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

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

Some things in life are  FREE!  If finding qualified leads is important to your success, this post is for YOU!

Andrea Sittig-Rolf, Sittig Inc., created a Professional Leads Network to help salespeople get access to unlimited qualified leads…FREE!

The tool uses social media sites in a very efficient way.  She is also offering free workshops this week for you to learn how to use this tool. 

I have just sign up and will post about my experiences in a few weeks.  It might help or it might be another way to divert my time and energy. I’m hopeful it is a time saver!

If you do sign up and use it – comment back here and let the rest of us know how you plan to use the tool/information.

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

What did you think of the headline?  Who is it about?  What will you get if you read the sales tips?  More sales!  This headline is an example of turning a WHAT into WiifT.

It’s a great sales principle.  And a recent blogpost by Perry Belcher, an internet marketer, makes it SO simple!.  Whether you love or hate internet marketing the format helps us easily turn Whats into WIIFTs (What’s in it for Them) and really capture attention and more sales. 

Perry states that making powerful headlines for marketing can be done with ONE word as a transition – SO.  I agree that works.  And when we apply this to our sales calls, we can make the transition (and perceived value) even stronger by adding in the word YOU or a derivative of you (your) to the SO which makes the other person sit up and pay attention because now its about THEM!  (What is most people’s favorite subject?  Yup, themselves!)

In our sales training workshops we teach that stating features is very “me” focused.  And that we increase the perception of value of our offering by turning the feature into a benefit for the listener.  We have participants work through an activity of listing features and then imaging that as each feature is stated, the listener is thinking “So what?”  And when we need answer the so what and tie it in to what is important to the listener our credibility increases, their attention increases and perceived value skyrockets!  

• Our wireless timekeeping systems are run by GPS SO YOU will always have accurate time and so that your records are legal.  (two so yous)!
• We will develop a custom hiring process SO YOUR company’s processes are streamlined and more cost effective.
• Our lawn care system is less costly than your other options SO YOU will save time and headaches.
• We guarantee our work SO YOU can rest assured that your investment is protected.
• Our customer service department is open 24/7 SO YOU you will never have to wait to contact us if you need information.

Seems easy enough, doesn’t it?  But what gets in the way of making those what to wiift transitions? 

It takes effort, means we have to know something about who we are talking with so we can make the connection specific to them and we have to remove the focus from me to we or THEM!

Hmmm.  All those actions sound like great collaborative selling.

Check in with a comment…what are some other ways you make sure the focus of your whats are tied into THEM? Make the time to comment SO YOU can reinforce this sales principle and use it to sell more.

And if you want more ideas on how I can help you increase your sales, visit our Sales Pro Insider website.   You can download a free EBook on Recession Proof Your Sales for signing up for the Timely Tips newsletter!

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

Collaborative or consultative selling.  What’s the difference?  Aren’t they interchangeable terms? Not really, a collaborative approach is a step beyond traditional consultative selling.  And an opportunity to sell more WITH your buyers.

Consultative selling is a term in use around the globe.  And it is effective – a selling methodology and mindset where the seller, acting as a trusted advisor, assists the buyer in identifying needs and offering solutions within their relationship.  (from the glossary at salesopedia)  And we know consultative selling works – we’ve trained consultative selling skills for over a decade achieving 5-25% increases in sales in 60 days or less!  But is it enough today?  Are the buyers in today’s economy and demographics wanting  more?  I think yes.  They want to be a part of the process AND solution.  Selling collaboratively allows them to do that. 

The definition of collaboration is:  Noun:  The act of working jointly.  Collaborative selling is working with your buyers in a joint process to identify needs, evaluate how your solution benefits them and then navigate through the decision making process.  It’s a side-by-side process instead of a head-on process. 

This quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes sums it up:

Many ideas grow better when transplanted into another mind than the one where they sprang up. 

Who knows how much more our buyer can add to the depth of how they use our product/service?  They may have ideas for application, usage and implementation that we had never thought of!  Our buyers are much more informed than they ever were with so much information accessible in a moment.  They have some sort of background, experience or information to contribute to the discussion on most topics.  And when we can collaborate WITH them and jointly discover needs, wants, challenges and solutions to help them, we build a deeper relationship and a more loyal customer.

