The Sales Consultancy Blog
Checking in with the basics
3 June 2013
It’s great to hear more and more feedback from so many businesses that are really busy and thriving despite our sluggish economy. Yes there are challenges around – but lots of opportunities too, especially for small and medium sized businesses.
So, what have the successful businesses got right?
The basics…
Know what you’re great at
Focus on what you do best and be the best you can be. Keep learning, keep up to date with current trends and thinking and most of all…concentrate 100% on giving your customers a positive experience.
Give your customers what they really want
Really get to know who buys from you. What problems do they have? What do they want to achieve? This information is critical in order for you to match their needs and make them want to buy from you. Don’t guess. If you don’t know….ASK!
Tell them you have what they really want
When you know what your customers really want…you need to let them know that you have it. Communication is critical. Imagine having the perfect solution for your customers then keeping it a secret. Avoiding sales and marketing activity is like keeping yourself a secret. Use telephone, email, face to face, social media, post – whatever you need to do to reach wherever they are. Not just one thing either – a mix of activities will give you the best results.
Test and measure
Check the impact of all your customer interactions. You need to know what isn’t working…so you can stop it. Knowing what works means you can do more of it. Know what could work with a tweak here and there – then tweak away to make it more effective.
Be flexible
Keep trying different ways of connecting with your customers to keep them interested. You also need to be flexible to their needs. If you can deliver in a way that suits them even better….do it.
Quality, quality, quality
Hopefully you will already be going that extra mile to keep your customers happy and delivering a quality service or product. Keep checking in with yourself…what could I be doing better? Keep checking in with your customers too…they are the best source of feedback. Most customers won’t tell you when they’re unhappy…they will just go elsewhere to buy. So make sure you know what will make it better for them…guessing isn’t an option.
Attitude
The way you think will impact on the success you have. Half hearted efforts will give you half hearted results.
You know what you want and you know what you need to do to get it. Commit to it and get on with it. It’s easy to blame other people or the economy or anything other than yourself but at the end of the day your sales success is down to you and the ACTION you take.
Think about what motivates you and be sure to use these things to keep you in a positive state of mind.
These all fall into the “basic” category – but are worth checking in with. Are you doing all of these?
Until next time.
Leigh
PS; If you haven’t already, check out our 4 X DVD Programme “The Essential Sales System for Small Business”
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
http://www.sales-consultancy.com
For previous ‘Tricks of the Trade’ go here
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Where are you shining your torch?
29 May 2013
Everyone will say they want to get rid of their problems – yet most go on to spend more time perfecting them! Whether it be a lost order, a sizeable customer complaint, new industry regulations pending, a personality clash, many seem unable or unwilling to move away from what is causing them angst. They think that the way to solve a problem is to think more about it! Round and round they go. Perfecting their problem. Nurturing it. Feeding it. Watering it. Wow – how did it get this big? If this rings any bells, then take note – there’s a simple yet brilliant technique below to help you solve your sales and business problems quickly and effectively.
Let me demonstrate…
Think of a problem you have in the workplace. For this example choose a small problem, that’s maybe been niggling away for a while (you can easily solve your big stuff later once you’re familiar with the technique!)
Find yourself somewhere where you won’t be disturbed for a few minutes.
Firstly, let’s explore your problem. Ask yourself the following questions. Answer them in your head. Give yourself just a few seconds (7 – 10 seconds) on each question – your answers should be a gut reaction. Be honest with your answers too. If it helps, have someone read the questions to you.
Exercise – stage 1
Here are the questions
1.What is your problem?
2.Why is it a problem?
3.Why do you have this problem?
4.What caused it?
5.What are your limitations in solving it?
6.Who’s to blame?
7.Why haven’t you solved it yet?
When you’ve answered these seven questions ensure you have a quick change of scenery for a few seconds before the second stage of the exercise. Walk around the room, jump up and down, talk for a few seconds about something completely different, whatever you need to do to wipe the previous answers away.
Exercise – Stage 2
Now stage 2. Using the same problem, answer the second set of questions below. Again, answer them in your head and allocate about 7 – 10 seconds each. Honesty and gut reactions again too please.
Here we go…
1.What do you want?
2.How do you want it to be?
3.What do you need to get it?
4.What resources do you already have that will help you get this outcome?
5.Where are you with regards to achieving it?
6.What’s the next step you can take towards getting your outcome?
7.When will you take this step?
Your thoughts?
Notice how you felt at the end of the first set of questions – and at the end of the second set. I’d wager a bet that after the initial set of questions you remained deeply entrenched in the problem, feeling pretty depressed about the whole thing – and crucially were no nearer to a solution. I’d also predict that after the second set of questions you were feeling much more positive about the situation and had some good ideas already about how to solve your problem.
So…thinking back to the problems you have…where have you been shining your torch?
On the problems? Or the solutions? From now on you know which set of questions from above you need to use to get you the solutions you seek and get you on your way to your sales success.
It’s all about the psychology.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS; If you haven’t already, check out our 4 X DVD Programme “The Essential Sales System for Small Business”
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
http://www.sales-consultancy.com
For previous ‘Tricks of the Trade’ go here
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
How resilient are you?
20 May 2013
How resilient are you?
Reading a recent newspaper article by Adrian Furnham, professor of psychology at University College London, reminded me of just how importance resilience is when it comes to achieving sales success.
In fact I would go as far as to say that you would struggle to succeed in anything without resilience.
Especially in sales and business
Resilience after a ‘no’. Resilience if you’re falling short of your target. Resilience when a customer tells you they are now buying from somewhere else. Resilience when the phone doesn’t ring.
And yes, resilience when the bank refuses you an overdraft extension!
I’ve picked out some extracts from the article and added my own take…
“Resilient people cope better. They bounce back faster. They carry less baggage from the past. They feel less influenced by fate, less victims of luck, more in control. Crucially, they are able to maintain a steady course when the economic, political and psychological weather deteriorates. Resilient people know who they are, who they can count on and where and when to get help.
Resilient people are hardy and have good coping skills. When resilient people get stressed, which inevitable they will, they are able to reduce its effects quickly and efficiently”.
How useful would all that be in sales? Very!
Can you learn resilience?
Is it possible to change your mindset? Change the way you look at the world? Having trawled the world of self help books Adrian Furnham has come up with a ‘super-list’ of things to do to build up your resilience..and I wholeheartedly agree with his summary…
1. Visualise first, then enact how your capabilities will enhance your performance
2. Remind yourself of what you are really good at and what others value you for
3. Take control of your life and drop all that negative “can’t do” thinking
4. Try serious optimism - do “glass half full” and opportunity thinking
5. Reduce your stress levels by being more realistic, calling on the support of others and expressing your feelings more
6. Ask for help and give help to others when they need it
7. Learn to be comfortable with conflict
8. Invest time in your learning
9. Work on your mental and physical fitness
10. Reframe the way you see setbacks. Think of them as learning challenges rather than fatal setbacks.
11. And finally…Buck up, tighten up and toughen up
When (today) will you start?
Adopt these “commandments” and your sales will improve - I’ve absolutely no doubt about that. These guidelines are all about the inner you - and it’s the inner you that can make or break ANY sale.
They really are a great set of mantra’s to adopt. At The Sales Consultancy we love this list - no surprise given that pretty much everything on the list is embedded into our training programmes!
So get more resilient - and notice your sales increase.
It’s all about The Psychology of Sales!
Until next time.
Leigh
PS; If you haven’t already, check out our 4 X DVD Programme “The Essential Sales System for Small Business”
For previous ‘Tricks of the Trade’ go here
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Improving your pitches and presentations
7 May 2013
Hope you’re having a great week.
In my role I get exposed to lots of presentations and pitches, so I thought I’d offer you some pointers for when you next present. Some of these tips seem obvious (but sadly not practiced enough) and others less so. So, whether it’s a one minute presentation at a networking event, or a 1 hour pitch for a life-changing contract, pick out the ones that will help you achieve your personal sales success
Preparation
Prepare - and early! Never leave it until the last minute. Never ‘wing it’ - it shows! Research your facts, stats, case studies - anything that will help make your pitch more engaging and informative.
Practice
When was the last time you practised? Did you film yourself? How was your timing? Who do you respect that could watch you? What habits should you eliminate? What should you do more of? How can you make your style more engaging? Train your brain!
Get in state
Nerves are natural but you can take steps to minimise them. Ask yourself…
How much value can I give today? If you can, talk to the audience informally before the start of the presentation - it will help you relax. Remind yourself you’re there to give them the benefit of your experience, knowledge and expertise. And remember - although these might be hardened professionals, no-one will be thinking “I hope this guy is rubbish”. They may not buy from you, but they want you to succeed on a personal level.
Non verbal communication
It’s true that most of your communication will not be with your words. Your audience will notice how you’re dressed. They will notice how your facial expressions reflect or not the words you’re speaking. They will notice your body language. So yes, no folded arms and keep hands away from pockets! Use a range of voice tones to keep your content fresh.
Content
A one way sales pitch is likely to work less and less nowadays. It really is better if you’re NOT doing most of the talking - it’s just not engaging enough. So, even if the meeting is billed as a presentation by you, open up a two way dialogue early…“before I start if it’s alright with everyone I’d like to ask you a few questions, is that OK?” The less they expect this, the more impact you will have - providing you carefully craft those early open questions to give you exactly what you need.
Structure
You’ll need to manage the presentation so that you include
the following…
1. Clarity - who you are and what you do
2. Credibility - set out why you’re worth listening to (“you’ll benefit from 18 years experience in the xyz sector”)
3. Their pains - home in on the problems they have
4. Your solutions - what you are bringing to the table
5. Pre-empt their objections
6. The next step - How do they want to go forward
Be sure to talk in “You” language - for example avoid “we do this”, instead “you will get”
Questions and answers
Many presenters ask for Q & A’s right before the end. This leaves them vulnerable as, if someone asks something distracting or even damaging, this might be the lasting impression your audience has. Put your Q & A’s near to, but not at the end of the session - then you can answer them and go on to conclude the presentation by hitting them with your powerful closing message.
Hope this helps!
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: If you haven’t already, check out our 4 X DVD Programme “The Essential Sales System for Small Business”
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
For previous ‘Tricks of the Trade’ go here
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Brilliance is not an accident
29 April 2013
Brilliant sales results do not happen by accident. Of course there’ll be an occasional fluke - but on the whole, sustained sales success certainly does not happen by chance.
