Sales Bytes

We periodically publish what we hope are interesting sales-related hints and snippets. Some of the most recent are shown below. For the full set please follow this link.

Misplaced Emotion

Have you noticed that some sales people abandon an otherwise promising prospect at the slightest hint of rejection. Others doggedly continue to pursue the sale long after it has become a hopeless case.

Why is this? Well, in my view it is all due to emotion. On one hand the fear of rejection causes some sales people to back off when rejection becomes even the remotest possibility. In fact they may be mistaking what is actually healthy curiosity on behalf of the prospect for something a little more negative. On the other hand some sales people feel reluctant, having invested considerable time and effort into a sale, to see that commitment go to waste.

So my tip is this; when deciding where to invest your valuable sales time and effort, think long, hard and dispassionately about it. Then throw yourself wholeheartedly into the sale!

Nil Desperandum          

There are many things that can put a buyer off. None more so, perhaps, than a desperate sales person. Desperation is not only, in itself, off-putting, but also begs a whole load of questions. Why is the sales person desperate? What is wrong with the product or service that makes the sales person so anxious to close? What does he or she know that you don't?

Relaxed sales people, who are confident in what they are selling, tend to be more successful. Success breeds success. The rub is, of course, that without a track record of success it is difficult to exude it. There are many ploys and tactics for achieving this, none of them easy or foolproof, but one thing is certain - whatever the method the sales person must believe it.

So my tip is this; if you, or someone who works for you, needs to exude confidence in a sales situation find a way that you, or that person, can absolutely believe in.

"Don't Go Hanging Around Tube Stations"            

If you want to sell your product or service you need to have some understanding of how people buy it.

If you are an umbrella salesman and you put your stall up outside a busy tube station on a rainy day the chances are you will sell some umbrellas. If you are a training consultant selling to senior corporate executives you will need to be a little more considered than that. There are a whole load of questions to be asked about things like how you identify your target clients and how you get into a selling situation with them. By which I mean a situation in which they are prepared to seriously consider your proposition. Because getting senior corporate executives to seriously consider sales propositions isn't easy.

So, my tip is, if you have a strategic sale to make don't go hanging around tube stations!

Spot the Difference 

If you are selling a product or service at a premium price you must demonstrate value. All good sales people know that. How then do you sell that value?

You might take the approach that your price is, say, £110, for which you provide a premium product, whereas your competitor may be asking £100 for an inferior product. You might then find yourself explaining everything about your product that makes it worth £110. Many of these features will be the same as with your competitor's product.

However, if you focus on the difference, i.e. just £10, you can then concentrate on those things about your product that are different. If you can show that this adds up to more than £10 in value then you are a long way towards making the sale.

My tip therefore is simply this; spotlight the difference and the extra benefit the customer gets, and show that this is more than the difference in price. This applies however the benefits are delivered; extra features, less waste or perhaps, simply, assurance of performance!

Sales Byte No 39 : A Perfect Match!

All good business people appreciate the importance of addressing their customers' needs.

However, they don't always make sure that the prospects they target are those with the needs that they can best address, and address them better than their competitors can. They often make the mistake of targeting what they perceive to be the juiciest prospects - failing to realise that they don't have anything special to offer. Furthermore, they don't necessarily target those that will be best for their business, often being seduced by the more glamorous prospects, who may not be the best customers.

So, my tip is this; when targeting prospects use two separate and distinct sets of criteria:

1. Look for prospects who want what you have to offer, and who will buy from someone like you.
2. Look for prospects that will help meet your business goals for growth, profitability, sustainability, cashflow, portfolio etc.

The prospects who score high against both sets of criteria are the ones to target. If there are not enough of them, perhaps you need a bit of a strategic rethink!

Sales Byte No 38 : "Hello. It's me again!" 

In order to stay on their prospect's radar, they will often, rightly, diary ahead reminders to make contact on a periodic basis. Of course, being diligent sales people, they will never miss a contact.

