Greg Bennett Sales Blog

Working Toward Your Own "No Spin Zone"

I think it's critical for sales organizations to try and remove as much "spin" from the sales process as possible.  My definition of spin would be:

"SPIN:  The use of bull sh*t by a) clients, b) salespeople, c) sales managers, and d) VP's of sales to (in the same order as listed)  a) by clients to get rid of salespeople, b) by salespeople to get sales managers off their back, c) by sales managers to get VP's to focus on someone else, and d) by VP's to keep company owners blind and dumb to what's going on"

In my book, Consultative Closing, I call this spin process the "Mutual Mystification Ladder"...starting at the client and rolling up to the owner of the company.

A great goal for salespeople, sales managers, VP's and owners of companies would be to try and remove the spin in order to get at the reality of the situation; especially in tough economic times.

Our margins of error are small enough already, can we really afford to believe the bs spin from our sellers on prospective "clients" in the pipeline that are probably not real at all?  (because they're being spun (spin, span, spun????)  by the clients as well)

Removing Spin isn't easy...it starts with removing the verbal interpretation of where people may be in the buying process...this happens by identifying action-oriented Mini-Steps...then making the steps  universal within the organization...then putting a percentage of close attached ONLY to mini-steps. 

Then you let the CLIENT show you where he truly is in the process by his action or non-action, and not through false promises to "eventually do something with you guys".

No Spin Zones are where it's at folks...

GB

Would YOU Buy Your Product?

When training I'll often ask salespeople: "Would you personally would buy your own product?"   After an awkward silence, some people nod their head slowly, suggesting -  "yeah...I guess I might".  Others give me a quizzical look as if they've never even thought of such a question.  And a few give me a shrug that says "probably not".  Unfortunately no one emphatically jumps up and says "Absolutely!"  And i think that's at the core of a lot of our sales problems.

The fact is...most of us wouldn't absolutely, without a doubt buy what we're selling.  Or at least we'd be a bit unsure about it.   And if that's the case, how on earth can we be passionate about selling it to someone else??

I wish everyone that sold a product or service would first be great customers of their own product or service.  Because there is a huge difference in the level of passion and conviction we have when we tell someone about our own personal favorite product vs just reading the features and benefits of some other product.

Just try this experiment...ask someone to tell you about their favorite bar or restaurant...what they like, why they think it's so great, etc.  Then compare what they say and how they say it, with that restaurant's web site or yellow pages ad.  Which description is better?  More lively?  More real?

When we talk our personal favorite we bring it to life with different words, emotions, and our own personal story. The problem is most of us have never been customers of our products, so we have to rely on other people's passion and testimonials.  Which is fine, but it's not quite the same.

If we can't buy our own product (and in many cases it's not realistic, like for instance casket sales, HA!) another thing we can do is to hypothetically buy our own product. Or at least ask the question, "would I buy it?"...and if the answer is "no" or "I'm not sure"...you better seek out your manager or some other seller right away and ask them to "sell me again on my we're the best".

GB

Wake Up In a Dream

One of my favorite things to do is to wake up in a dream (or better yet a nightmare) and realize that I have nothing to lose.  That it's all an illusion. That I can't get hurt.  I really can't get killed by the monster.  I actually laugh at the monster.   It's SO cool.

Well guess what kids...here is the great secret in life...it's ALL and illusion!  You...me...the nasty client...the rude receptionist...NOTHING really "exists"...it's all a dream.   So there is nothing to fear.   Nothing to worry about...nothing to fret over.  Just wake-up in the dream and realize you're okay.  

So what does this mean?  Well...that you are here by free to sell and succeed without an ounce of fear my young grasshoppers.

At least that's my belief, and I'm stickin' to it.

Wrap your head around this mindset for a day and see if it doesn't change your outlook!!

GB

Big Steve in the Twin Cities Shares How the Twins Did It Last Night

My buddy Steve Smith with the Minnesota Twins gave me the secret to the Twins scintillating extra-innings "play-in" win last night over Detroit...

"We jumped in the ugly pond,  took 'em to no and closed 'em!"

Nicely done my friend...now go drown the Yanks in that same pond

(Go Rockies by the way)

GB

Driving by the Homes of Heroes

This past weekend I was one of the "adult" guides at my daughter Maddy's confirmation retreat up in the mountains.  It' takes place at a beautiful camp about three hours south of Denver, and on the way up and back to this camp you drive right by Fort Carson military base in Colorado Springs.  The Fort has been there for years, but I've never had the chance to visit it, or even drive by the facility (I'm a military nut and a huge supporter of our troops, so it's always cool for me to see those things). 

