Reason #10: You talked too much.
How it screwed you up: You didn’t find out what you really needed to know in order to close the deal.
What the prospect thought: “My Lord, this guy loves the sound of his own voice.”
How to avoid a repeat: Get “centered” before your next sales call. During your conversation with the customer, focus your intent on customer: words, gestures, tonality and context. Don’t think about what you’re going to say next. Listen, then respond, then ask another question.
Reason #9: You asked obvious questions.
How it screwed you up: You ended up wasting valuable time with the customer.
What the prospect thought: “For cryin’ out loud, doesn’t this guy know we have a website?”
How to avoid a repeat: Research the customer thoroughly before your first important meeting. Continue to research throughout the cycle, as you learn more about the customer.
Reason #8: You were outsold.
How it screwed you up: The competitor outmaneuvered you by getting the inside track for his proposal.
What the prospect thought: “Why is he still calling me?”
How to avoid a repeat: Always ask who else is calling on a prospect. Figure out their sales strategy based upon whom they’re calling upon. Come up with a plan to counter the competitor’s move to keep the playing field level.
Reason #7: You forgot to sell.
How it screwed you up: You were afraid to put the friendship at risk, so you never got up the gumption to close the deal.
What the prospect thought: “Gosh, what a nice guy!”
How to avoid a repeat: Remember that the best way to build a long-term SALES relationship is to sell to the customer, early and frequently. Put rapport-building activities into a business context, so that you become business allies rather than bosom buddies.
Reason #6. You didn’t know your product.
How it screwed you up: The customer knew more about your products (and your competition) than you, totally destroying your credibility and ability to add value.
What the prospect thought: “How dare that firm send a complete novice to sell to us!”
How to avoid a repeat: When they have product training at the quarterly sales meeting, actually attend the training course — without a hangover from the previous night’s partying. Before calling on the customer, review the products that might interest him. Have all the spec sheets and information to hand (either online or in your briefcase), just in case.
Reason #5. You didn’t know the industry.
How it screwed you up: The customer realized that your experience wasn’t really applicable to his industry, thereby putting you into the “also-ran” category.
What the prospect thought: “Doesn’t this guy realize that we have unique needs?”
How to avoid a repeat: Prior to meeting with any customer, dig around on the Internet to find analyst reports and news articles about the industry. Find out the major players, the major firms, and the major concerns. Take notes, so that you don’t have to do it all over again next time you call on a similar customer.
Reason #4: You don’t know business basics.
How it screwed you up: Your lack of knowledge seriously limited your ability to add value. You couldn’t talk intelligently about ROI or how your offerings would impact the customer’s bottom line.
What the prospect thought: “Why is this guy in sales?”
How to avoid a repeat: Go to your local college or community college and enroll in a basic business course. Find out how to read a financial report, how understand an annual report, and how to calculate ROI. You don’t need an MBA degree to sell, but you do need to know what you’re talking about.
Reason #3: You didn’t know how the customer buys.
How it screwed you up: You ended up dealing with inexplicable delays as the customer took actions that were outside your understanding. You pushed for decisions when the time wasn’t ripe. Ultimately, you didn’t take the steps you needed to take in order to clinch the deal.
What the prospect thought: “This guy is really pushy.”
How to avoid a repeat: Gently ask and discover how the customer buys. Then adjust your sales process so that it matches the buying process. Take the steps that help the customer move to the next stage in their buying process.
Reason #2: You Missed a Big Change.
How it screwed you up: Your sponsors and contacts lost power (or even their jobs) in the big shakeup, leaving you without the leverage to move the sale forward.
What the prospect thought: “I wonder if I can get a job working in his firm.”
How to avoid a repeat: As soon as you discover there are big changes in the works, increase your focus on the account. Offer to help during the transition. Make more calls to your contacts. Find out who’s benefiting from the change (there’s always somebody). Move quickly to shore up your position and build enough connections so that the deal will remain alive, regardless of what happens.
