Selling Skills Overview
Selling Skills Overview
Two years on, the sales training that I 'sold' to the CEO is continuing to reap rewards for his organisation. Specifically the sales team is able to sell more at a higher price and reduce the time to identify qualified prospects.
In this month's newsletter I will share a few of the soft skills that the CEO and his company have been using to get a solid return on their training investment.
1. Get on the same wavelength
Everyone we meet communicates on a unique frequency that lets the trained observer know how that person processes information and makes decisions. Imagine a radio station transmitting on 94.5FM and the listener tuned in to 101.6FM nothing will be heard. You can get on the same wavelength by matching voice speed and tone. When you pick up and use the speaker's key words, phrases or metaphors you build rapport.
For example, I was once speaking with a sales manager who told me "It's like a battlefield out there, but we've got to capture new ground." Picking up on the intensity of his speech I enquired whether if I could help him identify and train some sharp shooters would he be interested? He was!
People like people who are like themselves, and so if you develop flexibility in your speech patterns you can communicate with and influence more people.
2. Get Precise
Most language is pretty vague and so we need to ask questions to find out what a person really thinks and wants.
Precision questioning is a technique that enables you to recover the lost data that occurs in verbal communication.
Example 1. Recover the reference - for example in the sentence; "They said it was a good idea." Who they are, is deleted and so we don't know how important this information is. So a precision question would be "Who specifically are they?"
Example 2: Check comparisons, eg, "We want the best product." A precision question would be "What do you mean specifically by the best?"
Example 3: Bust the generalisations "We always buy from the competition", to which you might enquire "Always!?", "Have you never purchased anything from another supplier, even once?"
Vague language is hypnotic and to avoid being entranced you must learn to hear what's missing and challenge it with precision questions.
3. Get to the value
Values are what we unconsciously decide are important. People buy or are motivated by what they value. Using lots of rapport ask; "What's important about this purchase?" Affirm the value and then ask; "And what's important about that?" Affirm the value again and repeat the question. You will be pleasantly surprised that what you then discover is the real value or reason for the purchase and then you can match that value to your product or service.
Obviously these 3 tips are just a small sample of what is possible in terms of reading and influencing people in a positive way. If you are curious about getting soft skills training into your company review www.selfleadership.com and then give us a call. Also read the other articles, soon to be posted on this site.
Selling Skills Overview - To learn more about this author, visit Andrew Bryant's Website.
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We were in the boardroom, the CEO, his Marcoms Manager and myself.The CEO was animatedly and effusively telling me what he wanted for his sales team. He was making my job easier. Firstly because he had intelligently identified that the sales methodology they were using was not getting consistent results and secondly because as he unconsciously shared his values with me, I was able to respond in rapport and make the sale.
Two years on, the sales training that I 'sold' to the CEO is continuing to reap rewards for his organisation. Specifically the sales team is able to sell more at a higher price and reduce the time to identify qualified prospects.
In this month's newsletter I will share a few of the soft skills that the CEO and his company have been using to get a solid return on their training investment.
1. Get on the same wavelength
Everyone we meet communicates on a unique frequency that lets the trained observer know how that person processes information and makes decisions. Imagine a radio station transmitting on 94.5FM and the listener tuned in to 101.6FM nothing will be heard. You can get on the same wavelength by matching voice speed and tone. When you pick up and use the speaker's key words, phrases or metaphors you build rapport.
For example, I was once speaking with a sales manager who told me "It's like a battlefield out there, but we've got to capture new ground." Picking up on the intensity of his speech I enquired whether if I could help him identify and train some sharp shooters would he be interested? He was!
People like people who are like themselves, and so if you develop flexibility in your speech patterns you can communicate with and influence more people.
2. Get Precise
Most language is pretty vague and so we need to ask questions to find out what a person really thinks and wants.
Precision questioning is a technique that enables you to recover the lost data that occurs in verbal communication.
Example 1. Recover the reference - for example in the sentence; "They said it was a good idea." Who they are, is deleted and so we don't know how important this information is. So a precision question would be "Who specifically are they?"
Example 2: Check comparisons, eg, "We want the best product." A precision question would be "What do you mean specifically by the best?"
Example 3: Bust the generalisations "We always buy from the competition", to which you might enquire "Always!?", "Have you never purchased anything from another supplier, even once?"
Vague language is hypnotic and to avoid being entranced you must learn to hear what's missing and challenge it with precision questions.
3. Get to the value
Values are what we unconsciously decide are important. People buy or are motivated by what they value. Using lots of rapport ask; "What's important about this purchase?" Affirm the value and then ask; "And what's important about that?" Affirm the value again and repeat the question. You will be pleasantly surprised that what you then discover is the real value or reason for the purchase and then you can match that value to your product or service.
Obviously these 3 tips are just a small sample of what is possible in terms of reading and influencing people in a positive way. If you are curious about getting soft skills training into your company review www.selfleadership.com and then give us a call. Also read the other articles, soon to be posted on this site.
Selling Skills Overview - To learn more about this author, visit Andrew Bryant'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 AlexanderJohn has taught keyword research and SEO skills to small groups of business owners and Webmasters from over 80 different countries world wide since 2002. John is also the Director of Search Engine Academy ; Co-director of Training at Search Engine Workshops offering live, SEO Workshops with his partner SEO educator Robin Nobles, author of the very first comprehensive online search engine marketing courses at SEO Training Online and the SEO Workshop Resource Center. I look forward to hearing from you! - Visit John Alexander's Website |
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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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Cheryl MatthynssensCheryl is a life skills coach, licensed Chemical Dependency Counselor and a 20 year entrepreneur. Cheryl's dedication to achieving a life of balance led to her expanding her teaching from the simple managing of life's daily challenges to adding financial well being as well. A direct marketer with DrinkACT, she is gaining ground in the online community with her concepts of making sure business owners, entreprenuers and employees have well rounded life styles. She opened up a small affiliate site - The Balance Guide- to help others find resources for mental and emotional well being. Visit Cheryl's blog to see more of the diversity beyond business she has began offering online at www.thebalanceguide.blogspot.com - Visit Cheryl Matthynssens's Website |
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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John BrennanJohn Brennan Ed.D. Dr. Brennan is President of Interpersonal Development, LLC, a training and development firm. Interpersonal Development has provided sales training and coaching to more than 3,000 sales reps from over 100 companies. A native of Australia, Dr. Brennan received his doctorate from the University of Rochester. His dissertation researched the effectiveness of Behavioral Modeling Technology in training people in interpersonal skills. While he has spent most of his career designing or delivering training, he was also a Vice-President of Sales of a training and development franchise with operations in 25 markets. Dr. Brennan has designed and delivered sales training in North America, Asia, Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He has been a guest speaker at numerous national and regional professional conferences. When Microsoft wanted Best Practices articles on sales for their web site, they called Dr. Brennan. The results are at http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/FX011387391033.aspx His firm’s clients have included Volvo, The Prudential, Merrill Lynch, Eastman Kodak, Gannett, Equifax Europe, the Economist Group and countless small businesses. - Visit John Brennan's Website |
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