When was the last time a salesperson that called you asked “is this a good time?” I don’t know about you, but you’ve about ruined it with me if you call me for the first time and fail to ask if this is a good time. I’ll go further to say you’ve just about hit a homerun if you DO ask me, because so few people do it and it is such a professional thing to do. I’m willing to bet that you and/or your sales force will have a significant improvement in closed business by getting in the habit of asking such a simple question because it really is a powerful bonding and rapport method.
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Record EVERY Call
Have you ever had a call with a prospect that dumped so much on your plate that you hung up wondering what the heck he/she talked about? Have you ever wished you could just sit there and converse with the prospect? I am not particularly good at listening while taking notes, and I believe that while I am taking notes, my face betrays my thoughts. I recommend you and your salespeople record all sales calls (a recommendation for new hires anyway), and not just on the phone. Recording calls allows your people not to have to worry about the facts. They don’t get bogged down with trying to make sure they’ve got every little detail. They can sit and enjoy the conversation and focus on listening and hone in on the essense of the call. And if they need facts, they can then replay the tape and get the facts. In fact, I believe they should be recording their calls and replaying them with you anyways as this will help them become better at their sales skills.
Sales IS Life…
There’s a reason I say “sales is life”; it’s because pretty much everything you do – day in and day out – is selling. If you don’t think so, then why do you think that person married you (or is dating you)? How did you get that job? How did you get into school? You see, you sold somebody something my friend! And I know without a shadow of a doubt that the better you are at sales, the better life will be.
Go it alone!
Ian is a shark. He is already getting the web development company he just started working for so busy they need to hire more staff - and this is after only 4 months. However, he called me this afternoon and told me he just got out of a meeting with a client that he had invited his boss to. He told me his boss is one of those guys who talks over people and doesn’t listen and the meeting was very awkward. Ian felt bad and almost felt it appropriate to call his client and apologize. I think an apology may do more damage than good, but Ian definitely won’t be taking his boss with him on meetings – and a sales person who is kicking butt always gets to make this type of decision… boss or not.
