 Track Selling Times - February, 2001
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Track Selling Times
The Voice of the Sales Profession
Issue No.135
February 1, 2001
Published by Max Sacks International,
Home of 100% Guaranteed World Class Sales Training
Developers of the Track Selling System™.
Author/Editor: Roy Chitwood, President, MSI
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Feature:
"
Mastering the 60 second presentation"
by Roy E. Chitwood, CSP, CSE
-Do you have a 60-second presentation prepared for those times when a prospect simply appears? Learn how to construct a presentation that makes the most of every crucial second and inspires action.
Sections:
Newsletter Archives
"Mastering the 60 second presentation
by Roy E. Chitwood, CSP, CSE |
Any veteran salesperson can share scores of experiences where they've pursued a prospect for months, even years, expending all their creative energy to get just an appointment, only to be let down with the prospect's decision not to buy. And if he can't, he's likely not a successful salesperson as rejection is a fact of selling. Fortunately, unpredictable timing can often be better than impeccable planning and your preparation for such opportunities is the focus of this feature.
With how many prospective clients have you spent much time and effort pursuing each to no avail while others have just appeared without effort? How prepared have you been for such opportunities?
I'll quickly run through an example of how I would respond to such a scenario and the preparation I would make.
Say you're in a downtown high rise in any major city. Upon entering the elevator, you strike up a conversation with a gentleman. You asked the man if he works in the building to which he replies, "Yes." You then comment on the great view available that day and then casually ask the man what business he's in. The man tells you and you can't believe what you're hearing as his company is in one of your biggest market niches. So you comment on what a great industry it is and mention how your company has helped several companies within this industry to increase sales and profits, etc. Intrigued, the man comments that he's the president of the company and asks, "How do you do this?"
Realizing that this gentleman is a decision-maker but also knowing that he's desiring a brief, and to the point reply, it's time to make a brief presentation that you've role played hundreds of times for unplanned opportunities like this.
It consists of three parts and a hook and I encourage you to have one similar in structure and length prepared for your moments of opportunity.
- The first part is the top tier message of your company.
It asks, "Who are you?" In this situation, I would tell the gentleman, "My name is Roy Chitwood and I'm with Max Sacks International, a strategic sales consulting company."
- The second part is the second tier message of your company.
It answers, "What you do?" I would continue, "We take the mystery out of selling. Your manufacturing manager can probably tell you how many widgets she will manufacture today. Your accounting manager will probably be able to tell you how many accounting transactions his department will process today. It is highly unlikely that your Vice President of Sales can tell you how many sales her staff will generate today."
- The third part is the third tier message of your company.
It answers, "How do you do it?" Finally, I would say, "Why is that? Because your manufacturing department has a process. Your accounting department has a process. However most times, sales are left to happenstance. That doesn't make sense."
- The final part, the 'hook', is a teaser and call for action.
Accordingly, I would conclude, "Bottom line: we've proven that we can help most any company increase sales a minimum of 25%, often times much more. Guaranteed. If I can show you a proven way to increase your company's sales 25%, or more, in the next six months, can you think of any reason why we shouldn't set up an appointment?" After listening to his reply, I would ask for his business card and contact him per his request.
Sales situations such as these are atypical so when they occur, resist your tendency to begin asking questions, digging for information or trying to gauge interest. Remember one of the fundamental principles of selling: people buy emotionally and then justify the purchase logically. (In the example I shared, 'buy' translates into a scheduled appointment). When such opportunities just appear, you literally have 60 seconds (at most) to peak your prospects interest to a level that creates action. Your objective in such instances isn't to make a sale. It's to get an appointment.
No one has more eloquently revealed the effectiveness of the 'hook' and the importance of its timing than Mark Twain. After attending church and hearing a missionary speak one Sunday, Twain emphasized knowing when to stop after you have dropped the 'hook'. He wrote:
"He was the most eloquent orator I ever listened to. He painted the benighted condition of the heathen so clearly, that my deepest passion was aroused. I resolved to break a lifelong habit, and contribute a dollar to teach the gospel to my benighted brethren. As the speaker proceeded, I decided to make it five dollars. And then, ten. Finally, I knew it to be my duty to give to the cause all the cash I had with me - twenty dollars. The pleading of the orator wrought upon me still further, and I decided not only to give all the cash I had with me, but to borrow twenty dollars from my friend, who sat at my side. That was the time to take up the collection.
However, the speaker proceeded, and I finally dropped off to sleep. When the usher awoke me with the collection plate, I not only refused to contribute, but I'm ashamed to state, that I actually stole fifteen cents."
Integrity Pays:
"Three levels of integrity are essential
to become a sales professional"
by Gail Gibson
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Gail Gibson has more than 20 years of sales experience in the staffing and executive development industries. She is a salesperson with Management Action Programs, Inc. (MAP) which was founded in 1960 and is based in Sherman Oaks, Calif. MAP has developed, tested, and applied systems and methods to enhance management effectiveness leading to increased profitability, productivity and stakeholder value.
