If You Can Answer Yes to These 5 Questions, Don’t Need More Sales Training!
If You Can Answer Yes to These 5 Questions, Don’t Need More Sales Training!
1. Am I able to secure and hold appointments with suspects?
2. When I identify a suspect as a prospect am I able to move the prospect through my sales cycle?
3. Do I know what to do and say to obtain a sale with a prospect?
4. Do I know how to do what I need to do to obtain a sale with a prospect?
5. Do I have enough knowledge in my area of expertise to answer most questions prospects have?
At this point you’ve probably had extensive sales and knowledge training. You may have been told it’s just a numbers game and that if you put enough suspects into your sales funnel you’re guaranteed a certain number exiting your sales funnel as clients. So no matter what you want your income to be you just have to work the numbers backwards and presto, there you have it! Hmmm, how’s that working for you? Exactly what I thought! Hello, you aren’t selling widgets! You’ve chosen a highly relational business. In a relational business working the numbers is working unnecessarily hard for little or no return. By now you realize something just isn’t working, but you probably haven’t figured out what isn’t working and why what you’re doing isn’t working.
Have you noticed many of the other people in your industry in the 60% club with you have been in the business for years? If experienced and knowledgeable people in your industry can’t break out of the 60% club in spite of their experience and knowledge, how can you ever hope to break out of the 60% club? Do those in the upper 20% just seem to have star power that you don’t have? Is it possible there’s a way for you to get into the top 20% club and develop this elusive star power? Yes, it’s entirely possible.
What does the top 20% in your industry know that you don’t know? What do they do that you don’t do? What skills do they have that you don’t have? What are these elusive things that enable them to work less than you do yet earn more than you do? Why do clients seek them out and walk past you like you’re chopped liver? Why are people attracted to them and want to be associated with them? Let’s look at 3 of their top income producing secrets!
Secret #1
People aren’t born with star power they develop it. In your relational business whether you call it star power or charisma it’s a skill you can develop and you can develop it effortlessly. You too can become charismatic unless you’re self-centered and egotistical. People who are charismatic are that way because they’ve developed the talent of making other people feel important. Don’t believe me? One of the most successful and charismatic women in business was Mary Kay Ash. Whether you like the products that made her legendary or not, you can’t logically argue against her star power or her financial success. She believed everyone she met had a sign on their forehead that said, “Make Me Feel Important”. Can you argue with that?
In your relational business when you make other people feel important how does that impact your business? First, you must understand how to make other people feel important. You make other people feel important by asking questions about them, truly listening to them, and by empathizing with their needs and concerns. Most of you are pretty good at asking questions, you just don’t listen to their response. You are too busy thinking about what you’re going to say next and figuring out how you’re going to ask them questions that get them to respond in terms of you. Just in case you aren’t aware of this, that’s called manipulation. How well do you like people you feel are manipulating you? Once you’re able to put others ahead of you and your needs, your relationship with that person begins to develop. As your relationship develops they come to feel comfortable with you and trust you. As their comfort and trust increases what happens to the likelihood they’ll either directly do business with you or refer others to you? Starting to get stars in your eyes?
Secret # 2
Everyone you meet is a potential prospect. How many times have you heard that? While the statement in and of itself may be true, it’s a guaranteed recipe for working harder with fewer rewards to demonstrate your efforts than those in the top 20% club. When you’re determined to hold steadfast to the position you can sell to everyone, you look like everyone else in your industry and you stand out to no one! You are a NOBODY! Looking like a sheep is comfortable and you will meet a few other people who don’t mind working with a sheep if you just happen to meet them at the right place at the right time. Happy grazing! The alternative is to be the goat, sheep dog, or anything other than a sheep that prospects can easily identify as being different and more valuable to them than a sheep. This does not prevent you from selling to anyone it just helps you become recognized by someone who can become your client. It helps you become SOMEBODY to other people who want to work with.
