Category: Phone Sales

How to Sell A Pencil—Or Any Product or Service

by mike

NOTE: While this article talks about using this technique as an interview question to determine what kind of sales rep you’re about to hire, it’s also a great technique for managers to use to diagnose what is wrong with reps who may not be hitting quote consistently. Simply call your reps in, one by one, and ask them:

“If I gave you a pencil and asked you to sell it, how would you go about it?”

This is one of the most basic of interview questions I use for prospective sales reps, and the answer reveals so much about their previous training, their understanding of the sales process, and ultimately about what kind of sales rep they are going to be.

So, what is the most effective way to sell a pencil? 

Let’s first look at how most sales reps go about doing it. When I’m interviewing sales reps, this is my favorite question. After letting a rep tell me how good of a closer they are, I pull out a pencil, hand it to them, and tell them to sell it to me. And off they go…

80% of sales reps start the same way – they start pitching. “This pencil is brand new, never used.  It has grade “2” lead and a bright yellow color so it’s easy to find. It comes with a built-in eraser,” etc.

Some reps can (and do!) talk about it for 5 minutes or more before they ask a question or ask for an order (more rare). As the sales rep rambles on, I begin to yawn, roll my eyes, etc. Amazingly, this just makes them talk even more!

“What’s wrong with these people?” I think.

Now let’s look at how the Top 20% go about selling a pencil. As soon as I give a top rep the pencil, they pause, and then they begin asking me questions:

“So how often do you use pencils?”

“How many do you go through in a month?”

“What other locations does your company have that use pencils, and how often do they order them?”

“What quantity do you usually order them in?”

“Where are you getting them from now?”

“Besides yourself, who’s involved in the buying decision?”

Quite a difference, isn’t it? I’ll tell you right now, I listen to hundreds of sales reps in a month, and they can easily be separated into these two groups: Those who pitch, pitch, pitch, and those who take the time to understand their prospect’s buying motives and properly qualify to understand the entire selling process. 

Now let’s see which category you fit in. When you speak with a prospect for the first time, how much of your script is focused on describing and pitching your product or service as opposed to questioning and uncovering buying motives?

If yours is like most scripts I review, then it’s filled with descriptions of what you do and how your product or service helps people. Most scripts attack the prospect with a barrage of “value statements” that turn people off and make them want to get you off the phone as quickly as possible. 

Want a better way? Then take a tip from some of the best “pencil sales reps,” and change your script and your opening so it focuses more on questioning and qualifying. Seek to discover whether or not you are actually speaking with someone who is a good fit for what you offer.

Without knowing this, you will just end up with a lot of frustration and a lot of unsold pencils at the end of the month.

If you found this article helpful, then you’ll love my Completely Updated and Revised eBook, “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.” Now over 130 pages of powerful and effective scripts to help you easily get past the gatekeeper, set appointments, overcome objections and close more money!

Visit Here to find out why Jeffrey Gitomer, Brian Tracy, Tom Hopkins and many others recommend my eBook of Phone Scripts!

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

4 Proven Ways to Get Better in 2023

by mike

Want to make 2023 your best year ever?

I guarantee that if you just take time to follow the four steps below, you’ll make more money this year than you ever have.

Guaranteed.

Step One: Take time to carefully script out word-for-word rebuttals to the common objections you get repeatedly. You know you should do this, but have you?

If not, do it this week!

Step Two:  Memorize your best practice responses.

Don Shula – the famous Miami Dolphin coach – once said that his players practiced, drilled and rehearsed their plays and techniques over and over again so they could internalize them and act automatically when they needed to. 

He said that football moves so fast that: “If you get into a situation and have to think about what to do next, it’s already too late.” 

Question: Can you honestly answer each objection you get with a best practice response (that works)?

If not, then record your responses onto your smart phone, and listen to them 30 to 50 times. 

Step Three: Record your calls.

You’ve heard this advice before, but are you following it?

If not, make a commitment and do it. Today.

