" “You know there are no mistakes. There are only just new directions. ”
Miles Davis
For Salespeople…
What are you going to do the next time you make a sales call that despite proper planning, goes awry? Are you going to become depressed?Are you going to quit?I certainly hope not. First, whatever happens was a gift. It was a learning gift. There is a lesson in everything that turns out differently than you planned. Are you learning the lesson? Talk about what happened with another trusted sales professional to be sure you got what you need to learn from the mistake. Ask that person why he thought it happened and what he would have done to avoid it. Now, make sure you go on selling and make new mistakes. After all, they are just new directions that might lead you to a better sale.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE BLOG S AND OTHER COLUMNS
I’m now writing The Real Deal, a column on women in business for Allbusiness.com Hope you’ll read more ideas so you can achieve your success in business.
You can get RSS feed for the blog.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
THE SELLING IDEAS FOR THE MONTH
Can You Tell Which of your Prospects Are Serious
Some of your prospects are never going to buy. These are the ones you think will, yet they won’t. Can you tell which prospects are serious buyers? Here’s how.
Danger signals. I was recently working with a client on sales call strategy. He was working on an account that was taking too much time to close. While he thought the sale should have gone through sooner, I thought the opposite. Here were some of the clues he was missing.
This prospect promised to complete a credit application quickly and submit it by a particular date. The day came and went and the prospect kept promising to complete the form. Each time the salesman called to get the credit application there were different excuses for not having it completed. Prospects who want to do business with you don’t delay. They do the required paperwork to get their accounts set up and ready for their orders. This prospect was signaling that he really didn’t care.
There were other missed signals. There were several appointments when the prospect showed up late. It’s reasonable that sometimes emergencies happen and a customer will be delayed. In this case, there were no emergencies and no effort to alert the salesman to reschedule the appointment. That’s a signal that this prospect doesn’t value the salesman’s time. That attitude rarely changes after the sale.
The prospect gave another powerful clue about his behavior when the salesman delivered the price quote. This prospect had bought product in another city. This location was smaller and more remote. The prices were therefore higher at this new location. The prospect complained about pricing and tried to show how knowledgeable he was about price. He really didn’t know the market.
When you have a prospect who doesn’t honor all commitments—and that includes appointments, you have a prospect who is not serious about buying. When prospects argue about price late in the sales process and don’t have a justification, like buying large volumes to earn a discount, they are giving you a warning. They are going to be tough to work with if they ever do buy.
Good signs. Just as there are warnings, there are clues that will guide you to a good customer. Make sure you notice these clues so you do everything right to work with these people. Good customers will give you referrals even before they start to buy. They don’t have to experience your products and services to know you are good. They understand your value and want other businesses who they know to get the same value they will be getting from you.
In the sales process, they don’t start the sales call with, “Tell me your price.” They are willing to talk freely about their business so you can learn more about where your products and services fit in. That way you can help them improve their business. Unlike the tough customers, these good customers honor all the promises they make.
Your job in sales is to recognize which prospects are good for your business and which ones are bad and likely to give you headaches. Most important is not to kid yourself that a bad prospect will somehow turn into a good customer.
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
ACTION ITEMS
1. Which of your prospects has broken a promise with you?
2. Next sales call, ask questions to determine their true interest.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
DID YOU KNOW?
One way the federal government could save money is if the Treasury Department found a way to use cheaper metals to produce some coins. Pennies currently cost 2.4 cents each to produce. Nickels cost about 11.2 cents to make.
Source: Wall Street Journal Feb. 14, 2012
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Here are some selling tools to help you sell more now. Click on the photo to find out more!
Monday Morning Sales Tips : A book that has quick ideas for you to be more successful in sales. 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.