Sales training ideas – An important aspect of competing.

Anyone who has been in selling for any length of time understands that all products and services have weaknesses, even the ones you’re selling. A weakness may be price, it may an inferior feature, or it may be a lack of features or functions. Whatever the case, in order to completely prepare yourself for the selling environment, you need to critique your own product or service and you need to be prepared to defend your weaknesses while building on your strengths. 

When you are looking for “weaknesses” in your product, start with what the competition is saying about your product. Here’s an example from our experience. 

For years, while selling for a particular ATM manufacturer, we stressed the advantages of our keypad, among other items. The polymer keys could be individually replaced, thus the entire keypad rarely needed replacing, which made servicing much easier. Also, the keys did not easily depress, allowing the blind to feel the Braille on the keys without accidentally pressing the wrong button. To us this feature seemed like an iron clad selling advantage. 

We learned that the competition was pointing out that the Braille on the polymer (a fancy word for plastic) keys wore down quickly, whereas their metal keys were much more durable. 

We thought that was a weak response until one of us went to an ATM to withdraw money. And guess what? They were right! The Braille had worn significantly. While we still spoke of the strengths of the polymer keypad when selling our solution, we formulated an answer to the worn keypad objection, should it have arisen. 

Sometimes we are brainwashed by our company. Play devil’s advocate. Put yourself in your competition’s shoes. How would you attack your product? Look at how the competition is selling against you, listen to what they are saying with an open mind, logically evaluate it, and then come up with some truthful and creative responses. Both the competition and your products weaknesses are likely to be two of your most daunting challenges when selling.

Sales training ideas – How to position yourself in a competitive account.

When selling in competitive accounts you will be in one of two positions, you are either doing some of the business and your competitor(s) is doing the rest or, you are doing no business in the account and your competitor(s) is doing all of it. So how can you put yourself in the best position when selling in a competitive account? 

1) Be Number One

When you are doing some but not all of the business in a particular account, you want to make sure you are number one in that account. This is still a competitive account because, as you are not doing all the business in the account, this means that there really is no number one, there are just two or more number twos. So even though you are doing some of the business, you still need to treat this as a competitive account. 

You can’t always be all things to all people. You may have to settle for part of the business now. For example, in the banking business we did not always get the ATMs, but sometimes we still got the hardware: safes, vaults, and other items. Stick your foot in the door anywhere you can and then make sure you stay there. Once you’re in the door, you will be compared with the competition from a standpoint of customer service, product reliability, etc. 

Make sure that your product, your company, and you shine in all areas possible. If you do a great job in one area, you earn the right to ask if you can at least quote the other business. At that point, build as much value as possible, sharpen your pencil, and take your best shot at impressing the customer. Ask to quote but don’t push. Just continue to do a good job with what you’ve got, nurture the relationship, and keep asking to quote on the other equipment every time a new project arises. Eventually either the competition will mess up or the customer will say yes. 

In the banking business, when someone called us for a vault, alarm and video, or other equipment, it was a safe bet that they were also looking for equipment such as ATMs. If we were asked to bid on all the equipment except the ATMs, we would take that opportunity to ask if we could provide a competitive quote. 

Here’s how to phrase your question to ask for the other business: “Joe may I assume you’re also going to have at least one ATM at this location?” 

After the customer answers in the affirmative, you say, “I know we’re not your ATM vendor currently. Why don’t we simply give you a quote just to keep the others guys honest and to make sure you’re getting the best deal?” Most people won’t argue with you on that. 

If you do get the opportunity to quote, get aggressive. By this we mean build value, get your best price, pull out the dog and pony show, and really dazzle the prospect. 

Important: Make sure you’re quoting on the same thing as the competition. If you’re comparing apples to oranges, either the prices will be far off the mark or the customer won’t be getting what they expect. Either way, it won’t be a fair comparison. 

If you don’t get the opportunity to quote, use some humor: “Joe, I’ll tell you what. You tell me what price and what features and functions you want, and I’ll put them in print on a proposal so you can use it to get a better price from XYZ. Of course, I’ll have you sign a letter that says there’s no way you’re holding us to that price.” 