To be relaxed, confident and in control – and ultimately successful in sales – takes some level of preparation. From the shortest telephone chat to a week-long exhibition or conference, you need to be clear in what you want, clear in the outcome you seek.
Your very own Personal Planner
I’ve developed a set of questions to help you prepare for any sales interaction – whether it be a short catch up chat, a full blown pitch, a presentation or a conference. Depending on the context you can use all, or just some of these questions.
Try these questions before your next sales call, sales meeting, networking event, conference, sales presentation…
Here we go…
The Outcome
What do I want to achieve?
The Opening
What can I say to open the discussion?
How should I stand/sit?
What kind of Voice Tonality should I use?
Rapport
What can I do to encourage my client to be at ease and to talk freely?
I think my Client’s preferred representational system is…
I think their preference is towards/away from
Coverage
What information do I need to collect?
What level of detail do I need to get to?
What information do I need to impart?
How will I check for understanding (for me and the client)?
Flow
What can I do to ensure that the discussion flows smoothly from one topic to another?
Manner
What can I do to demonstrate respect?
What can I do to show that I am listening to/interested in what they have to say?
Question Technique
Which open questions would be good to begin with?
Which questions can I use to “funnel down”?
The Close
What can I say to close the discussion?
How can I ensure the client knows what is to happen next?
The Check
If I do all the above, will I achieve my outcome(s)?
What else could I do to improve on the above?
Concentrates the mind doesn’t it? Well that’s exactly what it’s designed to do!
These questions will help you focus on what you want out of any upcoming interaction. And when you know your outcome beforehand, your brain picks up the instructions and sets out to make it happen.
That’s the psychology of successful selling.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: If you haven’t already, check out our 4 X DVD Programme “The Essential Sales System for Small Business”
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
What can Mrs Thatcher’s death tell you about sales?
25 April 2013
What a deluge of written and spoken words following the passing of former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Reading and listening to those polarised arguments about her merits or otherwise, gave me a timely reminder of one of the most important ‘commandments’ of selling…
“Everyone has their own unique map of the world”
Margaret Thatcher. How can one woman; one mind; one set of policies; one set of actions, elicit wildly different opinions?
Simply because “Everyone has their own unique map of the world”.
Everyone in the world has had a different upbringing, had different parents, had different teachers, joined different groups and clubs, read different news papers, watched different TV programmes, had different work colleagues and so on. No-one has had exactly the same set of experiences. We’re all unique. Who you are today, your values, your beliefs, your opinions about politics or anything else will have been forged by these differing influences. This is your “map”.
So it becomes much clearer why some people loved Mrs T - whilst others loathed her. Same woman, same actions. Likewise sit an Arsenal supporter and a Tottenham supporter next to each other at a game between the two football clubs - and they will see two completely different football matches.
One football game. Two vastly differing maps.
And the link to sales?
You need to recognise that every one of your potential customers is unique. Recognise that they’re not like you. They are looking at a different ‘map’. What excites you may not excite them. What you dread, they may look forward to. You might talk passionately about your favourite features of your product because you think everyone will love those things (your map) - when they may be more excited about the one thing you think is relatively unimportant.
How much better would your company finances look if you added 10% to your customer conversion rate? I would wager that the reason you don’t already have that extra 10% is because in many cases you don’t recognise the “map” of your potential customers, the ones that slip quietly away.
Want more sales?
Then leave your map of the world - and find out their map. What’s on their mind? What are their challenges? What problems are they encountering? What are they looking to achieve? It’s not about you - it’s about them. Get curious. Put your detective hat on.
I suggest you build a bank of around five great questions that you can choose from to get you the vital information you need for you to get to know their map of the world. Ask the questions. Let them talk. Crucially, LISTEN! Build a picture. And then you’ll be in a much better position for sales success and to match your offering with their specific needs.
By the way - you don’t have to agree with their map of the world, just acknowledge it and work with it for the purpose in hand - to identify whether what you’re offering is what they need. If you work out their map of the world you’ll achieve wonderful rapport - and with rapport anything is possible in sales.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS; If you’re looking to develop your winning mindset remember you can get started for just £10 - by snapping up my book ‘iSell: Unlock your winning sales mindset”
Click through here to secure your copy
‘This is a ground breaking book that shows you how to develop unshakable levels of self-confidence in selling anything to anyone’
Brian Tracy, best selling author of ‘The Psychology of Selling’
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
How was Q1 for you?
22 April 2013
Can you believe we’re already into Quarter 2 of 2013?
Yes we still have Q1 temperatures but we can’t do anything about that. What you can do is take the opportunity to review Q1 and set out what you need to do in Q2. So my recommendation to you is to award yourself some high quality thinking time.
Put the “no-entry” sign up on your door, or desk. Switch off your favourite gadgets. Close down your laptop…and work though the exercises below. In fact I highly recommend removing yourself from your normal place of work. So maybe go to a private meeting room, a business lounge, a coffee shop, whatever suits you best.
By the way these exercises can be tweaked to work in a team so if you’d rather do this with your team or colleagues, go ahead.
I’ve grouped a series of questions under four main headings. You don’t have to cover all the questions in each section, they are there to help you crystallise your thoughts around the four main questions.
The main thing is to allow yourself time to think and reflect. It’s not a speed test!
Quarter 1 Review
What strategies have worked well for you in Q1?
- What’s worked?
- What major actions have you been able to complete?
- How have these completed actions helped your business?
What have you found difficult to implement?
- Which actions are in progress, not yet completed?
- Which actions have you not started?
- What stopped you from starting/completing these actions?
- How do you make sense of this?
- If you stood back and watched yourself during these challenges, what thoughts come to mind?
- What’s holding you back?
- What could you do to change the situation?
- What would you do differently if you were able to start again?
What changes have you noticed in yourself?
-What new skills have you learned?
- Score your performance out of ten
- What could you have done to have scored one more point?
What’s the next step?
- What are the three key things you need to have achieved by the end of Q2?
- Why are they important?
- What will happen if you don’t achieve them?
- What will happen if you do achieve them?
- What could get in your way?
- How would you counter these possible obstacles?
- What small step would get you started?
- Who else can help you?
- How can they help?
What are you waiting for?
If you’re reading this and haven’t done the exercises yet - I dare you to do them! They are geared up to helping secure sales success for you and your business. If you aren’t used to reviewing your progress in this way, then you’re in for a treat. And a very useful treat too.
What are you waiting for?
Sales Success? It’s all about the psychology.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS; If you’re looking to develop your winning mindset remember you can get started for just £10 - by snapping up my book ‘iSell: Unlock your winning sales mindset”
Click through here to secure your copy
‘This is a ground breaking book that shows you how to develop unshakable levels of self-confidence in selling anything to anyone’
Brian Tracy, best selling author of ‘The Psychology of Selling’
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Stop Telling and Start Teaching
15 April 2013
What do you do when one of your team comes to you for advice?
It is so important that you’re able to distinguish between when to give advice and when not. Imagine for a moment that one of your team come to you because they’re not sure how to do something. How do you handle the situation?
I’ve worked with so many sales managers and business owners that fall into the trap of thinking that telling someone how to do something is the same as teaching them how to do it. If you’ve noticed specific people making the same mistake time and time again, my guess is that you could be continually telling them what to do and they’re just not doing it.
Frustrating isn’t it?
Whenever you tell your people the best way to do stuff (and I know you’re doing this with the best positive intention) you train them not to think for themselves. You create an environment where they feel the need to run stuff by you to confirm it’s right.
The very best way to develop your team is to ask them what they think they should do. This develops their mind to come up with their own solutions. My approach is “I have some thoughts but what do you think?” Most of the time they come up with a perfectly good solution and I can reinforce their thinking by congratulating them and supporting them to get started.
Let them scuff their knees
If their solution gets the job done (even if mine is simpler, faster, easier) I let them get on with it. This is the only way they have complete ownership. They will learn from the process. Let them scuff their knees…it’s a great way to learn.
If their solution is way off track, ask lots of questions that give them their own realisation of the potential consequences of their solution. “What would happen if….” Help them develop a new solution for themselves. This not only develops your team to think for themselves, it empowers them, grows confidence, increases contribution and self worth and creates new pathways in their thinking.
Train them how to treat you
You have enough to do without having to think for them too! Remember…you train your team how to treat you. What are you training them to do if you keep giving them the answers?
Sales Success? It’s all about the psychology.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS; If you’re looking to develop your winning mindset remember you can get started for just £10 - by snapping up my book ‘iSell: Unlock your winning sales mindset”
Click through here to secure your copy
‘This is a ground breaking book that shows you how to develop unshakable levels of self-confidence in selling anything to anyone’
Brian Tracy, best selling author of ‘The Psychology of Selling’
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Is praise more effective than pay?
8 April 2013
Think about those you work with the most - your colleagues, your team, maybe your spouse or sibling. When was the last time you gave them some recognition?
Remember just how big an impact recognition, or lack it, can have on the effectiveness of your business. It should be a key part of any organisation but so often it gets forgotten in the day to day dramas involved in running a small business.
In many businesses the only time anyone will hear from a colleague or boss is when something is wrong.
I think we need to redress the balance!
How about telling your team, your business partner, your supplier, your colleagues when they’ve got it right?
All of us need recognition at some level. If they meet or exceed your expectations, let them know! Never ignore those behaviours you want repeated - start telling the people who meet or exceed your expectations how good they are and how much you appreciate their efforts.
Recognising others
Recognition can be given orally and face to face, and ideally with something to remember; or it may be in writing. The advantage of written recognition is that it provides the memory itself: the recipient can refer back to it and even share it if they want to.
As almost all written communications nowadays are electronic, a handwritten note is so rare that its novelty value can work particularly well. But consider other means. Even a text can work wonders if this communication is the norm for the recipient.
Whatever the medium…
1) Be genuine: If you don’t mean it, don’t say it
2) Be timely: make it as close to the event as you can
3) Make it specific: refer to exactly what they did
4) Be personal: use their name
5) Be clear: explain why it is appreciated
6) If appropriate make it public: find a way to let others know.
You may not manage to hit all six of these factors every time but keep them all in mind and aim for as many as you can.
The one that’s not negotiable is rule 1 - be genuine!
The equation is straightforward. More recognition will result in improved motivation levels. A more positive mindset comes next and with that anything’s possible - including more sales!
Sales Success? It’s all about the psychology of communication.
Until next time.
Leigh
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
6 explanations for not having more sales
25 March 2013
When a company fails, the usual reasons get trotted out; ”unfavourable market conditions” “the longest recession since xxxx” “fashions have changed” “the internet”. Maybe it’s the same if you don’t reach your sales targets?