Step Four: Be prepared to revise your rebuttals as needed. When listening to your calls, find ways to improve.

Can a rebuttal be shortened? Can you deliver it with a bit more energy? Or less energy? 

Never stop learning, critiquing and getting better. When you stop learning, you stop earning. The top professionals in any industry are always adapting, always learning, and always improving. 

You need to as well.

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

2 Great New Year’s Questions for Your Clients

by mike

Welcome back to the office, how do you feel? Overwhelmed? Under pressure already? 

If so, then you’re not alone. Most companies are under immediate pressure already to begin accomplishing their new goals and sales targets. In fact, this is also felt in the accounting department, the marketing department, and everywhere else. You can probably feel it in your company, too.

As you speak with your clients and prospects this week, realize that they are all feeling the same stress as well. While this may seem like a bad thing, it actually presents a great opening for you. 

Here’s how I handle the companies and contacts I speak with this month: after talking briefly about the holidays and new year’s celebration, I always start with question number one –

“So ________, what are the top 3 initiatives for your department this year?” Then I hit mute and take notes. 

If they need a little help here, I use layering questions like:

“And what was your revenue like last year?”  Or

“What percentage increase are you asked to produce this year?”  Or

“What are you doing differently to accomplish this?”

“What do you think is most needed for you to succeed at that?”

After I’ve listened and asked layering questions and taken notes on the three initiatives, I ask the second question –

“And how can I help you accomplish that?”

Once again, I hit the mute button and take notes. If I get an, “Ah, I don’t know,” then I once again use layering questions like:

“Have you heard of my new On Demand Inside Selling Skills Training?” Or I ask a good assumptive question like:

“How much of a budget do you have per quarter for sales training?” And,

“How big of a role do you think increased sales training is going to play?” Or,

“If you could wave a magic wand and get three resources to help you accomplish your goals, what would they be?”

Now I’m sure you can come up with your own questions here, but you get the idea. 

The point is to ask questions and LISTEN to your prospect’s needs. Remember, your clients and prospects have all the information you need to make a sale, and they will almost always tell you IF YOU ASK QUESTIONS AND LISTEN TO THEIR RESPONSES.

So, write up your questions, call your prospects, and listen to how best to serve and sell them!

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

A Christmas Gift for You

by mike

Happy Holidays everyone!

While you’re all on the final push to make your year-end numbers (or December quotas), and while you’re all getting ready for the holidays—getting gifts for family members and arranging travel and holiday parties, etc.—I thought I’d give you, my readers, a gift:

Click Here to download a sample chapter from my bestselling book, Power Phone Scripts, on “Better, Smarter Prospecting Techniques That Really Work!”

Every tip you learn at selling over the phone better will put additional dollars into your pocket. And now, at the end of the year, we need all the dollars we can get!

Also, if you like the sample, then why not give yourself the gift that will keep on giving this year: Why not pick up a copy of this book, and over 500 word-for-word scripts, to help you make more money in 2023!

Everyone here at Mr. Inside Sales wishes you and yours a warm, healthy, and happy holiday season. Please note that we will be taking the next two weeks off, so your next issue of this blog will arrive to you on January 3, 2023.

Have a great holiday season!!

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

Ten Responses to “We’re All Set.”

by mike

Tired of getting blown off with the objection: “We’re all set,” when prospecting?

Or maybe you get one of these variations of the “We are all set” objection like:

“We are okay with our present system.”

OR

“We’ve already got a company that handles that.”

OR

“We’re fine for right now.”

The key to handling this objection is NOT to try to overcome it, rather you simply want to bypass it and attempt to engage and qualify. 

With that in mind, here’s how you handle the “We’re all set” blow off or/and any of its variations:

“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 ask an engaging qualifying question….

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…”

Again, as an engaging qualifying question….

Response Three:

“No problem. Let me ask you: the next time you’re in need of this, what’s number one on your wish list?”

Response Four:

“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 Five:

“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 timeframe, budget, etc.

