Greg Bennett Sales Blog

Sales is Full of Opposites

As we come to the end of the year, I like to think back on any themes, or ideas, or revelations that came to me in the past 12 months while -- doing client work, training salespeople, drinking in a bar, etc...

One thing I found myself saying over and over again this past year is that "Sales is full of opposites"...what we think, imagine, or believe would be the truth, or the norm...is exactly the opposite when it comes to selling.

Here are some examples:

• We THINK the more we talk and explain our product the smarter we will appear...the exact opposite is true; the less we talk, and the more we let the client talk, the smarter we will appear...
• We IMAGINE we will burn out in sales by prospecting hard every day and filling the pipeline with new prospects...the exact opposite is true; we will burn out in sales by NOT prospecting hard every day and by not filling with the pipeline with new prospects...
• We BELIEVE clients will not like us if we go to NO in a sales call...the exact opposites is true; clients will like us MORE if we are waving around the reality of NO...
• We THINK we can save more sales by getting a MAYBE vs a NO...the exact opposite is true; we will save more sales by Embracing NO and getting at underlying reasons than we will playing the guessing-then-stalking game we play in the Neutral Zone...
• We IMAGINE we will be bothering clients if we contact them after they buy to see how they're doing...the exact opposite is true; what is really going to "bother" clients is when we DON'T contact them after they buy...or EVER!!

There are many more I could list, but you get the point. 

While there are opposites in all areas of life, why are there SO many in sales?  I believe the main reasons are -- the whole 'Role playing' thing: where we step into roles of seller and client and act out of the roles vs our "normal selves"...and the Conflict Avoidance issue...the fear of conflict causes us act in ways we normally wouldn't in order to avoid a particularly touchy situation.   

So what do we do with this knowledge?  I believe we stay aware of it and just do a "Costanza", in that Seinfeld episode where George decides to do the exact opposite of everything his instincts tell him to do...and what do you know, everything works out!

Happy Holidays...

GB

Visiting the Client "Graveyard"

With Halloween quickly approaching, it might be the time to take a stroll through the client "graveyard"  to see what we might be able to dig up and breath some life back into.

We make the mistake of assuming that just because a client may have said NO at one time, or perhaps they were totally non-responsive to your multiple attempts to reach them, that they're dead forever and need to be sent to the scrap heap.   

The reality is, they may be dead today...but dead may not be dead (cue scary music).  Things change...people change...priorities change...companies and entire industries change.  And sometimes THEY COME BACK (sfx:  scream)

And we're not talking about slow change over years and decades...we're talking dramatic changes that can happen in a few weeks or months!

How we approach these clients in the graveyard is our training focus for this week:

• Approach subtly from a research standpoint..."Just wanted to update our information..." -- you'll see that the players may have changed...
• Just call and chat with a salesperson...salespeople love to talk (you're taking up their prospecting time, so they're usually happy to visit for a while)...you'll probably find that the original information you had was bad, or that there are new priorities and challenges...
• If you get the original contact, just be honest, and yet skeptical yourself...using negative sell here..."Look Bob, I know there wasn't much synergy there when we talked a few months back...and that's why I wanted to at least touch base...see what may have changed...tell you a little about our changes for this year...and see if it makes sense to circle up again to talk... it may be that we're in the same place as before...but who knows, it's worth a shot..."
• Offer to at least do a quick review meeting, either face-to-face or over the phone...catch up, ask about the critical goals, etc...

GB

Lack of Execution Doesn't Mean We Aren't Working Hard

The ability to execute on the most important goals IS the hot business mantra being chanted right now...and that's why I've been focusing on it here in the blog for the past few days...it's a topic that hits close to home for many sales managers and sales people.

We are all very busy people...with multiple responsibilities, each carrying their own list of tasks and "to-do's"...and every one of them seems important.  The key is identifying which 2 or 3 (and it shouldn't be more than that) are the most important things we should be executing on with excellence?

So when we look at the concept of executing with excellence, we're not saying that people aren't working hard...or they're sloughing off.  Not at all.  What we need to look at though is -- are we working hard on the right things?