Reason #1: You let the ball drop.
How it screwed you up: While you may have made some sales elsewhere, this lost opportunity means lower revenue for your company, and a loss in your reputation, both with your management and with your erstwhile prospects.
What the prospect thought: “What the heck ever happened to that sales guy??”
How to avoid a repeat: It’s all a matter of organization. Spend a half hour EVERY MORNING to structure your day. Schedule time so that you’re 100 sure that you can return ALL your calls promptly. If you discover that you’re swamped, hand some of your accounts to somebody else.
Friday 14 August 2009
Monday 3 August 2009
From the Book - How to speak like a CEO?
" Pre-empt promotion so that you will be fully equipped when you get there."
- Speaking is fun when you do it well with your own unique voice and style.
- It is not the smartest people that rise to top but those who are most capable of articulating smart concepts.
- You can be the smartest man in the room, but if you don't have good communication skills nobody will ever believe that!
3 communication success criteria:
S hare Wisdom
A rticulate vision
M otivate others to act
Lesson 1: Powerful Messages - Without a message you are talking not leading - "a fool may talk, but a wise man speaks"
Big Ideas - is all that most people can remember. Big by Power not length.
Passion - talk in the moment with passion and belief.
KISS - needs to be powerful and straightforward to be remembered.
Be Real - be you. Humanize yourself while maintaining authority.
Lesson 2:Tell Stories - people are inspired by real life, not figures
Rather than plodding through stats, numbers and bullet points. Tell the stories about real people, real companies, real life that make up those statistics - Personify.
Speak about their failures, their successes, their challenges, their solutions. For example the Ericsson CEO at the Danish business school.
[SPADO]
Set the Scene - What? and Where?
Use the senses to trigger the imagination.
What could you see? -Visual - "All you could see was a see a swarm of geeks & glasses"
What could you hear? -Auditory - "All you could hear was the Chatter of code speak and a buzz of excitement"
What could you feel? -Kinesthetic - "It felt like the inside of a pressure cooker as the debate intensified"
"As I entered, all I could see was ....... You could hear the....... filling the room....It felt like"
Describe the Players & what hoping to achieve - Who there? What doing?
The consultants had come there with the intention of learning about search.
Explain how things Deviated from expectations - What happened that we failed to count for?
We had expected sun and had packed accordingly.
Describe & visualise the humorous/ astounding/ profitable/ disastrous Outcome - "As a result .. "
As a result, when it began to lash rain we were left shivering as the cold rain pounded on our unwaterproof clothing. We were saturated from head to toe and felt wetter than fish in a river...
Lesson 3: Expect the Expected - Prepare
Before a meeting write down the questions you expect to be asked.
The only way to be good is to be very, very well prepared.
By preparing for the basics you will leave the impression that you are "Good on your feet".
Most CEOs prepare answers to their most common questions and store them in a little black book.
Richard Branson:
“Always have a notebook in your pocket. People at parties and events can have great ideas, and you won’t remember them the next day.”
“I could never have built the Virgin Group into the size it is without those few bits of paper. I think if you’re going to run a really personal airline, its those little details that matter and therefore the notebook is an essential part of my travelling day.”
Lesson 4: Walk on stage as if you belong there.
Give the impression that you are comfortable and belong there. Relax, calm, smile make jokes. Composure goes hand in hand with confidence and leadership.
Think, what would a president do in this situation?
If you look the part they are awed and intrigued.
If you look nervous and desperate they can read that which makes them edgy as well as discrediting you.
Lesson 5: Admit fault
Be willing to admit the fault and the rare circumstances that lead to it.
Quickly shift the focus to Solution and further Avoidance.
By doing so we can take focus away from the outrage and on to the resolution.
Do, identify the lesson in every mistake though. Talk about the successes that came from that painful period.
Lesson 6: Make work a Game.
The work of becoming great is not always much fun.
