I’ve been in Florida for 5 days. It’s a chance to rejuvenate and write. the ‘plan’ was morning walks on the beach, writing, maybe a swim in the pool in the afternoon, and more writing. A good plan, right?

Well, the weather changed that plan – it rained for 4 days – serious rain, high winds and gloom. 

Today is my day of departure, and of course, the skies are clear and the sun is shining. I made time for a walk on the ocean’s edge before the airport!

As I was walking, I looked for shells. Each trip I find one or two special sea shells to take back to Wisconsin. We put them in the rocks around our pool to connect the two spaces we loves.

The beach was full of people hunting for shells this morning after the storms. There were thousands of shells – or rather parts of shells.  As I walked the shoreline like everyone else, I didn’t see any special shells, they were probably picked up already. So I waded into the ocean a bit to see what else I could find. Some, but still mostly broken. Then I waded out knee deep – figuring its a better workout anyway – and THERE were beautiful shells aplenty!  I filled my pockets within ten minutes.

Isn’t this how it is with sales? We need to look for prospects and opportunity. Yet often its easy to stay where it is safe on the shore and wait for the perfect opportunity to find that perfect prospect to surface.

We then find that many of the prospects may not be qualified – like the broken shells. So we need to exert more effort, wade in further and get ourselves really wet to find the perfect prospects – maybe they are even untouched by our competitors!

By taking the extra steps, we differentiate ourselves from most other sellers. They stay at the shoreline and fight for the easy picks.

By wading in, we can find a more bountiful opportunity.

As you think about this – are you playing it too safe by the shoreline? What waters should you wade deeper in to find your opportunities?

I challenge you this next week to take that step by:

• Identifying what is happening in your market that has washed ashore some opportunities?
• Where are your competitors focusing their efforts because of this?
• What is the next level for finding more opportunities? Is it calling someone you never have?Asking for referrals from your happy customers? Finding a plan for opening new relationships? Mining your CRM for stalled sales or former customers?

Identify at least ONE action  you can take – and then wade in to grab it!

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Marketing Tips, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, learning, maximize sales productivity, prospecting, Sales, Sales Tips

I was shipping four boxes of training materials to Canada. It was a project I had worked on full-time for weeks and was so excited to box them up and ship them out.

I’ve shipped boxes consistently – and globally – for the last 12 years, so I was expecting the regular drill – we even had the forms completed in advance.

The normal shipping drill?

• Who are you shipping to?
• When do they need to arrive?
• Is there anything hazardous, liquid or perishable?
• blah, blah, blah

I was thinking, ‘Let’s hurry this up, we have a a celebration lunch to get to!’

But this time was different, we encountered Ann as we entered the FedEx Office Store. It was immediately apparent Ann took her job seriously as she directed us to a cart to use.

Later as we discussed the ‘regular’ questions and she asked for the value of the contents, she looked concerned. And she started asking  more ‘risky’ questions. I explained that we’ve done this before and let’s just keep it moving. Ann examined the boxes and asked more questions,  two of which got me thinking…

What happens if, when you get to Canada, your contents have been damaged?

Do you realize that these boxes move down conveyor belts at more than 40 miles per hour and that without extra paper packaging and padding, the corners of the box can dent? then she pointed out the boxes we had packed the materials were in – which the empty original binders arrived in – were  a bit crinkled in the corners already.

Well, this caused me to pause.

Ann then continued, “I could pack these in a larger box with good padding and you won’t have to worry about any damage.’

I asked ‘How much?’ She calculated it was a total of $40 – to protect materials worth over $12,000!  This was a small price for ‘insurance’.  I agreed it should be done, and Ann got to work – smiling and enjoying every minute of packaging those boxes. Ended up only $35 extra!

The lesson?  As we seek to understand the ‘sitautino’ of our buyers – we need to ask risk questions!  I had no idea of the risks until Ann asked those questions. I never considered I needed to do something different with a job I’ve done so often. her questions opened my mind to new information…and I bought!

Ann increased her sale by 5% that day. Not bad for asking a couple of extra questions. How would you like to expand your sales by 5% or more each time?