To learn more, please call Gail at (818) 380-1177 ext. 235, email her at gibsongirl1@earthlink.net or visit www.mapconsulting.com.
"I take integrity to such heart that's it's difficult to think of times that I've compromised it during my professional life. This is because I adhere to the three levels of integrity that I believe every salesperson must honor. If she breaches any, her professionalism and professional worth are compromised.
The first level is client integrity. You must have open and honest communication with your client at all times and be courageous enough to demand the same. To me, integrity is questioned when you're having to shower a client with too many kickbacks, gifts and concessions. I experienced a perfect example of this several year's back while in the temporary technical staffing industry. I had a client who was known for demanding favors to win his business and many obliged, including my superiors. On one occasion we took the client to dinner at The Palm restaurant in Southern California. He ordered the most expensive lobster dinner - and another to go. On a different night, he ordered a glass of his favorite wine from the menu and then said that he would like a case of it sent to his work. Sure enough, my boss sent a case the next day.
I quickly learned this wasn't how I was going to conduct business and when similar situations arose with other clients, I began sharing my own definition of integrity. At times when a client requested some type of kickback, I would honor my own value system by being her protector. I would tell her that I wouldn't jeopardize her job by violating company and/or ethical guidelines. I would say that it was my obligation to protect her because if I didn't, she would lose in the long run. I've known too many people who've lost too much, including entire careers. Most of the time, the clients would agree and say aloud, 'What was I thinking?' And for the few who didn't, we parted ways.
The second level is integrity between the salespeople you work with. Much as you do with clients, I believe it's important to build relationships with your colleagues. You do so by protecting their assets (not raiding their clients, calling on their accounts, etc.) and speaking highly of them if you do come in contact with any of their clients or prospects.
And the third level is simply building up your company rather than tearing your competitors down. If you're good, this should be easy. For those who commonly bad-mouth their competition, they would be wise to consider a trend I've realized: typically, if there's bad press about your competition, people tend to attach it to the industry as a whole and view all companies similarly. Combat this tendency by highlighting your company's strengths rather than dwelling on your competitor's weaknesses."
World Class Sales Management:
"Sales manager turned salesperson
shares keys to managerial success"
by Chris Redner
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Chris Redner is a salesperson for HALO, the leading business-to-business e-commerce marketer of custom branded merchandise, and is based in San Diego, Calif. He has more than 23 years of sales and sales management experience. For more information, please contact Chris at (619) 299-6833 ext. 204, e-mail chris.redner@halo.com or visit www.ha-lo.com.
"I've been in sales for over 23 years and have more than 10 years of sales management experience. In fact, the reason I'm no longer a sales manager is because my salespeople became so professional and effective that a day-to-day manager was no longer necessary. (I would hope I played some small role in this but the truth is each was honest, had an open mind and was willing to learn.) I also wanted to spend more time directly helping my own client base meet their marketing objectives.
Since I've been in both the sales and management camps, I want to share what I feel are the most important aspects of sales management from both perspectives.
* Invest in training.
The absolute first key is that your people must "know the song before they start singing." If they're not thoroughly trained in product knowledge and a proven sales methodology, don't send them into the field. Doing so only creates stress, low results and high turnover. By investing in professional sales training, however, you nearly guarantee their success because it builds their confidence. Our office is the most profitable (in terms of profit ratio) office in a company with more than 800 salespeople. And it's not a coincidence that our office's salespeople are graduates of the Track Selling System workshop. Plus, an indirect benefit of the training has been the reduced turnover rate; because each salesperson in our office is successful, none has a reason to leave.
* Build the internal trust of all team members.
This is very important. In my 23 years in sales, I've never had a conflict over the ownership of an account. It's always been my philosophy that I'd rather always give away a client than try taking one. This is because we all work together and have built a very open and honest environment. We trust one another and our comradery and loyalty are stronger than the enticement of a new account.
* Make it fun.
Dr. Leila Denmark, at the time the country's oldest practicing physician, once said: 'Anything on earth you want to do is play. Anything on earth you have to do is work. Play will never kill you, work will. I never worked a day in my life.' She was 100. Work to make your sales organization open and fun, a place where people want to be. I'm not naÏve, selling is inherently stressful. What isn't inherent, however, is your reaction and your team's reaction. Respond positively and you may well live to be 100 never having worked a day in your life."
Focus on the Professional -
"Brian Harris "
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Brian Harris is a salesperson at San Rafael, Calif., based SmartPartner.com, Inc., the Web's first objective resource for managing and lowering the costs of communications products and services from best-of-brand suppliers. Prior to joining SmartPartner.com, Brian was a salesperson for Nextel. For more information, please contact Brian at (800) 559-1040, e-mail bharris@smartpartner.com or visit www.smartpartner.com.
What does your company do for its clients?
