Let’s stop paying lip service to customer satisfaction and actually deliver on what we promise.  Get it completely right more of the time and prospects buy from us, rather than we have to keep selling to them.  Make sure you constantly over deliver on the customers expectations and do it with a positive attitude.  Starting today why not commit yourself to quality.  For quality will lead to repeat business and referrals and most successful sales people know that both of those are preferential to going out and constantly having to search for new business.  Short change your customers and you will most likely be cutting off your own future source of income.

Why not become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know?  Enthusiasm is infectious, indeed I’m on record as saying the only thing that’s more infectious than enthusiasm is the lack of it.  Being positive is often described as one of the most important traits in the really successful.  Do you have a positive, outgoing and enthusiastic attitude? Do you think if only everything went right for me then I would find it easy to be positive, easy to be enthusiastic about life and everything in it. Could you have it the wrong way round? Happy, positive, enthusiastic people usually suffer the same issues and challenges as everyone else. The difference is that they have just learnt to look on the bright side.

Be forgiving of yourself and others.  You can’t change the past – that deal you lost last month is history.  You can however learn from experiences and part of that is to remind yourself of what went well and determine what you’ll do differently next time around.  Equally cut those around you a little slack for aren’t you grateful when others choose to forgive and forget your past indiscretions.

Please don’t misunderstand my next point, I’m not advocating trying to nag a customer into doing business with you.  However there are plenty of times in sales we really should be more persistent. This of course has to be one of the most simple pointers a salesperson is ever given and I suspect one of the pieces of advise they find most easy to ignore.  Don’t be obstinate, however you can and should practice a little tenacity or “pester power.”  After all talk to any parent and they’ll probably confirm that their children use this tactic with great success.

Next shouldn’t we try and treat everyone we meet in the way that we would want to be treated.  Anyone in sales would do well to be reminded that the secretaries and receptionists that they are determined to get past are just doing their jobs.  The engineers, installers and programmers in your Company are simply trying to earn a living, and your Manager is trying to help you make more sales.  I’ve found that what goes around comes around, treat others with a little respect and consideration and you’re likely to find that’s how others treat you.

Big tip this and I’m afraid a little controversial. Be honest.  Don’t they say that honest people sleep better!  Well let me give you a second argument for being honest and you might never have thought of it like this before.  If you lie, you have to remember what you said and whom you’ve told what story, if you always tell the truth then it’s much easier.  Personally I’ll always do things that make my life easier.

Actually if my last tip was a big one, then this has to be gigantic. Be a self starter.  Activity is where it all begins and the work ethic should come from within.  Don’t wait for your Manager to tell you what you should be doing, do it anyway.  Stop blaming others.  Take responsibility for every area of your life.  Accountability and joint accountability are the recipe for a highly successful outfit, constantly trying to pass the buck is a recipe for abject failure.

Be bold and courageous.  When you look back on your life, you will regret the things you did not do more than the ones you did.  Please consider this – have you ever met a salesperson who regretted the cold calling and prospecting they did some time back?  I doubt so, rather you can find plenty of sales people who’ll happily tell you of a major account they now earn from that started out as a cold call.  Hard work might be an old fashioned concept, but I’m tempted to point out that very few people ever get to the top without going through that particular loop. The good news is that it’s within all of our capabilities, it’s our choice, we can get on with it if we want to.

It’s a common complaint from Sales Managers and Sales Directors when they’ve returned from accompanied visits, “My guys just don’t seem to see the buying signals.”  Perhaps we should focus a little more on this regular occurrence and determine if we can learn anything from it.  Personally I wonder if buying signals are actually much easier to spot when you’re not so close to the deal.  Surely it doesn’t matter quite as much as when it directly affects not only your income but possibly also whether or not you’ve still got a job.  Now please don’t get me wrong on this, I’m not for one minute suggesting that Sales Managers and Directors don’t care, of course they do.  It’s just often a little more personal when you’re the salesperson and it’s your opportunity. So in simple terms I’m suggesting that on some occasions the salesperson is almost, “to close to the trees to see the wood.”

