Phoenix Training

Posts Tagged ‘Salesmanship’

Closing Skills

Posted by BillOsmond
Wednesday, August 25th, 2010

After running a couple of short workshops under the title of closing skills, I was reminded of the complexities that surround the subject and indeed the myths that appear whenever the subject is mentioned.  I often hear sales managers refer to their teams as “good but can’t close”.  I guess that means they ultimately aren’t “good”.  What is significant is that the closing skills of the sales team

are often targeted as the reason why they are not achieving great results.  This creates a knock on effect – the managers continue to put pressure on the sales team to “close, close, close”.  The result of this pressure means that the sales person focuses on what they believe to be a closing technique.  The famous sales mantra from the days of power selling springs to mind “always be closing”.  I wonder if there is any logic telling sales people to do this or is it simply an attempt effect their mentality and develop an aggressive manner when selling, only concerned with getting a result.

I suppose every sales person should be concerned with getting the result they set out to achieve.  However the problem with only worrying about closing is that the rest of your sales technique and structure will probably suffer.  Where I do agree with the “always be closing” mantra is in as much that you should always be doing something to help you close the sale.  One analogy that we discussed during the workshops was that closing should be like the closing of the barn door once you have the cow in the barn.  The point being that closing the door should be a simple task once the cow has wondered happily into the barn, because they have wanted to.  The sales person must get the client to want the product/service that they are selling and then close behind them.  If you try to close when the cow is halfway through the door it can be a tricky process!!

Cow Arzúa, Galicia)
Image via Wikipedia

So what will help you close the sale comfortably?  Firstly, have an objective.  Never go into a call or meeting with a see how it goes attitude, it makes it incredibly difficult to gain an advance or a close.  Secondly, use questions to develop a need to sell against.  Questions, when used effectively will help change the clients view of the issues and problems they are facing, heightening needs means that the client is more likely to look for a solution.  (the cow starts to move).  Thirdly, gain agreement from the client that they do have needs and recognise them.  Fourthly, when demonstrating how the product or service will help the client, make sure you gain agreement from the client that they do recognise this and are not simply nodding politely.  Finally make a clear suggestion as to what they should buy and ask for the business.  Do not ask “is that the sort of thing you’d be interested in?” or “how does that sound?” or any variation of the above.  You should have demonstrated exactly how it would help them and therefore it is question how much they should buy not whether they will buy or whether they like it!

So, always be doing something to help you close, listen for buying signals and respond quickly, using those opportunities to gain agreement and close.  Always seek to gain an advance from each call or meeting.  All of your closing should revolve around progress.  Good closing skills require all the key elements of sales structure to be used: good introduction, good questioning and need development, good use of the products features and therefore benefits and then an awareness of when to close and a confidence to do so.

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What makes a good sales person?

Posted by BillOsmond
Thursday, February 4th, 2010
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM - SEPTEMBER 30: City w...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

Having worked with many sales people over many years, I am often asked, as I was last week, “what makes a good sales person”.  I used to work in the city many years ago, straight after leaving school.  I didn’t do very well and left after about two years.  At my leaving do, one of the senior traders said to me “you’d make a good sales person”.  At the time I didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or as a way of saying, “why on earth did you think you’d be a good stockbroker!!”  His justification for this statement was that he believed I would be able to talk enthusiastically about my products and generally get on well with people.  I guess it was a form of compliment.  I now find his statement interesting because it starts to examine what people think makes a good sales person.  It also shows what people think about sales people.

Generally sales people don’t get a good press in this country.  They are often considered to be a pain.  When introducing my wife (girlfriend at the time) to some of my family years ago, she was asked what she did for a living by my cousin (I think) and she said enthusiastically that she sold advertising for a national newspaper.  “Oh,” he said, “so you are one of those annoying people that phones me all the time trying to sell me something.”  Not a great introduction to that branch of my family!  Also not true on many levels.

