Is Sales Really a Numbers Game?
Is Sales Really a Numbers Game?
"And they are making sales. Ari, if the numbers game leads to sales, why should I change? Deep down, the old numbers game just feels wrong somehow... can you give me some insights so I can unlock myself from having to follow everyone else’s path?"
Interestingly enough, I had just gotten off the phone that morning with Harold Cameron and Ann Thurman, who have both been using the Unlock The Game Mastery Program. They shared with me how the idea of the numbers game has taken on a whole new meaning since they started using their new Mindset.
And they gave me actual, specific before-and-after numbers detailing the changes in their selling results. But they aren’t numbers in the way you think -- “more calls equal more sales.”
In a minute, I'll let them tell you about their experiences in their own words, but first I want to say a little more about the mystique of the old "numbers game" and why most people who sell still think it’s the only way to go.
The whole idea of the old numbers game is that if you spend enough time "dialing for dollars" you're bound to make the occasional sale.
Then, when you do make a sale, you believe even more that the number of calls you make is the secret of success -- the more you call, the more sales you'll make. Everybody assumes that because the old numbers game works once in a while, it's the way to go.
In fact, almost every sales manager in corporate America uses the numbers game to measure their salespeople's success.
So if you're a sales manager or work for a sales manager, this article may come as a real shock.
The wakeup call here is that it isn't about how many sales you're making with the numbers game, but how many you're losing. Think about it.
When you're operating out of the old numbers game paradigm, how many leads do you burn through with every call you make? And how much time do you spend chasing and following up with prospects who will probably never buy?
From the Unlock The Game perspective, the old numbers game creates a dialing "rat race." You're trapped, making huge numbers of calls to reach that tiny percentage of prospects who will buy from you.
Well, here's what Ann and Harold have to say about the numbers game. And though they're in very different business environments, they've had similar experiences since they adopted the Mastery Program
Ann's Story
Ann Thurman recruits real estate agents for a residential real estate firm in the Seattle area. She had been dialing literally hundreds of prospects a day -- the essence of the old numbers game: "I was making 200 to 300 calls a day. It was taking 6 or 7 hours, and I was lucky to get 10 seconds of my script in before agents would hang up on me.”
She said that in the first month that she began applying the Mindset, her call volume dropped by 80 percent. "But I was having actual dialogues with 50 to 60 people a day -- real conversations that would last several minutes," she said.
"And I didn't have one hang-up in my first 100 calls. Now I get very few hang-ups, and they aren't rude -- a lot of the time, people ask me to call them back. And when I do, we usually a conversation."
Ann said she used to set one appointment every 2 weeks. When she began using the Mindset, that increased to about 4 appointments a week, and she signed 2 agents in less than 3 weeks. She has also had more people call her back after initial conversations because they decided they wanted to talk about making a change.
"So I'm doing fewer calls, but my results are better," she said. "I'm finding that the Mindset language like 'That's not a problem' is really important because it lets the other person feel I’m not trying to control the conversation."
She concluded, "The Unlock The Game approach is definitely a more rational use of my time. The old approach is to pursue everyone because everyone's a potential buyer. So if you do this many calls, this many appointments, this many bookings, it'll turn into this many sales.
"And when it came to chasing and following up, I used to really try to pressure people. Now, if I know we aren't a good fit, I don't have to pursue them. I know when to walk away without feeling guilty. The old way was the 'quick kill' method versus the Mindset way of building a long-term relationship."
Harold's Story
Harold Cameron sells printing services for a long-established family-owned printing business in Pennsylvania. He told me, "My challenge is that most companies I call already have a printer they're very loyal to."
He said that since working with the Mastery Program, he too has been making fewer calls, but more quality calls. His ratio of being asked to send quotes has improved, too: "Before, out of every 100 calls, I probably would end up actually talking seriously to 20 people, and of those 2 or 3 would ask for quotes.
"Now, out of every 100 calls, I'm talking seriously with 60 to 70 people, and being asked for maybe 10 or 12 quotes."
The Mindset has also helped Harold to eliminate the old numbers game problem of "burning through leads."
For example, the vice president of a major computer manufacturer not only returned his call but also referred him to the person responsible for overseeing the corporation's print services.
So the Mindset is helping Harold to create long-term relationships.