We do three things: first, we're your telecom manager. We organize all of your telecom (phone line, fax, Internet connection, wireless, etc.) into one place; second, we optimize your services (our analysts routinely analyze your telecom and make recommendations accordingly. We offer truly unbiased information as we're independent, unlike most others who are a reseller's.); and third, we provide ongoing management of the account - you'll work with many of the same people over a long period of time.
What was your level of sales experience prior to attending the Track Selling System workshop?
Honestly, I was the perfect test case. I entered the workshop without any bad habits, inhibitions or negative experiences because I had never sold before; I was total rookie! I had worked in customer service and marketing at Nextel prior to joining the sales team and upon joining, was immediately enrolled in the workshop. I'm living proof that with proper training and a quality product or service, anyone can succeed at sales regardless of experience or background. In fact, during 1998, I ended the year at 174% of quota.
What has been your biggest learning experience from completing the workshop?
For me, one thing stands out more than any other: the system is transferable and applicable to any product or service you sell. I had to transfer my Nextel service into SmartPartner.com solutions. The transition was seamless allowing me to hit the ground running.
How lasting has the training been?
Very. I've taped the laminated Track Selling System card to my dashboard and review before every call. I have the Track Selling System coaster on my desk and review it before, during and after every phone call. And I'm at point where I can't think about selling without considering the Track Selling System.
Here's a specific example regarding the effectiveness and life span of the training. Last summer, more than four years after completing the workshop, a senior level person at my former company accompanied me on a sales call. I began our presentation and he almost immediately dove in and started talking about the features and benefits of our product. This was understandable as he wasn't in the field much and many people, like him, have a tendency to 'tell', not 'sell'.
So I politely stopped him and told the prospect that we were going to back up for a moment. I said that I wanted to share with them a little bit about who we were personally and what our qualifications were for presenting to them. I did this on the fly because I had internalized step one of the Track Selling System: Approach. For it's in this step that the prospect makes a decision about the salesperson's judgment and integrity. If the judgment is negative, the sales cycle comes to a halt. While driving back to the office, I pointed to the Track Selling System card on my dash and showed him where we were when I interrupted him. I applauded him for his conviction in our offering but revealed that we were in step four: Sell the Company. He immediately realized the error in this and agreed with my decision to back up.
Book Review -
Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service
By Ken Blanchard
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Ken Blanchard is one of the most widely known, and widely effective, business authors in the past 25 years. In Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service, the author of The One-Minute Manager addresses the depths to which customer service expectations and execution have sunk.
Blanchard's premise is that customer service has become so bad - and often times, non-existent - that customers now know poor service to be the norm while businesses haven't a clue as to what good, let alone excellent, customer service is. He contends that customers only tolerate this poor service because they know nothing else, yet they have no true loyalty to a particular company. The positive irony is that because service has become so poor, however, it's easy to turn customers into 'raving fans' by implementing a planned, conscientious approach to customer service that caters to customers.
Blanchard, unlike many authors, knows when to quit diagnosing the problem and begin offering solutions. That he does in a simple yet highly effective manner by detailing three steps aimed at achieving service excellence. The steps include imagining perfection, testing this perfection with customers and then planning for ongoing improvement.
First published in 1993, Raving Fans is even more valuable now considering the slippery slope customer service levels have traveled the past decade. It's a short, easy and enjoyable read that can have a major impact on the success of any business.
| Ask Roy
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Rich Jacobson of Lexington, Kentucky asks:
"I'm new to sales and am not closing many deals. What is the easiest way for me to increase sales immediately?"
Roy's Answer:
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Closing sales is without question the single greatest reason our company exists. Despite our realizations throughout our 40-plus years of experience that the actual closing step is no more important than any other step in the sales process, it's the prime impetus for our clients using our services. In fact, we believe 75% of the sale is actually made during steps one and two: Approach and Qualification.
Why? Because you should be spending the majority of your time building rapport with your prospect and understanding her needs. That aside, the shortest, most honest answer I can give to your question is this: Ask for the order! Again, just ask for the order. Research shows us that 62% of the time, the salesperson doesn't ask for the order, even once. Don't fool yourself. If you don't ask for the order, you're only presenting, not selling. If you ask for the order every time you believe you have a qualified prospect, you're sales will increase. And if you repeatedly ask after he objects to your close (after citing new features and benefits), your sales will skyrocket.
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(For more information on a guaranteed process for closing sales, please call us at (800) 488-4629.
| Reader Survey
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1. What do you think of Track Selling Times?
2. What else would you like to see included?
3. If you have sales questions for Roy, or know of a salesperson, sales manager or integrity story that should be featured in Track Selling Times, mail it
to:
The Editor, Track Selling Times
c/o Max Sacks International
2442 NW Market Street #409
Seattle
WA 98107
Tel: (206) 706-4119 Fax: (206) 706-5359
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Our products and services help our clients increase sales, improve profit
margins, reduce sales cycles and build stronger partnerships with their
customers.
To learn more about our Track Selling System and how we can help you, please call (800) 488-4629.
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