Sales Simplified - Discovery... The
Sales Simplified - Discovery... The
Sales Simplified Discovery The - To learn more about this author, visit Rick Leffke's Website.
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How sharp is your axe..? I love the story of the old-time logger who always did his work with a two-blade axe. His son left the woods of South Eastern Oklahoma to go to college, and while he was away he sent his father a gas-powered chainsaw. The son called home to ask how his father liked it. His father answered that it was all right, but he preferred his axe. The son was puzzled. How could his father not love the chainsaw? The son came home on break determined to show his father what a great tool the chainsaw was. He gave a couple of sharp pulls on the starter cord while his father watched. When the engine on the chainsaw fired up, the father exclaimed, "What's that noise?" Most people charged with selling in our companies, have received product-knowledge training, but that is not enough. In fact, studies have shown that a salesperson's product knowledge is only 15% of what is needed to be successful in sales. "We must show them how to start the chain saw." If product knowledge was all they needed, home builders would sell their own houses instead of turning the job over to REALTORS® or having full time sales staffs. "Selling (people skills) Skills" along with product knowledge become the ingredients necessary for successful selling. What's to know? In recent articles, I mentioned the importance of the CEO's, presidents, and/or owners to set the right expectations and ground rules for a successful sales organization. I also talked about "The First Step", prospecting, and not one sale is ever closed without some kind of initiation by your sales people. Even having the right ingredients for the "Greeting" can have an impact on creating the right environment for the successful sales conversation. But, here is the "Grand Daddy" of all for achieving sales success. The secret sauce, if you will... "Discovery" Salespeople must be skilled at asking key questions on every call in order to find the solution that would best fit the needs of the customer/client. How do we do we do it effectively? It's all about them... not you! 1. Learn to listen and listen to learn: AT&T conducted a study in 1939 to discover the most commonly used word in the English language. Take a guess at the answer... You're right, "I" is the most commonly use word. Without the mastery of selflessness, your conversations will tend to end up about you and your needs (making the sale, being #1, buying the new boat, paying for your son's new braces...). Listening is an art and can only be perfected when you get out of the way. Here are some interesting facts on listening: * Most of us are distracted, self-focused or forgetful about 75% of the time we should be listening. * We listen at 125-250 words per minute, but think at 1000-3000 words per minute. * Immediately after we listen to someone, we only recall about 50% of what they said. * Long-term, we only remember 20% of what we hear. Listening goes beyond hearing someone's words. By listening you create an environment where others know you understand. 2. Build your confidence: Confidence is an attitude we have about our skill level in different areas of our life. The more skilled you are the higher the level of confidence. The lower the skill level, the more you avoid it. No one can give you the confidence you need to be effective in what you do. Only you can put yourself into a learning/practice environment to become better at your position. Remember that practice make permanent, so practice the skills that cause your success. "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -Thomas Edison 3. Identify their value: There can be a tenancy to be more interested in what "we" have to say and assume we are smart enough to know what the customer wants, is interested in, and needs. If we continue to provide the same solutions to their problems before we really know them and what their needs are we may minimize the value they see in us. After all, we have spent years cramming all this product knowledge into every fiber of our being. When we get the chance to let it out, "it's a gusher!" We become our product knowledge and to prove how good we are, boast about how much we know... "A hungry mountain lion came out of the hills attacked and killed a bull. As the lion dined on it's kill, the lion would pause from time to time and roar at it's triumph. He would stand, roar and let everyone know that he was the King! A hunter in the area heard the commotion, found the lion, and shot him dead. Here's the moral... when you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut." Studies on influence suggest 90% of your influencing power hinges on the understanding that people become more receptive to our ideas when we demonstrate a genuine interest and openness to their concerns first. Besides it's why our job exists. In fact the best solution for the customers comes only when we fully understand. In conclusion... "I am always amazed at how little we, as salespeople, know about the people we do business with. Yet we expect them to spend money, buying our goods and services. We really don't know how this person thinks or feels as an individual in many cases." - Nola Beldegreen The one thing for sure is everyone is motivated differently. When you understand what it is that motivates another person, you can learn to tap into that and expect action to follow. Here is a perfect example... A man lost his dog and placed an ad in the local newspaper offering a $500.00 reward. Dissatisfied with the lack of phone calls, he called the newspaper to complain. "I want to speak to the advertising manager," he said. "She is out of the office," the receptionist replied. "Well let me talk to her assistant." "He's out also." "Okay, let me speak to the editor." "The editor is out of the office too." "All right, let me talk to the editor's assistant." "Sorry, she is out too." "Do you mean to tell me there is nobody there?" the man asked. "That's correct," replied the receptionist. The frustrated man asked, "Where are they?" The receptionist replied, "They are all out looking for your dog." This story has been around for a long time, maybe for good reason. It's a nice way to summarize how listening can uncover the motivation of our customers so we craft the right solution creating their delight in our products and service. It really is about their wants, interests, and needs. “Go out and create your future, or it will be created for you.” - Rick Leffke
Sales Simplified Discovery The - To learn more about this author, visit Rick Leffke's Website.
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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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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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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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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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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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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