It’s no secret that selling to ‘real’ people can be challenging. (Yes, even with the fast growth of e-commerce, many of us still sell to a human being.) The same input does not guarantee the same output (closed sale, upsells, etc.) How frustrating that can be!

Yet, how do we increase our probability of making each sales call and prospect contact valuable? Well, tomorrow (Wednesday August 17th) Alice Kemper and I will share the Secret to Selling Success and how YOU can:

• Connect more easily with people
• Sell with them in ways that make them comfortable
• Build value for your solution
• Advance the sale
• Close the sale
• Get the referrals and upsells that help you achieve long-term sales success

The webinar is 60 minutes and we have secret gifts for you at the end to help YOU succeed in selling.

Please join us for the FREE webinar, The Secret to Selling Success sponsored by Verizon Wireless and SalesGravy.com. It’s part of the Women in Sales webinar series.

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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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Ever been in a conversation with a customer or prospect that missed the mark?  Whether we are responding to objections, trying to communicate value or understand their situation, a key component of being an effective communication is to match intensity.

Matching intensity is not an easy idea. It was first explained to me by an industrial psychologist about 10 years ago. I kind of understood what he was saying and then started observing.  What I found is that many communication ‘misses’ are caused by this mis-match of intensity!

You may have heard that we should ‘mirror’ the prospect or match them emotion for emotion.  And that can be effective.  But  with so many emotions, will that always work? Do you want to match:

• Anger with anger?
• Frustration with more frustration?
• Irritation with irritability?

Probably not.  What we need to do is match the INTENSITY of what they are communicating with like intensity.  Here’s an example:

Customer:  “You just gave me the wrong product after a long wait, I’d like a refund.”  with a medium tone and loudness.

Sales Rep very calmly: “Yes, there was an error in fulfillment. What would you like us to do?”

Customer: “I would like you to take back this product and give me a refund like I asked.” Louder and more anxious.

Sales Rep: “Well, we can do that and the refund will take 30 days to process  through your account.” Very calmly with a lower voice

Customer: “I don’t think YOU get this. I have already paid and waited 30 minutes and now  you gave me the wrong item, I was an immediate refund.” Incredulous and loud.

The calm Sales Rep: “I’m sorry to hear that. We would hate to lose your business. The way we are set up is that we will issue a credit in 30 days.”

Customer: “Well that doesn’t make sense!”  Irritated and increasingly frustrated.

And on the discussion went.  What happened?  The rep was saying some of the right things and trying to be  understanding, but by staying very calm and low-key the customer escalated their emotional reaction and intensity because they didn’t think the rep was ‘getting it’.   This is a real situation – that went further involving a store manager who was ‘calm and collected’ and everyone just kept missing my signals of irritation (yes, I was the irritated customer).  What I needed to know was that someone “GOT IT” and that the gift I was expecting now wasn’t here in time for the holiday. 

The disconnect in intensity led to misunderstanding, less engagement and trust. It also has led me to not do business with that company for many years now.  They weren’t showing understanding OR listening to me.  Yes, they heard my words – but they weren’t getting the intensity and emotion of the importance of it. 

 Instead if the rep had been more animated and emphasized his concern with an increase in tone and energy, we might have headed in a more mutually agreeable direction.

What’s that mean for all of us?  Even when something goes wrong, when we try to  understand and connect with the person – we can increase the customer’s level of satisfaction and loyalty.  In fact,  a study by the Washing D.C. firm Technical Assistant Research Programs found that you can increase customer retention by communicating effectively during a difficult situation.

The key is to match intensity level of whatever the emotion.  It is not to get emotional with them.

This just isn’t about complaints – its also about excitement!  If you are presenting a solution and you notice the energy changing in your prospect – pay attention and adjust. 

The adjustment might need to be up or down in intensity – its getting to the right level that matters.  Sometimes I see reps get MORE intense and animated thinking that will get a higher level of interest.  What it usually does is cause the other person to dismiss the discussion as superficial.

For many of us – its not comfortable trying to figure out emotions its much easier to pick up on intensity.  Some ‘intense-level’ signs to watch for:

• Tone of voice
• Energy level
• Pace of speech
• Level of animation and movement in their body
• How close they are standing
• The degree of eye contact
• Whether they are using ‘feeling’ or ‘thinking’ words

Not an easy concept to grab – but one that can make a HUGE difference when you want to build an intense connection with your customer.

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Yesterday Susan Coomer called for help.  She wanted help putting together a quick training on “communication from the shadows”.  No kidding!  It was an assignment from her boss and she thought it was very Alfred Hitchcock – like.   

