March 2006 Sales Success Newsletter

In this month’s issue . . .
 
Whew! I made it. This month slipped by so fast I almost didn't get this newsletter completed, but luckily I finally pulled everything together I wanted to send out. This month we're taking a more specific focus and looking at factors that influence the selling and buying process. We're looking at it specifically from the standpoint of what you need to understand and how you should see it from the prospects point of view.

My article this month is the first of two parts looking at some specific factors or why people buy and maybe more importantly from whom it is that they decide to buy.

Aslo, this month we have an article from Art Sobczak that gives some great insights on how we may be perceived by others - boring - and how to turn that around.

Our final article comes to us from Jennifer Clason. She points out something that all of us should instinctively know is the most important word in our salses vocabularly but too often is completely missing.

We welcome your questions, comments, and success stories - just e-mail us at info@kosa-consulting.com.
 
Here’s to your sales success!

Kent Howell

Understanding Why Prospects Buy and Whom They Buy From (Part 1)
By Kent Howell

We’ve all made lots of sales during our careers, some big and some small. The reality of it is that often times “we” didn’t make the sale at all, the customer decided to buy. What do I mean? Well, the customer had a problem or a recognized need that he wanted to solve. We got that sale not because of any real skill on our part, but because our product or service was the best fit or the lowest price for what he wanted. Sure we had to provide the information to him but he made the decision without any help from us.

As prospects have more and more access to information and resources, and as the time they are willing to part with to talk to salespeople shrinks, we need to understand more clearly why they buy and, maybe even more importantly, why they buy from whom they do.

Let’s address the "why they buy" part first.

Prospects buy a solution to a known problem or to prevent a possible problem or out of desire. This desire is almost always a desire to gain something she doesn’t have not currently have, but believes or knows that they must obtain it.

People buy for their own reasons, NOT FOR YOURS. Until you know your customer’s reasons for wanting, or not wanting, to buy your product/service...you are in the dark! It doesn’t matter how many reasons you give for believing your product/service is a great buy, they will mean nothing unless your customer has VERY GOOD reasons to buy from you. Customers face new challenges every day that can alter their needs for your products/services. The key is to stay in contact with your prospects...and ALWAYS ask questions to learn where they are in terms of needing your product/service.

If a prospect avoids making the decision to buy from you, it’s typically because they have no sense of urgency to buy or they may not be convinced that your products/services will solve a problem they have. Your challenge is to prove to the prospect that buying now is best for them and you must be able to offer support and real reasons why. What will they miss if they wait even one more day? What will they miss if they don’t buy from YOU? Make sure you emphasize on the potential opportunities if they go ahead and get started on the program NOW. WHY is it important for them to buy now? In other words, what’s in it for them? Remember...the reason a customer buys your product or service is because of what it can do for ´them´. JUST TELL THEM.

Again prospects buy for their reasons, NOT yours. Your responsibility is to engage them in a dialog to understand what reasons they have for needing your products/services. The key word here is dialog. You need to ask effective questions that allow them to comfortably share information with you. This is casual two-way conversation. It is NOT you reading down a list of prepared questions and going at the prospect like an attorney conducting a cross-examination.

If you can master the art of effective questioning skills you’ll be able be able to gain the knowledge you need to effectively and accurately position your offerings with the needs of the prospect. You can tell them all you want about the features, advantages, and benefits (FABs) of your products/services but it you don’t have a clue as to the reasons they would need it, then all of the FABs aren’t going to make any difference.

Knowing your prospects needs is one thing but knowing the reasons behind them is an entirely different thing, and is actually the more important aspect of understanding what they will ultimately buy.

Next month we’ll look at the second half of the equation – from whom do the prospects buy?

Don't Be That Boring Person Everyone Wants to Get Away Froms
By Art Sobczak

Recall the last time you were at a social gathering where you mixed with the crowd and made new acquaintances.

Think of the person who, within seconds of conversation, bored you to tears and caused your eyes to glaze over like marbles. You rather would have stuck the toothpicks from your snacks under your fingernails than endure more time with this person.

