It's all about the pain....Not the benefits.......FACT!

Here's a Sales Tip for you.  Focus on Pain over Benefits. The removal of pain is far more important than the gain of benefits......FACT!

Your in a pitch. Your Selling the Benefits of your product or service,

It does this........It does that........You can use this.......You can use that......... SO WHAT!!!!!!

The Prospects do not care about YOUR benefits......FACT! First because what is a benefit?

A benefit is something that the PROSPECT feels will benefit them, not what YOU feel it would do.

Second, if all you do is sell the benefits of your product or service, YES they could be useful for your Prospect but all you will get is one of these lines that I am sure you have heard before.
"It's interesting, do you have a card?"
"I do need to think about this"
"Yes I could use this put your offer in a email and I will get back to you"

There are lots more but there is no need to list them, all the above result in a no sale TODAY, which means no bonus or commission to you, apart from a "that could be a deal" which you cling on to for weeks....hoping!

Yes you need benefits but benefits alone do not sell. A true Sales Professional does not even have to mention benefits, they share an idea of some,  but they know that by finding PAIN and focusing their presentation and pressing on that pain repeatedly. Prospects are more likely to take action TODAY to remove that pain.

When you have a headache you need the tablets NOW. (how many times have YOU drove in your car trying to find a pharmacy that is still pen?)  If I don't have a headache,  yes tell me that the tablets will get rid of my headache, but as I said I do not need them TODAY so leave me your card and I will get back to you.

Find the Pain that your Prospect has, and then present them a cure.

The doctor asks "Does it hurt when I press this" ask your prospects the same question. "How does that affect you when....."    "What does it feel like it without......."    "so by not having means you......"

You WILL SELL MORE by ASKING questions that find the PAIN your prospect is suffering from by not having your product or service,  then by TELLING your prospect about all the benefits of what your product or service does.....FACT!

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

The Sales Prevention Department

Do you know anyone who works in the Sales Prevention Department?  I used to joke about this to prospects "don't worry I'm  from the Sales Prevention Department, I will talk you out of it!"

It helped defuse any tension between me and the prospects but joking apart there are loads of Sales Reps....not Sales Professionals. Sales Reps who unknowingly work in the Sales Prevention Department.

These are the Sales Reps who hang around the office or home every morning drinking another cup of coffee or boring someone about yesterdays pitch that did not happen. They feel it is much more productive to have another coffee rather then get out in the Field at the earliest possible start.  If it's time for booking appointment's, these sales reps will shuffle paper, play with their index cards, keep taking bathroom breaks rather then dial and speak to a prospect. They will spend the whole day rationalizing.

"It's too early to call, every one is out"  then it would be "It's too late to call they are all in meetings" which soon becomes "It's lunch time now best take a break"  and you know how the rest of this day continues.

It becomes that bad that they start to think "I hope they are not in , I hope they are not in," or when they do call to pitch and are told that the prospect cannot see them today, they actually feel a bit relieved! It's easier to explain how they got blown out, then when the prospect said no.

This is not you. You are a Sales Professional. Yet this can happen to you at some time. When you have had a bad run, a bad day, no sales are happening and you are starting the blame game. Fears, doubts and anxieties are the infectious diseases that can affect a Sales Professional and stop you from performing at your peak.....FACT!

You see Avoidance of rejection is the easy way out, and if that disease starts to infect you, YOU need to fix it.(if you want to that is, the other option is to blame the product, company and prospects and quit)

Maybe fixing it is the better option, but you will not be able to fix it using any new sales technique or training. It can not be fixed from any motivation, will power or determination. Those skills are used later but first it MUST COME FROM WITHIN. IT STARTS WITH YOU

YOU being your self-talk. It's what you say to your self, that voice in your head that when things are bad just loves to say those words "see I told you so"

It's why YOU put off what needs to be done, as your inner self feels it won't work because when you make a few calls and get rejection then you knew you were right!

