Taking the Mystery Out of Sales Calls and Make More Sales
Taking the Mystery Out of Sales Calls and Make More Sales
As salespeople become more knowledgeable about the sales process and more fluent in the language of sales, the opportunity to grow and develop an influencing language can be skillfully accomplished. One area that has a solid reputation is improving communications dramatically is neurolinguistics. Every aspect of our language patterns is a clue that can potentially mean a positive return -increased sales - for those who master the use.
A most important part of the sales process is getting and maintaining rapport. Once this is established, more experienced and successful salespeople realize the impact of maintaining it and coming back to regain it if it's lost. Over the years many rapport skills and techniques have been used successfully. One training tip which successfully worked for me over and over again was to find something in the decision maker's office that you could comment on to start a conversation that would let the client know that there is some common ground. A solid handshake, good eye contact and the list of rapport skills goes on. People today are more sophisticated as buyers. It takes higher level skills and knowledge to win your client over your competitors in sales.
In a face to face conversation, if our prospect is highly visual, in our first meeting he will be looking for and evaluating our eye contact, facial expressions, visual image and so on. A second system of auditory, references people's ability to discriminate and communicate by how things sound. In a conversation, assuming a context of a more auditory client, then tone, pitch, volume and inflection become a more important criteria of evaluating capability. Another sensory system of kinesthetics, deals with understanding more by what we feel. As we talk with someone who is stronger in this system our handshake and our body movement are placed on a higher level of importance.
Understanding that we all incorporate various degrees of all three of these sensory modes gives us a powerful advantage in being able to quickly build rapport with a client.
Let's walk through the establish rapport stage to understand how any meeting can be more effective. First, since many appointments these days are made on the telephone, we search our memory or notes of our conversation with Ms. Kinaudvis. We remember that her voice was soft, fluid and slow. If we didn't do this on the telephone, it's now of utmost importance that we do this in person: match the pattern of her volume, rhythm and pace. This does not mean that we become Rich Little and impersonate the client! Matching means to model this auditory facet of the behavior of the client.
Think about this fascinating way of human beings: we tend to favor people who are much like ourselves! Have you ever had one super-enthusiastic salesperson approach you all bubbly and excited . . . but you were not at the same emotional level? Most times at this point of contact in the approach, we'll step back from the oncoming firecracker - a mismatch! Matching in any of the sensorychannels of communication - visual, auditory, kinesthetic - is effective in getting and maintaining rapport.
The astute salesperson realizing the importance of rapport will continue to pace Ms. Kinaudvis until rapport is established, and then lead. But the clue seeker will also be sensitive and attend to pacing visual cues as well. High sensory acuity allows you to pace visual and auditory, knowing that in all likelihood the kinesthetic will fall in place automatically.
Second, as we gather information from Ms. Kinaudvis the astute salesperson asks, "What is it you'd like to see happen as a result of using our product?" Sometimes when we ask a client to explain what outcomes he/she is interested, we get a vague, general response partly because of the way we phrase it. The astute salesperson will rephrase the question if it wasn't understood the first time. But the clue seeker wouldn't have asked it in a multi-sensory way to begin with! "Tell me, what is it you'd like to see, or hear or feel as a result of using our product?" "That's easy," says Ms. Kinaudvis "I'm interested in our customers telling us that they'll refer us to others because of the top quality; and I'd like to hear our sales reps say that they're excited about having a new addition to our line and ultimately if our sales increase, well that's key."
Now we have some hot buttons to touch on and more importantly, how the client will possibly emphasize aspects of their decision making strategy - through conversations, words from referrals and any number of auditory channels of communication. Our own suspect's (client's) language gave us an inside track on the style of the way they will be sorting information to decide to buy!
The clues that we can gather by listening to the language models of our customers are always - yes always - right there in our conversations. As we become knowledgeable and proficient in the skills of influence, no prospect case is to difficult too close.
Taking the Mystery Out of Sales Calls and Make More Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
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Whether it's a salesperson with customer, manager with employee, teacher with student or parent with child, rapport skills are the foundation for successful communications. As we think of rapport being a degree of harmony that we have with someone, it takes on powerful dimensions in developing relationships. One aspect is the degree to which we can visually, auditorily and kinesthetically pace and then lead the person we're trying to influence.
As salespeople become more knowledgeable about the sales process and more fluent in the language of sales, the opportunity to grow and develop an influencing language can be skillfully accomplished. One area that has a solid reputation is improving communications dramatically is neurolinguistics. Every aspect of our language patterns is a clue that can potentially mean a positive return -increased sales - for those who master the use.