In my book these all group together into one ‘not me guv’ excuse. Anyone hiding behind these reasons for a failing business or (closer to my specialist subject) lack of sales, is what’s called ‘in effect’. They are letting those external factors be an excuse for their own lack of achievement. They need to look somewhere else. And if you know me well you’ll probably know where I’m going with this.
If you are not having the level of sales or business success you need right now, my question to you – and it’s a challenging question is…
How, by your actions or your non-actions have you contributed to your current situation?
For example…
Where have you procrastinated?
This is one of the most common causes of failure. Most of us are waiting for the “time to be right” to do those things that will make a big difference. Well the time will never be “just right”, so start where you stand, work with whatever tools you have, and find better tools as you go along.
Where have you shown lack of persistence?
Most of us are good “starters” but poor “finishers” of everything we begin. Many give up at the first sign of defeat. There is no substitute for persistence in sales.
How defined is your purpose in your job and your life?
The most successful people in sales and business that I’ve ever met knew exactly WHY they were on the path they were on. It wasn’t just for their professional success; it’s that they had a crystal clear vision of what they were going to do with that increased success. Many I meet who are struggling do not have that beautifully defined aim.
How are you developing your personality?
There is no hope of sales success for the person who repels people. When you reflect honestly, is your persona drawing people to you – or driving them away? If you’re driving them away, what adjustments can you make?
What do you believe about you?
What do you believe about your own sales ability? If you’re not achieving the sales you need it’s highly likely that your limiting beliefs are at play. You may be aware of some of them. Others are buried beneath the surface. Beliefs about yourself will massively impact on whether you hit your targets or not.
Where have you been over-cautious?
If you take no chances at all you’ll be left with whatever is left when others have finished choosing. Over-caution is as bad as under-caution and both should be guarded against. Remember though, life itself is filled with the element of choice, all day, every day.
Sales Success? It’s all about the psychology.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: Download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
The Biggest Sales Mistakes – Number 4
18 March 2013
You know, it’s amazing how the biggest sales mistakes are often the simplest. Take Mistake Number 4 in my report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes”…
“Too much talking, not enough listening”
Very common in business generally, extremely common in sales. Modern selling is much more than pitching and overcoming objections. It’s about rapport, consultation, engagement – and making connections in a whole new way. Think about your customer and prospect meetings, the chances are you’re doing most of the talking. Ouch. All those lost sales!
Listening…
…is a vital skill that is often neglected and yet is crucial to your sales success.
Before responding during a conversation, be aware of the five stages of effective listening:
1. Hearing – taking in the sound
2. Listening – Really paying attention and trying to make sense of what you are hearing
3. Understanding – Checking with the other person to make sure you have taken in what they said in the way they intended
4. Acknowledging – letting the other person know you have heard and understood what they have said
5. Responding – your response to what has been discussed
On many occasions people go straight from stage 1 to stage 5! They jump to conclusions, miss vital information and leave the other person feeling misunderstood or ignored. Learning to implement these stages naturally will rapidly enhance your listening skills and make you a much more effective sales professional.
Ask a question – then SHUT UP!
When you ask open questions your client will go into dialogue to respond which gives you the opportunity to learn more about them.
Once you’ve asked an open question it’s really important to SHUT UP! – and listen. Let your client answer without interruption. Focus on listening 100% and don’t be distracted by internal thoughts or dialogue. Thinking about the next question will stop you hearing useful information.
The next question is easy when you listen – it comes naturally from your client’s response.
When listening – avoid distractions. Those golden nuggets of information may well be buried. Give them the attention they deserve. As they respond to your insightful open questions, when they have finished, leave a gap of a few seconds before you speak. On many occasions you will find the most crucial information follows after this short gap.
Spend time with a work colleague and practice listening. Ask open questions and listen to the answers without verbalising any comments or opinions. Feedback to them your understanding of what they said to check how effective your listening skills are.
By the way – if you’re wondering what the other 8 Biggest Sales Mistakes are - click here and get the report.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: Don’t miss my March Workshop “Love Your Business…Hate Selling?” CLICK HERE
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
The “Sameness/Difference” Sales Technique
11 March 2013
Do you know customers that have been in the same job since time began? Or that have the same lunch every day? Or lived in the same house for decades?
In sales psychology terms we call them ‘sameness’ people. They simply don’t like change, certainly not in the contexts mentioned.Then again you may know customers who revel in change – at work, possibly at home, again it can depend on the context. We call these ‘difference’ people. There is no right or wrong – but if you can identify these particular characteristics in your customers, increasing sales is easy!
How about you?
When you think about buying new clothes for work do you think about getting clothes like the one so and so is wearing….or do you think about getting something that’s different from the one that so and so has? Or how does your current job relate to what you were doing five years ago? Do you focus on the similarities or the differences? How about your current car…how does it relate to your previous one? Is it the same make – or totally different?
Have you got a feel yet for your own ‘sameness’ or ‘difference’ preference?
How does this help your selling skills?
If you can ascertain whether your customers are ‘sameness’ or ‘difference’, then you can tailor your language accordingly. You’ll connect and engage with customers more deeply more quickly – and achieve sales success.
Ask them a question such as “What’s the relationship between your work this year and last year?” - an innocuous question that will elicit a reply which should provide you with some real nuggets of information. Your question needs to be worded in the correct context i.e. in this case work. And always use the word ‘relationship’. Never substitute this for say ‘difference’ as to do so would corrupt their answer. If their answer revolves all around how similar things are, then they are ‘sameness’ orientated, whilst if they talk along the lines of thing being completely different then they are ‘difference’ orientated.
Any ongoing conversation will help you decide their leanings. And remember they could lean a little to both camps i.e…
“it’s like before but ….”
What to do with the information?
To a customer with a ‘sameness’ preference: Begin by helping them identify commonalities and similarities before moving on to how your service or product is better. When talking about the differences frame them as small, gradual and evolutionary.
To a customer with a ‘difference’ preference: Talk about newness, uniqueness, how your product or service is different from things they have tried before. Introduce commonalities and similarities casually.
The main thing is to use language that will light up your customer – irrespective of your own natural tendencies.
Please ask if you would like to know more about this wonderful sales psychology technique.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: Don’t miss my March Workshop “Love Your Business…Hate Selling?” CLICK HERE
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
In or On
4 March 2013
I’m writing this early Wednesday morning from a secret hotel location – OK, Didcot if you must know 
By the time you read this I will be deep into day 2 of developing our company strategy for the next five years and beyond – all part of the fabulous business development mentoring programme we’re part of. I’m just so excited at the possibilities!
And you?
So my challenge to you this week is…
What are you doing to develop your business – and develop YOU?
It’s an old business cliché - but how often are you ensuring you’re working ON your business rather than IN it? How much of a plan do you have to resolve your current business challenges? What have you done so far? What will you do? What’s stopping you? Who can help you? How can they help you?
It’s often about time NOT money…
There’s so much stuff available now FOR NOTHING that you don’t have to break the bank. Let me remind you what help you can get from The Sales Consultancy - at NO CHARGE
Firstly, have you downloaded my report yet “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes”? This is a 20 page report that identifies the mistakes you could be making – and offers ways to easily eliminate these errors – and make sure they’re not repeated. Click on the Link below and you can be benefiting from this report within 15 minutes from NOW!
Next – let me point you to our newsletter archive. Here you get access to our weekly sales tips going way back. Here’s the link “Tricks of The Trade Archive”
Of course there’s lots of stuff you can buy – I should know, I’ve been selling for 29 years – but why not find out what’s out there for nothing. Which evermore results in something for you! Increasing Sales is just the beginning.
So what are you going to do today to develop your business – and develop YOU?
Here’s those links again
“The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes”
“Tricks of The Trade Archive”
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: Don’t miss my March Workshop “Love Your Business…Hate Selling?” CLICK HERE
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Power in The Feminine
20 February 2013
There’s been an uprising this year and it’s brought a smile to my face and a warm fuzzy feeling to my heart. What is this uprising I hear you ask? It’s the surge of feminine energy that is going for gold, success, power, the millionaire mindset…you name it and they are going for it.
Not only have I spoken at TWO big women-only events already this year, I’m also speaking at “International Women of Power” this weekend and attended my own ladies only event…The One Retreat that focused on us as women as well as the success of our business.
What I’ve found is that something very special happens when women come together…they nurture and help each other. They want other women to feel good about themselves and offer support and advice in a gentle way that is more easily received. They have a willingness to share contacts and an open heart to hear what is being said.
Now before you guys get up in arms about my observations…there are many men out there that would also do this. In my experience it’s not ever so obvious in a male only group. Maybe that’s the competitive edge in guys. The competitive edge is different in women…it’s more “we can all be successful…there’s enough to go round…together we are stronger”
So maybe we can all adopt a more open and collaborative approach regardless of what sex you are. One that is more curious, supportive and giving. I know that this approach works brilliantly for increasing sales. The more of these qualities you display when communicating with your customers, the more they want to buy from you. So let’s get feminine and show that there is power in that too!
Until next time.
Leigh
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DO2Aa8DNco&feature=youtu.be
PS: Download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Networking not working
13 February 2013
Despite the onslaught of social media and on line networking, ‘real life’ networking is still a crucial element of many companies’ sales and marketing strategies.
Rightly so. There are massive benefits to be had from attending networking events.
Providing you do it well.
Many people I speak to don’t enjoy networking. Is it the fear of approaching total strangers? Is it the boredom of being cornered by someone who is determined to tell you everything you don’t need to know about their new range of widgets?
Relax!
Think of a networking event as an opportunity to explore.
- Wear your name badge on your right. Most people are right handed so when you extend your right hand out it’s a short and easy journey for their eyes to make up to your name badge. It helps them remember you and your name.
- When introducing yourself, look at their name badge and say something like ”hello xxxxx, pleased to meet you, what do you do?” (Appearing suitably curious!) This will open up the conversation and crucially, you get to do the listening and not the talking. This will get you the information you need for you to be exploring, via their answers, how useful a relationship this could prove to be.
- If they get in first and ask you what you do, be very pleasant and brief and say “I’m in xxxxx” - and then immediately go back with “and what do you do?” as in point 2 above.
- If you’re in a circle chatting and listening and you see someone on their own, beckon them to join you. They could be the golden nugget of a contact that makes the whole event worthwhile!
- If you’re looking to join a circle of potential contacts just ask “do you mind if I join in here” or similar words you’re most comfortable with. In 29 years nobody has said no to this question!
