Act the same way on every sales call. The optimal salesperson knows the most effective process to close deals. They know they need to do sales steps A, B, C, and D, in that order, every time. Consistency. No exceptions. The moment you begin to allow exceptions is the moment your process falls apart. You don’t think you need to do step B for a particular prospect? You are likely to think you don’t need step B for the next prospect either. Or the prospect after that. Your entire sales process will break down. Therefore, it is essential that you act the same way on every sales call, regardless of the uniqueness of a particular sales opportunity. Act the same way on every sales call.

Do you have 5 minutes to talk today?  You have a relationship with a prospect.  You’ve had previous conversations.  However, it’s been so difficult to get them on the phone.  They are continuously busy.  Perhaps they are busy because they think they need to find a 30 or 60 minute time slot.  There just isn’t time for that.  However, they could find 5 minutes in their day.  Your 5 minute phone call might be just the break your prospect needs today from a project they are working on.  Send them an email with “do you have 5 minutes to talk today?” as the subject line.  Try it as a text.  You have nothing to lose and an appointment to gain.  Do you have 5 minutes to talk today?

Don’t trade what you want the most for what you want now.  As human beings, we have two kinds of goals – short-term and long-term.  In the short-term, we may want money to pay this month’s bills.  In the long-term, we may want to retire to a home on the beach near our favorite golf course.  Typically, short-term goals require less effort than long-term goals.  We may need to close 5 new deals each month to pay our bills.  However, we may need to close 15 new deals each month for several years in order to purchase that dream home.  Make your focus next week your five, ten, or twenty year goals.  How can you change your sales efforts today so you can achieve your long-term goals tomorrow? Don’t trade what you want the most for what you want now.

Don’t over research in preparation for a first appointment.  Knowledge can be both wonderful and dangerous at the same time.  Of course you need to know something about the company and the person you are calling on.  The Internet provides us with websites and social media pages to give us basic information in preparation for an appointment.  However, you need to get the prospect talking.  You need them to answer questions, to tell you about their situation in their own words.  The more you research, the more you are likely to believe you don’t need to have a conversation with the prospect about their situation.  Over research can prevent you from hearing the pain a prospect has.  Too much research takes time away from prospecting and can be an excuse to not make a call. Research a prospect’s website or social media page for 1 to 2 minutes and then head into the meeting with questions prepared.  Don’t over research!

Protect your outlook. Be optimistic. You are driving down a highway and you make a wrong turn. A sense of panic sets in. You are lost! Horrible consequences are going to occur! You stop thinking confidently and soon you are making one mistaken turn after another and you end up more lost than you originally were. However, if you are confident and optimistic you say to yourself – “I’ll pull over to the side of the road. I can figure this out. I’ll be back on course in minutes.” You look at your GPS, figure out the best route to recover, and you arrive at your destination only a few minutes later. Your outlook has everything to do with the actions you subsequently take, actions that multiply and either make things much better or make things much worse. What is your outlook regarding your sales? Are you optimistic that client’s will purchase your solution? Or, are you pessimistic, conveying to your prospect through tone and body language that you are defeated? Protect your outlook. Your outlook is a multiplier.

Give your prospect homework. A prospect expects you to do your homework. You are expected to put together a proposal that clearly demonstrates why your products and services are superior to the competition. Your information is expected to be complete. You are expected to anticipate and answer all the questions the prospect may have for you. However, there is critical information needed for a successful sale that only your prospect can bring to the table. How much is in the budget for the purchase? What is the decision process? What is the timeframe for the decision and the delivery of the solution? What quantity is needed? What features are needed? How should the solution be custom-tailored? You cannot answer these questions. The prospect needs to answer them. Therefore, they have homework to do. Determine what information you need from the prospect and give them homework. Ask them for a date you can expect to have the answers. Not only will this give you the vital information you need to present your solution most favorably, it also gives you respect in the prospect’s eyes. It puts the two of you at equal footing. Give your prospect homework.

Respond to emails with a phone call. Let’s consider for a moment what a true conversation is like. People in a conversation bounce between topics and go off on tangents. They brainstorm. Thoughts are triggered and memories are shared. A conversation that began at Topic A finishes at Topic Z. Throughout the course of the conversation, voices have tone, faces have expressions, and bodies speak their own language. As a result of such interaction, the prospect may reveal another pain that your services may have a solution for. A world of opportunity can be revealed simply by getting the prospect on the phone. Emails do not offer such conversational opportunity. Emails are a way in which a sales person can avoid talking to a prospect. You cannot sell by email. The next time you receive an email from a prospect, hold off on hitting that reply button. Pick up your phone!