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Another Way to Screw Up a Cold Call

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Cold calls have been on my mind again this week. There are several reasons for that. First of all, I received one a couple of days ago that had the classic “first three ways to kill a cold call.” Then, soon after, I received an email from a regular reader of the Navigator, and one of the things she said was this:

“At some time in a future weekly newsletter….would you mind talking about a sales person who won’t shut up?  This guy wouldn’t allow me to get out one full sentence of response without cutting me off.   Wouldn’t stop the sales pitch, even after I told him that for the most part, the services he was offering we didn’t need, but was very interested in one service.  Told him to get me info on that particular service and would sit down and talk with the owner about scheduling a meeting.  At that point, he went right back in to the overall sales pitch of all the services he had to offer again, and wouldn’t shut up even when I told him this wasn’t the most convenient time to talk and for a fact am on a deadline today.  He simply wouldn’t SHUT UP!  I finally had to abruptly end the call, of which he may have thought rude, but don’t care.”

Well, your wish is my command. Let’s go into the call I received, and then let’s talk about the call she received. We’ll figure out how to solve all of these issues together.

The call I received was a classic. I answered the phone, “Troy Harrison speaking.” If you call me, and I am able to pick up, that’s what you’ll hear. No “Dial 1 for,” or a receptionist – you’ll hear my voice ready to talk about sales. Sadly, I didn’t hear someone ready to talk about sales. Instead, I got a few seconds of silence – long enough to know that I had just been auto-dialed, and someone was about to pick up on the other end. I hate auto-dialers. If you use them, stop it.

Then, the woman on the other end said, “May I speak to Troy, please?” Good grief. Of course, since it was an auto-dialer, she didn’t hear that she was already talking to me. Now I know it’s a salesperson, and a bad one, but she was about to lock that description in. I replied, “You already are.”

“Hi, Troy. How are you today?” If you’re looking for the all-time dumb, moronic, time wasting, defense building, way to kill a cold call, this is it. There is only one type of person who says, “How are you today?” to someone they don’t know, and that’s a pesky, not well trained salesperson who can’t think of anything good to say, but thinks they are building some cheap rapport.

I sighed and said, “What can I help you with?” And she started into a spiel about some investment opportunity. I didn’t hear the end of it.

When you call someone, attempting to gain their interest in seeing you, talking to you, or buying from you, you have to give them a reason to talk to you without giving them reasons to put up their defenses. When people answer the phone, their defenses are typically down because they don’t know what the call is about. It could be a customer, a friend, a relative, or a salesperson. Your job is to give them a reason to talk to you while their defenses are down, because if you give them time and reason to put up their defenses, it’s much harder for your value message to get through. Look at the 20 seconds of the call I just described. She gave me three reasons to put up my defensese before she ever began a value message: The obvious auto-dialer, asking for me when I already said it was me (showing me that she wasn’t listening to whoever answered the phone), and then the obnoxious “How are you today?” Her call was DOA.

Now, let’s look at the different type of call that my friend wrote me to discuss. This call was not DOA. In fact, it was very much alive until the salesperson killed the call. Here are some of the things that my friend said:

“This guy wouldn’t allow me to get out one full sentence of response without cutting me off.” That’s a hallmark of a pre-scripted sales pitch. Worse, it’s the hallmark of just plain bad manners. When your customer or prospect is talking, words are coming out of their mouth – and those words could be important. Shut up and listen, even if it’s not taking you down your pre-scripted path. Sometimes customers don’t know their lines because they haven’t seen your script – but if they’re talking to you on a cold call, that’s a good thing.

“Wouldn’t stop the sales pitch, even after I told him that for the most part, the services he was offering we didn’t need, but was very interested in one service.  Told him to get me info on that particular service and would sit down and talk with the owner about scheduling a meeting.” Are you banging your head on your desk right now? Me too. The salesperson was winning the call, and wasn’t capable of seeing it. She didn’t just say “interested.” She said, “Very interested.” Granted, he wasn’t talking to the decision maker – but he’s the one who called. I’m betting that this was the classic “person who” call, i.e., the salesperson asked the receptionist to speak to the “person who” handled his particular service (this is another call-killer, by the way). The salesperson had her interest. He had her commitment to attempt to set a meeting with the owner of the company. This was a WIN. And he still turned it into a loss.

“At that point, he went right back in to the overall sales pitch of all the services he had to offer again, and wouldn’t shut up even when I told him this wasn’t the most convenient time to talk and for a fact am on a deadline today.  He simply wouldn’t SHUT UP!  I finally had to abruptly end the call, of which he may have thought rude, but don’t care.” Amazing. Defeat was snatched from the jaws of victory, and that’s what is frustrating to me as a salesperson. My friend might have genuinely benefited from the service he was offering, but we’ll never know because he burned the call.