And why were they boring? It's likely they spoke about things of no interest to you. Probably about themselves, for the most part: What they did, what they own, who they are, what they're going to do, their kids ...it was all about them. Certainly not your favorite topic.

What they didn't do was ask about YOU.

Conversely, think of the people you've met that you instantly liked. Among other characteristics, they took interest in you, and listened. They prompted you to speak.

Notice anything similar here? These same points apply perfectly to sales calls.

It's pretty elementary: talk about yourself, and you create resistance. Focus on them, and you create interest, cooperation, and, sales.

Here's my suggestion this week:

It's good to listen to your tapes and examine some of the routine phrases you use to explain your company and capabilities. Some of these might be uninspiring, or worse, resistance inducing. Yet you're using them consistently. Examples to watch out for:

"We've been in business for over ___ years." Or, "We're the largest..."
And that helps me ... how?

"We're the most experienced in the industry."
According to what criteria, and how does that affect me?

"We're the most respected..."
Oh really, by whom? That's as meaningless as when CNN says they're the most respected name in news.

"We're a national company with 30 locations."
What if I'm a little company doing business in my local zip code?

"We have a commitment to quality."
That's nice. Who doesn't? How will that help me, specifically?

"We were the first to ..."
So? What have you done since then, and how will it help me?

"We provide cost-effective solutions ..."
Uh-huh, and that means ... what ... exactly, as it relates to what I want?

The way to guard against using benefit statements that aren't, is to ensure you begin your call with a value statement to get them talking, and then move to your questions.

By questioning before presenting, you ensure that your presentation instead becomes a RECOMMENDATION.

Think of that word as opposed to "presentation".

A presentation consists of what the speaker wants to talk about.

Boring.

A recommendation is always based on gathering information, and then forming the best solution for the situation.

Ask more about them, talk less about yourself, and you'll be more interesting. And you'll sell more.

Art Sobczak helps salespeople use the phone to prospect, sell, and service, while minimizing resistance and "rejection." See free back issues of his free weekly sales tips, and other articles and resources at http://www.BusinessByPhone.com/backissues.htm. He conducts both public and in-house training. Contact him at ArtS@BusinessByPhone.com, 402-895-9399. Also ask for free copies of his Telephone Prospecting and Selling Report monthly newsletter, and the new magalog, Telesales Success.

One Powerful Word That Will Boost Your Sales
By Jennifer Clason

What if I told you that there is one single word that can improve your sales exponentially? This single word is so powerful that not only will it change your sales, but it will change your lifestyle! You will finally learn how to market the RIGHT way to your customers!

What is this magical word? The word is "you"!

What is so magical about the word "you"? Using this word on your websites makes your customers come first! It makes them feel like their needs are put first and they will inevitably buy your product if they are made to feel like the reason that you have created it!

Every consumer is selfish! I admit it. I'm a consumer. I'm selfish too! I want to know, "what's in it for me?" if I'm going to buy something. If you want to properly market to your customers, you need to tell them what's in it for them! Direct the salespitch to "you" and make it seem that you're talking to them one on one!

Don't write in "business-speak"! Avoid saying things like "our company has been in business for 25 years and we strive to find a turnkey solution to the industry of...". Blah, blah, blah! No one wants to hear that! Leave that information for the "About Us" section and make your front page about the customer and their needs.

Tell them how it will improve their life! Don't sit there and list the features of your product, list the benefits of how it will change your customers' lives! An example is if you were selling "noise cancelling headphones". A feature of these headphones is that they filter out outside noise. However a benefit is "when you're on the noisy subway on your way to work, put on these headphones and get whisked away to your favorite relaxation music!"

Once you understand that your customers want to know why they should buy your product and how it will improve their lives, then you've got the biggest, most important concept of marketing! Sell to "you" not to you!

Jennifer Clason is the site owner and operator of http://www.mommyjobs.com. She has been running a full-time home-based Internet business for 7+ years now and owns more than 10 different Internet Sales websites. ©Jennifer Clason 2006. She can be contacted at webmaster@mommyjobs.com