It’s possible if we ask our prospects questions about the risk of doing nothing different. These risk questions might sound like:

• What types of liability are you expected to to if your situation remains  unchanged?
• Tell me what will happen in your facility if you don’t make the change/
• What might be the potential downside for not making a decision in the near future? or What is the potential downside if the decision is delayed?
• What could happen if this issue isn’t addressed in the next 6 months?
• Based on your experience, what type of liability is present when ____________ happens?

Caution! I am not an advocate of manipulating people or scaring them to make a sale. In collaborative selling that is not necessary. We can explore the risks together if we ask the right questions.

Now, I’m not a pushover in any way. I’m always on the lookout for ‘getting sold’ to and scams, and I know that Ann was sincere in her desire to help me…and scare me potential harm. So it worked well.

With some thought on the risks your prospects may encounter…IF they move forward in a decision with your solution OR if they do nothing, you can ask great risk questions that  elevate the sense of urgency and advance your sale more quickly.

Those benefits sound like they are worth the risk of asking risky questions, don’t they?

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, maximize sales productivity, Sales, Sales Tips

Ready for more reading recommendations that will help YOU sell more this week, month and year?

Below is the second part of the Sales Summer Reading list.

To make it easy for you to access the entire list of GREAT reads in an easy-to-access format, click here for the pdf copy, compliments of yours truly, Nancy Bleeke.

 50 Days to Build Your Sales- Book of Tips and Inspirations plus accompanying Workbook, by Lori Richardson. The book is a great gift for someone new in sales, or in a sales slump – to get a daily sales inspiration, then a sales tip to take action. Combine with the workbook, and you have “sales education in a bundle”. It makes for a great read because it is simple – even the type is big – and the tips are tried and true to grow revenues.

 
Building Inside Sales: Framing a Best Practice Group, by Trish Bertuzzi. Whether you have an Inside Sales team or are thinking about building one, this ebook will provide you with the framework you need to launch and sustain a successful program.

Bust Your Slump: A Dozen Slump Busting Strategies to Fill Your Pipeline in 30 Days, by Paul McCord. Need more business?  You’ll find a dozen effective, proven stategies to help you generate a large amount of business fast.  Whether you sell B2B or B2C, have a fast or long-term sales cycle, sell a commodity or highly sophisticated product, you’ll find strategies to meet your market and your sales process.  Pick the one or two that fits best and get busy getting your pipeline filled NOW!

   Creating  a Million Dollar a Year Sales Income: Sales Success through Client Referrals, by Paul McCord. No, the book doesn’t promise you that you’ll make a million dollars a year, but it presents a high impact process based on the steps used by 4 dozen sellers from various industires to make their million dollar a year plus incomes—and  you  can turn yourself into a referral-based salesperson just like they did.  Hey, you just might make a million bucks too!

From Bud to Boss: Secrets to a Remarkable Transition to Successful Leadership by Kevin Eikenberry and Guy Harris. From Bud to Boss is an excellent read for anyone who wants to increase their effectiveness as a leader. Whether you have been on the job for years or you are just starting out, this book will offer you practical, applicable advice.

Growing Great Sales Teams: Lessons from the Cornfield, by Colleen Stanley. Finally, a sales management book that has real world application.  This is a must read for any sales manager that is committed to building a sales culture of excellence, integrity and results.

In Women We Trust, by Mary Clare Hunt. In Women We Trust cuts to the bullet-points of how women engage with each other and what business can do to have the same engagement levels.  While primarily a workbook for the B2C crowd, its 90 trust points can help any sales team internalize the female culture and learn how to work with women as peers first, not targets. Time to read — one day at the beach, or 2 airport layovers.

Metaphorically Selling, by Anne Miller. If you have to get things done through influence or persuasion–and who doesn’t?–then Metaphorically Selling is written for you. Learn how to cut through information overload and grab attention, open minds, close deals, or wow a crowd with the magic of metaphors. Fun to read, Easy to apply.  Speeds up sales.