However, this diligence may be misplaced, especially if the only outcome is that they pick up the phone and say something like, "Hello. It's me again. Are you ready to buy from me yet?" If nothing much has changed then the answer is likely to be, "No".

It would be much more effective, rather than rushing to pick up the phone, to spend a little time thinking and planning. If the prospect is a good one (and by definition, if they are in the Top 10, they should be) it will be worth spending some time researching and creating a different approach. If nothing else, at least it will come across as fresh.

So my tip is this; don't contact good prospects just because your diary tells you it is time to do so. Contact them only when you are satisfied that you have something new and worthwhile to offer.

Sales Byte No 37 : The Bird in the Hand

It is often said that it is much easier to keep existing customers than to find new ones. But what happens when you do lose one - particularly one that you would like to win back?

The easiest people to sell to are those who are already in the habit of buying from you. Harder are those who have never bought from you. Hardest are those who have made a decision to move away from you.

So, it is really important never to be complacent. Never assume that you don't have to carry on actively selling. Your competitors will be!

If you drop your guard and lose customers they will probably let you down gently - especially if the relationship has been good. They will not want to hurt your feelings, and blame the move away from you on something that is not personal - like price. They will leave you with the impression that there may be another chance for you in the future. However, once they have gone they will be ferociously difficult to win back.

My tip, therefore, is; it may be easier to keep existing customers than win new ones, but that makes it all the more important to try harder. 

Sales Byte No 36 : Carpe Diem

Question: When is the best time to talk to your prospect about your product or service?

Well, the answer has to be ... when they want to talk to you! That might sound a bit trite, but it covers a serious point. It is do with responding to sales queries, which may come in a number of forms, including web queries, phone calls, emails and so on.

The point is that, when someone makes a query they are in the right frame of mind to talk about it at that moment in time. The longer you leave it to get back to them the colder they become. Worst still, they may go to another supplier.

My tip is this; make sure that you have all the systems and processes in place to be alerted to queries immediately, and respond without delay. Talk to people when they want to talk to you, not when you want to talk to them.

Seize the moment, seize the day - carpe diem!

Sales Byte No 35 : Checkmate!

Nearly all sales people agree that it is right for them to ask questions of their prospects. All good sales people understand that it is critical how they ask those questions.

Have you ever been sold to by someone asking questions in such a way that you get the feeling that you are being set up? Sales people who operate in this way tend to follow a sequence of questions - all heading towards a point at which you feel they will say, "Checkmate"! In other words, they try to manoeuvre you into a position where you have to say, "Yes", to their proposition. Of course you actually say, "No".

Good sales people will ask questions as part of a conversation - rather than an interrogation.

So my tip is this; when you are, rightly, asking questions of your prospect, just consider carefully how you are coming across. If you think you might be a bit over-assertive then rein back a little. The biggest indicator of this is whether you are listening (really listening) to the answers. If your next question is driven by what is next on your checklist, rather than by the answer, then you probably need to adjust your approach!

Sales Byte No 34 : Be Bold!

Have you ever noticed that some sales people, who appear to be confident and outgoing, become rather timid when asking prospective customers for commitment?

It is not so much that they are shy, more that they are reluctant to ask for what they want. I believe that they are afraid to ask the direct question for two reasons:

1. They fear that their prospect may say "no", in which case they think they will have blown it.
2. They are afraid that they may be perceived as being too pushy. In which case, again, they feel that this might blow it.

However, if they don't ever ask that direct and vital question they will probably never make the sale. Worst still they will be perceived as weak and insubstantial. Who wants to buy from someone like that? Either way they really will have blown it!

My tip therefore is this, be bold and ask for what you want.

The very worst that can happen is that you find that you don't have a deal, in which case you can cut your losses and move on. The more likely outcome, if your prospect doesn't immediately say "yes", is that you have a strong negotiating stance. Of course, the other possibility is that you find that they do say "yes" - result!

