Successful Salespeople - Sell with Passion and Manage by Process - Buyer / Seller Interaction Part Two
Successful Salespeople - Sell with Passion and Manage by Process - Buyer / Seller Interaction Part Two
Salesman’s paradise -- thousands of customers that want your products.
It’s the job of marketing and advertising to create the desire in the customer for our products – right?
Before a customer buys something from us, they must have decided for themselves that they want it. I used to believe that I could sell anyone anything if I understood their needs. Needs are only a small part of buying motivation. A want or desire in a potential customer is what is going to motivate them to buy. Needs are formulated at a “logical” thinking level, wants or desires originate at a deeper emotional level. It’s this deeper level that we as salespeople must have the skill to relate to. It’s the job of the salesman to link customer desire to the item being sold.
Many of the lessons I have learned about selling, I have learned from other salespeople when buying from them. Here are some experiences of mine where the salesperson has helped me create the desire for their product.
Experience #1.
We decided that we needed a swimming pool for the family. I had also told my wife that I was going to demonstrate to her that most so-called “salespeople” were petrified of asking for the order. I decided that I would not give an order to any salesperson that did not ask for it. (More about this later in the book).We had also decided that we needed a fiberglass pool because fiberglass pools are cheaper than cement pools and fiberglass pools were easier to clean and needed fewer chemicals and therefore cheaper to run.
We knew that the only drawback was that these kinds of pools came in pre-defined shapes and sizes. We decided on the kidney-shaped pool, and also decided the spot in the garden for it.
Off to the yellow pages and get the salespeople in.
The salesmen came. We told them what we needed. They quoted and left.
Along comes Tommy. Standing in the garden we show him what we need.
“Why do you want a fiberglass pool?” he asks.
We give him our logical reasons.
“Fine” he says. “If you want a fiber pool this is what it will cost you from me.”
“May I show you something interesting?”
We indicate that we are interested. He takes out some nails and string. Using the nails as pegs and the string as an outline he draws a shape of a freeform pool on our lawn.
“What do you think ?”
“It looks good” I say “But fiberglass pools don’t come in this shape and I can’t afford a cement pool”
“Well” says Tommy,” I understand, but can I mention that Mr. X in No.3 Coral Drive around the corner from you is a fiberglass engineer, and he has just installed a cement pool.
“Oh” I say.
“Cement pools last longer than fiberglass pools. Fiberglass pools can and will crack with ground movement. Should you sell your house in the future you will be able to get back your investment on a cement pool.”
“Besides,” he says, “the cement pool which you see in front of you (all there was, was some grass and a string outline) is almost twice the size of the fibre pool but will only cost about 25% more. This shape of pool will also bring the rest of the features that you have in your garden into focus – don’t you think?”
“Yes’ I say
“You mentioned that you would like the project completed before the beginning of summer”
“Yes” I say.
“We could start next week. Will that be OK?”
“Yes” I say
He starts writing out the contract.
Three weeks later one of the other salesmen phone me.
“Mr Gracey, Its Joe from BB Pools. Did you get my quote?”
“Yes” I say “But I decided to go with ZZ Pools”
“Oh, what did you buy in the end?”
“A designer cement pool”
“Oh, I thought you wanted a fiberglass pool. I could also have quoted on a freeform cement pool.” “Why did you buy a cement one from ZZ?”
“Because it was sold to me.” I replied.
“Sold to you?” He did not know what I was talking about.
Experience #2
When they installed the pool it came with a paved brick border of 1 meter all around. The location for the pool was such that it partially interlaced with a paved brick patio that was there already when the pool was built. The patio was paved with half bricks and broken bricks that were generated when the house was originally built. As the brick patio paving was red we chose red bricks for the paved border of the pool. So now we had a combination of “clean whole red bricks surrounding our pool mingled with “dirty half bricks” on the patio. At the time of building the pool we could not afford to re-pave the patio (because we were sold a freeform cement pool). In time we felt that the broken patio paving detracted from the appearance of our entertainment area and therefore had a negative impact on the resale value of the property.
We needed to replace the half brick patio paving.
Out with the yellow pages.
Salesmen come; I tell them we need the paved patio area to be replaced with the same red bricks that surround the pool.
Saturday morning yet another salesman “maybe I’ll get a cheaper quote”. I say to myself.
Doorbell rings, I open the door.
There’s a man in his fifties a little on the plump side, open striped shirt, gold chain around his neck with a large gold medallion strategically placed on his chest hair, greased back graying hair, checkered jacket, after-shave lotion you can see.
“Hi I’m Gino I’ve come about the paving”
I’m not impressed.
“Come I’ll show you what we need” I say.
I take him to the patio and tell him the same thing I told all the others “this is what I need”.
“Please hold the tape measure here”
“Why are you measuring that?” I ask “That’s not what I need”
“A little patience please I’ll show you what you want”
“Are you deaf?” I ask. “I have already shown you what I need.”
He ignores me takes out his clipboard and starts drawing.
“Beautiful , beautiful” He mutters, with his Italian accent.
“Will you come with me to my car?” He asks.
“It’ll be a pleasure,” I say. “I was hoping you would leave soon.”
We go to his car in my driveway, a 20ft Pontiac, he opens the trunk takes out two bricks.
One red one, one biscuit yellow.
“Trust me” he smiles, “Red is too dark, the problem with your patio is not the bricks, it’s the colour”
“Come, I’ll show you. Lets take the bricks to your pool.”
“You need to brighten this whole corner, red is too dark. A light brick like this one will brighten this whole area of the garden and if we swoop the paving to protect this flowerbed we incorporate the flowerbed into your patio and stop the sand from
going into the pool.”
He takes out a yellow and blue crayon, colours the pool on his clipboard in blue and the paving (twice the size that I thought I needed) -- yellow.
“You see if its red it won’t look so nice” He smiles.
From the start my emotions were involved with this guy, but at this point, a change of attitude on my part occurs. With what is presented and the way it is presented I see that this man is my friend, he has my interest at heart.
I want my pool area to look beautiful. In the long run, what he is proposing adds more value to my life. He created a desire for something that was superior to what his competition was offering. With all the other salespeople I was focused on the price. They in turn focused on what I told them I needed. As a result they focused on the price. Gino re-engineered my vision. Focused on my emotion. Added Value. Understood that when the desire is strong enough, price is never the issue. He just differentiated himself from his competition, selling a commodity where in reality the only differentiator is price. Twice the price of the previous quote. I bought.
Experience #.3.
When we got married my wife and I decided to buy a piece of property . Once we had paid it off we designed our dream house for the property. When we realized we could not afford to build the house of our dreams we decided to sell the property. So we put it on the market and bought a much smaller, existing house in a less prestigious suburb. We needed to get the money from the sale of our property to secure the house. Time goes by and the agent is unable to sell our property. One week before we need the money for our house we go to see the agent selling our property.
“My brother’s got a client on your site right now” says the agent.
We jump in our car and go off to our piece of land. Sure enough, there the agent is with some clients. They are just ready to leave.
The agent comes over to me and says: “The price is right, they can pay cash but its’ not what they need”.
The potential buyer comes over and says “Nice piece of ground. Good view of the golf course. But with the ground slope building costs will be expensive.”