- Don’t pitch! Many people throw a business card at you then launch into a sales pitch. They probably know nothing about you and all they talk about is I can do and we, we we – and “weeing” all over everybody is never good sales practice anywhere!
The art of networking can’t be fully covered in 400 words but there’s some tips here that will definitely help you generate more success at your future networking events leading to more sales success in your business!
Let me know how you get on.
Until next time.
Leigh
PS: Download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Beware of RSS – Reluctant Seller Syndrome
7 February 2013
Was it Burt Lancaster who came out with those immortal words “If you build it they will come” in that excellent film ‘Field of Dreams’?
But in business it’s increasingly clear that if you build it they probably won’t come. Apart from those who would have shown up anyway – and they are often not that many.
It often starts like this; A business idea is born – through a fabulous sounding idea, or because the timing is right to realise that life dream. Perhaps the money is there at last. Maybe a redundancy or other life changing event has forced the issue. Or a combination of all of the above.
The passion is there. Unbridled enthusiasm is unleashed as the new entrepreneurs start to ‘live the dream’.
Then suddenly it dawns – they need more sales to survive! And increasing sales is certainly not their speciality.
I’ve met some brilliant people in my line of work. Name a business sector and I’ve probably had the joy of meeting brilliant people within it.
That’s brilliant at ‘what they do’. But, sooner or later they have to get good at what they don’t do – Sell.
That’s when many develop that well known condition RSS – Reluctant Seller’s Syndrome. Sometimes I think it’s catching!
The symptoms?
- They associate the word “selling” with those nasty high pressure sales tactics you hear about. This belief embeds itself over time – and ultimately inhibits their sales performance.
- They view selling as “persuading people to have something they don’t need” (it certainly isn’t by the way) – so they shun practising this sordid discipline!
- They freeze at networking events – speaking only to those they know and staying much too long talking to the friendly person next to them. They avoid breaking the circle and ‘interrupting’ a group nearby.
- They end up heavily discounting their services because deep down they didn’t believe their product or service was worth the initial price – and it showed.
These are the common symptoms – there are others too.
What to do if you’re exhibiting ‘Reluctant Seller Syndrome’?
CELEBRATE!
Because there are lots like you. It’s a big club.
Then what? Grab the nearest pen and paper.
Ask yourself “What Stops You?”
Dig deep. What REALLY stops you? And be very honest with the answers. Write down everything that comes into your head – even if it makes no sense. When you’ve written everything you can, WAIT. There will be more to come. That first gap was called a blank spot. Go past two blank spots and when you’ve finished writing the third time, then you probably are finished.
Now I don’t know what your answers will tell you – but you will. There will be some true nuggets in there. Nuggets which will, with a little thought, tell you exactly what you need to do next.
It’s all about the psychology of selling!
Until next time…
Leigh Ashton
PS: Be sure to download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
Leigh Ashton
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
“Thinking puts boundary conditions around the limitless boundlessness that is you”
4 February 2013
No doubt about it – your ‘inner state’ affects your outer behaviour and therefore your results.
What could affect your inner state? Maybe something happened – say a customer was rude to you?
Or something that hasn’t happened – that massive potential customer awarded someone else the contract?
Maybe your inner state is in turmoil over something that’s about to happen – a big presentation or networking opportunity?
Hey where’s my confidence disappeared to?
I love how the mind works in this situation. You can be the most confident person most of the time and yet your confidence has the ability to run and hide in the darkest corners of your mind when situations like these arise.
Einstein was spot on when he said…
“Thinking puts boundary conditions around the limitless boundlessness that is you”
You might need to read that again!
Yet it’s so true.
Add some thinking to a situation and sometimes the uncertainty, then the nerves will come and before long you really can paralyse yourself - and in that state you’re no good to anyone!
Changing your inner state
Take heart because you can give yourself any resource you want…in a heartbeat!
You may have come across the concept of ‘anchoring’ before. It’s a technique that allows you to take the confidence you feel when you’re at your best – and replicate it when you are not. Not just confidence either – any state, any situation.
Anchors are really powerful and you’ll already have them. Those food smells from your childhood, those memorable songs that transport you back in time. Your embarrassing moments – and of course your biggest sales successes.
When you really associate into those events, it’s like you are back there…experiencing those emotions all over again.
You have the potential to transfer this ability into the world of sales and your individual selling skills. Imagine being able to conjure up confidence, determination, calmness or anything else you need… whenever you need it.
Your turn
Anchoring allows you to access your inner resources at will! So when you find yourself not in a great state of mind and you need to change and quickly – rest assured that you can do exactly that!
My preferred anchoring technique is “The Circle of Excellence” - which is covered in detail in my book “iSell” (page 65 if you have it).
Or click here to go to a previous newsletter where I take you through the “Circle of Excellence” technique.
It’s all about the psychology of selling! Getting the edge…and getting those extra sales that make the difference. That’s why your inner state matters!
Let me know how you get on!
Until next time
Leigh
PS: Download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Sowing and Reaping
1 February 2013
“The mind is its own place and in itself, can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven.” John Milton
Do you know just how much amazing potential your mind has?
More than you can possibly imagine.
Your mind controls everything you do…
Most of which is completely unconscious. In fact about 95% of what you do is unconscious. You have no real awareness that it’s going on… like the blinking of your eyes, breathing in and out, the blood running through your body, the pulse in your neck and so much more. Until I mentioned them just now you gave those things no thought at all. They just happen.
What’s that got to do with sales?
Now that’s fine when they have no consequence – but sometimes they have very negative effects that get in the way of your sales success. So if you have patterns of behaviour or thinking that get in your way, start to get excited because you are fully capable of uncovering these hidden and not so hidden gremlins and ridding yourself of them for good!
So here’s some theory for you…
Your mind is split into two parts – the conscious and unconscious mind. Your conscious mind is the logical rational part of you that often talks you out of things. Your unconscious mind is where the deep stuff is. It runs and protects your body. It stores your inner thoughts, values, beliefs and processes them to create the behaviours that serve you. In fact it really wants to serve you… so much that it agrees with everything you tell it.
Your unconscious doesn’t know the difference between reality and fantasy.
So whatever you feed it… it will grow!
Your unconscious mind doesn’t distinguish between good seeds or bad seeds. So, what seeds did you plant in 2012? What seeds are you planting right now in 2013?
Plant positive seeds and you’ll reap the magic later. Sow negative seeds and you’re destined to exist in a sea of negativity and mediocre results.
Creating a great relationship with your unconscious mind is an essential part of your selling skills and creating success! Communicate with it on a regular basis. Get to know it. Nurture it. Think about what you want to harvest – and plant the appropriate seeds.
Until next time…
Leigh
PS: Download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Are You Doing Enough IPA?
23 January 2013
Doing the right Thing?
Cast your mind back a few days.
You started back at your desk after the Christmas break 100% recharged and ready for action. “Increasing Sales” as your full intent.
You were ready to concentrate on the big stuff and not get bogged down in detail. You’d made some lofty 2013 goals and were ready to conquer the world.
Then reality took over.
Too many emails. Too many projects. Too much work – not enough time.
No doubt about it, choosing work priorities over a given day, week, month can be challenging.
Let me introduce you to a couple of concepts that really help me and I think they’ll help you too.
1) “Income…Producing…Activity” (IPA)
I’ll define IPA in a moment but firstly I suggest you should be doing IPA for an average of at least 1- 3 hours per day. If you’re serious about generating tomorrow’s sales, and the next day and beyond, ring fence that time in your diary.
IPA – activities that have a direct impact on creating sales opportunities. By this I mean sales and promotional activity prior to a sale being made. This could be prospect meetings, creating email campaigns, generating referrals… anything that starts or develops new relationships with prospective customers.
What you do with your client after the deal has been done is around customer service and quality… and is not IPA.
How much of your time is actually spent on IPA? Go on – be honest.
2) “Fastest…Business…Impact” (FBI)
Many years ago I came across the acronym FBI and I have used it ever since. It’s simple – and very effective.
When I’ve chosen my IPA for any given period, I usually go on to challenge myself and ask ”what’s the FBI here”? What’s going to have the Fastest Business Impact on my business?
This really helps me prioritise what’s going to create the biggest impact on my sales… then I do that first.
When I’ve completed that activity I ask myself again and do the next most important activity. The concept is that simple. But many many people I meet don’t apply it – It’s just so easy to get caught up with doing stuff that doesn’t create sales for you… especially when you’re busy.
So - keep checking in if you want your sales success…
“Am I doing enough IPA”
“What’s the FBI”
Until next time…
Leigh
PS: Be sure to download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
Leigh Ashton
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Designing Your 2013
14 January 2013
2013? Excited? Daunted?
Well it’s time to take responsibility for shaping a 2013 that would suit YOU down to the ground.
Yes it’s the ‘G’ Word! Goals. What do you want from 2013? When it comes to December 2013 and you’re reflecting back on the year, what must have happened for you to say: “Wow, it’s been a fantastic year”?
Enjoy the process below. Find yourself a quiet and inspiring place and get to work! Whether your aims are financial, personal, social or business, write them down. Get in touch if you want help with your goal setting…we’re here to help.
Goal Setting for 2013
Well-defined goals are vital in all elements of business and sales success. The following process is one I use in business and personally. Work through the questions and remember that your initial response is normally the most useful.
State in the positive (i.e. what you want, not what you don’t want)
What specifically do I want in 2013?
The evidence
What would be my evidence that I have achieved my goal?
How would I know if I were getting my goal?
What would I be doing to get it?
What would I be seeing/hearing/feeling?
What would be a demonstration of it?
The specifics
Where do I want this goal?
Where do I not want this goal?
When do I want this goal?
When do I not want this goal?
With whom do I want this goal?
With whom do I not want this goal?
The actions
What resources can I activate to get this goal?
What resources can I acquire to get this goal?
What can I do?
What can I continue doing?
The future
What will happen if I get this goal?
How will getting this goal affect other aspects of my life?
How does getting this goal benefit me?
What might I lose if it happens?
These questions will really help you define your goals and give you the motivation and a framework to achieve them.
Good luck with your 2013 goal setting.
Bear in mind research on goal setting which concludes that your goal setting will be more effective if you;
1) Take action immediately and often to achieve them (obvious but…)
2) Tell a supportive friend/colleague/mentor what those goals are
3) Regularly update this person on the progress to achieving your goals
Wishing you a happy, healthy and very successful 2013!
