Good afternoon:

I recently asked a sales group why customers continued to buy from them. Most of them were seasoned reps, and felt that they had established an especially good relationship with their customers. The relationship was what mattered they said, without that; there might never be a purchase.

Is that true?

OR: is possible that the PRODUCT is so good, and in such high demand that even without the sales person, it would continue to sell.  In the business to consumer world, let’s take the Apple iPad; the product or the rep? Once stationery company’s supplies were sold to companies by outside sales people; but they have disappeared and we now have the box stores selling the paper, pencils and clips

In the B2B sales world is it the rep that makes the difference when selling a commodity where the price point is so sensitive? And if that is the case why is there such a struggle over price every time?

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In fact, the group told me that the price was the number one objection! If that is so, then how does the relationship play into the sale if you don’t or will not or can not give a discount. Still get the deal?

There are four levels of relationships within the sales arena. You are either seen as a “seller”, a “supplier”, a “vendor” or a “trusted advisor”; the last being the most difficult to obtain.

Here is what we really know; most sales people forgot why their customer bought from them in the first place. They are content in not shaking the “so-called” relationship, and they go home at night hoping that the same buyer will stay with that same company until they, the sales person, retires!

Yes, we really have good relationships.

On the other hand, there are those reps who think they understand the need to be customer centric in their approach (if only they knew what that meant). In essence it suggests that you are sharing the vision of the buying company. You understand if they have an appetite for more product or service, and finally, you know who really does make the decision and why.

Can you really predict if the customer will continue to buy from you; are they really that happy with the service and product that you provide? Are they really happy with you? I’ll bet you can’t.

It’s all guess work…now, isn’t it?

Good selling,

Steve

At the end of each year, it is a good idea to rethink the past 12 months. Almost everyone has some retrospective on the past year, but few put into practice what they have learned.

As a sales person you really should follow through with the items of improvement that strike you as to be valid. After all, if you proceed with the New Year in the same way that you did this year, the results will be the same!

1. What did you do right is 2011, make a list and be happy that you know what you did.
2. What did you do wrong in 2011; make another list and be sad that you did these items. But eliminate them from your mind; do not rehash them over again and again.
3. What are the five things that if you did would bring you additional sales? (I’ll bet there are more than five!) But pick only five and then chose the one that you are likely to do, and do it.
4. Which clients or customers came through for you, and how will you be able to repeat it again.
5. Finally, and not so finally, reinvent yourself for the New Year. You don’t have to be the same person that you were. You can change the way you act, dress, and even address your colleagues. You can improve on behaviors that go in the way of closing the “big deals”, and you can take classes that will improve the way you are in all sales situations.

Good Selling in 2012:

Steve

Check out a few of my latest videos:

25 Toughest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRQg6Vck1Ew

Make the Sale Happen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEDCqL6Hqxs

Power of Positive Selling: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1Voey4twvA

If you haven’t already, check out my videos on Ustream:

http://www.ustream.tv/discovery/recorded/all?q=steve+schiffman

I recently did a video interview with Kersten Kloss, discussing several aspects of the 25 Toughest Sales Objections and other sales related topics. In this Video you will see:

1. The 3 Things that ever objection has in a sales call
2. The #1 Competitor that every salesperson faces today
3. Several things that you need to find out about your prospect prior to a meeting

To view the video, click here.

Many sales people fail to realize how important knowing their sales cycle is. It is critical to your thinking to know this fact, and I will explain why.

Let’s use a typical sale as an example. The sales person starts by making a cold call, and if they are successful that day an appointment will be set.

The meeting takes place, and the sales person advances the sale. They return two weeks later with a proposal. If the proposal is accepted, that is there is a purchase, the sales person writes up the order. The order is shipped.

The invoice is issued by the company, and the bill is paid within 30 days. The sales person receives their commission 30 days after collection.

Adding that time amounts to a three month sales cycle from the beginning to the end; when commission is paid.

The significance is that if you expect to get paid three months from now you have to do something TODAY! It is too easy to be busy in doing everything but sell. We can call existing customers, we can tell others how tough sales can be, and we can have a day of paper work. All of this preoccupies us from the main mission of selling, which is to get paid.

Use each day as a day to make money. Start each day with an appointment to yourself to make those necessary prospecting calls. The number of “starts” that you make every day determines the number of sales that you will have at the end of the cycle.

