Florida Sales Coaching

• Find out if there are other divisions or departments within your new customer’s company that can also use the product or service you just sold and ask for the name of the person(s) to contact.
• Ask your new customer for referrals to other companies that he believes can benefit from the product or service you just sold to him.
• If there are additional products or services your company provides from which your new customer can benefit, mention those items at this time, determine the customer’s interest and set up a time for further discussion.
• Make a point of meeting the principals of the company if you haven’t already done so.

• Call your top three customers to say Hello and ask if there is anything you can do for them.
• Call three of your low-volume customers to say Hello and ask if there is anything you can do for them.
• At the end of every conversation with a prospect or customer, ask for a referral.
• Do some research on your biggest competitors to identify ways to better position your products and services. (There is a wealth of information on the Internet.)
• Do some research on your biggest customers to identify potential opportunities and ways to better serve them.
• Sharpen your skills by role-playing a prospecting call with a colleague.
• Invest 15 minutes reading the local business journal, business section of your local newspaper, or trade journal.
• Call former customers who have dropped off the radar screen and find out what you can do for them.

Be a Self-Starter

A race car has a tremendous amount of potential energy but cannot start until someone waves the green flag.

The powerful engines of a jet cannot lift that plane one-inch off the ground without ample runway and someone activating its controls.

A locomotive can be held in place by a single block of wood placed under its wheel, yet under power it can go through a brick wall 10 feet thick.

Raw power has only potential.  Machines cannot turn themselves on? People can! If you are waiting to feel “right” about doing something, it may never happen. The self-starter knows that there is never a “right” time to get started.  JUST START!!!!!!

Too many people sit around waiting to be motivated, as if there were some chemical reaction about to take place. The self-starter acts on his goals, and the motivation to achieve those goals is built into that action.

If you are not feeling “up to it,” no amount of concentration, wishful thinking, or smoke screen planning will get you into action. Things in motion tend to stay in motion; things at rest remain at rest. The more you think about becoming motivated, the better the chances are that you won’t.

The self-starter knows that regardless of how he feels at any given moment, how he will feel in the next moment is determined by the action he takes.

If you have set worthwhile goals, and have developed a plan of action, set your plan into action anytime of the day or night by acting on it. Don’t lose precious time by waiting for the time to be right: Become a self-starter.

It’s how you act that determines how you feel, not how you feel that determines how you act.

How to Close Sales by the End of the Year

Sandler Training(R) Offers Sales Tips to Meet Your Goals in a Tough Economy
Opportunity knocks in the sales industry when you are doing the knocking!!.
As companies across the globe struggle to meet their sales numbers, it can be the worst of times, and yet, can present unprecedented opportunities to serve customers and clients in a capacity as never before. So how do you close sales in a tough economy, and meet year end budgets?

Create a sense of urgency.

Establish the consequences of your customers not taking action. Think about what your customers have to lose by inaction. Forget features and benefits and talk about the hard value of your product and service in measurable terms. Be able to articulate this to your customers and prospects. Provide creative solutions to help your clients. Offering time-sensitive discounts for contracts signed through the end of the year, or instituting your own corporate “cyber” Monday or one-time signing deal one day of the year, are just some of the methods that can be employed.

Reward your best customer segments.

Extend exclusive benefits to your most loyal customers. These can be incentive-based, or offer your customers value-based goods and services that are not available to the general public. The cost of acquiring new accounts has skyrocketed. Studies over the years have shown that selling additional products and services to an existing client base can be more cost effective than spending time in new client development. With existing accounts, the cost of acquiring the business has already been absorbed. Many times, your existing client base would utilize more services if salespeople had the foresight to ask for the business. Yet many seldom ask.

Ask and tell.

Ask for a list of other upcoming projects or purchasing decisions that are happening. This will expand the scope of your business. Often, your client does not understand your full line of products and services. By having your clients explain what is going on internally, you can use your product knowledge to decide how to best apply it, and where.

Sell internally.