So - be bold, decide what you want, and don't be afraid to ask for it.

Sales Byte No 33 : Presenting with Confidence

If you have a presentation to make and you want to get your message across you must present with confidence! That is all well said and done, but how do you present with confidence if you don't feel confident?

Confidence doesn't just happen overnight, unless you are one of those unnaturally gifted types who happens to have been born a confident presenter. We lesser mortals have to work at it. My observation is that, rather than focus on trying to be confident, the effort should be concentrated on being, firstly, enthusiastic, and secondly, relaxed. As you build your enthusiasm for your topic you will find it all becomes easier - and hence you become more relaxed. As you work at these two aspects you will find that you become, lo and behold, more confident!

If making persuasive presentations is important to you and you don't feel that you are a natural presenter my tip is to find every opportunity that you can to present. Work at being enthusiastic, work at being relaxed and watch your confidence build.

Sales Byte No 32 : Relationship Selling - What Next?

Relationship selling often starts with an introductory meeting and culminates in a pitch for the business.

Introductory meetings are relatively straightforward, at least in principle. You are aiming to identify possible ways of meeting your prospect's needs. The eventual pitch is similarly straightforward in principle. You are making a proposition and outlining the benefits to the prospect.

But what do you do in between? There may be a lengthy interval. You can't just phone up your prospect from time to time and ask them if they are ready to buy yet. They will soon stop taking your calls! You need a plan that moves them along, step by step, towards the sale.

My tips are these:

• Before each contact with your prospect work out what the next step may be. Make sure it leaves you in control. Make sure it delivers value to your prospect.
• In fact, make sure that the sales process itself delivers value to your prospect.

Don't just wait and hope - take the initiative!

Sales Byte No 31 : Tell them everything and you tell them nothing!

The inclination, when writing a business proposal, is to include too much. The temptation is to think that if you miss something out it could be the thing that would make a difference.

However, if a business proposal is choc a bloc with information it runs the risk of becoming a blur to the reader - and key messages will be missed.

So what is the best approach? There are two possible scenarios. You may know your reader - you may not. The first scenario is relatively straightforward. The elements that are important to the reader clearly need to be featured. The second scenario is more tricky. All important information needs to be carefully selected and included. It must also be effectively communicated. This includes presentation, structure, language, the use of graphics, referencing supplementary information and so on. There are many tactics that can be used.

There are, of course, variations on these two scenarios. You may know your reader, but not others to whom it may be circulated.

My tip is, whichever the case:

• Be selective about the key points you feature
• Keep the information brief about anything else
• Present it carefully

And remember, the more you include the less impact each point will have.

Sales Byte No 30 : Don't have a phone conversation if you want an appointment

Do you ever find that you cold call a prospect, have a great phone conversation ... and that's as far as it ever gets. Furthermore, all you actually wanted from the call was an appointment.

There is a moral in the story.

The more you cover in a phone conversation the less there will be to cover in a meeting - rendering the meeting pointless. If it is important to get in front of your prospect to pitch effectively - ask for an appointment, and justify the request. Don't deviate. The more you try to talk your way into an appointment the more likely you are to talk yourself out of it. It is, of course, important to differentiate between the phone calls you make to ask for an appointment and those that you make to gather information (qualifying calls). Don't inadvertently allow a qualifying call to turn into a sales pitch.

My tip is this - if it is important to pitch your business face to face, ask for the opportunity to do so. Don't settle for a phone conversation.

Sales Byte No 29 : Hunter or Farmer? 

As a sales person are you a hunter or a farmer? There is quite a difference between the two.

Farmers tend to be continually active ensuring their customers are satisfied, building relationships, looking for opportunities etc. Farmers often get involved in a lot of plate spinning!

