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Archive for the ‘Sales Development’ Category

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Video: Sandler Rule #25: When You Want to Know the Future, Bring It Back to the Present


“Can you get me an estimate?”

“Why don’t you write up a proposal for me?”

“Well, just get me an outline of your plans for us and we’ll get back to you.”

Do these sound familiar? Possibly a “free consulting” nightmare that sales professionals see way too often? Well, we’ve got some bad news for you. You’re probably still going to hear these questions down the road. But that doesn’t mean you have to actually do the work.

As Sandler Training’s Roger Wentworth explains, you have to start a dialogue that gets the prospect to predict the future for you. It isn’t invasive, it isn’t a transparent question, and it simply forces both parties to understand the next steps in the relationship. If your prospect can’t answer a question about what would happen if a proposal fulfilled everything they wanted, then you may have to seriously consider if you’re in a “free consulting” situation.

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Video: Sandler Rule #21: Sell Today, Educate Tomorrow


As Sandler Training’s Karl Scheible explains above, it may be in the salesperson’s best interest to stop talking from time to time.

As odd as that sounds, especially when you consider that the stereotypical salesperson is never a stranger to conversation, it’s definitely the case that your verbal enthusiasm for selling your product may keep you from doing just that–actually selling.

Your early contact with a prospect shouldn’t be about diving into your service offerings or capabilities. That can be overwhelming and a bit transparent to someone who has had little contact with you. Your job is to qualify the prospect so that you can more effectively use the countless materials and selling angles you’ve accumulated to make a better presentation at a later meeting.

Devote your attention to asking questions and listening to the prospect build their own case for how you can help them. Once you’ve started the dialogue (not a monologue), you’ll soon be able to use your product knowledge to “wow” the prospect, not overwhelm them.

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Posted in Presentations, Product Positioning, Prospecting, Qualifying, Sales Development | No Comments »

Sales Training for the Prospecting Marathon


By Ken Edmundson

What does a marathon runner know about making prospecting calls?

Probably very little.  Maybe nothing!  However, the strategy the marathon runner uses to prepare for a race can help you become a better prospector.  No runner started out as a marathon runner.  They trained over time to build their strength and endurance to go the distance.  The first day they couldn’t run 100 yards before gasping for breath.  The first week was torture.  The second week was a little better.  The third week better yet, and so on.  With continual practice, desire and effort, they became a marathon runner.

Take a lesson from the marathon runner. If you are struggling with 10 or 15 prospecting calls a day, how will you ever make 30, 40 or whatever number your prospecting plan calls for?  If the novice marathon runner is gasping for breath after 100 yards, how can he eventually last for two miles, eight miles, 12 miles or 26 miles?  He must condition himself.

While marathon runners may have their own trainers, you’ve got me and the rest of the folks at Sandler Training to give you a little sales training advice:

Pace yourself, and you’ll get there.

You may not get past six calls the first day without gasping for breath, but the next day you can do seven, the next day eight, the next day nine or 10 and continue that practice until you can go the distance.

An average sales cycle to move a new prospect beginning from your initial introductory call to closing a sale takes an average of 12 quality touches (and that is not 12 irritating voicemail messages) over an 18 month period. That’s at least one meaningful connection every 45 days. Remember, it’s 12 touches over 18 months on average. You can be better than average if you get better at your technique and better at your strategy. You don’t have to be a marathon prospector right away, but you better start your training program, rest up and get ready for the long road ahead. As long as you have a contact schedule and strategy in mind, you’ll see that finish line.

Ken Edmundson is the CEO of the Edmundson Northstar Institute, a Sandler Training franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Illustration by Rob Green

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Salespeople Who Decide Are Salespeople Who Survive


By Ken Edmundson

The late, great Arthur Ashe, for whom the Stadium Court at Flushing Meadows Tennis Complex in New York City is named, was not only a great pioneer in the sport, but was also known for his intellect and ability to teach in both words and examples.

I attended a tennis clinic one time where he was a guest speaker and remember him saying, “The single most important difference between the professional money players and the really good amateur players is “speed to execution”–the professionals are one critical second faster in their decision-making than the best amateurs. The best amateur players are one second faster than the average players and so on and so forth.  A mere one second in decision-making makes all the difference between a world-class player and a good club player. He gave example after example of this in teaching how to set up strategy for hitting baseline shots, volleys or overheads. When you think about this “speed to execution,” it seems to apply in other places as well.

I was driving down the street recently on a beautiful clear, cool day and observed all the squirrels jumping from tree limb to tree limb; many were scampering across the street and up into trees.  Occasionally I noticed along the road an indecisive, uncommitted, slow squirrel, which can be best described as a “Flat Squirrel!”  What could have happened had that squirrel been faster in its speed to execution, a little quicker in reaction time or more committed to its plan?  There is a good chance he would not be flat.

The sales world has “flat squirrels,” salespeople who are uncommitted, unwilling to strategize, slow in reacting and indecisive.  You may be familiar with some of them; they may work around you in your company. “Flat Squirrel” salespeople show signs of the following:

  • Not willing to commit 65-70% of their time each week to prospecting, presenting, and engaging in sales activities.
  • Spend more time dreaming about their next career, than strategizing on making their current career a success.
  • Blame lack of results on outside influences or luck of their competitors.
  • Self-destruct their own product and income by using price as their selling point instead of creating their real competitive advantages.
  • Tend to wait on others to initiate the motivation for them to achieve, rather than implement a self-initiated and self-administered plan.