Salesman

Image by petesimon via Flickr

Why is it that many sales people are viewed as annoying?  I think that the first thing is that they do not sell with the client or potential client in mind.  They are totally fixed on hitting their targets and selling what they want you to buy.  This almost immediately creates a competitive flavour to the conversation.  They try to “get you to buy”.  If a sales person thinks like a buyer they will develop a far stronger relationship.  Why might they want or need to buy from you?  That is the first question a sales person could ask themselves.  Then consider how they can develop a need for the product and match the two together.  Sales people become annoying when they are constantly in contact with a potential buyer selling without considering the needs of the buyer.

It is not only the needs they do not consider.  They do not consider the buyer’s situation.  Are they busy?  Are they stressed? Knowing when to sell is an art, sales people are always told to be persistent but I would add a warning, think about your buyer and think if it is what you would want.

Talking a lot is something associated with ‘good’ sales people.  ‘Having the gift of the gab’, is often the phrase used.  I think learning when to talk is more important.  Talkative sales people are often annoying.  How many times has someone talked and talked and talked, trying to sell you something.  Less is definitely more.  Using information with relevance is one of the keys to successful selling.

Generally, sales people don’t need to talk a lot, they don’t need to be thick skinned, they don’t need to be super enthusiastic and positive.  They need to use some of all of those but they need to know when to use them.  They need to know when to talk and when to listen.  They need to do what they say they will do. Too many over enthusiastic sales people promise much and deliver little.

Some of the best sales people I have ever come across were successful because they did exactly what they said they would do.  They would call back when they said they would, they would send proposals when they said they would, and they generally left such a good impression the client would buy readily from them.  One thing these characters did not do was to over-elaborate matters.  Accuracy and dependability are vital.

So, what makes a good sales person is still a difficult one to answer.  I firmly believe that anyone can learn to sell, personality is one part of sales but is it more important than technique?  I think that a quiet personality can sell as well as a loud “talk the hind legs off a donkey” type character, if not better.  Ultimately the one thing that really makes the difference is the ability to think as the buyer would.  If you can work out what drives the buyer you are able to adapt your selling style to meet that person’s requirements on many levels which will lead to truly successful sales results.

Bill Osmond – MD of Phoenix

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We laugh, but have we done it!

Posted by admin
Tuesday, December 8th, 2009
Laughing Donkey
Image by jaxxon via Flickr

Whilst running training courses, it is always nice to have a series of anecdotes or stories to highlight key learning points.  For all the models and structures that surround a subject like sales, I often find an actual example of what a sales person has done, works really well.  It is by showing and highlighting what not to do that sales people start to see how techniques and skills can really help them.  Fortunately, sales people in all sorts of environments provide me with an endless stream of examples of “what not to do”.

Possibly one reason as to why these mistakes and errors creep in could be pressure.  As pressure grows on sales people, techniques get pushed aside and sales people start to use what I term “street sales” techniques.  These revolve around getting a sale as quickly as possible. The results can be catastrophic not only for short term business but for long term as well.  However much pressure a sales person feels that they under, they should always use solid techniques to achieve a sale.

It is not just pressure that leads to poor sales technique; over confidence can lead to some terrible mistakes.  Experienced sales people often get into routines and do not change their approach, “because it worked once”.  Poor training is a major factor as to why sales people start using random tactics.  If you are not pointed in the right direction how do you know what to use?

So what do sales people do, that in a training room one can laugh and say knowingly “I would never do that”.  All of these are true and some more disastrous than others but the common denominator being that each sales person had no idea of what they were doing in terms of damage!

