) webinar I put together to teach you, word-for-word, what you should be doing instead.

Once you watch that, and begin using the scripts and technique in it, you’ll immediately begin breezing past gatekeepers 70% of the time. And I know that will make your life easier and improve your results!

So watch the video today.

Qualifying: Why Timeline is So Important

by mike

Want to know how qualified a prospect is? Then simply make sure you get a definitive answer to their timeline for purchasing or implementing your product or solution.

There are several ways to ask for this. Here are a few of my favorites:

“Again, thanks for reaching out to us and I’ll definitely get you more information on this. Question: What does your review process look like? In other words, after you go through everything, if you thought we were the best fit for you, what would be an approximate start date for you?”

OR

“Great! I’ve got us on the calendar for next (confirm day and time). One more thing: If after the demo you like what you see, when would you want to get this implemented?”

OR

“Great! I’ve got us on the calendar for next (confirm day and time). One more thing: If after the demo you like what you see, would you be in a position to go ahead and schedule an install date?”

AND

“I understand there are several layers to getting this approved, but let me ask you: If you feel that we are the best overall solution, what would be the soonest that you personally would like to get this going?”

AND

“__________, sounds like this would be a good fit for you. Let me ask you: If everything checks out next week, is there anything that would prevent us from moving forward with this in the next two weeks?”

The power of understanding timeline is that it gives you insight into how much urgency there is on the part of your prospect. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got the best solution in the world. If there are steps or processes or other decision makers on their end (or competition they are evaluating), then these are the real roadblocks that will stall your deal.

And the way to find out is to qualify for timeline.

Any of these scripts will help you do that, so copy them down, put them in your own language, and begin qualifying for this most important of all “tells.”

The sooner you understand their timing, the sooner you’ll know how to drive the sale.

Why Phone Scripts Make You Better

by mike

To script or not to script? That is the question…

Whether you believe in scripts or not, you & your team are using one right now. Don’t believe me? Record what they say in a week, transcribe it out, and what will you be handing back to them? A script!

The right phone scripts make you better, and here’s how to improve yours today:

Overcome ALL Objections with This ONE Question

by mike

Want to know a secret about objections? There are really only two types:

  1. Real concerns that need to be addressed, and, once you do, you can then close on, and,
  2. Smokescreen objections hiding something else (like the real reason your prospect isn’t buying).

Now here’s the trouble for many sales reps and teams: The most frequent objections they get are smokescreens and yet they try to overcome them as if they were real objections.

And that never works.

So, the question is: How do you know if you’re dealing with a real objection (one you can actually deal with and have a chance of overcoming), versus a smokescreen objection that you will never be able to overcome? (Unless you find out what is hiding behind it.)

And that’s easy if you use the technique you’ll see in today’s article. Before you read it though, let me quickly remind you what a smokescreen is: It’s when your prospect gives you an objection, like price, when in fact, there is something else holding them back (like they aren’t sold on your solution, or their partner isn’t sold, or they are looking at other options, etc.).

So, the smokescreen is really just a dodge hiding the real objection.

The first step to dealing with a smokescreen is to first figure out that is that you’re dealing with one!

So here is your technique:

Whenever you get an objection—no matter what it is—always say:

“And in addition to that, what else is holding you back today?”

That’s it! Simplicity is always best, and what this technique does is isolate the objection….

Any other answer than, “Nothing really,” means that the objection they just gave was indeed just a smokescreen. And you’ve got to now dig deeper to find out what is really holding them back.

If, however, they say “Nothing,” then you need to have a few proven closes ready to deal with and overcome the objection and “sell” them on your solution.

As with all our techniques, don’t take our word for how effective this is—use it and see for yourself how much further into the sale you get.

If you’d like more tips like these, then visit our blog page.

If someone sent this article to you, then consider subscribing to our blog to get more tips like these.

Happy selling!

Just Email Me Something….

by mike

What do you say when you get this objection while prospecting?

