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You are here: Home / Newsletters / Prospecting and Are you afraid of Sales?- October 2014

Prospecting and Are you afraid of Sales?- October 2014

November 14, 2014 By maurasf

 

-Monthly Selling Newsletter with Ideas to Sell More Now-
October-2014
Selling Quote for the Month 

“Give ‘em what they never knew they wanted.”   –  Diana Vreeland, Former Vogue editor                    

 For Salespeople… 

Have you noticed that sometimes your prospects don’t know what they don’t know? You’ll especially see that time when they don’t want to buy.  That’s when your sales job starts.  Yes, strategic selling is finding those prospects most likely to want and need your products and services.  You also need to recognize that there are more prospects than just your ideal customers who can buy from you.  That’s when you need your strategy to give ‘em what they never knew they wanted.  Your questioning strategy will get you there. Do you know which questions to ask?   

To my newsletter readers: Thank you to all of you and those who send comments. I always enjoy hearing from you!    


Get more selling ideas at Allbusiness.com


Selling Ideas for this Month

  Do You Apologize That You’re in Sales?

“Hi, may I speak with Maura?” was what I heard after I answered the phone and said hello.  “Speaking,” I replied.  The unknown caller said, “How are you today?”  I knew it was a telemarketer, so I said, “Fine, thank you.  So what are you selling?”  “Oh, nothing!” he said horrified at the idea that he was trying to sell me something.  “Well, if that’s the case, thanks for calling.”  I hung up.  Do you apologize for being in sales?

Are you afraid of sales?   There are too many salespeople who think they have to apologize for being in sales.  How do you know if you’re one of them?  Look at your business card and your title.  Does it say sales? I’ll give you a pass if it says Business Development since so many people today now know that those words really do mean that you are in sales.  I think that you are afraid of selling if your job title doesn’t have the word sales.  Or you could be hiding behind your job title because you have a low opinion of sales.  Whichever it is, you are not helping your selling when you have a job title that hides what you’re there to do.  There’s no need to apologize for being in sales and there’s no need to hide what your work is either.

What do you say?   Some salespeople say things that subtly show others that they’re apologizing for selling.  I was in a meeting with a marketing communications specialist.  This is a person who knows the power of words. I could have used his services or recommended him to other people I know.  This was our first meeting.  He asked about my work and how I accomplished my business objectives.  I asked him about his clients and his range of services.  I saw samples of his work and thought it was good.  At the end of the meeting, he concluded it by saying, “Well, I’m not trying to sell you anything.”  Oh, really!  Why would I want to work with someone to help sell my products and services when he thinks that the purpose of our meeting wasn’t sales?   He showed his discomfort for sales by apologizing for it.  Never apologize for selling. 

What do you think selling is?  You have the wrong idea of sales if you think that what you’re doing when you sell to others is manipulation and coercion. Too many salespeople think selling is doing what the stereotypical used car salesman does.  That is not selling!  It’s simply manipulation and coercion.  If anyone did that, they surely should apologize for their behavior.  Even better, they shouldn’t be doing it in the first place!  Selling is simply helping a customer make a great buying decision.  Think about your products and services and the results you produce for your customers. I’m sure you make a difference in their businesses and their lives.  Your customers couldn’t achieve those results without your products and services—and your selling. 

So the next time someone asks you what you do, I hope you can reply proudly, “I’m in sales.”  Then follow with the results of the wonderful work you do.  Anything less is an apology for being in sales.  Delivering great results for your clients never warrants an apology. If anything, they ‘ll be thanking you for what you do.

So the next time someone asks you what you do, I hope you can reply proudly, “I’m in sales.”  Then follow with the results of the wonderful work you do.  You didn’t have to apologize to your customers when you delivered those great results.  That’s because you are in sales. 

Best wishes for your selling success!


Action Items

1. Look at your business card. Does it clearly say that you are in sales? 

2. How do you see your role in selling?


Did You Know?

Here’s a tip this week for your sales success.  


So I never assume, here’s a brief list of services I offer.

A. Consulting/Coaching/Mentoring

By hour or by project.

  • Plan sales call strategies
  • Develop effective proposals that prevent “low price” shoppers from picking your competiton
  • Reduce the stress of working for a difficult manager
  • Shorten the time for a new hire to be productive 
  • Design customized selling tablet app
  • New ideas to sell more
  • Develop questioning strategy to shorten your sales cycle and increase sales
  • 90 Day Performance Plan for new sales hires to be productive faster and increase retentionFor info, please see Consulting/Coaching.Call 972 380 0200 for a free initial consultation.

