4 sales fundamentals for non-sales people

This sales idea covers the 4 essential sales process steps for non-sales people.
When you have a great product ready to launch, you most likely will have to go out and sell it to prospective customers. That can be a scary thought. Meeting people you have not met before who will ask questions your may not have answers to.
It can feel like being in the Dragons’ den…..
Here are 4 steps helping your sales pitch to be effective and successful.
As a process, selling a product or service when talking to a potential buyer, is quite simple:
  1. Open the conversation in such a way trust is established and permission is created for the sales person to ask relevant questions.
  2. Guide the conversation through questions that reveal the prospect’s needs and motivation.
  3. Present your solution and demonstrate how it meets your customer’s needs
  4. Agree next steps (which could be the order).

If you want to find out more about how selling works feel free to call for a chat on 07738010170 or mail me

Happy selling!

#howtosell #salesmotivation #sellingyourproduct #freesalesadvice #askingquestions

4 proven tactics unlocking your best pipeline opportunities today.

This sales tip covers 4 tactics to get sales opportunities moving again after they got stuck.

Every good sales person has great sales opportunities lined up.

However, some opportunities seem to be locked in their pipeline far too long. They are stuck in there for weeks, months and sometimes, years….

Yet, we need progress and urgency to close deals. I can help you with this today.

Invariably the reasons for these blockages lie in one or more of just 4 areas:

  • The customer’s decision making processes are unclear,
  • Customer’s requirements are not fully known,
  • The product’s cost outweighs perceived value to the customer,
  • A time line to next steps has not been clearly agreed between all parties

Here are 4 tips to unlock sales opportunities fast:

  1. Confirm the decision makers and decision making processes with your prospect
  2. Agree with your customer the problem your are resolving
  3. Ask you customer what they seek from a solution/product other than lowest possible cost
  4. Establish the time line the customer wants to follow with regard to purchase.

With the festive season around the corner, unlocking these opportunities will help making December a bumper sales month for your company improving revenue, profit and company morale. It will also help starting 2019 with a highly motivated sales team.

Feel free to read more of my posts aimed to make life easier for sales people.

If you need a bit more help, I can be of assistance at short notice. Sessions are available on site and online.

Get in touch on 07738010170 or mail gert.scholts@thebestsalescoach.co.uk

#sellingvalue #salestechniques #salesskills #salescoaching #buyingsignals #motivationallettertoteam #Training #Motivation #success #salesteammotivation

What is the most effective way to find new customers?

This sales tip is about getting referrals and recommendations.

In most sales departments there are 3 distinct functions:

  • Signing up new customers,
  • Developing existing customer relationships and
  • Retaining existing customers.

Finding new customers often means hours of prospecting on social media, long trade shows, daily cold calling, asking for referrals and knocking doors on business estates.

The good news is that all of the methods work! Here are my personal stats supporting this:

  • 100 cold calls produced 10 decent conversations and 1.5 sales
  • 21 doors knocked produced 1 sale
  • A steady 15 potential deals in my pipeline delivered signing 62% of all key UK prospects for a re seller initiative
  • My referral sourced prospects conversion rate to sale: 76%

Referrals are the way to go

My first boss showed why referrals are the most effective way to find new customers. In my case getting just 2 referrals equated to making 100 cold calls as far as the result was concerned. An easy choice……I was sold!

He also explained how getting referrals is made easy.

  1. Be pro-active and ask for them.
  2. Ask for referrals when you know your customer is emotionally and rationally very satisfied with your product/promise.
  3. Ask a specific question like; ‘Who do you know in your circle who would be happy to have a similar conversation about time and cost saving?’
  4. Aim for getting names and contact detail there and then.

Marketing can also help the company to gain referrals on an epic level. The quality might not be the same as above yet the number of referrals generated will outweigh this.

