Category: Sales Training

How to Negotiate to Close More Deals

by mike
Closing Techniques, Frontline Reps, Objection Handling, Phone Sales, Sales Process, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Best Practices, Cold Calling, Communication, Problem solving, Qualifying, sales Scripts, Negotiations

There is a disturbing trend I’ve heard with the companies I’m working with. And it starts when prospects begin asking for a lower price or a “deal,” or for a reference before committing, or for a free trial to demo services or products.

The problem I’m hearing is that sales reps—both newer reps and even some seasoned reps—immediately drop the price or offer a trial, or readily hand out references thinking that this is what will close the sale.

If you’ve done this yourself, then you know all too well the sickening feeling of “giving away the store” only to have the prospect then refuse to do business with you. It’s not an effective sales strategy…

The answer is to learn the fine art of negotiating. In a nutshell, the basic point of negotiating is that you both have something the other party wants, so you give to get. And this is the problem for most sales reps: they just give away things (like a free trial or lower price) without getting anything in return.

Here’s how to change that. Let’s do a quick role play:

Example One:

Prospect: “Do you offer a free trial?”

Rep: “We generally don’t offer a ‘free’ trial, but there are some options I may be able to offer in terms of a free month at the beginning of your contract with us. I’d have to speak to my director about this.

“Before I do, I know he’ll want to know that you’re set and ready to go before we put together something. So let me ask you…”

Now qualify for budget, timeframe, and start date before you offer that free trial.

Example Two:

Prospect: “That price is too high. Can we buy half a position to try it out?”

Rep: “That’s something I’d need to get approval on. Just out of curiosity, if I did take this to my director and he approved it, would you be ready to give us the go ahead and begin service today?”

Here again is the basis of negotiation. You never give away a free trial nor do you drop the price without first getting something from your prospect in return. In this case, a commitment.

If they say they are willing to commit, then you can get the approval from your manager. If they say they still need to think about it, it’s up to you to keep closing and isolate the real objection.

Example Three:

Prospect: “I need a reference.”

Rep: “I’d be happy to provide you with one. Before I do, however, I want to make sure that if, after speaking with them, you’re then ready to begin working with us. As you can imagine, all our clients—like yourself—are busy and don’t want to be bothered with people taking their time if they aren’t sold on our solution.

“So let me ask you this: What price point are you ready to commit to if the reference works out?

“And how about a start date?” etc.

Again, you must get something from your prospect before you give something to them. This is negotiation.

There are many advantages of working your close this way, but the biggest one is verifying that you’re dealing with a buyer and not someone who is just a ‘maybe.’ You know as well as I do that those “so-so” leads almost never buy and by giving in to them, you’re getting weaker and weaker as a sales rep.

So try the techniques above and start negotiating rather than giving control of your sale away.

You’ll close more sales and feel better about yourself!

Need more training and tip? If you or your sales team need to learn even more proven and effective sales skills for selling over the phone, then sign up for our upcoming (September 11th) 7-week online training for inside sales.

By signing up 5 reps, your pricing is just $399 per rep! Read more about it here.

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

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! 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.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales 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
Upcoming Schedule

The Power of Thinking BIG

by mike
Cold Calling, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Phone Sales, Sales Tips, Sales Training, Best Practices, Call to Action, Confidence, Vision, Dream Big, Think Big

“Ask yourself this question: ‘How big can I dream?’”

Conrad Hilton

“Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, ‘The world is all gates, all opportunities, strings of tension waiting to be struck.’ Emerson was a keenly gifted philosopher, but he spoke like a seasoned sales manager: He understood the power of big thoughts.

“All of us are surrounded by a swirl of great opportunities, but we’re usually too busy to notice. So we continue to do what we’ve always done, wondering why we get what we’ve always gotten.

“If you’re tired of the same old results, try a new approach: Make big plans; dream big dreams; and reach for the opportunities that surround you. In selling, big dreams do come true, but not until you dream them.”

From: The Saleman’s Book of Wisdom, by Dr. Criswell Freeman

In my sales career, everything changed when I started asking for bigger orders. At first I was scared that I would frighten away buyers, but, to my amazement, prospects began saying “Yes”!

