Want to help more people and make more sales?

While teaching sales strategies to two different clients yesterday and today, both said to me, “Wow.. I need to unlearn what my company taught me. No wonder I’m not getting many appointments set.”

I’ve also heard this before from past clients. And this can’t be coincidence.

These two particular companies are well known and respected ones – one of the oldest and best-known in the financial services industry and one very respected marketing company. Both teach their sales staff very specific strategies and scripts filled with phrases that boast of the company’s successes, accolades, and awards but do very little to engage the prospect’s dreams, wants and desires. They don’t connect the dots from what the company offers to what’s in the prospect’s mind and heart.

So how do you connect those dots? By asking great sales questions.

Here are six quick tips to do it: 

1. Don’t assume you know your prospect’s pain and pleasure points – ask them. Even if you guess correctly, they need to be expressed in their own words, not yours, so they can relate both intellectually and emotionally.
2. Make an active sales experience for your prospect, not passive.
3. Create a sales conversation instead of a presentation.
4. Help your prospect get clear on what they want, how it will positively impact them and what the costs are for not acting.
5. Use check-in questions and assess the fit as you go.
6. Leave the decision-making power with your prospect. As you progress, ask them if they’d like to hear more. Don’t try to be sly or force a sale on them. If you’ve done a good job at helping them connect the dots, the buying decision (the “close”) is up to them. 

It doesn’t matter how good your product or service is if you can’t help your prospect make an emotional and intellectual connection. Your goal is help them to take action and have ownership of their buying decision. These steps will virtually guarantee that. 

Jason E. Rosado
Business Coach & Speaker

Helping service-based small biz owners and sales professionals achieve your ideal business in 12 months or less. Want to get started?  Sign up for your FREE “Business Success E-Series”!   

773.829.1276
Jason@DistinctiveCoaching.com

Website: http://www.AchieveYourIdealBusiness.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BizCoachJason
Facebook Profile: http://facebook.com/BizCoachJason 
Small Biz Tip of the Day: http://facebook.com/GrowYourBiz  

BEST:
A really good sales (and marketing) system and approach is one that helps people to make life-changing decisions and take action, even if they don’t buy.

LEAST:
Honestly, nothing comes to mind. When I sell, as well as when I teach my clients how to sell, it’s all about getting to what’s best for the prospect. Again so even if they don’t buy, I look at it as a ‘Win’ for both sides. And taking that approach and giving that value does lead to many more closes and happy clients.

But, I don’t want to short-change the question, so I guess if I had to pick one thing as a “least,” it would be the once-in-a-while when I can’t help someone to make a decision one way or the other. I find that generally these people are usually not the sort of people I want to work with anyway.

Sorry… I guess I turned that back into a positive again. LOL

I’m sure there are things I don’t like, but this was just off the top of my head in reponse to an online post.

-> What are your thoughts on the “Best and Least Liked Aspects of Sales”?

Sales skills – relationship building, problem solving and service skills – outweigh product knowledge importance.

In short order, your task list to close a sale is:

• Get buyer attention
• Tailor and deliver an enticing marketing message
• Build the relationship, as well as your credibility, trustworthiness and likeability
• Coach the sale through to completion
• Follow up when promised

Of course you want to have a good understanding of how the product or service works, and more importantly, how it will solve the prospect’s challenges, wants and needs. And you want to sound knowledgeable and professional, but the specifics about the product or service process aren’t as important because you can call on others in your company to answer those questions, if needed.

Researching info and getting back to the prospect in a prompt fashion with the requested data can even aid in building credibility. It’s much better to double-check something than provide incorrect, conflict or confusing information.

Happy Sales!
Jason

Do you agree or disagree? Please post your thoughts and experiences.

Dear Chicago Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners,

Confused by the difference between a Profile, a Group and a Fan Page?

Not sure which to use, or if you should use Facebook at all for business?? You’re not alone. Many people are confused. And the short answer is…

YES! You should ABSOLUTELY be using Facebook for business.

We held this workshop earlier in the year, and everyone loved it. SO we’re doing it again!

REGISTRATION, LOCATION and REVIEWS – TWO great local groups to choose from:
http://www.meetup.com/ChicagoBusinessDevelopmentForum/calendar/11921834/ 
http://www.meetup.com/OakParkSmallBiz/calendar/11921942/

*** In this “FACEBOOK for Fun and Profit!” session, we are going to focus on using “FB” to:
- Build your networking, marketing and client funnel
- Set YOU up as an expert in your field
- Get you maximum exposure
- Explore the different features and find out which ones work

…So clients will be attracted and drawn to you!