Very few Sales Professionals will admit if they are wrong yet a problem honestly acknowledged is at least half solved. If YOU confront your habit of avoidance and take it on with the determination to chase it out of your Sales life, this alone is much more than just a first step towards success, instead it is a giant leap towards success, A leap that will put you halfway to your goal. (if you have one)

I have met many Sales Winners who will all admit that they had struggled at some point in their careers and found the best way to pull out of this struggle is to move from avoidance to confrontation. Not confrontation in the negative sense. The confrontation of what is holding them back and facing it and breaking it.  Once you commit to this and you have that DESIRE then that commitment you had in getting your Job will take you through to perform and achieve like YOU want to earn a six figure annual income.....FACT!

To assist with this it would help if The prospects you are calling or calling on are ones that you feel good about.  We may be able to force ourselves, with mature will and self-discipline, to do certain unpleasant things in order to get very desirable results.  But it is almost impossible to force ourselves to do so consistently.

Meaning: The smartest Sales Professionals don't cold call. They know referrals, or calling on prospects that have a need for the service or product.They don't blame their prospects, they work on improving the quality of them.

Also are YOU 100% sold on what you are selling?

Meaning: Do you feel like you are pushing prospects to buy something that they do not need? Because if you 100% believe in what you are selling and are in front of the prospects that you know would benefit from this then you are not working for the Sales Prevention Department you are working to help Prospects. You belief and enthusiasm will shine through and you will have no time for that extra coffee at home as inside you feel you will be letting your prospects down.....FACT!

to end this post BE HAPPY and RELAX  Thoughts cause feelings which cause actions. If you feel tension and fear before a pitch or calling a prospect then again that will effect YOU. Your job is to Persuade......FACT! Persuasion diffuses and diminishes resistance. When you have tension and stress you don't SELL you TELL and then you argue. Argument usually increases and strengthens resistance......FACT!

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

He who stops being better stops being good.....FACT!

I don't know if you were like me last week-end Glued to the TV watching The Masters Golf. I say it before and I say it again on being a Golf Pro is just like being a Sales Pro.

It's all YOU. The complete individual game, your caddie is your coach in the field but you execute the final shot, the final close. And just like a Golf Pro the more you practise the better you get.

Don't get confused re Bubba Watson's comment's on how he has never had a Golf Lesson. What he says is how he is self taught. and I quote how he PRACTISED TIRELESSLY to make his dreams come true.

I think you are of a selected few that constantly look to improve your sales skills. Your reading this blog, you want to keep learning. I read this in the paper this morning which prompted me to write this post.

"It's because pro golfers (Sales Pro's) need to be constantly fresh in their minds. The Older you get the more it becomes just another job, and you never say to yourself, Well I've cracked it now. You constantly keep look for ways to keep the enthusiasm going."
Thomas Bjorn talking about the importance of coaching and learning.



You cannot stand still in this business. You move forward or backwards. You sell or you do not sell.......FACT!

A very high percentage of Sales Professionals start in the Sales industry, have a couple of weeks training, get a few deals, think they know what to do and then plod along getting the odd sale, always moaning that the prospects are no good.

"He who stops being better stops being good"
Oliver Cromwell

As a Sales Professional , you are the CEO of your business. How much time do you put in each week to improving your knowledge and your presentation? If you add 15 minutes a day from your working week to learn more about your product, or improving your presentation, that is five hours a month of personal training. That's nearly three full days a year. Spending only 15 minutes a day on self improvement.

You tend to find a huge gap in sales skill between the top 3 on a sales line and the bottom 3. You also tend to find the top 3 are the first to arrive at work and the last to leave.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

Closing

"People don't like to be sold. But they love to buy"
Jeffrey Gitomer

This quote from Jeffrey Gitomer is so true. He goes on to say that people don't go around saying:

"I got sold a car," they say, "We bought a car."

You don't say, "We got sold a house," you say, "We bought a house."

So what happens if the prospect after your leave the presentation is saying
" I was sold that............" ? This can lead to a change of mind, and they may decide not to go ahead.

Some Sales Professionals focus too much on Closing the sale. They feel they have to, it's the only way to get the deal.

"I am trying to close them but they will not give me a yes today"

Those days are gone.