I say “The architect who designed our house designed some wonderful features that reduce building costs and create some interesting house features”
We both walk on to the ground and I describe our dream house... “We would not move that big rock but let it act as a waterfall for the pool that we would build below.”
“If this is the kind of house you want our plans are already passed and you would save on the architects’ fee as I could include the plans as part of the property sale.”
Sold.
The buyer did not need the land but he did want the house.
Lessons learned.
In these three examples, the sale was concluded because the salesperson was able to reach a deeper level than just a logically formulated need in the buyer. In the first two experiences, what I had defined was a need, driven by being conscious of cost. What the salespeople understood (because of having experience in their industry) was that I wanted a pool and entertainment area that would contribute to my family’s long term enjoyment.
They knew:
Cost focus = Logical
Enjoyment and Entertainment = Emotional.
Focus on the emotional, that’s where the value is.
It can be argued that pools and patios fall into an “emotional buy” in any case. But both salespeople used this “truth” to assist them to sell more value. More value to them and more value to me, the customer. The other salespeople added no value and had no selling skills in any case. They came to me (the buyer), listened to my logic, responded logically to my need, and did not get the business.
The successful salespeople differentiated themselves by:
a) Having selling skills.
b) Understanding that my need for a pool and patio was driven by a desire for my wanting an entertainment area for the enjoyment of the family.
c) Their knowledge about their subject was communicated in a way that I understood the value. More importantly the information that they communicated was relevant to my desire for a beautiful pool and patio area. The way they communicated targeted my emotions.
d) They understood the process they were going to follow before they started the sales interview.
e) We accept that price is always a major factor in any purchase. You can get more value if you can target emotional drivers. In the end I believed I got more pool for my money and more paving for my money although both were sold at higher prices.
I don’t believe that the pool and patio salesmen actually had been trained in selling with passion and process. They enjoyed what they did. I believe they had my interests at heart. As a result they automatically executed their sales activity in a way that targeted their customers’ emotional drivers. When this is done with passion – the result is always a happy customer.
Personality of the Passionate Process Managed Salesman
Passionate salespeople need qualities of:
Humility
Sincerity
Courage
Professionalism.
If we do not have them already we need to develop and internalize these qualities or character traits. These characteristics will complement our sale EI skills. All humans have a strong desire and emotional drive to be appreciated and recognized. No one wants to be considered unimportant. We all need this “Emotional Security”. We as salespeople need humility to ensure that we are never overcome by our own emotional drives in establishing our own Emotional Security at the expense of our prospect’s Emotional Security in a new relationship. We are all familiar with the light banter that goes along with a first time introduction. In such a situation, the emotional drivers in both parties will be responding to the stimulus of wanting to establish a secure grounding from which to interact. It is normal to “find” one another in a brief casual exchange. It is easy though to deflate our prospects ego by establishing our security, which is driven by our own emotional drive. So a comment like:
“It’s boiling hot outside, if I did not have an air-conditioner in my BMW, I don’t know what I would do”
only serves the purpose of projecting ourselves as successful and important, so that we feel secure in the new environment and relationship. The “damage” on the customer’s ego goes unreported - but it will hinder the sales process.
Humility will allow us to apply Thinking Ability, CORTS & COSTS and override our own urges to establish our Emotional Security. Humility will help us to listen to our customer and sincerity will help us to correctly identify with the customer’s wants. Sincerity will help us position our business for what is best for the customer not what is best for us. We may be tempted to oversell our product because we get more commission. Sincerity will keep us honest. Courage will be needed for us to perform acts of humility and sincerity. To sit in silence while your client thinks for two minutes takes courage. To decide that now is the right time to finalize a sale takes courage. To reject a customer takes courage. I am sure you have found that it is easy to reject a customer who, you do not really like and who was not going to readily buy. Have you rejected a customer who is definitely going to spend a large amount of money on a product, and your product is less than a good fit? Have you had the courage to walk away from that transaction and spend the time looking for a better opportunity?
Sincerity and courage will help us politely reject a customer when we don’t understand what they want. To illustrate:
I was selling a computerized accounting package, to a small, owner-managed business. I conducted an interview with the owner of the business and he told me that he needed an accounts receivable package and an inventory control package. We sat and he told me all that I needed to know. He explained in a great amount of detail what features he was looking for and how he currently managed the business with a manual bookkeeping system. I was baffled. His statements went out on time. His money collection was excellent. His stock turn would have been the envy of any large business. “You don’t need a computer system to control your business” I said.
(Polite rejection) “Your business and business controls are just fine”
“Ah, but you don’t understand” he said.
Now, here it was coming . . . the real want, the real desire.
“My wife currently does the books but she is going to stay at home to look after the children and I need a tool that I can trust, and that forces the accountant to follow accounting disciplines”.
There it was. It appears as a need, but it really is a desire or want of security, trust and reliability that his wife provided in that position. It takes courage to reject a customer, but if your customer understands that the rejection is motivated out of sincerity, a tremendously rewarding relationship can be built. We must not be afraid to say “I don’t understand”. Courage and sincerity will motivate us to ask questions that reveal that we are not so clever. As long as our questions reflect that we sincerely want to contribute, our customer will work along with us so that we can achieve our goals.
I guarantee that in most instances salespeople have no idea how the customer will benefit from the sale that they are trying to negotiate. Ask any salesperson to articulate the value that the customer is to derive from the purchase of a Swimming pool, TV, Car, House, Computer System, Lawnmower, 10-ton Truck, Insurance Policy, Educational course…In most cases the salesperson would be hard pressed to understand the value from the customers point of view. Salespeople may have a general understanding of what the product features and subsequent benefits are, but if asked “what is the value of what is being sold to the particular customer that I am talking to right now?” - they will be hard pressed to define the value.
Once we understand the value from the customers point of view, I guarantee you that sale is done. It takes courage to sincerely ask “Why do you want to investigate this product, because I don’t understand how you will benefit?”
Humility and Sincerity will help us to listen and share and not “tell”.
Arrogance will motivate us to want to “tell.” If we say, “Let me tell you. This is the best bread-slicer made since bread was sliced at a price you wont beat anywhere”. The statement may be true but the sale won’t be made. If we can help the buyer to conclude for themselves, “This is the best bread-slicer made since bread was sliced at a price that can’t be beat,” then the sale is assured.
Professionalism.
One of the terms used liberally in our industry is –“ professionalism.” We as salespeople of course would be offended if someone made the observation that we were incompetent, and that our conduct was unprofessional. Let us however consider some other professions and see if there are any similarities to what we do in our profession of selling.