We brainstormed (there are so many directions to take on this topic)… and discussed that shadows have connotations of dark, secret, scary and hiding.  How many times have you felt like that as you communicated with someone?  Then regarding shadows, Kayla (my awesome college student-aide) said “Isn’t that just the opposite of transparency?”

Yup, those young-ins can call it sometimes!  Transparency is such a buzzword these days.  Though social media and technology(remote working) have removed a lot of shadows in communication, they’ve also created new shadows haven’t they?

So, how do you communicate well to not cast a shadow for others?  A few tips:

1. Use your e-communication wisely. Even if you work remotely, quick emails/instant messages/texts can easily be taken out of context.
2. Pick up the phone, and meet face to face sometimes.  Your message will be sent and received so much more effectively.
3. Adjust your “language”to words and tones that will resonate with the receiver.  Do they like to use thinking/feeling words?  Lots of detail/little detail?  Facts/Ideas?  Slow to respond/impatient if you haven’t responded within a nano-second?  Pay attention and adjust accordingly.
4. Focus on what’s in it for them (wiift).  When your communication remains focused on the value, the benefits and THEM, there are fewer shadows.

Mystery and mayhem might have worked in Hitchcock films, but they just complicate our efforts in the business world.  Step into the light by communicating effectively.

How have you come “out of the shadows” in your communication?

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Yesterday’s Twitter blackout had people all in a Twutter (maybe that is a new “Twitter”word?)… Some people and companies have come to rely heavily on this tool for marketing and communication.  Incorporating Twitter and other social media into your sales process is good strategy in today’s e-world.  But what do you do when the “lights go out”?

What is your back-up plan if you are disconnected from all things electronic?  An earlier post about Social Media covered my observations about the use of Social Media.  I’m still learning how to best use it in my own business and sales.  Now I have another consideration – what is my power “generator” if I don’t have accessto my electronic life-lines for a while?  Can we really get rid of the need for the telephone and hard copy communication? 

What would you do if you couldn’t access your Twitter, LinkedIn, email or BlackBerry (or such) device?   

Let’s open this discussion…what are your back-up plans for a black out?

p.s. I’m still gigglig about the word “twutter”    Of course I intend it to mean “all a flutter”.

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On June 10th at 5:22 am EST, the millionth word in the English language was coined, according to Paul J.J. Payack, founder of the Global Language Monitor. With new terms such as financial tsunami, de-friend, and carbon footprint becoming part of our language, “I just cannot imagine any other language offering such opportunities…,” says Simon Winchester, author of “The meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary.”

Yet are more words better?  Powerful communication comes with simplicity.  Shorter, easy to understand words/phrases make for a more powerful message.

 ”Big” or trendy words can work against our communication.  Examples of many words that can be simpler:

• Ask for their consideration  - Consider
• In the event of   - If
• I’d like to thank you  - Thank you
• I’d like to take this opportunity to – Just say it!  
• Daily basis -  Daily
• I wanted to ask you - ask the question

This week, avoid redundancies and delete words that don’t add to your meaning.  You’ll save your breath and your listener will “hear” the message better.

                   -              -            -                   -          -                -                   -             

Today’s blog post is by Lynn Zimmer of the Sales Pro Insider team.  Nancy Bleeke is “up north” with her family away from all things that plug into an electric socket.

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In sales and service training, I start many seminars by saying that we are going to focus more on “how” they accomplish “what” they do than on “what” they do.  The tongue twister always raises eyebrows…but it is true.  If you need to sell more and strengthen your customer loyalty, how you accomplish what you do matters.

A true story to illustrate what I mean.  As we changed the company name from Corporate Resource Development, Inc. to Sales Pro Insider, Inc. this year, we had a LOT of tactical/logistical items to adjust.  One of these adjustments was to update all the stationary associated with the business.  We used Dana Kader-Robb, of Barefoot Marketing, for our layout and coordination of the printing.  Dana delivered high quality and within the expected time frames as she always does.

The printer we selected (after several quotes) did not.  Our note cards had “jumps” in the typeface for the company name -meaning they weren’t lined up correctly on about 25% of the cards.  Dana coordinated a reprint.  And we moved on.

Know how long it took us to get the reprinted cards?  Over a month!  Not a big deal since we had cards to use but still not a demonstration of caring much about quality and customer satisfaction.  Yet it was two actions on the printer’s part during this reprint that will make us NEVER do business them again: 

1. She sent the new cards Media mail.  Meaning we had to wait longer to receive.
2. The response when Dana questioned the delay was that she knew we had some cards to carry us over, so she waited until they could work the reprinting in with a job using the same colors.  None of this was communicated during those weeks.

Now when I consider the value received, the “what” (stationary products) do meet our needs.  But the “how” of the delivery and follow-up means we will find another provider next time.