  • A sales person once phoned me and asked to speak to Mr. Osborne, I politely told them it was Mr. Osmond, he said Osbourne, I said again, no Osmond, O.S.M.O.N.D, to which he replied, “yea, whatever”. That was an obvious example of someone thinking I just want to sell to you, so his brain is moving quickly to where he wants to be. Unfortunately he has let the cat out of the bag and verbalised that feeling. Lesson: get the customers name right and take your time. He now has no chance of ever selling anything to me.
  • I walked into a car showroom and told the guy I needed a bigger car because we had twins and needed more space. To cut a long story short, he showed me a Ford Galaxy and sat me in the front seat. He then proudly demonstrated the front and back parking sensors, returning to me, pronouncing that parking sensors are now standard on Galaxy’s. As a sales trainer, I felt like saying to him, “what in my conversation has led to think that I need help with my parking?” Lesson: don’t tell someone what you think is good about your product. Tell me what will help me. All I needed to know was whether my double buggy would fit in the car.
  • I was buying a digital camera for my office recently and asked the assistant for a camera that was light weight and easy to use. He got me a camera off the shelf, which fitted the bill perfectly. As I was just about to say that all seemed fine and could I buy it, he told that “the other excellent thing about this camera was that it had sepia mode and sports mode”. Now I was starting to think that I was about to pay for things that I simply did not need. Lesson: do not over sell, tell the customer only features that can be of benefit to them.
  • When I walked in a clothes shop, with two of my children, I was somewhat surprised by an assistant who greeted me with the phrase “Alright big fella” Quite an extreme example, but over-familiarity with a customer does not sell. I wanted to know where the jeans were. He thinks he’s getting on well with me. Lesson: earn the right to be familiar, by being solid and professional, you can develop a business relationship before you are their best mate.

Some are more extreme than others but these examples show how easy it is for sales people to slip into bad habits, thinking they are increasing the likelihood of making a sale.  Beware!

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It’s all in the questioning!

Posted by BillOsmond
Friday, November 27th, 2009
Questions

Image by via Flickr

One of the most important phases or sections of any sales structure is that of “questioning”.  Some structures refer to it as “probing”.  Whether it is probing or questioning, much time is spent on it and many sales people are aware of its importance but it still remains, without doubt, the area that I find most sales people get wrong.

When I mention questioning on a sales course with reasonably experienced sales people attending, they all nod and say how important it is and how they should listen and normally quote a cliché about having two ears and one mouth etc etc.  However, as soon as the role plays or practical exercises start, they seem unable to use questions to help them in any way, shape or form.  My view is that sales people misunderstand what they are trying to achieve when questioning a client.  Actually I think the word “questioning” encourages behaviour that does not help.  If you question a client it starts to move towards interrogation and this is not what the client wants.  Or the sales person asks the client questions that they already know the answer to and this does not move the client any nearer to seeking a solution.

The sales person must think what their objective is when they are in this phase of the sales process.  Once you have introduced yourself, the sales person needs to enter a conversation with the client so that by the end of it, they know exactly what their needs are and more importantly the client recognises that they have a need or a problem that needs solving.  Without questioning, not only does the sales person have no idea what the client really wants but also the client does not recognise the level of need that they have.  The main role of the sales person is to establish and grow needs within the client.  Good questioning helps the client to start thinking about what they might be able to achieve if they altered their buying process.

My advice is to listen to the client’s situation, analyse their problems and focus on what happens if those problems continue and then you will find yourself in a position where you can solve those problems.  It is much better to be seen as a problem solver than a sales person.  It is therefore vital that a sales person understands precisely the needs and problems of the client they are selling to as this enables them to match their product exactly to those needs.  If the client does not recognise that they have a need they will not buy anything.  Instead of going into a client meeting thinking about questioning them, think about having a conversation with them. By the end of it you will have a good understanding of their position, needs, problems and objectives and through a summary of those needs they will have agreed with you that that is the case, which gives the sales person something to sell against.

