Maximizing Your Potential!

Let’s face it, sometimes, no matter how hard we try, we are going to fail to close a prospect.

There is a way to make sure that all that effort was not in vain! That tool is the Sales Debug Checklist.

The best way to use it is to get with your sales manager, a business partner or a friend and have them ask you the questions listed below so that you can use a failed opportunity to be stronger at the close in the future.
If you can’t find someone else to do this with you, you can also ask the questions of yourself.

Sales Debug Checklist

1. Did you talk to the decision maker?

2. Was the prospect well qualified?

3. Was the meeting well prepared?

4. What was your/my emotional tone level before the meeting?

5. What was the prospects emotional tone level at the start of the meeting?

6. What exactly was the prospects final decision?

7. Which objection did you/I fail to handle?

8. How did you/I try to handle it?

9. Did you attempt to handle with ACCORD?

10. What was the prospects reaction when you attempted to close?

11. When did you/I start to lose control?

12. Did you like the prospect? Have something in common with him/her? Have a willingness to communication with him/her?

13. Was the prospect closed on you/me? My company? My product/service? The price? The timing?

14. Did you/I have strong agreement from the prospect on why he needed my product/service?

15. Was the prospect convinced by my arguments as to why this was best for him/her?

16. What was the prospects emotional tone level during your/my attempts to close? At the end of the meeting?

17. Why did you/I fail to close the prospect?

Drill the situation with your friend/colleague until you have found the optimum way to deal with the same situation in the future. Your sales WILL increase as a result.

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Let’s face it – not many people like making phone calls. I love it but I realize I am a very rare bird.

The more you understand the rules of any subject, the better you will be at that subject. So here are some tips that should make this sometimes difficult and onerous thing a little less stressful.

1. If your goal is to make an appointment, avoid selling your product – focus on the goal, set the appointment.

2. Be enthusiastic on the phone. The phone is a very direct line of communication and you certainty or lack thereof can great effect your results – always have a smile on your face when making those calls. Make sure it is genuine.

3. NEVER argue with the prospect over the phone – there is no faster way to cut a communication line than starting an argument, especially over the phone.

4. You must be different! Your prospect probably receives tons of phone solicitations. Make sure that your approach is unique – I saw one where the sales person had a staff member make the call, saying that Mr. Smith was going to be in the area on Weds. and would love to meet with them at 10 AM. She made lots of appointments.

5. Keep your communications short and effective – don’t waste time.

6. Have high Affinity for your prospect, share some reality with him, such as, “Most business owners are looking to increase sales, increase efficiency or increase productivity. I have a system to help you achieve all three. I’d like to meet you at 2:30 Weds. for a 1/2 hour appointment.’” You must have a high level of determinism in pushing through to get that appointment.

7. Handle any objection for setting an appointment with the 5 steps of ACCORD.

8. Control the conversation! Remember, Control = Income!

9. Decide what you want BEFORE you make the phone call!

10. Do not promise anything that you are not absolutely sure you are able to deliver on that promise, just to get the appointment.

11. Do not be afraid of letting a prospect go. Too many times I have seen someone nurture this one prospect along when it was obvious that NOTHING was ever going to happen with that person, while ignoring 5 other prospects who were ready to do something and were qualified.

12. If your morale is down, Do NOT pick up the phone! Do something to pick your spirits up and then get back on the phone!

Happy Prospecting!

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OK, so you’ve already tried to handle your prospect with ACCORD and let’s say, they said, “Joe, we decided before you came, that we were not going to make a decision today.”

Now, you can move on to the for steps for handling ‘I Need to Think About It’ or some version of that statement.
I like to use the Acronym ‘STOP‘ to help deal with this. Remember, This is NOT the real objection. It truly just reflects a lack of conviction on the part of the prospect.
1. Stay serene in showing them that you understand where they are coming from.
2. Track the source of their lack of conviction (you can do this one of two ways, ask them what it is they need to think about or what concerns them or ask if they are comfortable with you, your company, the product or service you offer, the price or the timing). Either way you will eventually get their true objection.
3. Handle the REAL objection and direct them toward their TRUE objective (their personal emotional reason WHY they need your product or service).
4. Push them gently toward the close using strong conviction and emotion.

Let’s say, your prospect says, “Joe, I just don’t know about that price?!? Is there any way you can give us a discount?”
I use do the following, thinking of the acronym CHEAP while I’m doing it.
1. Let your prospect know how much it may Cost him if he does not take action.
2. Stay Honest with your cost analysis.
3. Evaluate features vs. how much they mean to the prospect in terms of value (for instance, they are thinking of purchasing a home. They want a pool. The home they like most has a pool. It costs $15,000 more than a home just down the street which does not have a pool. I would ask them if the pool is a MUST for them. How much is it worth to them to have a pool and all the landscaping associated with it already done for them. They may not be sure and may ask you how much that would cost. You need to have a good honest answer ready in that case. Be prepared but in most cases it will cost less for them to purchase already done in both dollars and inconvenience).
4. Focus on the long term Advantages for them.
5. Hold your Position on this, especially if it is related to the commission you earn on this sale.

One last objection that comes up quite regularly (especially if you do NOT have all the decision makers present) is, “I have to talk to…” (my wife, my accountant, my in-laws, my lawyer, whatever)
Use this acronym to help you remember these simple steps, MAN.
1. Motivate your prospect to present the person they feel has the authority to make the decision.
2. Make sure your prospect is an Ally. (Ask him/her, “If it was your decision alone, would you do it right now?” This will tell you very quickly if they are sold. You may need to handle them first before you talk with the person who has authority).
3. Get a conditional agreement Now, if you have trouble getting the authority tag there right away.

Good Luck!

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1. The power of Images: use your prospects imagination, which will have him reacting emotionally. Show pictures and graphs rather then facts and figures. Remember, 1 images is worth a 1000 words.
2. The power of stories: tell a TRUE story to support your answer to an objection. This will help the prospect ’see’ better what could happen…
3. The power of reference letters: your happy customers will sell you much better than you can. Use success stories and testimonials which address as specifically as possible what the client is concerned about!
4. The power of demonstrations:more than 75%of your prospects decide to buy (or not) during a demo of your product or service. 1 good demo = 10,000 words!

5 key elements in doing a demo:
Remember this acronym…. D.E.M.O’.S.
1. Let the prospect D iscover
2. Push E motions
3. Keep it M otivating
4. O rient the demo towards a close
5. Be S pecific and S imple

You must be sure to control your prospect from beginning to end.

CONTROL = INCOME

As soon as you lose control of the sales cycle, the prospect controls you. The fact of the matter is you have never closed a deal where the prospect was controlling the sales cycle.

The GOLDEN RULE OF SELLING: Know Why

You do not lose your morale from failing to sell. You lost it because you don’t know WHY you did not close the prospect. As soon as you feel you are losing control of the sales cycle you must stop while the prospect is still interested and find out what is going on. If you wait too long, and the prospect loses interest, it will be next to impossible to get the prospect willing to tell you exactly what is going on.

Technorati Tags: 1000 Words, 5 Elements, Acronym, Control, Demo, Demonstrations, Elements, Fact Of The Matter, Golden Rule, Graphs, Images, Imagination, Iscover, Losing Control, Motions, Objection, Prospects, Reference Letters, Success Stories, Testimonials, True Story