I am always fascinated by data collected from our clients indicating that approximately 65% of their salespeople fail to ask for commitment from the prospect. I’m even more curious about why this happens.

Most people, including non-sales people, have some concept of “selling.” Undoubtedly, each of us knows what works for us and especially what doesn’t work for us. It’s a fundamental truism that we feel more comfortable buying and selling to and from people most like ourselves. Sales emphasis has shifted throughout the past thirty years from salesperson-focused to customer-focused methodologies. However, in my opinion, asking for commitment should not be perceived as “pushy,” “old” selling methods. It is truly still customer focused.

Asking for commitment assures the customer that you are:

• Reflecting your confidence in your recommendation/solution
• Validating your own belief in your selling process
• Allowing the buyer to decide (their decision, not yours)
• Maintaining trust
• Strengthening dialogue
• Reducing buyer anxiety

You’ve done well to reach this point in the sale. Don’t sabotage your efforts, or your sales career, by not asking for commitment. It’s why you’re there!

Richard Dickerson

Submitted by:

(1 votes, average: 1 out of 5)

 Loading …

Be the first one to comment »

Will your business or vacations plans be taking you to Europe soon? If so, here’s some first-hand experiences you might find interesting and useful. I just returned from 12 days in Europe and Germany with my family, and the culture shocks – along with the “economic shocks” – were dramatic.

First, let me say there are some wonderful places to visit in Europe. Being ex-military, we visited many World War II historical sites, including Normandy, France. It’s the location of the D-Day Invasion in June 1944 that ultimately led to the liberation of Europe. And while some people may not like Americans, I can assure you the people who live in the Normandy region understand they owe their freedom to the United States and our allies.

Nevertheless, regardless of where you intend to conduct business or simply enjoy the countryside, you must be aware the U.S. dollar is extremely weak against the Euro dollar. You’re going to feel like you’ve been robbed at gunpoint when you exchange nearly $167 in American currency for $100 in Euros. And if you rent an automobile car, be prepared to pay through the nose, not only for the car, but for the fuel as well. A small car might cost you $150 American dollars a day. Furthermore, I may not like paying $4 a gallon for gas in the States, but it sure beats the $10 per gallon prices in France and Germany. My suggestion – take the trains. In the end, they’ll save you money, get you where you’re going faster – they run on time – and you’ll avoid the stress of driving in cities like Paris where traffic is as bad as any I’ve ever seen, and I grew up in New York.

Hotel rates are fairly comparable to U.S. prices, and generally include a very good European-style buffet breakfast – lots of bread, pastries, fruits and meats – and all very fresh. Depending on the age of the hotel, you’ll probably find the rooms smaller than you’re used to and the bathrooms about the size of a coat closet.

Restaurant meals are also very expensive – portions are much smaller than Americans are used to – which isn’t all bad if you’re watching your weight. However, when you order a beverage, you might as well drink the wine or beer because they often cost less than a soft drink or water. At one Parisian café, we paid about 20 U.S. dollars for four glasses of Coca Cola – without ice and no refills.

Modern hotels have wireless connectivity for your computers and older places may have one computer in their business center; however, be aware the keyboards vary from country to country. For example, in Germany, the letters y and z are exchanged. and if you don’t notice that little fact, you’ll create some humorous looking emails as well as struggle to find your favorite websites. That probably explains why there’s no such baseball team as the New Zork Zankees.

Let me leave you with one more tidbit of information that could add to your comfort level in Europe. Save some change for the restrooms. That’s right – what you can do for free at any rest stop in the U.S. will cost you around a half-Euro in many locations. The fee is designed to pay for janitorial services and ensure the restrooms are kept clean and working. If you’re out of change, you may have to find a tree, but don’t worry, the locals will understand and won’t be offended.

Travel safely and have fun!

Submitted by:

Be the first one to comment »

Do you find yourself typing in the same familiar email to your prospects and clients again and again? Whether it’s boiler-plates, generic thank you messages or directions to your business, there is a tool in Microsoft Outlook 2000/2003 – AutoText – that can help you automatically insert text into an email with minimal effort.

Whether you need to automate a paragraph or a three page email, I will show you how you can use AutoText to help save time so you can spend more time selling.