Suddenly, I was doubling and even tripling my monthly sales all because I had the courage to ask for more. Life really is a ‘self-fulfilling’ prophesy: you get what you ask for…

Here are some of my favorite quotes to help you get into the mindset of thinking BIG:

“Imagine better than the best you know.” Venice Bloodworth (One of my all-time favorites)

“Think big. Act big. Dream big.” Conrad Hilton

“Do it big or stay in bed.” Larry Kelly

“If you want a quality, act as if you already have it.” William James

“The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible.” Rick Devos

“Impossibility is a word only to be found in the dictionary of fools.” Napoleon I

“I have learned to use the word impossible with the greatest caution.” Wernher von Braun

“Don’t be afraid to take a big step if one is indicated. You can’t cross a chasm in two small jumps.” David Lloyd George

“As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.” Goethe

So this week, step outside of your comfort zone and ask for the bigger deal, the top option, or the highest priced package you offer. Your results may just surprise you…

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

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! 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.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales 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
Upcoming Schedule

The Power of Optimism in Sales

by mike
Coaching, Frontline Reps, Motivation, Attitude, Optimism in sales, Sales tips, Sales training, Best Practices, Confidence, Performance,

“It is never too late to be What you might have been.”

George Eliot

“Leo Tolstoy observed, ‘Faith is the force of life.’ Faith is also the force behind successful selling. The optimistic salesperson conveys an attitude of confidence to the buyer. The result? Lots of closings. But the pessimist talks himself—and the customer—out of the sale. The result? Lots of frustrations.

“If you’re looking for a proven prescription to improve your closing ratios, try a healthy dose of optimism. Because if you think the sale will close—or think it won’t—you’re right.”

From: The Saleman’s Book of Wisdom, by Dr. Criswell Freeman

Here are some quotes to help you get into an “optimistic mindset”:

“We see things as we are, not as they are.” Leo Rosten

“The sun shines not on us, but in us.” John Muir

“Sometimes success is due less to ability than to zeal.” Charles Buxton

“Whenever a negative thought concerning your personal power comes to mind, deliberately voice a positive thought to cancel it out.” Norman Vincent Peale

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” C. Malesherbes

“They are able because they think they are able.” Virgil

“The greatest discovery is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind.” William James

“There is one thing which gives radiance to everything. It is the idea of something around the corner.” C. K. Chesterton

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” William Arthur Ward

“A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities. An optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.” Harry S. Truman

“I am an optimist. It does not seem too much use being anything else.” Sir Winston Churchill

“Make optimism a way of life.” Lucille Ball

“It is often hard to distinguish between the hard knocks in life and those of opportunity.” Frederick Phillips

“When a man is willing and eager, the gods join in.” Aeschylus

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

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! 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.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales 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
Upcoming Schedule

The Harder You Work, The Luckier You’ll Get

by mike
working hard, success, earning money, sales career,

I was working with a sales manager last week—he manages a team of 20 inside sales reps with a direct report manager who helps manage half that team—and I asked him what kind of producer he was when he was selling.

“I was number one!” he answered proudly.

“And if you look at your team right now, many of whom are not at their goal, can you point to one thing you did to be number one that you don’t see in your team members?”

“That’s easy, I had a burning desire to succeed, and so I was constantly at my desk working. I had an urgency that was unmatched,” he replied.

“And what do you see as the main problem with your team right now?” I asked him.

“Simple: they don’t spend enough time making calls. They find too many other things to do instead of constantly hunting or contacting prospects or following up with clients.

“I fact,” he offered, “If they just spent more time dialing, they would all make a heck of a lot more sales and commissions,” he concluded.

I agree completely. And I see it everywhere I consult: Those reps who are the top producers are also the hardest working reps in the office. You don’t need to tell a top producer to get on the phone, or to spend less time in the breakroom. They already know that.

In fact, if you need to tell them anything, it’s to take an occasional break so they don’t burn out! (And all you managers know exactly what I’m talking about.)

I may not be popular for what I’m about to say, but sales is still a numbers game. Better numbers, sure. With social media, A.I., etc., we can qualify more in advance than simply “dialing for dollars,” but this should actually make the calls we do make even more successful!

