It is so often said that you only get one chance to make a good first impression, but why? As sales people we are generally meeting a lot of people for the first time through our work, after all, most true selling is still done person-to-person if not face-to-face. It is, therefore, essential to be able to engage quickly and easily and the 'first impression' is where it all starts. In Professo...
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Fear of failure
Most people have two fears when they are selling: the fear of failure and the fear of rejection. Let's take the fear of rejection first. If your prospect says 'no' to your offer one of two things has happened: You have not sold the product or service such that the prospect sees clearly their outcomes from buying Your prospect doesn't need or want your product or service In the first exa...
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Learn from children
Just how much can we learn from children? It is a given that everyone of us knows how to sell, it is part of our development as infants; how we gain attention, compete for food and nurture when defenseless, yet most of us forget. Once we have the ability to get our own food, care for our own needs we then adopt a non-compete mode in order to fit into society’s ‘norm’. Along with this go our sales...
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Convey an image
Convey an image but let the prospect reveal it! [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="3"]We have said many times that a salesperson needs to talk not about 'what it is...' but '...what it does' in order to sell successfully and repeatedly; however, there is much, much more to this. For example: If working in a hi-fi store I could say: "These headphones will enable you to listen to your music w...
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Boiling milk…
Can you change the temperature at which milk boils? [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="3"] We've all done it. Placed a pan of milk on the stove; watched it, looked away for a few seconds and then had a mess of milk to clean-up, and it can be the same with the personality type of our clients. The fact is that milk, water, alcohol and oil all have their own boiling points and without changing...
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People don’t buy what you sell
This will come as a surprise to many but your customers don't buy what you sell! [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="3"] If you sell widgets I have some news for you. Like it or not, your customer is not buying your widget, regardless of how light, fast, durable, compact and cheap it may be. You may think or believe this to be wrong but I can tell you now that you are mistaken. What your cus...
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Show me the money…
Show me the money is more than just a movie line. [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="3"]In most areas in sales the advantages gained from a particular product/service boil down to money. In B2C this may be in the services sector making savings whereas in the B2B sector it may be a more efficient machine. Understanding the driving factor behind a buyer's reason for buying is critical in knowing...
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Do you actually want buyers?
For those of us in business the answer to the question 'Do you actually want buyers?' would generally be a 'yes!' [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="3"]There is a distinct difference, though, between someone buying from you and you selling to someone. Let's say they arrive at your flower shop choose an arrangement and buy it. Great! However, think about it a little deeper. If someone had inter...
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I don’t want to be a salesman!
I don't want to be a salesman! [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="4"]This is something often heard from small business owners, perhaps the self-employed tradesman or the specialist engineering company and is completely understandable. BUT, the reality is that if you are exchanging a product or service for a fee you are selling. Maybe not in the professional salesperson sense but you are looking t...
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My competitor? Oh, they’re good!
We've all been in the position of pitching our business when someone says "what about XYZ-Systems?" (our competitor). How do you respond? How should you respond? Clearly we do not want to sell for the competition and many of us learn that 'attack is the best form of defence'. Well, maybe against a wild animal but not in a sales situation! My suggestion to you is simple: Praise your compet...
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Bond, James Bond
Bond, James Bond... one of the most well known movie lines of all time, but why? It comes-down to the use of English and, in particular a technique called a diacope. Writers employ these techniques to make certain words and phrases stick in our minds and a diacope is basically repetition of the phrase with a small 'something' in between eg. Bond, James Bond. Bond (key word), James (the 'somet...
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The High Flyer
We've all seen the High Flyer sales person but what makes them so good? [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="3"]If you work in a sales team you will have one person that seems to out-perform the rest, even if the territory has similar prospects, the products are the same etc. The weak sales person will find something/someone to blame but the professional sales person will look and learn. In m...
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One day sales training workshop
December 3rd, 2014: One day sales training workshop in Middleton-on-Sea, West Sussex, PO22 7RH. Most small businesses are started and run by people highly skilled in a particular area with a passion to match; however, business demands much more and selling is one area where some training will make a significant difference. Sales people are trained, not born and this workshop is ideal for thos...
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Stuck? Ask a question!
If asked most what they fear the most salespeople will say "cold-calling" or "closing" yet, in truth these are both fairly straightforward. Dig a little deeper and what we find is one of the biggest fears is actually the dreaded 'lengthening pause' and the longer it lasts the more difficult it becomes. The technique to overcome this is simple and really comes-down to your own preparedness. ...
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Plato or Aristotle?
What do the Greek philosophers, Plato and Aristotle, have to do with selling? [caption id="attachment_105" align="aligncenter" width="236"] Plato[/caption] Take two opposing philosophical stances, Rhetoric and Dialectic (Emotion and Logic) both of which are valid ways to convey a principle or statement. Which is likely to receive greater acceptance from your prospect? As a sales professiona...
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Tell them what it does…
Last week we wrote about sales people talking about the product/service rather than what it provides to the customer. The next question is "When do you tell them 'what it does'"? Many presentations and demos begin with: who we are, what we do, how long we've done it, how much money we've made and then what it 'is'. If you are a complete unknown there may be some relevance to s...
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It’s not what it is…
So many sales people miss the point that whilst customers may-well be interested in the detail of the product/service, what makes them ultimately buy is what it does. Regardless of whether it is a chocolate bar, a piece of technology or a pension you need to convey to the customer what the item actually does, how they will benefit. Always keep in mind that "It's not what it is, it's what it ...
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People like being sold to…
Yes, you read that correctly. Selling is not about hoodwinking the customer, getting one-over on them and good sales professionals understand this. When a trained sales professional is selling to a prospect the prospect is comfortable and at ease with the process. Remember, in any sale the prospect actually wants to buy the product/service. Take the stress and pressure away and it is generally an...
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Sharp Chisel…
A sharp chisel is an efficient chisel. [ap_column_wrap] [ap_column span="3"]Ask yourself this: "Would I employ a carpenter that had blunt chisels?" and we're guessing the answer is a resounding 'No!', yet how often do you train your sales people to hone the tools of their trade? Forget what you have heard about 'the gift of the gab' to describe a salesperson and think more 'verbosity without ...
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