What this salesperson didn’t realize is that a sales call is a dialogue, not a monologue. Worse, he failed to recognize an opportunity when he saw one – likely due to poor or nonexistent training.

Don’t be that guy. Instead, open the call right (avoid the call killers that I mentioned), and remember to make the cold call a dialogue. Cold calling is still a viable way to generate new business; I have a feeling that most salespeople who think otherwise aren’t doing it right.

When Is It Time to Close?

The Navigator News

There’s an awful lot of bad sales advice floating around out there right now. Sometimes I think that our profession is caught right between people advocating old-time sales tactics that just don’t work anymore, and other people trying to be ‘hip’ and ‘techno-savvy’ by focusing on social networking as the all-encompassing solution for everything – but that doesn’t work either.

A prime example of this is a recent column I read talking about the popular “when to close” topic. The author’s answer – fueled by his Xerox sales training and illustrated by a personal anecdote of his experience in 1976 – was that the salesperson should always be closing. This the old A/B/C (Always Be Closing) philosophy has done more to kill sales and irritate customers than anything else salespeople do. There’s a right way, though, and let’s find it, shall we?

It’s appropriate that the anecdote was from 1976; A/B/C is very much a 1970’s sales approach. For that matter, so is the Xerox approach. The old Xerox approach, heavy with tactics, pressure, and technique, worked back when Xerox dominated its market. Today? Not so much. Today’s customers are more savvy, more educated, have more information available to them, and ultimately have been trained by years of salespeople using heavy sales tactics, and are more capable than ever to resist. This means that today’s customer responds to an approach that is more customer-friendly and respectful.

First, let’s learn how to recognize when you have an actual opportunity to sell:

  • The customer must be motivated; e. the customer has a need that he/she wishes to solve through a purchase. If your customer is not motivated to act, you can be the best closer ever and it won’t help.
  • The customer must have investigated that need; the customer and the salesperson must both understand the need, and your product must fulfill it (and the customer must agree that your product fulfills it).
  • The customer must trust you.
  • The customer must believe what you say (i.e. you have credibility in the customer’s eyes).
  • The customer must respect you.
  • The customer must not dislike you (I know that conventional wisdom says the customer must like you, and certainly that’s a huge help – but I’ve found it’s better to seek respect and trust that is genuine than to seek a like and friendship that is phony).
  • You must have presented a proposal that is to the customer’s liking.

The trouble with the A/B/C approach is that it interferes with several of these things. Closing is the part of the sales process where customers are most likely to put up defenses; if you are always in some phase of a close, your customers will be defending themselves too much to be able to give you the candid answers you need to be able to match your products to their needs. Closing too early will interfere with trust and credibility, as well; the customer will perceive you as reaching for their wallet. (Answer to the old question: Why do customers perceive salespeople as pushy? Because too many are.)

Instead, today’s salesperson must have patience as part of the selling/closing process. To assess motivation, accurately assess needs, present your product, check customer agreement, build trust, etc. takes time. Sometimes it can all be done within a single sales call, but even those sales calls can get long. It’s very important that you are patient enough to allow the customer to move through their buying process properly (see my book, Sell Like You Mean It!, for more on this) and get to the closing arena at the same time you do.

You have earned the right to close when:

  • You have accurately assessed the customer’s needs, and gotten his/her agreement that they are the needs.
  • You have presented a solution(s) to the needs, and gotten his/her agreement that these will fulfill the needs.
  • You have presented a specific proposal, including price and terms.

Once you are at this point, the close becomes a natural part of the sales process, and how you ask for the business matters less than the actual asking. In fact, the simpler the closing question (“So, are you ready to buy?”) the better. Forget fancy closing techniques; what works today is clean, straightforward conversation. What’s better is that, by handling this in a customer-friendly manner, you are more likely to get invited back for repeat sales opportunities! Isn’t that better than a one-shot quick close?

Just because it worked for Xerox in 1976 doesn’t mean it will work for you today. Success in today’s selling arena requires a different approach.

HOW TO EVALUATE A SALESPERSON

The Navigator News

One of the things that surprises a lot of clients is my insistence on doing formal annual written evaluations of salespeople. “But, they know how they’re doing,” I’m told. Nonsense. Annual evaluations are a great tool for improvement; unfortunately, too many of the evaluations used don’t really cover the important areas that salespeople should be evaluated on. Today, let’s talk about the most important evaluation you will ever have – your own self evaluation.

At the end of the day, you are responsible to your customers, your co-workers, your employer, and your family. Most of all, you’re responsible to yourself, and the best salespeople are able to accurately evaluate how they have fulfilled that particular responsibility throughout the course of the year. For those of you who have never really evaluated your own performance, never fear: I have a four-point evaluation structure that will help you develop yourself now, and in the future. This comes with one warning, however – it only works if you’re completely honest. To take your own personal “check up from the neck up,” click below and read on.