Hopefully this will elicit a smile or laugh from your prospect. After that, just pause for a moment and let the prospect speak first. Most likely he’ll stick to his original answer, but at least you’ve given it another shot. From this point forward, just keep asking whenever the opportunity arises in the future. 

The bottom line: in accounts where you are one of several suppliers, ask to quote on the other equipment and put yourself in a position to eventually be the sole supplier. 

2) Be Number Two

If you can’t be number one, you’d better be sure you’re number two! 

Obviously, our goal as salespeople is to be number one. We want to be the first person that our customers/clients call and buy from. However, if you can’t be number one, be the backup—be number two. By being number two, you’re ensuring that if your prospect has a problem with number one, you’ll get the call. Then the door is wide open. If you’re number three or four, you’re a long way from any business from that prospect. If you’re number two, you’re one late delivery, one botched install, or one of any other mistake away from some potential business. 

You don’t need to spend the same amount of time and effort with these number two prospects as you do with number one customers. After all, they are number two and that’s where they lie on your priority list. However, you need to do enough so that when they have a problem with number one, you’re the first one they think of. You need to make sure they don’t have to jump through hoops to either contact you or remember how to contact you, and most important, you need to respond quickly when they do call. If you don’t, they’ll move on to number three. 

There are many ways to keep your name in front of the prospect such as: e-mail, voice mail, faxes, stopping by in-person, phone, mailings, etc.  At a minimum, if you’re in face-to-face sales, you’ll want to mail to them monthly and stop in quarterly; if you’re in telephone sales, mail monthly and call on the phone quarterly. You don’t want to overwhelm prospects or be a pest and yet, you need to do whatever you need to do to be fresh in the prospect’s mind when number one eventually trips up. 

Keep these two ideas in mind when selling in competitive accounts. The key is to stay in touch, stay in front of the prospect or customer, and make sure you’re selling and servicing better than your competitor. 

Sales training ideas – What to do when a competitive account wants a bid simply to fulfill their bid requirement.

When selling in competitive accounts, you will occasionally run into the following scenario.  

You check your voice mail and get all excited because a prospect who has never done business with you or your company wants a quote from you. You call her back and the conversation seems to be going fine right up to the point where she says: “We actually need three quotes to fulfill the requirements of our bidding process.” 

It’s clear that she’s using you simply to “fulfill the requirements of the bidding process” and probably to make the current vendor look good to the board of directors. What should you do? You’re going to be professional and help her do her job. At the same time, you’re going to raise her level of respect for you, cement yourself as the number two vendor, and completely set yourself apart from all other salespeople. 

Prepare for and begin the meeting just as you would any other by building rapport and talking about current events or points of interest. When the conversation turns to business open up with: 

“Well, I have to say, when you called me for a quote I became very excited. Of course, we haven’t done much with you over the years.” (Say, “haven’t done much” even if you haven’t done anything. You don’t want to emphasize a negative or get the prospect thinking, “Wow, we’ve never done any business with him? Why did I even bother calling him this time?”) 

“And then you mentioned the point about having to get three quotes to meet your bidding requirements. Let me ask you, you’ve been dealing with our competitor ABC Company for quite some time now, right?” 

After you get her answer, follow with, “How are things going with that relationship?” 

You want to find out if something has changed or if your suspicion that you were simply called for a “token” quote is right. If she tells you they are unhappy, have had recent problems, or something else has changed with the current vendor, you may have a legitimate shot at the business. However, if she tells you that things have been going great, your “token” quote suspicion is probably correct. 

For this example, let’s assume she told you everything is going fine with the present vendor. At that point, respond with, “Bobbi-Jo, frankly I’d love to tell you about all the exciting developments with our company and in our product line.” Next, give her your top three “hit ’em between the eyes” attention grabbers about your product: 

“For example, our recently released machine with twenty-two exclusive features helped our customers’ profits to shoot through the roof as never before. I’d also love to give you more details about why the largest company in the world decided they had to do business with us because it was costing them too much not to, and I’d love to tell you how our product has advanced to the point that it will make your job and your life much easier. I’d love to tell you all that, but that’s not my objective today.” 