When you are completely focused on a customer’s application, keeping the rapport, fully understanding their requirements, etc, etc then perhaps it’s inevitably going to be a struggle to spot every tiny signal that comes up.  Of course maybe we’ve actually stumbled across the biggest problem here, for it could be that too many of us are so focused on the technical aspects of the sale that we’ve just lost a little sight of how to actually bring the matter to a conclusion.

I’m certainly on record of constantly preaching the need to ask significantly more questions, more open questions and indeed better follow up questions.  In recent times I’ve found myself also reminding sales people to think a little more about how they respond to the questions they’re asked, for many buying signals start out as questions.  For example; “When can we have one?” “How long is the delivery time?” “How much is it?” “Where does the training take place?” “Is it possible to…?” “Can you install over the weekend?” “What is the cost of software upgrades?” Questions like these tend to “illuminate” the buyers interest for those of us who are looking out for it.  Unfortunately many salespeople simply answer the question and move on, the opportunity to close being at best delayed or at worst lost altogether.

Buying signals are not always customer’ questions, they can of course come in many different shapes and forms.  Take another example, when a prospect raises an objection you may well see it as “No, because….” If that was the case you would invariably try and deal with the “because”, in order to satisfy the prospects concern.  A considerably much more positive way of looking at this is to see an objection as a “Yes, but…” Because all you have to do is handle the “but” and you have yourself an order. Take the following illustration; Salesman- “Can we proceed with the paperwork?”  Prospect-  “It seems a bit expensive.”    (Note: The prospect hasn’t said no).  Salesman- “I take your point, but what you have to bear in mind is….”  (Note: The salesman handles the objection and can then try and re-close).

So far we’ve reminded ourselves that signals indicating a possible interest in making a purchase can come from both particular types of questions and even certain objections, (or customer concerns as we prefer to call them).  Now let’s explore other possible buying signals.  Even changed body language…eyes lighting up, or perhaps the prospect sitting forward, can and do indicate real interest in taking things to the next stage.  Likewise taking the telephone call in the first place can be a very strong signal, let’s think about it why would someone be willing to have a ten minute conversation during a busy day if they didn’t have some interest in what you’re offering? This of course follows through to an even greater degree if the customer has agreed to see you. When someone takes an appt then please appreciate you really ought to do it justice as there’s a large chance that your products and services can help the customer with a current problem or with some of their future aims and objectives.

Negotiating by a customer should on most occasions be taken as a pretty strong signal.   Again let’s think this one through why on earth would a customer waste their time and effort in the negotiation process if they weren’t thinking very seriously about ownership?

Comments like “that sounds interesting,” or even “it seems a bit expensive,” as stated earlier can be very positive.  Never underestimate the interest from a prospect when they start down this path, for it really will be rare day when they literally try “to snatch your hand off.”  Just a few quietly spoken words such as “that sounds interesting,” are often as enthusiastic as your customer is going to get – make the most of it because it doesn’t get much better.

Lastly I’d like to focus on yet another type of buying signal and although time means we can’t explore absolutely all possible combinations or examples, this last one should serve you very well.  This being a classic example of where far too many of us have a negative reaction when we really shouldn’t.  Instead of welcoming it, we react badly.  We resent not being able to continue at the pace we’ve set, we don’t like change, we miss the signal.  So what exactly am I getting at, well think about the following scenario.  You’ve met the buyer, you’ve gotten on particularly well and you’ve now got a very good idea of the opportunity. And what does the prospect do, he ups and invites someone else to be involved, he invites a colleague to come into the meeting. This can frustrate you, for you’ve now got to go through the whole thing again, and you may not have the same rapport with this new person.  Yes, I can see how you might feel just a little frustrated.  Again I feel we must think this one through, for why would a buyer get up and go and persuade someone else to join you unless they thought what you had to say was going to be of real interest to their organisation.

Buying signals are all around us, perhaps we need to use our senses a bit better to pick up on them, listen and observe a touch more.  We might even surprise ourselves if we “step back,” albeit only enough to be able to appreciate the full picture.

 The big question has to be “Why is this?” Several explanations come to mind, however the simplest and most straightforward argument may well be the most accurate. Could it be because there is very little information available on competitive selling skills. Virtually nothing has been written on the subject. Check the content in any sales books you come across as we suspect that very few, if any, address competitive selling.  If we’re not able to guide, mentor and train good salespeople to reach new heights then we really can’t be that surprised if they don’t raise their performance in line with our expectations.