Let’s take the example of a neurosurgeon. This specialist has studied and practiced his profession for many years. He keeps abreast of the latest developments in terms of technologies and techniques. What about us? Are we up to date with the latest technologies that assist us in our sales efforts? Have we made any effort to develop techniques? I want to tell a story about a salesman that I worked with in a large well-respected, reputable software house. The company prided itself in being innovative and on the leading edge of developing technologies. Sam (not his real name) had been very successful in the 1970’s and 1980’s selling various software products to the corporate market. Now however was the 90’s, Sam obviously was an experienced campaigner with loads of expertise and business contacts. Sam’s performance dropped, sales budget were missed and of course there were always “valid reasons”. I had the opportunity to work with Sam on a potential contract and we called on the prospects offices and spoke to the management about how they felt technology could assist their people, and give them a competitive edge. When the management spoke about “Mobile Phones” and “Laptop Computers” giving their salespeople in the field the ability to capture orders in the customer’s office, with the right prices and delivery commitments, we could relate to what these managers were saying. I approached Sam and said that I felt we lacked a bit a credibility with the client, as here we were “bleeding edge technologists” who actually could put a laptop computer and mobile phone to good use ourselves, and there we were asking the customer to use his phone, to phone our office to check for messages. I felt that if we had demonstrated how we used our Laptops to get our latest pricing, then we could have gained the confidence of the customer. Sam’s thoughts on the subject was that all this “glitz” was not necessary for a professional salesman to perform his functions and that all that was necessary to be successful was good old fashioned salesmanship.
Well, how would you like a neurosurgeon to perform an operation on you, using a 15 year old procedure which had had a certain degree of success in the past? Just before going into the operating theatre you find out there are other surgeons who use a more modern technique, with technology that guarantees a higher success rate and far less pain and suffering. On asking your surgeon why he has chosen not to use this newer procedure he tells you that he could not be bothered with all these new fangled ideas.
How many books do you have in your library that you have read discussing management, sales, self-improvement? True professionals spend a lot of time and money on education. Professional salespeople should too.
The Value of Selling with Passion and Process
Selling with passion and process requires that we apply CORTS and COSTS (see first article) as well as develop personal behavioral traits of humility, courage, sincerity and professionalism . The main objective for doing so is to improve our chances of success by having customer interactions that guarantee sales success and customer satisfaction.
Customer interaction situations that we will apply the sales competencies to are:
1. Obtaining the 1st interview on the phone (Prospecting)
2. The Initial Interview
3. Presentations
4. Handling Objections
5. Negotiating a contract or an order (if you believe in closing, then I’m sure you will find the activity of negotiating far more rewarding).
When the above situations are described in the rest of the book, please picture yourself in your environment with your products and customers. Cast your mind back to selling situations and see if you can identify critical stages of relationship development where you succeeded or failed because of the principles being applied or not being applied. We must analyze all our actions from the customer’s point of view. See how they see us and most importantly feel how they feel about us and our actions.
The main objective in the rest of this and subsiquent articles is to change the most common “sales engagement model” found in the world today to the PPSS Sales Model.
The most common sales engagement model is - Whilst talking to each other:
The potential Buyer asks themselves:
Do I need this?
Do I want this?
Is this the best price?
And the Seller asks themselves:
What must I say next to get the deal?
With the PPSS* Buyer / Seller Interaction Model or the PPSS* Sales Model The Buyer / Seller interaction is governed by:
Truth
Customer /Prospects’ Emotional Drivers
Eight Sales Steps or Phases of the Sales Process
Sales competence that mandates a specific stimulus to be applied at each step or phase of the Sales Process to move the sale to the next step or phase
Product and Industry Knowledge
Sounds easy enough??
Note: I prefer the term “Sales Process” as opposed to ‘Sales Cycle’ as applied to the eight steps or phases that a sale goes through. “Sales Cycle” to me implies and ebb and flow of the sales interaction where there is no control. The Sales Process outlines the progression of the sale from start to finish and follows a distinct set of steps. The salesperson controls the progress of the sale from one step to the next applying PPSS Competencies, CORTS and COSTS.
The PPSS Sales Model brings many benefits to salespeople and companies who choose to adopt the standards and disciplines that the model dictates:
1) With the model salespeople are able to identify which phase of the sale they are in so as to perform the necessary activities that move the sale to the next phase. There is no rocket science in this. All sales courses teach this. This difference and focus of this sales method and model will be that the sales person will be given the tools and techniques that will ensure that the customers will continue to feel good.
2) The defined activities performed in the prescribed way (technique) provide the stimulus at each phase, where the response from the potential customer will be to move or want to move to the next phase. This will accelerate the sales process, improving efficiency.
3) Corporations can build sales monitoring and measurement capability that is consistent with, and integrates to, the sales tools and sales process.
4) The framework with the disciplines that interlock to the process delivers consistency resulting in a higher level of predictability.
The PPSS Sales Model mandates that:
Salespeople acknowledge certain “truths” and work along with these “truths”. Working against or ignoring these “truths” diminishes the chances of success.
Salespeople use the appropriate sales aid (tool) at each phase of the sales process.
Salespeople develop EI competencies and behavioral traits that are consistent with the values and disciplines of selling with emotional intelligence.
Salespeople develop the discipline of never missing out on a phase or step of the sales process when pursuing an opportunity. To do so will compromise the chance of success.
We will see as we go through the rest of the chapters of this book is that successful selling is very complex in concept. It requires that we as professionals know a lot and more importantly act on what we know. In the end, the action of selling is simple. It becomes simple because we are obeying all the rules.
If the concept of selling is simple and the action of selling complex, we are doing it wrong.
All professionals take something that is complex and difficult, and make it look easy.
Sportsman
Doctors
Pilots
Musicians
Successful selling is complex in concept and simple in action.
The key to taking something complex and making it appear to be simple is preparation and rehearsal. All professionals know the value of preparation and rehearsal. They use preparation and rehearsal to develop professional behavioral traits that become part of their character.
Preparation
It’s one of those cold, foggy, mornings where we have to get up early to catch the “red eye” flight to the next city to go and visit some customers for a few days. As we strap ourselves in we overhear the pilot say to the co-pilot of the 747 we are flying in: “I’m not going to bother to do the pre-flight check procedure. I’ve done it a thousand times before and there is never anything seriously wrong. Come to think of it, all the problems I have ever found when doing a pre-flight check could have been worked around “if and when” they became problems once we were airborne. So much time is wasted with this dull routine that I don’t think I’ll ever do one again. You know, I can also find out where we are going once we have taken off.”
Would you be happy to stay on the plane?
If we do not do our preparation, our prospects will not enjoy the ride and probably will refuse to pay for the ride when we have finished. I have had “salespeople” visit me with a view to selling me “high ticket” items, having forgotten their catalogues and price list at home! As mentioned, I have had salesmen come to sell my family a swimming pool. Wanting to give my wife some insight into our profession, I have prepared her for the sales visit and said “At a particular point I am going to give strong buying signals like:
“Can we have it before the summer holidays?”
“Do I have to pay you a deposit?”
I also said to my wife that I would not give an order unless they asked for it. I also told the salespeople on introduction that I too generated my income by selling professionally. These guys were obviously so used to problems and objections that they would leave without asking for the order. In their mental preparation it never occurred to them that they might be able to secure an order on the first visit, there and then.
They would depart with:
“I’ll pop a quote in the post. If you have any questions give me a tinkle”
“I see you have other quotes. I’ll give you time to make up your mind and call you next week”
They were true to their word. They would phone and ask very timidly:
“Have you had time to think about my quote?”
Obviously responding to their internal subconscious fear of being rejected.
Salespeople who respond to the fear of being rejected and do not have the courage to follow through on what they have prepared should not claim for themselves the noble title of salesperson. Representative, Order Taker, Agents are titles better suited to such ones.