Here are a 5 tips for this

  1. Make it personal and customise the referral request process. Your customer is putting their personal reputation on the line.
  2. Let your customers know about your other products and services. They are most likely not aware.
  3. Make it as easy as possible for customers to give a referral. It should take no time at all.
  4. Reward your customers for referrals both intrinsically and extrinsically. Most of us feel good about helping others.
  5. Let your customers know how you progressed a referral they gave you. They are likely giving you more names later.

If you want to learn more about how I could help your sales team gain more referrals, feel free to mail me.

#salestips #gettingreferrals #salesteam #motivatingasalesteam #freesalesadvice #salestraining

6 practical reasons why buyers and sellers should collaborate more.

This sales tip is for sales people who want to see their customers as partners rather than customers.

Believe it or not, I used to view potential customers as adversaries. It was a cunning game of cat and mouse where we were trying to outwit each other with smart scripts, objections, objection handling, closing techniques and being illusive at times. In the end, this chess game resulted in win-loss, loss-win, loss-loss and at times win-win. But I was doing fine and earned good commissions.

It was not until I started to sell to companies and their purchase departments.

Professional buyers soon showed me they wanted a stable supplier relationship where product, price and availability were all key considerations.

Some companies wanted more than that and saw me as a partner helping them to grow. The relationship would be such that any potential issues were anticipated and dealt with minimising their effect.

My largest clients insisted on agreed annual account plans, implants, product innovation and smart access to Management information.

During my sales career I found 6 behaviours where buyers and sellers work well together:

1) Great sales people ask questions that deepen buyers’ understanding.

A sales person has access to product expertise and use this to be a consultant to buyers.

2) Great sales people listen to understand buyers’ requirements, preferences and concerns,

A seller is an analyst and should use this skill assisting the buyer to find the best solution.

3) Great sales people solve buyers’ problems.

Buyers have to have a thick skin. They get bombarded by end users, management and of course, sales people. A solid supplier relationship prevents many of these problems and they will prefer this.

4) Great buyers clearly articulate their requirements.

Trust lies at the basis of any new or existing relationship. For both parties this is achieved by asking smart questions and adjusting behaviour where needed. It also means making respective positions clear early on in the sales interaction. ‘We use 50,000 widgets every month, you sell them so let’s see what you can offer’

5) Great buyers share their decision making criteria.

The decision matrix can be complicated: product suitability, colour match, green credentials, cost, supply, delivery, order process, systems integration, trust and strategic fit are just some of the many considerations. A buyer who articulates priorities helps him/her self to find the best suited supplier faster.

6) Great buyers seek added value from sales people.

Sales people love a challenge! That is why they are in sales. Of course cost, discounts, and rebates are of great importance. Yet, joint forecasts, product development or sole supply status are added value requests that help to deliver a stable supplier relationship.

If you want to have better supplier-customer relationships resulting in more profit, feel free to contact me.

#purchasing #procurement #salesteammotivation #buyer #seller #salesteammanagement #tenderprocess #collaboration

Show who you are and make sales on LinkedIn


This social selling tip helps sales people to generate leads from social media

Before LinkedIn existed, I achieved my sales results by focusing on 3 areas:

  • Always meeting new people and qualifying them as prospects,
  • Sharing interesting facts and views freely with prospects including my own. I love music!
  • Be pro-active never waiting for prospects to contact me.

When using LinkedIn I focus on the same 3 areas

  • Always building my network,
  • Sharing information that I believe my connections find useful or interesting. I love playing keyboards
  • Be pro-active and reach out to people.

Little has changed but social networking has given an additional sales channel.

As a sales person, I continually fill my sales funnel with fresh prospects. It would be great if all of those prospects would knock on my door, called me or emailed me. They don’t so I need many more in my sales funnel than the number of sales required.

Once they are in my sales funnel I have to qualify my prospects. Some are in the market today, others next year and some never. By building a relationship sharing information about me, ideas and asking questions I find out who is ready to buy soon.

And once they are in the market I stay in close touch, agree next steps and achieve sales.