The key skill with questioning is patience.  Sales people are often over keen to sell which means they don’t listen and therefore do not correctly diagnose the needs of the client.  They move too quickly to an area where they can present their solutions.  When asking a question, listen to the answer and try to ask at least three questions based on the answer.  This will help you to understand the real needs or problems that the client has and not simply the “general” need.  It is all about detail!  Once you think you know what the needs of the client are, check you’ve got them right by asking the client.  “So you are looking for something that will…….?”  It is useful to use the word “something” to keep your options open.  The most important thing at this stage is to gain agreement that the client needs something to help them.  Your presentation will convince them that it is your product/service that will solve their problems.  You don’t have to mention your products when questioning the client, the focus is on them.

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Attitude & Approach – Bill Osmond

Posted by admin
Thursday, November 26th, 2009

Selling during a recession presents, without doubt, a serious challenge to most sales people.  The market is suppressed, money is tight, the media are talking everything down, customers and clients are cautious, all reflecting the reality of the situation.  Sales people cannot fail but to pick up on this negativity.  The problem for them is that still have to sell their products and services and as the pressure to sell grows, the pressure on the sales person’s technique starts to tell!

Sales managers spend a lot of time reminding their sales teams how far off the target they are, they tell them that they need to sell more!  Do they imagine that the salesperson is not one hundred per cent aware of the situation. Almost every sales person knows how far they are from their target. They are desperate to hit their targets, not only for the financial gain in terms of bonus and compensation but also for the recognition they receive both from colleagues and friends and even family.  Hitting targets is what it is all about, a sales person status depends on it.  A sales person’s motivation is more often than not success, it is not as simple as money, money is a bi-product, success leads inevitably to success because the sales person’s mind expects success.  During a recession a sales person’s mind tends to expect failure.

Approach and attitude are vital for a sales person’s success at the moment.  Sales people are often expected to be “self motivated” and when things are going well this is less of a problem.  Many of the conditions needed to maintain motivation are in place; success for one, recognition, praise, progress, engagement with clients are all of the aspects of the job that make it fun, interesting and challenging.  Challenging but not impossible.  During a recession sales are fewer and farther apart, targets are going up, the distance between success and where I am at the moment is growing.  The sales person thinks “I will never make this month’s target”.  So many of those positive conditions are replaced with negatives.

This is where the managers have to help the sales teams.  Helping them to focus on obtainable targets.  Targets such as “contact ten customers you haven’t spoken to ever/in the last two months etc”.  I have been telling sales managers to change the focus; “tell your team not to sell anything this morning”, this seemingly strange piece of advice has a purpose.  By getting your team not to sell but to find out something new about their clients, it will focus them on questioning and investigative techniques that will inevitably lead to a sale.  The point is that the focus is on strong technique and it changes the attitude and approach of the sales person.  If the sales manager puts pressure on the sales person to sell, it will change the focus to the closing aspect of the process.  In the modern environment, clients are too sophisticated to be swayed by hard selling.

Strong consultative selling will develop relationships and result in positive results.  Sales people will be encouraged by the results they see, the progress they make and this will maintain a positive, proactive approach which is precisely what is needed at the moment for many sales people.  Tightening up on structure and maintaining a positive approach will ultimately hit targets, panic and pressure will not.  This is difficult for sales managers – I know they themselves are under huge pressure to achieve results – but I think it is essential that they maintain focus on how they will achieve those results.  The argument between quality and quantity rages during times like this but putting pressure on making more calls will lead to a drop in quality.  Sales managers must maintain the balance between the two.  They must work hard to maintain the attitude and approach of the sales team, this is the vital factor whilst selling in a recession.

[Image from Wikipedia on licences: Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 and GNU Free Documentation License ]

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Upselling & Cross Selling – Bill Osmond

Posted by admin
Thursday, October 29th, 2009
Women's shoes on display in a shop window, 2005.
Image via Wikipedia

During an economic downturn, a sales person is confronted by challenges.  They receive many knocks.  They are told “no” more than they would like and certainly more than a year or so ago.  For approximately a year, sales people have worked hard just to get a sale.  Now that, dare I say it, we are starting to see a few green shoots of recovery, the sales person must be thinking about maximising opportunities.  Six months ago the prospect of cross selling or upselling might in some areas have been a little fanciful, over ambitious or simply not appropriate.  All efforts were put into just achieving a sale, clearly budgets were and are tight, the sales person has to work extremely hard to make a sale.