There are four easy steps to create an “AutoText” Entry

1. Type your email into the email body area.

2. Highlight the text you want for your AutoText Entry.

3. Once the text is highlighted… click – Insert > AutoText > New… Or you can simple hit Alt+F3 (Function Key – Not F then 3)

4. Name the AutoText and click OK

Using your AutoText Entries:

1. In a new email start typing the name you gave the AutoText name

2. When the yellow box appears as you type (above), simply hit the “Enter” key. Your AutoText will then automatically be placed into the email body text.

Option Two: If you can’t remember what you named one of your AutoText entries, you can use the Insert AutoText Option.

1. Click – Insert > AutoText

2. Find the name of your AutoText
1) Click the name of the AutoText
2) Click “Insert”
3) Click OK

You can download this in a quick reference guide by clicking here

Submitted by:

(2 votes, average: 5 out of 5)

 Loading …

Be the first one to comment »

This was one of Bill Brooks’ favorite principles. He always preached that managers need to get out from behind their desks and get into the field. This doesn’t just mean sales managers, but also VP’s and C-level executives. Top organizations have executives and managers that “walk the walk.”

I made a sales presentation to the executive team of a Fortune 500 financial company. The CEO, CFO, COO, Divisional VPs, and Directors attended the meeting to evaluate our company against five others for training and consulting services. During the Q&A portion of my presentation, the COO asked me, “Why is it that when other organizations do sales training they get results, but when we do it we don’t see any change?”

Being the blunt, direct person I’m known to be, I responded, “The difference is everyone in this room. If you decide to work with us – or any of the other five companies you’re considering – you will be choosing an excellent organization with success stories from clients who’ve achieved positive results. We all have excellent tools. The difference is what you do with those tools. You’re fooling yourselves if you think you will see strong results simply by choosing a training company, then going back to your offices to wait for the P&L to change. Great organizations drive training from top down – they not only establish expectations, but they get out in the field and set the example for those expectations.”

Here’s an example from the NBA: Mitch Kupchek is the general manager of the LA Lakers, and Michael Jordan is part-owner and GM of the Charlotte Bobcats. Recently, the hosts of a sports talk show interviewed an NBA “insider” who observed that Mitch Kupchek goes to practice every day. He also attends almost every game, before which you’ll find him down on the floor talking with the media and meeting the fans. He’s also highly visible promoting the Lakers in the community.

In contrast, Michael Jordan drops into practice about once a week. He’s rarely seen at games – and when he does attend, he’s not out talking with the press and the fans – nor is out promoting the Bobcats in the community. The Lakers are competing for the championship and the Bobcats were at the bottom of the standings all year.

If you want to be one of the top organizations in your industry, look at where you’ve set the bar for your sales force, your executive team, and yourself. How often are you and your executive managers visible in the field, setting the example?

As Bill Brooks always said, “You can’t lead where you won’t go and you can’t teach what you don’t know.” (Sales Management Principle #6)

Submitted by:

(2 votes, average: 3 out of 5)

 Loading …

Be the first one to comment »

In the many years I’ve been a salesperson and a sales trainer, salespeople have continually asked me, “Why can’t I seem to close a sale? I do everything according to the six steps of the sale. I do what the company requires, but I can’t get the customer to sign the contract. What am I doing wrong?”

I believe salespeople focus too much on the close and not on the process of meeting the customer’s specific needs. Most salespeople I’ve observed have a tendency to:

1. Dominate the conversation; thus, it becomes a monologue
2. Demonstrate only the items that get them the largest commission
3. Sell anything in their “bag of tricks” to close something today
4. Talk the buyer into a product or service they really do not want
5. Take the easiest path toward a one-time sales call

This behavior wastes both the salesperson’s and the buyer’s time. For higher closing ratios, I suggest looking at these five considerations:

1. Make the toughest sales appointments when you are at your highest energy level.
2. Find out as much as you can about the company before you arrive.
3. Take initiative to learn the names and faces of possible decision makers that may be attending the sales call
4. Remain totally focused on the client/prospect you are with presently – not another, bigger appointment later that day or the appointment you just left
5. Ask for the order. It’s simple. But, fear often prevents you from taking this final
   action.

These five simple steps would make a salesperson’s closings increase dramatically by handling each call with a more professional, pre-planned, priority-based, personal approach.

Submitted by:

(1 votes, average: 4 out of 5)

 Loading …

5 Comments »