Category: Sales Tips

Best Way to Open a Closing Call

by mike

Want the best way to open your closing presentations?

Some reps have an entire presentation planned in advance, and then they launch into it, only latter getting to questions and comments.

I used to do it that way, until I found that if I got to initial questions or comments (and yes, even objections!) first, I could save myself A LOT of time and energy.

So here is how I currently start my closing calls (yes, I’m still closing sales!):

Once I get my prospect on the phone for our chosen closing time, I open with:

“Before I get started, I’m sure you’ve looked over things, so, what questions do you have for me?”

And then I hit MUTE. One of three things happen:

  1. They start asking questions. This is GREAT because it tells me they are engaged and interested, and every question they ask—even if it seems negative—is a buying question.
  2. They tell me they don’t have any questions. This isn’t so good, because it tells me they aren’t that involved. What I do in this case is gently requalify here (before I begin my closing presentation), and then begin my presentation, checking in often for buy in.
  3. They go right into objections and stalls. This isn’t terrible, because it tells me where I stand, and each objection they give me tells me how to close them (or even if they are closeable at all!).

The important thing is that knowing where my prospect is in the beginning not only tells me which direction to go, but it also saves me a ton of time! I can drill down to what’s important to them, OR save myself time pitching an unqualified lead.

Warning: This is a Top 20% technique, and you have to be willing to ask the tough questions, use your MUTE button so you don’t talk past the close, and be willing to work with the answers you get.

But if you’re willing to do that, you’ll instantly elevate yourself into the top closer status at your company. Won’t that be nice?

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

Assumptive Questions: The Quick Way to Improve Your Selling Skills

by mike

If you would like to instantly improve your selling skills—and so your open and close rate—you can do so by taking just a few minutes to complete the following exercise (don’t worry, it’s easy and fun!).

What you’ll do is make a list of all the common closed ended questions you ask, and then turn them into assumptive questions instead! I’ll get you started:

For the Gatekeeper:

Closed ended: “Is _______ available?” (or—“Can I talk to _______?)

Assumptive: “Hi, can you connect me with ________ please?” (or just—“Hi, ________ please.”)

Questions while qualifying:

Closed ended: “Do you ever use an outside vendor?”

Assumptive: “How often do you use outside vendors?”

Closed ended: “Are you the best person to speak to about this?”

Assumptive: “How do you get involved in this?”

Following up on emails sent or information sent:

Closed ended: “Did you get a chance to read the email I sent?”

Assumptive: “I’m sure you browsed the email I sent, question: how do our capabilities line up with what you’re looking for?”

Closing the sale:

Closed ended: “Do you have any questions?”

Assumptive: “What questions do you have?”

Closed ended: “Does this sound like something you’d like to do?”

Assumptive: “Would you like to start with the X package or the Y package?”

Based on these closed ended questions, I’ll bet you use many of them now, don’t you? Again, if you want to immediately improve, make the switch today to assumptive questions. You’ll see a change the better right away!

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

“How Are You?” Ask It—Or Not?

by mike

Who do you think knows why your prospect buys?

If you have followed me for a while, you may know that my opinion on whether to ask a prospect, “How are you,” has changed over the years.

What I’ve discovered, is that asking this simple and socially accepted icebreaker is more important than you might think. Here’s why:

Selling over the phone is challenging because you don’t have all the visual cues an outside sales rep has—and uses. You can’t tell if your prospect is annoyed, resistant, bothered, or if they are willing to have a conversation with you. You just can’t read their expressions and so react to those physical cues.

That’s where asking the simple: “How are you doing today?” comes in. The seasoned inside sales rep knows that the answer to that question, and more importantly how a prospect answers it, makes up for all the cues missing from a face-to-face interaction.

Think about it: You can immediately tell if a prospect is in a hurry when they answer the phone, can’t you? You can tell by their tone of voice if they are open to communicating with you or if they are annoyed, right?

That’s why asking this simple (and accepted) question is the way to go.

What you need to do next is respond accordingly to what (and how) they respond. For example, if they tell you they’re doing well and ask how you’re doing, you must respond with, “Thanks for asking! I’m well also . . .” before going on with your opening.