- Uncover the easy SALES and MARKETING tips, tricks, and strategies that the pro’s use and HOW to apply these to your FACEBOOK Strategy.
- Find out HOW easy it is, and what to do to catch this Social Networking wave and ride it to your heart’s desire
- Find out the fastest way to make connections, build relationships and harness online networking power of Facebook
- Learn from others that have experienced firsthand the business explosion from Facebook and will teach you HOW to duplicate it AND have fun with it!

December 2, 2009
1:30 – 3pm, Wicker Park, Chicago

REGISTRATION, LOCATION and REVIEWS – TWO great local groups to choose from:
http://www.meetup.com/ChicagoBusinessDevelopmentForum/calendar/11921834/ 
http://www.meetup.com/OakParkSmallBiz/calendar/11921942/

See you there!
Jason Organizer & Founder:
Chicago Business Development Forum
Oak Park Area Small Biz & Entrepreneurs
– “Cultivating Small Business Networking, Growth and Success!”

“I don’t know about the rest of you but I have decided to stop boring my prospects and wasting their time. Before my next sales call I will have at least 12 reserve question topics to use when the prospect gets silent. What I am doing currently is wait until things get silent the start showing brochures and product dumping…”

This is an interesting question, and I know a lot of entrepreneurs feel this way when they are making lead generation calls, having coffee while networking or giving sales presentations.

Here was my reply and advice on this question:

Hi,

Kudos on the idea for preparing 12 questions for your next sales call.

What I would recommend instead of waiting to use them for when the prospect gets silent, is to start with them.

This is what I work on with my own clients to greatly increase their sales effectiveness and close rates. Also, from a personal stand-point, I hate it when someone is trying to sell me something and assumes that I have no background or clue about what they’re talking about. They take 10 – 15 minutes of my time to “educate me” on stuff I already know or don’t take the time to find out my previous experiences or perceptions. This is a big turn-off, and even if I really have some interest, they probably have already blown the sale with me.

As a sales pro, you want to ask lots of questions, get them talking. Have them talk about their pains, their desires, their wants, their needs. Ask them about problems they’ve had and experiences they want to top.

Ideally, they should be talking 80% of the time. After they have given you all the info they can think of and relate to, and qualifying and pre-selling themselves in the process, then it’s your turn talk and be the answer to all their prayers.

Just make sure you are being truthful and can deliver on all you promise.

Good luck on the next call! And please let me know if I can answer any questions or ever be of assistance in any way.

All the best, and no more Zzzzzzzzzzzzz…..’s :)

Jason
http://www.AchieveYourIdealBusiness.com

So what does this all mean?

Even though this article is aimed at the corporate world, there are obviously huge implications for the small business and entrepreneurial folks.  Massive societal growth in networking, collaborating and coaching… some of my favorite pastimes… will lead to better decision-making skill and helping and service attitudes – which also will lead to more viral marketing, affiliate marketing and joint ventures between companies offering their products and services to the same target markets.

For those of us already doing the solopreneur gig, we have a headstart. But we need to keep learning, growing and staying ahead of the curve.

And… Don’t miss tomorrow’s FREE TELECLASS to start this new world process: http://idealprospect.eventbrite.com – better networking, marketing and sales success for eveyone!

“Get Out of the Training Business”  –  Jay Cross

The dawn of a new age

If you’re looking for a way to weather the economic downturn, the first thing you need to do is realize that it’s a permanent climate change, not a passing storm.

What we are experiencing today is fundamental. The industrial age is in its death throes, making way for the unfolding of the network age…

http://www.clomedia.com/effectiveness/jay-cross/2009/February/2532/index.php

Enjoy!
Jason

Jason E. Rosado
Business Coach

Helping entrepreneurs, home-based & small biz owners, and sales professionals achieve your ideal business in 12 months or less.
Want to get started?  Sign up for your FREE “Business Success E-Series”!773.829.1276
Jason@DistinctiveCoaching.com

Website: http://www.AchieveYourIdealBusiness.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BizCoachJason
Facebook Profile: http://profile.to/BizCoachJason
Facebook Business Group: http://groups.to/IdealBusinessCommunity

So what does this all mean?

Even though this article is aimed at the corporate world, there are obviously huge implications for the small business and entrepreneurial folks.  Massive societal growth in networking, collaborating and coaching… some of my favorite pastimes… will lead to better decision-making skill and helping and service attitudes – which also will lead to more viral marketing, affiliate marketing and joint ventures between companies offering their products and services to the same target markets.

For those of us already doing the solopreneur gig, we have a headstart. But we need to keep learning, growing and staying ahead of the curve.

And… Don’t miss tomorrow’s FREE TELECLASS to start this new world process: http://idealprospect.eventbrite.com – better networking, marketing and sales success for eveyone!

“Get Out of the Training Business”  –  Jay Cross

The dawn of a new age

If you’re looking for a way to weather the economic downturn, the first thing you need to do is realize that it’s a permanent climate change, not a passing storm.

