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/)
Tom Watson, Stewart Cink and Two Mental Coaches
Bravo to Tom Watson for yesterday’s ‘almost win of the century’ in the British Open. If you were glued to your TV as I was, you might have been emotional. Not at Watson’s loss–but emotion at the guy coming from nowhere a week ago and putting on a performance of a lifetime–at a time in his life when he shouldn’t be playing majors. (Actually, I don’t agree, though some say that.)
Watson gives those of us in our 50′s belief that it’s “never over.” Thanks Tom.
The Mental Side of Golf
But another comment that we at “inside the sales mind” heard was Stewart’s speech. He thanked his coach, Butch Harmon, his conditioning coach, and — get this — his two mental coaches. I’ve always heard Tiger has one ‘mind coach’ but two? Oh well, if that’s what it takes, go for it.
In a game that is as mental as golf, why not.
But what about business and sales? Isn’t that mental? It’s not just about activity–but the right activity–with the right mental framework.
Do you have a mental sales coach? Preposterous right? Well maybe not. Here are some thoughts about where a mental coach can help us.
- When we’re in our comfort zone. Actually, we’re ALWAYS in our comfort zone. So we really need someone there all the time to keep us moving to the outer reaches of that zone. This applies to our income, sales goals, activity levels and how we look at the market.
- When we call too low. I believe calling too low is a mental issue. If you continue to call at a level where the decision is NOT made, then don’t blame others for mediocre results. Who you call on has more to do with your self-image than you might think.
- When we see ourselves there to ‘sell.’ Wrong. We’re not there to sell. We’re there to find and solve problems. But, beaten in to our heads, from our first sales job to our current one, is this notion that the ‘harder we sell’ the better we do. We need an impartial, unbiased 3rd party there to keep our head right on this one. (A sales manager cannot be a ‘head’ coach–too much invested in the game.)
So, hopefully, we can take a lesson from Stewart Cink. Maybe mind coaches aren’t such a waste afterall. No one’s laughing today.
Lack of Clarity, Confusion and Fear.
Warren Buffet appeared on the Today Show this morning. He made a very concise, profound comment — as he always does. Here are his words:
“Lack of clarity leads to confusion. Confusion leads to fear. And fear leads to inaction.”
Now, of course, he was talking about the economy in general and the ineffectiveness of the President’s communication to the people on this front.
But he could just as well be talking to you.
As a sales trainer, I’m always observing how sales people approach me. The world is one big laboratory for us.
I had a sales person call on me from a referral last week. It should have been a ‘laydown’ for him (or ‘layup’ coz of March Madness). I really wanted what he had.
But by the end of the phone call, he had me so confused with so many options that I decided to “do nothing.” Afterall, I didn’t HAVE TO HAVE what he was selling. it was a “nice to have.”
Too many options. Too confusing. Too much Fear. Too little action.
Do you do that to your prospects? Do you get ahead of yourself? Do you fail to realize that they aren’t in your business? You’re in college–they’re just in grade school, comparatively. Do you overplay your hand to the point you scare them?
I hope not. But if you’re experiencing a slow market, don’t be too quick to blame that market. Look in the mirror and see if you’re easy to buy from.
Slow down. Be patient. Ask better questions. Tell stories. Be more clear about your value. And watch your results change. Don’t confuse your prospect.
Quest #1. Keep Your Current Customers!
As sales trainers, we are asked often how to generate new customers. Yet, when I talk to CEO’s /VP’s I hear all the time that “we don’t sell enough to our own clients.” Or “If we never got a new customer but expanded our business with our existing customer, we would be obscenely profitable.”
So what’s the problem? I think I know.
They aren’t happy with you.
That’s right, they may not be entirely happy with your service. So how would you know if they were? Do you test? Do you survey? If not, why not?
Dinner at Sullivan’s
I had dinner at one of my favorite restaurants the other night–Sullivan’s Steak House. It was less than special. Steak grisly. Potatoes boring. Desert lousy. An uncommon experience at Sullivan’s.
So what did the waiter do at the end? Sell us on why we needed to get on the email list.
Hmmmmm. Wouldn’t it have been better if they would have given me a chance to weigh in on my experience? AND THEN….ask me if they could have my email address. Never once at Sullivan’s have I been asked to rate the food, the experience or anything.
That night, the restaurant was 1/3 full. In this day, when customers are weighing their every dollar, doesn’t it make sense to do all you can to solidfy your current relationships?
And that starts not with “Can I sell you something else?” But, with, “How are we doing at providing you unbelievable service?” If it’s not unbelievable, then it can be replaced.
So all the time you’re out selling new prospects, goes up in smoke because you’re losing clients out the back end.