Let me know how you get on.
Until next time
Leigh
PS: Be sure to download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
Leigh Ashton
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Modelling Sales Success
7 January 2013
According to Statistic Brain.com, The iPhone 5 quickly broke all first day sales records- the Number of iPhone 5 pre-orders in the first 24 hours was an astounding 2,000,000!
Looking back a few weeks later it’s clear that the team at Apple followed a tried and tested sales strategy – they modelled previous winning sales strategies and selling skills to get their team to a place they haven’t been!
By the way, did you think the leaders at Apple are overly concerned about the state of the world economy when they launch new products? I doubt it. They just go out with the words ‘increasing sales’ in mind and develop a set of products that people want that badly they find the money!
Be inspired to want a piece of the action! You can get there as well, by modelling sales success.
Modelling Sales Success is an absolute must for you to incorporate. If you can elicit the strategy of the most successful member in your team… you can replicate it in the others. If you don’t have a team and it’s down to you to sell, whose detailed sales strategy could you elicit? Who do you know that has a selling record that you want?
You may already have a rough idea of their sales tactics. You need to go beyond what you initially see and draw out the detailed inner workings of the individual to really understand strategy. How do they think during the sales process? What do they tell themselves? What do they do first? What do they do next? What don’t they do? If it’s one of your team members, great. If it’s someone outside of your company then get in touch and offer them a lunch in return for you picking their brains on their detailed selling strategy. My experience tells me they will be pleased to hear from you and be only too willing to share their experiences.
It’s time to focus on how YOU can develop yourself and your team by modelling fantastic sales success. Then one day it will be your statistics that others are inspired by!
Until next time…
Leigh Ashton
PS: Be sure to download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
Leigh Ashton
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Big Picture v Detail: The cost of not knowing your customers’ preferences
4 January 2013
Have you ever asked a client a question that can be answered in a sentence or two and they’re still talking 10 minutes later?
Or maybe asked for more detail on a sales issue and been given a one line answer?
Are you the person that is only interested in the big picture (big chunks) and give very brief responses regardless of the question… or do you give a very detailed response (small chunks) when a brief outline is all that’s needed?
Have you ever noticed that some people in your team or company complain that they weren’t given enough information about what’s going on – and yet others felt that they got too much information to digest, and they were at the same meeting!
Some people only want a brief outline of the situation; others want to know every detail. Which one are you? Which one are your top customers – and prospects?
This can be a major source of frustration when the two extremes meet. The person with the ‘big chunk’ preference goes into shutdown when given too much information and the one with the ‘small chunk’ preference is dissatisfied with the level of detail they receive!
So what do you do?
NOTICE!!
It’s easy to ascertain which preference is at play when you talk to ANYONE.
Then it’s down to you!
When you are communicating with your clients and prospects you absolutely must match their level of detail in order to stay in rapport. Too many details will confuse and irritate a big chunk person and too much vagueness will upset the small chunk person. Give them a level of detail they need and check for understanding.
And – you need to communicate to people around you the level of detail YOU want so that they can deliver. Don’t expect people to know what you need!
If you can identify and respond to whether someone likes to communicate in ‘small chunk’ or ‘big chunk’ language you’ll generate far better customer relationships, sales management within your team and general sales success when it comes to increasing sales!
And you might just get on much better with your family this Christmas!
Until next time…
Leigh Ashton
PS: Be sure to download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
Leigh Ashton
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Selling Skills…Communication is Key
12 December 2012
Having excellent communication skills is vital if you are going to achieve sales success.
When you communicate with others you are creating an experience for the other person. Everything you say has an impact… even the smallest things. What’s interesting is that every word you use will have unique interpretation for the person you are communicating with.
When working with groups I often ask people the first thought that pops into their head when I say the word ‘success.’ Interestingly, no two people have ever come back with exactly the same response. Some say ‘promotion’, some say ‘sitting on a beach’, some say ‘loving family’, some say ‘money’. And even if people say they thought of money… when questioned, one may have seen a big house, the other the actual word came to mind or ,maybe a £ or $ image.
So imagine a string of words in a sentence and a string of sentences in a conversation and you begin to realise how easy it is to create confusion or misunderstanding.
We are all unique and different in our personalities and traits, so the way in which we communicate with others or are communicated to by others will make more of an effect then we may realise.
So whatever your objective is when you communicate with prospective clients (and colleagues too!) it will impact on your expectation and if that’s low or non- existent you may find yourself creating the very lack of great results that you crave.
So expect positive outcomes through your communication and you’re more likely to get them!
Until next time…
Leigh Ashton
PS: Be sure to download my complimentary report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes” here
Leigh Ashton
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
What do you REALLY believe?
12 June 2012
Your beliefs are at the core of who you are.
Beliefs guide your decisions and behaviour in all areas of your life. They determine what you think is or is not possible. More often than not they prove to be self-fulfilling prophecies.
Henry Ford once said, “Whether you believe you can or believe you can’t, you’re probably right”.
Some of our beliefs are not our own, but rather blindly taken on from others. Once a belief is formed, we work overtime to prove it right, even if the belief is something negative like “Nobody likes me” or “I’ve never been very good at that”.
Do we have to let our beliefs govern us, even if they are harmful to others and ourselves? Can we consciously make changes to what we believe?
In the first half of the 20th century the world believed that it was impossible to run a mile under four minutes. When, on May 6th 1954, Roger Bannister ran a mile in 3.59 minutes, everyone was in awe.
Yet within a year many other runners ran the mile under four minutes. It was as if a spell had been broken.
Some beliefs can be helpful and empowering. Studies show that people who believe they are healthy live 7 years longer than those who think they are unhealthy, regardless of their actual health condition at the time of the survey.
Some beliefs can be unhelpful and disempowering. It is said that we cannot achieve our goals or that we are not worthy of other people’s acceptance.
Those kinds of beliefs are called ‘Limiting Beliefs’. They typically sound like “I am ugly”, “I will never be successful”, “I can’t work with those kind of people”, etc.
Limiting Beliefs fall into three categories:
Hopelessness: My goal cannot be achieved under any circumstances.
Helplessness: My goal can be achieved, but I lack the ability to achieve it.
Worthlessness: I don’t deserve to achieve this goal, because of something I am/am not or have/have not done.
Limiting beliefs can be a result of significant experiences in our lives, usually when we’re much younger.
Consider the story about the man who, as a nine-year-old, killed his friend’s three-year-old brother, while playing cricket. He was focusing so hard on the ball that he did not notice the young boy running behind him. As a result he formed the belief “If I go after my goal, I end up hurting others.” This belief made it very difficult for him to succeed in his adult life.
When attempting to overcome limiting beliefs the first step is to become aware of them. This can be challenging, since our limiting beliefs are often unconscious. Becoming aware of unconscious limiting beliefs can sometimes be all that is needed. At other times we may need to question our beliefs or act as if something else were true.
So what do you believe about you?
Find out more at the upcoming webinar “The Five Golden Rules for Personal Success” on June 13th. To register or find out more click here.
Leigh Ashton
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
What does the word “selling” mean to you?
27 March 2012
Leigh Ashton
What does the word “Selling” mean to you?
Business owners continue to astound me with their enthusiasm for their business. They are massively passionate about what they do and they work mighty hard to build or maintain their business. Whether it’s a brilliant new concept, or they’ve bought a franchise, or inherited the family firm, generally they love it and throw themselves into it.
Apart from one bit.
The selling bit! What is it about selling?
Many businesses owners and entrepreneurs have the most wonderful 3 year business plans. I’ve been shown some superb brochures. I’ve witnessed some incredible inventions. But their businesses are reaching nowhere near their potential – because of a reluctance to go out and sell.
The result being I’ve also seen the tidiest desks. And lots of social media activity. And some of the most thorough research on the planet.
But if you’re a business owner you have to master the necessary selling skills – or you won’t be owning a business for all that long. And if you’re responsible for increasing sales at a larger company, you have to sell too, or you’ll soon be selling yourself to an HR manager at a future job interview.
Many sell but their heart is not really in it. And how will this come across to the buyers they deal with? We all know any lack of enthusiasm for selling will show.
Why do people dislike selling? Why the reluctance to approach and engage?
Let me explain that there are two main underlying reasons why people don’t achieve the sales results they need.
Firstly - they are living in “The Valley of Reasons and Excuses”. That means blaming something or someone else for where they find themselves. Not taking responsibility. It’s the economy, nobody is spending etc etc etc. This is a massive subject in its own right but one for another day – as the thing I want to home in on today is the other reason people don’t sell well…
Secondly…what you believe about yourself – and your ability to sell, will severely impact on your results.
So what do you believe about your selling ability? What do you believe about yourself? What ‘sales’ language are you using to yourself? What do you believe about the sales profession?
If you’re a reluctant seller the odds are that you’ll display negative language when thinking or talking about your sales ability or the sales profession in general (“I’m rubbish at cold calling”, “ I hate following up quotes”, “selling is hard”, “sales people are snakes”, “sales success is impossible” )
No one thinking or talking like this is likely to jump into selling. Why would they? It sounds so scary.
The issue here is that many, no most, of your thoughts are unconscious, so your unconscious thinking has a major effect on your beliefs and actions. Your unconscious mind backs up your belief that you aren’t very hot at selling by thrusting the negative examples at you where you weren’t too hot.
But – if you dig deeper, you’ll find examples where you were great at selling – you’ve just previously dismissed them as your unconscious mind backs up your embedded beliefs.
These embedded beliefs go back a long time – probably your early childhood! An example comes to mind where someone I have worked with had extremely negative thoughts about selling. These beliefs went back to her own childhood when any doorstep salesmen were ritually abused by her mother. Sales people were slated long after each short sales visit. No wonder she developed these unconscious beliefs that all sales people were bad – which didn’t serve her well when it came to doing her own selling years later.
So what seeds have you – or others planted about sales? What are you allowing to impact your beliefs and actions? How are selling terms like ‘cold calling’ ‘objection handling’, ‘sales presentation’, ‘closing’ affecting your beliefs. One person at a recent workshop I presented suggested that every time she heard the word ‘closing’ in a sales context she felt a lump in her throat that was choking her! – such was her unease surrounding that word.
Everyone can be outstanding at selling. Sales people are not born. Selling is a set of learned behaviours and learned thinking – once you know the necessary successful behaviours and thinking you can emulate it.