My simple advice is that, if you want to make sales from LinkedIn, make plenty of new connections ( LI allows up to 30,000!), share interesting information and be pro-active. And, most importantly share information about you as a person too. It is social after all.

Want to know more about selling methods old and new, feel free to contact me and more new sales are just a few calls away. 07738010170

#bestsalescoach #salesteammotivation #salesteamorganisation #salesteammanagement #musicandsales

How to get passed a gatekeeper by simply asking for help.

This sales tip helps sales people winning useful cooperation from a gate keeper.

We all know about the potential chalIenges getting through to the right person in a new prospect situation. It is not uncommon we find it tricky to get passed reception, Executive Assistants or even the Sales desk. And if you do not have the name of the person to speak to, a friendly yet firm ‘no’ is the answer. Gate keepers are trained to let the right calls through but stop time wasters. It is key to be relevant.

Here is an alternative approach that works for me.

I experience most people will respond positively to a genuine information request, especially gate keepers who a trained to be of service.

As always, do not worry about the outcome of the call. Just focus on the person you are speaking with. Some suggested words:

Good morning,
I hope you can help me….
My name is Gert Scholts from TBSC. I am conducting market research for my company in E commerce.. We currently work with companies like X and Y who are in the same field like you.
Who would be the appropriate person to speak to with regards to (company name) E commerce plans?
Thank you very much. Would he/she be available now for a few questions?

If the person is not available do not worry. Just ask for a suitable time to call back or ask for their extension number/email address. Get the name of person you just spoke to for future use and thank them for their help.)

This is very simple approach, yet it will set you apart and gets results.

Here is a simple tip: Use you first and surname. This powers up your credentials. You are researching this company to check out if they are a suitable prospect.

Why not try it today…..

If you want to know more about effective selling methods, or have your own approaches you want to refine, feel free to get in touch.

gert.scholts@thebestsalescoach.co.uk

07738010170

Bonus tip: If your call is answered by the option 1,2,3 etc voice, always go for the accounts option. People in accounts are generrally very helpful.

#askingquestions #salestechniques #merchantservices #salesskills #winning #salesteammotivation

Merchant Services: Selling value instead of rates

This sales tip is aimed a sales people who sell payment solutions yet the idea relate to many other sales people too.

Have you heard this before:

‘Businesses taking online or in-store card payments look for a payments provider that offers the lowest transaction rates and charges. It is all about price!’

And when sales people approach a potential customer, they believe the only way to get a follow up meeting or sale is to quote the lowest possible rates (and perhaps even below those)

My experience is businesses seek a payments provider that offers them best value for money. Smart negotiators may give the sales person the impression it is all about rates, yet they have requirements beyond pricing.

It is the sales person’s job to strike a relationship that allows for these requirements to be articulated.

Here are just some of these possible requirements other than price:

  • Future proofing
  • Reduced settlement days
  • Improved authorisation rates
  • State of the art fraud detection and prevention
  • Service reliability
  • EPOS solutions
  • Fast integration
  • Foreign currency capability
  • Chargeback management
  • Amex, JCB acceptance
  • Alternative payments acceptance
  • Bespoke reporting
  • One contact for account management
  • Innovation meetings

The larger the prospective merchant, the more important it is to agree an initial meeting to fully understand these requirements.

Smaller merchants maybe more price driven yet their other requirements may become more evident when asking about their growth plans.

Merchant Services sales people are payment experts. They would sell themselves short by selling rates instead of value.

If you want your Sales teams to sell value instead of rates, feel free to contact me. 07738010170 or look here for more information

#salestraining #salestechniques #merchantservices #paymentprocessors #sellingvalue #Training #salesteammotivation #salesteammanagement

Always spot buying signals if you want to close plenty of deals

This sales tip for sales people helps you to get more sales by picking up buying signals early.

When a prospective customer is ready to make a positive decision to buy your product, they tend to signal this very clearly. Spotting these signals early is key as it will help timing that all important question: ‘Do you want to go ahead?’

