When the sales person was asked why she always asked questions, she replied, “Why not?”

Questions are the answer to successful selling.  Questions allow sales people to gain insights into the needs, issues and concerns of the prospect.  By asking questions, we can best determine what turns ‘em on and what ticks ‘em off!

In this series of training segments, we will address different types of questions that assist in gathering valuable.  In selling, we are only as good as our information.  Four types of questions will be covered.  These are called “C.O.R.D. Questions.”  This stands for Close Ended, Open Ended, Reflective, and Direct Agreement Questions.

Close Ended Questions solicit facts.  However, that’s about the only benefit in using this type question.  These are usually answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”  Since you receive so little information by using this question, you may not be helped very much in understanding and selling to the prospect’s needs. The prospect is not encouraged to share with you any more than what you asked him/her.  If you use Close Ended Questions while in the “uncover the need” stage of the selling process, you may not uncover all the needs, or it may take a longer period of time to determine the real needs. 

When consulting with our Ziglar Training Systems sales clients, I often notice sales people who use Close Ended Questions in the place of Open Ended Questions.  Doing this too often causes the sales person to work twice as hard to get one answer.  For example, a sales rep may attempt to determine the type of insurance coverage a prospect has.  If the prospect is low verbal and not very talkative, this could result:
 Sales:  Mr. Prospect, do you currently have coverage in this area?
 Prospect:  Yes, I do.
 Sales: What type of coverage do you currently have?

The sales person had to ask two questions in order to obtain one answer.  The sales person could have asked one Open Ended Question and received the answer he/she was seeking.  Even if the prospect had no coverage at all, the sales rep would have received the answer by asking an Open Ended Question.
 Sales:  Mr. Prospect, what type of coverage do you currently have?
 Prospect:  I am not carrying any coverage at this time.

Most Close Ended Questions can be turned into Open Ended Questions by placing one word in front of the question and/or by rearranging the words.  For instance: in the above example, the original question was “do you currently have coverage in this area?”  By adding one word and rearranging the others we have a much better question: “what is your current coverage in this area?”

A key point is to word the questions in a way that the answer gives you the information you are seeking.  If you are seeking facts or short-to-the-point answers, then Close Ended Questions are best suited.  If you are seeking more information than just short facts, you want to use information-seeking questions.  This will be covered in Part II of this series.

A sales professional should listen to him/herself ask questions.  Tune into your questioning skills so that you can improve upon this vital aspect of successful selling.

Remember:  questions are the answer to selling more effectively.

Now, go sell somebody something.

admin Process Bryan Flanagan, Motivation, Sales, Sales Ambassador, Sales Process, Solution Selling, Zig Ziglar, Ziglar

What is America’s favorite pastime?

Some people would have you think it is baseball.  Afterall, it is called the “National Pastime.”  True, a lot of people attend all types of baseball games…from little league to major league games.  Some people think baseball is a bit slow.  Someone once said that baseball is 15 minutes of action packed into 3 hours!  Some people believe golf is the national pastime. It certainly has continued to gain popularity and participants over the years.  Personally, I don’t like to play golf because I stand too close to the ball … after I hit it!!

However, there is another pastime that Americans are crazy about.  Despite its popularity, this pastime should be avoided at all times!

It is called “transference of blame.”  It is easy to blame others for our condition, our problems, our state in life.  We do it all the time:

“Mom, it isn’t my fault I failed that test.  You see, the teachers asked questions from the book!  I thought they’d be from his lectures!”
“Boss, it’s not my fault the customer didn’t buy.  I showed up at 1:45 … for the 1:00 appointment!”

Of course it’s not our fault that we do this.  The blame goes to Adam and Eve.  They started it all!  God asked Adam if he’d eaten the fruit.  Adam said, “Lord, let me tell you about that woman you gave me.”  Eve said it was the serpent’s fault … and we all know that the snake didn’t have a leg to stand on!