No More Cold Calling™: The Breakthrough System That Will Leave Your Competition in the Dust, by Joanne S. Black. Why read? Get the meeting at the level that counts and convert more than 50 percent of your contacts into clients. Learn the referral-sales process that seals the deal every time.

Rainmaking Conversations: Influence, Persuade, and Sell in any Situationby John Doerr and Mike Schultz. Summer is a great time to catch up on your reading and sharpen your selling skills and there’s no better book to help you do that than the Wall Street Journal bestseller, Rainmaking Conversations. In this book, Mike Schultz and John Doerr provide a proven system that will help you master the art of the sales conversation so you can close more deals, bring in more revenue, and be more successful in 2011 and beyond.

Sales 2.0, by Anneke Seley and Brent Holoway. This summer, while you’re body’s relaxing, take your mind on an adventure into the changing world of sales, with authors Anneke Seley and Brent Holloway.  Ride along as they demystify the world of Sales 2.0 – a better way of selling for today’s savvy buyers and sellers – and showcase four industry-leading companies who are using these practices to great success and profit!

 Selling to Big Companies by Jill Konrath. Want to land bigger accounts as your customers? Then check out this book. It gives you a step-by-step guide on how to what you need to do to get your foot in the door. Fortune selected it as one of 8 must reads for salespeople – and it deserves the award. Top 20 on Amazon since 2006.

The Sales Winner’s Handbook: Essential Scripts & Strategies to Skyrocket Sales Performance, by Wendy Weiss. Insider, business-by-phone secrets to get the appointment, sail through objections, and get the sale… Scripts for what to say in every situation so you get what you ask for.

What a list for you to select from!  Click here for the comprehensive pdf with all the titles and information to easily click through to your selections. 

Fill your mind..as you rest your body this summer. 

Want to reference this list and the pdf in your blog or newsletter?  Go ahead – but make sure you include the full copy below:

The 2011 Summer Reading list is provided compliments of Nancy Bleeke, Sales Pro Insider, Inc. www.salesproinsider.com 414.235.3064. Nancy’s training courses can help you and your team build confidence and competence to make every conversation matter to increase sales, reduce turnover and strengthen customer loyalty.

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Filed Under: Sales Productivity, Sales Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, consultative selling, maximize sales productivity, Sales, sales expert, Sales Productivity, sales success, Sales Tips, Sales training

When communicating a message to your buyers (or anyone) how much control do you have over the message you send? How much time and energy do you put into the words you are going to share?  And is that enough to guarantee the message you want to convey is heard? 

It seems to me that more effort is put into the words we say than HOW we say them.  We control our words and prepare for WHAT we will say.  Which is good..but to be a GREAT communicator and sales pro, HOW we say the words is as important as what the words are!

Last night, on a flight from Milwaukee, WI to Cincinnati, OH – I experienced the power of the HOW. The plane was making its final descent into Cincinnati and we were about to touch ground when we quickly began to ascend.  There was a lot of nervous chatter from passengers and then the pilot made an announcement that they abandoned landing because the controls did not pass through the landing checklist successfully and they were going to circle and try again.

Okay…he sounded confident in his message and everyone settled down. And then…

Eight minutes later we began our descent again…the pilot announced that we were going to ‘try again’ and that “We sssshhhhooooouuuuullllldddd have no ‘uh’ problem this time.” 

The words….‘no problem’were lost in the overly exaggerated word ‘should’ and the hesitation before the word problem.  HOW the pilot delivered the message created nervousness in the passengers.  His control of his emotions was not as good as the control he hopefully had over the plane.

Although we landed safely – the passengers kept discussing the ‘near death’ experience all the way through the airport and for the group of dance families traveling together, well into the evening.  We were never near death…but the perception was strong.

Now to you, think about your messages to buyers. How confident and controlled are you when you:

• Are explaining your solution or stating the investment?
• Share cost and investment information?
• Respond to concerns or objections?

