Sales Digging In Progress: Get Prospects to Listen to You
Sales Digging In Progress: Get Prospects to Listen to You
One dog lesson is, “When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.”
Keep your eyes on the master.
In sales, think of your prospect as your master. Dogs learn their place in a family. Well trained dogs know that they go through a door once their master goes through rather than running ahead without permission. You must focus on prospects instead of yourself through all points in selling. The salesperson that constantly focuses on themselves will lose listening points. No one wants to hear about what you have to say until you say what they want to hear! Just like the dog knowing their place in a family by practicing obedience, as a salesperson consider your place in the sales relationship with a prospect: they come first.
Keep your focus.
Chanel sits at attention with that petite size tennis ball in her month for minutes sometimes. Because she doesn’t bark or whine it can take minute for me to look up at her if I am on a telephone call or writing an article. But her eyes never leave me. Stay focused first on your intention of the result of having someone listen to you and second on your prospect. On a recent coaching call, a client told me they are assessing the ease and less stress when they go to an initial sales call with a more reasonable sales intention. Their focus is to find out more about the prospect and their intention is to get to the next step: for them this is to schedule a follow up call. They are 99% more effective than their previous approach with the intention to get the sale.
Another dog teaching for effective sales introduction is, “If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.”
Remember what is buried.
Just like Chanel knows where she buries her dog treats and can find them easily at a later time, she also knows her tennis ball in her mouth will get her that playtime. It’s likely that your prospect doesn’t care to listen to you because you haven’t yet reminded them of what is buried in their mind – possibly a problem they whisked under the carpet, possibly a solution they seek that came and went through their mind. How do you help them to remember? Stay focused throughout a sales conversation on the prospect. Your listening can lead them to finding what is buried, and that can lead to a decision to buy from you.
Dig until you find the treasure.
You would laugh with amazement on how excited Chanel gets when I finally take note of her request. She goes from a statue like stare to romping with glee. If you are in rapport with your prospect while you help them to remember their pain – what is buried; or discover what solution they do want – also buried, then the time will be right for when you can present them with the treasure. Why would you want to rain on their delight by showing them the treasure before they even know what they were digging for?
Is it obvious to you I love the lessons that dogs give us about selling? Your obedience lesson, if you are willing to learn from dogs, is about paying more attention to learning about the customer than to jumping in to some spiel about yourself. Then your digging about how and what to sell to your prospect will be as easy as it is for a dog to invite their master to go out and play.
Sales Digging In Progress Get Prospects to Listen to You - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
My dog, Chanel, is awesome. With a petite size tennis ball in her mouth she stands at my office door when she is ready to go out and play. She stands there with eyes on me until I say something like, “Let’s go play!” Many salespeople are mystified about how to get a prospect to listen to them to let alone buy. It’s not a requirement that your prospect be an introvert, known to be better listeners naturally. There are easier ways, as my dog knows, to introduce yourself to a prospect and have them listen.
One dog lesson is, “When it’s in your best interest, practice obedience.”
Keep your eyes on the master.
In sales, think of your prospect as your master. Dogs learn their place in a family. Well trained dogs know that they go through a door once their master goes through rather than running ahead without permission. You must focus on prospects instead of yourself through all points in selling. The salesperson that constantly focuses on themselves will lose listening points. No one wants to hear about what you have to say until you say what they want to hear! Just like the dog knowing their place in a family by practicing obedience, as a salesperson consider your place in the sales relationship with a prospect: they come first.
Keep your focus.
Chanel sits at attention with that petite size tennis ball in her month for minutes sometimes. Because she doesn’t bark or whine it can take minute for me to look up at her if I am on a telephone call or writing an article. But her eyes never leave me. Stay focused first on your intention of the result of having someone listen to you and second on your prospect. On a recent coaching call, a client told me they are assessing the ease and less stress when they go to an initial sales call with a more reasonable sales intention. Their focus is to find out more about the prospect and their intention is to get to the next step: for them this is to schedule a follow up call. They are 99% more effective than their previous approach with the intention to get the sale.
Another dog teaching for effective sales introduction is, “If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.”
Remember what is buried.
Just like Chanel knows where she buries her dog treats and can find them easily at a later time, she also knows her tennis ball in her mouth will get her that playtime. It’s likely that your prospect doesn’t care to listen to you because you haven’t yet reminded them of what is buried in their mind – possibly a problem they whisked under the carpet, possibly a solution they seek that came and went through their mind. How do you help them to remember? Stay focused throughout a sales conversation on the prospect. Your listening can lead them to finding what is buried, and that can lead to a decision to buy from you.
Dig until you find the treasure.
You would laugh with amazement on how excited Chanel gets when I finally take note of her request. She goes from a statue like stare to romping with glee. If you are in rapport with your prospect while you help them to remember their pain – what is buried; or discover what solution they do want – also buried, then the time will be right for when you can present them with the treasure. Why would you want to rain on their delight by showing them the treasure before they even know what they were digging for?
Is it obvious to you I love the lessons that dogs give us about selling? Your obedience lesson, if you are willing to learn from dogs, is about paying more attention to learning about the customer than to jumping in to some spiel about yourself. Then your digging about how and what to sell to your prospect will be as easy as it is for a dog to invite their master to go out and play.
Sales Digging In Progress Get Prospects to Listen to You - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
|||
Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
|||
Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
|||
Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
|||
John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
|||
George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
|||
Anne BarrAnne Barr has over 26 years experience in sales and marketing, six years as a franchisee. She has assisted over 367 business owners and purchasers to achieve their goals in career change, transition and exit strategy. She holds the designation of Certified Franchise Executive from the International Franchise Association, Certified Business Intermediary from the International Business Brokers Association and Board Certified Broker from the Texas Association of Business Brokers. Anne is active in professional organizations, networking groups and volunteers for non-profit entities. As owner/operator of four successful businesses, Anne has proven people skills and enjoys helping clients find the right "fit" in business ownership. Visit www.FranchiseOpportunitySpecialist.com for more information about me and my company. - Visit Anne Barr's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Patricia's articles
 |
|
America's #1 Sales Coach for Introverts, Shy and Reluctant - Being in sales for 30 years, and having success after success as an introvert may not be the norm. I'm here to encourage other introverts to succeed in sales!
|
|
 |
 | |
|
| |
 | |||||||
|
 | ||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| Have you written articles that would be of value to entrepreneurs? Become an expert on our site by publishing them! Expose yourself to a wide audience, drive more traffic to your website and get more sales! Click Here for details. |
|
|
 |
| Modeling the Masters: Learn the true secrets behind Walt Disney's business success factors & grow your company! Video produced by Phanta Media |
|
|
 |
"Learn straight from Evan how you can Make a Full Time Income (And More) from a Website"
Click Here To Learn More |
|
|
|
|
Get advice & tips from famous business owners, new articles by entrepreneur experts, my latest website updates, & special sneak peaks at what's to come!
|
|
|
 Eneterprise Readiness Balance chart New Sales Leadership Paradigm Sale Systems Content Challenged |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Productivity Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
Email us your ideas on how to make our website more valuable! Thank you Sharon from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for your suggestions to make the newsletter look like the website and profile younger entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez and Sean Combs!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||