Pause here and look at her for effect. “My objective today is to help you reach your objective.” 

You need to say this next part with as much empathy and understanding as possible: 

“With all due respect, and at the risk of being direct, if your objective is to keep ABC Company on their toes and use my quote to get them to make some concessions or cut their price, I’d be happy to help you do that. If you’d like me to give you a quote with a ridiculously low number in order to achieve that result, I’ll give you a quote with a ridiculously low number. Of course I’m going to make you sign something that says there’s no way you’re holding me to that quote. 

“On the other hand, if your goal is to use my quote to make ABC Company look good to your board of directors, I’ll be happy to give you a quote to achieve that end also. Now I’m also going to tell you exactly why I’m willing to do that. I know that if I work with you and help you achieve your objective, if ABC Company ever makes a major mistake I’ll be the first person you’ll think of, and you’ll call me and give me a shot at the business. Is that fair enough?” 

After she answers affirmatively, follow with, “So Bobbi-Jo, how can I help you reach your objective and look good to everyone involved?” If that doesn’t give the prospect a positive impression of you, nothing will. 

By throwing out your top three “hit ’em between the eyes” attention-grabbers, you are hoping to pique her interest. Your objective is to get her interested to the point where you are no longer there for a “token” quote but are now in a position where you actually have a shot at the business. If she asks about any of your three attention-grabbers, the door is at least slightly open. 

In the above real-life example, the prospect asked why the largest company in the world was doing business with us. If this happens, don’t give her something for nothing. She’s interested and she wants an answer from you, but before you give her the answer she needs to give you something. She has to agree to give you the time to tell your whole story. 

Start with a teaser to build even more interest. “Actually, they did some analysis that showed that by working with us they could significantly increase their profit margin, whereas by dealing with our competitor they were actually cutting into their profit margin. I’m sure if you did the analysis you’d reach the same conclusion.” 

Notice that we didn’t give any specific numbers in our example. We simply said, “significantly increase their profit margin.” If we used a number the prospect might decide the number is not that substantial, or she may not believe the number and lose interest. 

Next, ask her for a commitment. “Bobbi-Jo, are you telling me that if I can show you some significant benefits of our product, I’ll have a shot at your business?” 

If she answers yes, find out where you stand with her in terms of getting the business. Can she make the decision or do others need to be involved? Is she ready to move now or is she waiting for something? So your next step is to ask some questions. “Bobbi-Jo, who else will be involved in the decision-making process?” If she says she is the only decision-maker, ask, “If I can show you unequivocally that we have the best product to suit your needs, is this a decision you’re prepared to make right now?” 

If she is the only decision-maker and she answers yes to the second question, bridge into your sales presentation. Start with, “Bobbi-Jo, in order to fully answer your question about why the number one company in the world is doing business with us, I’m going to need to go into some detail.” Pause slightly after this comment and then launch into your standard sales presentation. 

Treat the sales presentation as you would any other and then ask for the business. Of course, if you’ve handled the “talk it over with someone” and “I’m not prepared to make a decision now” objections up front, it will be awkward for her to give you those at the end. If she does, call her on it. 

If there are other people involved in the decision-making process, ask her when you can explain the details to everyone involved in the decision. When you do sit down with all the decision-makers, give them the benefits, let them know their colleague was interested in hearing more details, make sure they are open to your company as an option, and then go into your sales presentation.

Sales training ideas – No more cold calling.

How great would it be if you never had to cold call again? Great, right?

Lately there have been a few people out there who are saying that cold calling is a waste of time and you no longer should be doing it. Sounds great. In fact, if you have the means and the circumstances to implement other ways of getting leads, other than cold calling, have at it. But before you start, let’s look at the situation and the alternatives.

