Tag: Sales Tips

I don’t know about you, but 24 hours in a day isn’t enough. And 8 – 9 hours for work just barely covers the paperwork, order follow-up, client calls, e-mails that need answering, voicemail messages, etc. “You mean you want me to prospect and find closing time, too? What, are you kidding?!”

Sound familiar? It should. Sales reps and their managers constantly tell me they are on the run the moment they get in the office. Just opening their email can take them on a 2 to 3 hour journey away from what they should, want, or need to be doing to drive sales (like the prospecting, closing or reorder calls). What to do?

The answer is in effective time management. I just finished giving a new seminar on this subject, and in this article I’ve boiled down the Five Secrets to help you leverage the time you time so you can get the important things on your calendar done sooner.

Here they are:
Secret #1 – Identify the Two Most Important things to do each day, and then do them. Identifying these priorities is actually easy. Each night before you go home, make a list of all the things you need to do the next day. Once that list is completed, ask yourself, “What two things, if completed, would have the biggest impact on my bottom line?”

Once you’ve identified these two items, make them your top priorities for the next day and commit to getting them done. Unlike most people who struggle with many conflicting activities that rob them of their time, by adopting this one habit, you’ll move into the top 5% of all business executives and managers.

The most effective executives and business owners are “doers” and the way they are able to accomplish great things is they have the ability to identify the important things and they commit to getting them done.

Secret #2 – Start each day with your top two priorities and work each one through until it’s completed. Then cross it off and complete the next one. Resist the temptation to multitask other activities while you’re working on your priorities, and don’t start the next one until you’re done with the first one. Working each one through to completion is the key.

This builds momentum, a sense of accomplishment and empowerment, and most importantly you’ll actually be getting your important priorities done each day.

Key #3 – Start with your most important (or most difficult) priority first. Accomplishing one or two important tasks always leads to more success — and always frees up the most energy. Once those “mountains” are out of the way, you can easily and more enjoyably take on your other tasks of the day.

Most people do the opposite: they put off the hard (and most important stuff) and get caught up in the time robbers. This is a sure recipe for feeling overwhelmed. Do the opposite — start with the hard, and watch your day get easier.

Key # 4 – Group your other activities. Paperwork, checking e-mail, checking voicemail, etc., are incredible time drains. The worst thing to do is to keep checking them every few minutes. Make a schedule – perhaps after you cross off a priority you allow 15 minutes to check these things and then go right back to your next priority. Paperwork and other non-essential activities especially are best grouped at the end of the day.

Although these things seem important (and some are) don’t keep getting tangled up in them. You must stick to your top two priorities (like 2-3 hours a day spent cold calling — a top priority that pays for itself many times over). Grouping your activities allows you to get all of the other ‘stuff’ done but not at the expense of your priorities.

Key #5 – Prepare your next day the night before. Before you leave the office, make sure you have your written list of priorities and grouped activities timed and written down. This helps you stick to a schedule when you get to the office, and that’s another secret of effective time management.

It also allows you to get more rest because you’re not worrying about or planning your day as you’re trying to fall asleep at night.
These are the Five Secrets to Effective Time Management. Any one of these Secrets will make you more productive, reduce your stress, and help you get more out of your day. If you use them all together, you’ll be amazed by how much more successful you’ll be as well.

I once heard an interview with a police detective that directly relates to sales.  The detective was talking about various interrogation techniques, and he said something that I thought was brilliant and totally applies to the importance of listening while selling over the phone.

The detective said that when you ask a question you should never say or do anything that might cause your subject (prospect) to stop talking.

In other words, you listen.  With full attention, and you don’t interrupt.  You don’t ask other questions.  You just keep listening even when you think they’re done.

In sales, and especially in inside sales where you don’t have all those visual cues, listening is the most important thing you can learn how to do.

Here are some techniques and tips you can begin using today to improve your listening:

#1:  Use a script. One of the biggest reasons sales reps don’t listen is because they’re too busy thinking about what they’re going to say next.  This is especially dangerous to do during the qualification stage when your prospect is revealing why they will and why they won’t buy.

You must script your questions!

By using a script, you’ll be able to really listen and so pay full attention to what your prospect is saying.

#2:  Don’t interrupt. I can’t tell you how many times I hear sales reps interrupting their prospects while they’re still talking.  Not only is this rude and disrespectful, but it shows they’re really not listening.

When I was new to the phones, in order to learn how to listen I had to literally put my hand over the mouthpiece and hold it above my head!  That way I could babble on and blurt out whenever I wanted to say, all the while allowing my prospect to still talk.

It was hard at first, but boy did it pay off.  By not interrupting, I often heard my prospect tell me exactly what I needed to do or say to sell them.

Get in the habit of catching yourself interrupting your prospects and start using the mute button on your phone.  You’ll be amazed by what they are trying to say.

#3:  Allow some space after you think your prospect is done talking. Many times sales reps think that pauses mean that their prospect is actually done talking.  Not so!  I hear it over and over.  Again, the reps can’t wait to start talking so they will jump in as soon as their prospect takes a breath.  Stop it!