If they say, “Fine, how can I help you?” then you’d better react to that as well. Something along the lines of, “I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll be brief. The reason for the call is . . .”

I’m sure you see now how asking this simple question at the beginning of your call gives you more leverage than not asking it.

Hope this helps take the “cold” out of “cold-calling”!

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

Your Prospect Has All The Answers

by mike

Who do you think knows why your prospect buys?

Who do you think knows when your prospect is going to buy? 

Or who they like to buy from?

The answer, of course, is your prospect!

The problem for many sales reps, is that they prefer to pitch and talk at prospects more than they actually ask questions and listen.

Sounds simple, but trust me, it isn’t. To prove this, just listen to a few phone calls of yourself or some of the reps in your office.

That’s why the top reps are in the habit of asking more questions than they are of talking at their prospects.

A great technique to develop is to get to a question as quickly as possible. Use or adapt the following opening to get your prospect to open up and reveal the answers to the questions above:

“Hi _______, this is ______ ______ with XYZ company. How’s your Tuesday going?”

[Listen here and react accordingly . . ]

“_________, briefly, I’m calling because we do XYZ, and after reviewing your website (or LinkedIn page), I have a quick question for you: How do you get involved with that there at your company?”

This can be adjusted to:

“_________, briefly, I’m calling because we do XYZ, and after reviewing your website (or LinkedIn page), I have a quick question for you: How does your company use XYZ there?”

You can adjust this further to fit your product or offering, but the point is that you’re getting to an engagement (and qualifying) question immediately, and you’re letting your prospect reveal the important information you need to know—or need to know to determine the next direction or question you’ll ask.

This may seem like a subtle approach, but it’s the proven one if you want your prospect to tell you the answers you’re looking for at the beginning of this blog post.

Try it and begin finding ways to let your prospect tell you what you need to know—remember, they have all the answers anyway!

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

How NOT to Follow Up on an Email

by mike

I hope you’re not making this common mistake when following up on an email you sent:

“I’m just calling to see if you got the email I sent you?”

While this may sound like a reasonable way to follow up after sending an email, do you see how you’re providing your prospect with the perfect stall?

How many times you hear:

“Ah, when did you send it?”

Or

“I haven’t had time to look at it yet.”

OR

“Who are you again?”

If any of these blow offs sound familiar (and I’m sure you can come up with a few of your own), recognize that you are to blame for them because of how you’re following up.

The best practice way is to assume your prospect received it and even glanced through it. Here is a much better way of following up:

“I’m sure you received the email I sent on (date), and probably went through it a bit. Question: How do you see our services matching up with what you’re looking for?”

You can adjust this to fit what it is you’re selling, but the point is not to give your prospect an out, but rather, to assume they received and read through it.

Try using it this week and watch your engagement level rise!

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

One Key to Combatting Negativity

by mike

Good morning everyone!

I just returned from a “Day of Development” seminar in Charlotte with the Jon Gordon company. Several of his books include: “The Power of Positive Leadership,” “The Energy Bus,” etc. Check them out on Amazon if you’re interested in learning more.

There was a lot of great stuff in the meeting, and one thing I wanted to share with you all is a way to combat the recurring negativity that silently creeps into our heads every so often. You know how it is: You’ll be minding your own business and then suddenly you’ll hear things like:

“These leads suck . . .”

“I can’t make any real money here . . .”

“I can’t believe this company is asking me to actually show up to an office!”

By the way, this is just some random negativity about work—there’s a ton more around you in regards to relationship(s), your health or body image, your stage in life, etc.

The saying I heard that I loved was this: “Learn to talk to yourself, rather than listen to yourself.”

What this means is that rather than let that random, negative self-talk just pour into you, you should instead talk back to yourself in advance and feed the positive self-talk you need to succeed. This might include:

“Everyone has these leads, and I’ve written business from them. I just need to put in a little more effort, and when I do, I’ll find buyers—just like everyone else is!”

“I can make just as much money as I set my mind to.”

“Going into the office has tons of benefits, including feeding off the energy of other reps, having constant access to my manager, etc.”

Bottom line: Don’t wait for your head to feed you with negativity and sit by passively and listen to it. Be proactive and learn to talk to yourself first—and give yourself the peptalk you need to succeed!