"If I could would you?" or "If you could afford it would you join today?" are sharp replies that can sometime scare your prospects.

The top Sales Professionals do not close, they let the prospect buy. Yet really they are closing all the time. CONFUSED? Very simply, the sales presentation is so smooth, and has such a flow, that the prospects do not even notice any form of closing, because the Sales Professional is leading them along the presentation, selling to them, but making them feel like they are buying. You can not miss out simple things, like alternative closes to test the strength of how you are doing,or tie downs. A lot of alternative closes are done to get prospects to start talking naturally like they own. This is giving ownership and when you DO ask for the Sale TODAY they expect it, it's a natural part of the process.

Closing is a part of sales. You can buy hundreds of books on how to close a sale, and get a full list of different techniques that you can use. Anyone can repeat a close to a client, but it is not going to guarantee you the deal. Nothing can replace the YOU, the friendly people's person that has earnt their trust. This is the YOU that can speak to your prospects like you are asking your best friend questions.

Be a top Sales Professional, don't be a closer, let your prospects buy from you. If your prospects feel they have bought, they are happy. If they feel they were sold, they will think of reasons not to go ahead.........FACT!
Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

Confidence + Effort = Success.....FACT!

"Confidence doesn't come out of nowhere. It's a result of some thing.....hours and days and weeks and years of constant work and dedication."
Roger Staubach
Prospects just love a confident Sales Professional.......FACT! It's their money and they want to know that if they give it to you, they are going to get what you promised.
How confident are you that you will get a sale today?
Of course, when asked this question everyone will say yes, yet if you are not selling at the moment or on a bad run of pitches with no sales, a voice in your head will overrule that with a line like:

"If I get a good prospect will get a deal"
CONFIDENT SALES PROFESSIONALS CREATE GOOD PROSPECTS.
"Confidence is a mental process that arises from considering if a person or thing is capable of something. Self-confidence is having confidence in oneself when considering a capability."
That mental process that arises from you considering if you are capable of getting sales, starts when you arise. It starts as soon as you wake in the morning, that no matter what is in front of you today, YOU WILL sell them something. WHY? Because you know you will, nothing will stop you. YOU WILL find a way.
Confidence is like treating every pitch as if it is your last pitch; You have to sell them or you will never get a pitch again. It's a burning fire inside you to WIN WIN every time. That is Confidence, not just saying every day "I am going to get a deal", that conviction is like saying "I am going to win the lottery!"
I believe all Sales Professionals have confidence it's in their ego. What is needed though with that confidence is EFFORT. Not just waiting to trip over a sale playing the numbers game. It's EFFORT at all times during that working day.

EFFORT........from preparing yourself before every pitch, practising on your presentation and researching your prospects.

EFFORT........If you are not in front of a Prospect. Why Not? So work towards this. If you are not selling you are not earning so find prospects. Ask for referral's. Get in front of Prospects. The famous line is that we have the same hours and minutes in a day. The difference between the high earners and the low earners is the EFFORT that is made.

Success is dependant on Effort.....that is the biggest FACT! I can say.......FACT!

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

Senna and The Sales Pro

I have just been watching Senna, a documentary charting the life of Formula One Legend Ayrton Senna.

How is this related to Sales Tips?

Well apart from being a very moving film about a WINNER in his profession, the part where he crashed after being so close to WINNING the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix and his response afterwards made me think about Sales and using experiences to make you stronger......FACT!

Ayrton loses his concentration on lap 67, resulting in a crash at Portier corner and a subsequent retirement from the 1988 Monaco Grand Prix. Despite a brilliant qualifying session by Senna earlier that weekend, Monaco would end on an incredibly depressing note.

The Sales Professional's pitch was going great. The Sales Pro had the attention of the prospect, had found some pain and kept pressing on it to get the prospect emotional.

Senna led from the start, but things began to spiral downhill after he was told over the radio that his teammate Alain Prost was in second place.