I think many salespeople feel that being "busy" is the same as being "successful"....in other words a "good day" is one in which they are running around doing tons of tasks..."got a lot of stuff done today".    But did they do the RIGHT things?  The essential things?   Tasks that are going to not only achieve objectives in the short-run, but in the long-run as well?

After we clarify what the most important goals are...we must learn to translate those goals into identifiable action and make sure we're doing enough of that action every day.

Then we'll know we've had a "good day"!

GB

Creativity on a Call

When exactly did we come up with the unstated rules of how a sales call is supposed to happen?  With seller on one side, client on the other...then salesperson asks some questions, client pretends to listen and care...then the seller pulls out a presentation...either it's a printed piece, like a brochure...or maybe a PowerPoint...and he or she walks the client through it page by page...blah...blah...blah.. 

After 10 of these things a day I'm sure clients are just hearing the seller's voice as "Charlie Brown teacher talk..."

WAH...WAH...WAH...WAWAWA...WAH...WAH

Can't we all evolve a bit here?  Can't we perhaps introduce some new ideas into the age-old game we play called the "sales call"?

We advance technology...we advance car design...we advance clothing styles...we advance construction...we advance farming and food...we advance education and "enlightenment"...we advance EVERYTHING...except the sales call -- where it's just the same ol' same ol'

How about some innovation here?  How about some new tools and new strategies?  New approaches, new technologies...new and intersesting IDEAS...

Some examples that come to mind (some I've introduced or heard from others, some are just thoughts):

• Take your PowerPoint or brochure and blow it up onto 2x3' poster boards (hello Kinko's?), buy a cheap collapsible art easel and give your presentation standing up...love to do this one myself...always makes an impact and studies prove that folks buy more, and more often, from people who are standing...
• Video tape some client testimonials and load them on your laptop...play the testimonials during the call
• Find a client who is willing to give a testimonial live during a call...get a cell phone with a speakerphone (or use the clients) and get the client to talk to this client during the call...hell maybe bring a client with you for a live testimonial...(course they ARE tough to cram into a briefcase)

How about treats?  Maybe some candy?  Healthy snacks?  Popsicles on hot days?  During a very hot Washington DC summer several years ago, I wanted to introduce myself to the clients on my new radio list...so I bought an ape suit, dressed up my then 6-year-old daughter Brooke as a "baby Jane", tossed some ice cream in a cooler with some 'fixins...walked into clients and made banana splits. I smelled like a real ape (in Washington's humidity you can imagine), but the clients loved the ice cream, the innovative approach, and never forgot it (some I still talk to today, 18 years later)

Whether you're outrageous (e.g. the ape)...or innovative...or fun...or just different...PLEASE consider approaching the sales call from the client's perspective...how can you make this better for THEM?  How can you be more entertaining?  How can you stand out? 

HOW CAN YOU BE ORIGINAL????

GB

Do You Know WHY the Client Said "Yes"?

Do you know why your client bought your package?  I mean really known THEIR internal reasons? 

When we think about why someone decided to finally say YES  -- and we then ask "why?" -- we tend to focus on what it was about US we think they liked.

"I think they loved the additional signage..."  "It was the extra bonus ads we threw in there..." "They love that game day party package..."

While all of those may be true...is that REALLY why they bought?   I mean, when you buy a car or truck, was it really for the HEMI engine?    Yes, you said you liked the HEMI and wanted the HEMI...but WHY?  What is about the HEMI you like?   The extra power?  Why is that important?  (Because I need to move quickly through traffic) The fuel efficiency?  Why is that important? (Because gas is getting more and more expensive)...

We need to find out the BECAUSES out there...

When you think about it from a client's perspective and you find out WHY they like something, and you get the "Because...."'s ... you get started on the path to deeper understanding and to forming a better, more productive relationship in the future.

Take a look at the clients you've recently sold and ask yourself these two quick questions about each one (and if you don't know, you should ask them):

• What elements in our package caused the client to say YES?
• Why specifically are those elements so important in their world?

Once you know and understand the answers to these questions you can provide much better customer service and greatly increase your chances for future sales and long-term relationships.

GB