Secret # 3
Those in the top 20% club don’t sell anybody anything they just help their clients buy what they’ve told them they want to buy. Rather than helping your clients buy, you race your red hot little sales car through every red light at every intersection you cross and you don’t even know you’re doing it! Don’t believe me? At your very next selling encounter that doesn’t end up with a sale I want you to think back and ask yourself at what point(s) did your client seem to disengage or look physically uncomfortable? For many of you this will be a very difficult assignment because you have a presentation you like to follow and you just keep speeding ahead hoping the client will end up at the same place at the same time you do and make a commitment to close the sale. Some of you have a specific service or product you want to sell and you keep attempting to move the client closer to this decision in spite of having been told by the client it isn’t what they want. Arm wrestling and speeding through red lights do not develop relationships let alone long lasting relationships that can put more money in your bank account with less work on your part. When you behave like this you’re acting like a sales person. You aren’t helping your clients buy. So how do you help them buy? Again; ask questions, listen, and empathize with your client so you’re both working together to help them solve their needs or concerns.
In summary, you don’t need more sales training but you do need to learn and follow 3 secrets practiced by those in the top 20% club. You have the knowledge and skills to be in the top 20% club. You now need to learn, develop, and implement the secrets practiced by the most successful people in your industry. Become charismatic through your genuine interest and concern for others. Stand out in the crowd. And most importantly stop selling and start helping people buy.
If You Can Answer Yes to These 5 Questions Dont Need More Sales Training - To learn more about this author, visit Cheryl A. Clausen's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
Most service sales people won’t last longer than 3 years. Of those that make it past the 3 year mark, 20% will barely hang on and 20% will be top producers. So what about the 60% that want to move closer to the top 20% and keep themselves out of the bottom 20%? Will more sales training be the solution to your quest for greater success? Well if you can answer yes to these 5 questions the answer is, no, more sales training isn’t what you need to increase your success.
1. Am I able to secure and hold appointments with suspects?
2. When I identify a suspect as a prospect am I able to move the prospect through my sales cycle?
3. Do I know what to do and say to obtain a sale with a prospect?
4. Do I know how to do what I need to do to obtain a sale with a prospect?
5. Do I have enough knowledge in my area of expertise to answer most questions prospects have?
At this point you’ve probably had extensive sales and knowledge training. You may have been told it’s just a numbers game and that if you put enough suspects into your sales funnel you’re guaranteed a certain number exiting your sales funnel as clients. So no matter what you want your income to be you just have to work the numbers backwards and presto, there you have it! Hmmm, how’s that working for you? Exactly what I thought! Hello, you aren’t selling widgets! You’ve chosen a highly relational business. In a relational business working the numbers is working unnecessarily hard for little or no return. By now you realize something just isn’t working, but you probably haven’t figured out what isn’t working and why what you’re doing isn’t working.
Have you noticed many of the other people in your industry in the 60% club with you have been in the business for years? If experienced and knowledgeable people in your industry can’t break out of the 60% club in spite of their experience and knowledge, how can you ever hope to break out of the 60% club? Do those in the upper 20% just seem to have star power that you don’t have? Is it possible there’s a way for you to get into the top 20% club and develop this elusive star power? Yes, it’s entirely possible.
What does the top 20% in your industry know that you don’t know? What do they do that you don’t do? What skills do they have that you don’t have? What are these elusive things that enable them to work less than you do yet earn more than you do? Why do clients seek them out and walk past you like you’re chopped liver? Why are people attracted to them and want to be associated with them? Let’s look at 3 of their top income producing secrets!
Secret #1
People aren’t born with star power they develop it. In your relational business whether you call it star power or charisma it’s a skill you can develop and you can develop it effortlessly. You too can become charismatic unless you’re self-centered and egotistical. People who are charismatic are that way because they’ve developed the talent of making other people feel important. Don’t believe me? One of the most successful and charismatic women in business was Mary Kay Ash. Whether you like the products that made her legendary or not, you can’t logically argue against her star power or her financial success. She believed everyone she met had a sign on their forehead that said, “Make Me Feel Important”. Can you argue with that?
In your relational business when you make other people feel important how does that impact your business? First, you must understand how to make other people feel important. You make other people feel important by asking questions about them, truly listening to them, and by empathizing with their needs and concerns. Most of you are pretty good at asking questions, you just don’t listen to their response. You are too busy thinking about what you’re going to say next and figuring out how you’re going to ask them questions that get them to respond in terms of you. Just in case you aren’t aware of this, that’s called manipulation. How well do you like people you feel are manipulating you? Once you’re able to put others ahead of you and your needs, your relationship with that person begins to develop. As your relationship develops they come to feel comfortable with you and trust you. As their comfort and trust increases what happens to the likelihood they’ll either directly do business with you or refer others to you? Starting to get stars in your eyes?