Prospects will use certain words or act in predictable ways. These ‘buying signals’ can be verbal, non-verbal (body language) or specific actions.

Here are buying signals grouped by words, body movement and actions

Verbal signals

  • Saying ‘yes’ or making significant positive noises: When prospects are feeling positive about the product, they tend to be more positive and ready to decide.
  • Saying things like ‘right’ and other decision indicators: The decision to buy will leak into their language in all kinds of ways.
  • Talking about money: Seeking the best price is a clear indication of intent to buy unless it is put up as a condition to discuss your offering.
  • Asking questions: They imagine themselves using it and what it would do for them.
  • Asking about timescales: They want is as soon as possible or by a certain date so are interested in delivery, setup, learning, etc.

Body language signals

  • Showing positivity: Smiling, nodding and other signs of feeling keen.
  • Moving forward: Including leaning in or even touching you as they seek to connect with you in a more influential way.
  • Hurrying: Talking faster to get to ownership sooner.
  • Gazing at or touching the product: imagining ownership.

Action signals

  • Reading brochures: Repeated examination of information and pictures.
  • Taking measurements: Checking it will fit.
  • Playing with the product: Practicing owning it.
  • Bringing others to view it: Seeking confirmation from others in the business.

Spotting buying signals and acting on them, is key. Prospects who display some of the above simultaneously, are ready to make a positive decision.

On the other hand, aiming to close a deal too early, can have an adverse effect. Doing so will typically take you back one step or more in the selling process.

Want to know more about sales techniques and become the best version of you, feel free to contact me. gert.scholts@thebestsalescoach.co.uk

#buyingsignals #salestechniques #bestsalescoach #salestraining #salescoaching #salesteammanagement #salesteammotivation

Words to inspire others

This sales tip is aimed to motivate sales people hitting a brick wall.

When one of your newer team mates feel a little down because they did not achieve what they set out to do, reach out and let them know you care. Let them know you too went through these stages in your sales career yet never gave up. Perhaps share the below with them and inspire them to do better next month.

Don’t Quit

When things go wrong as they sometimes will, When the road you’re trudging seems all up hill,

When the funds are low and the debts are high And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,

When care is pressing you down a bit, Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.

Life is strange with its twists and turns As every one of us sometimes learns

And many a failure comes about When he might have won had he stuck it out;

Don’t give up though the pace seems slow You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,

And you never can tell just how close you are, It may be near when it seems so far;

So stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit It’s when things seem worst that you must not quit.

By John Greenleaf Whittier

The days of pushing a prospect are over

This sales tip is for sales people whose success ratios have started to reduce in the past 2 years. Their traditional way of selling may need a re-fresh

The days of pushing a customer into buying your product are over. Today’s customer is better informed than ever. They research you and your company long before they meet you. They are likely to know about your competitors too. It is quite possible they have made a decision to buy your product if the overall proposition is right. So stop pushing your customers around. They do not want it, will turn you down and go elsewhere.

Instead, seek gaining agreement to proceed for a purchase. You and the customer are actually on the same side. They need a solution and you want to sell it to them. The need help and you want to support them. The seek a thinking supplier and you want to be their trusted adviser.

Here are 3 examples how the old ‘push’ method has now changed in permission based selling:

1) Push: “What I would like to do today, is find out about your company and see how our products will help you”

Permission selling: “What would be a good outcome for you from our time today?

2) Push: “Most companies buy our product for one of three reasons. Cost savings, convenience or innovation. Which of these applies most to you? “

Permission selling: “Would it be useful to explore the options available to address the supply issues you described?

3) Push: “I would like to provide you with a quote and come back next week”

Permission selling: “What do you see as a good next step to take from here?”

I work with plenty of sales people who made the changes above. Their telling style has moved to one where they ask questions, explore the issues and options to progress.

Sales have taken off.

All it took was confidence and perhaps some encouragement mostly from their sales coach…

If you like sales tips like these and would like to receive more, feel free to join the mailing list

#permissionbasedselling #salescoaching