To fly high we have to prepare for every take off. We have to check the “flight plan” every time.
We must have clear in mind:
What do I want to achieve on this call?
What is the customer’s expectation?
We must have completed our PPPP (Prospect Pre Planning and Preparation) (Flight Plan) (see Chapter 9)
We must know what process we are going to follow
Part of our preparation is rehearsal.
Rehearsal
Preparation is not worth much if we do not rehearse. Ever heard of a professional ballet dancer or musician not rehearsing? If we are going to internalize behavior traits we are going to have to rehearse.
Rehearse things like saying:
“Do you think good profits can be made at this price?” instead of “Let me tell you, good profits can be made at this price”
“The reason I ask is that . . .” instead of “But it’s a proven fact that . . .”
“We discussed last time . . .” instead of “Last time you said . . .”
“What do you feel like today?” instead of “Can I help you?”
“What do you think of this idea?” instead of “I’ve got a good idea!”
“What’s your opinion” instead of “We’ve just announced a great enhancement”
“I see your point, what would be an acceptable,” instead of “but it’s not like that it’s like this.”
The list is a long one.
Rehearsal is part of preparation but is different to preparation. We can prepare our presentation or demonstration. We can prepare our material and ourselves. We also have to rehearse the way we will communicate what we have prepared, how we will stand and what we will sound like.
Any salesperson who has done five interviews selling a certain product will be able to list ten common objections, perceptions or observations that are put forward by prospects and customers. Have we sat down with our team and / or colleagues and documented these? Have we then formalized, properly phrased answers?
The above steps are part of our preparation.
Do we rehearse the answers so that they become part of our character?
Those who have been involved in the profession for a long time may feel that their experience allows them the luxury of not having to prepare and rehearse. I encourage all such persons to activate the sales character trait of humility and to return to the basics.
Understanding the PPSS Sales Enablement Model and unlocking the value.
The sales process is fixed. It cannot be changed. Every sale, as we shall see follows this process. This is because it maps directly to the buyers buying process. The tools, scripts and sales activities guideline that map to the steps of the sales process are customized to suite different environments, products / services and scenarios.
Selling scenarios and environments covered in the following articles will be:
• Sales with short and long sales cycles. From 7 minutes to 7 months.
• Different products / services.
• Different environments (call at the customers’ office, buyers coming onto showrooms, customer homes etc.)
I have purposely repeated some thoughts here (in a slightly different context) in order to emphasize their importance.
First, let’s dissect the PPSS Sales Model and analyze each element.
The first component of the PPSS Sales Model is the Emotional Intelligent Sales Framework (EIS Framework).
In This Framework we have:
Truths or facts as the foundation
Customer Emotional Drives and logical needs and requirements
Salespersons EI Competencies and products knowledge
As a foundation we have --Truths -- that we as salespeople need to work with. Some examples of these truths are:
• Everyone wants to be happy all the time.
• Action is motivated by emotion.
• A need (logical) is different from a desire (emotional).
• The value in a sale is directly linked to the desire or emotional drive of the buyer.
The Salesperson’s Emotional Competence
This will be described and developed in detail in the articles. Essentially, it is the ability to suppress one’s own internal emotional drive (we can’t get rid of our feelings but we can learn to control them) and target and positively influence the buyers emotional drivers. We do this by applying the CORTS and COSTS techniques, and giving the appropriate emotional response to the stimulus that we will encounter in our daily sales activity.
The Buyers Emotional Drivers.
This term should be self explanatory. Essentially, it is the internal drive or internal force that will motivate the buyer to act - and sign the contract.
Onto this framework, we map the sales process.
The PPSS 8 step sales process.
1. Prospecting
2. First call and introduction
3. Exploratory Questions – Definition of the Ideal Situation
4. Qualification
5. Propose and Agree on a Course of action
6. Present
7. Deal with Objections
8. Negotiate a Win / Win.
When looking at the sales process in isolation there is one vitally important lesson to be learnt. The lesson is best learnt by describing what should NOT take place when a buyer interacts with a seller.
All too often we as salespeople start with step 8 – by responding to a stimulus which is provided by the potential buyer. That stimulus from the potential buyer is normally: “What’s the price?”
We tell them the price. So immediately we start negotiating. This is step 8 of the process.
The potential buyer objects. Now we are back on step 7.
We try to overcome the objection by telling them about the benefits of our product or service. In other words - we -Present. Step 6!!!
If we are lucky enough to still be involved with the potential buyer at this stage, the buyer qualifies what it is they need from …the car, briefcase, lawnmower, insurance policy… whatever it is we are selling. So we have fallen back to step 4.
We then ask them for some additional information – “Do you need it this week?” “What color would you like?”, ”Would you like a demonstration?”… back to step 3. And the response is always… “Let me think about it, I’ll come back to you”. This will always be the buyers standard response to the stimulus of the sales process that runs this particular course.
The primary lesson for successful selling is to know what step or phase of the PPSS Sales Process we are busy with and ONLY executing sales activities that will achieve the objectives for that step or phase.
There is no point in negotiating if we have not developed an understanding of what the buyer wants or what drives the buyer. We can only get this understanding by executing the activities related to all the steps of the Sales Process. We cannot miss out on any step. This discipline is perhaps the most difficult behavioral trait to develop as a salesperson.
This also necessitates that we understand the objectives we have for each phase of the sales process. This will be described as each phase of the sales process is discussed in subsequent articles.
The main point of these articles (which will be repeated from time to time) is that the basic sales disciplines remain the same because the sales process is always the same. This has to be so because the buying process is always the same.
The sales tools and aids that map to the eight PPSS sales steps are modified to fit the different products, industries.
Sales techniques without process and structure are like feathers in the wind. Without the form and structure of a process, nothing can be accomplished.
The skills and disciplines that salespeople need to develop are:
1) To recognize the step or phase of the sales process that we are engaged in.
2) To understand the objective that we have for each step of the sales process.
3) To execute activities that will reach the objective of the particular step that we are busy with. Don’t start negotiating if we have not qualified or presented.
4) To use the appropriate tool for the step that we are engaged with.
5) Apply the appropriate “emotional stimulus” at each step in order for the buyer to respond by moving to the next step.
Sounds like a lot of work! Well analyze your daily/weekly/monthly activity and calculate:
How much time of the work week do you spend interacting with buyers?
What is your closure rate on your opportunities?
How accurate is your monthly or quarterly forecast?
How often do your opportunities “freeze” (go nowhere) or “fizzle out”?
How many times a week do you hear “ I’ll come back to you next month”?
How often are you frustrated by your customers’ illogical behavior?
How often do you hear yourself say “ But I told them…..”
How often do you end up re-selling at the negotiation stage?
How often do your opportunity “close dates” slip?
All of this is not only a lot of work; its frustrating and de-motivating.
Adopt the disciplines outlined in the next articles and you will reap the rewards of a Passionate, Process Managed Salesperson.
In the next articles we will look at sales selling competencies for each step of the 8 step PPSS sales process.
Successful Salespeople Sell with Passion and Manage by Process Buyer Seller Interaction Part Two - To learn more about this author, visit James Gracey's Website.
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Desire verses Need
Salesman’s paradise -- thousands of customers that want your products.