B. Speaking at Sales Meetings to Improve Sales Performance

Present Sales Performance improvement programs at sales meetings and conferences

RECOMMENDED IF:

  • Your salespeople lose proposals based on price. 
  • You have underperforming salespeople.
  • Your salespeople have too many deals that they say are closing and they don’t close.

Programs for Your Sales Success

Visit [email protected] to see upcoming programs.
Create Your Own Luck for Business and Sales Success                     60 Minute Session     
Have you heard that sales is a numbers game? Sometimes it is. It also can be a game of luck. The luck I’m speaking of is the ability to create your own good fortune. If you want to use luck as a selling tool, here’s what you can do. 
Consultative Selling: Asking the Strategic Questions that Sell:  Did a customer tell you he needs to think about your sales proposal?  Your questioning strategy is flawed. You will learn to ask the questions that sell for you and not hear “I’ll think about it” any more. This webinar is key to your sales call success. 

Sell More Now Programs:   Selling Strategies to Sell More Now!Your successful selling is more than talking and listening. It’s developing the strategy to get in front of the right customers the easiest and most effective ways. This thoughtful, strategic approach to your selling will shorten your sales cycle and increase the profitability of your business. You will learn to develop your successful selling strategies in this one-hour (approximate) program.You will learn to make strategic decisions that help your customers make a buying decision and see you as the preferred supplier. Your strategy work continues as you demonstrate why they should continue to buy from you. This program will guide you to formulate your sales strategies so you get in front of the right customers, help them make buying decisions faster, and create long-term business relationships.

You will learn:

1. How to get customers to quickly understand that you are the preferred supplier.

2. How to identify the customers you can best serve.

3. How to get customers to come to you.

4. How to avoid wasting time on the wrong prospects.

5. How to be perceived as an expert so customers quickly trust you.

Sell More Now with Mentoray Marketplace

You Can Still Learn!

Did you miss the webinars to help you sell more.  View them now!
Increase Your Sales:  Find Ideal Prospects Who Will Buy

Successful salespeople have a clear understanding of who they should sell to. Their prospects are most likely to need and want what they are selling. Yet, too many salespeople lack focus on identifying and approaching these ideal prospects. In this program you will learn to create a successful prospecting strategy which will shorten your sales cycle, make selling less stressful, and increase your sales.
You will learn to:
· Identify true prospects so you avoid wasting time on low probability customers
· Predict when a prospect is ready to buy
· Leverage your strengths to find more prospects who are ready to buy
· Use your existing resources to find more receptive prospects
On-Line Webinar: Would Have Liked to Know That!: A Salesman’s Guide To Sales Success 

If you’re new to sales or thinking about a career in sales, you will want to avoid the setbacks and obstacles that might be part of your career. Selling is a fulfilling yet challenging job. You can learn to maintain the selling attitude you need to thrive. You will learn to focus on the skill that’s most important to sales success (and it’s probably not the one you think.) You will identify the strategies to implement that will lead to your sales success.

On-Line Webinar: Secrets of Persuasion to Sell More Now

Sales professionals who use persuasion and influence get better results in business. This seminar will teach you to identify the behavioral clues you need to effectively

persuade others. You will learn what the clues mean and how to use them with customers to shorten your sales cycle. You will increase your sales when you have the tools to persuade.

                


Do you need to increase your sales? Why not consider sales coaching? Are you looking for proven strategies to sell more?
Contact Maura@Bestatselling.com or 972 380 0200. Free 15 minute consultation to determine if this program is for you.
“You have also taught me a great questioning strategy for every account. I can now get past price and get deeper into a business than before. This has not only given me more confidence when I walk into a prospect, but it has shortened my sales cycle. This has been my biggest goal throughout our working together.”
Jordan DaleAccount ManagerWestern Marketing, Inc
“Maura has proivided the expertise to retool our entire sales process.  She has single handedly created the sales side of the cutting edge technological sales tools we are implementing at this moment.  She has been invaluable.”
Charles Read
President
Custom Payroll Associates Inc. 

Follow Me on Twitter
My id is BestatSelling  You can follow BestatSelling on Twitter.
See you there! 

