Track Selling Times: The Voice of the Sales Profession

Track Selling Times - September, 1999

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Track Selling Times
The Voice of the Sales Profession
Issue No. 118
September 1, 1999
Published by Max Sacks International,
Home of 100% Guaranteed World Class Sales Training, and
Developers of the Track Selling System™.
Author/Editor: Roy Chitwood, President, MSI
Archives of this Newsletter are available at
http://www.maxsacks.com/newsletter.html

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In this issue:
Feature:

" Proposals and the Multiplex Sales Cycle "
by Roy E. Chitwood, CSP, CSE

Sections:

"Rebuilding Your Reputation, by Tony Rigato"

"Mastering the Buying Motives by Bob Bowker"

Focus on the Professional: Gerri Knilans
Ask Roy
Survey Newsletter Archives

"Proposals and the Multiplex Sales Cycle"
by Roy E. Chitwood, CSP, CSE

Multiplex sales cycles involve big dollars, long time periods and multiple decision makers. In these situations, the salesperson operates like an orchestra leader, marshaling the broad range of company resources in order to effect the sale.

But what do you do, when in the early stages of such a cycle, you are asked for a proposal?

Here are some tips about proposals that might help you steer clear of some of their pitfalls.

1. Companies rarely buy from proposals.

Rather, the proposal is normally used to document a decision that has already been made.

2. Don't offer a prognosis until after you've done a thorough diagnosis.

In most cases when people ask you for a proposal, your correct response should be, "For what?"

If the client asks for a proposal before a presentation has taken place, diplomatically request an audience to discover exact needs in order to draw up an accurate proposal. Otherwise, you are stalled at the second step of the sales process (qualification) and the chances of success are minimal.

3. Use the proposal to document the sale.

At Max Sacks, we send few proposals, though many times we are required to submit one.

For one utility company, for instance, we used this approach. Our proposal highlighted one area where our bid exceeded the needs of the client. As the client had already been convinced in the presentation that our training was what they wanted, he contacted me, explained the area he was concerned about and we adjusted our training program accordingly. Had this proposal been submitted without a thorough in-person presentation which obtained an agreement on their needs, we would have lost the sale.

In summary, independent proposals are extremely weak sales vehicles. They do have their place, though, in the multiplex sales cycle as a means of documenting the sale, provided they are preceded by all the steps of the sales process.

Integrity Pays:
"Rebuilding Your Reputation"

Tony Rigato is the owner of People, Products and Ideas International, of Denver, CO. A few years ago, Tony bought a company that produced pneumatic slides used in welding automotive assemblies. Along with it, he inherited a serious reputation problem.

"When we began to sell the product, we discovered that one of the Big Three had recommended that it was not to be used in any of its plants."

- What did you do?

"The previous owner had outsourced product assembly, leading to poor quality. We brought everything inside and re-engineered it to make the tolerances tighter. It took six months to repair the pneumatic slides technically and eighteen to restore our good name."

- How exactly did you accomplish that?

"With product quality assured, we established a program of attractive pricing, backed by excellent customer service. At the same time, I became acquainted with the Track Selling System which helped enormously due to its foundation of high integrity."

- Can you give an example of how you used it to rebuild your reputation?

"I scheduled a presentation with the automotive manufacturer who had previously turned us down because of poor quality. Beforehand, they made it clear that our products were unacceptable, but I went anyway. I took them through the steps of the Track Selling System, carefully discovering their exact needs, as well as the problems they'd had with our pneumatic slides in the past. I was totally upfront about the situation, admitted to the flaws and detailed the steps we'd taken to correct them. Additionally, I explained the company's restructuring and how we were now more able to fulfill their requirements. When I'd finished, they again said no."

- What happened?

"Next day, they called up and said it had been the best presentation they'd ever had as no one had ever seriously asked what THEY wanted. As a result, they now use our pneumatic slides in several car programs. By taking care of technical quality and effectively repairing our reputation, sales moved from under a million to over two million annually."

Tony Rigato can be contacted at tonyro@ppi-world.net.

World Class Sales Management:
"Mastering the Buying Motives "
By Bob Bowker Assistant Regional Sales Manager
Forest Lawn Memorial-Parks and Mortuaries

I've been in sales for over twenty years and currently have 30 salespeople under my supervision. Any new salesperson we hire first spends a week in class learning our products and services, as well as the Track Selling System. This has proven a particularly successful formula for us as the new recruits arrive on the job enthusiastic and raring to go.

As a means of reinforcement, we often discuss the Track Selling System during sales meetings. This helps to keep the sales process fresh in the minds of our salespeople. Otherwise, within a few months, most have forgotten all that they learned in their first week.

I'm particularly fond of the buying motives (desire for gain, fear of loss, comfort and convenience, security and protection, pride of ownership, satisfaction of emotion).

I refer to them constantly as a tool in resolving sales difficulties. Here's how it works. One buyer might be most concerned with fear of monetary loss with regard to a memorial property. For example, by not buying in advance, it will cost a lot more in the future.

Another prospect might focus on security and protection. If so, we would cover the fact that we are a reputable firm, we've been in business a long time and our properties will always be maintained to the highest standards. We might also mention that we have the largest endowment care fund in California.

Review of the buying motives makes quite a difference. Once our salespeople understand the buying motives and can match them to the prospect, sales tend to increase significantly.

Bob Bowker can be contacted at bowkfam@earthlink.net.

Focus on the Professional - Gerri Knilans

Gerri Knilans is President of Trade Press Services, a Thousand Oaks, CA-based publicity agency specializing in obtaining editorial coverage in trade publications. She has worked in sales and marketing for almost thirty years.

- What makes longer sales cycles especially challenging?

"There are many variables involved in long sales cycles such as the number of decision makers, the price point of the product/service and the timing of fund availability. In addition, when you do business via phone, fax, e-mail and the Internet, you miss out on the rapport-building strength of the face-to-face sales. Therefore you must rely mainly on one-sided, rather than interactive, communication."

- How do you manage the long sales cycle?

"We rely primarily on our database, as well as thorough contact notes. We also send reprints of articles we write to our prospects and customers four times per year. Additionally, we exhibit at select trade shows, giving us the opportunity to meet prospects, which makes the follow up more natural."

- How does the Track Selling System fit in?

"I find the distinction between benefits and features invaluable. By applying this I can shorten the sales cycle. For instance, we changed our opening from 'We write and place feature stories in trade magazines for clients' to 'We help clients become recognized leaders in their industry by getting them well-placed editorial coverage in correctly targeted trade magazines.' By focusing on benefits rather than features, our services quickly become real to prospects."

- What are the results?

"Over the past three years, we have grown by a factor of four. Each year, we now write and place around 200 magazine articles, ranging from high-tech and engineering to financial services and health care."

Gerri Knilans can be contacted at tradepress@earthlink.net.

Ask Roy

Anwar Farouki from Massillon, OH, asks,

How do I get around people telling me to either send them some information or send in a proposal?

Roy's Answer:

"In order to know the right materials to send or what to include in the proposal, I need to understand your company and your needs."

Track Selling System

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