What we are experiencing today is fundamental. The industrial age is in its death throes, making way for the unfolding of the network age…

http://www.clomedia.com/effectiveness/jay-cross/2009/February/2532/index.php

Enjoy!
Jason

Jason E. Rosado
Business Coach

Helping entrepreneurs, home-based & small biz owners, and sales professionals achieve your ideal business in 12 months or less.
Want to get started?  Sign up for your FREE “Business Success E-Series”!773.829.1276
Jason@DistinctiveCoaching.com

Website: http://www.AchieveYourIdealBusiness.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/BizCoachJason
Facebook Profile: http://profile.to/BizCoachJason
Facebook Business Group: http://groups.to/IdealBusinessCommunity

Networking can give you a headache
if it’s not done well…

I read a post today in an online
professional discussion forum about a
networking event that the poster
attended.  He said that there were a lot
of small business owners there, and he
was constantly “getting pitched and
pitched hard” as he met people.

I can definitely relate.  I go to many
networking events. And I have
encountered many sales people, small
business owners and other “experts”
that love telling people what they need
and what they should be doing about
– well, everything!

When I read the post, though, a part
of me wanted to apologize on behalf of
those small biz owners and sales folks. 
You see…

I am also one of the small business
owners, and a lot of my livelihood
depends on networking.

But I don’t “pitch” my services to people
I meet at networking events. I found out
a long time ago that is counter-productive.

When asked, I follow a system to tell
them what I do and who I help, and
then I listen to see if they want to talk
further about it. If not, we move on to
other topics.

I think there is no faster way to kill a
relationship before it’s begun than to
pitch to someone who may not be
interested, or to assume that someone
“needs” your product or service and
then act prematurely on that assumption.

And this is important because…

Successful networking is all about
relationship building.  Not sales.

Let me put it another way:

The best way to get sales results
from networking is to not sell.

Before you decide I’m just plain goofy,
let me explain.

As I said, I do a lot of networking, and
my business and sales depend on it.
And I think I understand sales pretty well, 
having provided large group sales training
sessions and one-on-one sales coaching
for large well known companies as well as
smaller, less known businesses.

I have taken what I’ve learned from my
various business experiences as well as
material I’ve studied and trainings I’ve
attended, and combined them to develop
workshops for others that also depend
on successful networking and sales
strategies.

Below is a snippet of some of the
“Networking Do’s and Don’ts” that I’ve
shared at those events, which have
proven to go a long way to helping
achieve long-term growth:

Do:
- Be polite, respectful & honest.
- Maintain a “helpful” mindset at all times.
- Think about what you can do to help
the other person, not what they can
do for you.
- Ask a lot of questions.
- Enjoy learning about others.

Don’t:
- Don’t “sell” without permission.
- Don’t open with “What do you do?”
because it limits rapport-building.
- No matter how great your conversation
was, don’t rely on them to contact you.
Take the initiative to follow up.

I hope you find this information useful,
especially when you’re at your next
networking event.

All the best,
Jason

P.S. If you would like to learn more about
how to put these and other proven
networking skills into action, please join
me for a fr.ee teleclass

called
“Networking Necessities” this week:

http://necessities.eventbrite.com

Participants will have a chance to win
a complementary pass to my
“Supercharge Your Sales & Networking”
workshop on April 19. It will cover how
you can get the most out of sales and
networking, and how you can maximize
your bottom line results by following
an easy system to integrate the best
of both in an incredibly effective and
helpful way.

I have learned so much about networking over the past few years, both from my failures and my successes. I was able to find out what I did flat-out wrong, what I was good at, and what are the “right” things to do that I now love networking because I get so much out of it personally and professionally.

I even took the lessons I have learned from networking and sales and created a workshop that combines the best practices of both for business owners and sales professionals. It teaches not only how to overcome shyness and lack of direction to create a guaranteed success plan, but also how to make your networking and sales work together synergistically to building really strong relationships and leverage those to bring you the sales you want.

So first, you need to build relationships online, offline, at networking events and through other connections. Get to know them – what they want and how you can support them. Then market to them in a very giving way. Treat the people in your network and in your contact database just the same as you would your friends and family.

Become a trusted advisor to them. Provide help and support without expecting anything in return. And know when and how to market to them only when it’s a win-win outcome for both of you.

I hope this answer helps other people out there that are in the same place that I was. And for anyone that would like to learn more, please feel free to contact me.

All the best,
Jason Rosado
www.DistinctiveCoaching.com

P.S. Here is more info on the networking and sales workshop: http://www.DistinctiveCoaching.com/Supercharge.html  

And a Free teleclass preview: http://necessities.eventbrite.com