So think about those limiting beliefs that are stopping you being outstanding at selling. Bring them into your consciousness and choose to accept them or reject them. For the ones you want to reject, a quick way is to think of three powerful examples where the opposite of this limiting belief was true. You’ll start to de-stabilise that negative belief and pave the way for an empowering belief in its wake.
I’m on a mission to crack this fear of selling and reluctance to sell. Hence my thoughts here and my event on 19th April where we’ll be identifying conscious and unconscious beliefs around selling – and banishing them to the ‘deleted bin’.
Leigh Ashton
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
More details of my event “Love Your Business…Hate Selling?” here
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
How to Make an Exhibition of Yourself
21 March 2012
Leigh Ashton
Exhibitions. Brilliant networking opportunity or one long coffee binge? A goldmine of vital information or, as someone once remarked about golf, ‘a good walk ruined’?
Well, being firmly of the ‘glass half full’ side of the attitude spectrum I can report I had a great time at ‘Business 2012’ earlier this week. I met lots of old friends, many new contacts, had a good look round and generally a fabulous time was had.
I know, you feel there’s a but coming on don’t you? And you’d be right.
No I’m not going to comment on the organisation of the event, which I know some were less than complimentary about. I’m not going to comment either on the sub zero temperatures at the O2 where ice would form on any coffee not consumed within three minutes.
Actually I found myself comparing the selling skills, techniques and overall effectiveness of those manning the exhibition stands – and indeed some of the stands themselves. Yes I know, I should get out more - but there was plenty to observe here.
Firstly, let’s cut to the chase. Open questions. First rule of sales success. Ask open questions and then listen. Several of those staffing the stands were good at this – but sadly many launched in to their pre-prepared patter without a clue as to who I was and what brought me anywhere near their ‘manor’. This talking without drawing breath is one of my great bugbears and sadly it appears that many still just don’t get it.
And call me a prude but speaking to someone on duty whose breath smells of alcohol, well, is this professional? I’m not sure. Maybe if it was still 1983 but I’m not sure in 2012. If you’re on duty and going to have a drink during your break, use some strong mints!
Several stands were quite intimidating as they had three or more staff on duty and no visitors. In my exhibition days if this happened one or two would have made themselves scarce and maybe watched their own stand from a short distance away ready to move back in to position as the visitors increased. My observations from Monday were that people were more likely to move right past a stand with three staff and no other visitors. Especially when the three staff are lined up like a defensive wall facing a free kick in a football match, hands protecting their vitals. Stopping unruly kids getting into a club is one thing, having fully qualified bouncers discouraging entry to your exhibition stand doesn’t count for potential sales success in my world.
The large stands held my interest too – or rather didn’t. Some of these seemed designed to prevent people from visiting the stand. Maybe this is a new marketing tactic in 2012 that I’ve missed but I will always argue that an exhibition stand should be designed to create a real buzz by allowing the maximum flow of visitors through - not look like a wake with added name badges.
There was a well known business lounge brand which had a large refreshments area which housed seating areas alongside a formal exhibition stand. My message to this company is I hope you keep your prestigious business lounges in better nick than this area looked most of the day. Used coffee cups, flyers, discarded newspapers and general litter were the order of the day. Nearby staff seemed oblivious to the mess. Potentially increasing sales? No.
Reading this makes me feel like a doom monger! I should redress the balance and say again what a fabulous day I had. I met some wonderful people, old friends and new, and met many very professional staff on many stands. These people were working hard in arctic conditions.
I felt though that I saw the past and future exhibition selling skills on Monday. I’ve described the past here in the hope that things can be improved next time round. There are a lot of people throwing a lot of mud at the organisers of Business 2012. My message to those is, yes by all means give the organisers the feedback they need to make the next show better – but take a look at what you can do better too.
Leigh Ashton
http://www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
Grab your free report “The 9 Biggest Sales Mistakes (you see others making)” here
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Take the Cappuccino Challenge this Friday for Sales Success
9 March 2012
It seems to me there’s no lack of effort going into ensuring businesses are surviving and prospering in these challenging times. Could it be that you are working TOO hard, working TOO long. You’re on a mission. Increasing sales is your goal. You’ve got your head down and are relentless in your desire to make and beat your targets.
BUT…
...as the old saying goes, you may be working hard, but are you working SMART? Put another way - you might be efficient, but how effective is your activity?
If you’re crazy busy you might find it strange to hear me recommend time away from your desks! Yet in my experience, occasional time outs from the normal working environment are a brilliant way to assess where you are - and acquire valuable insights into what needs to happen going forward.
So be kind to you, take a little time out now - and reap the benefits later. Do this once a month and you’ll increase your sales success rate.
Check out my time out exercise below.
The Cappuccino Challenge for Sales Success
Spend a couple of hours away from your normal working environment, maybe at a cafe or coffee shop. Switch the phone off, no interruptions. All you need is something to write with, something to write on, your utmost honesty - and a large cup of your favourite coffee!
Consider…
Is your performance all it can be?
How are you with your own performance?
When was the last time you received honest feedback on your performance?
When did you last give yourself a self appraisal session?
What do you feel pleased with in your personal progress?
What worries you?
What can you do about it?
Are you setting the right standards?
Are you setting the right standards for your organisation and those around you?
Are you proud of those standards?
Where might things be clarified or improved?
Does everyone around you understand what those standards are - and work by them?
Acid Test
What issues really need to be addressed?
What’s getting in the way?
What’s the single biggest obstacle that’s holding things back?
Where can calm and thoughtfulness help to make things better?
Do you have the courage of your convictions?
Blame Audit
Has laying blame crept into your organisation?
What or who is suffering because of this?
Are you tending to lay blame?
Are you taking responsibility?
How can you turn things around?
You
How can things be better for you at work?
How can things be better at home?
What’s really going on right now?
When did you last review your personal mission and vision?
Have you got a personal mission and vision?
How does this fit with your business or career mission?
Let’s be clear - this is not an afternoon off! On the contrary, it can be one of the biggest contributions you will make to your sales, your business, career and personal success.
Clients have tried this when they least thought they could spare the time. Afterwards they felt so much more energised and ready to focus on making the RIGHT things happen.
Friday afternoon is the best time - so you can return to work on Monday feeling fresh and absolutely clear on what’s to be done.
Until next time.
Leigh Ashton
http://www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Forget You: Think Them, for Sales Success
31 January 2012
Forget you and forget your standard sales presentation.
Let me explain…all of us have our own unique way of perceiving the world. This map has been created from the moment you were born to this very day…all your experiences have gone into the pot and created your map. Nobody else will have had your experiences in exactly the same way. They will have had their own experiences and will perceive the world in their very unique way.
So what does this mean to you and importantly how can you use this to increase your sales success?
It’s really important to get into the map of your potential client, really understand them, their problems and desired objectives. Only then can you deliver an offering that is irresistible and create the desire to buy from you.
Why is it then that so many people pitch their offering before finding what the buyers ‘map’ is?
This causes so many challenges when it comes to sales:
- You get objections
- Not everything you pitch will be relevant
- You may leave relevant information out
- You’re not able to close based on the map of the buyer so closing is more random
It’s so much more effective…and easier, not to start with your pitch. Start by asking well crafted open questions. Any that start with who, what, when, where or how. Avoid ‘why’ questions as they are so confrontational. Find out what’s going on in their world, from their perspective.
Do they want to solve a problem or do they need something to move them forward?.
Forget what you think they need until you’ve got every last scrap of information from then. Then you can tailor your pitch exactly to their needs…using their words, values and beliefs.
It’s also crucial to use ‘YOU’ language. This is so much more engaging for them and shows that you are really in their space…their map! Whenever you use ‘WE’, ‘I’ or your company name, you are in your map and focusing on yourself, your offering or your company.
Do this and the benefits will be enormous:
- No objections because you’re only responding and not pitching
- More engaged buyers because you’re focusing on them
- Greater depth of information from your ‘YOU focused’ open questions
- More tailored close
- Higher conversion rate…more sales is always good
In short you’ll be increasing your selling skills - and increasing sales!
One more thing…give your buyers lots of time to answer, really listen and pause when you think they have stopped. It’s often in these pauses that you’ll get the golden nuggets of information.
Leigh Ashton
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
What will happen to your business in 2012 if you don’t get enough sales?
19 November 2011
What will happen to your business in 2012 if you don’t get enough sales?
What comes up for you when you think about selling your services or products?
Do you feel upbeat, positive and ready to share the wonders of what you do? Or do you feel dread, doubt, fear or a combination of negative emotions?
You may have an armoury of selling skills but if you have negative emotions going on inside, this will get in the way of your sales success.
The signs that negativity is working against you are:
• You are busy doing stuff that has little or no impact on increasing sales
• You avoid activities that you know would have a positive impact on your sales success
• You experience negative emotions when you think about sales
• You use the doom and gloom news as an excuse for your lack of sales
• Your inner voice keeps reminding you of your weaknesses
• You’re working really hard, putting in the hours…and still not getting the sales results you want
So what do you do?
The first thing you need to do is to become aware that the strategy you currently have IS NOT WORKING FOR YOU! If you continue doing what you’re doing, you will not achieve the sales success you want. Once you acknowledge that things need to change, you’ll find it much easier to incorporate changes. It’s so easy to continue with the habits you’ve created…it takes conscious thought and effort to create new habits.
So how ready are you to let go off what you’ve been doing…or not doing…to increase your sales?
Here are some easy steps you can take to get you on the path to sales success:
1. Get rid of the negative language you use about you, the economy, the people you come into contact with and anything else that saps your positive energy. Instead of “Things are really hard at the moment” use “Things may not be easy but the more people I speak to the easier it will get”.
2. Start noticing the positive reasons for the situations you find yourself in. When you lose a sales ask yourself “What can I learn from this that will give me a greater chance of getting future sales?”
3. You don’t get what you want in life, you get what you expect. So start expecting great things to happen! Henry Ford said “If you believe you can or believe you can’t…you’re right” Go into every sales interaction knowing that if you can give this person exactly what they want or need you have a great chance of doing the deal.
4. Use more ‘YOU’ language when talking with your prospective customers. Focus on finding out about their issues, pains and desires by asking well crafted open questions. Only then can you weave your product or service into the conversation as an ideal solution.
5. Focus on IPA…Income Producing Activity. This is the stuff you do before closing a sale. Once you’ve done the deal it’s not IPA – it’s customer service. The more IPA you do…the more sales success you will achieve. Typical IPA activities are networking…in person and social media, following up enquiries, meetings with prospective customers, proposals and increasing your profile as the ‘go to’ person.