You can read my monthly selling column Ask The Sales Pro for SOLD magazine where I answer readers selling        questions. You can subscribe to the magazine and read my answers to solve their selling challenges. You can also ask questions! Get answers to your tough selling challenges.

 

 

Monday Morning Sales Tips: Do you need ideas for sales meeting? Are you looking for weekly motivation to sell more? 

Real-World Selling: A book with selling skills and strategies that work in the real world of sales.
Secrets of Persuasion: Audio CD for the clues to use to speed-read people and close more business.
 

The Blogs and Other Columns

 
I’m now a guest columnist for the Dallas Business Journal. My column is called “Customer Connections.”  I’ll be answering readers’ questions about selling. Do you have any selling
questions? Send them to info@bestatselling.com 
 

About Maura Schreier-Fleming

Maura Schreier-Fleming works with business and sales professionals to sell more and get better results at work. She speaks at international conferences on sales and business. Her [email protected] clients create long-term client relationships and sell more. Clients include Fujitsu, UPS, Administaff and Dr Pepper/7UP.
 
With over 20 years of sales experience, she teaches the art and science of selling with a unique hands-on perspective and a great deal of real-life insight. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results (a book filled with ideas to make selling easier and more productive) and Monday Morning Sales Tips. 
 
Her business column ‘Selling Strategies’ appears in the Insurance Record magazine. She is a guest columnist for the Dallas, Austin and Houston Business Journals. She has an M.S. in Textile Engineering from Georgia Tech and was Mobil Oil’s first female lubrication engineer in the U.S. You can contact her for seminars at company or trade association meetings at 972 380 0200 or info@BestatSelling.com

Selling Tips

Get more selling tips from Maura’s ebook: 97 Ways to Sell More Now E-Book


Looking for new strategies to improve your persuasion skills? This easy to apply Audio CD will give you many new ideas to easily improve your persuasion skills so you can sell more and close business faster.


I’m always looking for success stories and other tips from sales professionals. Please feel free to email me at info@bestatselling.com with ideas that have worked for you.


Here are some selling tools to help you sell more now. 
Monday Morning Sales Tips: Do you need ideas for sales meeting? Are you looking for weekly motivation to sell more? 
Real-World Selling: A book with selling skills and strategies that work in the real world of sales.
Secrets of Persuasion: Audio CD for the clues to use to speed-read people and close more business.
 

Hire Maura to speak at your next conference or sales meeting! Contact: info@bestatselling.com

 

You can contact her for seminars at company or trade association meetings at 972 380 0200 or info@BestatSelling.com

 Need an Article for Your Newsletter?

Articles from this newsletter may be used in your free publications or posted on your web when given the following credit:

Written by Maura Schreier-Fleming, [email protected] (https://www.bestatselling.com). Maura works with business and sales professionals who want to sell more and be more productive at work. She is the author of Real-World Selling for Out-of-this-World Results and Monday Morning Sales Tips.

For free articles, selling ideas and morale boosters visit BestatSelling.com 

 

Privacy: At [email protected] we take privacy issues very seriously. Your information remains with us and will
never be sold, shared, or distributed in any manner, for any reason.


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Contact Information

1. Web site: https://www.BestatSelling.com

2. E-mail: info@bestatselling.com

3. Call: In Dallas 972 380 0200

4. Mail:

PO Bob 798027 Dallas, TX  75379-8027


(c) Copyright 2014

 Maura Schreier-Fleming. All rights reserved  

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*What was your last “mistake?” Did you make it before? There’s nothing wrong with making mistakes in sales provided you are making different mistakes. (You are learning from them!)

About the principal

Would you take auto mechanics classes when you buy a car? Maura did because she wanted to be able to work on her car. She takes that same approach to selling. She can show you how to get below the surface of selling to learn why and how different strategies work. She will show you which skills to implement that will shorten your sales cycle and increase your sales. She was Mobil Oil's first female Lubrication Engineer in the United States and one of Chevron's top 5 salespeople in the country. She knows what works for sales.

"I would recommend your work to other sales organizations who want to get better results from improved selling strategies."
Jamey Rootes
President
Houston Texans

Sales Expert at Allbusiness.com

Selling is the easiest job in the world. Just ask anyone who is not in sales. Read Maura’s ideas on “more brain…less mouth” selling to make your selling easier and more successful.

Maura’s Allbusiness blog posts

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