In your business some things to think about:

1. How do you communicate with your customers?  After the sale is done, do you give the same level of attention as you did before they said “yes”?
2. When something goes wrong, do you get it resolved quickly and communicate along the way?
3. Do you take a “media mail” approach when responding?  Or a speedy delivery of email or IM?
4. If you are responsible for a process of client communication – are all touch-points as sharp as they can be?
5. Does every interaction focus on the customer or other things?

“How” we provide “what” we provide - whether it be a product or service – will make the difference in future business from that party, referral possibilities and our long term success.

Let’s open the discussion – what examples do you have on the “how” difference?

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How does today impact what it takes to be a great manager?  The makeup of the labor force, the economy, and the culture are constantly changing.  What worked well 10 years ago (or even yesterday) might not be the best approach for today.  Great managers flex, they adapt, and are in tune with what is going on in business and their associates. 

In a meeting with a Fortune 100 Leader last week I was asked a great question: 

“From what you see in today’s economy, what do managers need to do for their associates to be successful?”

What a great question!  She knows that the world has changed and to be most valuable within her firm, she has to help managers with skills that matter TODAY!

4 WAYS to be a GREAT manager today:

• Be strategic.  Great managers survey the current landscape, look at what this means for the future and communicate how the associates can best contribute with their role.  They help their associates make the connection between where the company or department is going and what they need to do as an individual contributor along the way.
• Make the time for ongoing discussions (coaching) to help associates stay or become engaged.  There seems to be a lot of fear and apprehension in the workplace today about what is going on in business AND in everyday life.  To help associates stay productive and not let that fear derail them, great managers connect with individuals on a regular basis to find out what is important to them, review goal and activity progress and help them move forward.
• Show Flexibility.  One-size does not fit all.  Flexibility in all approaches are extremely important in our diverse workforce.  Schedules, responsibilities, expectations all need to flex to pull the most out of each person.  Great managers review current processes and rules to make sure that they are not barriers to future success – for the team and its’ members.
• Communicate.  Amazing how the same message to a group of people is “heard” so differently.  For each audience (whether 1 or 10) great managers carefully plan and practice to capture the right tone and words.  The Corporate Memo is overdone.  Today great managers utilize a variety of media when possible, teleconference,web-conference, live meetings, small groups, or a mixture  – to fit the needs of their group.  

These four approaches work no matter what the economy is doing…if you believe that the best way for YOU to succeed is to help your associates succeed.  The great managers of today help others be ready to contribute tomorrow. 

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This week I had the opportunity to work for nearly 2 days with the best of the best sales pros in a client company. We spent our time together focused on taking their game up another notch with Powerful Presentations. One thing I noted is that really successful people generally are very open to new ideas and skills that will allow them to be even more successful!

A Key Idea I shared in this workshop was that our presentations are more powerful when we focus on WIIFT – from the open of the presentation through the close. Who wants to listen to 10 or 15 minutes of background on the speaker and their company? Do you really care if they have been in business for over 75 years? About three minutes into the “background” about you, they have disengaged – you can see it in their body language. Tie the message about YOU into what it means to THEM and they will engage! WHY is it beneficial to them that your company has been in business so long? Will it mean a better product? Or more expertise that will solve a problem for them?

Initially there were some skeptics who weren’t sure the WIIFT was THAT important. Until…the first practice presentations began and each professional had to sit through all the other presentations. Being on the other side allowed them to feel what its’ like to have a lot of information shared AT them and not tied specifically TO them.

As we ended today, these successful people commented that it IS powerful to make our message not about us – but that it is hard to do! The more successful and experienced we are, the harder it may be to do something different. To send a message adapted to our audience, with only enough detail that is important to them and then to link WHAT we do into WIIFT statements is not easy.

How much effort does it take to link the WHAT of your message to the WIIFT? Post your comments and let the rest us know we are not alone!

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A powerful question isn’t it? What would happen if you reflected on this question before any interaction?

It’s exciting to start this blog for sales and service professionals to discuss and discover ideas and tools to help us be more productive, create stronger customer and employee loyalty and feel good about what we are doing! This blog will be successful with your comments, opinions and suggestions.

Our first topic is one of the foundational components of What’s in it for Them? – communication!

As the sender of any message, consider that the message sent is filtered by the receiver’s past experiences, style, mood and many other individual factors. As we identify the message we need to send, we should also consider how to best communicate it so that the filters will not distort it and our message is mis-read or mis-heard.

A phrase that I use to keep this focus is Communicate with people the way THEY want to be communicated with. It may not be grammatically perfect, but it works!

Consider your customer interactions – whether they are internal or external – what do you do so that your message is best heard by THEM?

Post a comment, share your knowledge, and let’s get the discussion started!

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