Cross sell opportunities within the organizations of your best clients. Ask your client for the names of other people working in other departments within his/her company. Ask for the names of those in charge of purchases and projects within the scope of your expertise. Inquire what expectations your client has for the upcoming year and how much business they have given you thus far. Then ask, “Based on where we are in the year and projects that you have going on internally, where do you think we will end up at the end of the year? What additional business would I be involved with?” Get that number. Use it to help forecast sales and check that reality with the number in your account plan.

Do lunch.

Take your client to lunch to thank them for their existing business. This is an opportune time to tell clients how much you appreciate them. Let them know they are an important part of your business, and you will strive to maintain the partnership. Review the history of the account, and let your client do the review. For instance, The Sandler Selling System suggests opening the dialogue by asking questions like: How long have you been doing business together? How satisfied is the client with your services? How does the client feel you could improve your service, and in what areas? How receptive would the client be to giving you a reference letter? Most successful salespeople have a book of reference letters. Instead of extending the sales cycle by having a prospect call your existing client, you can pull out your reference book for immediate review. A reference letter enables your client to put their thoughts and feelings into concrete form. If your client has trouble putting thoughts and feelings into concrete form, it’s helpful to go over the letter with them.

Stop “closing” sales and open business relationships.

You can earn compound interest on your selling efforts. What does it mean to “close a sale”? (Where did that phrase come from?) What are you closing? In some situations, the word “close” suggests finality. When you close a file, you’re finished with it. When you close a bank account, the account no longer exists. When a detective closes a case, it’s over… mystery solved. In other instances, “close” suggests a barrier or a sealing off. When you close a door, you are blocked from what is on the other side. When you close the lid of a jar, you cannot retrieve the jar’s contents. When you close the covers of a book, you cannot read the words within. So, what does it mean to close a sale? Are you finished with the customer? Have you closed the door and put the lid on further opportunities? Hopefully, the answer is “no.” Reframe you thinking about closing as the culmination of an activity and view it as the beginning of an activity-opening of a new business relationship. Here are some suggestions:

The post close. Find out if there are other divisions or departments within your new customer’s company that can also use the product or service you just sold and ask for the name of the person(s) to contact. Ask your new customer for referrals to other companies that he believes can benefit from the product or service you just sold to him. If there are additional products or services your company provides from which your new customer can benefit, mention those items at this time, determine the customer’s interest and set up a time for further discussion. Make a point of meeting the principals of the company if you haven’t already done so.

Sandler Training is the leading provider of sales and management training with 225 licensed trainers throughout the U.S. and internationally. The company provides a full range of sales and management training programs, with powerful coordination and customization benefits throughout its extensive franchise network. Among its many achievements, Sandler has been awarded the #1 ranking for training programs by Entrepreneur Magazine eight times since 1994, including the past three years (2006, 2007 and 2008). The company website is located at www.sandler.com

SOURCE Sandler Training

Do you keep up with the changes happening at your clients’ businesses?  If there were mergers, consolidations, layoffs, or acquisitions in the offing, would you know? 

Many salespeople overlook the dynamic nature of their clients’ businesses.  Shortly after they make the initial sale, they fall into a routine of “servicing the client,” which too often simply means “get the next order.”

However, nothing stays the same forever: some things change very quickly.  Observe what is going on with your clients and determine why.  You will learn how to better serve your clients, perhaps uncovering new opportunities, or maybe obtaining an early warning that some opportunities are coming to an end.  You will also gain a broader viewpoint of what’s going on in your industry and the market it serves.

Also, stay informed about the markets served by your clients, the companies with whom they compete, the differences in their products, and their market share.  The more you know about what is happening in their environment, the better able you are to help them grow.  If your clients do well, you do well. 

• Develop a weekly prospecting plan; schedule time for prospecting activities—and stick to the schedule.
• Work on your prospecting approach; avoid sounding like every other salesperson making a routine cold call.  If you do, you’ll be dismissed quickly.
• Don’t overlook previous customers—not only as a source for new business, but also as a valuable source for referrals.
• Work to improve your interviewing and listening skills.  Your job on a sales call is to obtain information

Be passionate about getting your product or service to those who can benefit; be committed to a sales plan; then take action.  Passion, commitment, action: it’s the formula for selling success.