As I said it was going great but then he was giving an objection, (an objection is not a rejection it is simply a request for more information) it could have been any objection but it threw The Sales Pro off track, and instead of using the objection as a tool to move forwards The Sales Pro panicked (remember we all have off days)

Senna panicked and began pushing his McLaren to go faster still. After Ayrton had set the fastest lap of the race and created a 53 second gap over Prost, team principal Ron Dennis intervened over the radio, telling him to slow down - that Alain couldn't’t catch him. These

comments did nothing to soothe Senna’s fears. On this one rare occasion, Ayrton’s paranoia got the better of him. Distracted, he made a mistake and hit Portier’s guardrail.

In Simple terms The Sales Pro lost the sale, came off the normal script that had been successful for the sales pro in the past. The Sales Pro started to TELL not SELL (making statements instead of asking questions) and at the end was told "I need to think about it" (remember only 1% say NO the rest tell you they want to think about it. which is a polite way of saying NO.....FACT! and makes a weak Sales Pro feel they did a good job)

Ayrton hung around long enough to watch Alain fly by, then he vanished - never returning to the pits that day. Ayrton walked back to his apartment in Houston Palace, a short distance from where he crashed and isolated himself. Hours after the race, he was still replaying the race and his mistakes in his mind - punishing himself for conceding a victory that could have so easily been his. All of this overwhelmed him and resulted in a 5 hour crying spell.
But not The Sales Pro.........The Sales Pro was hurt, instead of blaming the prospect like many low performers do......The Sales Pro...SENNA was punishing himself of where it went wrong. The Sale could have easily happened, but it didn't.

After calling Senna’s apartment for hours with no answer, Jo Ramirez (McLaren team coordinator) finally got ahold of Ayrton’s housekeeper who lied for him, claiming he wasn’t there. Eventually, she handed the phone over to Senna who was little more than a puddle of tears at this point, calling himself “the biggest idiot in the world” and not really understanding how his car got away from him.
The Sales Professional did the best thing any Sales Professional can do when they did not sell. THEY TOOK RESPONSIBILITY AND USED THIS FEEDBACK TO MAKE THEM STRONGER.....FACT!

There was a silver lining to be salvaged from this dark cloud, however. Ayrton later credited the experience with saving and changing him spiritually, as well as mentally: "It was the biggest step in my life, both as a racing driver and as a man. It brought me much closer to God." He went on to elaborate in another interview with F1 journalist Gerald Donaldson: "I am a religious man. I believe in God, through Jesus. I was brought up that way, was maybe drifting away from it, but suddenly turned the other way. Things that have happened in my racing career contributed a lot to my change of direction. It was a build-up of things that reached a peak and then I had a kind of crisis. Monaco was the peak and made me realize a lot of things. It is something that is difficult to talk about, very touching for me. But it is something unique in life, something that can hold you, can support you, when you are most vulnerable. It has made me a better man. I am a better human being now than I was before this. I am better in everything I am and everything I do."
When things are going well you need that crisis to happen in your Sales Career....FACT! It makes you stronger, going forward you can learn from experiences so next time there is a different reaction. Ask any Professional this. There is no such thing as failure unless you accept it as so. Use all situations where there has been a no sale as feedback on how you can improve.
Most of you will know the rest of Senna's story and yes it did tragically end. But after that Monaco Crash he went on to win The World Championship that season and used the Monaco Crash as the positive that made him stronger.
Use every pitch you make that results in a NO sale as a positive to make you stronger in your Sales Career....FACT!

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

YOU!

"A gossip is someone who talks to YOU about others,
a bore is someone who talks to YOU about himself,
and a fantastic Sales Professional is one who talks to YOU about yourself."
Lisa Kirk

Let's just clear this up when YOU are pitching to your prospects.

The Prospect does not care about YOU,


The Prospect does not care about your product or service
The Prospect only cares about what your product or service can do for them........FACT!

Many Sales Professionals are so egotistical they spend a high percentage of the presentation talking about themselves. Me this...Me that....I think this......I think that.........Me Me Me Me......

Now the majority of prospects in this world today are not to rude to tell YOU to shut up, so instead they listen to what YOU say, nod every now and then and at the end tell YOU those famous words...."I need to think about it!"