Pay close attention to the world around you–avoid the self-limiting habits that lead to the “Flat Squirrel Syndrome” for salespeople. Remember: all the worrying, scripting and planning in the world will be worth absolutely nothing without any decisive action behind it. Be that one-second quicker in making your decisions and taking action, and you’ll find that your competitors will be flattened in your rear-view mirror.

Ken Edmundson is the CEO of the Edmundson Northstar Institute, a Sandler Training franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Illustration by Rob Green

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Video: Sandler Rule #26: People Buy in Spite of the Hard Sell, Not Because of It


Countless people go through sales training seminars every year only to emerge with slick tricks, a few doses of confidence and a belief that they’ll be able to bully any prospect they meet into signing on the dotted line. While this may do just fine for the quick, lucky payday, it is not a system that builds long-term, profitable relationships.

The hard sell isn’t just about your demeanor, either. No matter how gentle you are with your words and interactions, you are still hard selling when you build your sales strategy around your needs–and not the prospect’s. Take the time to remember that the prospect buys for their reasons and not yours, and you’ll then be able to move toward deciding whether or not the transaction or relationship would be beneficial for all parties.

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Posted in Adapting Sales Techniques, Closing, Customer Relationships, Prospecting, Sales Development | No Comments »

Sales Training: A Do-It-Yourself Guide


By Ken Edmundson

Sales Training Do-It-YourselfOver the last eight years I have done hundreds of one-on-one performance coaching sessions with salespeople, and the single most frequent question I hear is, “How do I get better?”  It’s a meaningful question and almost always asked with a genuineness that signifies the person speaking really wants help.

I usually respond to that question with a question of my own that goes like this, “Do you really want to know?” You see, at these moments I’m always reminded of a statement by Dr. Lee Thayer, “Most people prefer the problem they have to a solution they don’t like.”

Step one is to be sure they can get specific on what “get better” actually means–and usually they can. I have spent many hours working on my own personal growth and development plan, as well as learning to coach others about how to effectively answer that question. And while I don’t propose that in one short writing I can give a complete overview, what I’ve attempted to do in the following paragraphs is provide a focal point for those who would truly like to know more. This is an outline of how to get better, so before you read further, pause for another moment and give even more consideration to Dr. Thayer’s comment.

Still ready to go forward?

Let me give a definition of the phrase “getting better” using two important areas of your life:

1)   Getting Better Financially:

Growth in your sales volume, annual income or personal net worth. I consider the standard for growth, or getting better, in financial terms to be measured as an increase of 15% per year for your personal net worth, personal income or your sales volume. If you are not accomplishing this for five consecutive years, then you have not experienced real growth and are not getting better financially.

2)  Getting Better Mentally:

  • Setting clear, achievable, exciting and meaningful goals.
  • Aligning what you say, what you do and what you think so they all agree.
  • Maintaining focus, purpose and intent toward that which you most desire with a minimum amount of stress, worry, anxiety, fear and anger.

Still interested? Read on. (more…)

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Posted in Adapting Sales Techniques, Behavior + Attitude, Motivation, Reinforcement, Sales Development | 2 Comments »

Video: Sandler Rule #35: If Your Competition Is Doing It, Stop Doing It Right Away


If you simply differentiate yourself as saying you’re “the best” sales professional out there, then you can look forward to clients and prospects who will wander around to see if one of the millions of other “bests” out there are cheaper. This rule is simple. See what your competition does, and then make sure that what you do is incomparable. Having a unique game plan will help set you on the path to one-of-a-kind success.

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Video: Sandler Rule #47: Selling Is a Broadway Play Performed by a Psychiatrist


Sandler Training’s Brad Massey explains Sandler Rule #47–”Selling Is a Broadway Play Performed by a Psychiatrist.” To really sell, you’ve got to step out onto that stage, choose the right performance for the right audience and be prepared to analyze their reactions. Do everything right, and you may just get asked for an encore.

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There’s No Summer Slumber. People Will Still Spend Their Money.


By Ken Edmundson

We are right in the middle of summer, and I love the summer. And in the midst of this nice warm weather, it may be strange to say that I also love the winter–but I do.

That’s when the business world almost uniformly decides to go into a slumber because they believe buying slows down. That’s called a self-limiting belief. That’s when I’m at my best because this is what I have found–people actually still have money and are willing to spend it if you’re good enough to find their pain.

You see, businesses today are not spending money on pleasure and fluff. They are, however, willing to spend money at any time of the year on things they need or that are going to save them money, avoid a cost or help them increase their revenue. You have to get really good, really fast at learning how to find pain, and you need to work on having patience so you do not pull the trigger too soon, but learn how to develop the pain and find the emotional connections that will make your prospects spend their money.

Owners, quit taking excuses that people don’t have money because they do for the things they want and the things they need to solve problems.

Good salespeople don’t even know there is a recession because they are good at finding the pain.

Ken Edmundson is the CEO of the Edmundson Northstar Institute, a Sandler Training franchise based in Memphis, Tennessee.

Illustration by Rob Green

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Posted in Motivation, Overcoming Obstacles, Sales Development | No Comments »

Video: Sandler’s Point of Difference


Sandler CEO Dave Mattson discusses why Sandler isn’t just your typical sales training seminar. Sandler is more than just a couple of sales tips; it’s a proven system based on continual reinforcement and incremental learning that results in a permanent behavior change. To see how there’s no “quick fix” to sales, leadership and management training, visit sandler.com.

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Posted in Adapting Sales Techniques, Reinforcement, Sales Development | No Comments »

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