The Back Out

You’ve planned this night for months.  You gave your pitch eloquently.  You received a yes decisively.  You went home jubilantly.  Unfortunately, you woke up the next morning to be shocked.  Your recent fiancée is returning the ring, regrets agreeing to anything, doesn’t want to marry you and is backing out.  Ouch!

Surely nothing like this ever happens in the sales process.  You’ve never worked a deal for months, given presentations, finally closed, shook hands, drove back to your office, only to get a call, “don’t cash the check, we’ve re-considered”.

How can you prevent the back-out?  Here’s a tip.  After you’ve closed, bring up some point on which the client compromised.  For example, the client wanted two week delivery, you could guarantee the product to ship in four, and you both finally compromise on three.  You ask the client, “Are you sure, you’re comfortable with that three week turn-around time?” They re-assure you they can live with it.

Why give people the opportunity to back-out in front of you?  When you do so, you have the opportunity to re-sell them.  Everyone experiences buyer’s remorse and it’s near impossible to re-sell an answering machine.  Back-up so they don’t back-out and that’s what the post-sell is all about.

Want more tips.  Attend our informative and entertaining session entitled

Who is Wrecking Your Business Now on Thursday October 19th at 8:15 until 10:00am.  We will uncover why the buyer holds all the cards and ways to learn a better way to play the game. 

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We will address the challenges listed below...

Learn four factors facing any hiring decision

We can tell with 95% accuracy who will sell and who won’t

Discover ways to perform an MRI on your sales force

Call me at 858-483-8888 for more details.  Seating is limited. 

Wishing you Good Selling,

Darren Cecil

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San Diego Sales, Inc.
858-483-8888 cell 619 867-2253
www.sdsales.sandler.com

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Business owners and sales managers this weekly sales tip is for you. Here are the 4 key elements when hiring a sales force or evaluating your current sales team. Please read below and look at the FREE webinar on September 21st at 8:00-9:00am How to Build a Superior Sales Force

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4 Key Elements to Sales Success

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Desire to be the Best ...Employees who lack desire tend to set the bar very low for themselves. While some of them are committed to their success, their idea of success is not very impressive. In most cases, employees with lack of desire just don't want success badly enough at this point in time.

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Outlook When employees have a poor Outlook, it means that they don't feel good about some aspect of their life, including, but not limited to their job, company, self, home life, financial situation or physical appearance.

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Taking Responsibility When employees make excuses they are blaming external sources for their lack of results - their boss, company, competitors, co-workers, etc.

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Commitment to Achieving your Success Employees who lack commitment either already accomplished what they set out to accomplish or probably won't accomplish what they set out to. In either case, they don't presently have a compelling reason to do whatever it takes to succeed.

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5 Major (Hidden) Weaknesses Hindering Sales Success

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Self-Limiting Record Collection When an employee has a self-limiting Record Collection, it means that too many of the records, or beliefs in his/her collection will sabotage rather than support successful selling.

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Emotionally Involved When an employee becomes emotionally involved, it indicates that the salesperson is thinking too often during the sales call. The thinking could include, but isn't limited to, analyzing, creating, worrying, panicking, getting excited and strategizing on the fly. It is often the result of lack of preparation and the inability to simply respond appropriately and naturally.

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Need for Approval When an employee Needs Approval from prospects their need to be liked, and in extreme cases, loved, is greater than their need to close business. This employee will avoid saying or doing those things which, in his/her mind, would change how the prospect feels about him/her. This includes, but is not limited to tough questions, legitimate confrontation and the potential inability to handle rejection or a 'no'. The result is that this employee will develop pipeline bloat.

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Money Issues Weakness When an employee has Money Issues, it indicates that the salesperson could be uncomfortable talking about money, unable to uncover an actual budget or has an unreasonably low concept of how much money constitutes 'a lot'. This employee will often inappropriately propose -- either high or low because of a lack of awareness over how much money the prospect will actually spend. This can also happen when the salesperson isn't comfortable with the amount of money being talked about.