Who wants to be “told” or “pitched” information?  Not many people, though I may be biased by the fact I live with teens    Most people want to be next to you  exploring a topic and adding their input to the discussion.  Does this mean we don’t need to be the experts?  Not at all!  It means that we need to be more of an expert and prepared to:

1. Ask questions that engage and involve
2. Allow time for more discussion
3. Explore with them  how what we offer will work for them
4. Adapt our communication to their style (including verbal style, decision making style and level of involvement style)
5. Share expertise and information without sales pressure

What’s the difference between collaborative selling and consultative selling?   A mindset of partnership and joint efforts.  

More to come on this topic… In the meantime,  I want to collaborate with you and jointly explore these differences.  What is your take on collaboration versus consultation?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: Collaborative Selling, collaborative+selling, consultative selling, customer loyalty, Sales

Maximizing productivity is a key objective for sales people and sales managers. Time and money is spent on CRMs, planners, Blackberries, and more technology. And, when used appropriately, technology can help us with efficiency. Yet there is more…we also need to squeeze the most out of every contact and discussion we have. We need to continuously advance the sale WITH each prospect.

An effective sales discussion starts before contact. It starts with preparation that includes identifying:

• Who, what, why and when for this contact.
• Potential objections that may be raised.
• The decision needed at the end of the contact. Some sales are closed in one discussion, many are not, and the decision might be to schedule a next meeting, introduce you to someone else in the company, provide you information or specs, etc. We need to know what our decision at the “close” of this discussions should be.

After preparation we can maximize the actual discussion with the person by using the acronym WIIFT for specific steps and a road map. WIIFT is a 5 step sales process AND a philosophy of focusing on What’s in it for Them through the discussion.

Wait. Pause and mentally prepare before contact. Review the notes you made, think about this person and company and the value you can possibly provide them. And then…

Initiate the contact. Help the person break pre-occupation by asking them open ended questions that draw them into conversation. Connect with the person before jumping directly into your product information or your business questions. Put the spotlight on them by asking about their job, their history with the company, their interests (look for clues on this one). This step might take 2 minutes or 20, pay attention to time and move the discussion to business when appropriate.

• Tell me how you ended up in this role…
• How is your day going?

And then move the discussion into business…

Investigate. Use additional open-ended questions to allow them to discuss and clarify:

• What their objectives are
• What is happening now
• What are the risks of doing nothing
• What are the rewards of taking action

The gaps between these areas is your opportunity. Use great listening skills by summarizing what you hear, taking notes, and helping them clarify their responses. Once gaps are identified and clarified, you can move to explaining how you can help them.

Facilitate a discussion where you use your expertise to educate them on how what you do/have can eliminate the gaps discovered in your investigation. The more closely you match what you do to THEM, their situation, their needs and opportuntiies, the higher the perceived value (and the less they want to wait to get what you have).
Use YOU transition statements from WHAT you have to the WIIFT (what’s in it for them).

• Our service provides ongoing technical support and in YOUR situation that means that YOU will not have 2 a.m. phone calls from your users.
• We have 20 years of experience which means that YOU will be able to use proven processes that help YOU reach your goals quicker.

To facilitate means to “make it easy” for someone else. As you share your information make it easy for them to see how what you have fits with them…involve them, let them be a part of discovering how this fits with their situation, the value they see, make it a discussion versus a “pitch”.

Collaborate. Beyond consultative selling – collaborative selling is working with someone else to accomplish something. Ask what type of objections or obstacles they foresee in moving forward. Then work through the objections WITH them as a problem solver. Finally, ask for a decision and the next step to close the discussion (and the sale).

Following a sales system brings efficiency and consistency to each discussion. It allows us to keep moving the process forward and using “face” time most productively. Then we can use our technology to capture the order, schedule the next appointment and report to our managers. Productivity will increase as we maximize every discussion.

What do you do to maximize your sales discussions?

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Filed Under: Uncategorized
Tags: Collaborative Selling, collaborative+selling, consultative selling, maximize sales productivity, recession proof sales, sales process, skills, WIIFT