We are responsible for our thoughts and our actions.  We are responsible for our hits and our misses.  We are responsible for our success and our mistakes.  If others are responsible for our success, then we need to invest in those people!  We need to send them to schools and to seminars and to educate them.  Once they are better, we will get better.  Once they are great, our lives will be great!  No, I don’t think so.

You know that it doesn’t work that way.  We must stop blaming others.  We must stand on our own and make our own way in this world.  We all need to avoid the pastime of “transference of blame!”

This 10 word, 20-letter sentence says it all: If it is to be it is up to me!

Now, go sell somebody something.

admin Person Bryan Flanagan, Motivation, Sales Ambassador, Solution Selling, Zig Ziglar, Ziglar

According to that great medical journal (The Readers Digest!), speaking in front of a group of people is still the number one fear in America today!  The following three suggestions may help you deal with that fear.  These will assist you when speaking to 2 or 20 or 200!

1. Preparation compensates for a lack of talent!  Prepare the talk in advance.  Organize your visuals, handouts, props, and material.  Practice and rehearse not only the content but also the delivery.  Analyze the audience by asking yourself these questions: In what are the attendees interested?  What is important to them?  How do they want to feel or think at the end of my presentation?

2. Your “first burst” is important!  You should practice, rehearse, memorize, and/or choreograph your “first burst.”  This is your opening sentence or paragraph.  The purpose of the “first burst” is to grab the attention AND the interest of your audience.  Using hilarious humor, quotable quotes, startling statistics, topical stories, and/or a focusing question can accomplish this.  Use your imagination when creating your “first burst.”

3. Your audience is more forgiving than you are!  Loosen up, lighten up, have fun when making a presentation.  Don’t take yourself too seriously.  The audience is not expecting perfection and neither should you!  Remember: angels fly because they take themselves lightly.

One other thing: when in doubt, just get in front of the audience and let ‘er rip.  The following poem summarizes this point.  It seems a 17 year old boy was debating whether to kiss his girlfriend or not.  So, he dropped to his knees and prayed:  “Lord, Lord up above, should I kiss the girl that I love?’  A voice comes back saying, “Sinner, sinner down below, pucker up and let ‘er go!” 

When in front of an audience, remember to “just pucker up and let ‘er go!”

Now, go sell somebody something.

admin Presentation Skills

Here is a list of 7 traits that successful sales professionals possess.  There are, of course, more than these 7 traits.  However, these will give you a good start.  Compare yourself to these traits.  Ask yourself:  what are my strong areas and in what areas do I need improvement?

Trait #1:  They Possess Highly Honed Listening Skills.  Listening is really a desire to hear what the prospect is trying to convey to you.  Successful sales people take the cotton out of their ears and place it in their mouths!!!

Trait #2:  They Take Notes.  Successful sales people capture ideas that they will need to move the sales process forward.  Writing activates thinking.  As you take notes, you will not only hear what is being said, you will record the pertinent details.

Trait #3:  They Cherish Their Time.  Time is not money, because you can’t make more of it.  Therefore, time is to be cherished.  Successful sales people continually ask themselves, “What is the best use of my time now?”

Trait #4:  They Listen Before They Explain.  Sales people can separate themselves from their competition by tuning into the prospect’s radio station WIIFM…What’s In It For Me?  By tuning in first, you develop contracts. By broadcasting first, you develop chaos.  The key is to tune in!

Trait #5:  They Set Realistic Goals.  Then they exert their energies into attaining those goals.  These goals must be both short range (to keep you going day after day) and long range (to remind yourself of the value of your day to day activities.)

Trait #6:  They Ask High-gain and High-Impact Questions.  Successful sales people have developed the skill of asking appropriate questions.  They ask questions that gain useful information and that exhibit to the prospect the sales person is tuned into his/her business concerns.

Trait #7:  They Implement A Prospect-centered Approach to Selling.  The successful sales professional is clearly focused on the needs, issues, and concerns of the prospect. In fact, it is the process that carries the sales call.  The sales person merely focuses on the prospect and follows the steps to the logical conclusion of the process.

