Use the word “yes and” instead of the words “yes but”. As soon as someone hears the phrase “yes but”, they get their backs up. Those two words sound confrontational. Intimidating. You are about to challenge them. Contradict them. Their defenses are immediately constructed. Does something a prospect said need to be challenged? Use the words “yes and” instead. For example, a client says they require 5 years of experience but you’ve only been in business for 3 years. You can say “yes it’s important to be in business for 5 years and it’s also important to have the right expertise.” You just opened the door to talk about your expertise, downplaying your lack of experience. The prospect isn’t intimidated by your challenging him or her. Use the words “yes and” to convey to your prospect you are in agreement AND you have more expertise to share.

Do something different. If you are getting a less than desired result by doing the same thing time after time, do something different. Change something in your approach to prospects. Ask a different question than you usually do. Try a new approach on one group of prospects and another new approach on another group of prospects. Which approach has better results? Don’t worry about the success of your change. Change in and of itself may be all your selling needs. It may boost your confidence or give you excitement about selling again. Do something different – something is certainly going to change.

Be curious when the prospect says something you don’t understand. Many salespeople say “I don’t know” when they are asked why a prospect responded in a certain way. “I don’t know” doesn’t close deals. In fact, saying “I don’t know” about something a prospect has said is an excellent way to lose a deal. Your prospect has a real pain deep in their mind. Something frustrates them like nothing else does. You have to find what that real pain is. Unfortunately, the prospect isn’t going to say “Here is my real pain.” They are going to hide it from you – either deliberately or subconsciously (perhaps because they don’t know what it is themselves). You have to be curious. You have to ask questions. If a prospect says something odd, that’s an open door to explore deeper into their thought process. You explore by being curious. Ask questions. Find why on earth they just said the thing they said. Curiosity is the first step to asking the right question to get you to the real pain.

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.