A good habit to get into is to pause a full 3 seconds after you think your prospect is done speaking—that’s 1001, 1002, 1003, before you say something.  Again, you’ll be amazed by how often they will fill the space—and often reveal crucial information you’ll need to make the sale.

#4:  Use “Oh,” Uh huh,” and “What do you mean?” If you haven’t heard the information you need to make the sale, use one of the above techniques to keep your prospect talking.

Remember—they hold the key as to why they’ll buy, and you will learn this only if they’re talking and you are listening.

#5:  Listen to your own recordings. You are recording yourself, are you?  I’ll write more about this in another tip, but you must listen to yourself closing a sale to know how and where you need to improve.

Nothing brings this home more than hearing yourself talk over people, interrupt, or just plain miss what they are saying.  If you’re not recording yourself go to Radio Shack tonight and invest $50 in a recorder.  It’ll be one of the best investments you’ll ever make.

So there you have it — some simple yet powerful ways to improve your listening skills.  Just remember above all, don’t do or say anything that might cause your prospect to stop talking!  Keep listening!

If I told you I had an easy way for you to overcome your fear of cold calling, would you be interested?  If I told you I had a guaranteed way for you to actually enjoy prospecting, be more confident doing so, and be more successful at it, would you be willing to try it?  Well, read on because I do…

Let’s start at the beginning.  The fear of cold calling, like all fears, is mostly in our heads. It starts with dread, builds to anxiety, and soon we’re frozen with fear.  The phone becomes a 200 pound weight, we find a million other things to do, and we pray for 5 o’clock.  Sound familiar?

And then if we actually get the courage to begin calling, as soon as we get screened out or blown off, we’re ready to quit until the next day.  If any of this sounds familiar, then you’re not alone – it happens to every sales rep who has to pick up the phone to make a sales call (including, at times, yours truly!).

Ok, now here’s the solution:  Because all fears are in our heads, the solution starts there as well. Let me ask you – have you ever been on a roll, felt really confident and were making calls like a pro?  Perhaps after a really big deal, or after a couple of really receptive calls, I’ll bet you know how easy it can be to pick up the phone and talk with prospects.

The key is to be able to “get into that zone” on a consistent basis.  And here’s how:

I’ve discovered a company that produces high quality, guaranteed hypnosis sessions on MP3 downloads (or CD’s), that literally change the way you think.  For just $12 (that’s $12 dollars!!) you can get an hour long hypnosis session specifically designed to turn you into a cold calling expert.  Immediately after listening to this powerful, 60-minute hypnosis recording, you’ll experience a totally affirmative internal alteration that will literally amaze you – Guaranteed!

And it’s 100% risk-free too!  If you’re not incredibly astounded by the spectacular results, they will refund your order within 90 days!

The sales rep who told me about this reported that after listening to this just two times, his experience with cold calling completely changed!  He was immediately confident, had no fear, and had the best day of conversations he’d ever had working on the phone.  In Just TWO sessions!

He tells me now that he actually enjoys making calls!  It has changed his career.

I don’t know about you, but I use affirmations and meditation CD’s all the time to help me change my internal self-talk, and I can tell you this kind of technology has changed my entire life.  If you have experience with this, then you also know it works.

If you’re interested in changing the way you feel about cold calling, then I urge you to check this out.  They have topics that cover almost every area of life – you’ll probably find many areas you’ll want to explore – but click here and when you get to their website, just scroll down to the business section and you’ll see the “Cold Calling Expert” MP3 (also available in CD, too) I’m talking about.

Think about it:  Would you invest $12 bucks and a couple of hours to overcome your fear of cold calling and become an expert at it?  If I told you that this would work, guaranteed, wouldn’t you at least be willing to try it?   You have nothing to lose except your fear and failure at cold calling!

In today’s economy, where prospects are quick with the brush off, you’ve got to find a way to instantly establish rapport, differentiate yourself from all the other sales reps who are calling them, and build trust and credibility for yourself and your company.

While this sounds like a tall order, it can be even harder when you realize that you’ve got to do all this in the first 30 seconds of the phone call!

Here are three techniques you can begin using today to create ease, build rapport and get the person on the other end of the phone to trust you.

1)  Resist the urge to cut your prospect off – especially if they are giving you an initial negative response.

Your prospects get a lot of calls and they are good at, and quick to, blow sales reps off.  The problem that 80% of your competition is making is that they cut their prospects off and start combating their prospect’s initial blow off response.

The Better Way:  Hear your prospect out and be prepared to agree with them by having a scripted response that deals with their initial resistance.  Something like:

“ I understand ________, and I’m not calling to sell you anything today.  Rather, I’m here to see if there might be a fit between our two companies and if there is, then to offer you an additional resource you might be able to use later on.  Let me ask you…”

Hearing your prospect out, agreeing with them, and then offering a non-threatening value statement instantly allows your prospect to be heard, and distinguishes you from the other sales reps who are jumping all over them.