Response Six:

“Understand, and let me ask you: When is your next buying season for this?”

Then keep the conversation going by asking an additional qualifying question.

Response Seven:

“That’s fine; I totally understand. And let me ask you—the next time you are in the market for this, how many companies are you going to reach out to?” 

And then ask how you can become one of them, what their budget is, who the decision makers are, etc.

Response Eight:

“No problem. What you might find helpful is to know about our special pricing and the additional services we provide. Did you know that…?”

Then pitch one or two things you do that others don’t—and use a tie down!

Response Nine:

“I’m glad you said that. What I’ve found is that those companies who are already using a vendor for this are surprised to learn that….”

Give them a shocking statement about how you’ve just been rated number one, or that you give free delivery, etc., something that will peak their interest…

Response Ten:

“No problem. Could I be the “next in line” company you call the next time you’re in the market for this?”

If yes,

“Great, let me get your email and send you my info…”

Then:

“And just out of curiosity, what would have to change for you to even begin looking at someone else?”


Look for an in here…

If you found these rebuttals helpful, then give yourself the best holiday gift you’ll ever get this year: over 500 more word-for-word rebuttals for all the objections you face each and every day!

Power Phone Scripts is the number one, best selling book of phone scripts in the world! Gift yourself—and your team—a copy of this powerful book, and watch your confidence and results soar in 2023!

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

Early Black Friday Sale

by mike
5CD Sale

Want to save money on TWO of my bestselling products this Black Friday?

I’m having my best Sale EVER!

Now you can get my best-selling audio program: “Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone” AND my most popular e-book of phone scripts: “The Complete Book of Phone Scripts” for one low price: Just $79!

Click Here to see the MP3 Audio program.

Click Here to see The Complete Book of Phone Scripts.

Ready to sell more and make more money? Then click the link below to get this proven sales material NOW:

Click this “Special Link” to make a purchase.

These products are packed with instant techniques, scripts, and proven ways to overcome everything that is frustrating you now. Including:

·      How to effectively deal with the gatekeeper

·      How to qualify properly so you can stop wasting time with shoppers

·      How to easily handle the objections that baffle you now

·      How to double (Yes, I mean DOUBLE) your sales in 90 days

This powerful 5-CD audio program narrated by me personally, is already on sale for $99 (from $249) and the stand-alone Complete Book of Phone Scripts is $49.

But now, during this early Black Friday Special, you can grab BOTH products for just $79—save $219 on the retail price!!

Plus, you’ll receive them instantly! (MP3 Audio Program only).

Buy today, learn tonight, make more money tomorrow!

So, stop struggling and start selling like a pro.

Click this “Special Link” to make a purchase.

Note: This sale begins now through Tuesday, November 29th, Midnight. 

Invest in yourself today!

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

Need Help Finding Good Inside Sales Reps?

by mike

Finding and hiring good inside sales reps has always been a challenge, and it’s gotten even tougher since the pandemic. The entire work landscape has changed, and working remotely has made it harder on both companies and individual producers.

Recruiters, HR departments, and sales managers are working harder than ever, and they all ask me the same thing: “Where has everyone gone?”

If you or your company is in need of sourcing and hiring quality talent for your inside sales department, then I’d like to share a resource with you.

For that last eight years, I’ve worked exclusively with an inside sales recruiter that I think is the best in the business. He and his company take the time to understand my clients needs, build specific profiles, consult on salary requirements per each part of the country, and they conduct an exhaustive interview before they ever suggest a candidate. They know the kind of talent I’m looking for, and they always deliver.

They consistently find solid and profitable inside sales producers—even in today’s landscape.

My clients have set their budgets for 2023, and they need the sales force to accomplish those numbers. How about your company?

If you are struggling to find the right talent in these difficult and changing times, then email me, and, if you’re an appropriate fit, I will be happy to introduce you to my hiring resource. Email me here: Mike@mrinsidesales.com

In your email, please let me know what your company sells, what kind of reps you’re looking for (remote or inhouse, what part of the country, how many, etc.), and we’ll either have a brief conversation, or, I’ll pass make an introduction for you.