It’s the job of marketing and advertising to create the desire in the customer for our products – right?
Before a customer buys something from us, they must have decided for themselves that they want it. I used to believe that I could sell anyone anything if I understood their needs. Needs are only a small part of buying motivation. A want or desire in a potential customer is what is going to motivate them to buy. Needs are formulated at a “logical” thinking level, wants or desires originate at a deeper emotional level. It’s this deeper level that we as salespeople must have the skill to relate to. It’s the job of the salesman to link customer desire to the item being sold.
Many of the lessons I have learned about selling, I have learned from other salespeople when buying from them. Here are some experiences of mine where the salesperson has helped me create the desire for their product.
Experience #1.
We decided that we needed a swimming pool for the family. I had also told my wife that I was going to demonstrate to her that most so-called “salespeople” were petrified of asking for the order. I decided that I would not give an order to any salesperson that did not ask for it. (More about this later in the book).We had also decided that we needed a fiberglass pool because fiberglass pools are cheaper than cement pools and fiberglass pools were easier to clean and needed fewer chemicals and therefore cheaper to run.
We knew that the only drawback was that these kinds of pools came in pre-defined shapes and sizes. We decided on the kidney-shaped pool, and also decided the spot in the garden for it.
Off to the yellow pages and get the salespeople in.
The salesmen came. We told them what we needed. They quoted and left.
Along comes Tommy. Standing in the garden we show him what we need.
“Why do you want a fiberglass pool?” he asks.
We give him our logical reasons.
“Fine” he says. “If you want a fiber pool this is what it will cost you from me.”
“May I show you something interesting?”
We indicate that we are interested. He takes out some nails and string. Using the nails as pegs and the string as an outline he draws a shape of a freeform pool on our lawn.
“What do you think ?”
“It looks good” I say “But fiberglass pools don’t come in this shape and I can’t afford a cement pool”
“Well” says Tommy,” I understand, but can I mention that Mr. X in No.3 Coral Drive around the corner from you is a fiberglass engineer, and he has just installed a cement pool.
“Oh” I say.
“Cement pools last longer than fiberglass pools. Fiberglass pools can and will crack with ground movement. Should you sell your house in the future you will be able to get back your investment on a cement pool.”
“Besides,” he says, “the cement pool which you see in front of you (all there was, was some grass and a string outline) is almost twice the size of the fibre pool but will only cost about 25% more. This shape of pool will also bring the rest of the features that you have in your garden into focus – don’t you think?”
“Yes’ I say
“You mentioned that you would like the project completed before the beginning of summer”
“Yes” I say.
“We could start next week. Will that be OK?”
“Yes” I say
He starts writing out the contract.
Three weeks later one of the other salesmen phone me.
“Mr Gracey, Its Joe from BB Pools. Did you get my quote?”
“Yes” I say “But I decided to go with ZZ Pools”
“Oh, what did you buy in the end?”
“A designer cement pool”
“Oh, I thought you wanted a fiberglass pool. I could also have quoted on a freeform cement pool.” “Why did you buy a cement one from ZZ?”
“Because it was sold to me.” I replied.
“Sold to you?” He did not know what I was talking about.
Experience #2
When they installed the pool it came with a paved brick border of 1 meter all around. The location for the pool was such that it partially interlaced with a paved brick patio that was there already when the pool was built. The patio was paved with half bricks and broken bricks that were generated when the house was originally built. As the brick patio paving was red we chose red bricks for the paved border of the pool. So now we had a combination of “clean whole red bricks surrounding our pool mingled with “dirty half bricks” on the patio. At the time of building the pool we could not afford to re-pave the patio (because we were sold a freeform cement pool). In time we felt that the broken patio paving detracted from the appearance of our entertainment area and therefore had a negative impact on the resale value of the property.
We needed to replace the half brick patio paving.
Out with the yellow pages.
Salesmen come; I tell them we need the paved patio area to be replaced with the same red bricks that surround the pool.
Saturday morning yet another salesman “maybe I’ll get a cheaper quote”. I say to myself.
Doorbell rings, I open the door.
There’s a man in his fifties a little on the plump side, open striped shirt, gold chain around his neck with a large gold medallion strategically placed on his chest hair, greased back graying hair, checkered jacket, after-shave lotion you can see.
“Hi I’m Gino I’ve come about the paving”
I’m not impressed.
“Come I’ll show you what we need” I say.
I take him to the patio and tell him the same thing I told all the others “this is what I need”.
“Please hold the tape measure here”
“Why are you measuring that?” I ask “That’s not what I need”
“A little patience please I’ll show you what you want”
“Are you deaf?” I ask. “I have already shown you what I need.”
He ignores me takes out his clipboard and starts drawing.
“Beautiful , beautiful” He mutters, with his Italian accent.
“Will you come with me to my car?” He asks.
“It’ll be a pleasure,” I say. “I was hoping you would leave soon.”
We go to his car in my driveway, a 20ft Pontiac, he opens the trunk takes out two bricks.
One red one, one biscuit yellow.
“Trust me” he smiles, “Red is too dark, the problem with your patio is not the bricks, it’s the colour”
“Come, I’ll show you. Lets take the bricks to your pool.”
“You need to brighten this whole corner, red is too dark. A light brick like this one will brighten this whole area of the garden and if we swoop the paving to protect this flowerbed we incorporate the flowerbed into your patio and stop the sand from
going into the pool.”
He takes out a yellow and blue crayon, colours the pool on his clipboard in blue and the paving (twice the size that I thought I needed) -- yellow.
“You see if its red it won’t look so nice” He smiles.
From the start my emotions were involved with this guy, but at this point, a change of attitude on my part occurs. With what is presented and the way it is presented I see that this man is my friend, he has my interest at heart.
I want my pool area to look beautiful. In the long run, what he is proposing adds more value to my life. He created a desire for something that was superior to what his competition was offering. With all the other salespeople I was focused on the price. They in turn focused on what I told them I needed. As a result they focused on the price. Gino re-engineered my vision. Focused on my emotion. Added Value. Understood that when the desire is strong enough, price is never the issue. He just differentiated himself from his competition, selling a commodity where in reality the only differentiator is price. Twice the price of the previous quote. I bought.
Experience #.3.
When we got married my wife and I decided to buy a piece of property . Once we had paid it off we designed our dream house for the property. When we realized we could not afford to build the house of our dreams we decided to sell the property. So we put it on the market and bought a much smaller, existing house in a less prestigious suburb. We needed to get the money from the sale of our property to secure the house. Time goes by and the agent is unable to sell our property. One week before we need the money for our house we go to see the agent selling our property.
“My brother’s got a client on your site right now” says the agent.
We jump in our car and go off to our piece of land. Sure enough, there the agent is with some clients. They are just ready to leave.
The agent comes over to me and says: “The price is right, they can pay cash but its’ not what they need”.
The potential buyer comes over and says “Nice piece of ground. Good view of the golf course. But with the ground slope building costs will be expensive.”
I say “The architect who designed our house designed some wonderful features that reduce building costs and create some interesting house features”
We both walk on to the ground and I describe our dream house... “We would not move that big rock but let it act as a waterfall for the pool that we would build below.”
