22May/070

Tuesday’s Sales Truth {5.22.07}

Tuesday's Sales Truth Number 24

The Tuesday's Sales Truths are taken from Bill Brooks' Book Entitled: Universal Sales Truths
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Filed under: Sales Motivation No Comments
21May/071

5 More Minutes: Think Positioning

Last week I promised you some additional tips to better prepare for your sales calls. Remember, just five more minutes?

Resist the urge to go on that sales call partially prepared: Let's face it, that's what the vast majority of salespeople tend to do - they rely too much on verbal fluency, hearsay, and their own opinions - they don't bother to uncover any real information about the prospect. Why not give yourself an edge by preparing? You'll stand out from the crowd.

Let's look at positioning: How are you seen in your market? Yes, you! Not just your company, your product, your sales manager, or your sales team as a whole...How are YOU perceived?

Write down the 2 or 3 words your customer or prospect would use to describe you. Be honest. If I called your customer would they describe you this way? What have you done to deserve this description?

Your personal positioning is paramount to your success. Are you a value resource to your customer? Or are you more of a nuisance? Why would time spent with you be valuable?

Take five extra minutes and ask yourself:

  • What do I know about this customer's needs and wants?
  • What have I done to understand this customer's buying cycles?
  • Who is the decision-maker? Are there other people who might influence a buying decision?
  • Do I understand this customer's most pressing issues?
  • How have I distinguished myself from my competitors?

If you've done the above - and done it well - the customer's description will truly position you well. Isn't that worth 5 more minutes?

Submitted by: Richard Dickerson

Filed under: IMPACT Selling, Positioning 1 Comment
17May/070

Presentation: How To Sell Against Lower Priced Competition & Win

Bill Brooks, founder and CEO of The Brooks Group speaks about how to handle price pressure from prospects and offers some proven strategies that will help you sell value and get out of the deadly price-cutting race for good. This presentation was held at the historic Carolina Theater located in downtown Greensboro, North Carolina on December 5th, 2003.

We've taken the principles of this presentation and built a training seminar designed to teach you the specific techniques that you need to stand firm and get your price without losing the sale -- even when you're facing intense price pressure. Gain the skills and the knowledge that will make full-price / full-margin selling a reality at your organization. Click here to learn more about this practical seminar on June 15th Or contact us for more information about getting a customized version of this program for your sales team.

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Filed under: Overcoming Objections, Sales Motivation, Sales Videos No Comments
16May/070

[Audio] The Importance Of Sustaining An Emotional Connection With Your Prospect

Is your prospect just a prospect or do you have a deeper connection with them. Listen to how Bill tells us how important it is to connect emotionally with your prospects.

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Click the green play button above to play the audio

This and other podcasts are available to download at itunes to help your selling career. If you have never used itunes and need help to download and install it click here for a tutorial.

You can click the "itunes" icon on the sidebar to take you directly to our podcast site.

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Filed under: Professional Selling, Sales Training Audios No Comments
15May/070

Just 5 More Minutes Can Make The Sale

Last week we had a fairly large crowd in our Conference Center for the IMPACT Selling Open Seminar - 43 salespeople - all from different industries, different areas of the country and three from the Ukraine. But after spending time with this group of salespeople and countless others over the last 13 years, I've noticed 3 mistakes that seem almost universal in selling...

  1. Too little research and groundwork to really understand the prospect's business BEFORE meeting with them
  2. Too few probing questions to get the prospect verbalizing their needs and wants
  3. And the perennial sales mistake of too much talking and too little listening

All of these problems are symptoms of a larger disease that plagues salespeople and eats away at their ability to succeed - Not focusing on the customer. If you can't take the time to understand their business, uncover their needs and wants and listen to their concerns, why should your customers and prospects trust you or believe that you have anything valuable to offer?

So here's my advice: Try taking just 5 more minutes...

  • Spend 5 more minutes on research and investigation before meeting your prospect
  • Spend 5 more minutes preparing questions that will uncover information you need to make the sale
  • Spend 5 more minutes asking questions and listening to your prospect before you jump in speak again

Yes, I know that salespeople often think, "I'm not paid to sit in front of my computer and do research...I'm not paid to hang around listening to prospects yak all day...I've got to get in there and sell something and move on to the next one." That's why I'm suggesting you take just 5 more minutes in these three key areas - that's 15 minutes more per sale - invested entirely in focusing on your customer. You'll be amazed at how well those 15 minutes pay off.

Next Monday, I'll give you some specific suggestions on how to use those extra 5 minutes to increase your chances of making the sale.

Submitted by: Richard Dickerson

Filed under: Asking the right questions, IMPACT Selling, Pre-Call Planning, Prospecting No Comments
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