Selling is simple, sorry Selling CAN be simple,

YOU ask questions
YOU listen
YOU then diagnose a solution!

When YOU go to the Doctor, they don't tell YOU about how long they spent at medical school, what qualifications they have. They ask where it hurts! (Great quote from Jeffrey Gitomer)

Make sure your pitch is about them, not YOU. (how many times do YOU say "I"?)

A big tip is to use the word YOU as much as YOU can during your presentation.

This is how YOU
What if YOU?
YOU will find
What do YOU like about?
Why do YOU?

If YOU would like to see an improvement in your Sales Performance, increase how much YOU talk to your prospects about them and what your are Selling will do for them.

Talk to them not at them.............FACT!

YOU come to me, YOU want to Sell, But all YOU do is Tell Tell Tell.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

Don't Sell too early

A common mistake that Sales Pro's CAN make during a presentation is to start selling too early.....FACT!

Mostly this can happen when you have not had a sale for a few weeks, panic and worry starts to kick in and YOU forget to stick to your presentation flow. Your prospect mentions some PAIN that they have been feeling (pain being problems that you know your product or service can fix) and an excited Sales Professional jumps straight in with the CLAIM that they can fix it. YOU start selling too early, you forget the successful way of selling that has worked for you before, THINKING that you have found a short cut.

YOU MUST NOT SELL TO EARLY! Leave that for the Sales guides that work in retail pitching to the people that come into to buy.

You hear some PAIN....great, then press on it, ask open-ended questions, get the prospects emotions stirring. BUT stick to your Sales Presentation. Don't sell, let your Prospects BUY! If you know you can fix their pain then it's all about the Timing and Deliverance........FACT!

I overheard an ex Sales Pro in discussion about how he was finding it difficult to sell. He felt the prospects he met just did not want to buy. Other Sales jobs he had had before were much easier. The prospect had an interest and it was just a case of selling against the competition and providing the best price and service. YES you need Sales Skills for that but that is only a step up from retail sales, from working in shops or places where people come to buy.

I write for the Sales Professional that meets prospects on the basis for agreeing time with you on the promises of a gift for attending a presentation or updated information. They have been cold called and agreed to a few minutes of time for you to introduce your product or service.

THEY ARE A NO UPFRONT. but......then you walk in. The Sales Professional with the positive attitude, belief in them self, their product, their company and their price. They ask open-ended questions, listen, diagnose pain and then sell the cure. THE NO BECOMES A YES TODAY..........FACT!

They mostly work on commission only but then again because they believe in them self they are the highest earners in the Sales World. THEY EARN WHAT THEY ARE WORTH FROM THE EFFORT THEY PUT IN.

Thank you for reading this post. I hope you found it helpful, Please share with your fellow Sales Professionals and if you liked it leave a comment.

Persistence

"Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality the other a matter of time."

Anyone who knows me, knows how much a fan I am of the works of Napoleon Hill and especially the greatest book I have ever read Think and Grow Rich. This book changed my life.......FACT! It took me from a Sales Pro to a Sales Champion and millions and millions of people will testify to how this book can change lives. Yet reading it is ok but you need to act on what you read.

People often say how knowledge is power, well if that was true then all Teachers, Professors and Librarians would all be millionaires. Knowledge without action is just useless.

It's like having goals. Think and Grow Rich shares with you how having a definite major purpose, a clear defined goal that you truly desire and a definite plan written down on how you will achieve it, is the key to success.

Success does not respond to wishes. It's a common mistake for Sales Pro's to consider setting goals only as a mental process. Any idea in your head simply looks at the past and adjusts for the future. If your goal is not in writing, you do not have a goal, a definite purpose at all. Instead, you have only a dream, a vision or perhaps what could be a nightmare.

If you own a copy of Think and Grow Rich (and buy the way don't by imitations) check at www.naphill.org and purchase a copy supported by the napoleon hill foundation.

Anyway in the book is a chapter called Persistence. I read this every day for 21 days (just 15minutes a day) of all that spare time you have. The basis of Persistence is the power of WILL. Will-power and desire, when properly combined, make an irresistible pair.......FACT!

