Sales Blog with Sales Tips

I had the privilege of speaking with a very successful older sales professional recently. He told me that being a top producer is easier for him today than in years past.

His comment piqued my curiosity. Always looking for sales tips material I asked him, “What have your years of experience taught you that makes you more capable today?”

The Sales Professional’s Most Important Tool
In a perfect example of life imitating art he said, “Just one thing.” I felt like I was listening to Jack Palance, who said a similar line in the movie, City Slickers.

He had my attention. I almost begged, “And that one thing is?”

He replied, “Our tongue.”

The Power Of Spoken Language
He went on to tell me that our tongue is like a rudder on a large ship. Even though the surface area of a ship’s rudder is miniscule compared to the size of the vessel, it has a profound impact on the direction the ship takes.

I asked him to provide more details and he told me the following:

What we say to customers has more impact than anything else we do. Our words are, by far, the most powerful tool we have in our arsenal.

A customer can always detect a lack of sincerity in our voice. It’s better to be quiet than disingenuous.

We have complete control over our tongue muscle. We must never react to a customer’s accusations and rage; we must respond.

It always takes two to tango. Don’t verbally engage with irate customers. Let them vent their anger and then deal with the situation.

Don’t ever try to deceive customers with your words. When we do, there can only be two outcomes; neither is good: 1) They can immediately tell we’re lying, or 2) They’ll find out later they were given bad information.

Look customers in the eyes when speaking to them. Have you ever heard anyone complain about too much eye contact?

Listen. Customers won’t listen to your words if you don’t listen to theirs.

Sales Tips Wrap Up
Are these simple truths? Absolutely. Are they hard to put into practice? Yes. Knowing these realities is the first step in making them part of our daily relationships with our customers.

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>©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

Scott Sheaffer’s New Book, “Comatose Management”
—
Six Short Stories of Destructive Management Practices, Volume I
—
Available in printed and Kindle edition on amazon.com
—
—

Prospects have become so wearisome of cold callers these days that conversations don’t even get off the ground when we call them.

“I’m too busy right now to talk to a salesperson.”

Here’s A Technique That Will Get The Prospect Talking 99% Of The Time
Immediately after the prospect says he or she is too busy to talk, respond with, “I understand, but before we get off the phone, can I ask you just one quick question?” And then you ask your question.

Let’s Dissect Why This Works So Well
Prospects will perceive that you aren’t going to be taking too much of their time and they won’t have to reveal too much information. Minor investment. Minimal commitment. “Just one quick question.”

If you are calm, assured and prepared, the prospect will be put at ease. While you’ll start with a closed-ended question, you might be able to follow-up with one or two additional open-ended questions that will help start a relationship and set the stage for your next interaction.

Research has shown that initial objections from prospects are “throw away” objections. They’re just reacting to an interruption. The objection is not a real objection, but a stated objection.

Sales Tips Wrap Up
The keys to making this really work are:

• Do some research on the company before you call. The one question you’re allowed to ask needs to sound like you know something about the company and their industry.

• Know when to stop. Don’t overuse this technique. If the prospect seems willing to answer a question, don’t keep pushing for more if the prospect is not receptive.

• Be genuinely empathetic with the prospect if you perceive that he or she honestly can’t talk with you at that moment. You can always call back. No need to tarnish a relationship before it begins.

>You can automatically receive Sales Tips Blog by Scott R. Sheaffer >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2010 Scott R. Sheaffer

Scott Sheaffer’s New Book, “Comatose Management”
—
Six Short Stories of Destructive Management Practices, Volume I
—
Available in printed and Kindle edition on amazon.com
—
—

By using relevant stories that anchor the point you’re trying to make when selling, you are using the most ancient, timeless and effective way of transmitting information.

Storytelling is having a major revival in sales. Why? It works. I feel somewhat foolish writing about sales tips that are 20,000 years old. The first cave dweller who tried to barter a fur probably told a story of how warm it kept him or her at night.

But Telling Stories Isn’t Professional
Really? Ever heard of Zig Ziglar or Tony Robbins? They litter their presentations with one story after another. They interweave their stories so seamlessly that we aren’t even aware they’re using them.

Go back 2,000 years. We can find a multitude of stories in the Bible that Jesus used to help his audiences understand his teachings. These ancient stories are still being used in 2009 to teach basic sales principles and sales skills.

Guidelines For Using Stories In Sales
Before I give you a real-world example of using storytelling in sales, let me provide a few key points on how to do it.

• Make them personal. Don’t tell someone else’s story; use something that happened to you. This is very critical.

• Make them relevant. We all like a good story, but ensure that you use one to reinforce your selling goal.

• Make them short. Ever heard a joke that was too long for the punch line? If we’re not careful, we can do the same when using stories in sales.

• Dive in. Never start out by saying, “Let me tell you a story.” Just jump into the story.

Our DNA is hard wired to hear and understand a story. That’s why this works so well. The customer will instinctively understand and be interested in your story.