Criteria one – the numbers: Obviously, the most important measure of achievement is results. So, how have your results been? Compare your performance to your goals, and give yourself a 1-5 rating by the following criteria: Give yourself a 1 if you’ve never gotten close enough to your quota to see it. Give yourself a 2 if you’re usually under quota, but every now and then, you’ve had a breakout month and made it. Give yourself a 3 if you’re usually at or close to quota. Give yourself a 4 if you’re usually well over quota, but still miss every now and then. If you can’t remember the last time you missed quota (more importantly, neither can your boss), and you’re usually 20% or more over, give yourself a 5. Now, multiply this result by 2.

Criteria two – the funnel: You should have targets for your sales funnel activities; i.e. appointments, proposals, etc. Rate yourself 1-5 again, with this criteria: If you’re consistently 20% or more below your targets, give yourself a 1. If you’re usually below target, but sometimes make it, give yourself a 2. Those of you who almost always hit target should give yourself a 3, while those of you who always meet and sometimes exceed targets should give yourself a 4. If you’re always over by 20% or more, give yourself a 5.

Criteria three – customer relationships: In this criteria, we will evaluate the quality of your customer interactions and relationships, as this is a predictor of your future ability to make your numbers. For the purpose of this exercise, focus on those customers that generate your top 80% of business. We’ll rate your relationships in terms of your ability to retain this business in the face of adversity as well as your customers’ willingness to evangelize for you, again on our 1-5 scale. If 50% or more of your top customers are one service failure away from leaving, give yourself a 1. If 20% to 49% of your customer base is one screw-up away from leaving, give yourself a 2. If 0-20% of your base is one mistake away, give yourself a 3. If you can withstand a screw-up with all of your customers, give yourself a 4. If you can withstand failure with all your customers, AND at least 25% of them are willing to refer you or serve as testimonials, give yourself a 5.

Criteria four – internal relationships: Some people don’t believe that it’s important for salespeople to be good internal citizens of their companies. To that, I say B.S. If you’re a negative influence inside your company, you’re costing that company money in lost productivity from those who are negatively affected by your poor attitude. On the other hand, being well liked and respected can pay career dividends in many different ways. Rate yourself 1-5 again on this criteria: If a conference room or office clears within 2 minutes of your entry (because no one can stand you), give yourself a 1. If you’re usually afraid to ask co-workers or support personnel for favors because they’re not willing to grant them, give yourself a 2. If you have at least three “go-to” people that you can get favors and help from, AND have people that you avoid because you can’t, give yourself a 3. If you are nearly universally respected, and have at least three “go-to” people, give yourself a 4. If everyone is your “go-to” person, give yourself a 5.

By now, you should have a feel for the criteria. 1 is awful, 2 is bad, 3 is average, 4 is good, 5 is superstar-level. We double-weighted sales results because, frankly, that’s the most important criteria. But it’s not the only criteria. In any criteria that you ranked yourself a 1 or 2, you have work to do. Seek help from co-workers, customers, and your boss to develop yourself. Overall, here is the scale:

25 to 30: You’re either a superstar or on the edge of superstardom (or at least you think so).

20 to 24: You’re good, a cut above average, and unlikely to have job worries anytime soon.

13 to 19: You’re average. Very, very average.

7 to 12: You’re below average to the point that you’re a constant worry for your boss.

1 to 6: Unless you’re brand new with no experience, in this category, you need overnight change of either behavior or career.

If you’re truly honest with yourself, this can be a very productive exercise. Don’t be afraid to solicit help from your boss, co-workers, and your customers. If you’re committed to self improvement, they’ll be happy to help.

Take the Second Shot!

The Navigator News,

I get a lot of inquiries and solicitations asking me what my “#1 tip” for increasing business is. This, of course, is a very complex subject that requires a lot of detail. But there is one quick tip I send along that can help people in any phase of business or even their lives. And that is:

Take the second shot.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “Persistence pays off.” Most people interpret this to mean that “persistence” means aggravating and annoying people to death until they buy to get rid of you. Many things, including fear, keep people from going down this road. However, there’s a nice medium ground, and that is what I call the “second shot.” The second shot means just that – it means trying twice to make good things happen.

The reason that I focus on a second shot, rather than a third or fourth, is that most salespeople are easily put off. While the public image of salespeople is that of the bulldog that never lets go, the truth is far from it; most salespeople are perfectly willing to take the first “no” rather than battle a bit for the win. That’s a shame, because a lot of business and opportunity lies beyond the first “no.” Let’s look at this in context.