A most important part of the sales process is getting and maintaining rapport. Once this is established, more experienced and successful salespeople realize the impact of maintaining it and coming back to regain it if it's lost. Over the years many rapport skills and techniques have been used successfully. One training tip which successfully worked for me over and over again was to find something in the decision maker's office that you could comment on to start a conversation that would let the client know that there is some common ground. A solid handshake, good eye contact and the list of rapport skills goes on. People today are more sophisticated as buyers. It takes higher level skills and knowledge to win your client over your competitors in sales.
In a face to face conversation, if our prospect is highly visual, in our first meeting he will be looking for and evaluating our eye contact, facial expressions, visual image and so on. A second system of auditory, references people's ability to discriminate and communicate by how things sound. In a conversation, assuming a context of a more auditory client, then tone, pitch, volume and inflection become a more important criteria of evaluating capability. Another sensory system of kinesthetics, deals with understanding more by what we feel. As we talk with someone who is stronger in this system our handshake and our body movement are placed on a higher level of importance.
Understanding that we all incorporate various degrees of all three of these sensory modes gives us a powerful advantage in being able to quickly build rapport with a client.
Let's walk through the establish rapport stage to understand how any meeting can be more effective. First, since many appointments these days are made on the telephone, we search our memory or notes of our conversation with Ms. Kinaudvis. We remember that her voice was soft, fluid and slow. If we didn't do this on the telephone, it's now of utmost importance that we do this in person: match the pattern of her volume, rhythm and pace. This does not mean that we become Rich Little and impersonate the client! Matching means to model this auditory facet of the behavior of the client.
Think about this fascinating way of human beings: we tend to favor people who are much like ourselves! Have you ever had one super-enthusiastic salesperson approach you all bubbly and excited . . . but you were not at the same emotional level? Most times at this point of contact in the approach, we'll step back from the oncoming firecracker - a mismatch! Matching in any of the sensorychannels of communication - visual, auditory, kinesthetic - is effective in getting and maintaining rapport.
The astute salesperson realizing the importance of rapport will continue to pace Ms. Kinaudvis until rapport is established, and then lead. But the clue seeker will also be sensitive and attend to pacing visual cues as well. High sensory acuity allows you to pace visual and auditory, knowing that in all likelihood the kinesthetic will fall in place automatically.
Second, as we gather information from Ms. Kinaudvis the astute salesperson asks, "What is it you'd like to see happen as a result of using our product?" Sometimes when we ask a client to explain what outcomes he/she is interested, we get a vague, general response partly because of the way we phrase it. The astute salesperson will rephrase the question if it wasn't understood the first time. But the clue seeker wouldn't have asked it in a multi-sensory way to begin with! "Tell me, what is it you'd like to see, or hear or feel as a result of using our product?" "That's easy," says Ms. Kinaudvis "I'm interested in our customers telling us that they'll refer us to others because of the top quality; and I'd like to hear our sales reps say that they're excited about having a new addition to our line and ultimately if our sales increase, well that's key."
Now we have some hot buttons to touch on and more importantly, how the client will possibly emphasize aspects of their decision making strategy - through conversations, words from referrals and any number of auditory channels of communication. Our own suspect's (client's) language gave us an inside track on the style of the way they will be sorting information to decide to buy!
The clues that we can gather by listening to the language models of our customers are always - yes always - right there in our conversations. As we become knowledgeable and proficient in the skills of influence, no prospect case is to difficult too close.
Taking the Mystery Out of Sales Calls and Make More Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Patricia Weber's Website.
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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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 |
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Kim CastleWith nearly two decades in the advertising and design business, with clients like Domino's Pizza, General Motors, Direct TV, Pedigree, Wolfgang Puck, Higher Octave Music, Hollywood Celebrity Products, Disney, and Paramount, as well as thousands of entrepreneurs around the world define, structure, communicate, and position their business for greater profits, BrandU(R) co-creators Kim Castle and W. Vito Montone discovered that entrepreneurs could experience the same power that big brands command for a fraction of the cost with the world's only process-based results-drive Integral approach to business creation. BrandU(R) is helping entrepreneurs grow with the power of extreme clarity from idea...to brand...to market(TM) and helping one million entrepreneurs become successful and whole so that they can make a difference in the world. Are you one of them? If you want to experience clarity all the way to the bank(TM), get started now at http://www.brandu.com. - Visit Kim Castle's Website |
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