The chapter shares how you can train yourself to be Persistent.

How to NEVER give up,

How the only "break "anyone can afford to rely upon is a self-made "break"

and How to take your Persistence inventory,

In the world of Sales just think how Persistence could increase your income?

That extra question when closing?

That extra call when booking appointments?
That extra hour out in the field prospecting?
That extra effort while pitching....NEVER GIVING UP.....because you Believe your product or service will benefit your prospect?

Here are some quotes on Persistence I have found on the web. When you read them if they trigger desire in you..........then YOU will achieve YOUR GOAL (if you have one and its written down with a definite plan and time frame to achieve it) with PERSISTENCE.......FACT! FACT! FACT!

"Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on"has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race."
Calvin Coolidge

"What do you first do when you learn to swim? You make mistakes, do you not? And what happens? You make other mistakes, and when you have made all the mistakes you possibly can without drowning - and some of them many times over - what do you find? That you can swim? Well - life is just the same as learning to swim! Do not be afraid of making mistakes, for there is no other way of learning how to live!"
Alfred Adler

"The most essential factor is persistence - the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement must inevitably come."

James Whitcomb Riley

Money grows on the tree of Persistence!

Negativity Kills Sales!

If there is ONE thing that I cannot tolerate in the world of Sales, it's NEGATIVITY.........FACT!

What is the point? It's criminal, it's a disease it's the number one guaranteed way for a Sales Rep (notice I say Sales Rep NOT Sales Professional, as any one that works in Sales and has a negative attitude NEVER deserves to be called a Sales Pro!) Anyway it's the number one way to make sure your never sell .....FACT!

Maybe I am being negative with my post so far? But by getting this message across you will never let Negative thoughts enter your mind again. NEVER................ and to assist this STAY AWAY FROM NEGATIVE PEOPLE AT WORK......FACT!

If you work on commission only you have one choice and one choice only and that is to SELL, it's the only way you will get paid and this means finding the Solutions not the Problems.

Yes you can have a bad day, a bad pitch, but why dwell on it, always look at what you could do better, because tomorrow if you want to get paid you need to sell. You might get the same objections again, you might have the same prospect who does not want to play ball. But in the world of Sales everything can change, that next prospect could be the BIG deal. That next call you make to book an appointment could be the Sale that creates constant referral Sales earning you the FIVE not three or four figure pay checks.


Do you ever talk like this or do you hear this from other members of your Sales Team?

"I tried doing my pitch but after 5 minutes the prospect just did not want me to carry on! What can I do I follow the process!"

What you do is make sure your first 5 minutes blow the prospect away! It's never the prospect, plant that seed in your mind. If this happens constantly then it must be you. The sales agent that talks like this thinks that they are brilliant and likes to moan and complain to other SalesPro's spreading negativity....FACT!

"I just can't seem to make enough appointments, I make the calls but they just give me excuses."

Well others can make appointments so it must be YOU, put some life into your telephone script, stay positive and make more calls. Change your mindset, if you believe you can't seem to make enough appointments then that is what will happen....FACT! And no appointments means no pitches which means no money so you better change it or you soon will have no money.

"I keep getting prospects that want to think about it"

Listen I have met many Winners in the Sales Game and myself included agree that if the Prospects want to think about it, it means NOT SOLD.......FACT! and when you have had plenty of these you either sink or swim. YOU practise and practise and work on your PITCH and Sales Skills. 100% there is a sale in every pitch, you either sell the prospect your product or services or the prospect sells you on the fact that they want to think about it!

Just a little fact if you keep getting I want to think about it, how many of them after thinking about it then buy? less then 1?

Anyway it's you who have chosen to play the game of Sales.........FACT! It's you that BELIEVES that YOU can sell, so if you BELIEVE in your product or Service and you BELIEVE in your price then in this numbers game that Selling is all about. YOU WILL SELL.......FACT!
and Kill the negative thoughts and stay away from Negative people. Let them lose, You play the Sales Game to WIN.......and get Paid what you are worth!