Salespeople invariably fail to sell against the competition because they know about just one thing: their product or service. To sell against any competitors you ought to understand not only what they are offering but also more importantly what your prospects want or need.  Salespeople that lack an in depth knowledge and understanding of their prospects are unable to differentiate themselves from the competition. If you haven’t studied your prospects you will have nothing to talk about except yourself and the one thing you do have a good understanding of namely your products or services. You will not devote enough time to the most important subject of all, your prospects requirements, desires and needs.  We know prospects don’t buy products and services, they buy the benefits, the results that the products and services bring about. To truly understand which benefits and which results will be relevant, you must have a full and complete knowledge of your prospects.

You can add more value if you have more information about your prospects, and the greater your competitive edge will be. Understand absolutely everything you can about a prospects history, their current situation and just as importantly about their plans for the future.  Learn about their concerns, their issues and their problems, understand their aims, objectives and goals.  You cannot know too much, you can however say too much.

Many salespeople lose out in a competitive selling situation because they overlook minor differences between themselves and their competition. Do not prejudge the importance of any differences for what might seem minor to you may be of significant importance to your prospect. Again the more you know about your competition the easier it is to sell against them.  Find out what they sell, where they’re based, what are their strengths and if possible what are their weaknesses.

Most importantly never, ever rubbish the competition, it’s unprofessional and the prospect is very likely to be put off you as much as them. However you can differentiate yourself providing you know where the differences are.  Collect competitors quotes and proposals, making sure you fully disseminate them later on.  Where you have a good rapport with your customers ask them for their thoughts on your competitors.  You’ll be surprised how enlightening this can be.  The key of course is getting to a point where you have a good idea how the competition sell, once you’ve reached that stage it becomes easier to sell against them.

Sometimes salespeople lose out because they do not prepare, they have no game plan. Telling is not selling. Telling your prospects why your product or service is so much better than the competition is not as effective as asking questions that lead the prospect to tell you why your solution is best. Try the following three-step process for gaining competitive advantage.

Firstly, identify the unique strengths of your products, services and support and what they are in comparison to the competition.

Secondly, make a list of all the problems the prospect could face in the future if they don’t have your unique strengths.

Lastly, ask the prospect questions about these possible future problems. Look for mutual agreement on the costs that the prospect could incur as a result of those problems.

What we’re trying to do here is take the traditional Unique Selling Points (USP’s) and turn them into Unique Customer Benefits (UCB’s).  If you can help the prospect to see how your offering is more relevant to their situation.  If they hear your message and really feel that you’re on their side, you’re much more likely to win the business.

Never lose sight of the fundamentals when dealing with a fiercely competitive marketplace.  People buy from people that they believe are similar to themselves, they buy from people that they like.  People buy people in short.  You have an opportunity to secure a sale if you’re in front of a client, you’ll struggle to do this remotely.  If you’re on a face to face meeting you can judge the customers reaction to your proposal, you have an opportunity to question them more comprehensively.  You’re there and the competition aren’t.  For no other reason than that, if everything is equal and you’re there and the competition are no where to be seen then you can pick the order up and they can’t.

Competitive selling is for most of us unavoidable, and you therefore need to be able to handle it when it occurs.  In some situations the only way you can beat the competition is by doing a deal. However it makes sense to avoid as many price-war situations as you can.  To do this focus on your prospects wants and needs, understand where they’re coming from and where they want to go and you will really pull ahead from the competition.

When people enter a new calender year they often form resolutions that are all too soon forgotten. What started out as a great plan, soon becomes yesterday’s good intentions. Before you know it, many of us are back into the same old routine, making the same mistakes. We intended to get more done, make more calls, talk to more people. The ideas seemed excellent, the blueprint appeared spot on. We were optimistic, fired up and could see ourselves really making a difference. But alas all too often it doesn’t really happen; the best laid plans and all that.

