Salespeople worry about differentiating their product or service from that of the competition. Meanwhile, they use the same Me-centered sales process they all use. They superficially discover the need and then start talking about the things they think will differentiate their product. However, the best way to differentiate yourself is to focus on the prospect and really drill down into not only what they say they need, but why they need it. In other words, what pain do they have and what is the real issue they are trying to solve or that they worry about. The fact is that you tell more about what you know by the questions you ask than by the statements you make. So, ask questions your competition does not ask, dig deeper, challenge the prospects assumptions (gently) and they will see you as someone who is different than all the rest. Isn’t that what differentiation is all about?

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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A good relationship with the prospect is very helpful to getting the sale. However, a good relationship by itself will not win the day. A good relationship is a good start, but it is only one step in an effective sales process. We also need to know whether the prospect has a compelling reason to buy what we are selling. In addition, we need to be able to solve the prospect’s pain better than our competition can. Assuming we have that competitive advantage, the prospect has to have the money to spend on our product and they have to be willing to spend it. Then, of course, there is the decision process and the timing of the project, etc. Admittedly, a great relationship with the prospect will facilitate the other steps. For instance, they may be willing to tell you information they may not tell other competitors. You may be able to get background and context that competitors don’t get because of your relationship. But never forget that the relationship, important as it is, is only one step in the sales process.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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Sometimes looking for a new ideal client is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Imagine how hard it would be to find a needle in a haystack if you had no idea what a needle looked like. It would be an impossible task. Yet that is what the average salesperson does every day when they fail to have a clear idea of what their ideal prospect looks like. To make prospecting easier you need to describe who your ideal or target prospect is. It is not everyone who is in the market to buy what you are selling. Do you need to talk to the CEO or the Marketing manager? Are $50,000,000 companies or $5,000,000 companies in your sweet spot? What are the problems you are most likely to be successful at solving? Is there a particular geography that you are targeting? It is important to identify the target both for yourself and so that you can easily describe the target client to referral sources. This will make your referral sources more effective at finding you the right people to refer you to. And it will make your prospecting easier when you know what you are aiming at. It is equally important to identify what you are not aiming at. In other words, what does my undesirable client look like? For instance, you might decide that it no longer makes sense to deal with companies with under 40 employees. Or maybe you will no longer seek business in New Jersey due to a new regulation. Know who you are looking for and (not looking for) will make your sales life a whole lot more fun and much more profitable.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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Prospects usually have some idea what is causing the problem they need to get fixed. Most salespeople focus on getting more information about the problem and that is very important. Really weak salespeople immediately jump to discussing their solution to the problem. However, one of the most important questions you can ask is “so, what do you attribute that to?” This gives you insight into what the prospect thinks the cause of the problem is. Now, the prospect may or may not be right. But the important thing is to know what they think the cause is and hence where the solution lies. If you believe that the prospect is wrong, you can address that with more questions in the discovery phase. This tactic prevents you from proposing a solution that is off base from the prospect’s point of view and it eliminates objections before they happen. If the prospect turns out to be wrong, then you have probably differentiated yourself from your competitors. This approach is much better than coming up with a solution which you then have to defend causing you to lose credibility with the prospect.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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You can’t be something you are not, so don’t try to be. Don’t try to be charming if it is not your natural way. Don’t try to use big words if they do not come naturally to mind. Don’t fake your product knowledge. Prospects can see right through someone who is not authentic. They will not bond with someone who they view as a phony in any way. If the don’t bond with you they won’t buy from you. So today’s tip is be natural, be authentic. Be you!

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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“Have to be in it to win it” is the refrain of the ineffective salesperson. These people will waste time hoping against hope that they win. they will stay in a deal with a 1% chance of winning if they have that mentality. Elite salespeople know that getting a no is the second-best thing that can happen to them. Elite salespeople can recognize when they have little chance to win and they exit the deal when that becomes clear. This gives them plenty of time to uncover deals they have a high probability of winning. The effective salesperson knows that the less time they spend with deals they are not going to win the more time they have to find deals they will win.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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Sometimes prospects are not forthcoming with information. It can be intentional or inadvertent. Many salespeople try to “read between the lines” to get at the what the prospect really meant by what he said. This is always a bad idea. The chances for misinterpretation and confusion are great. If you are not sure what the prospect meant just ask what they meant. If you pick up a clue from their body language check it out by asking a question. For example, if they flinch when you say something you can check it out by saying “It sounds like you are not in agreement with that”. It is as simple as that.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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The best way to achieve your goals and to stay motivated is to review your goals at least weekly. Your day to day actions are based on your motivation. Your motivation is based on what goals you are trying to achieve. The more empowering the goal, the more likely you will do the things you need to do to reach the goal. BUT, this all assumes that you are constantly in touch with what the goals are. One of the easiest ways for you to defeat yourself and cause yourself not to reach the goal is to just forget about the goal. No one intends for that to happen; it just happens all too frequently. Reviewing the goals weekly keeps them on top of your mind and keeps you on the path to achieving your goals week by week, quarter by quarter and year by year.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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Don’t let what you think you know get in the way of what you need to find out. Long experience in an industry or with a product can work against you sometimes. If you have been around for a while you think you have heard it all. You the prospect starts to tell you the problem or challenge they are facing, and you immediately think “OK I know their problem, I know where this is going”, and you stop listening and start thinking of how you are going to move the sales process forward. You may have seen this problem before, but what you need to find out is how this problem is affecting this prospect from his perspective, not yours or your last customer’s. Salespeople must have the humility to truly listen to the prospect and appreciate that, although the problem may look the same as other similar situations faced in the past, this prospect’s situation and how this prospect views the problem is most likely different. Don’t problem solve while they are talking, don’t interrupt the flow of information they are giving you. Do probe a little deeper and you will uncover the nuances that exist in this situation. Bonding between you and the prospect will increase which will lead them to open up and give you more detail about the issue. You will have a better understanding of the compelling reason to buy and you just may have learned the bit of intelligence that will give you the inside track on closing this deal.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
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Your product or service has value to the prospect to the extent that it solves a problem or pain that the prospect is currently experiencing. That pain will vary over time so the length of the sales cycle of your product’s perceived value will also vary. Here are two simple examples, one for a short sales cycle and one for a long sales cycle. If I am in my auto mechanics shop and he tells me he is having a special sale this week of half off on transmission repair, I will not care very much about that if my car has been running smoothly over the last few months. Since I am not in pain I will say something like “Thanks, Fred but I am good for now.” However, if a month later my car gets stuck in park and I need to have it towed to Fred’s shop to get the transmission fixed, his service has much more value to me and I won’t be worrying about the price he will charge. At the beginning of longer cycle projects, the prospect has certain issues and questions. Your expertise will have a certain value. But over the course of 18-month sales cycle the prospect becomes more knowledgeable, the economy will change, the industry might change, and the project requirements will change. Hence the pain at the end of the cycle will be different than it was at the beginning. The optimal salesperson will stay in touch with the changes in the pain over the length of the sales cycle. This is especially true at the end of the cycle when they may change rapidly.

If you have a sales question you would like to discuss follow the link to schedule a call:
https://calendly.com/dancaramanico/callwithdan