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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Creating A Space For Truth
How do you treat business that is new to you but may have been with your company for awhile? Don’t try to jump in where someone else left off. The client deserves the value of your process from the beginning. Create a space for them to tell you the truth, explore with them, help them to identify and hand over problems for you to solve. Don’t minimize your value by trying to stand in someone else’s shoes.
-B. Green
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!
Shortening The Sales Cycle and Passing On Price Increases
These two topics today — how to shorten the sales cycle by changing your perspective — and how to increase prices (if you’re in an industry that is passing on price increases to customers) seem like two distinctly different issues. But once you see these ‘whiteboarded’ you’ll see how they are connected. What connects them is the mindset of the seller.
Raw material and commodity prices are escalating rapidly. Oil, which accounts for a large part in the manufacture of anything is projected to reach $100 by the end of the year. Some project even higher. So, if you haven’t passed on increases yet, you might be soon. This episode will help you with the emotional side of this AND the tactical side.
Have You Ever Thought About Why People Buy?
As sales professionals and business owners you spend hours talking about the sales pipeline. But when was the last time you talked about why people are in it and what’s going to cause them to move forward?
Today, Bill and Bryan address several issues that will help you get a better handle on what actions to take and what your behavior should be in the buyer-seller process to learn more about why people will buy from you.
Should The ‘Butler’ Way Be ‘Your’ Way?
Forgive me for indulging you in the conversation of basketball. But I think if you’ll read this closely, there may be a message for you.
Butler University is in the Final Four of the NCAA basketball tourney. And the beauty is they are also the host team (it’s played this year in Butler’s hometown of Indianapolis).
But the reason this is important to you is the light I want to shine on what’s called The Butler Way. And make the case that the Butler Way should be Your Way.
Teamwork. Preparation. Fun.
The statistic that you should care about is 10 of the 12 players on the team are homegrown…right in Butler’s home state of Indiana. They don’t need massive travel budgets…they aren’t looking for the most sought after kids. They look for kids with talent, integrity and a predisposition to team work. If they’re a little shorter, OK. If they play below the rim instead of above the rim, that’s OK too. Because the Butler Way isn’t about getting the best players. It’s about having the best team. A huge difference.
There’s a Lesson Here For Salespeople and Business Leaders
Get the fundamentals right. Get the thinking right. Get your mind right.
If you get those right, you don’t have the be the sharpest knife in the drawer. You don’t have to have the quickest wit in the room. You don’t have to say ‘everything right’ to close the sale or acquire a piece of business. You don’t have to wear the latest fashion so you impress your prospect…in fact you don’t even have to impress your prospect. And you definitely don’t have to have the best price—because it ain’t about price.
Butler Coach Brad Stevens
Because the Butler Way is not about impressing anyone. It’s about playing within yourself–playing your game, not the other guy’s game. Having a ball doing it. Never getting rattled. Being really, really smart on the floor. And it’s about a player being OK with scoring 24 points one game and 4 the next…and not getting bent out of shape about it.
I don’t know whether Butler has a chance to win it all. I do know this: that the tide is changing in our world. It’s not about being the biggest and overpowering today (politicos will recognize this as “too big to fail”).
You don’t have to have the biggest marketing budget–or the biggest booth at the tradeshow to win business. In fact, I would suggest that you have an advantage if you AREN’T big. (I’m quite sure that schools like Butler use their size as a recruiting advantage.) Those are NOT the fundamentals of business.
Here are Six Fundamentals to get you started–and these should be Your Way:
- Listen to your prospect. They’ll tell you what they really want and what’s important to them. In other words, stop talking and pitching.
- Do what’s right in the process. If there is a wrinkle in your product or service, bring it up upfront. Don’t hide it hoping your customer never sees it. It’s not good for your Karma.
- Be of “integrity.” Meaning, if you’re thinking it on the inside, then say it on the outside. When you begin holding things back, you lose.
- Be who you are. Know what you’re really good at and don’t try to ‘make things fit’ just to make a buck. It always seems like a good idea at the time, but seldom is. I can’t tell you how many clients are looking to cut clients because the fit just isn’t right–and some of that business in unprofitable.
- Care. Doesn’t sound like a Harvard Business School strategy does it? But it will make massively more successful than some academic marketing concept.
- Finally, have some fun. How many times have you been called on by someone who just doesn’t seem like they’re having much fun? I have, often. Take a lesson from Butler, and have some fun. Laugh a little. Celebrate. Don’t get rattled. And do the fundamentals right—let the outcome take care of itself.
