Selling in Uncertain Times
Selling in Uncertain Times
If I allow it, the current reality can have a very negative impact on my sales efforts. In times like these, my mind (which is often out to get me) offers up these excuses; “Nobody is buying because of politics/the economy/the weather. So there’s no point in
a) making the extra effort,
b) calling those prospects, or
c) following up on that lead.”
Fortunately I have a choice; I do not have to act on the advice of this “stinking thinking”.
Instead, I can choose to entertain more positive thoughts like,
“There are people out there today closing deals”
“Out of turbulent times emerge new winners”
“Ten percent of my customers are frozen with fear; so go sell the other 90 percent who are not”.
“If my customers are cautious, I simply need to be more patient “
“Selling is about helping people get what they want. What do my customers want in uncertain times?”
“If I stay in touch today, I’ll get orders tomorrow”.
“This too shall pass”
Fear freezes us. Today it may be fear of uncertainty. Tomorrow it will be fear of something else. Fear interferes with our willingness to do the activities that lead to results. President Roosevelt was right: we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
In addition to setting my thinking straight, it is important that I choose to take action. I can modify my sales activity. I recently re-read Werth and Ruben’s wonderful book called High Probability Selling*. In it, there are two important messages for the current times.
1. Give prospects the opportunity to disqualify themselves. Ask early in the process if they are MAD (have the money, authority and desire). If they are not, find the ones who are, because they are out there, even today.
2. Don’t demonstrate or show your product unless the prospect is fully qualified. Get an understanding of their needs and requirements first. Then get a pre-commitment to buy, provided that your product meets those needs and requirements. How many times have we expended time, effort and money, doing “dog and pony shows” for semi-qualified prospects? You know, the prospects you’d enjoy doing business with, or those you think ought to be doing business with you, or the ones you are almost certain are qualified, or you hope are qualified, or who will be qualified after the demo, or those you assume are qualified. Do not kid yourself. Accept the reality. Sell the qualified, but forget the disqualified.
So, I can allow the uncertain times to effect me negatively, or positively. I can slow down my sales activity and wait for tomorrow, or I can recommit myself to finding those prospects who are ready to do business today. It is my choice.
Selling in Uncertain Times - To learn more about this author, visit John Brennan's Website.
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There is no doubt that we are living in politically and economically uncertain times. The United States is on the brink of a war, perhaps on two fronts. Stock markets around the world, which hate uncertainty, are fluctuating wildly as they go nowhere. And, in North America anyway, even the weather, barely predictable in the best of times, is adding to a sense of foreboding.
If I allow it, the current reality can have a very negative impact on my sales efforts. In times like these, my mind (which is often out to get me) offers up these excuses; “Nobody is buying because of politics/the economy/the weather. So there’s no point in
a) making the extra effort,
b) calling those prospects, or
c) following up on that lead.”
Fortunately I have a choice; I do not have to act on the advice of this “stinking thinking”.
Instead, I can choose to entertain more positive thoughts like,
“There are people out there today closing deals”
“Out of turbulent times emerge new winners”
“Ten percent of my customers are frozen with fear; so go sell the other 90 percent who are not”.
“If my customers are cautious, I simply need to be more patient “
“Selling is about helping people get what they want. What do my customers want in uncertain times?”
“If I stay in touch today, I’ll get orders tomorrow”.
“This too shall pass”
Fear freezes us. Today it may be fear of uncertainty. Tomorrow it will be fear of something else. Fear interferes with our willingness to do the activities that lead to results. President Roosevelt was right: we have nothing to fear but fear itself.
In addition to setting my thinking straight, it is important that I choose to take action. I can modify my sales activity. I recently re-read Werth and Ruben’s wonderful book called High Probability Selling*. In it, there are two important messages for the current times.
1. Give prospects the opportunity to disqualify themselves. Ask early in the process if they are MAD (have the money, authority and desire). If they are not, find the ones who are, because they are out there, even today.
2. Don’t demonstrate or show your product unless the prospect is fully qualified. Get an understanding of their needs and requirements first. Then get a pre-commitment to buy, provided that your product meets those needs and requirements. How many times have we expended time, effort and money, doing “dog and pony shows” for semi-qualified prospects? You know, the prospects you’d enjoy doing business with, or those you think ought to be doing business with you, or the ones you are almost certain are qualified, or you hope are qualified, or who will be qualified after the demo, or those you assume are qualified. Do not kid yourself. Accept the reality. Sell the qualified, but forget the disqualified.
So, I can allow the uncertain times to effect me negatively, or positively. I can slow down my sales activity and wait for tomorrow, or I can recommit myself to finding those prospects who are ready to do business today. It is my choice.
Selling in Uncertain Times - To learn more about this author, visit John Brennan'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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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 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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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 |
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Jay Kubassek(Jay's Full Bio: EvanCarmichael.com/jaykubassek) In five years, Canadian-born entrepreneur Jay Kubassek went from selling mufflers at a Midas franchise to revolutionizing Internet marketing with the 2004 launch of CarbonCopyPRO, a online marketing education company, now worth over $20 million with customers in over 160 countries.
As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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