Yes, the words matter; and your controlled delivery, emotions, and tone  matter too!    A few tips:

• Build the value and benefits of what you will be discussing in your mind first.Your belief affects your tone and confidence.
• Deliver your message confidently. Keep your voice strong and steady.  ‘Uh’, ‘Umm’, etc. reduce the message’s impact.
• Prepare for HOW you will deliver the message and the message. Prepare for the words and HOW you will share them.
• Practice to hear your voice. In our Powerful Presentations workshop,we videotape participants. They are always surprised at how they sound. Speak your message out loud and listen to the real message you are sending.

There are many factors that affect the message that is actually received in our communication, controlling how you deliver your information will increase the probability that the correct message is received. 

P.s. I could write another additional post just about the taxi ride to the hotel….a driver who was texting and driving at 60 mph. In this situation, I took control and said ‘no texting and driving with us in the car’ – and he did put the phone down.  Exiting the taxi at the hotel, I was so happy to have my two feet on solid ground

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Filed Under: Sales Productivity, Sales Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, Communication, Sales, Sales Tips

Differentiation…its the goal for companies, products and sales pros alike. Yet, how do you stand out from all the other salespeople and products or services?

We don’t have to go to the extremes of celebrities (hint: if you watched the Grammy’s last night, Cee Lo Green with Forget You – really stood out – see picture).  What we do need to do is be SMART in ALL our communication and contacts.

• Start with preparation. Your preparation leads to a more productive, focused and less stressful meeting for everyone.
• Make the effort to tie who you are and what you do relevant to THIS person.
• Ask intelligent questions that are different from what everyone else asks. (Yes, most sales people ask the “what are you using today” “what aren’t you happy with” and such questions)
• Relate what you can do for them back to their problems, opportunities, needs and wants.
• Think for them – what do they need to make a decision? What information, time, resources? Make it easy for them to say yes and  move forward.

Thank goodness we don’t need crazy clothing, music or puppets (again, a reference to the Grammys) to stand out from the crowd in sales.

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Filed Under: Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips, Uncategorized
Tags: Collaborative Selling, maximize sales productivity, Sales Tips

Have you ever heard the saying, “Be creative – think outside the box?”  Well, I’m going to challenge that premise…I think to be creative and collaborative we need to think “inside the box!”

Think about it…in every decision and problem resolution, there is a ‘box’ we need to work with.   This box is the parameters or constraints that we need to solve the problem within.  It ‘frames’ the parameters and our possibilities. 

Here’s how it works:  Place the defined problem or decision needed in the middle of the box and then identify the four sides:

1. Time/Schedule
2. Resources – financial, people, etc.
3. Participation – the mental bandwidth and energy you need from others involved
4. Quality -  the qualitative expectation

Your solution needs to be found WITHIN those parameters.  They make up your box.  And if one of the sides of the box changes, the others must change as well! You need to keep your ‘box’ squared up.

How do you use this concept in sales?  An example for you:

We sell training, consulting and HR services for companies.  Our client asked us to submit a proposal to solve their problem of lower sales results from their sales team. The solution we identified collaboratively included 4 components.  To deliver the 4 components included :

1. a schedule for delivery,
2.  resoruces of people and dollars,
3. a need for time with key internal stakeholders and
4.  qualitivate expectations

When reviewing the proposal, the owner identified that the schedule needed to changed and timeline shortened.  Could that be accommodated?  In using the four sides of the box on  a flipchart, together we identified that if the timeline shortned, the other pieces that would need to change.  He didn’t want quality affected. He didn’t want to spend more money, so what he needed to do was to provide a higher level of participation to make it happen.

Without the box as a reference point and consideration, the discussion might have been much more difficult. 

We regularly use the ‘box’ in our discussions.  It keeps a focus on collaborative selling as this is something that is transparent and easily shared.

How can you apply it in yours?  You can use the box for:

• problem solving
• brainstorming
• looking at project delivery realistically
• Collaboration

What other applications do you see application for the ‘box’?  Please leave a comment. Let’s build our ideas for ‘thinking inside the box!’

p.s. A special Thanks to Arpad Hevizi of Celestica. In our discussion today he ‘evolved’ the use of the box and the ‘participation’ parameter was his contribution. Thanks Arpad!

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Sales Productivity, Success Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, collaborative+selling, Problem Solving, Sales, Sales Tips

How productive was your last conversation with a prospect or customer? How about the last five conversations? Did the conversation matter? What was the outcome?