“If this is the kind of house you want our plans are already passed and you would save on the architects’ fee as I could include the plans as part of the property sale.”
Sold.
The buyer did not need the land but he did want the house.
Lessons learned.
In these three examples, the sale was concluded because the salesperson was able to reach a deeper level than just a logically formulated need in the buyer. In the first two experiences, what I had defined was a need, driven by being conscious of cost. What the salespeople understood (because of having experience in their industry) was that I wanted a pool and entertainment area that would contribute to my family’s long term enjoyment.
They knew:
Cost focus = Logical
Enjoyment and Entertainment = Emotional.
Focus on the emotional, that’s where the value is.
It can be argued that pools and patios fall into an “emotional buy” in any case. But both salespeople used this “truth” to assist them to sell more value. More value to them and more value to me, the customer. The other salespeople added no value and had no selling skills in any case. They came to me (the buyer), listened to my logic, responded logically to my need, and did not get the business.
The successful salespeople differentiated themselves by:
a) Having selling skills.
b) Understanding that my need for a pool and patio was driven by a desire for my wanting an entertainment area for the enjoyment of the family.
c) Their knowledge about their subject was communicated in a way that I understood the value. More importantly the information that they communicated was relevant to my desire for a beautiful pool and patio area. The way they communicated targeted my emotions.
d) They understood the process they were going to follow before they started the sales interview.
e) We accept that price is always a major factor in any purchase. You can get more value if you can target emotional drivers. In the end I believed I got more pool for my money and more paving for my money although both were sold at higher prices.
I don’t believe that the pool and patio salesmen actually had been trained in selling with passion and process. They enjoyed what they did. I believe they had my interests at heart. As a result they automatically executed their sales activity in a way that targeted their customers’ emotional drivers. When this is done with passion – the result is always a happy customer.
Personality of the Passionate Process Managed Salesman
Passionate salespeople need qualities of:
Humility
Sincerity
Courage
Professionalism.
If we do not have them already we need to develop and internalize these qualities or character traits. These characteristics will complement our sale EI skills. All humans have a strong desire and emotional drive to be appreciated and recognized. No one wants to be considered unimportant. We all need this “Emotional Security”. We as salespeople need humility to ensure that we are never overcome by our own emotional drives in establishing our own Emotional Security at the expense of our prospect’s Emotional Security in a new relationship. We are all familiar with the light banter that goes along with a first time introduction. In such a situation, the emotional drivers in both parties will be responding to the stimulus of wanting to establish a secure grounding from which to interact. It is normal to “find” one another in a brief casual exchange. It is easy though to deflate our prospects ego by establishing our security, which is driven by our own emotional drive. So a comment like:
“It’s boiling hot outside, if I did not have an air-conditioner in my BMW, I don’t know what I would do”
only serves the purpose of projecting ourselves as successful and important, so that we feel secure in the new environment and relationship. The “damage” on the customer’s ego goes unreported - but it will hinder the sales process.
Humility will allow us to apply Thinking Ability, CORTS & COSTS and override our own urges to establish our Emotional Security. Humility will help us to listen to our customer and sincerity will help us to correctly identify with the customer’s wants. Sincerity will help us position our business for what is best for the customer not what is best for us. We may be tempted to oversell our product because we get more commission. Sincerity will keep us honest. Courage will be needed for us to perform acts of humility and sincerity. To sit in silence while your client thinks for two minutes takes courage. To decide that now is the right time to finalize a sale takes courage. To reject a customer takes courage. I am sure you have found that it is easy to reject a customer who, you do not really like and who was not going to readily buy. Have you rejected a customer who is definitely going to spend a large amount of money on a product, and your product is less than a good fit? Have you had the courage to walk away from that transaction and spend the time looking for a better opportunity?
Sincerity and courage will help us politely reject a customer when we don’t understand what they want. To illustrate:
I was selling a computerized accounting package, to a small, owner-managed business. I conducted an interview with the owner of the business and he told me that he needed an accounts receivable package and an inventory control package. We sat and he told me all that I needed to know. He explained in a great amount of detail what features he was looking for and how he currently managed the business with a manual bookkeeping system. I was baffled. His statements went out on time. His money collection was excellent. His stock turn would have been the envy of any large business. “You don’t need a computer system to control your business” I said.
(Polite rejection) “Your business and business controls are just fine”
“Ah, but you don’t understand” he said.
Now, here it was coming . . . the real want, the real desire.
“My wife currently does the books but she is going to stay at home to look after the children and I need a tool that I can trust, and that forces the accountant to follow accounting disciplines”.
There it was. It appears as a need, but it really is a desire or want of security, trust and reliability that his wife provided in that position. It takes courage to reject a customer, but if your customer understands that the rejection is motivated out of sincerity, a tremendously rewarding relationship can be built. We must not be afraid to say “I don’t understand”. Courage and sincerity will motivate us to ask questions that reveal that we are not so clever. As long as our questions reflect that we sincerely want to contribute, our customer will work along with us so that we can achieve our goals.
I guarantee that in most instances salespeople have no idea how the customer will benefit from the sale that they are trying to negotiate. Ask any salesperson to articulate the value that the customer is to derive from the purchase of a Swimming pool, TV, Car, House, Computer System, Lawnmower, 10-ton Truck, Insurance Policy, Educational course…In most cases the salesperson would be hard pressed to understand the value from the customers point of view. Salespeople may have a general understanding of what the product features and subsequent benefits are, but if asked “what is the value of what is being sold to the particular customer that I am talking to right now?” - they will be hard pressed to define the value.
Once we understand the value from the customers point of view, I guarantee you that sale is done. It takes courage to sincerely ask “Why do you want to investigate this product, because I don’t understand how you will benefit?”
Humility and Sincerity will help us to listen and share and not “tell”.
Arrogance will motivate us to want to “tell.” If we say, “Let me tell you. This is the best bread-slicer made since bread was sliced at a price you wont beat anywhere”. The statement may be true but the sale won’t be made. If we can help the buyer to conclude for themselves, “This is the best bread-slicer made since bread was sliced at a price that can’t be beat,” then the sale is assured.
Professionalism.
One of the terms used liberally in our industry is –“ professionalism.” We as salespeople of course would be offended if someone made the observation that we were incompetent, and that our conduct was unprofessional. Let us however consider some other professions and see if there are any similarities to what we do in our profession of selling.
Let’s take the example of a neurosurgeon. This specialist has studied and practiced his profession for many years. He keeps abreast of the latest developments in terms of technologies and techniques. What about us? Are we up to date with the latest technologies that assist us in our sales efforts? Have we made any effort to develop techniques? I want to tell a story about a salesman that I worked with in a large well-respected, reputable software house. The company prided itself in being innovative and on the leading edge of developing technologies. Sam (not his real name) had been very successful in the 1970’s and 1980’s selling various software products to the corporate market. Now however was the 90’s, Sam obviously was an experienced campaigner with loads of expertise and business contacts. Sam’s performance dropped, sales budget were missed and of course there were always “valid reasons”. I had the opportunity to work with Sam on a potential contract and we called on the prospects offices and spoke to the management about how they felt technology could assist their people, and give them a competitive edge. When the management spoke about “Mobile Phones” and “Laptop Computers” giving their salespeople in the field the ability to capture orders in the customer’s office, with the right prices and delivery commitments, we could relate to what these managers were saying. I approached Sam and said that I felt we lacked a bit a credibility with the client, as here we were “bleeding edge technologists” who actually could put a laptop computer and mobile phone to good use ourselves, and there we were asking the customer to use his phone, to phone our office to check for messages. I felt that if we had demonstrated how we used our Laptops to get our latest pricing, then we could have gained the confidence of the customer. Sam’s thoughts on the subject was that all this “glitz” was not necessary for a professional salesman to perform his functions and that all that was necessary to be successful was good old fashioned salesmanship.