First, if you cold call, then cold calling is probably the accepted norm in your industry. Who knows, the number of cold calls you make may even be one of the criteria you are judged on. Second, this also means you have a manager and upper level management that believe in cold calling. Third, it also means you are required to get your own leads and you don’t have a telemarketing department or other marketing structure in place to get leads for you.

That being said, if you decide not to cold call, you’re going to be called to task almost immediately. When you are, saying something such as, “Cold calling doesn’t work. I’m sending out e-mails and faxes instead.” isn’t going to fly. Why? First, cold calling does work. Granted, it’s probably the most difficult of all sales tasks and the most time consuming, but it does get results. Second, you’re telling your manager, who knows that he knows better than you, that you know better than him. Good luck. Third, if your alternative to cold calling requires any money, it’s coming out of your pocket.

On another note, some of these people touting no cold calling ideas also mention the way things should be. They say things such as, “companies should have telemarketers in place that get you qualified leads”, or “there should be a marketing campaign in place to get the salespeople leads.” Okay, they have a good point however, you’re not dealing with the way things should be, you’re dealing with the way they are, and if you work in a company that does not have these alternatives in place already, good luck changing the corporate culture. It’s not going to happen unless you own the business.

Taking all of the above into consideration, there are some good ideas out there on alternatives to cold calling and again, cold calling can be a difficult way to get leads, although it is still effective. So what should you do? If you decide you want to try some of these other methods, try them on your time. You don’t want to start sending out faxes in the middle of the day with your manager glaring at you. Another idea, IF YOU ARE AN ESTABLISHED PRODUCER AND YOUR MANAGER LIKES YOU, is to talk to your manager about some of the new “non-cold calling” ideas and tell him you’d just like to try a few and see what happens. Also, you can incorporate a method already accepted by the cold calling establishment, which is to hire someone to cold call for you.

The bottom line: Take all ideas into consideration when it comes to cold calling alternatives, as there are some good ones out there. Just make sure you do it according to the rules of your company and your manager. Again, start with some ideas on your own time, or talk to your manager if you are well established and liked. Two other quick notes, start to implement one or two ideas at a time, don’t stop cold calling cold turkey and using only alternative methods until you see results. Second, it’s always better to work smarter than harder, at the same time, don’t expect your work load to go from 20 hours of cold calling to 20 minutes spent on alternative methods. Regardless of what these alternatives promise, you still must be willing to work hard and put in the hours.

John Chapin   www.completeselling.com

Sales training ideas – A mistake to avoid regarding the competition.

When selling competitively you have to be careful about what you say and don’t say about the competition. This article gives an example of one mistake you don’t want to make when selling competitively and why you don’t want to make it. 

Why you should never bad-mouth the competition when selling competitively 

Bad-mouthing the competition is never a good idea for several reasons. First, when you belittle the competition, you come across as unprofessional. Second, if you make a habit of bad-mouthing the competition, word will get around the industry and your reputation will suffer there as well. It’s difficult to respect someone who undermines others. As well, you never know who in your industry you’ll end up working with in the future. As a result, you want to keep your reputation intact. 

Third, there has never been a perfect product or service in the history of mankind. When you bad-mouth the competition, you lower the perceived product value from your company as well as the competitor’s. It’s akin to saying, “They’re terrible. Obviously we’re not perfect either because no one can be, yet we’re not as bad as they are.” Bad-mouthing the competition lowers the bar for everyone in the industry including your company. 

Keep in mind the saying, “What comes around, goes around.” If you habitually sling the mud, it’s entirely possible that your competition will feel they need to get some shots in themselves. You see this in political campaigns all the time. Candidate A vows to run a clean campaign no matter what the other candidate does, then as soon as Candidate B begins negative campaigning, Candidate A almost always follows suit. 

On the other hand, if you speak of your competition in a professional manner, chances are the word will get back to them and they will usually give you the same professional courtesy. This won’t always happen, but it tends to be the rule and not the exception. 