Serious inquires only, please.

If you’re truly ready to add experienced talent to your team to make your 2023 revenue numbers, then reach out today.

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

Have a Question? I Have the Answer!

by mike

Now that the holidays are right around the corner, here is a gift for you:

How would you like to have a sales coach who could help you double and even triple your sales—and your income.

Imagine if you could get the answers to your hardest sales related questions like how to qualify for buying motive, how to open the closing call properly, and how to overcome objections and win the sale.

Now, imagine that you had this sales coach literally at your fingertips, and all you had to do was ask him a question and you’d get the answer you needed to sell more confidently.

Well, the good news is that you do! For the month of November, I’m going to respond to my reader’s questions in the blogs I put out each week. To take advantage of this, simply send your questions to: info@mrinsidesales.com

I will answer as many questions each week as I can, and this will give you, my readers, the specific help you need for the issues you feel are preventing you from closing more business and making more money.

So, what is bothering you? Think about it and send your questions to the email above, and I will provide the answers you’re looking for!

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

The Price Objection—Again!

by mike

If you’re ever challenged with the objection, “Your price is pretty high for that…” and you are tempted to see if you can lower your price to compete, what is the most important bit of information you need?

Think about this…

I was listening to a training call the last week, and the prospect told the rep that his price was quite high for a certain item. The rep then asked for the part number and told this prospect that he would “see what I can do.”

Now that may seem fine, but what is the crucial bit of information he needs to compete here?

He needs to know what other “lower” prices the prospect is seeing—or if the lower price he can offer is low enough to beat the price the prospect has and so win the deal.

If you’re ever faced with this situation, here is what to say:

Prospect: “Your price on these is too high.”

You: “I understand. What price have you been seeing on this?”

Then:

“I’m happy to see what I can do, and let me ask you: How many of these do you need? When do you need them by? Finally, if I can match that price, is this something you want to go ahead and order from us?”

By getting this kind of information, you’ll be positioning yourself to not only get a commitment on the order, but you’ll know how many and when.

Try this the next time you’re in this situation and watch your sales—and your commission—grow.

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

3 Ways to Improve Your Attitude

by mike

One of the most important things I learned early on in my sales career is that attitudes are contagious.

My manager told me that when I’m on the phone with a prospect or customer, someone was going to sell someone—either the customer was going to sell me on why he wouldn’t buy, or I was going to sell him on why he should buy.

And most of that came down to my attitude. “Would you want someone to catch your attitude?” he constantly asked me.

As such, I learned the importance of having a “can-do” attitude, an attitude that was confident, that expected success, and that signaled to my customer that he should buy today.

Here are three things you can do to improve your attitude, and to keep that attitude positive through each and every sales call you make:

#1: Buy a mirror and put it on your desk and look at yourself as soon as your prospect answers the phone. I know this sounds silly, but it works! A mirror will tell you if you’re smiling; it’ll teach you if you’re slumping or looking confident; it will reflect your level of confidence and it will help you remain positive throughout the call. Try it.

#2: Smile. Again, silly, right? Powerful, yes! Every time you smile, you signal to the rest of your body how positive you’re going to be. The moment someone calls me, my automatic reaction is to break out into a huge smile—and that smile is reflected through my voice to my customers.

You can hear if someone is smiling on the other end of the phone, right? So can your customers! Remember: Do you want someone to catch your attitude? The secret is they will—whether you want them to or not!

#3: Get up and walk around when you’re on the phone. Anthony Robbins once said that motion creates emotion. It’s true. If possible, stand up a few times a day, or get in the habit of pacing while on the phone with a prospect or customer. The simple act of moving your body will go a long way to improving your attitude and filling you, and your prospect, with energy.

As you read through this list, ask yourself: which of these are you naturally doing now? If none of them, then implement one (all three is best!) and watch your attitude—and the attitude of your prospect—improve!

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