Asking for Business

Maybe your phone isn't ringing because you haven't yet learned how to ask for new business. Many of you simply say, "If you know of anyone who needs my services.....or......It would be greatly appreciated if you would pass my name along to anybody......"

This is no way to make your phone ring. Take the words "Anyone" and "Anybody" out of your vocabulary. It gives your potential referral source way too many people to consider. Mention these two words and what do you think comes to mind? You're right if you said "Nobody".

Tip...Narrow it down for them. Help them focus on a specific segment of their sphere of influence and you stand a much better chance of having them come up with a warm lead or two. Example - "Is there anyone in your group at work who may be in the market for......or.....Is there anyone in your family who may have a need for."

Talk too fast?

Most of the time, "quick talkers", garner less trust.

EBL's quick tip to slow down your speech pattern...

Read lots of poetry out loud. As you read, be sure to pronounce every syllable of every word. Annoying....Yes. Highly valuable....Yes, Yes, Yes. 30/30 - 30 minutes a night for 30 days and you will see a remarkable difference.

Pause more often

There is nothing better than a well timed pause. Not only can it reinforce what was just said and give time for the other person to "digest", but it can also be utilized to draw attention back to you.

Remember when your teacher shouted to gain your attention, to no avail? What happened when they went silent?

Blah, Blah, Blah

So much whining. The economy is in the crapper. Gas is above $4/gallon. Housing prices are declining. The stock market is tanking. Hillary lost.

Who cares. Many moons ago I remember a Mortgage Consultant who was obsessed with the Bond Market. He was a true expert and a great predictor of where rates were heading. This knowledge was surely a good thing and should have made him a stronger sales person. However, he was also a compulsive worrier and freaked out with every bit of bad "bond market" news. It distracted him from things he needed to continue doing to maintain a solid pipeline of business.

All the while, a young gun in the same office, who knew very little about the bond market, honed his sales skills and worked his ass off making new contacts. Within 6 months, he began to surpass the more experienced Consultant - who had a 5 year head start. This should have never happened.

The Bottom Line...Pay less attention to things that are out of your control and focus on the things that will make you money. There is someone out there, right now, who needs your product or service, no matter what the economy is doing. Go find them!!!

But I don't see much improvement

This is one of my favorites complaints. It's funny how people, including myself, expect instant gratification. What's it going to take for us to realize that there are no real shortcuts to business success? Can you "google it" in a milisecond - sure. Unfortunately, this has spoiled us. I remember when we had to go get the microfilm or microfiche and wait 18 years for it to be brought to the counter, let alone take the time to read it and possbily even copy it from the machine.

But some things simply take time and lots of practice. On-going practice for months or years is required until you "master" certain aspects of your craft. If you're not willing to make this commitment, take my aunt's advice (you'll need it) - "it's just as easy to marry rich as it is to marry poor."

Bottom line...many of us have "natural ability". What are you going to do with yours?

Bye, Bye to "I"

Please take "I" out of your vocabulary. It's arrogant and a turn off. There are many subtle ways to let the other individual know how great and wonderful you are. The best way is to actually let someone else do the talking. Did someone say testimonials?

Bottom line...modesty is very, very attractive. Have you listened to your "pitch" lately?

Testimonials

Step one...satisfied customer
Step two...written testimonial on company letterhead (if available)
Step three...use it in your sales presentations
Step four...close more deals

Tip...Let others sing your praises. People don't want to hear how great you are - from you!!!

Voice Mail

When is the last time you changed your outgoing voice mail? Do you even remember what it says?

Great sales people pay attention to every detail of their business. You may not think what your vm says will make or break a deal, but it could. It all depends on who's on the other end of the recording. Can you be everything to everyone? Absolutely not. At the very least, you have to stay true to your brand.

For example, I know someone who claims to be a very caring, warm, and charming individual. He prides himself on his "likeability" factor. Yet, he only recently, at my urging, recorded a personal outgoing message. Previously, he used a recorded version offered by verizon b/c he did not like how his voice sounded.

Bottom line...don't let your vm get stale and more importantly, make sure it's consistent with your "professional message".

Those that Dominate

The conversation or meeting are not necessarily the ones who make the decision. The worst mistake you could make as a salesperson is to underestimate the " thinker" of the bunch. This reserved individual, who is listening to and analyzing every word, can easily be the one who makes the final decision. And most importantlly, the one who writes the check.

Professionalism

No matter the situation, you must always remember to maintain a certain level of professionalism.

But he yelled first. But he cut me off. But she was rude. But he cursed first.

C'mon, are we still 10 years old? A true professional, not an occassional professional, never "stoops" to the other person's level. Take a deep breath and let the moment pass. You will be happy you did.

Stop getting defensive

When someone gives you an objection, why do you feel the need to get defensive? For many, it's habitual. You ramble and overwhelm your customer with reasons/information that you think will satisfy their objection. Not good.

Objections are good as they show interest on the part of the customer. And frankly, they may not even be "real" objections at all, as the customer is simply looking for confirmation of their decision - from you!!!. Take a deep breath, don't let them get you "excited", have some self control and throw it right back at them.....empathize and ask good questions.

"I understand. Can you elaborate why you feel that way?" "What exactly are your concerns about making a commitment to purchase?" "What aspects of the "product or service"do you like?" There are dozens of these questions that should be customized based upon your business.

The longer you keep the dialogue going and let them speak, the closer you will get to sealing the deal. Oftentimes, the customer will even talk themselves into the purchase as they realize all of the benefits and positive aspects your product or service provides them.

N R G

Energy transfers. No, this is not an April fools joke. Smile, someone smiles back. Get excited about something, so will the other person.