By the way, both Harold and Ann have graciously offered to let me publish their phone numbers here if you'd like to talk with them more about how they let go of the old numbers game by using the Mastery Program. Harold's number is (570) 719-1175, and Ann's is (206) 329-2561.
Numbers Game vs. the New Mindset
Here are some of the ways that the Unlock The Game Mindset solves the problems caused by the old numbers game:
Old Numbers Game
New Selling Mindset
“Burning through calls” involves huge investments of time and energy to achieve a few “successes.”
When you focus on quality rather than quantity, every call is a chance to learn your prospect’s truth. So your calls are more thoughtful and efficient.
Numbers-game scripts “talk at” prospects and lead to rejection in all but a tiny percentage of calls.
Starting calls with a focused problem statement makes it easy to create two-way dialogue.
Prospects know that they’re just a phone number to you and that you’re not interested in engaging them on a human level.
Your attentiveness to your prospects’ concerns makes a real human connection possible.
The only goal is to move the sale forward, or to get a quick no so you can move on to the next call.
The goal is to learn the truth and explore there’s a fit between your solution and your prospect’s problem or concern.
The numbers game can leave you feeling dissatisfied, frustrated, and rejected.
When you’ve learned the truth, whether the answer is a yes or a no, rejection is impossible.
The mystique of the old numbers game is that you're bound to "hit" once in a while. But people who sell the old way never ask themselves how many opportunities they've lost in a day because they haven't gotten to the truth with their prospects.
If you're feeling guilty that you should be playing the old numbers game because your colleagues are making sales from it, consider this: All you’re seeing from them is how many sales they are making -- not how many sales they’re losing.
And consider that by refocusing your attention on the quality of each call versus the quantity of calls, you can experience new sales success you may never have thought possible.
And that’s where the opportunity lies for you.
The Mastery Program helps you find these opportunities by teaching you:
* Language that creates trust and truthful conversations
* How to eliminate pitches and other traditional "sales tactics"
* Ways to diffuse sales pressure and continue conversations
The Unlock The Game Mastery Program shows you how to debunk many other outdated sales myths that you may be unaware of -- but are losing you sales.
To your success,
Is Sales Really a Numbers Game - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper's Website.
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The other day, I got a call from Brian, who was a first time visitor to my website. He told me during our conversation, "I see other people at work playing the old numbers game. You know, they make as many calls as they can, hoping that a few will turn into sales.
"And they are making sales. Ari, if the numbers game leads to sales, why should I change? Deep down, the old numbers game just feels wrong somehow... can you give me some insights so I can unlock myself from having to follow everyone else’s path?"
Interestingly enough, I had just gotten off the phone that morning with Harold Cameron and Ann Thurman, who have both been using the Unlock The Game Mastery Program. They shared with me how the idea of the numbers game has taken on a whole new meaning since they started using their new Mindset.
And they gave me actual, specific before-and-after numbers detailing the changes in their selling results. But they aren’t numbers in the way you think -- “more calls equal more sales.”
In a minute, I'll let them tell you about their experiences in their own words, but first I want to say a little more about the mystique of the old "numbers game" and why most people who sell still think it’s the only way to go.
The whole idea of the old numbers game is that if you spend enough time "dialing for dollars" you're bound to make the occasional sale.
Then, when you do make a sale, you believe even more that the number of calls you make is the secret of success -- the more you call, the more sales you'll make. Everybody assumes that because the old numbers game works once in a while, it's the way to go.
In fact, almost every sales manager in corporate America uses the numbers game to measure their salespeople's success.
So if you're a sales manager or work for a sales manager, this article may come as a real shock.
The wakeup call here is that it isn't about how many sales you're making with the numbers game, but how many you're losing. Think about it.
When you're operating out of the old numbers game paradigm, how many leads do you burn through with every call you make? And how much time do you spend chasing and following up with prospects who will probably never buy?
From the Unlock The Game perspective, the old numbers game creates a dialing "rat race." You're trapped, making huge numbers of calls to reach that tiny percentage of prospects who will buy from you.
Well, here's what Ann and Harold have to say about the numbers game. And though they're in very different business environments, they've had similar experiences since they adopted the Mastery Program
Ann's Story
Ann Thurman recruits real estate agents for a residential real estate firm in the Seattle area. She had been dialing literally hundreds of prospects a day -- the essence of the old numbers game: "I was making 200 to 300 calls a day. It was taking 6 or 7 hours, and I was lucky to get 10 seconds of my script in before agents would hang up on me.”