If you’re like many sales reps, you accept this stall and become a willing participant in the follow up drama that ensues. And you know how frustrating that is.

Let’s face it: This blow off is just a variation that prospects have been using for years. It used to be: “Can you send me something in the mail?” or “Just send me a brochure,” etc. Then email started and guess what? A new stall was born.

So, what’s the best way of handling it? The first thing you want to do is find out whether it is a blow off (80% of the time it is), or whether your prospect is truly interested in what you have and wants to know just a little bit more before they speak with you.

There is an easy way to find out.

All you have to do is have an email already prepared while you’re prospecting. If someone tells you to email them something, simply ask them what their email address is and the send it! Right then!

Simply say:

“Okay, I’ve just sent it to you. Let me know when it pops up, and I’ll show you a couple of links you’ll want to explore later.

“Meantime let me ask you…”

And then ask a qualifying question. The point here is whether or not your prospect will:

1) Give you the time to speak further with them. (If not, they weren’t going to open your email anyway, and if they will, then you know there is a legitimate chance they are interested.)
2) Actually open the email. (This tells you how cooperative your prospect is, and so how cooperative they will be throughout the sales cycle.)
3) Blow you off with another objection. (This is actually great because it tells you that you won’t need to follow up on the email—they aren’t buying!)
4) Allow you to set a definite follow up appointment. (Which is what you want.)

Any of these responses will get you a lot further—and give you the intel you need as to how to pursue this lead—than sending an email after you hang up and then putting this prospect into your follow up queue.

Try it this week, and watch your leads get more qualified as you put less “wood” into your pipeline. And then watch as more deals roll out of it!

How to Successfully Deal with the Gatekeeper

by mike

Many sales reps don’t know how to deal successfully with the gatekeeper. If things like: “Will he know what this call is regarding?” keep you up at night, then you need to watch this video and use the proven techniques in it.

And if you’re a sales manager, you need to send this out to all of the reps on your team!

Entrepreneurs: 3 Best Practices for Building an Inside Sales Team

by mike

If you’re an entrepreneur or small business owner and you want to sell your product or service over the phone successfully, then there are 3 things you need to know before you begin. Watch this short video, and I’ll tell you exactly what they are:

Avoid these 3 Mistakes when Dealing with the Gatekeeper

by mike

Are you still getting screened out by the gatekeeper?

Are you still getting interrogated with questions like:

“Will he know what this call is about?”

“Is she expecting your call?”

If you are, then chances are you’re still making one of three fundamental mistakes listed below. In fact, just last week I was reviewing a client’s sales team’s calls, and I repeatedly heard many of the reps making these common mistakes.

And unfortunately, these mistakes lead directly to the kind of screening questions you see above.

The good news is that you can avoid all this by simply not doing what you’re going to read below. So, let’s dive in:

1) When the gatekeeper asks who is calling, don’t just give your name, and especially don’t just give your first name (hoping that the gatekeeper will think the decision maker knows you!).

Just giving your name and then stopping invites the gatekeeper to keep screening you. In fact, when you just give your name and pause, it telegraphs to the gatekeeper that you are a sales rep and that you should be screened out. And they proceed to do that.

2) Never answer a question (like “What company are you with?”) without giving an instructional statement. This is huge. Many sales reps answer the gatekeeper’s question and they just remain silent….

This again triggers the gatekeeper to ask you more questions, which then annoys them, and they figure that putting someone as annoying as you through will only get them into trouble. So—they screen you out instead.

3) Use some manners. Again, it’s amazing how rude some sales reps can be. They barely explain who they are, or what company they’re with (see #2), and they rarely are polite. And guess what? You get what you give. If you are rude or not kind with the gatekeeper, you’ll get that exact attitude back—and then some!

Little words like “please” and Thank you” go a long way when dealing with anyone—especially the gatekeeper.

Avoid these three blunders when dealing with the gatekeeper, and you’ll go a lot further in getting through to your prospect.

For more scripts and techniques on how to deal effectively with the gatekeeper, click here.