Well, how would you like a neurosurgeon to perform an operation on you, using a 15 year old procedure which had had a certain degree of success in the past? Just before going into the operating theatre you find out there are other surgeons who use a more modern technique, with technology that guarantees a higher success rate and far less pain and suffering. On asking your surgeon why he has chosen not to use this newer procedure he tells you that he could not be bothered with all these new fangled ideas.
How many books do you have in your library that you have read discussing management, sales, self-improvement? True professionals spend a lot of time and money on education. Professional salespeople should too.
The Value of Selling with Passion and Process
Selling with passion and process requires that we apply CORTS and COSTS (see first article) as well as develop personal behavioral traits of humility, courage, sincerity and professionalism . The main objective for doing so is to improve our chances of success by having customer interactions that guarantee sales success and customer satisfaction.
Customer interaction situations that we will apply the sales competencies to are:
1. Obtaining the 1st interview on the phone (Prospecting)
2. The Initial Interview
3. Presentations
4. Handling Objections
5. Negotiating a contract or an order (if you believe in closing, then I’m sure you will find the activity of negotiating far more rewarding).
When the above situations are described in the rest of the book, please picture yourself in your environment with your products and customers. Cast your mind back to selling situations and see if you can identify critical stages of relationship development where you succeeded or failed because of the principles being applied or not being applied. We must analyze all our actions from the customer’s point of view. See how they see us and most importantly feel how they feel about us and our actions.
The main objective in the rest of this and subsiquent articles is to change the most common “sales engagement model” found in the world today to the PPSS Sales Model.
The most common sales engagement model is - Whilst talking to each other:
The potential Buyer asks themselves:
Do I need this?
Do I want this?
Is this the best price?
And the Seller asks themselves:
What must I say next to get the deal?
With the PPSS* Buyer / Seller Interaction Model or the PPSS* Sales Model The Buyer / Seller interaction is governed by:
Truth
Customer /Prospects’ Emotional Drivers
Eight Sales Steps or Phases of the Sales Process
Sales competence that mandates a specific stimulus to be applied at each step or phase of the Sales Process to move the sale to the next step or phase
Product and Industry Knowledge
Sounds easy enough??
Note: I prefer the term “Sales Process” as opposed to ‘Sales Cycle’ as applied to the eight steps or phases that a sale goes through. “Sales Cycle” to me implies and ebb and flow of the sales interaction where there is no control. The Sales Process outlines the progression of the sale from start to finish and follows a distinct set of steps. The salesperson controls the progress of the sale from one step to the next applying PPSS Competencies, CORTS and COSTS.
The PPSS Sales Model brings many benefits to salespeople and companies who choose to adopt the standards and disciplines that the model dictates:
1) With the model salespeople are able to identify which phase of the sale they are in so as to perform the necessary activities that move the sale to the next phase. There is no rocket science in this. All sales courses teach this. This difference and focus of this sales method and model will be that the sales person will be given the tools and techniques that will ensure that the customers will continue to feel good.
2) The defined activities performed in the prescribed way (technique) provide the stimulus at each phase, where the response from the potential customer will be to move or want to move to the next phase. This will accelerate the sales process, improving efficiency.
3) Corporations can build sales monitoring and measurement capability that is consistent with, and integrates to, the sales tools and sales process.
4) The framework with the disciplines that interlock to the process delivers consistency resulting in a higher level of predictability.
The PPSS Sales Model mandates that:
Salespeople acknowledge certain “truths” and work along with these “truths”. Working against or ignoring these “truths” diminishes the chances of success.
Salespeople use the appropriate sales aid (tool) at each phase of the sales process.
Salespeople develop EI competencies and behavioral traits that are consistent with the values and disciplines of selling with emotional intelligence.
Salespeople develop the discipline of never missing out on a phase or step of the sales process when pursuing an opportunity. To do so will compromise the chance of success.
We will see as we go through the rest of the chapters of this book is that successful selling is very complex in concept. It requires that we as professionals know a lot and more importantly act on what we know. In the end, the action of selling is simple. It becomes simple because we are obeying all the rules.
If the concept of selling is simple and the action of selling complex, we are doing it wrong.
All professionals take something that is complex and difficult, and make it look easy.
Sportsman
Doctors
Pilots
Musicians
Successful selling is complex in concept and simple in action.
The key to taking something complex and making it appear to be simple is preparation and rehearsal. All professionals know the value of preparation and rehearsal. They use preparation and rehearsal to develop professional behavioral traits that become part of their character.
Preparation
It’s one of those cold, foggy, mornings where we have to get up early to catch the “red eye” flight to the next city to go and visit some customers for a few days. As we strap ourselves in we overhear the pilot say to the co-pilot of the 747 we are flying in: “I’m not going to bother to do the pre-flight check procedure. I’ve done it a thousand times before and there is never anything seriously wrong. Come to think of it, all the problems I have ever found when doing a pre-flight check could have been worked around “if and when” they became problems once we were airborne. So much time is wasted with this dull routine that I don’t think I’ll ever do one again. You know, I can also find out where we are going once we have taken off.”
Would you be happy to stay on the plane?
If we do not do our preparation, our prospects will not enjoy the ride and probably will refuse to pay for the ride when we have finished. I have had “salespeople” visit me with a view to selling me “high ticket” items, having forgotten their catalogues and price list at home! As mentioned, I have had salesmen come to sell my family a swimming pool. Wanting to give my wife some insight into our profession, I have prepared her for the sales visit and said “At a particular point I am going to give strong buying signals like:
“Can we have it before the summer holidays?”
“Do I have to pay you a deposit?”
I also said to my wife that I would not give an order unless they asked for it. I also told the salespeople on introduction that I too generated my income by selling professionally. These guys were obviously so used to problems and objections that they would leave without asking for the order. In their mental preparation it never occurred to them that they might be able to secure an order on the first visit, there and then.
They would depart with:
“I’ll pop a quote in the post. If you have any questions give me a tinkle”
“I see you have other quotes. I’ll give you time to make up your mind and call you next week”
They were true to their word. They would phone and ask very timidly:
“Have you had time to think about my quote?”
Obviously responding to their internal subconscious fear of being rejected.
Salespeople who respond to the fear of being rejected and do not have the courage to follow through on what they have prepared should not claim for themselves the noble title of salesperson. Representative, Order Taker, Agents are titles better suited to such ones.
To fly high we have to prepare for every take off. We have to check the “flight plan” every time.
We must have clear in mind:
What do I want to achieve on this call?
What is the customer’s expectation?