Sales Training Tip During Recession
A few days ago, Bryan Neale wrote a great sales training post, even though he didn’t call it that. He talked about his lessons from 2008. I say it’s a sales training post because every sales manager (and you aspiring sales managers) should use this as the first sales meeting topic of the year.
In that post, he bulleted several lessons, one of which was, “People will pay for things that make their life better.”
During slow times, this might just be your secret key to riches. You must be exploring your value deeper to see how you make the lives of your customers better. Do you?
At Your Next Sales Meeting….
Spend 2 hours (that’s right two hours–this is important stuff) on a list of ways that buying your solution will improve the life of your clients. It could be from the standpoint of economics ($$), or reputation, or customer acquisition, or well-being.
But take furious notes. What you’ll find is that you’ll hit on things where you bring value that have been previously undiscussed.
2009. A Year of Value
We’re living in a year of value–people will pay for it if it’s there–and will skip it if it’s not. Lowering your price does not bring value. Doing “going out of business sales” doesn’t either. Spending your energy claiming victim won’t either.
Communicating the benefits of your product does.
The Ultimate Selling Strategy: Change Your Thinking.
I got a call from a client last week. She had just begun our program with her company and had heard us talk about “changing how you think” in order to get better results. We hadn’t yet gotten into the details of that, but since she called, I shared with her the five areas of change needed to radically change results.
I hope you can use this information to achiever better sales/business results for yourself. We’ll probably do a podcast (The Advanced Selling Podcast) on it soon.
=1 Change how you think about yourself. Most of us see ourselves as victims in a big economy–held hostage by market forces and company forces. We are quick to blame others for our malaise. That’s what’s so cool about sales–it’s up to you. It’s your accountability that is THE factor in whether you’re a success or not. See yourself as an abundant being on a mission to bring value to your customers. Whether they buy or not–or whether they buy on your time line–is irrelevant. All that matters is that you’re in the present moment with them while in conversation about their pains/issues/matters of the heart. The greatest sales strategies in the world won’t work if you aren’t thinking correctly about your self in the sales process.
=2 Change how you think about your market potential. Most markets are abundant. Yet, when I hear salespeople talk about their sales funnel, it appalls me at how scarcely they see things. Your market is in a lot of pain that they need you to fix for them. Never forget that. And because there is an abundance of pain–and an abundance of money available to fix that pain–then you are in an abundant market. Period. Never let the scarcity of another (even a prospect) effect you.
=3 Change how you think about your roles as a sales professional. This is cool and very simple. Your role in the sales process is to create an environment for the truth to occur. You have to create a safe atmosphere where your prospect is so comfortable telling you the truth, that it’s easier to do that than to lie to you. You’ve heard the expression “buyers are liars.” Well, it’s only because amateur sales people drop into “convince and persuade” mode and make them lie. If you’re creating the right environment, buyers won’t lie.
=4 Change how you think about your value. The value you bring to customers hovers around the intersection of THEIR PAIN and YOUR SOLUTION. Stop thinking your value is all about your benefits and features. Your benefits are only relevant if they have a pain and they believe you have a solution for it. NEVER LEAD WITH YOUR VALUE. Lead with them telling you their problems–and you determining if you can help them. Most corporate selling strategies lead with how great they are for the client. If your a prospect, do you want to hear that?
=5 Change how you think about the sales process. “OK class, who should control the sales process? The one with the money?” NO. THe one wtih the solution. Most sales people get this wrong. But you can only control the sales process to the extent you change your thinking on #1-4. If you merely try to exert control of the sales process without work on #1-4, then you’ll appear crass and amateurish.
So that was my answer to my client. Obviously, in training, I go into much more detail, but thought you’d maybe get a little something from that.
Any comments? I know someone will take me to task for something I said (or didnt’ say), so have at it. And recognize that a change in sales results starts in the mind–not in the market.
Rule #12 – No Persuasion
This is from my very own Trainer Rule Book. Over the next few days, I’ll give you some of the rules we teach our clients who ask us to help them grow their business.
[NEVER COERCE PEOPLE PSYCHOLOGICALLY.]
Our freedom is most dear to us. When you, as a sales professional, begin to encroach on that freedom, you become the pain and you won’t make a sale. But the problem is that you won’t make it…not based upon the product or pain…but based on your approach.
Tell people upfront, ”It’s ok if you decide not to pursue this….let me know and I’ll be gone.” Give them an out. They’ll find you’re the only safe person they have to talk to. Stop being a master persuader and start being a master communicator and qualifier. That’s what separates the wannabees from the super achievers. No more persuading and defending.
How is this relevant to me and my business? Take a moment and examine your language in the last customer encounter you had. Was it full of platitudes, claims and opinions? Was it self serving? Or, better, was it real communication–not trying to convince or persuade–but trying to have an honest conversation.