Real-World Example – A Sales Professional Makes A Sale To Dr. Defpotec By Telling A Story
Zack (not his real name) was an experienced sales professional who knew the power of a story. He sold ophthalmic (eye stuff) instruments to ophthalmologists (eye doctors). One of his big sellers was an electronic eye test chart that is used to check a patient’s vision (e.g. 20/20, 20/30, etc.).

Zack’s eye test instrument would change the letters for each test which dramatically improved the validity and accuracy of the testing (i.e. no one could cheat). Zack had been calling on Dr. Patterson (not his real name) who insisted on continuing to use his old cardboard eye chart. One that never changed. He wasn’t interested in Zack’s instrument.

To be honest, Dr. Patterson wasn’t particularly concerned about the precision of his patients’ eye tests either. However, Zack was about to open Dr. Patterson’s eyes. He was going to do so by simply telling him the following short story about another ophthalmologist in town.

“Dr. Zine (not his real name) primarily performs flight physicals for airline pilots. Airline pilots must have 20/20 vision (corrected) in order to keep their jobs. Clearly, it is in their best interest to pass the eye test.

“Since Dr. Zine never changed his eye chart, it didn’t take long for his pilot patients to figure out that the 20/20 line was always the letters D E F P O T E C. By memorizing the word ‘defpotec,’ they had a guarantee of forever testing positive for 20/20 vision. Over time, Dr. Zine became known in the pilot community as simply ‘Dr. Defpotec.’

“‘Sorry, can’t have lunch with you today Ted, got my semi-annual flight physical with Doc Defpotec at noon.’”

Zack Connects The Dots
Zack then proceeded to challenge Dr. Patterson, “If Dr. Zine has patients doing this to him, you can be assured it’s happening to you. In Dr. Zine’s case, he is potentially allowing airline pilots to fly who don’t meet the vision requirements as set forth by the FAA.

“Who can know all the consequences and liabilities when people are able to cheat on an eye test? My product can keep that from happening in your practice.”

Not only did Zack’s story demonstrate why Dr. Patterson should buy his product from the perspective of validity and accuracy of testing (i.e. need), but it also provided an opportunity for Dr. Patterson to avoid any questions about his professional credibility (i.e. pain avoidance). This is a powerful story. This is a compelling technique.

Zack sold his type of eye testing equipment to Dr. Patterson that day.

Sales Blog Epilogue
The next time you see an airline pilot squinting in the cockpit, blame “Dr. Defpotec.”

Further sales blog reading:
The Power of Stories

>You can automatically receive Sales Tips Blog by Scott R. Sheaffer >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

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I’m sick of hearing about “added value.” So are customers. We have to start giving our customers and prospects something real instead of spouting off intangible and meaningless phrases we’ve gotten from marketing.

Believe me, much of the “added value” we spew on our customers lands on deaf ears.

Voodoo Added Value
Voodoo Added Value is my term for the embellished, intangible and baseless added value we hurl at customers. Want some examples?

“We have the best trained account managers.” Name one of your competitors that doesn’t claim the same thing.

“We can provide any product or service for you, even if it’s not in our product line.” Really? Can you? Think the customer believes that? Does your employer believe that?

“We are an honest company.” Oh please! Companies aren’t honest, people are.

“We’re the Mercedes of the business.” Again, name one of your competitors that you think might say something like, “Oh yes, we’re not that great at what we do, but we have great looking account managers.”

“We provide the fastest service/product delivery/response times/etc.” Quick, how many of your competitors say this? Answer: all of them.

The Great Contradiction
Given that your competitors are repeating these same kinds of Voodoo Added Values, actually not saying them becomes a real added value. This is counterintuitive.

Think about it.  Authenticity, credibility, factuality, legitimacy and originality are valued by customers. They respond positively to these qualities. No hollow marketing chatter required.

Sales Blog Epilogue
Rules to sell by – and to avoid the trap of Voodoo Added Value:

• Anytime you feel it necessary to start machine-gunning your customers with added value statements, ask yourself, “Is this the least bit original or has this customer heard this from all of my competitors?” If it fails this test, it’s Voodoo Added Value. Your customer isn’t listening.
• Am I making legitimate and factual claims as to the added benefits my company brings to the table? If the answer is no – Voodoo Added Value.
• If what you’re saying is not credible, or if you don’t sound credible, you guessed it, Voodoo Added Value.
• Am I being authentic or am I being a phony? Don’t forget that buying from you is not your customers’ first rodeo. They can sniff out an imposter in about three nanoseconds.

Further reading:
What Value Do We Need To Be Selling In A Recession?
Rise Above Commodity Style Selling

>You can automatically receive this sales blog >by email< or >by RSS<.
>Follow >Scott R. Sheaffer< on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter.
>©2009 Scott R. Sheaffer

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Are you satisfied with your sales results?
Kay Ray can show you and your team how to reach
your objectives and unlock the door to success.
thekayray.com