The context will be the teleprospecting phone call, which as you know, I still believe is the core skill of B2B new business generation. Let’s imagine a call from a salesperson selling copiers:

Salesperson: “Hi, Mr. Prospect, this is Salesperson from Pretty Darn Awesome Copier Company. Our manufacturer has just released some new technology that can drastically reduce your per-page cost while actually increasing the quality of your paper documents. Could we meet next week, and see if there is a fit between your company’s needs and this new technology?” (NOTE – this is an imperfect call – there’s a step missing – but it’s typical of a decent teleprospecting call.)

Prospect: “Sorry, I’m not interested.” Now, about half the time that a customer says this, they’ll hang up on you. No second-shot opportunity exists on those calls. But, half the time, they’ll hang on and wait for the salesperson to say something weak like, “Uh, thanks anyway.” If you say that, you’re done. Instead, let’s take the second shot.

Salesperson: “I don’t blame you for not being interested. I’ve sold a number of these machines already, and I’ve found that the customers didn’t really have any interest until they understood what these machines could do, how they could reduce expenses and at the same time build your customer image through better documents. Would it be worth, say, 20 minutes of your time to at least know what those customers now know? If there’s a fit, I’ll tell you, and if there isn’t a fit, I’ll even tell you that. Fair enough?” Second shot taken. You’ve now given the prospect a better window into why he/she should take the appointment, and perhaps even aroused a bit of curiosity. Here’s the thing – whatever your chance is of getting the appointment on the second shot, it’s better than the zero you’d have if you bailed out at the first ‘no.’ A good rule of thumb is that whatever your ratio of contacts-to-appointments (let’s say you get 1 appointment in every 5 contacts normally), you’ll increase that 20 to 30% with a good second shot effort.

Of course, even though this sounds good, it doesn’t come for free. You have to have a game plan. You need to anticipate common objections, have responses ready, and be very focused on the conversation. That requires a lot of thought and preplanning, and it also requires a focus on generating an appointment, not a sale.

This technique doesn’t limit itself to cold calls, either. Final objections, job hunting, getting a raise, getting a date – all of these can be improved by focusing on the second shot. Just keep in mind these steps:

  1. Be prepared. Know the objections and the common responses.
  2. Create a “win” for the other party by accepting your second shot.
  3. Take extra shots with great care. Two makes you persistent, more can make you a pest, depending on the situation (the farther into the sales process you are, the more persistent you should be).
  4. Finally, remember that there are some objections that cannot, and should not, be overcome. Use good judgment, and don’t sell bad business.

Most non-salespeople reading this article would think that it’s completely unnecessary; salespeople always do this, right? Nonsense – most salespeople are easily put off, because they fear pushing farther. Don’t be that guy or gal, and you’ll be more successful.

The Three Levels of Customer Relationships

The Navigator News

If I ask salespeople how they describe themselves, one of the most common ways would be as a “relationship salesperson.” Unfortunately, “relationship selling,” which should be one of the most meaningful phrases in selling, has become meaningless through overuse.

When I drill down on what these candidates mean by “relationship sales,” 90% of them give me an answer that is some variation on the Stuart Smalley Affirmation on Saturday Night Live: “I’m good enough, I’m smart enough, and gosh darn it, my customers like me!” Well, not to diminish the importance of being liked by your customers, but there’s a lot more to successful relationship selling that that.

Successful relationship selling has several different elements, which we will get to in a moment. But, for me, the key questions to the quality of a relationship are:

Can you monetize the quality of your relationship with your customer? This is selling, after all, not running for Homecoming King (or Queen). Being liked is great, but if you can’t turn that into money, you are not engaged in “relationship selling.”

Can you maximize your business relationship with your customer? By “maximizing,” I mean the ability to extract all, or nearly all, the potential opportunities with your customer. If they’re buying stuff they could be buying from you, but buying it from a competitor, you’re not “maximized” within that customer.

Essentially, there are three different levels of customer relationships, and most salespeople will have customers in all three:

The Loyal Customer: This is the Holy Grail of customer relationships. When they buy, they buy from you. When competitors call, they not only don’t buy from them; they don’t entertain proposals or appointments. You have contacts at all the appropriate levels within the company, you are able to maintain good profit margins. Moreover, Loyal Customers evangelize for you; when they hear of others that could make use of your services, they recommend you freely and willingly. Ideally, you should have a game plan for any customer who is NOT this level to move them in this direction.

The Habitual Buyer: The Habitual Buyer can be deceptive; Habitual Buyers sometimes look like Loyal Customers. When they buy, you are their default source. However – and this is an important distinction – you have very little leeway with a Habitual Buyer. Mess up a delivery (and, let’s be honest, we all sometimes make mistakes), and you lose their business. Raise a price, and you reopen the buying decision. Often, Habitual Buyers will also screen you from getting multiple contact levels within the company, and will be much more guarded in their dealings with you. The dangerous part about Habitual Buyers is that salespeople can be lulled into thinking that they are Loyal Customers – then a competitor picks their pocket, seemingly out of nowhere.

