Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales?
Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales?
to train their sales team on how to stop using traditional selling
and start using the Unlock The Game™ sales approach.
After one coaching session, one member of the sales team came
up to me and said, "Ari, your approach makes complete sense --
but I'm afraid I'll lose sales if I stop being aggressive and start being passive!"
Whenever I hear a comment like that, I want to scream, because it means
that the person just doesn't yet understand that removing pressure from
the sales process doesn't mean being passive!
But...I didn't scream. I took a deep breath and then explained that
Unlock The Game™ is the reverse of passive.
Rather, it's an active attempt to create pressure-free
conversations with prospects.
However, to do that we must eliminate behaviors and language that
prospects can perceive as "aggressive."
We all know what these are -- continual e-mail and voicemail "followups"
in which salespeople try to pin down the status of a potential deal --
is one common example.
The problem is that prospects react to aggressive, or perhaps we
should say "overaggressive" sales behaviors by withdrawing and evading us.
We could say that Unlock The Game™ actually takes the "middle ground"
between passive and aggressive by being authentically unassuming,
yet effective - and that this is the most stress-free and effective way to sell.
What do I mean?
I mean that you have to shift away from assuming
that every prospect is a fit for your solution.
It's sort of like the legal concept of "being innocent until proven guilty."
We can't afford to make any assumptions about "fit" until our
conversation with the prospect indicates that we've mutually
arrived at that conclusion.
The aggressiveness that turns off prospects sets in when you assume,
every time you pick up the phone, that you have a solution for them.
Your tone of voice and language gives them that message long before
they've even had a chance to agree that they have a problem you might
be able to help them solve.
But if you can manage to find that middle ground of not assuming
anything while also communicating in a low-key, unassuming manner,
you'll discover a whole new effectiveness you could never have imagined.
Can prospects sense when you're assuming too much?
Sure they can -- because most of us have been conditioned to
present or talk about our solution as a way to engage prospects
so they'll reveal their problems to us.
But that logic is completely flawed, because when you launch
into your solution to someone who doesn't trust you yet, all you
do is allow them to pigeonhole you as a stereotyped "salesperson."
So how do you make this concept of being unassuming but effective a reality?
First, learn to start conversations by focusing 100 percent on
generating discussions around prospects' problems, rather than
pitching your solution the second you hear an opening.
Second, learn to begin those conversations by converting
the benefits of your solution into problems that your solution can solve.
Third, after you and your prospects have identified a problem or problems,
you can then engage in a discussion about whether fixing those problems is a priority.
It's only at that point that prospects have finally given you implicit
permission to share your solution with them.
Jumping in with solutions prematurely will only land you back
in the trap of being perceived as "aggressive."
To your success,
Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper's Website.
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A few weeks ago I was onsite at a company that had hired me
to train their sales team on how to stop using traditional selling
and start using the Unlock The Game™ sales approach.
After one coaching session, one member of the sales team came
up to me and said, "Ari, your approach makes complete sense --
but I'm afraid I'll lose sales if I stop being aggressive and start being passive!"
Whenever I hear a comment like that, I want to scream, because it means
that the person just doesn't yet understand that removing pressure from
the sales process doesn't mean being passive!
But...I didn't scream. I took a deep breath and then explained that
Unlock The Game™ is the reverse of passive.
Rather, it's an active attempt to create pressure-free
conversations with prospects.
However, to do that we must eliminate behaviors and language that
prospects can perceive as "aggressive."
We all know what these are -- continual e-mail and voicemail "followups"
in which salespeople try to pin down the status of a potential deal --
is one common example.
The problem is that prospects react to aggressive, or perhaps we
should say "overaggressive" sales behaviors by withdrawing and evading us.
We could say that Unlock The Game™ actually takes the "middle ground"
between passive and aggressive by being authentically unassuming,
yet effective - and that this is the most stress-free and effective way to sell.
What do I mean?
I mean that you have to shift away from assuming
that every prospect is a fit for your solution.
It's sort of like the legal concept of "being innocent until proven guilty."
We can't afford to make any assumptions about "fit" until our
conversation with the prospect indicates that we've mutually
arrived at that conclusion.
The aggressiveness that turns off prospects sets in when you assume,
every time you pick up the phone, that you have a solution for them.
Your tone of voice and language gives them that message long before
they've even had a chance to agree that they have a problem you might
be able to help them solve.
But if you can manage to find that middle ground of not assuming
anything while also communicating in a low-key, unassuming manner,
you'll discover a whole new effectiveness you could never have imagined.
Can prospects sense when you're assuming too much?
Sure they can -- because most of us have been conditioned to
present or talk about our solution as a way to engage prospects
so they'll reveal their problems to us.
But that logic is completely flawed, because when you launch
into your solution to someone who doesn't trust you yet, all you
do is allow them to pigeonhole you as a stereotyped "salesperson."
So how do you make this concept of being unassuming but effective a reality?
First, learn to start conversations by focusing 100 percent on
generating discussions around prospects' problems, rather than
pitching your solution the second you hear an opening.
Second, learn to begin those conversations by converting
the benefits of your solution into problems that your solution can solve.
Third, after you and your prospects have identified a problem or problems,
you can then engage in a discussion about whether fixing those problems is a priority.
It's only at that point that prospects have finally given you implicit
permission to share your solution with them.
Jumping in with solutions prematurely will only land you back
in the trap of being perceived as "aggressive."
To your success,
Do You Have to Be Aggressive to Make Sales - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper'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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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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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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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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New Cold Calling and Sales Approach - Cold calling and sales guru and EvanCarmichael.com expert Ari Galper explains how the Unlock The Game sales approach can provide you with a framework for how to create trust over the phone when you are cold calling.
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