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

Overwhelmed With Your Goals? Do This!

by mike

Happy New Year!

Overwhelmed by all your “to-do” goals? If so, then take a tip from Brian Tracy and do this:

Make a list of your top ten goals for the year.

Think about what’s most important to you in the different areas of your life and write down ten things.

Next, prioritize that list so that the most important goal is number one.

Then: throw away the other nine goals and make a commitment to making that number one goal a reality in the next twelve months.

And once you’ve made that commitment, ask yourself what one action you can take today, right now, to begin reaching that goal.

When I heard this, my first thought was, “Yeah, but what about the other nine goals?”

He explained that despite our best intentions, most goal setting starts strong, but by March it slows down, and by the summer most—if not all—goals have been abandoned.

That’s why identifying one goal, the most important and most impactful goal, is a better way to go.

Think about how much your life will change (and the lives of your family members) if you reach this number one, most important goal.

If your goal is to become a top producer in your industry and double or triple your income, think about the impact that will have on your family. Think about buying that new home, or providing for your parents, or allowing your wife or spouse to stay home.

If your goal is to finally write that novel, think about how your life will change when you finally accomplish that this year! Think about the weight off your shoulders now that it is a reality rather than just another dream.

If your goal is to lose weight, get in shape, and get off your medication and live a longer, healthier life for yourself and your family, think about the long-term rewards achieving that goal will bring you! (And think of the consequence if you don’t.)

Whether or not you agree with Brian, I’m here to tell you that it’s more impactful for you to hit the most important goal in your life than it is to set ten and not hit any of them…

Ask yourself: how good would it be if you actually reached your most important goal in 2024?

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

Three New Year’s Resolutions for Improved Sales

by mike

2024 is just around the corner. What are your plans to make this your best year in sales ever?

Here are three things I did all those years ago that changed my sales career, and my life, forever:

#1) For the first ninety days in 2024, make a commitment to listening to at least ONE call a day. Listen for three things:

  • What you did well—do more of that!
  • What didn’t go well.
  • Ways you can change what didn’t go well (script out a better response) and then use that on your very next call.

If you follow this simple strategy, you’ll improve every single day. And that will change your career—and your results.

#2) Set a weekly, monthly, quarterly, and yearly goal. Write it down. Begin visualizing how earning all that additional income will impact your—and your family’s—lives. Invest in books/audios/YouTube videos that teach you The Law of Attraction, and begin changing your consciousness.

If you don’t change the inside, then the outside won’t change.

#3) Invest in, study, and use the scripts in this book. When I invested in CDs on better sales techniques years ago, a huge lightbulb came on and my career really took off. Whether it’s my material, or someone else’s, do yourself a favor and study and learn how to get better.

Remember, if nothing changes, then nothing changes.

I hope this has inspired you to invest the time, energy, and a little bit of money into yourself and your career.

Believe me, you’ll forever thank yourself that you did.

All the best for 2024!

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

Avoid this “Ghost” of Christmas Future

by mike

Do you remember Dicken’s book, A Christmas Carol?

While reading this this December, it reminded me of an encounter I had that was a chilling reminder of the bad “Ghost of Christmas Future” I narrowly avoided all those years ago. Here’s what happened:

I was on my way to consult with a new client one day when I stopped at Starbucks for a cup of coffee. A city bus pulled up outside and a bunch of people got off.  One guy—mid 40’s, tall and lanky—started walking towards the Starbucks, and when he entered the store, I recognized him from many years before when we were both struggling inside sales reps trying to sell investments over the phone.

After I got my coffee, and he got his, he came up to me and said, “You’re Mike Brooks, right?”

“Yes” I said.

“Hey, we used to work together!” he said.

“I remember,” I said. 

He asked me what I was up to these days, and I told him I had become a consultant in inside sales, and that I was off to work with a new client.

I asked him what he was up to and this is when the chill hit me. He said he was starting a new sales job today, and then he rolled his eyes as if to say, “And this one will suck, too.”

We walked out of the store together, and said goodbye and went our separate ways. He went to wait at the next bus bench, and I got into my Mercedes and drove away. 