The Occasional Buyer – The Occasional Buyer is just that. They shop you every time, and typically have no real pattern to their purchases (although if you’re losing business on price, Occasional Buyers will be where you lose it). The Occasional Buyer has no real affinity toward you or your competitors; you’re just a place to get stuff, as are your competitors. Most of the time, if you’re dealing strictly with a purchasing agent, the customer is an Occasional Buyer – which is as good an argument as any against dealing strictly with purchasing agents.

The true “relationship salesperson” will have more customers at the Loyal Customer level than other salespeople; more importantly, they will have a game plan in place for advancing Habituals to Loyals, and Occasionals to Habituals. Getting there isn’t easy; it involves a lot of hard work and preparation, and focus in the selling process. It also involves a level of honesty that is uncomfortable. Ego-driven salespeople (which is most of us) want very badly to think that all of our customers are Loyal Customers; recognizing that many are not is tough. But if you want a good way to build your business in 2015, identify all your major customers by the three levels above, and then create a game plan to move them up. Your boss – and your wallet – will thank you.

Who Should You Be?

The Navigator News

A few weeks ago I attended a conference that featured a “motivational speaker.” You should have seen this guy. He had a loudly printed sport coat featuring the New York skyline. A tie with rhinestones in it (I didn’t even know they made those). A big belt buckle, cowboy boots, and bright yellow pants. His advice was this: “You have to be ALWAYS ON in this business! If you’re not, someone will spot you in an off moment and you’ll be exposed.”

He then began getting in people’s faces, yelling, “Are you ALWAYS ON?” And the person would yell, “YES!” and he’d move on to the next. It was like a tent revival meeting. Then, he turned and spotted me….and suddenly I realized that I had chosen the wrong seat for the morning’s festivities.

He high-stepped over to me, reading my nametag, and yelled, “Troy, are you ALWAYS ON?” I did the only thing I could. I clenched my fists. I got into my best power stance. I looked him square in the eyes. And I yelled, “NO!” And he stammered, “Uh, beg your pardon?” Then he got himself back together and yelled, “What do you mean, you’re not ALWAYS ON?” I said back, in a normal tone of voice, “I’m always ME.”

You see, as goofy as this guy was, he did have a point. When you’re “ON” in any environment where you’re observed – such as selling or speaking – you set a standard to live up to. And when you’re not at that standard at other times when you’re “off stage,” you do become inauthentic. Inauthentic is the worst thing you can be. More than once, after I’ve been speaking at conferences, I’ve had people approach me at various settings – over lunch, even by the pool at the hotel – and have a conversation. And they’ll say, “Gee, you’re the same guy out here that you were in the room.” I tell them, “No, I’m the same guy in there that I am out here.”

Like the old saying goes, “Be yourself. Everyone else is taken.” That goes for salespeople too. Of course, you should be the very best version of yourself that you can be, but don’t have a “sales personality” that you put on like a sport coat. What does “Be the best version of yourself” mean? Simple.

  • Constantly learning: You should be constantly learning about your customers, your products, and your sales skills. Your goal should be that you are just a tad bit better on every sales call than you were on the last one. Customers will perceive your professional growth and they will appreciate it.
  • Personal grooming: We can’t all be Brad Pitt or George Clooney. Or, if you’re a woman, well, just pick your own personal equivalent of Brad or George. But we can be the best we can be. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen salespeople making sales calls with wild, unkempt hair, unshaven, or in clothes that looked like they were slept in the night before. Come on. Put some effort into it. If you can’t be your best in front of the customers, you shouldn’t expect the customers to give you effort. Every salesperson ought to carry a small grooming kit with them in the car. When I sold industrial supplies, I kept a spare clean shirt, just in case.
  • Be prepared: I’ve written about this before, but it’s vital that you be prepared with whatever you need to take the sales call to its logical conclusion. And yes, that likely means you’ll need to carry a briefcase. That’s OK. When you carry a briefcase you mean business.
  • A game plan for the call: As I explained in my Teleseminar, “The Purpose Driven Sales Call,” you should have call objectives for every call, and be prepared to execute them. That means having questions prepared, any presentation materials prepared, etc.

None of this means that you have to be anyone besides yourself – but being prepared and professional means being the best version of yourself. That’s what you should be shooting for. And unlike the speaker, you’ll never have to worry about being “Caught.”

Four “Tools” That Give a Salesperson Comfort – But Don’t Help

The Navigator News, ,

My first “outside sales” job was for a company that sold bearings and power transmission products. I loved that job, because I’m mechanically inclined and I got to work with a lot of machinery on that job. Plus, to add to the fun factor, I got to get plant tours from many of my customers. To this day, there are few things I enjoy more than touring a manufacturing plant and seeing how things are made. (And to this day, when I walk around a place with a lot of machinery, I think, “I bet it’s fun to be the guy who sells the bearings here” – residuial occupational hazard.)

