What is an Optimum Sales Process?
A podcast listener asked us to take her through the best sales process–the one we suggest you use. There are tons of sales processes and methods in the world, but we like to keep things simple so we give you what we recommend to our clients.
Much of what you hear here can be found in Same Game New Rules (www.samegamenewrules.com). Yes, we know that the very word “process” can be tedious, it’s still important to have one. Because we all know what happens when you don’t have a good process. You default to the prospect’s process.
Also mentioned in this podcast:
- Join our Linkedin group for daily discussions and networking
- Visit SameGameNewRules.com to learn more about the eBook and watch the video “Do You Make These 5 Mistakes?”
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Why Saying “It’s Really All About Price” Is Career Suicide For Any Salesperson
Logic is your enemy here. Think how many times you say or think, “This deal is all about price.”
Every time you say that, think that and believe that you endorse the idea that having a sales person involved in a deal adds absolutely NO value.
The more you convince yourself of this idea (and tell your sales manager or CEO), the more they should be thinking of firing the sales staff and hiring customer service reps at $15/hour to take orders from their online catalog.
When it’s all about price, it ain’t about you. Low price = no need for sales people.
Proceed with caution.
Don’t Use Throwaway Lines
Sales specialists Bill Caskey and Bryan Neale address an issue that happens to ALL sales professionals, whether they know it or not: are prospects telling you the truth?
In this sales podcast, Bill and Bryan address an actual client who struggled with the upfront agreement in the sales cycle. She felt like it was a little contrived and inauthentic. Bill gave her some counsel and now he shares it with the podcast community. This piece of advice serves to differentiate you from competitors you have in your business. No one else is positioning this way.
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Also mentioned in this podcast…
- Same Game New Rules – 23 Timeless Principles for Selling and Negotiating eBook by Bill Caskey
- Join our Advanced Selling Podcast Linkedin Group
- Have a burning question? Ask Bill and Bryan.
- The rabbit video below comes from Fiverr.com – Hire people for $5
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How To Avoid Sales Mediocrity – If You’re New In the Profession
We get a lot of emails and requests from our Advanced Selling Podcast listeners about how to break into the profession of selling.
There is no shortage of tips and techniques out there, but here are five things that we believe you really need to “get” for you to be successful out of the gate. As a new salesperson in 2012, you have platforms and technology available to you that older people like us would kill for when we were starting. So one of the biggest mistakes you can make is to not take advantage of what’s been handed to you.
1. Get clear. This could pertain to many things like your personal goals, your income goals, the number of new clients you want in a 12-month period etc. But I think the biggest thing you can get clear about is “the problems you solve.” Clarity in that area will help you communicate your value and your intentions to your customer in a much more savvy way.
2. Get a method. 90% of sales people don’t have or don’t use any kind of a selling system or method to help prospects walk through the process. My contention is that most methods are just manipulative enough that sales people don’t like to use them. A great method should be less about convincing someone to buy from you and more about a process of sorting those who are tire-kickers and curious only, to those who are serious buyers. Sorting is the thing. Amateur sales people close 15% of their proposals; professionals close 80.
3. Get a coach. I know what you’re saying, “How can I afford a coach when I just started in sales?” My reaction to that is “It doesn’t matter. You must have a coach.” You must have someone there that you can confide in, whose shoulder you can cry on and who you can party with when things go well. But don’t make the coach your sales manager. They have too much skin invested in your success. Find someone, pay them if you like, who is unconditional about your success and doesn’t benefit in any way from it other than just the sharing of feeling of success, other than the feeling of knowing the coach contributed to your success in some small way. 
How To Manage The Sales Process
One of the most common issues companies have is in managing (controlling) the sales process once it begins.
In this episode, you’ll get advice from all angles!
- Brooke talks about how to begin the sales process.
- Bill addresses some trends that both sales managers and sales people should pay attention to.
- And Bill and Bryan address the finding of customer problems in a clip from their live Advanced Selling Podcast event. (You can listen to the podcast “Roadmap to Revenue – 10 Components To Sales Growth” from the live event at: http://www.advancedsellingpodcast.com/roadmap-to-revenue-10-components-to-sales-growth/)
Enjoy!
The Four Stages of The Customer’s Buying Cycle
Well, if that doesn’t make you stop what you’re doing and watch this episode, nothing will. All kidding aside…while the concept of as customer’s buying cycle may sound a bit tedious, it’s really quite important that you understand the cycle the prospect goes through when they buy from you. Otherwise, how will you ever be able to communicate the right things at the right time? Brooke Green leads you thru that.
Meanwhile, Bryan and Bill address one of the hidden secrets to “modern prospecting” and that’s the idea of marketing with content. Bill tells a story of how one client uses ‘expertise’ as a marketing tactic.
(Interested in modern prospecting? Download the FREE report 20 Rules For Modern Selling at http://www.caskeyone.com/20-rules-of-modern-selling-free-report/)
Stop Asking “What’s Your Problem?”
They won’t have an answer for you…so stop with the asking.
We teach the concept of finding the problem when we guide sales professionals. Yet, how often we hear our clients come back and say “They didn’t have any problems. I asked them and they couldn’t think of any.”
OK. One gold star for asking the question. But two BLACK stars for not asking in the right way.
If your prospect is unaware of problems he/she has then asking them about them doesn’t help them much.
A better approach is to have a list of the 5-10 problems you help companies solve (or address). Make a list of those and put them in a document. Then, as you begin your sales conversations with people, bring out the ones that are the most relevant.
Some will look at this as some kind of cheap trick–or crutch. We say it’s a great way to keep the conversation focused on the problem the customer has rather than on the product you have.