More awareness                         A sale

More information                         An action to move the sale forward

A good connection                       A decision

All of these outcomes are good – yet the items in the right column are better. Why? They advance the sale or make the sale. To keep the sale progressing forward, we need to make EVERY conversation matter!

Now some people don’t think ‘little’ things matter.  In fact, when my teens tell me that something they are supposed to do or something that they r didn’t do ‘doesn’t matter’ -  I cringe!  And I always respond with ‘everything matters!’

It’s true – everything you do or don’t do does matter in some way.  The good news is that making your sales conversations matter is not hard… but it takes preparation in systematization.

The power of preparation is often the differentiator between a conversation that matters and one that doesn’t.  Making the time to prepare your ‘plan’, outcome, questions to ask and concerns to address DOES matter!

Then what? What comes after preparation? A systematic framework to follow for your sales calls-we call it WIIFT. WIIFT is the acronym we use for What’s in it for Them as a philosophy of selling? It’s all so an acronym for a systematic approach to make every conversation matter.

Your overview of how  a systematic sales conversation flows:

• Wait. Your mental pause to break your preoccupation and focus on the contact you’re about to have. Review your notes and be ready to engage in a meaningful conversation.
• Initiate. The beginning of your conversation whether it is an e-mail, telephone, or face-to-face contact. The conversation needs to start with a purposeful focus on them.
• Investigate. The needs analysis and opportunity to ask and listen about them and their situation.
• Facilitate. The part of the conversation that is a discussion and presentation of what you can do that will provide an answer to a need or eliminate their challenges. Then work through concerns or objections they have.
• Then consolidate. Bring closure to your conversation. This includes asking for a commitment or decision to the next action and setting the expectation for what comes next.

Read through these again. Notice how this following this framework and accomplishing each step in your conversation WILL:

• Advance your sale more quickly? 
• Keep the focus on the prospect and not on you?
• Build value beyond what they pay?
• Strengthen your relationship and 
• Open the door for more business?

In short, following a systematic framework for every conversation after preparation will make every conversation you have matter.

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, Sales, Sales Tips

Today is my birthday…actually I’m not even supposed to be working – a long held practice from never having to be in school on my birthday since it was always during summer break!

But here I am posting this offer…cuz I’m so excited! What am I offering?  A FREE sales course to 2 deserving sales professionals!  This FREE $1295 8-week sales course will help you build your sales quickly – and I am giving 2 seats away this week!

Details, details….

• The sales training course is in the Milwaukee, WI area beginning September 22, 2010 at 8:30 a.m.
• The workshop is 1.5 days and then the course continues once a week for 8 weeks of reinforcing teleconferences!
• The sales approach is collaborative sales and will include success habit building activities and tools.
• All your materials – and success tools are included!
• You pick up your personal travel expenses.
• Contact me for a full course description.

What do you have to do?  Email me your name, company name and why you are ready to building your sales skills and results.  I’ll draw the winning names Monday morning!

Giving on my birthday makes me so happy!  I hope you’ll take me up on the gift!

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Filed Under: Collaborative Selling, Sales Productivity, Sales Tips, Success Tips
Tags: Collaborative Selling, learning, Sales, sales seminar, sales tools, Sales training

You know the saying, ‘I learned everything I ever needed to know in kindergarten?’ One of the kindergarten lessons on fire safety can be very effective in working through customer complaints and objections.

Yesterday a speaker shared a joke about two men who were chatting about their lives over drinks. 

The first man said, “Whenever my wife and I have a disagreement, she gets all historical on me.”

Man 2 said, “Don’t you mean she gets hysterical on you?’

“No,” said Man 1, “She gets historical.  She brings up everything that I have ever done wrong since we first met.”

I know – a cheesy joke.  Yet, how true is this when you have a customer who is unhappy?  Do they come to you with hysterics?  Or do they get all historical and bring up EVERYTHING they have ever been unhappy or dissatisfied about?

What to do in either case?  Follow one of our ‘kindergarten lessons.’  Stop, drop and roll! 