One of the first things I did was go and buy a large file crate for my trunk and hanging folders. I then filled the crate with every brochure and catalog I could access. I was going to be the most prepared bearing salesperson in my market. In fact, in terms of paper, I probably was. And you know what? When I left that job, three years later, most of that literature came back out of the file crate and ended up back on the shelf at the company – or if it was outdated, in the trash.

On my next job, however, I did the same thing. Same file crate, same folders, new labels. And when I left that job, I repeated the ‘return and throw out’ routine. In fact, in neither job did I ever use more than ten percent of the materials that I had in my trunk. So, why did I carry them? Because they gave me comfort, and helped me feel like I was prepared. The problem was that very little of that materia would actually sell or aid a sale. To this day, I see salespeople spending inordinate amounts of time on things like that – things that make us comfortable but don’t really aid a sale. Here are the four most common:

Brochures. To be honest, brochures probably rank 1, 2, 3, and 4 on this list. We all know the routine, don’t we? You make a first call, and then you leave behind the all-powerful, well designed brochure, because you just know that it’s going to push the customer over the edge to buy. When you return, the brochure is probably gone – to the same place that all my brochures and catalogs went. That’s because leaving it behind was for YOU, not for the customer. The right reason for a brochure: The right reason for a brochure is that it can offer backup and documentation to your presentation, DURING THE SALES CONVERSATION. Use it as a prop, not a leave-behind.
Fancy Proposals. I love some of the proposals that I see. It’s amazing how many pages, and how complex, a proposal can be for even the simplest offerings of product or service. I once got a piece of training business, and afterward the client showed me the proposal that they had received from my competitor. It was in a three-ring binder, full color, and had nearly 100 pages. My proposal that won the business was a two-page letter. Of course, the more complicated the offering, the more verbiage you’ll need – but at the end of the day, the proposal should cover the need, the solution, and the price and terms. Anything else is extraneous unless requested. The right reason for a big proposal: Your offering is complex, requiring a lot of verbiage to explain. Even so, it should be PRESENTED in person, not simply sent over.
“Send information.” I was working with a sales rep last year who proudly reported, after a prospecting session, that he had ten prospects that requested ‘more information.’ I asked him to do a little test. Send the information, then after a week, call the prospect again and ask a couple of specific questions about the information. He did. None of the prospects could answer – they ‘hadn’t gotten to it yet,’ or something of the sort. The reality is that his e-mail had gotten buried in their inboxes, unopened, and there it sat until they cleaned out their old emails. Sad but true. “Send info” is, almost always, a prospect’s way of brushing you off without entering a sales process. The right reason to send information: There is something timely and actionable – for instance, you’re having an open house or seminar and you’ve invited the prospect to come.

Letter Before Calling. Oftentimes, I am asked if it’s better to send a letter or email to prospects before making a call for an appointment. My response is always the same: “Sure, if it makes you feel better, go ahead and do it.” Reality is that few of these letters will be read. That’s okay, and it doesn’t hurt you in the call – UNLESS your opener is, “Did you get my letter?” The answer is always, “no.” You may guess that I’m not a big fan of direct mail to prospects. You’re right and wrong. You’re right in that I don’t see a pre-letter as a door opener for a phone call. HOWEVER, a well written direct response letter with a clear call to action will still bring a 1% to 2% response rate (or sometimes better nowadays, since there is a smaller amount of direct mail). The right reason to send a letter: You’re sending it as a direct response lead generation tool, not as a door opener. This letter should NOT say, “I will call you,” but instead should say, “Call me.”

Here’s your yardstick. The sale happens in the conversation that you have with your buyer. If an outside tool aids, abets, and moves the conversation forward, it’s a worthwhile tool. If not, not. My car would have been a lot lighter, and gotten better gas mileage, if I’d known that 20 years ago.

How to Avoid “Scorpions Syndrome”

The Navigator News

I’m a child of the 80s, and in the 80s, we basically had two types of acceptable music – hair bands and new wave. I enjoyed both, and one of my favorite hair bands was the Scorpions. The Scorpions was (in my opinion) a great band with some great songs. They were also German. More to the point, they were Germans who understood not a word of English. Hence, when they recorded those great songs like “The Zoo,” they pronounced them phonetically, not with understanding of the words. That was fine – in the studio.

In concert, it was a little different. I saw them live a number of years ago, and, well…the pronunciation broke down. Because they didn’t understand the language, they’d emphasize the wrong words and syllables. Some songs were partially in German. In the audience, we were stuck between rocking out and laughing uproariously. This memory has caused me to coin a term, and it’s one you’ll want to avoid. I call it “Scorpions Syndrome.” That’s where a salesperson knows the words, but not the meaning. Allow me to explain.