Hunters, on the other hand, tend to have less frenetic to-do lists - but those actions that are on them will be high impact. Hunters need to be highly focused and avoid distractions. The mistake some make is to believe that in order to sell they must do something, therefore, if they do something they will sell. Those people just become busy fools. Good hunters are busy - but not busy fools!

There are of course people, and this includes senior managers and business owners, who have to do both. My observation is that they tend to favour one, but are able to turn their hand to the other.

My tip is this - know what you are, play to your strengths, and plan accordingly.

Sales Byte No 28 "Getting to See Them, When They Don't Want to See You"

When people are making a considered purchase they probably have in mind what they want to buy, and how. If you are selling you may find that you can get to see them at this time to make your pitch. However, if your product or service doesn't fit what they have in mind you probably won't make the sale, even if it is right for them.

In order to influence them you need to be pitching before this point, but - and here is the rub - they probably won't want to see you any earlier. Why would they? They are quite happy with what they have! Furthermore, you can't be too pushy, that would influence them against you.

So, my tip is, consider very carefully what your sales process should be:

1. Is it appropriate to start to build relationships early on? If so, how can you do this?
2. How can you make sure that you are "on your prospect's RADAR" at the very earliest relevant moment?

Neither of these is necessarily straightforward - there are no easy answers. But getting it right can give you significant competitive edge!

Sales Byte No 27 "Pay Attention!!"

Do you ever find that you finally get through on the phone to someone that you have been trying to reach for some time - and your mind starts to wander?

Perhaps your mind is so full of all the implications of the call that your brain is racing ahead. Or perhaps you have attempted the call so many times already that getting through has taken you completely by surprise. Or maybe they have taken you unawares by returning your call.

Either way it is really important to focus on the call and listen to what the other person is saying.

My tip is this - close your eyes and put one hand over them. I find that this works for me. It completely eliminates visual distractions, both hands are busy (with the other holding the phone) and the only thing going on in my head is the conversation that is taking place.

Remembering to do this has, on occasion, rescued me from fouling up some potentially valuable calls!!

Sales Byte No 26 : "If it's OK to write badly, is it alright to present badly?"

The last Sales Byte explored the relevance of writing badly. This time the question is "is it alright to present badly?" The answer must be a resounding "absolutely not"!

So why ask the question? Research has been undertaken into what makes people warm to a presenter. The key is being enthusiastic and relaxed. Slickness does not feature.

My point is that many people are fixated by rehearsing a presentation until they are word perfect. Don't worry. Not only is this is not necessary - it is positively counter-productive. Providing you know what you are presenting, and importantly, are relaxed and enthusiastic, the odd little stumble will only add to the honesty of your presentation. Obviously, if the thing is a complete mess you will lose your audience.

My tip is, practice your presentation enough to be comfortable, but keep it fresh.

Sales Byte No 25 : "It's OK to write badly"

In fact it, not only is it OK to write badly, it can be a positively good thing.

Actually, if you have a really important piece to write you will want to produce the absolute best that you can. However, it is very difficult to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) and start writing really well. After a while it will begin to flow. It's only then that you start to produce your best work. In due course, you can go back to the early material and do it again.

The point is, I find that if I don't start off by writing badly I will never get going at all! I have to accept that I will discard all the early stuff, and just remind myself that it is all part of the creative process.

Sales Byte No 24 : "Opportunity, Fear or Pain?

Do you sometimes feel frustrated that your prospect just won't make the decision to buy? This could be particularly when you are trying to sell something that is obviously good for them. If so, are you trying to close the sale by emphasising the:

• Opportunity to be gained by buying
• Fear of the consequences of not buying

Well, research shows that the strongest motivator for people to make the decision to buy is not opportunity or fear - but pain! This often applies even if pain is only a secondary issue!

My tip, therefore, is this. In order to close the deal, even if the primary element in the sale is opportunity or fear, look for the way in which your proposition will remove pain.

Sales Byte No 23 : "Listen! Do you want know a secret?"