6. Prioritising the important stuff. When you have established all the IPA you could be doing, focus on the FBI…Fastest Business Impact. What IPA is going to have the fastest impact on increasing sales? That’s what you do first. It’s so easy to get that little job out of the way…then that other little task…and before you know it the day has gone and the most important activity remains undone!
7. Make sales FUN. How can you think about sales that would cause you to be more relaxed about the whole thing? It may be that you give activities different labels. I was delivering a workshop recently when one of the business owners said she felt like she was choking when she thought about closing a sale so I suggested that she think of that activity more about the other person realising that she could give them exactly what they needed. I could see a sense of relief as she nodded and said she was much more comfortable with that! How can you reframe the activity to suit you?
Incorporating these 7 easy steps will change your selling experience. You’ll be more relaxed and less stressed. You’ll be focusing on the activity that increases sales and wasting less time on the activities you used to avoid sales.
Not only will you be having more fun…you’ll be having more sales success!
Leigh Ashton
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Decreasing Marketing; Increasing Sales
4 November 2011
Most companies I help receive incoming enquiries - via the telephone line, emails, exhibitions, the list goes on.
None of these companies convert 100% of those enquiries into a sale. Of course, 100% conversion is pushing it a bit! However – there’s no doubt that all of these companies had potential to increase their conversion rate, in many cases by a considerable amount.
A company in particular comes to mind. They took enquiries mainly by phone and converted 25% of these enquiries into an individual average order value of £997 – we’ll round this up to £1000 for ease of telling the story.
Sales in volume were slightly over 10,000 a year so we’re talking about a £10m company here.
Having been called in to help, my first thoughts were what a crying shame that a massive 75% of sales enquiries were coming to nothing. Even sadder was that many of the 75% non-buyers were deemed ‘time wasters’ by the staff. I cringe at those words – in my book there’s no such thing as a time waster in sales and terming them as such reflects more on the seller than the potential buyer.
Within six weeks we’d got the conversion rate up to 27%. Now you might think that’s not much of an increase – and you’d be right. BUT – just this 2% increase in conversion rates equated to an annual increase in turnover of £800,000. Needless to say the training was deemed a big success.
The moral of the story? Don’t spend massive amounts of money on marketing when all you have to do is make better use of the leads that you’re already getting - sales success will follow.
How to increase conversion rates?
Here are a few pointers.
1. Ban the use of the words ‘time wasters’! I’m serious. Using this word in a sales environment engenders an underlying unconscious disrespect for potential buyers. I firmly believe that no one has got time these days to be a time waster – there must have been SOME level of interest for them to pick up the phone – check out a website etc.
2. Get technology in that can track enquiries and respond to them. This could be web analytics, a more sophisticated CRM, whatever it takes to know exactly who’s showing an interest – and which enables you to have a low cost follow up.
3. Connect! Yes I know some of this is very basic but…! It works. We found out at the company in question that their company was on average one of three that the potential customer contacted before making a decision. There were about 5 major players in their market at the time – and not much to choose between them in terms of product and price. So who do you think was going to get the business? YES – the one to whom the prospect felt most connected.
4. Connection is made through general rapport building and lots of curiosity – in sales terms known as good old fashioned open questions.
5. Structure. I’ll never be an advocate of scripts on telephone calls – I hate them – but a little structure can help considerably. So make sure you give the staff the guidance they need to succeed on the call.
6. Follow up when you’ve quoted. I can’t believe how many companies quote for business and then never follow up with at least a courtesy phone call. This is not hounding people – as a certain company’s ‘sales’ staff once suggested. This is called customer service, which, if we’re lucky, might catch on! If you don’t fancy following up quotes, you might want to consider an alternative career. Referring to suggestion 3, if you’re one of three companies that have quoted for a sale and you’re the only one that follows up, doesn’t that indicate a level of interest on your part that others haven’t matched?
There are of course another hundred+ tips on increasing sales and following up enquiries – but if you do these and do them well enough, your selling skills and your sales conversions will increase.
Converted yet?
Leigh Ashton
Leigh Ashton
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Their Chunk Size Does Matter!
20 October 2011
Sales Success?: Their Chunk Size Does Matter!
Have you ever been at a meeting when someone is talking about his or her vision for the organisation and somebody interrupts to announce that there are no loo rolls in the gents? Have you ever been bored at a presentation – you wanted an overview and got War and Peace?
Some people only want a brief outline of the situation. Others want to know all the details and more! That’s why some people emerge from meetings and presentations complaining they haven’t been told enough, whilst others, at the same meeting might argue they are weighed down with too much minutia. Some people like an overview, others seek detail.
How has this cost you in the past?
You will more than likely have been demonstrating your unconscious personal preference, whatever the needs of those you are communicating with. So if you’re an over view person, you’re likely be reluctant to go into detail, thus leaving those small chunkers frustrated that they haven’t anything like the information they need. On the other hand, if you’re a detail person, some of your presentations and communication might well have your audience bored to bits if they only ever wanted an overview.
So…
To attain the very best connection it’s essential you get to know the chunk size of anyone you’re communicating with – customers, prospects, colleagues, suppliers. People have different needs as far as the level of detail they thrive on is concerned. If you get it right, sales success will follow. Get it wrong and, quite simply you could be losing sales.
Which is best?
There is no best – but there is certainly a best for the situation and your key to increasing sales is knowing when to ‘chunk up’ or ‘chunk down’. This means leaving your own personal preferences aside. Go into the ‘map’ of the person you’re communicating with and go with their flow. Your flexibility is your key to better rapport, better connections and better conversion rates.
Remember, too many details will confuse a big chunker and too much vagueness will upset a small chunker. Give each the level they need.
How to find out
When you’re next communicating with anyone, pay special notice to the level of detail they display when they’re talking. If they’re vague, give short answers and obviously don’t do the small talk, it’s clear that the best way is to respond in kind. Likewise if they go into detail, you need to too. In my experience many sales people find it hard to leave their own map, so that’s the key. LISTEN – and respond.
Where else is this useful?
If you manage a team, take notice of how your team members differ. By responding accordingly you can look forward to better connections with your team with all the gains that can bring. Likewise your colleagues at meetings and in general conversation. Your general sales management skills can only improve.
I look forward to hearing your big chunk/small chunk feedback! In the level of detail you prefer of course.
Leigh Ashton
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
7 Autumn Sales Tips
20 September 2011
There’s certainly never a dull moment as far as the economy is concerned.
The economists and statisticians pour over the latest data, trying to explain away the pro’s and con’s of the employment figures, growth trends, how the Italy/Greece/USA (delete as appropriate!) ‘crisis’ will affect the UK and so on.
What to do?
Rise above it! That doesn’t mean ignore it - you need to know what’s going on in the world. Your mantra needs to be ‘ok, so all that’s happening in the economy, how can I best respond to achieve sales success?’
To help - here’s 7 Sales Tips for Autumn
7 Autumn Sales Tips
1 Get the GOAL right
Yes that old chestnut. Powerful goal setting -and how to keep on track to achieve them - is one of the most talked about subjects in sales and personal development land.
Everyone has individual techniques to try to master the art of setting goals. You might like to try this one…jump ahead in time and Imagine it’s (‘insert date’).
Think to yourself ‘If Only I’d….’ Whatever big stuff comes to mind - that’s your focus for the period you chose. Useful - and particularly if you’re a little on the ‘glass half empty’ side of life.
2 Inject some FUN!
Seriously. Fun is a must for increasing sales. Some say that sales is not much fun these days. Well it’s up to you to re-install your fun formula! First - get more fun into YOUR life; watch a stand up comedian; watch your fave comedy TV show; read a joke book - anything to get you laughing more. If you’re in sales management this is important to use with your team.
Then when your with a prospect you’ll feel better equipped to make them smile, putting them at ease and creating an atmosphere full of rapport.
3 Get in a TIP TOP STATE!
What’s your inner state today? If you’re feeling positive & motivated to get stuff done then celebrate & have a fantastic day.
If you’re feeling a bit flat or negative, go for a short break, look up & smile the biggest smile you can.
Changing your physiology is a brilliantly easy way to change your state. Changing your physiology will improve your selling skills 100%
Think about all the things you are grateful for & focus on what you want rather than what you don’t want!
4 Get MOTIVATED!
Ask yourself…Do I believe that what I’m selling is the best? Is my company the best? Are my work habits the best?
Am I letting outside pressures get in the way? Am I really taking care of mysefl?
Yes there’s an economic slowdown, but before you blame ‘it’, take a look at ‘you’. Make sure you’re fir for purpose!
5 Do it NOW!
Many people have ONE task to do that they continually avoid. Ring any bells? Yet when they eventually do it they find out it wasn’t that bad after all and they feel great for doing it.
So what’s that ONE TASK that you have been putting off that’s beginning to haunt you?
Go - Do it today - You’ll feel so much better by tonight. Go Go Go!
6 Do the RIGHT THING!
You can always find stuff to do to keep you busy but how useful is the stuff you do at generating sales? Focus on Income Producing Activity before all other tasks and you will increase your sales.
Remember also that if you focus on getting tasks done you may forget the purpose of the task…it’s not about getting through the calls/visits it’s about connecting with people and either starting or developing the relationship.
7 Happy Customers? - Get a REFERRAL!
When was the last time you asked for a referral? If you’re currently doing work for someone NOW is the time to ask.
Just finished working for someone? Ask quickly before it’s too late.
Ask your top customers. Referrals are free. Referrals are quick. I challenge you to ask for at least one before the end of today. Go Go Go!
Leigh Ashton
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Closing a Sale in 5 Minutes
25 August 2011
How frustrating is it when you put in lots of hard work for little or no reward?
Perhaps you’ve been working on a tender for a big contract only to see it cancelled, or awarded to a competitor? Or you’ve given a fabulous sales presentation, only for the meeting to grind towards its end with no sign of a sale?
Maybe you’ve quoted and you just can’t get an answer no matter how often you contact them? What about when you think you’ve been fobbed off - they probably don’t want your products but they won’t tell you outright so you keep contacting them ‘just in case’?
We’ve all been there - it’s frustrating and time consuming. The dilemma - do you chase old ‘maybe’ business or spend more time generating new enquiries?
Closing a Sale in 5 Minutes…
The Issue
The meeting’s gone well. You’ve got a fabulous connection with your prospect. Rapport levels are high. They seem attentive. They seem interested. You’ve impressively answered some minor objections that came your way. Yet there’s something that’s holding you back from asking outright for the business.
What to do next?