If the prospect is already using the competition’s product or service, you have another reason to refrain from bad-mouthing them. By bad-mouthing the competition, you are bad-mouthing the prospect’s decision to purchase the competitor’s product and perhaps even insulting his intelligence. It’s okay for your prospect to bad-mouth your competition’s product and/or his decision to buy it, but don’t get caught up in it yourself. Even if your prospect or customer criticizes the competition, while you certainly don’t want to defend them, do your best not to jump on the bashing bandwagon.  

Finally, treating others with courtesy and respect is simply the right thing to do. You may fight tooth-and-nail with your competition over business, and that’s fine. At the same time, keep things professional. 

Note: Talking about the competition’s weaknesses, when comparing products, is necessary and is not the same thing as bad-mouthing the competition. Always take the high road and if you’re tempted to bad mouth the competition remember, a professional image is one of your most important assets in the world of selling.

Sales training ideas – Times to avoid interacting with the competition.

Everything considered, when selling competitively, it IS a good idea to talk to the competition. In general, it will give them a little less fire under their butt to beat you, also, you may get some good information if the competitor feels like talking. That being said, there are some times to avoid talking to the competition. 

3 times to avoid the competition when selling competitively 

1) Avoid engaging the competition in conversation when there is a major issue pending. This may include a court case where one company is suing the other or negotiations for one company to buy the other. In such circumstances it may be illegal for you to talk with each other. 

2) Your company may have something in your employee contract that prohibits conversation with the competition. This may be the case if you are in a high-security industry such as the defense industry. 

3) You may also want to avoid the competition if you have previously tried to approach them, but they made it clear that they want absolutely nothing to do with you.Similarly, there may have been a personality conflict in the past. 

Outside of the above examples, it makes sense to talk to the competition. When you do, make sure you do so in a relaxed and friendly tone, treat them as you would anyone else you’re getting to know, and stay pleasant and professional no matter what. Always take the high road. 

And one final reminder on interacting with the competition, remember that business is business. No matter how friendly your competitors are or how much business you believe there is for both of you, they would love nothing more than to see you go out of business. Some people may argue this point but ultimately it’s true everywhere. Keep the competitive conversation friendly, but do not be generous with information as you want every edge you can get when selling. 

Sales training ideas – How to differentiate yourself when selling the same, exact product as the competition.

If you are selling competitively, it’s entirely possible that you are selling the same exact product as the competition. For example, if you are selling cars, you may be up against a competitor selling the same exact car you are. If this is the case, how can you set yourself apart from the rest of the selling field? 

Differentiating when selling the same competitive product 

When you are selling a similar product (such as the same kind of car), you have to look at the other factors involved that differentiate you from the other person selling the same thing. As with any selling situation, you are a key and important unique factor. You need to get the prospect excited about doing business with you. Often the salesperson is the biggest reason why a prospect does or doesn’t choose to buy. This means that part of your job is to set yourself apart in every way you can. Show your dedication, your commitment, your professional integrity, and most important, show how much you care about the prospect. 

The second differentiator is the company you work for: 

• How good is your service department and what are the people in it like?
• Are your back office or finance people easy to work with?
• How close is your place of business to the customer versus the competition?
• Do you have the largest service organization in the business?
• Are you the original equipment manufacturer? 

Third, what can you do as far as pricing or features go?

• Can you actually sell the same product at a better value or for a lower price?
• Can you throw in an option or two that the competitor does not? Does your product have a variety of colors or other features that the competition lacks?
• Is your overall cost lower, thereby putting you in a position to make as much money as a competitor while giving the customer a better price? For example: Do you buy the equipment outright before you sell it? Are you mortgage free? Do you have lower overhead, rent, personnel costs, office costs, etc.? What other factors such as these make your overall cost lower? 
• Can you arrange better financing?
• Can you give an extended warranty? 

You have to concentrate on the little things when you are selling the same product or service as someone else. Where can you give more value or a better price? 