2)  Empathize with your prospect by asking how they are dealing with the economy.

Hey let’s face it, we’re all in the same boat regarding the economy, and if you’re feeling the strain, so is your prospect.  Rather than try to bulldoze them, why not empathize with them and try to see things from their perspective?  Try:

“I completely understand, how are you dealing with the economy these days?” or
“I’m sure it’s rough for you as well, tell me, how are you making things work in this business climate?” or
“I’m with you.  How long have you been working in that position?  What changes have you had to make to survive in today’s economy?”

Getting your prospect talking by showing genuine interest will go a long way to building trust and credibility for yourself and your company.

3)  Be prepared to be positive.

At the end of a phone call – no matter how short – somebody’s attitude has been transferred to the other person.  Unfortunately, the prospect’s negative doom and gloom attitude usually infects the bottom 80%.  That’s why it’s so hard for them to pick up the phone.

The Top 20%, on the other hand, understand this, are prepared for their prospect’s negative responses and attitudes, and make it their goal to enter the call on a positive note and to transfer their positive, enthusiastic attitude to their prospect by the end of the call.

They do this by being prepared with positive statements they use in response to the negativity they get all day long.  Things like:

Prospect: “We’re not spending any money on that right now.”

Top 20%: “Some companies aren’t, but there are many who recognize that this is the ideal time to capture market share and position themselves for the economic upturn that is coming.  Let me ask you this – if you saw a way to earn an immediate ROI on just a small investment, where could you clear up $_______ to take advantage of it?” or

“Prospect: “In today’s economy I’m just lucky to have a job!”

Top 20%:  “I know what you mean, and if you want to keep that job, now’s the time to be proactive and show some real initiative.  Here’s what other managers I’m speaking with are doing to strengthen their position and even build value in their services…..”

By being prepared with positive statements to the constant negativity you’re getting all day long, you’ll not only stay positive yourself, but also spread that vibe throughout the economy.  And that’s the real economic stimulus plan this economy needs.

These three techniques will work for you if you begin using them.  The bottom line is that if you don’t adapt what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, then you will continue to get blow off the phone and you’ll struggle to make sales.

If you do begin using these techniques, then you’ll position yourself to become a Top 20% performer.  Try them for yourself and watch your confidence – and sales – grow.

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.

In sales, the ability to truly listen is what separates the Top 20% of producers from the bottom 80%. Now when I say “listen,” I mean much more than just hearing what a prospect is saying. Many sales reps hear their prospects, but because they are unprepared to handle various objections or questions, they are usually too busy thinking up what they are going to say next to truly hear what their prospects are saying. And that’s where the top 20% excel.

The most important thing you can do to begin making more sales is to start listening to your prospects. Once you do, you’ll know exactly what to say – and what not to say – to get the sale.

Here are three things you can begin doing today to become a better listener:

1. Begin listening for and writing down any unique phrases or words your prospects use. While about 80 to 90% of what people say is the same, if you really listen you’ll find that everyone has a unique word, phrase or way of saying something. For example, many companies have different terms for a sales rep. Some call them sales executives, some call them account managers, some sales reps, etc.Listening for and writing down these unique phrases will train you to pay more attention. To be even more effective, make sure and use these phrases when speaking with your prospect during this call and during the closing call as well. Doing this is what is known as mirroring your prospect and it is a proven and effective way to build rapport and make your prospect feel heard.
2. Record yourself. You may have heard this advice from me before, but are you doing it yet? Recording and listening to your conversations – both sides – is the fastest, most efficient way of improving your listening skills (and sales skills, closing skills, etc.). The bottom line is that when you’re on the phone you’re usually so preoccupied with your prospect that you don’t have any idea what you actually sound like (or how well you listen).Recording your calls and then listening to them in the quiet and safety of your conference room or car allows you the chance to really listen to yourself. In the beginning, this can be a painful and embarrassing exercise, but, again, it is the most powerful way to improve. The point is – you can’t improve something you’re not aware of, and by listening to your recordings, you’re going to become immediately aware of how you’re doing – and what you want to change.Recording yourself also allows you to measure your improvement as well, and this kind of reinforcement is a powerful way to make and maintain positive changes.
3. Use your mute button. I think the most valuable button on your phone is the mute button. By simply pushing mute when you ask a question or when your prospect starts talking, you are not only forced to allow your prospect to keep talking, but if you can’t help yourself, you can talk and interrupt all you want and they won’t hear you! Believe me, this was crucial for me as I couldn’t stop talking in the beginning to save my life!

Here’s a tip: Once you hit mute, leave it on for a couple of seconds even if you think they are done talking. You will be amazed by how much more information your prospect will provide you if you just shut up and listen.

Don’t be fooled by how simple these suggestions sound – they are harder to follow then they seem. But the good news is that they are so much more powerful then they seem as well. Remember, what separates you from the Top 20% is your ability to really listen and hear what your prospect is saying. But once you master these three simple techniques, closing sales like the Top 20% will be simple as well!

Did you enjoy this article? Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below.