I was speaking with a client recently and he told me of a salesperson whom he had trained. He drilled this salesperson relentlessly on the company’s presentation – and she’d do a great job of delivering it. However, she didn’t know or understand the technicalities of what was behind the presentation, nor did she really know how to answer questions. She had “Scorpions Syndrome,” and retraining is the best option.

Here are some ways you can avoid “Scorpions Syndrome,” whether you are a salesperson or a manager.

Learn concepts, not questionnaires: I’m a big fan of having a game plan for a sales call (in fact, my Teleseminar on February 25 is about that very thing – get more info here). A good game plan includes the information you want to GET through the questions you ask, the information you want to GIVE through the presentations you make (which should depend on the answers to your questions), and a COMMITMENT for a next step.

The problem is that too many salespeople rely on rote questionnaires for their game plans – without ever learning the meaning behind the questions, or what to do with the answers they get. You need to make sure that you understand not only what questions are good to ask, but what the reasons are behind the questions and what to do with the answers.

Learn real benefits, not rote presentations: Many years ago, on my college debate team, I was assigned a debate partner that, to put it gently, really didn’t understand what was going on. My coach advised me to ‘can her up’ because she was a decent speaker, and we’d be OK. “Canning her up” meant providing her with evidence to read and the order in which to read it. There was only one problem – after every speech, the opponent got to cross-examine her. Since she didn’t really understand what was going on (and frankly, wasn’t all that teachable), everything she did in her speech fell apart in cross-examination because she couldn’t explain the logic behind the points.

The same thing happens when a salesperson gives a rote, formatted presentation without understanding the real effects that their product or service has on the customer or its environment. The presentation sounds great and convincing – but invariably, the customer has questions that the salesperson can’t answer. The salesperson’s credibility is destroyed, and so is the opportunity.

Learning the concepts and ideas before learning the questions and presentations takes longer, but it’s a good investment of time – for you and for your company. Don’t shortcut. The Scorpions Syndrome is real, and if you don’t learn your company’s “language,” you might get laughed at, too.

Five Ways to Kill a Sales Call

The Navigator News

It seems like inspiration for this column hits me every day. Yesterday, it hit me like a ton of bricks. Just to set the stage, I had accepted an appointment from a salesperson who was selling a particular item I had considered purchasing. It’s something that I don’t necessarily need now, but it is something that I will probably eventually need to buy. In short, I was a willing audience, and he had done a decent job of making the phone call to set the appointment.

To make a long story short – well, come to think of it, a potentially long sales call was made short by a few factors. The guy was just plain WRONG in nearly everything he did, and he was out of my office in ten minutes. Thus inspired, here are his five ways to kill a sales call:

  1. Dress UNlike a professional. When this guy showed up in my office to sell a not-inexpensive piece of equipment, I was amazed by his appearance. A shirt that was both unironed and untucked on one side was accompanied by an equally unironed pair of pants, no tie, and shoes that were glorified tennis shoes. Clearly this was a person who did not particularly care about his appearance. Like it or not, folks, professional appearance is part of professional presentation, and it’s hard for me to buy into your credibility selling a $10,000 piece of equipment when your wardrobe could be bought for 15 bucks. I know it’s summer in Kansas City; I don’t expect a banker’s suit and tie, but I do expect that your presentation shows respect for me and my professionalism. If you are dressed more for a 50 Cent concert than a sales call, you’re toast.
  2. Marinate in cologne. Oddly enough, this guy WAS concerned about how he smelled. I was too, but in the wrong way. After a couple of minutes in my office, his cologne permeated every nook, cranny, and crevice to the point that I was looking for a gas mask. After five minutes, I felt the first stirrings of a headache. I know there are people who read this that slather that stuff on in the mornings. DON’T. That goes for you women out there, too – some of your perfume can be just as toxic. Look, this is a sales call. You’re trying to make a sale, not meet a mate. Leave that crap for the evenings, huh? I had to open a window and run a fan after he left to clear the air.
  3. Take liberties with your customer’s stuff. So, this guy gets there, dresses unprofessionally, and stinks up my office. That’s bad. Worse was when, in the initial small-talk phase of the call, he REACHED ACROSS MY DESK AND GRABBED A MAGAZINE I HAD BEEN READING. This is one I had honestly never seen on a first call before; messing around with my stuff. Here’s a clue – if it’s on your customer’s desk and you didn’t put it there, leave it be. I was very close to grabbing the magazine back, rolling it up, and whacking him across the nose with it. Fortunately, the call was about over.
  4. Be unprepared. At this point, about 10 minutes into the meeting, I saw an out. See, this guy had come into my office with a legal pad, pen, and nothing else. No briefcase. So I took a shot. I asked him for a brochure on his products, guessing that there was not one in his padfolio. I was right. He responded, “I have one in the car – let me get it.” Instead, I told him to get in his car and just keep going; I didn’t have the time. For the rest of you, when you go into a sales call, be prepared to carry the sales process through. Going out to your car is a call- killer.
  5. Take the best parking spot. I should first point out that this guy didn’t do this, at least as far as I saw – but it’s so frequent a mistake that I have to point it out. Those great spots right next to the door are for customers, NOT for you. Take them at your own risk. I’ve seen salespeople tossed out of a building for doing this. Why not park in the south 40 and walk? The exercise will do you good.

