Let's Get Specifics

Did you ever have an appointment with a prospect that you felt really went well but then after thinking about the details of the conversation you realize there wasn't much there? The prospect gave general acceptance to your product/service, but you're not sure what the next step is. Will they buy from you? Will they take your next call? That's why you need to give and get specifics during your sales calls.

Good decisions (by you and the prospect) can only be made if the facts are known. Facts live in specifics, not generalities. Many people will make good choices when faced with all the facts. However, most people won't make the effort to obtain the facts for themselves. This gives you the opportunity to educate them not just on your product but on other areas such as general market trends. If you ask good enough questions and provide relevant expertise, you can even help them better learn about their problem.

In situations where the prospect doesn't want to get to the truth, they'll give you vague answers to avoid the truth being known. Getting specifics eliminates their ability to avoid the truth. Getting specifics also builds rapport and respect by removing any presumption. It prevents the perception that the salesperson thinks they know it all.

How To Get Specifics
1. Ask questions using QACF: Question, Answer, Comment, Feedback. Be skeptical of the answer until you receive proof or can validate that the answer is the truth.
2. Use open-ended questions, leaving room for any answer. This prevents the prospect from feeling manipulated, and you'll get more detail especially when an answer isn't clear or simple.
3. Ask, "Why?" Not just once or twice -- ask until you fully understand the situation.
4. Ask questions based on their cues. If you ask deeper questions based on their answers, you'll draw out all the information.
5. At the end of your conversation, when you're talking about takeaways, be sure to clarify these three areas: what, who, and when. Don't leave saying, "Someone will get me that information, right?" Say more specifically, "Just to clarify, you said your assistant will email me that Excel spreadsheet on your 2010 long distance expenses by Wednesday next week. If I don't hear from you, I'll give you a call Thursday or Friday. If I have the information by then, I'll stop by Monday to drop off the proposal and set up a final meeting for next week. Is that correct?"

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of four leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, VertMarkets, and Howland Peterson Consulting.

Sincerity Required For Sales Success

To be a successful salesperson, you can't put on a facade. Clients will see right through you. Be who you are. Your sincerity will add credibility to what you say. Being insincere causes clients to doubt what you tell them and it makes it difficult to decipher the motivation behind your messages. People are less likely to buy from reps who are insincere. And they won't establish a long-term relationship with someone who's phony.

You do need to be able to relate to people. However, being yourself doesn't mean you have to have a similar or identical personality as your clients. To relate to your clients, they must know you just and you must know them. When they know you, they are more likely to share their true thoughts with you.

While you should "Be Yourself," keep in mind that you will need to change things about yourself. Making changes to yourself for improvement purposes is being yourself because you are still sincere. It's unprofessional to excuse your shortcomings with the excuse, "That's just the way I am. They'll have to learn to deal with it." Your clients won't like that attitude (and neither will your co-workers or your boss.)

There are times when you may need to improve on a weakness to be effective and efficient. Let's say you have a big ego. (You wouldn't be the first sales rep in world history with one.) From time-to-time, you speak to clients just to be heard -- not speaking to their agenda. If this is not improved, you will waste the time of your clients and they may eventually stop taking your calls.

Here's an example of not Being Yourself: A sales rep's natural disposition is to be emotionally reserved. The rep is in a sales slump, and they really need to close some deals by the end of this month. So on their appointments with clients, they act overly energetic and enthusiastic to try to motivate clients. The clients know this is not the rep's normal disposition. As a result, the enthusiasm the rep displays appears artificial, they don't make any sales, and they lose the trust of their clients.

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of four leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, VertMarkets, and Howland Peterson Consulting.

Are You Creating Urgency?

Creating Urgency means using whatever you can to entice the client to buy from you as soon as possible. There are two types of urgency:

1. Urgency to sign now and lock in the deal even though they can't purchase now. Reasons for this may include their budget/fiscal calendar or if they are currently locked in with another supplier and need to wait until that agreement expires. Even though you won't get the money now, creating urgency now ensures you don't lose the deal and assures their commitment to buy from you.

2. Urgency to purchase your product/services now because of a "can't miss" opportunity. For example, they will need to purchase now if they want the product by Christmas. Or they will need to purchase now to take advantage of a sale price.

By using urgency, you can shorten your sales cycle. Here are three additional benefits:
* The client can begin reaping the benefits of purchasing your product/service.
* You can increase your commission and receive it sooner.
* Your company can grow more rapidly, generating more revenue this period than last period.

Methods To Create Urgency
Direct Approach: "If you start advertising with us now, you will get exposure right before Christmas shopping starts."
Reverse Approach: This is used when the client is leaning toward not starting now. "Yeah, I can see where it would be tough for you to make that deadline date. That's too bad because your ad would have received added exposure to people who are planning their Christmas shopping."

With either approach, you must be sure the urgency tool has importance to them.

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of four leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, VertMarkets, and Howland Peterson Consulting.

Closing Time

This post won't be very long because closing on the sale isn't too complex. It's emotionally taxing, but not much of an intellectual challenge. You're asking the customer to buy from you. Here are some points on how to close on the sale:

1. Close on a positive, never a negative. Don't fight the prospect; build value before you close.

2. Create urgency for them to buy your product/services as soon as possible. For example, offer a special add-on service if they sign by a particular date.

3. Be clear and succinct when you ask for the sale, projecting confidence that this is the best thing for them. "When can we get started?" "If I send you a contract, can you sign and return it today?"

4. Summarize their accepted Value Propositions for each of their Value Opportunities, and then ask them to buy. When they say yes, begin checking details to ensure they receive the exact products/services.

The Erie Sales Club is a joint effort of four leading local businesses: Jameson Publishing, Marsha Marsh Real Estate Services, VertMarkets, and Howland Peterson Consulting.