"I always kept it fun..Not necessarily by going out there and beating balls all day; that gets boring. I like to play games." Tiger Woods
Turn chores into games by:
Set goals and rewards: If I manage to practice my presentation twice more in the next hour I get 15 minutes of TV.
Set a timer: See how many minutes of uninterrupted work you can get done.
Lesson 7: Development Plan
Think of it as writing out a grocery list. Without a list, you remember some of the items you need but often find you have missed many more.
What I want to improve. What I need to get me there. How will I know I have got there.
Lesson 9: Pre-presentation Questions
Organize the presentation about what they want to know, not what you want to talk about.
What does each participant want to hear?
What questions will they want answered?
What stories, analogies, facts, and examples [S.A.F.E] will be useful?
Lesson 10: Use Inclusive Language - You, Your, Our, Us
Bad:
"Good afternoon, I am happy to be hear to talk about the benefits of our product. This is a great product with many benefits and we have done very well with it."
Good:
"Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you. We appreciate your sharing so much about your organization and current challenges with us. You provided us with an opportunity to understand many of the challenges you face. You have asked us to prepare some thoughts on solutions to those issues. Our agenda focuses on some options you may consider if we are to move forward together."
Leson 11: Bring life to statements [SQAPEA]
Everybody likes a Story - they are excellent ways to make a point. But don't ramble. Be assertive. Support your statement. Be colorful. [SPADO]
Qualify statements through figures -"There has been a large investment in innovation. Over the past few months our engineering team grew by more than 70% "
Anecdotes - give perspective and add meaning to your message. "One time I met this employee…"
Add Personal experiences - they bring credibility and life. "When I first joined, we… "
Quotes from experts - add credence to your comments. "The IDC also states that..." "Professor Patrick O’Donnell agrees that..."
Analogies are strong, colorful and powerful. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack of similar needles… "
Leson 12: Create Rapport
book: how to win friends and influence people, dale carnegie
Have genuine curiosity in other peoples - work, hobbies, experiences?
Ask great questions listen and respond specifically to those questions - How did you feel about?
Find common ground - commonality - similar sports, interests, hobbies, ideas - dont have to do them just speak about them..
Flatter - Ask them for advice, I believe you can help me-
Remeber something about them and bring it up - last time we spoke you said that you..
When leaving - quote one topic you had discussed earlier - "I hope that push up challenge works out for you...I'll test you next time we meet"
- Speaking is fun when you do it well with your own unique voice and style.
- It is not the smartest people that rise to top but those who are most capable of articulating smart concepts.
- You can be the smartest man in the room, but if you don't have good communication skills nobody will ever believe that!
3 communication success criteria:
S hare Wisdom
A rticulate vision
M otivate others to act
Lesson 1: Powerful Messages - Without a message you are talking not leading - "a fool may talk, but a wise man speaks"
Big Ideas - is all that most people can remember. Big by Power not length.
Passion - talk in the moment with passion and belief.
KISS - needs to be powerful and straightforward to be remembered.
Be Real - be you. Humanize yourself while maintaining authority.
Lesson 2:Tell Stories - people are inspired by real life, not figures
Rather than plodding through stats, numbers and bullet points. Tell the stories about real people, real companies, real life that make up those statistics - Personify.
Speak about their failures, their successes, their challenges, their solutions. For example the Ericsson CEO at the Danish business school.
[SPADO]
Set the Scene - What? and Where?
Use the senses to trigger the imagination.
What could you see? -Visual - "All you could see was a see a swarm of geeks & glasses"
What could you hear? -Auditory - "All you could hear was the Chatter of code speak and a buzz of excitement"
What could you feel?
"As I entered, all I could see was ....... You could hear the....... filling the room....It felt like
Describe the Players & what hoping to achieve - Who there? What doing?
The consultants had come there with the intention of learning about search.
Explain how things Deviated from expectations - What happened that we failed to count for?
We had expected sun and had packed accordingly.