Here’s a tricky little question.  Why do we wait for a particular event in order to start over? Whether it’s a new year, or when we get back from our holidays, or at the beginning of the next month. Why do we insist on waiting for a special occasion before we can get going? In my mind this really doesn’t make sense. If it’s the right thing to do, then shouldn’t we just do it? We’re actually blessed with 365 new days every year. Each day starts again and yesterday is gone. The day finished and at some stage we probably went to sleep. then as if by magic we wake up approximately eight hours later and it’s a new day: a new beginning. We can start over, we can start anew, and more importantly we can do it any day we like.

Lots of us know you only really fail when you give up; you aren’t failing when you’re trying again. George Allen said, “People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don’t know when to quit. Most men succeed because they are determined to.” Someone else penned ‘It’s always too early to quit.’ Keep that thought at the forefront of your mind as you have another go at starting over. Success is very rarely far off. Search a little more and try a little harder. If you don’t quite succeed today, start again tomorrow.

1. In recent times public sector spending has come under greater and greater scrutiny. If the public sector make up part of your customer base, now’s the time to prepare for possible changes. I’ve said it before, and no doubt I’ll say it again if you know there’s a drought on the way, then start digging your well. Outside of the public sector business still goes on. The prediction is that growth will come from the private sector. That’s perhaps the place we should start to try and uncover some opportunities, try and find some new customers, market ourselves better and more effectively. Start to do some things that will help make the phone ring.

2. The very best run businesses suffer from natural attrition. Over time and for reasons beyond their control they lose some of their customer base.  If this happens to the very best run businesses why do we sometimes think it won’t happen to us. However good your customer service is, you will come under attack from your competition, some of your customers will merge, be acquired and occasionally even cease trading. In short, over any time span, your customer base if left to it’s own devices, is likely to shrink. Yet again maybe we should be taking steps to attract some more new customers.

3.  It also dawned on me the other day that you really can’t know everything, you can’t remember everything, we’re all human, we all have to re-learn certain tasks. If you’re not doing something every day, if it’s one of those jobs, projects or tasks that you only do occasionally isn’t it inevitable that you forget the odd clever short cut, you forget the very best way to do it.  Of course on top of that, things change, new ideas, new technology could and should be taken into account.  But, can you be an (up to date) expert on everything? Obviously you’re a better man than me if you think you can.

So what’s this leading to? Simple really, if you accept any of the points above then please talk to us about picking up some new sales and marketing strategies that will help.  It costs pretty much nothing to talk, and who knows you might end up with a really good result. Drop me quick email or give me a quick ring, whichever is easier and let’s at least explore the matter.

Imagine the scene, two families have emigrated and by coincidence are driving through a rural area of their chosen destination.  The first family (let’s call them the Smiths) are a couple of hours ahead of the ‘Jones’s’

It’s a lovely sunny day and a farmer is leaning on a wooden gate admiring Gods handiwork when the Smiths pull up alongside the farmer and ask him what sort of people live around about.  Before the farmer replied he asks them what sort of people lived in the area they came from?  “A really despicable lot of liars, cheats and thieves,” came the reply. “Oh dear,” said the farmer, “Unfortunately I doubt if you’re going to find it any better around here.”  Suffice to say the Smiths didn’t hang about and they sped off pretty quickly.

Several hours later who should pull up alongside the same farmer but the Jones.  The farmer was still pondering his crop, the weather and life in general.

Mrs Jones asked a fairly similar question to what was asked before.  She wondered “What sort of people are we likely to come across around here?”  Exactly the same reply came from the farmer, namely he asked back “What sort of people lived where you started out from?”  “A fairly decent lot in the main,” said Mrs Jones, “some pretty nice people, honest, friendly, and helpful.”  “That’s good”, said the farmer “and you’re in luck because I suspect you’ll find pretty much the same type of people here about.”

The principal moral to the story is… when it comes to other people, their attitude, even their behaviour.  To a degree (and here’s the kicker) you’ll probably find what you’re looking for.  Maybe we should all think about:

a) Who we choose to mix with and

b) Whether we choose to see people in a reasonably positive light or whether we constantly search for the worst in others.

The parallel could be the current economic climate.  If we keep behaving like its all doom and gloom then arguably our actions are helping to stifle any recovery.  If on the other hand we set about raising our game, getting the best out of the team and generally focusing on going forward then we’re doing just that, going forward.  We’re helping ourselves, we’re helping others and we’re helping getting the marketplace going again.  Good for us.