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Non-Supportive Buy Cycle When an employee has a non-supportive Buy Cycle, it indicates that the manner in which this person goes about the process of buying something for him/herself does not support the selling process.

How to Build a Superior Sales Force! September 21st 8:00am-9:00am
A fast-paced one-hour FREE presentation, led by sales force development expert Dave Kurlan, who will share his experience from evaluating the sales forces of more than 7500 companies.

Topics Include:

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· Do you have the right people in the right roles?
· Can you tell the difference between salespeople who can vs. will sell?
· Pipeline Management - How to turn your lumps of coal into Gold Bullion.
· Role of Sales Management - The impact they have on your successes and failures.
· Over Achievers - How to find them and develop them.
· Recruiting - A peek into a world-class sales recruiting process.

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Who Should Attend: Senior management interested in improving their sales force's ability to sell more at higher margins.

You must apply to attend this online event by registering . Once accepted, you will receive an email which includes a URL and a phone number for accessing the online seminar and teleconference. WEBEX's online conferencing solution will allow you to view the presentation, while listening to Dave Kurlan and asking questions through your phone. A limited number of participants will be accepted in order to enable interaction and Q&A with Dave. Please don't wait to register .

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Log on to the following link to register. Seating is limited

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http://www.whizspark.com/es/ViewEvent.aspx?eid=1649&icid=50604

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As always wishing you good selling!

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Darren

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Darren R. Cecil, President

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San Diego Sales, Inc.
858-483-8888 cell 619 867-2253
www.sdsales.sandler.com

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Don’t Tolerate A Non Supportive Buy Cycle

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You walk into the store. You browse. You ask the salesperson for information and expect free consulting. You think it over. You leave. You come back. You beat up the sales person on price. You buy on sale. You use coupons. You choose an inferior product because it’s cheaper. You finally make your purchase and enjoy the $2.00 you just saved on that box of cereal.

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Any buying behaviors you tolerate in yourself, you will tolerate from prospects. You will not be able to plant your feet and stop prospects from running over you when they are only displaying the same bad buying behaviors that you display.

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Stop it. Stop expecting to get something for nothing. Stop stealing people’s expertise and beating them up on price. The best thing you can do for your business is to start identifying the products you truly enjoy and buy them. Pay the price. Get the best quality. Be a loyal customer. When you pay the price, you will confidently hold the line when others try to make you carve away at your profit margins.

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At Sandler, we are the most expensive, most difficult sales training there is. We are not for the faint of heart. We are for great athletes who want to run the race and finish strong. We are for the salesperson, manager, and owner who want to be disciplined, systematic, and emotionally strong. We don’t do motivation. We expect total transformation. So, don’t call us unless you’re serious about changing your attitudes, your behaviors, and your techniques.

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ATTEND A FREE WEBINAR
(SEMINAR ON YOUR COMPUTER)
How to Build a Superior Sales Force! September 21st 9:00am-10:00am Pacific Time 12:00-1:00pm Eastern Standard Time

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A fast-paced one-hour presentation, led by sales force development expert Dave Kurlan, who will share his experience from evaluating the sales forces of more than 7500 companies.

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• Do you have the right people in the right roles?
• Can you tell the difference between salespeople who can vs. will sell?
• Pipeline Management - How to turn your lumps of coal into Gold Bullions.
• Role of Sales Management - The impact they have on your successes and failures.
• Over Achievers - How to find them and develop them.

• Recruiting - A Peak into a world-class sales recruiting process. ............................. .... Who Should Attend: Senior management or business owners interested in improving their sales force's ability to sell more at higher margins.

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Log onto http://www.whizspark.com/es/ViewEvent.aspx?eid=1649&icid=50604 to register for free.

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Cal me if you have any questions

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Darren Cecil

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Darren R. Cecil, President
San Diego Sales, Inc.
858-483-8888 cell 619 867-2253
www.sdsales.sandler.com

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You Can't Sell Anybody Anything

-Until they Discover they Want it!