You may have a ratio of two ears to one mouth, but I reckon that listening is at least three times as difficult as talking.

Why? Because, in a sales situation, you are trying to:

• Absorb what the other person is saying
• Record it for future reference
• Think of what to say next

... and, to compound the difficulty, the real nuggets are often what is not said, or is merely hinted at by a little aside. How then do you listen out for these when you are so busy doing all those other things? Personally I find that if I stop trying to think of what to say next the conversation improves enormously, and I become much better at tuning in to those real nuggets.

So my tip is, listen for these, probe a bit more, and, to paraphrase The Beatles and Billy J Kramer & The Dakotas, you might get to know some secrets!

Sales Byte No 22 "Wannabe"

Most average sales people ask their prospects what they want - and in return they get a description of requirements for their product or service. In other words, a specification.

But does this unearth what their prospect really wants? It identifies the input required - but not necessarily the outcome desired. And it is the outcome that drives the buying decision.

So, really, really good sales people ask what result their prospect wants. And this usually involves:

• Less pain
• Less fear
• Greater opportunity

... and, by the way, most buying decisions concern the first of these, followed by the second.

Do you say to your prospects (in the words of the Spice Girls) "tell me what you want, what you really, really want"?

Sales Byte No 21 : "A Time of Goodwill"

Well - it is that time of year again! And, although it can be difficult to get business meetings right now, it might be exactly the right time to lavish some hospitality on your best customers and prospects.

But, before you dip your hand into your pocket, it might just be worth checking that this is going to be money well spent. If you are going to further relationships and build goodwill, then it might be.

But a couple of cautionary thoughts before you do:

• If you are going to let your guest see "behind the scenes" you, or the people who work for you, may well let their guard down - and your guest may see more than is wise.
• Will the cost of entertaining result in a commensurate benefit? I vividly remember, after a great day watching rugby, followed by much rousing singing, standing with a guest waiting for the lift at Twickenham. As we waited he turned, gently swaying, towards me and said "and how long have you been working for ..." and then he named our biggest competitor!

I wish you a very merry Christmas and a most prosperous New Year!

Sales Byte No 20 : "Getting Lucky"

Many people say to me "If I get in front of the right person at the right time I stand a very good chance of making the sale". The only issue is getting there - and this takes effort, or lots of luck.

I don't believe that there is any alternative to hard work, but I do believe that there are ways of working smarter, not harder - as the maxim goes. The best way of maximising results is a well organised, structured and integrated approach.

• Getting in front of the right people - this involves market targeting, making an initial approach, delivering the right message, choosing the right routes to market, having the right support material and watching your competitors
• Being in front of the right people at the right time - this means being at the front of their mind at the moment when they are looking for the solution that you can deliver to a problem they have

"I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." - Thomas Jefferson

Sales Byte No 19 : "Do Your Last Minute Panicking Early"                                  

It is undeniably good practice to review and really think about an important proposal or tender prior to submission, or a presentation prior to delivery! This is when those little niggles come to the front of your mind (and if you don't have any little niggles perhaps you should have)!

Often though, at this stage, you are busy rushing to meet deadlines and have no time for this.

So - my tip is, set your deadline to finish the job, say, 48 hours before the actual deadline. Also set some early challenging milestones. That way you will do all that manic rushing early, and later on you will have time to make sure that you have:

• Properly addressed all the relevant points
• Really captured the essence of what your prospective customer is looking for
• Clearly communicated all the key messages

... and that you stand the best possible chance of winning the business.

Sales Byte No 18 : "Buying Signals"

Have you ever pitched to a prospect who seemed to be very critical, only to find that he ended up buying from you? If you had listened to your instinct to abandon the sale you might have lost a deal.

On the other hand, have you carried on trying to close a deal with a prospect who was continuing to listen to you, only to be frustrated that he never actually said "yes"?