Positivity and being half full are genuine traits that will not be perceived as phony by your customer or co-worker. Best of all, you can learn to be more positive. You can learn to be more enthusiastic. You can learn to be "half full". Not only will your business thrive, so will your health.

Written versus Verbal

A customer verbally tells you that they "must have" 4 things in order to consumate a transaction. Are they telling you the truth or exagerating? Did they even give it much thought? Are they realistic?

If possible, try this - ask them to confirm, via e-mail, what they told you verbally. "Susan, can you please confirm what you must have in order to move forward with this purchase? Sorry to ask again, but I want to make sure that nothing is missed. Thanks."

You can say this a million different ways depending upon the situation and what you're selling. The bottom line - was the message consistent? Did their needs list increase or decrease? Did they not even respond, confirming that they may not be as serious as you initially thought?

Get it in writing and you will be that much closer to either making the sale or cutting them loose. Either way, you benefit.

Don't let them miss the message

I am sometimes (ok, maybe often) a little louder than the average person. You may be thinking that I shouldn't care, as long as I don't offend anyone and stay true to who I am - and I agree. One problem, my MESSAGE may get lost as some people get distracted by my tone and pace.

Since it is very important to me that people don't miss the message being deliver, I do my best to tell them what to expect, up front, when seeing me for the first time.

You should do the same with your customers. It may not be that you speak loud and fast, but soft and slow, which can be just as irritating for some. The bottom line is that when first impressions are being formed, it is critical that the "right" connection is made. If you have a delivery that you think may "frustrate" or "intimidate" the other individual, just give them a heads up as what to expect so your message is not lost. Or, you always have the option to adapt and adjust to the other person's preferrred style of communication - just don't lose your "it" factor along the way.

Listen much?

When someone is speaking with you, what are you doing? Like most, you are probably preparing a response while that person is still speaking - inevitably missing most of their message. A big NO-NO.

Why do you do this? Who or what is creating the need for such rapid fire banter? You, that's who. You are directly responsible for creating most of this chaos.

Slow down!!! Listen to the other peron closely. Stay present in the conversation so you can figure out what buttons to push in order to move the conversation in a positive direction. A good little tip to find extra seconds to formulate a response is to simply repeat back what the other person just said. For example - "John, I just want to confirm what you just said. You expect to find a 2 bedroom, 2 bath with a minimum of 1100 square feet, in downtown Manhattan for under 1,200,000 in the next 30 days. You also expect to utilize a down payment of approximately 20%. Is that correct?"

Repeat things to ensure that there was no misunderstanding and to give you some extra time to formulate a sound response. Do this, and you will be more successful today than yesterday. EBL's definition of true success.

Don't overwhelm

People typically don't remember much of what you say, but they do remember your "delivery" and "energy".

You are probably thinking - "tell me something I don't know." So why doesn't this stop you from spewing tons of information upon the other individual in an attempt to impress? And guess what, they remember none of it!

Don't be afraid to focus on ONE or TWO specific points that you think the other individual (not you) wants to hear. Make it powerful and make it very, very clear.

Remember, less is generally more when it comes to someone processing information and making a decision.

Enjoy the superbowl....

What are you giving?

What have you given your customers or referral sources that you feel has earned their loyalty or gotten their attention?

So many sales people complain to me that they don't have the budget in order to "woo" others. What a crock!!!

You don't need to spend a dime to give, "great information". People love information that is user friendly, targeted and thoughtful. Great information allows people to make great, educated decisions. So many sales people feel like they need to "hoard" info and that's why they have the reputation of being "sneaky".

What information are you passing along? How often? In what format? Is it valuable to the person receiving it?

Give great information and your phone will ring off the hook with new business!!!

Why are you talking so loud?

You don't need to raise your voice to make a point. Frankly, this may have the opposite affect as people like to receive information in different ways. Raising your voice could easily force a person to get defensive or "crawl into a shell".

Why are you raising your voice to begin with? Does it make you feel good? Is it strictly self serving? Can't you find someplace else to vent? How about the gym or maybe screaming into your pillow.

Instead of shouting, how about asking a good question or two? Maybe your frustration is unwarranted and you are simply not communicating well.

Asking a good "why" question takes patience and practice. More on this later.

Objections.....one of many

If you are not prepared for customer objections or questions, why are you in sales?

One of the easiest, yet most difficult, "why you?"

Many of you will go on to rant about how great you are, how great your product or service is, how great your company is......all missing the boat.

It's not about you, even if they ask. The focus must always remain on the benefits the customer will receive from this relationship. So before you answer, make sure you have a clear understanding of why they will benefit by working with you (save them time? money? aggravation?) and be prepared to articulate this in a manner they will understand. Remember, people like to receive information differently - verbal vs. written, fast vs. slow, etc. - so be sure to give it to them the way they want to receive it. More about this later.

Happy Tuesday....

Rejection

What do you do when your customer says, "no thank you". Do you lower your price? Do you simply give them more choices? Do you even have a clue as to why they said no in the first place?

Here's a clue......NEED. You simply did not show them why they NEEDED the service or product you offered. Do you have a clearly defined list of all the things that your service or product can do for your client?

For example, a Real Estate Agent approaches a For Sale By Owner (you are probably the 20th call they have received) and offers what? Why is it in the owner's best interest to give you the listing? What's in it for them? If you're stumbling answering this question, how do you think the owner feels?

Every objection is simply one step closer to a yes. Are you prepared to answer these objections? Have you practiced and role-played so your rebuttals come naturally? Doesn't sound like fun? That's why they call it work!!!!