Well, how do you measure up?  Do your traits surpass these?  Are there areas where you need to improve?  Take inventory, then invest in yourself.  Oh, by the way, that’s Trait #8 — They Invest In Themselves!

Now, go sell somebody something.

admin Principles Bryan Flanagan, Motivation, Sales Ambassador, Sales Leadership, Zig Ziglar, Ziglar

In it’s simplest form, selling is a communication process

That is so true.  In its simplest form, selling is nothing more than a communications process!!!  Yet, we sales people tend to complicate the process!  Oh, we don’t mean to…but we do.  We make it difficult for the customer to understand why our solution will benefit him or her.

The simplicity of selling is similar to other professions.  The great hall of fame player Willie Mays was asked to describe the game of baseball. Willie said, “That’s easy.  They throw it, I hit it.  They hit it, I catch it.”  Now, that is simple.  Arnold Palmer’s father taught him to play the game of golf.  Arnie’s dad said, “Son, hit the ball hard.  Go find it, hit it again.”  Selling should be similar. 

Here are three principles that may allow us to keep it simple:

1. Selling is not telling, selling is asking.
When we ask appropriate questions, we improve our chances of successfully offering the correct solution.  We most continually practice the art of asking, listening, tuning in, and seeking clarification.  Here is a great question:  “Mr. Customer, if you could receive those things, what is the benefit to you?”  The answer to that question allows you to position your presentation.

2. Listen so the customer will talk, talk so the customer will listen.
The old saying holds true to this day:  people don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care…about them!  Therefore, we should be open to the words and the meanings of the customer’s answers so he/she is encouraged to give us the vital information we need to match our solutions to the needs.

3.  Selling is a transference of feeling.
In Zig Ziglar’s book “Secrets of Closing the Sale” he states that selling is nothing more than a “transference of feeling!”  If we can have our customers feel the way that we do about our product or service, we will have customers for life.  We must communicate our confidence in ourselves as well as in our products and services. 

Selling is easy; we tend to complicate it.  Today, let’s try to keep it simple.  Ask questions, listen to the answers, and transfer your feeling for you, your company, and your service/product.

admin New to Sales Bryan Flanagan, Closing the Sale, Motivation, Sales Ambassador, Solution Selling, Zig Ziglar, Ziglar

Here’s some ideas I was kicking around:

1. Selling is a contact sport! 
You gotta see ‘em to sell ‘em. 

2. Sales success is based on courage not talent. 
Make the tough calls…believe in you.

3. If you aren’t enjoying the selling process, neither is the prospect.
Enjoy the sales journey, not just the results.

4. The prospect only runs as fast as the sales person.
If the prospect wants to move quickly through the process, let her.  If the prospect wants to slow the process down, let him.

5.  Sell’em when they’re ready to buy.
Help your prospect to purchase from you, don’t make it any harder than it already is.

admin Uncategorized Bryan Flanagan, Motivation, Sales Ambassador, Solution Selling, Zig Ziglar, Ziglar

Prospecting

Establishing Relationships

Selling is a contact sport.  By increasing your contacts, you increase your selling opportunities. Here are five ways to contact potential buyers and build better business relationships.  These may not all apply to you…but remember — this only works if you do!

1. Take a doctor jogging.  One of our clients sells to hospitals, clinic, and doctors.  She was having a difficult time meeting with a certain doctor.  The doctor’s staff told the sales rep that she (the doctor) was a jogger and that she participated in various volunteer activities within the community.  The sales person thought outside the box and entered the doctor and herself into a 5K run for “Race for the Cure.” What an active way to establish a relationship.

2. Hit a bucket of golf balls.  Do you play golf?  (I do, but I still stand too close to the ball AFTER I hit it!)  Does your prospect play golf?  Instead of investing an entire four hours on the course, why don’t you invite your prospect out to the driving range and hit a bucket of balls for an hour?    You don’t play golf?  Well, try this.  Pay for your prospect to receive a golf lesson by a local pro.  What a swinging way to establish a relationship.