She said that in the first month that she began applying the Mindset, her call volume dropped by 80 percent. "But I was having actual dialogues with 50 to 60 people a day -- real conversations that would last several minutes," she said.
"And I didn't have one hang-up in my first 100 calls. Now I get very few hang-ups, and they aren't rude -- a lot of the time, people ask me to call them back. And when I do, we usually a conversation."
Ann said she used to set one appointment every 2 weeks. When she began using the Mindset, that increased to about 4 appointments a week, and she signed 2 agents in less than 3 weeks. She has also had more people call her back after initial conversations because they decided they wanted to talk about making a change.
"So I'm doing fewer calls, but my results are better," she said. "I'm finding that the Mindset language like 'That's not a problem' is really important because it lets the other person feel I’m not trying to control the conversation."
She concluded, "The Unlock The Game approach is definitely a more rational use of my time. The old approach is to pursue everyone because everyone's a potential buyer. So if you do this many calls, this many appointments, this many bookings, it'll turn into this many sales.
"And when it came to chasing and following up, I used to really try to pressure people. Now, if I know we aren't a good fit, I don't have to pursue them. I know when to walk away without feeling guilty. The old way was the 'quick kill' method versus the Mindset way of building a long-term relationship."
Harold's Story
Harold Cameron sells printing services for a long-established family-owned printing business in Pennsylvania. He told me, "My challenge is that most companies I call already have a printer they're very loyal to."
He said that since working with the Mastery Program, he too has been making fewer calls, but more quality calls. His ratio of being asked to send quotes has improved, too: "Before, out of every 100 calls, I probably would end up actually talking seriously to 20 people, and of those 2 or 3 would ask for quotes.
"Now, out of every 100 calls, I'm talking seriously with 60 to 70 people, and being asked for maybe 10 or 12 quotes."
The Mindset has also helped Harold to eliminate the old numbers game problem of "burning through leads."
For example, the vice president of a major computer manufacturer not only returned his call but also referred him to the person responsible for overseeing the corporation's print services.
So the Mindset is helping Harold to create long-term relationships.
By the way, both Harold and Ann have graciously offered to let me publish their phone numbers here if you'd like to talk with them more about how they let go of the old numbers game by using the Mastery Program. Harold's number is (570) 719-1175, and Ann's is (206) 329-2561.
Numbers Game vs. the New Mindset
Here are some of the ways that the Unlock The Game Mindset solves the problems caused by the old numbers game:
Old Numbers Game
New Selling Mindset
“Burning through calls” involves huge investments of time and energy to achieve a few “successes.”
When you focus on quality rather than quantity, every call is a chance to learn your prospect’s truth. So your calls are more thoughtful and efficient.
Numbers-game scripts “talk at” prospects and lead to rejection in all but a tiny percentage of calls.
Starting calls with a focused problem statement makes it easy to create two-way dialogue.
Prospects know that they’re just a phone number to you and that you’re not interested in engaging them on a human level.
Your attentiveness to your prospects’ concerns makes a real human connection possible.
The only goal is to move the sale forward, or to get a quick no so you can move on to the next call.
The goal is to learn the truth and explore there’s a fit between your solution and your prospect’s problem or concern.
The numbers game can leave you feeling dissatisfied, frustrated, and rejected.
When you’ve learned the truth, whether the answer is a yes or a no, rejection is impossible.
The mystique of the old numbers game is that you're bound to "hit" once in a while. But people who sell the old way never ask themselves how many opportunities they've lost in a day because they haven't gotten to the truth with their prospects.
If you're feeling guilty that you should be playing the old numbers game because your colleagues are making sales from it, consider this: All you’re seeing from them is how many sales they are making -- not how many sales they’re losing.
And consider that by refocusing your attention on the quality of each call versus the quantity of calls, you can experience new sales success you may never have thought possible.
And that’s where the opportunity lies for you.
The Mastery Program helps you find these opportunities by teaching you:
* Language that creates trust and truthful conversations
* How to eliminate pitches and other traditional "sales tactics"
* Ways to diffuse sales pressure and continue conversations
The Unlock The Game Mastery Program shows you how to debunk many other outdated sales myths that you may be unaware of -- but are losing you sales.
To your success,
Is Sales Really a Numbers Game - To learn more about this author, visit Ari Galper'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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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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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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