We must have completed our PPPP (Prospect Pre Planning and Preparation) (Flight Plan) (see Chapter 9)
We must know what process we are going to follow
Part of our preparation is rehearsal.
Rehearsal
Preparation is not worth much if we do not rehearse. Ever heard of a professional ballet dancer or musician not rehearsing? If we are going to internalize behavior traits we are going to have to rehearse.
Rehearse things like saying:
“Do you think good profits can be made at this price?” instead of “Let me tell you, good profits can be made at this price”
“The reason I ask is that . . .” instead of “But it’s a proven fact that . . .”
“We discussed last time . . .” instead of “Last time you said . . .”
“What do you feel like today?” instead of “Can I help you?”
“What do you think of this idea?” instead of “I’ve got a good idea!”
“What’s your opinion” instead of “We’ve just announced a great enhancement”
“I see your point, what would be an acceptable,” instead of “but it’s not like that it’s like this.”
The list is a long one.
Rehearsal is part of preparation but is different to preparation. We can prepare our presentation or demonstration. We can prepare our material and ourselves. We also have to rehearse the way we will communicate what we have prepared, how we will stand and what we will sound like.
Any salesperson who has done five interviews selling a certain product will be able to list ten common objections, perceptions or observations that are put forward by prospects and customers. Have we sat down with our team and / or colleagues and documented these? Have we then formalized, properly phrased answers?
The above steps are part of our preparation.
Do we rehearse the answers so that they become part of our character?
Those who have been involved in the profession for a long time may feel that their experience allows them the luxury of not having to prepare and rehearse. I encourage all such persons to activate the sales character trait of humility and to return to the basics.
Understanding the PPSS Sales Enablement Model and unlocking the value.
The sales process is fixed. It cannot be changed. Every sale, as we shall see follows this process. This is because it maps directly to the buyers buying process. The tools, scripts and sales activities guideline that map to the steps of the sales process are customized to suite different environments, products / services and scenarios.
Selling scenarios and environments covered in the following articles will be:
• Sales with short and long sales cycles. From 7 minutes to 7 months.
• Different products / services.
• Different environments (call at the customers’ office, buyers coming onto showrooms, customer homes etc.)
I have purposely repeated some thoughts here (in a slightly different context) in order to emphasize their importance.
First, let’s dissect the PPSS Sales Model and analyze each element.
The first component of the PPSS Sales Model is the Emotional Intelligent Sales Framework (EIS Framework).
In This Framework we have:
Truths or facts as the foundation
Customer Emotional Drives and logical needs and requirements
Salespersons EI Competencies and products knowledge
As a foundation we have --Truths -- that we as salespeople need to work with. Some examples of these truths are:
• Everyone wants to be happy all the time.
• Action is motivated by emotion.
• A need (logical) is different from a desire (emotional).
• The value in a sale is directly linked to the desire or emotional drive of the buyer.
The Salesperson’s Emotional Competence
This will be described and developed in detail in the articles. Essentially, it is the ability to suppress one’s own internal emotional drive (we can’t get rid of our feelings but we can learn to control them) and target and positively influence the buyers emotional drivers. We do this by applying the CORTS and COSTS techniques, and giving the appropriate emotional response to the stimulus that we will encounter in our daily sales activity.
The Buyers Emotional Drivers.
This term should be self explanatory. Essentially, it is the internal drive or internal force that will motivate the buyer to act - and sign the contract.
Onto this framework, we map the sales process.
The PPSS 8 step sales process.
1. Prospecting
2. First call and introduction
3. Exploratory Questions – Definition of the Ideal Situation
4. Qualification
5. Propose and Agree on a Course of action
6. Present
7. Deal with Objections
8. Negotiate a Win / Win.
When looking at the sales process in isolation there is one vitally important lesson to be learnt. The lesson is best learnt by describing what should NOT take place when a buyer interacts with a seller.
All too often we as salespeople start with step 8 – by responding to a stimulus which is provided by the potential buyer. That stimulus from the potential buyer is normally: “What’s the price?”
We tell them the price. So immediately we start negotiating. This is step 8 of the process.
The potential buyer objects. Now we are back on step 7.
We try to overcome the objection by telling them about the benefits of our product or service. In other words - we -Present. Step 6!!!
If we are lucky enough to still be involved with the potential buyer at this stage, the buyer qualifies what it is they need from …the car, briefcase, lawnmower, insurance policy… whatever it is we are selling. So we have fallen back to step 4.
We then ask them for some additional information – “Do you need it this week?” “What color would you like?”, ”Would you like a demonstration?”… back to step 3. And the response is always… “Let me think about it, I’ll come back to you”. This will always be the buyers standard response to the stimulus of the sales process that runs this particular course.
The primary lesson for successful selling is to know what step or phase of the PPSS Sales Process we are busy with and ONLY executing sales activities that will achieve the objectives for that step or phase.
There is no point in negotiating if we have not developed an understanding of what the buyer wants or what drives the buyer. We can only get this understanding by executing the activities related to all the steps of the Sales Process. We cannot miss out on any step. This discipline is perhaps the most difficult behavioral trait to develop as a salesperson.
This also necessitates that we understand the objectives we have for each phase of the sales process. This will be described as each phase of the sales process is discussed in subsequent articles.
The main point of these articles (which will be repeated from time to time) is that the basic sales disciplines remain the same because the sales process is always the same. This has to be so because the buying process is always the same.
The sales tools and aids that map to the eight PPSS sales steps are modified to fit the different products, industries.
Sales techniques without process and structure are like feathers in the wind. Without the form and structure of a process, nothing can be accomplished.
The skills and disciplines that salespeople need to develop are:
1) To recognize the step or phase of the sales process that we are engaged in.
2) To understand the objective that we have for each step of the sales process.
3) To execute activities that will reach the objective of the particular step that we are busy with. Don’t start negotiating if we have not qualified or presented.
4) To use the appropriate tool for the step that we are engaged with.
5) Apply the appropriate “emotional stimulus” at each step in order for the buyer to respond by moving to the next step.
Sounds like a lot of work! Well analyze your daily/weekly/monthly activity and calculate:
How much time of the work week do you spend interacting with buyers?
What is your closure rate on your opportunities?
How accurate is your monthly or quarterly forecast?
How often do your opportunities “freeze” (go nowhere) or “fizzle out”?
How many times a week do you hear “ I’ll come back to you next month”?
How often are you frustrated by your customers’ illogical behavior?
How often do you hear yourself say “ But I told them…..”
How often do you end up re-selling at the negotiation stage?
How often do your opportunity “close dates” slip?
All of this is not only a lot of work; its frustrating and de-motivating.
Adopt the disciplines outlined in the next articles and you will reap the rewards of a Passionate, Process Managed Salesperson.
In the next articles we will look at sales selling competencies for each step of the 8 step PPSS sales process.
Successful Salespeople Sell with Passion and Manage by Process Buyer Seller Interaction Part Two - To learn more about this author, visit James Gracey'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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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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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. - Visit Dianne Crampton'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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Jeff FosterWebBizIdeas.com is a Minneapolis website design company founded to help people start an internet business by providing them with website, business, and internet resources that help foster the growth of successful online businesses and develop innovative Internet business ideas. We specialize in internet consulting & internet marketing. - Visit Jeff Foster's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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