The Solution
Three Killer Questions. Before you embark on the first question, make sure you have good levels of rapport with your prospect. If there is any ‘edge’ present, these questions won’t work. With fabulous rapport, they always deliver.
So, back to your meeting. It’s coming to an end and you need to close the sale.
Question Number 1
At the end of your conversation, ask:
On a scale from 1 to 10 – 1 meaning “it’s over…don’t darken our door again” and 10 meaning “we want you to start straight away”…where would you say we are?
THEN…SHUT UP! This is critical to ensure you give the silence that allows your contact to think.
Give them time. Allow your prospect to respond. They will give you a number. Don’t be too attached to the number. The golden nugget is their response to the next question.
Question Number 2
Ask…
What would need to happen to get us to a 10?
SHUT UP! Again…this is critical. Give them more time to think.
Allow your prospect to respond.
You have now identified the gap between what you’re offering and what your client needs from you before they can say ‘yes’. You now know how close you are to securing the deal.
If you are able to resolve the gap immediately you’ll be able to close the deal there and then.
Some answers will alert you that these prospects are unlikely to ever buy. Disappointing yes but good to know there and then not several weeks and many follow ups later.
Question Number 3
Open question.
What would you like me to do next?
Their answer is usually like all the jigsaw pieces falling into place. They are explaining exactly what the next course of action is - talking as if you’re already on board.
Agree on the next course of action and be sure to maintain your control by agreeing when you will get back to them.
Asking these questions will change your sales results! They identify how close you are to a sale, they identify how big the gap is - and exactly what you need to do to bridge the gap. And you both decide whether or not you have the means to bridge the gap. All usually in a few minutes.
By slightly tweaking these questions you can use the ‘out of ten’ technique in other situations - for example staff appraisals and job satisfaction surveys come to mind.
Hope this technique brings you lots of success.
Leigh Ashton
www.sales-consultancy.com
020 7903 5426
.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Get Mental: Are You Fit to Sell?
9 August 2011
Companies are storing record cash amounts. They’re hoarding their revenues for more rainy days ahead. They’re spending little at the moment. They’re making do.
One day though – one day they’ll will be ready to spend big. Their cash reserves are colossal – after all, profits have held up well and companies have cut out lots of costs.
But when they do decide to spend, YOU have to be right up there in their consciousness, right in the forefront of their thinking, if you are going to maximise the inevitable opportunities that are going to arise.
Well then – are you ready? Have you got what it takes? How motivated are you? What state are you in?
Where will you be when the gold rush starts?
Your answers to these and other similar questions will determine your success as we come out of the economic downturn.
Remember – you cannot succeed and make it happen on the outside before you’ve already made it happen on the inside.
Have the Right Mind State
Your mind and body are part of the same interactive system. What you’re thinking will determine your behavior so you need to be thinking positive, motivating thoughts. If you find your thinking or internal dialogue is not helpful to your state you need to change it – and FAST.
Think about times when you were in the flow, sales were easy, conversations flowed and you felt great. It feels great doesn’t it?
What about when things didn’t go that well, you weren’t moving forward, something stopped you from taking action. How did you feel during those times?
The objective is to stay in that first, happy productive state, and if you find yourself less resourceful, to change back into that productive state quickly and easily. Put simply you will achieve more sales and success generally from being in a positive state.
Anchoring
So how can you capture and draw on the best bits? Anchoring is the technique which enables you to recall those moments when you were totally motivated, lock them in, and recall them when required. It sounds simple and it is and by following the exercise below you can have an effective anchor available to you in minutes.
Limiting beliefs
A big subject, very important too. For now take notice of those things you say to yourself that are not helping you. That little voice inside, that makes you doubt your ability and stops you from taking action, or the right action. Some people call it their inner critic.
You need to take on that inner critic. After all – how many of the messages it gives you are based on fact? Not many usually. Yet these negative thoughts promote your limiting beliefs, in turn stopping you performing at your peak. So notice those messages from within, and where they came from.
Remember – sales come when you are in a really great state. Oh and smile too. It’s really difficult to do ‘depressed’ when you’re smiling! Sales isn’t a process, or about what you say. It starts in your head and how you’re feeling. Get that right and you will succeed in sales.
1 Anchoring Exercise
Think of a time when the conversation flowed, when you were in deep rapport and felt unstoppable. Get right into that moment, turn it up – and bottle it. Then think of another great selling moment and do the same. And again, three times in all. Design yourself an anchor to lock in the fabulous state you are now in – maybe a piece of music, maybe a clap of your hand, something that, later by playing the music, or clapping in the same way, you can reproduce that motivated and unstoppable feeling.
2 Countering limiting beliefs exercise
During the course of a day, notice those negative statements you think and say. Write them down. For each limiting belief write down three counter examples to each. Three examples which demonstrate the limiting belief not to be true. This will shake the roots of those limiting beliefs and ultimately eradicate them.
Summary
- Your thoughts will determine your behaviour and your results
- To maximise your potential you need to stay in, or get in, a happy productive state
- Anchoring is a powerful tool to capture and retain and reproduce those moments when you are most motivated and resourceful
- Limiting Beliefs are those inner voices that tell you what you cannot do or struggle to do
- Limiting beliefs should be countered and destroyed to achieve maximum sales success
Leigh Ashton
The Sales Consultancy
View Comments (1) or leave a comment
7 Steps to Action
18 July 2011
Frequently during my sales workshops I get asked “what’s the biggest contribution to success?” Now that’s a tough question to answer. There are so many things that determine whether you are destined for success. If I had to pick one, it would probably be taking ACTION. Without it, you will never get the results you want.
I’m reminded of the quote ‘All know the way; few actually walk it’ (Bodhidharma). We’re all guilty of not doing the stuff we know we should be doing.
So if you’re procrastinating on ACTIONS that you know will better your results, this exercise could really get you moving.
7 Steps to ACTION
Get yourself a writing pad and a pen you like writing with! Take your time in answering the following questions as fully as you can.
1. Write down one thing that you are procrastinating with
2. Come up with 10 reasons why you must change this now
3. What will it cost you if you don’t make this change?
4. What will you gain from this change?
5. How do you know you can absolutely make this change?
6. Create a new association with this change
For example – If you’re not making enough calls you may have an association that not making calls equals less rejection…a new association might be that making more calls equals more chances to make sales and all the kudos and money that comes with that.
7. What is your first action that you can do immediately?
This exercise will really get you in touch with the motivation to take ACTION towards what you want.
It’s great to hear how you make these strategies work for you, so please do let us know how you get on.
Leigh Ashton
The Sales Consultancy
View Comments (0) or leave a comment
Stop Your Procrastination NOW (not later!)
20 June 2011
Years ago, we were (and still are being) introduced to all these labour saving devices. All this meant we’d have lots more time on our hands to enjoy life, enjoy our friends and families and live a life of ongoing leisure.
So what happened then? Everyone I meet is as busy as ever trying to make a living and it’s taking more time than ever!
Which means we cannot afford to procrastinate, yet it’s a very common admission of attendees on every training and mentoring programme I deliver. We know it holds us back but…
So – high time to take a look at procrastination – and not put it off any more!!
Procrastination is one of the biggest enemies you have when it comes to sales and marketing. Thinking about what you need to do to get that business in is all very well – taking the first step towards your objective is critical.
Putting off the least productive items in your day is a useful talent. Putting off the crucial stuff is a bad move. Your productivity goes right down, your achievements are zilch and before you know where you are you’re stressed.
What to do about it?…
Here are six pointers to help you overcome procrastination.
1. Plan your day before your day!
It’s an old cliche but people don’t plan to fail – they do sometimes fail to plan. Without a plan of action in place before you arrive for work it’s too easy to get caught up in ‘stuff’. The phone rings, someone pops into the office and you spend your time responding to the loudest voices rather than to the most important priorities. A plan of action, prepared the night before is like a roadmap for the next day. You know what your next step needs to be to get you into productive action and away from procrastination. With a prioritised plan, you hit the ground running and get early momentum to your day.
2. Work with a clean desk.
Get organised. When I mentor business owners, managers and sales people, the desks they operate from are often filled with files stacked so high they’re a health and safety hazard. Often accompanied by empty drinks cups, sandwich crumbs, half the world’s supply of sticky notes, it goes on.
No No No. If you’re serious about working to your utmost potential and actually achieving results on an efficient, consistent basis, you’ve got to be organised and look organised. A cluttered desk sends a signal – to your own mind and to others around you.
Cut the chances of distraction, get a decent filing system, get rid of old stuff, so that you can concentrate on one IMPORTANT thing at a time on your desk.
3. Reduce large projects to bite-sized pieces.
Can’t face that big project? Then break it down into smaller chunks so you chip away over time. Work out when your deadline is. Impose your own if you need to – and work out how much time you need to spend on this project each week, day and so on.
Be sure to plan for interruptions. Most people get them, so expect them and assess your required time accordingly. For example, tomorrow you plan to work on a three-hour project. Build in four hours to your timetable as, unless you are very lucky, you’ll have to deal with interruptions, meetings, etc.
Leading personal development guru Brian Tracy suggests you ‘Eat That Frog’ first thing in the morning, meaning get the most challenging or unappetising tasks out of the way first thing. If you have two frogs staring at you, eat the ugliest one first! You’ll have a much better day rather than letting those frogs stare at you all day until you ‘get round to them’.
4. Plan around interruptions.
Interruptions tend to occur in identifiable patterns. You may get most of your interruptions early in the day rather than later in the day. You may get most of your interruptions early in the week rather than later in the week. So, if you plan a big project make sure it works with your normal schedule of activity – don’t create stress for yourself before you begin. As soon as your interruptions arrive they will re-focus your attention, causing you to procrastinate what you really want to do. It’s so much easier swimming downstream with the current rather than bucking the tide. Therefore, plan those larger projects for quieter times of your day and week when you tend to get fewer interruptions. And if you can and really need to – ask for no interruptions. Trade this for a period when you commit to being available for others later in the day
5. Assign deadlines.
Have you ever failed to achieve a New Year’s resolution? If so, that probably happened because you didn’t set a deadline. Deadlines will move you to action. Without a deadline, things end up in our ‘soon as possible’ pile, a Never Never Land where items might get attended to someday, when you get the time. Create a deadline and you will be moved to action.
6. FBI
When prioritising your work, ask yourself, what’s the FBI here – The Fastest Business Impact? This will help concentrate the mind on what you really should be doing. Keep checking in with the FBI test and you’ll notice an impact on your sales.