These are both examples of interpreting buying signals wrongly. In the first case the prospect was probably actively working out how your proposition would work. That is a buying signal. In the second he was not actively involved. He was probably just being polite and waiting for you to finish and go away. That is not a buying signal.

The signals that come from a prospect should not necessarily be taken at face value.

My tip - look, listen, ask questions ... and decipher!

Sales Byte No 17 : "To Close or not to Close?"

Sometimes, when you are completing a sales call, you may be subject to conflicting emotions.

Part of you knows that you are not going to finalise the sale there and then, but another part of you says that that if you don't close the deal then the sale may get away from you. The problem is that this makes you feel like a "foot in the door salesman", and furthermore the rational side of you says that this is inappropriate behaviour, and may drive the sales away for good!

What can you do? What you need is a continuation of the process. In other words you want a next step that progresses the sale and requires involvement from your prospect. Not as much as signing the deal, but a definite commitment to continue - like another meeting, a visit elsewhere or an introduction to someone else. This will give you something tangible to close on. It isn't too pushy but it leaves you in control.

So, when planning the call, a good tip is to have in mind what next steps there could be. You will then be ready to ensure the continuation of the sale - and eventually to win it!

Sales Byte No 16 : "Negotiation - Game 0n!"

Have you ever arrived at that point in the sale when everything seems to get more serious? Your prospective customer is increasingly demanding more, and there might even be a procurement person involved, set on undermining the nice relationship that you have developed with your prospect.

Well ... the good news is that these are buying signals. The other news (good or bad depending on your point of view) is that negotiation is seriously underway.

So, in order to play the game well you will need to understand the rules, and to relish the challenge! The key points to remember are:                  

• You want to achieve a win-win. (It is essential to get a good deal, but it is also important for the other person to feel good too.)
• You need to be prepared. Understand what you want and what you are prepared to give away, and work out the same for your customer. Trading high value / low cost elements is good, from both points of view.
• Be prepared to walk away.

And above all - be up for it!

Sales Byte No 15 : "Death by PowerPoint"

We all know that a dull PowerPoint presentation can be a big turn-off for potential customers. But it sometimes amazingly easy to fall into the trap of delivering one. All you do is write down all the good things that you want to say about your company. Stick it on some slides with your company's logo and in your company's colours. Top and tail it for the customer. What could be easier ...?

To avoid the trap you must consider two things.

• What you say
• How you say it

How you say it - this is, of course, a huge area to tackle, and far too much to even attempt to deal with here. One tip that might help, though; prepare your presentation as if you were delivering it without slides, and use the slides simply to support your key points.

What you say - these are some simple tactics that may help.

• Start and end with what your customer wants
  • Start with a summary of what you understand your customer is looking for
  • End by re-visiting this summary and show how you have addressed each point
• Everything in between should address one (or more) of these points

... and don't forget, tell them at the beginning how the presentation is structured, and tell them where you are as you go through it.

Sales Byte No 14 : "The Warm, Cosy Glow of Relationship Building"

Many, particularly higher value, sales involve building relationships with prospective customers. Often these are governed by external circumstances, such as contract review dates. 

It is good to get an early meeting with your prospect, and to explore the potential to do business together in the future. You may well come away with a warm, cosy glow. But what if the outcome of the meeting has simply been to keep in touch? This is so often the case that "KIT" has become the shorthand for it. The euphoria of the call soon wears off - for the prospect as well as you. You find it difficult to speak to the prospect again. You have nothing new to say, you explored all the angles on the first call, and it is not time for him to go to market yet. You feel the sale is growing cold and there is nothing you can do! Damn!!  

So - two points you may find helpful:

1. Always end the call with a tangible next step, even if it is some way off, and one that involves commitment from your prospect. A date in the diary is always good.
2. Always keep at least some of your powder dry. If you can get back to your prospect with more valuable information on a hot topic for him he is more likely to be interested.

Relationship building is a continuous process, and planning a path forward is essential.

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