Are we truly listening to our clients?
Are we truly listening to our clients?
You will see the most experienced salespeople in any industry flow through sales almost seamlessly and most people new to the sales game often wonder in amazement about what secret mystical things that the veteran is saying to get all these people to buy his product.
I am going to share the HUGE MAGICAL SECRET of the TOP PRODUCING sales people.
Ready?
There is no magic and there is no secret. Top sales professionals spend their time qualifying quickly through asking the right questions and listening to the answers.
Let’s first talk about handling objections. Why is it that veteran sales people get far less objections than a rookie? One of the reasons is QUALIFYING their client. A veteran appreciates EVERY relationship they can nurture, but understands that not every person will be a good fit for their product or service. Qualifying falls under the 80/20 rule: Ask questions for 20% of the time and listen to your client answer for the other 80%. If you listen to your clients and potential buyers they WILL give you the information you need to close the sale or move on. In order to succeed at a career in sales, you MUST get good at qualifying and quickly determining if there is a fit for this person and your product or service.
Here are some examples of qualifying questions.
• “How long have you been looking for a ________?”
• “How has the search gone so far?. “
• “What have you done up to this point to accomplish your goal? “
• “What EXACTLY are you looking for? “
• “Have you had any luck finding it? “
• “Does _______have everything you are looking for? “
I think you get the point. Qualifying questions are those that find out quickly if the product/service you are selling and the potential buyer are a great fit. If they are not, you can part ways and let that person off the hook. How does this benefit you? By getting to the point quickly and parting ways, you take any UNECCESSARY pressure off of the potential buyer. More than likely they will appreciate that and send you referrals of those that might be qualified. Just because they liked the way you treated them. Getting to the point quickly with those that are qualified will allow you to focus your sales activities on them. After all they are the clients that are most interested and are a great fit for your product or service.
©Copyright 2008 Tom Elder
Are we truly listening to our clients - To learn more about this author, visit Tom Elder's Website.
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In my training classes and seminars I am often asked about how to handle the many client objections that come up in the sales process. The answer is very simple, ask questions, listen to the answers, and qualify upfront. The sales profession is not about making EVERYONE want to buy your product through some secret voodoo magic. It is about finding a fit between the right client and the right product quickly.
You will see the most experienced salespeople in any industry flow through sales almost seamlessly and most people new to the sales game often wonder in amazement about what secret mystical things that the veteran is saying to get all these people to buy his product.
I am going to share the HUGE MAGICAL SECRET of the TOP PRODUCING sales people.
Ready?
There is no magic and there is no secret. Top sales professionals spend their time qualifying quickly through asking the right questions and listening to the answers.
Let’s first talk about handling objections. Why is it that veteran sales people get far less objections than a rookie? One of the reasons is QUALIFYING their client. A veteran appreciates EVERY relationship they can nurture, but understands that not every person will be a good fit for their product or service. Qualifying falls under the 80/20 rule: Ask questions for 20% of the time and listen to your client answer for the other 80%. If you listen to your clients and potential buyers they WILL give you the information you need to close the sale or move on. In order to succeed at a career in sales, you MUST get good at qualifying and quickly determining if there is a fit for this person and your product or service.
Here are some examples of qualifying questions.
• “How long have you been looking for a ________?”
• “How has the search gone so far?. “
• “What have you done up to this point to accomplish your goal? “
• “What EXACTLY are you looking for? “
• “Have you had any luck finding it? “
• “Does _______have everything you are looking for? “
I think you get the point. Qualifying questions are those that find out quickly if the product/service you are selling and the potential buyer are a great fit. If they are not, you can part ways and let that person off the hook. How does this benefit you? By getting to the point quickly and parting ways, you take any UNECCESSARY pressure off of the potential buyer. More than likely they will appreciate that and send you referrals of those that might be qualified. Just because they liked the way you treated them. Getting to the point quickly with those that are qualified will allow you to focus your sales activities on them. After all they are the clients that are most interested and are a great fit for your product or service.
©Copyright 2008 Tom Elder
Are we truly listening to our clients - To learn more about this author, visit Tom Elder'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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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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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power'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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