In conclusion, if your product and your competitor’s product are the same, the decision comes down to you, your company, and your price. Look at every aspect of the product and see what you can add to make your product better than the competition’s. Look at all the angles and find every possible way you can to make the product you are selling better than what the competition is selling.

Sales Training Ideas – Interacting with the competition.

When selling competitively, you will occasionally run into the competition in your travels. For the most part, it is a good idea to talk to your competition but, what rules should you follow when you run into the competition while you’re out selling? 

Rules to follow when talking to your selling competition 

1) Keep the conversation friendly.

Your objective is to leave the competition with a good feeling about you as a person. Smile and keep the conversation cordial. Many competitors will be pleasant and talk to you. You may run into some who become defensive and use both verbal and body language to let you know you are the enemy and they have no interest in talking to you. In this case, give them a valid compliment or two about their product and their effectiveness in the marketplace. If this does not breakdown their defensive stance, simply end the visit with something like, “Well, best of luck. Have a nice day.” Above all, remain pleasant and smile. 

2) Talk on a personal level and keep business talk to a minimum.

Keeping the conversation on a personal level isn’t the easiest thing to do the first time you meet a competitor. In the first meeting you’ll need to talk about things you have in common—namely, business. You can ask some general questions such as, “How is business?” and discuss common industry trends. You don’t want to give out any details about what’s happening within your company, or any industry knowledge where you feel you have an edge. You can ask some questions about their company or product and see if they’ll open up, but if they don’t, don’t push. Your goal is to leave them with a positive impression of you personally, not to leave them thinking the only reason you were there was to get inside information about their product and their company. 

After talking a little business, you can start with a few personal questions such as where they live, where they went to school, what they do for fun, and the like. You should probe for common interests just as you would with anyone else you meet. Once you get some personal information, it will be easier to talk on a personal level, and the next time you see them you can open by asking how the kids are instead of how business is. 

If they want to talk business and tell you everything they and their company are up to, that’s fine—let them talk. Two points to remember: do not be deceitful in trying to get information, and don’t beat them up. 

3) Keep the conversation brief.

For the most part, you do not want to spend a great deal of time talking to the competition. Most of your meetings will occur either at business events, where you will have other more important business priorities, or they will happen unexpectedly and you do not want to spend too much time throwing off either their schedule or yours. Keep the conversations anywhere from two to ten minutes. There may be some exceptional circumstances in which you will bend this rule, but, in general, try to keep the meetings brief. 

You want the competition to like you as it will give them less incentive to drive you out of business, you never know who will be working for whom in the future, and it’s simply the decent thing to do. As a result, it is a good idea to talk to them, just keep the three rules above in mind and remember, you still want to do everything you can, ethically, to beat them at the game of selling.

Sales Training ideas – Sending a letter after a meeting with a competitive account.

When selling in a competitive account, follow-up is more important than ever. One key component of the initial follow-up is your follow-up sales letter. 

Your follow-up sales letter 

After you’ve met with a competitive account, send a letter as soon as possible after the meeting. In the note you want to thank the person(s) for their time and summarize what you covered. Make sure it’s personalized and doesn’t come off as a boiler-plate letter. Cover some specifics of the points you discussed. Also, highlight some key areas or your “hit ’em between the lines” attention-getters (your key benefits). Make the note friendly, yet professional and concise. Ensure that your contact information is included. 

The objectives of the letter are to set you apart from the other salespeople and to define yourself as a true professional. How many times do you think the prospect’s current vendor sends a letter out after a meeting? Rarely if ever. You want the prospect to think, “Wow, this is different. I never get a letter from my present salesperson.” Very few salespeople send out any letters thanking prospects and customers for their time or business and even fewer send them after a sales presentation or simply a meeting. Sales letters will get you noticed. 

It’s advisable to get into the habit of sending out sales letters to all your accounts. With established accounts you can either do it every time or occasionally. Make sure you do it at least occasionally to stand out from all the other salespeople. 