If you’re picking up the phone and dialing…

Here are some sayings that, as a top producer, I used to live by:

“If you’re willing to do the things that most sales reps aren’t willing to do (like picking up the phone and making the most amount of calls in the office), then soon you’ll be able to enjoy the things that most sales reps will never be able to enjoy.”

Things like: Working from Hawaii—or anywhere else in the world—family vacations to the best spots on earth, retirement & savings accounts that allow you to sleep soundly at night, driving any car you want to drive, etc…

“If you want to buy something for yourself or your family, then pick up the phone and have someone else pay for it for you…”

“Sales solve everything.”

“The more calls I make, the luckier I get.” (The more buyers & sales I find.)

“Whenever I am undecided about when I should call a client or prospect back, it means I should pick up the phone right now and call them…”

“Prospecting is easy—once I follow a best practice approach and am prepared for the inevitable blow offs and objections I get—because they never change!”

“Making more sales and income is sure easier than being broke and worrying.”

“Riding on the bus sucks.” A Tribe Called Quest (still one of my favorite bands.)

“Some will, some won’t, who is NEXT?”

“If anyone else in the office can be a top producer, I can, too!”

As a top producer, I’m sure you can come up with some of your own. Email them to me; I’d love to hear them: Mike@mrinsidesales.com

If you agree that the more dials you make, the more people you will speak with and that will mean more buyers you’ll connect with, the resolve to make just 10 more dials today than you’re making right now. That is an easy goal. And look at how powerful that is:

10 more dials a day = 50 more calls in a week = 210 per month (4.2 weeks average in a month), = 2,520 more dials in a year! Hey, that’s more than some reps will make in a year total!

Just think of how much more commission you’ll earn if you just did that. What is that number worth to you?

And then double that. Triple it.

Are you getting a feeling for how you can double or triple your income this year?

The bottom line, as I like to say, is that the harder you work, the luckier you will get. The real question is: How motivated are you to earn more?

And that’s a question only you can answer.

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

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! 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.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales 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
Upcoming Schedule

Metrics—Which One is Most Important?

by mike
Benchmarks, Best Practices, Cold Calling, Effectiveness, Metrics, Performance, Productivity, Sales Skills, Techniques, Tips

Feeling a little overwhelmed by all the new technology that seems to come out every month (almost every week)?

If you’re like most companies, then you’ve probably got enough technology in place to measure just about everything: talk time, conversion rates, number of demos being given, lead flow and lead placement in the funnel—top end, middle, and end stage of leads.

And now with A.I., you can automate just about everything else—including phone calls, voice mails, email campaigns, etc.

While working with a new client last week, his management team was asking me which metrics they should focus on as they begin to adopt the new best practice approach we just introduced.

Should they look at the increase in leads (or decrease because the leads will now be more qualified) or the number of opportunities?

Should they drill down on length of presentations?

How about numbers of calls? Contacts? Length of the first call?

While all things are important, my suggestion was to focus on the one metric that drives all the others: How the rep is performing while on the call.

What I stressed is to use recordings to measure how well a rep handles each part of the phone call. For example, what does your team say then they are told to “Just email me something”?

How about: “We wouldn’t be interested right now?”

How well does your sales team respond to the objection given at the end of the demo: “Can you send me those slides and let me share this with a colleague?”

Measuring your team’s response to these crucial selling situations is what drives everything else, especially your bottom line: Sales.

So here are some questions for you (whether you’re an independent producer or a sales manager or V.P. or business owner): Are you consistently listening to your calls, grading them, and using the lessons learned to perform better each and every day?

If not, then there is a danger for you to think that if you just make more calls or get more leads or put schedule more demos, then you’ll improve your closing percentage and make more money.

You won’t.

What you will do is waste more time and resources and generate more frustration.

What you need to do is improve your skills sets and improve the way you deal with the common selling situations you get over and over again. And once you do that, you’ll finally move the needle on all the other metrics.

So begin paying attention to and measuring the most important metric of all: How you and your team respond to the recurring selling situations you get day in and day out.

If you’d like to know how to improve those skills, then sign up for my new online training course which begins today! See it here.

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

Join Our Next Training:

If your team is struggling with call reluctance and is tired of the endless rejection they face, then this live, interactive online B2B & B2C inside sales training is exactly what they need to get excited & confident about selling again! 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.

Who Should Attend?

Any sales 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
Upcoming Schedule