Describe & visualise the humorous/ astounding/ profitable/ disastrous Outcome - "As a result .. "
As a result, when it began to lash rain we were left shivering as the cold rain pounded on our unwaterproof clothing. We were saturated from head to toe and felt wetter than fish in a river...
Lesson 3: Expect the Expected - Prepare
Before a meeting write down the questions you expect to be asked.
The only way to be good is to be very, very well prepared.
By preparing for the basics you will leave the impression that you are "Good on your feet".
Most CEOs prepare answers to their most common questions and store them in a little black book.
Richard Branson:
“Always have a notebook in your pocket. People at parties and events can have great ideas, and you won’t remember them the next day.”
“I could never have built the Virgin Group into the size it is without those few bits of paper. I think if you’re going to run a really personal airline, its those little details that matter and therefore the notebook is an essential part of my travelling day.”
Lesson 4: Walk on stage as if you belong there.
Give the impression that you are comfortable and belong there. Relax, calm, smile make jokes. Composure goes hand in hand with confidence and leadership.
Think, what would a president do in this situation?
If you look the part they are awed and intrigued.
If you look nervous and desperate they can read that which makes them edgy as well as discrediting you.
Lesson 5: Admit fault
Be willing to admit the fault and the rare circumstances that lead to it.
Quickly shift the focus to Solution and further Avoidance.
By doing so we can take focus away from the outrage and on to the resolution.
Do, identify the lesson in every mistake though. Talk about the successes that came from that painful period.
Lesson 6: Make work a Game.
The work of becoming great is not always much fun.
"I always kept it fun..Not necessarily by going out there and beating balls all day; that gets boring. I like to play games." Tiger Woods
Turn chores into games by:
Set goals and rewards: If I manage to practice my presentation twice more in the next hour I get 15 minutes of TV.
Set a timer: See how many minutes of uninterrupted work you can get done.
Lesson 7: Development Plan
Think of it as writing out a grocery list. Without a list, you remember some of the items you need but often find you have missed many more.
What I want to improve. What I need to get me there. How will I know I have got there.
Lesson 9: Pre-presentation Questions
Organize the presentation about what they want to know, not what you want to talk about.
What does each participant want to hear?
What questions will they want answered?
What stories, analogies, facts, and examples [S.A.F.E] will be useful?
Lesson 10: Use Inclusive Language - You, Your, Our, Us
Bad:
"Good afternoon, I am happy to be hear to talk about the benefits of our product. This is a great product with many benefits and we have done very well with it."
Good:
"Thank you for the opportunity to meet with you. We appreciate your sharing so much about your organization and current challenges with us. You provided us with an opportunity to understand many of the challenges you face. You have asked us to prepare some thoughts on solutions to those issues. Our agenda focuses on some options you may consider if we are to move forward together."
Leson 11: Bring life to statements [SQAPEA]
Everybody likes a Story - they are excellent ways to make a point. But don't ramble. Be assertive. Support your statement. Be colorful. [SPADO]
Qualify statements through figures -"There has been a large investment in innovation. Over the past few months our engineering team grew by more than 70% "
Anecdotes - give perspective and add meaning to your message. "One time I met this employee…"
Add Personal experiences - they bring credibility and life. "When I first joined, we… "
Quotes from experts - add credence to your comments. "The IDC also states that..." "Professor Patrick O’Donnell agrees that..."
Analogies are strong, colorful and powerful. "It's like looking for a needle in a haystack of similar needles… "
Leson 12: Create Rapport
book: how to win friends and influence people, dale carnegie
Have genuine curiosity in other peoples - work, hobbies, experiences?
Ask great questions listen and respond specifically to those questions - How did you feel about?
Find common ground - commonality - similar sports, interests, hobbies, ideas - dont have to do them just speak about them..
Flatter - Ask them for advice, I believe you can help me-
Remeber something about them and bring it up - last time we spoke you said that you..
When leaving - quote one topic you had discussed earlier - "I hope that push up challenge works out for you...I'll test you next time we meet"
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)