These 3 steps are used as the technique for when you are ‘on fire’ physically?  Ever felt  ‘under fire’ with a customer complaint or objection?  Well, we can use the same technique in those situations! 

Stop.  Stop talking.  Pause and listen.

Drop.  Your ego and defenses.  You won’t get very far if you also become hysterical or historical.

Roll.  Roll forward in a discussion that is open and focused on resolution.  How? 

1. First, assure them of your intent to help resolve the objection, question or complaint.
2. Then ask them an open question to draw out more information.  At first you might get more hysterics or history.  That is okay. 
3. Listen, paraphrase and ask another question if necessary. 
4. Restate that you want to help them and ask if they will explore possibilities with you.  (You’ve just changed the situation into a collaborative problem-solving opportunity.)
5. Work with them to share ideas, examples, ask for feedback and their ideas.
6. Agree on a course of action.

I think for myself the first part of stopping is the toughest. I want to jump right to telling them why they are wrong…and I make it worse.  Instead when I take that breath and stop.  I actually move forward more easily.  And very importantly, I help my customer stop the hysterics or the history lesson to resolve the issue. 

Something to think about isn’t it?  What do you think?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: Collaborative Selling, collaborative+selling, Negotiation, sales tips

Over 22 years ago as a bride-to-be, I registered for wedding gifts (I know you are thinking I don’t look that old…I married young ).  One of the items I spent a lot of time selecting was our silverware.  I was so happy when we got 24 settings!  (When you are from a large Italian family, you need bulk everything.)  This silverware has served us well.  But I was ready for a change.

During our huge kitchen remodel a few years ago I replaced most daily-use items. Since then I have intermittently purchased new silverware – but none of it ever “felt” right in my hands.  It was too light, or the tongs were too short, etc.  I returned these samples after a thorough in-home review.  And kept using the old.  So, you can imagine my delight when I found the PERFECT silverware a few weeks ago.  It passed my test and my husband’s test so we started the process of removing the old and replacing with the new!

A moment of domestic bliss, right?  Let me emphasize the word moment…  We have three teenagers, and they did NOT see the need to make this change.  They didn’t like the feel of the new forks, thought the spoons wouldn’t hold enough ice cream, and on and on and on.  Wow!  Who knew they cared this much about anything domestic?? We listened to them, empathised with them and let them know we were still making the change.

What I didn’t realize is that they had decided THEY weren’t changing and they had taken some of the old silverware (which I was keeping for the move-out-of-the house process soon to come) and stashed it in the kitchen for their own use!  What?  It was that important to them?  As a good mom, I promptly removed those pieces and hid it all again.

For days, there was a lot of moaning and groaning every time they ate using silverware (a lot of “teen” food doesn’t need silverware they tell me – eating out of the box seems to be okay if I am not around.)  Last night was our first dinner where I did not hear one complaint.  Nearly two weeks for them to accept the change!

What does this have to do with sales?  Think about what you are selling…and the objections you hear…how many of those objections are because your prospect is comfortable with what they are now doing or using?  The objection might come out as price, timing, etc. but if you dig deeper you may find that the biggest obstacle is they don’t want to change! They are comfortable.  So what do you do?  In sales we don’t have two weeks to help move  through their discomfort. 

A couple of tips on working through an objection:

1. Ask more questions before responding with new information.  Hiding the silverware and forcing the change did not gain buy-in.  If I had taken the time to clarify what they were uncomfortable with, how we could transition to the new easier, what the downside to making the change was, etc. it might have gone more smoothly.
2. Listen to what they are saying.  Clarify further by digging deeper into the real reasons they are objecting.  It might not be a logical reason – it might be very emotion-based!
3. When responding, tie the benefits important to THEM into your response.  Make it about them, not about you.

Now, my approach to hiding the “old” won’t work in business.  But, often, taking the time to help them sort through their discomfort will remove the objection…or at least put it into a perspective where together you can work through it. 

What objection have you recently faced that was based on discomfort/change issues?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: Collaborative Selling, collaborative+selling, Negotiation, Sales Tips