3. Celebrate obscure holidays.  For instance, did you know that January is Hot Tea Month?  Perhaps you know of a prospect that is a hot tea drinker.  January is your month to make an impression. September is Better Breakfast Month. Maybe you should celebrate by taking a prospect to your favorite breakfast restaurant. October is National Popcorn Popping Month.  Is there an office in your territory that could use an extra large container of assorted popcorn? You’ll be a big hit it you can find one.  What a fun way to establish a relationship.  A great website to find these holidays.

4. And along the same lines: Send greeting cards.  Hand written cards get opened.  Hand written messages get read.  You can capitalize on obscure days because you can rest assured that you are the only sales person celebrating these days.  August 16th is National Tell a Joke Day.  (Don’t get me started! Did you hear about the coin collectors that got together for all dimes’ sake?)  September 14th is National Cream Filled Donut Day.  October 5 is National Do Something Nice Day.  Buy a card. Write a message. Mail the card.  Wait 3 days. OK, wait 5 days.  Call the prospect and tell her you were the one who sent the card on International Tuba Day (May 7).  Greeting cards can help separate you from the competition.  What a creative way to establish a relationship.  A great website to find these holidays. 

5. Offer a free service.  We all like free stuff. So do your prospects and their staff.  Perhaps you can make a presentation in a “brown bag lunch” format.  Maybe you can bring in an associate to address physical wellness, financial issues, parenting or family matters.  A vice president of a staffing agency here in Dallas conducts 30-minute sessions on what she calls “Lunch and Learn” programs.  What an educational way to establish a relationship.

Prospecting should be fun and enjoyable. You have seen your fellow sales people contact potential customers in some pretty creative ways.  You can do this also.  You just need to use your imagination to prospect, close sales, and help your customers.  Turn on your creative machine today and have fun as you prospect!

Now, go sell somebody something.

admin prospecting Bryan Flanagan, Motivation, prospecting, Sales Ambassador, Zig Ziglar, Ziglar

That’s right!  Computers are a fad!  They will disappear.  They will go by the wayside.  They will have the same fate as dinosaurs.  They will go out of style.

However, what computers do for you will never go out of style.

What do computers do?  Computers help us save time.  They help us save money.  They provide us with entertainment.  They make our lives easier.  If another invention comes along that gives us better time and money savings, we will leave our old computers behind and invest in this new technology. 

You see, we don’t want computers —we want what computers do for us!  We want the “solutions” computers offer us. We want the values, the benefits, and the advantages of computers.  Our customers are the same.  They want what our products and services will do for them.

When we are solving our customers’ problems and challenges this week, we need to concentrate on selling our “solutions” not our products and services.  There are a couple of ways to accomplish this.

1. Use these words on every customer interaction.
There are three very powerful words that you should use on every sales call.  When you use these words, you assure yourself that you are in a “selling” mode and not a “telling” mode.  These words are: VALUES, ADVANTAGES, BENEFITS.  If you can condition yourself to use these words, you can better interpret the worth of your products and services to your customer.  These words are “selling words.”  Examples:

“Mr. Jones, the value of our service contract is…”
“Ms. Jones, the advantage of four wheel drive is…”
“Bob, the benefits of our comprehensive coverage are …”

2. Use Bridge Statements to prepare your customer for your benefit.
Bridge Statements prepares your customer to hear your “values, advantages, and benefits.”  At the end of the statement, you communicate your benefit.  A Bridge Statement can be as straightforward as “The benefit to you is…” You then state you benefit.  It is your responsibility to interpret the worth of your product or service.  It is not the responsibility of your customer.  When you use Bridge Statements you can assure yourself that you are selling benefits!  Examples:
 What this means to you is….
 You’ll like this because…
 The benefit to you is…

 
Remember the computer examples used earlier.  (We don’t want the computer, we want what the computer does for us.)  Your customers don’t want your product or service.  They want what your product or service will do for them!  It is your responsibility to interpret the value to them.

Does this work?  Only if you do! 

Now, go sell somebody something!

admin Product Bryan Flanagan, Motivation, Sales, Sales Ambassador, Solution Selling, Zig Ziglar, Ziglar