Good Selling,

Steve

Dear friend:

It struck me the other day that the proof of any sales  system lies in the accuracy of the forecast that is produced. Let me explain.

There is no doubt that a sales person needs to truly know their business. They need to understand their targets, their true opportunities, the way they will approach the prospect, and the best way to sell to them.

Equally important they need to understand the sales cycle, their closing ratios, and be able to predict those prospects that will sell.

If a sales person doesn’t understand these important issues, then how, one could ask, how can they sell.

And by knowing this information they should be able to develop an accurate sales forecast; one that is within 10% of their prediction; whether that is good or bad.

But they don’t!

Now let’s take the sales manager, who runs the day to day ship, if you will. He or she is looking at the information provided by the rep and then the passes on the forecast the management. If the forecast is wrong who is to blame?

It is the manager for not truly understanding the business of the representative.

Few sales managers understand the questions that need to be asked to determine the reality of the prospect’s closing.

They take the numbers from the reps and use those; sometimes reducing the figure by half!

If the sales manager doesn’t understand the business model, doesn’t understand the key questions to ask, and doesn’t ask those questions from the rep, they only can take the numbers from the representative.

Here is a little help for those you who forecast:

Does the prospect fit the model that you sell too?

When did you first meet with the prospect and when was the second meeting?

Did you prematurely give a proposal and now are waiting to get feed back?

What is the next step in the sales process?

Does that prospect want the sale as much as the rep?

How long is this sales been going on?

Try asking these key questions and eliminate those prospects that don’t “fit” the criteria. Your sales forecast will improve, and so will your sales success.

Good selling.

I am not a sports guy and for me everything that I learn is new. Someone told me that they key to baseball is knowing what to do with the ball, in case it should come to you! Who knew?  And what does that mean?

Well, asking friends it means that a baseball player is always thinking about what he or she will do if the ball should happen to come to them in the game. In other words, they are thinking one step ahead o the game, anticipating what they will do when the play starts.

Sales is like that, too. I am always amazed that the average sales person doesn’t think ahead of the play and know what they are going to do when the ball comes to them! I was with a sales rep the other day, and the prospect asked a question, and the rep froze. He did not know the answer. More to th point he did not know what to do with the question. It was as if he had ever heard that question before.

So what does he do….just answers another question…all wrong. We have to be prepared for whatever is going to happen during a sales call. We need to think one step ahead of the conversation. If we do that we might be able to make the sale.

But the real issue is not knowing what questions we are going to hear. How can you not be prepared for every objection, issue and question that you are going to get in the sales arena. Get with it, and prepare your self and win the deal.

Good Selling,

Steve

For the longest time I have been wondering why sales people are afraid of asking for the referral. Its as if we are afraid that we will hear all the negative aspects of our work, and why get that! But we need to meet more people, and I have been trying something which I want to share with you.

And the beauty is that I can ask for this immediately after signing the contract even before the work is done. No fear. I now ask for an introduction.

Everyone knows someone, and everyone is more that will to introduce you to another person. When we are for a referral we are suggesting that out work was so good we deserve that type of recommendation. An introduction is neutral, and allows the person to be at ease with the concept. It is a lot less stress on the two of you.

And, we all aggree less stress is good.

What I do is simply say at the end of my SECOND prospect meeting, do you know anyone that you might be able to introduce me too. There are hardly any objections or even reservations about it. It is smooth and a comfortable approach.

Try it, and let me know. It still means that you have to ASK but I think that you will find it a good solid approach.

Good selling, Steve

One of the biggest debates is whether the social media can really help the sales person.

No.

There i said it, NO, i don’t think that it does.  I know, right now you are killing yourself, thinking all along that twitter, Linkedin, etc, etc, etc were going to give you the sales for the year. I am on all the sites, and while I get lots of inquires for job, I never get a lead that turns out to be anything.

And, every time I try to use the website to locate a prospect, I can find them, but there is usually no reply.

So what is the point of being on the sites? Just that…to be on can not hurt you unless you do or say something really dumb. Can it really be that bad, no not really.

However, I do know of one person who is followed by, his count, 1000 people and swears that he hears from them all the time. Yet when I asked him about his business, he said it was bad. Perhaps if if he spent more time in prospecting rather that tweeting he would be more successful.

See you on the web!

Good Selling, Steve