In addition to sending a letter and being a consummate professional in the process, make sure you do what you say you’ll do when you say you’ll do it. Following this rule is the one sure way to build credibility quickly. Breaking it is a sure way to lose credibility and every chance you have to get business from the account. Also, remember to under-promise and over-deliver. If you know you can get the prospect something by Wednesday, promise it by Friday and get it there on Wednesday or Thursday. The spotlight is on you in these very early stages, so be sure you shine. 

Here is an example of a thank-you sales letter.  

Complete Selling, Inc.
27 Curtis Street
Auburn, MA 01501

Mr. Bruce Weisberg
Senior Vice President
XYZ Bank and Trust Company
1 N. Main Street
Auburn, MA 01501 

Dear Mr. Weisberg, 

It was very nice meeting you today. Thank you for your time. 

Clearly, you appreciate the latest ATM technology and how it will make your life, your employees’ lives, and your customers’ lives easier. 

As we discussed, you can expect to see an average increase in ATM uptime of between 7 and 11 percent with our latest line of ATMs. This will increase customer happiness and loyalty while saving you and your employees time and headaches Also, our twenty-two exclusive features will give you the individual branding that is so important to you. Finally, you will find that ABC Company offers you the most choices and flexibility in the industry. This will give you the peace of mind in knowing the new machines will fit seamlessly into your network, thus saving you time and money. 

I hope to work with you on this project. As discussed, I’ll follow up with you in about a week. If you have any questions or comments in the meantime, please give me a call. Thanks again, Bruce. 

Sincerely, 

Signature goes here 

John J. Chapin
Phone: 508-555-5555

Sales training ideas – What about the “new” way of selling where you focus on customer needs and wants?

Today we will talk about the “new, magic formula technique for selling” that some gurus have been talking about lately. In a nutshell, this new approach involves teaming up with the prospect or customer, angling in from their point of view, shifting power and instead of pushing product and going for the close, you’re supposed to pull information from your prospects and customers to find out what they really want. Once you know what they want, you then present the solution. Sounds great doesn’t it? And in reality, it is. The only problem with this approach is that it isn’t new. The most successful people on the planet for the past 40 or 50 years have known this method and used it. And it is in fact, the way to sell. Yet, this “new” approach resonates with a lot of salespeople who sell the wrong way.

One example of this type of salesperson can be found in a testimonial on the web for the “new approach”. In this testimonial, this salesperson, who has been in sales for 15 years, described his previous style as “old school, in-your-face, buy now, buy now, buy now, completely focused on numbers and closing.”

The truth is, if that’s your idea of selling, in other words, beating up the prospect and hammering out call after call, and closing until your blue in the face, whether the prospect needs your product or not, then this “new” approach to selling will be “new” and if you use it, it will dramatically help your sales career. Why? Because that “old school” approach he mentioned is the wrong approach, while focusing on what the prospect really needs and how you can help, is the right approach.

The bottom line on the “new” way to sell, which has always been the only way to sell successfully over the long haul: Here’s how to be extremely successful in sales, and in life for that matter, and never cold call again: Be honest and straight forward with prospects and customers. Have more of an interest in helping others than you do in making a commission. Do more than anyone else could ever expect of you. Treat your prospects and customers like the special and valuable people they are. And build strong, long-term relationships in which your prospects and customers become your good friends.

That is the short of it. If you can do what is spelled out in the above paragraph, you will be a success in sales and life, and those people you deal with will send their family, friends, doctor, clergyman, auto mechanic, lawyer, and everyone else they know your way to do business with you.

You see even the person with the lowest IQ on the planet has a built in lie detector. People inherently know your intention and they know when you are more focused on making a sale than in helping them. Thus, the first place to start selling is with your mindset and what you are focused on. Take a sincere interest in the other person and in helping that person. You may be able to help, you may not, either way, be honest and give your best effort. All anyone wants is your full attention and full effort, and they want to feel important, they want to know that they matter, and finally, they want to feel as if you care about them.

Take care of your prospects and customers, and they will take care of you!

John Chapin   www.completeselling.com

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