Hopefully, most of the people reading this know by now NOT to do these things, but they’re still so common that they have to be pointed out. The reason that all of these are call-killers is that they force your customers to make YOU the center of attention in a negative way. Go your way, and kill calls no more!

How To Be Your Own Best Sales Manager

The Navigator News,

I just reconfigured my home office. Yes, I work out of my house. My business evolution has been different than most; I began with a home office and then moved into a dedicated office in an office building. Then, as my business went national and grew exponentially…..I moved back into a home office. I never said that I did things like everyone else!

My home office remodel included something very important – an 18×24 white board. Not just any white board, mind you, but a white board lined and lettered to track sales metrics. Not my clients’, MINE. For years I’ve been advising my clients that visibly posting the key metrics and goals of your business motivated people to achieve and surpass them – but (consultant, consult with thyself), I’ve never done it. Now I have, and I’m going to tell you what my key metrics are – and how you can adapt them to your situation.

One reason I stopped setting activity metrics for myself is that, when I went national, the conventional “calls/appointments/proposals” numbers didn’t work anymore. So, as part of my business plan for 2015, I had to design new ones. 2014 was my best year ever (thank you for that, by the way), and if 2015 is to surpass 2014, good metrics are essential. They are for you, as well. So, with no further ado, here are my monthly tracking numbers:

Monthly sales: This one is obvious, I know, but I still talk to otherwise savvy businesspeople who cannot tell me, off the top of their head, what a monthly run rate should be for a successful salesperson. I have my monthly target, and if I hit it, I write the number in green; if I miss, I write it in red. To answer a question I’m often asked, yes, it’s okay to seasonally adjust your goals if your business fluctuates. I didn’t do that myself, even though I know that there are some fluctuations. I kept mine simple.

MSA to Reach Annual Goal: MSA is “Monthly Sales Average,” so this measurement is “Monthly Sales Average Needed to Reach Goal.” It’s pretty simple; I subtract the year to date actual sales number from the goal, divide by the number of months left, and there’s my number. At the top of the column is also the target MSA, which is just the goal divided by 12. Again, if the MSA needed is below the goal MSA (in other words, I’m ahead of my goal), I write the number in green. If not, I write it in red.

Number of National Speaking Engagements Scheduled/Completed: This is an important one for me, and would correlate nicely to a “First Appointment” metric that I recommend to my clients. For many if not most of my clients, a speaking engagement is their introduction to me and what I can do for their business. I have a target number of what I call “National” speaking engagements. “National” is a large conference, either in Kansas City or elsewhere, that draws a significant amount of my target audience. I use the same red/green criteria as before.

Target Accounts Won: I have a criteria for a “target account,” in terms of annual revenue, and a goal for the number of these accounts in 2015. I’m simply going to list them line-by-line, individually, as they happen.

Top Five Prospects: In my vernacular, a “Prospect” is someone who has not bought from me within the past three years, or ever. As opportunities come up, I’ll list my top ones in this space.

Monthly New Wins: I’ll just list out the new accounts that I win monthly.

So, what do I expect this to do for me? I expect it to help keep me focused. Some of the more technical members of this audience are saying, “But, Troy, why go to all this trouble when all you really need is an Excel spreadsheet to track this data, put it in the form that you want it, and it could even be a dashboard on your laptop when you open it?” That is a correct take. However, I know myself. I want this slapping me in the face every day when I enter my home office. And, of course, being up on the wall means that it’s visible to my most important boss – my wife. I don’t want her seeing red on the board.

Yes, I do believe it will keep me focused. More importantly, and this is why I’ve written this article, doing the same will keep YOU focused. If you’re a sales manager, a “Key Metrics” board that’s visible should be part of your sales management strategy. Your metrics might differ from mine, and that’s OK. If you’re a sales rep, or even a business owner who does his or her own selling, invest in one of these for YOUR wall. Keep it up. There is power in numbers, and there is power in visibility – and in visible numbers, there is the power to help you have a better 2015. I think it’ll work for me, and I know it will work for you.