As I sipped my coffee and listened to the tunes in my plush car, I thought about how different our lives had turned out and wondered what happened to make them so different. As I did, I knew exactly what it was. 

During our time together, the owners of the company brought in a sales trainer, a guy named Stan Billue, to motivate us. Stan spoke to us for an hour about what makes the difference between the top money earners in sales versus all the other sales reps. 

He said that you have a choice to either commit to learning and using proven scripts and sales techniques that would double or triple your income, or you would just keep doing what you were doing (ad-libbing), and then you’d just keep getting what you had been getting. 

Stan said: “If you are willing to do what most sales reps aren’t willing to do, then soon you’ll be able to enjoy the things, the lifestyle, and the future that most sales reps will never be able to enjoy.”

I was sold. This other guy wasn’t. 

I invested in Stan’s training program, “Double Your Income Selling Over the Phone.” I committed to learning, practicing, and doing what he suggested. My sales and income soared. 

The other guy thought what Stan taught was just a bunch of old sales techniques that wouldn’t work for him.

He thought he knew better.

He didn’t believe in using scripts.

“I’ll sound like a telemarkerter,” he said. “I have to go with the flow because each prospect is different,” he persisted.

He didn’t believe in putting in the time, energy, or money to get better.

So he didn’t.

Fast forward to our Starbucks encounter. Over 20 years had passed between that Stan Billue talk, and I realized, that seminar was the moment I made the decision to change my life.

When this guy showed up that day, he was the Ghost of Christmas Past that could have become my Ghost of Christmas Future. 

My life has changed because of my commitment to investing in other sales material, and then learning and using it diligently. My life is infinitely better because I did, and I have no doubt that had I not invested, learned, and used proven selling techniques, it would have been me that was taking a bus to my next, new job.

It sends shivers down my spine just thinking about it.

The moral here is that you, too, can avoid the Ghost of Christmas Past from becoming your future. There are a lot of great sales training books, CD’s, and courses you and your team can take advantage of to get better. Visit my store to get some ideas.

But do something, anything, to avoid this terrible fate. You’ll be awful glad you did!

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

How to Worry Less & Enjoy Life More: New Book!

by mike

I’d like to invite you all to join me on my journey through a new phase of my career: From this point forward, I’m going to spend more time pursuing what I’ve always done professionally (write), but I’m going to be writing more of the kind of books that have always spoken to me.

Moreover, (and this is a big change), I’m going to begin publishing under my real name: Michael Zajaczkowski! For years, I’ve used my middle name, Brooks, because it was much easier to say over the phone, but in my personal life, my friends and family know me as just Michael Z.

My new book is called: The Owner’s Manual to Life: In case you missed that day in school when they handed it out. (Simple Strategies to Worry Less and Enjoy Life More)

In this book, you’ll find 100 inspirational quotes and two-page essays that will give you simple strategies and tips for living life more easily, and for worrying less and enjoying life a whole lot more.

Some of the quotes include:

“Today is the tomorrow you worried about yesterday.”

“Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from what you can do.”—John Wooden

“Life is half delicious yogurt, half crap, and your job is to keep the plastic spoon in the yogurt.”—Scott Adams

“Worry is a terrible waste of the imagination.”

“It is what it is, but it will become what you make it.”

And many more. See the book here.

While I’ll still be working with a select group of clients with my inside sales company, I’ll be spending a lot more time pursuing my new path: writing both fiction and nonfiction.  

This new book is the result of over 20 years helping business professionals not only achieve more financial success, but also helping them achieve balance in their lives and finding joy along the way. And that’s what you’ll get from this new book as well.

Brian Tracy says:

“In The Owner’s Manual to Life, Michael Zajaczkowski has compiled 100 of the most important life lessons, and in his unique way makes them accessible and exciting for everyone. This book will truly make you worry less and enjoy life more!”

–Brian Tracy, Author/Speaker/Consultant

To encourage you to pre-order this week, I’m holding a contest: After you’ve placed your order, simply email your receipt to me (Mike@mrinsidesales), and I’ll hold a drawing next week. Whoever I pick will receive a signed copy of my bestselling book on sales: Power Phone Scripts!

Pre-order The Owner’s Manual here.

Best,

Michael Brooks Zajaczkowski

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