On the way up to the camp on Friday afternoon I passed the many buildings and housing that make up Fort Carson, and thought to myself, "Well, that kind of stinks, all you can see from the highway are houses and apartments...no tanks, or planes, or troops drilling, etc." So I went back into my "bubble" thinking about my own life, and dreading spending 2 nights in a cabin with 12 junior high boys (yuck).

Anyway...the camp went fine, the kids were cool (though smelly...my gosh did WE smell like that in junior high?)  And as we prepared to leave Sunday morning, I happened to hear a news report that we had lost 10 soldiers in Afghanistan over the weekend, and that 8 of them were from Fort Carson.  And that these deaths brought the total lost from Fort Carson in Iraq and Afghanistan to 270 soldiers!

Needless to say, it made driving by the camp much different on the way home.  Instead of looking for "cool things"...I took special notice of those houses and apartments.  All of the dwellings face away from the highway, so you see into the backyards of the folks that live on the base.  And when you look in a person's backyard, you really get a snapshot of how they live...and when you look in these backyards, their sacrifice really hits home.

As we drove by I noticed swing sets, and bar-b-ques, and bicycles.  I noticed little badminton nets and small clothes-lines.  And I noticed some kids chasing each other around a playground.  

When you see that you can't help but wonder, "Was one of those soldiers living in that house?  Is that little boy going to hear the news today about his dad?  Did a soldier that just died sit at that picnic table?"  They volunteer to leave all this behind in order to go and fight (and sometimes die) for the freedom we all enjoy.

It humbled me and made me realize that there is nothing I will ever face in my world of sales and training that can compare to what these brave people must do...it's not even the same league.

To complain and worry about my life is ridiculous. What I should do is keep my mouth shut and be thankful for these heroes...and do whatever I can to support them in every way possible.

I hope you do the same.

GB

Just Climb on That Tractor and Go...

These are without a doubt some of the most turbulent times we've ever experienced.  Every day we read or hear about businesses closing...people losing jobs...terror plots...dollar falling...gold rising... foreclosures...etc etc etc etc...

And when you make your living selling things...these super-heated times are a tremendous distraction...unfortunately, a DEADLY distraction for many.  

I see it up and close and personal in my role as a sales trainer and coach.  Entire organizations are impacted in powerful ways- business owners and top executives...sales managers... salespeople...service people... front line people -- EVERYONE.

We start focusing on the distractions and end up ignoring the fundamentals of what we must keep doing to survive in sales....planting, feeding, weeding and harvesting sales.  When things get scary, the hardest thing to do is to plant new crops.  We want to just grab what we know we have in the silos, and head to the basement cellar -- just go into protection, lock down mode.

So what can we do to keep these distractions from killing us?  

My recommendation is to shut out the noise of the world...and just focus on farming...get on your thickest coat, climb on your tractor and start planting seeds.  Don't think about it.  Don't worry about it.  Don't speculate about it.  Just get out there in the strong winds and plant baby..and just keep planting. 

To steal from a famous 60's phrase...Tune in, turn it on...and drop some seeds my friends

GB

How Refreshing It Is to be Led by a Sales Professional

When I find excellent salespeople I like to record the experience, and I found one last night at the Men's Wearhouse.    His name was Brandon.

How would I define "excellent"? 

• He questioned...he listened...then he led

Within the first 5 minutes of stopping in there (I was just going to look for some new ties)...he found out what I did for a living...how often I travel...what I try to communicate with my clothes...what I like and don't like...color schemes, etc...

He actively listened...paid attention...then used that information in the most important area...he LED...

And when I find SOMEONE...ANYONE in sales that will lead...I will follow.

It was a flurry of action for about 30 minutes.  By the time I tried on one jacket, he had slacks, shirts and ties lined up on the next one...then socks...belts...shoes...etc.

Did it work?

5 jackets, 6 shirts, 7 ties, 6 pairs of slacks, 1 belt, 1 pair of cuff links, 1 pair of shoes, and a bunch of socks later...uh yeah, I'd say it did...

Had he been a typical "vending machine seller" it all would have stopped after... "What are you looking for today?  Oh a tie...well here are our ties" 

Instead, he approached me as a "partner"...and questioned...cared...listened

Wake up sellers...people are waiting to be led. 