Secret # 2
Everyone you meet is a potential prospect. How many times have you heard that? While the statement in and of itself may be true, it’s a guaranteed recipe for working harder with fewer rewards to demonstrate your efforts than those in the top 20% club. When you’re determined to hold steadfast to the position you can sell to everyone, you look like everyone else in your industry and you stand out to no one! You are a NOBODY! Looking like a sheep is comfortable and you will meet a few other people who don’t mind working with a sheep if you just happen to meet them at the right place at the right time. Happy grazing! The alternative is to be the goat, sheep dog, or anything other than a sheep that prospects can easily identify as being different and more valuable to them than a sheep. This does not prevent you from selling to anyone it just helps you become recognized by someone who can become your client. It helps you become SOMEBODY to other people who want to work with.
Secret # 3
Those in the top 20% club don’t sell anybody anything they just help their clients buy what they’ve told them they want to buy. Rather than helping your clients buy, you race your red hot little sales car through every red light at every intersection you cross and you don’t even know you’re doing it! Don’t believe me? At your very next selling encounter that doesn’t end up with a sale I want you to think back and ask yourself at what point(s) did your client seem to disengage or look physically uncomfortable? For many of you this will be a very difficult assignment because you have a presentation you like to follow and you just keep speeding ahead hoping the client will end up at the same place at the same time you do and make a commitment to close the sale. Some of you have a specific service or product you want to sell and you keep attempting to move the client closer to this decision in spite of having been told by the client it isn’t what they want. Arm wrestling and speeding through red lights do not develop relationships let alone long lasting relationships that can put more money in your bank account with less work on your part. When you behave like this you’re acting like a sales person. You aren’t helping your clients buy. So how do you help them buy? Again; ask questions, listen, and empathize with your client so you’re both working together to help them solve their needs or concerns.
In summary, you don’t need more sales training but you do need to learn and follow 3 secrets practiced by those in the top 20% club. You have the knowledge and skills to be in the top 20% club. You now need to learn, develop, and implement the secrets practiced by the most successful people in your industry. Become charismatic through your genuine interest and concern for others. Stand out in the crowd. And most importantly stop selling and start helping people buy.
If You Can Answer Yes to These 5 Questions Dont Need More Sales Training - To learn more about this author, visit Cheryl A. Clausen's Website.
Like this article? Share it with your friends
 | |
 |
No article feedback found. |
| |
Leave Your Feedback |
 | |
| |||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
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 |
|||
John AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander'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 |
|||
Staging DivaDebra Gould, aka The Staging Diva®, is President of Six Elements Inc., an internationally recognized home staging company. Inspired by many requests from aspiring home stagers wanting to start similar businesses, Gould created the Staging Diva Home Staging Business Training Program. Gould has trained over 1000 Staging Diva Graduates worldwide to start staging businesses. Buying decorating and selling six of her own homes in four years lead to an interest in real estate staging which she turned into a career with the launch of sixelements.com in 2002. Since then she has staged hundreds of homes in addition to teaching home staging training. Gould is the author of several home staging resources including a series of popular ebooks made up of a Design Guide, Color Guide and Portfolio Guide. For more information about Debra Gould visit stagingdiva.com. - Visit Staging Diva's Website |
|||
|
To learn more about the Evan Elite Author Program please contact us. | |||
 | |
|  |
Subscribe to Cheryl's articles
 | |
|
|  |
 | |
|
| |
 | ||
|
||
 |
||
 |
||
|
| ||
 |
| 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!
|
|
 |
 The Art Of Networking The Human Network Business Checkup QuickBooks Self Quiz Effective Art Of Networking |
|
 | ||
 |
Top 50 Raising Capital Blogs
Top Blogs To Watch In 2008 | |
 |
Email The Reporters
Press Release Builder | |
| ||
 | ||||
| ||||
|
| ||||
| ||||
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||||
|
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!
|
|
|
| ||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||