Upselling is always talked about in sales meetings, sales managers are clearly keen for their teams to take every opportunity to upsell, however the pressure they put on their sales teams often ends up with poor execution of the task.  Sales people enter a sales situation, the client may well be showing interest in “product a”, the sales person identifies a need for the product, the client agrees and so the sales person presents the product matching the need.  So far so good.  The client agrees to buy “product a”. The sales person suddenly remembers the sales manager’s voice “upsell wherever you can”.  So they blurt out “would you also be interested in Product b?”

The result is that the client thinks to themselves “I have just committed to buying product a, which matches my needs and is therefore of use to me and so I will spend some money on it.  Product b, seems to be an add on which I had not thought about and certainly not budgeted for, so NO THANKS”.  It is the same scenario when cross-selling.  By introducing something else after having sold the first product or element to the service pretty much always gets the same result unless the sales person is lucky!  I am always reminded of the shoe shop example.  We buy a lovely new pair of shoes and are then asked when we get to the cash desk, would you like to buy some “waterproofing cream” for your shoes or some such product.  At that moment, we do not think for one minute that we will need it.  We have never needed it in the past (or have forgotten that we did need it once) so we see this as an annoying effort by the shoe shop to take more of our money.

So what is missing?  If you want to upsell or cross sell, your whole sales strategy must reflect this and do not simply add on options.  Use questions to develop more than one need.  When selling training solutions, I will try to develop two conversations, right from the start.  If the enquiry is about sales training, for example, I will ask questions about their managers, (and vice versa) this will start to create a need for both.  If it does not the opportunity for cross selling is reduced.  The point is that when trying to upsell and cross sell the client/customer must have a need for everything you are selling.  After selling the “lead” product, add ons, extras, options are not attractive to a buyer. Their needs have been matched and they have committed to the first product. They do not think they need anything else.  More questions will create more needs.

In conclusion, to upsell, a sales person must develop existing levels of purchase.  To do this a need to buy more must be created, rather than more being offered!  To Cross sell, a sales person must create a need for a customer to buy another product from their range.  Instead of assuming that they will want to do this, a new level of need has to be created.  Remember, I have one need for shoes, I have another need for polish!

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5 Top Tips for selling in a recession

Posted by BillOsmond
Tuesday, June 30th, 2009
CORAL GABLES, FL - NOVEMBER 21: A sale hand i...
Image by Getty Images via Daylife

When selling always make sure that you:

1. Introduce yourself properly. It may sound simple, but too many sales people do not create the right impact when meeting or speaking to a potential customer for the first time. “Bill from Phoenix” does not sound as good as “Bill Osmond, from Phoenix Training and Development.” Most of us are so used to our name and our company we tend to rush when introducing ourselves and this can lead to confusion. Don’t abbreviate your introduction. Potential buyers are very good at deciding whether they are likely to buy from the first words you say.

2. Don’t sell too soon! It seems strange to give the advice of “don’t sell.” However, selling too soon can lead to a huge amount of objections. The sales person that presents their product or service too soon runs the risk of providing too much irrelevant information and alienating the buyer.

3. Question the client thoroughly. By using questioning skills, the sales person can develop a full understanding of the clients’ needs. Rather than wasting time gathering information about the client, spend time uncovering and understanding their needs. Needs give a sales person something to sell against. If you are to have any chance of selling, then the client has to recognise their need for your product or service.

4. Listen. Many sales people only listen to what they want to hear, or worse, ignore client responses completely as they spend time focusing on the next question. By actually listening and effectively responding to clients, a sales person can understand client needs.

5. Maintain relevance. Focus on the answer and ask appropriate questions whenever you can. This ensures that the conversation grows organically and does not become a sales interrogation!

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