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Despite what most traditional sales trainers tell us, it's very difficult to convince people that they want or need something that they're not already asking to buy. Our experiences at Sandler Sales Institute (SSI) demonstrates that when we try to force-sell our products or services, all we do is evoke feelings of defensiveness in our prospects. Unconsciously, the prospects "defend" whatever it is they already own or use. Under those circumstances, prospects won't make a "new" decision.
The use of SSI's Reversing techniques can lead prospects to "discover" that while a previous decision was a wise one, a "new" decision can also be beneficial. Be patient. Let your prospects "discover" a better way - and that your product or service is it.
A professional salesperson knows when to close the deal. The pro knows better than to pressure the prospect. People love to buy, but they hate to be sold. Consequently, the professional salesperson leads prospects to close themselves. They do so by using a Sandler technique called Negative Reverse Selling.

How does it work? It's simple, really. When the prospect nibbles, the salesperson lets out a little more line. Instead of moving toward the prospect's interests, the salesperson moves away from it.

Consider this example of Negative Reverse Selling: PROSPECT: I think I like what you're saying. SALESPERSON: Interesting. Based on what you have been saying up until now, I would not have guessed you had any interest in my product. What did I miss? See the subtle reverse? Can you feel the loosening of the line? Instead of moving in for what looked like the obvious close, the salesperson gently moves away, all while setting the hook a little tighter. Now, watch the line tighten up as the prospect responds: PROSPECT: Maybe you missed how I see your product solving my problem. SALESPERSON: Great, but I'm still a little confused. Could you tell me more specifically just how you see the fit? PROSPECT: Sure. I'll use it by- Do you see what's happening? The prospect is closing himself! What could be easier? To sell like a pro, learn to set the hook only when you hear the prospect buy. Even then, one more gentle reverse won't hurt: “Mr. Smith, just what would you like me to do now?” When Mr. Smith speaks, the sale is closed. Now that's exciting!

Want more helpful approaches to closing the sales. Attend our two day Sales Training Boot Camp on September 20th and 21st. Please call me if you have any questions or wish to register.

Wishing you good Selling!

Darren Cecil

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Darren R. Cecil, President

San Diego Sales, Inc.

858-483-8888

www.sdsales.sandler.com

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Stop Getting Squeezed

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What do you say when prospects squeeze you for information?

Last week a business owner told me that he gets lots of calls from prospects who ask him three to four questions, one of which is always, “What’s the price?” When he answers that question, they usually say, “Thanks for the information, let me think about it and call you back.” Of course, they never call back. The man lamented, “I don’t get to tell them what’s better about my company; they assume I’m the same as the next guy so they only compare prices. That’s where I lose out.”

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I pondered the problem of the price probing prospect, as I observed my three children running a lemonade stand last night.  The first question out of every passerby’s mouth was how much does it cost.  My children could not recite the features and benefits of their product.  At one point, my son walked over to a construction crew working on a nearby home.  My son said you are probably not thirsty and would not like some ice cold refreshing lemonade would you?  He sold twelve cups to the crew.  If my seven year old can get around the price issue, why can’t professional sales people?

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Most salespeople assume that failure to immediately answer a prospect's questions will be seen as evasive and result in loss of the sale. NOT TRUE. In sales, your success depends more on how much information you get than on how much you give.

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When a prospect starts pumping you for information before you have established any ground rules for the conversation, just remember that he is employing his time tested system for dealing with sales people:

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This is no surprise. What's surprising is how often sales people will fall into that trap and wind up back on the sidewalk wondering what just happened.

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Knowing how and having the inner strength to say something like: "I'd love to answer that, but before I do, can I ask you a few questions?" is critical to personal success in sales. If you learn a proper questioning strategy you can engage your prospect in a conversation that will get him emotionally involved while returning control of the sales process to you.

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Attend our two day sales training boot camp and you will learn how to control the selling process.   Please read the info below.  The buyer has a system and it is masterfully designed to beat the seller every time! 

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Darren R. Cecil, President

San Diego Sales, Inc.

858-483-8888

www.sdsales.sandler.com

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