GB

Had to Post This List About Colorado

Usually I don't pay attention to these lists people send you, but my daughter Brooke sent me this one on how you know if you're from Colorado...almost all of them are 100% right on!

A winter statistic:  

98% OF AMERICANS SCREAM BEFORE GOING IN THE DITCH ON A SLIPPERY ROAD. THE OTHER 2% ARE FROM COLORADO AND THEY SAY, 'HOLD MY SODA AND WATCH THIS.


You know you're from Colorado if:

1. You'll eat ice cream in the winter.


2. When the weather report says it's going to be 65 degrees, you shave your legs and wear a skirt.


3. It snows 5 inches and you don't expect school to be cancelled.


4. You'll wear flip flops every day of the year, regardless of temperature.


5. You have no accent at all, but can hear other people's.  And then you make fun of them.


6. 'Humid' is over 25%.


7. Your sense of direction is: Toward the mountains and Away from the mountains.


8. You say 'the interstate' and everybody knows which one.


9. You think that May is a totally normal month for a blizzard.


10. You buy your flowers to set out on Mother's day, but try and hold off planting them until just before Father's day.


11. You grew up planning your Halloween costumes around your coat.


12. You know what the Continental Divide is.


13. You don't think Coors beer is that big a deal.


14. You went to Casa Bonita as a kid, and as an adult.


15. You've gone off-roading in a vehicle that was never intended for such activities.


16. You always know the elevation of where you are.


17. You wake up to a beautiful, 80 degree day and you wonder if it's going to snow tomorrow.


18. You don't care that some company renamed it, the Broncos still play at Mile High.


19. Every movie theater has military and student discounts.


20. Everybody wears jeans to church.


21. You actually know that **  South Park ** is a real place not just a show on TV.


22. You know what a 'trust fund hippy' is, and you know its natural habitat is Boulder .


23. You know you're talking to a fellow Coloradoan when they call it Elitches, not Six Flags.


24. A bear on your front porch doesn't bother you.


25. Your two favorite teams are the Broncos and whoever is beating the crap out of the Raiders..


26. When people out East tell you they have mountains in their state too, you just laugh.


27. You go anywhere else on the planet and the air feels 'sticky' and you notice the sky is no longer blue.

The Most Powerful Word I Could Teach You -- "Why"

Want to instantly become a better "partner-seller" vs a "vendor-seller"?    If so, here is how you do it -- you focus on one word -- "Why". 

That's it...one little word.  Why.

You say it when  you first hear what the client may be looking for...

Client:  "I'm looking for a new car..."   You:  "Why?"

Client:  "We're looking for a different house..."  You:  "Why?"

Client:  "I want to lose weight"  You:  "Why"

Why gets you reasons.  Why gets you motivations.  Why gets you stories.  Why gets you hopes and dreams. These things are essential to a partner relationship. 

Most vendor-sellers just don't care WHY clients want what they want...they're machines (aka "vending machines", get it?) and they exist only to sell you what you want...whether you need it or not.  The vending machine doesn't care why you bought its candy bar...or whether you needed it...or its right for you...or it moves you closer to your goals.  They really don't care.

Try introducing this one little word into your world...you'll see the results right away!

GB

After Posting Like a Madman for a Few Months I Took and End of Summer Break...But

Now I'm back...and ready to roll into fall.  I hope your summer was great! 

Quick question...why does EVERYONE say "boy...September already?  the summer just flew by" 

Is time really moving faster than before?  To me summer seems longer now than when I was a kid and you lived for summer break...THAT'S when time really seemed to fly. 

Now days, at least for me, time seems to be about right...I mean, time spent, feels like time spent...know what I'm sayin'?  Days feel like days, and weeks feel like weeks.  I think if you spend more time focusing on the "now"...and not looking back and regretting or looking forward and fretting...time seems to sloooowwww down.  Try it.

But however you feel about time, we're here together now in the Fall of 2009 and how are you doing in these crazy times we live in?

• Are you still being impacted by the bad economy?
• Do you see more light or less light at the end of the tunnel for the rest of the year?
• Are you optimistic about 2010?

• Or are you finding yourself feeling more fearful, anxious, or sensing doom?

My hope is that you can remain positive and confident, even in troubling times!  Revisit your sources of inspiration and perspective...and buckle up the chin straps folks and let's get ready to charge out of the tunnel