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  

Feel free to comment with your thoughts, experiences, and share your insights with the other members. The more you share and post, the more exposure you get for your business…

* FRIDAY Tip of the Day: Prioritizing and efficiency -> When making your To-Do list at night, place the thing that… http://bit.ly/b8HJZU

* THURSDAY Tip of the Day: Getting More Yes’s to Your Networking and Sales Meeting Requests – Have you demonstrated… http://bit.ly/bkjSur

* WEDNESDAY Tip of the Day: When writing an online profile, bio or description of your business, be sure to relate… http://bit.ly/bg4lLN

* TUESDAY Tip of the Day: Use the “Solution, problem, solution” format in your speaking engagements and sales… http://bit.ly/aOS2Qj

* MONDAY Tip of the Day: The biggest sales mistake that most people make is not asking enough questions. You need to… http://bit.ly/9o1L9K

Have a great week!
BizCoachJason
http://facebook.com/BizCoachJason

Even if you’re not a baseball fan, stick with me here. I’m talking about how to implement your sales game plan to gear up for a long, successful season.

Actually, I’m more of a football and basketball fan myself, but this baseball analogy made too much sense to pass up.

But first, let’s talk about how your philosophy can impact your overall game.

I work with my clients to transform their sales philosophy so “sales” is equated with “service,” no matter where the prospect is in the sales cycle.

“Sales = Service”

The goal of your sales call is to find a way to offer help and work with that prospect (not “pitch to” them) towards realizing some value gained from your interaction. That value you provide should be appropriate and proportionate to your own business goals and needs.

So when you contact a prospect, the main question on your agenda should be:

“How can I help this person make their job and life better?”

This approach solves A LOT of confusion, anxiety and uncertainty, and it also creates a very effective, ethical and enjoyable sales process for both parties.

If the result of your contact ends up simply being the chance for you to give some advice, resources or other form of value, great. They’ll appreciate and remember you for it.

If the outcome is to set up a face-to-face, phone or web meeting to offer more time for an in-depth conversation, solution or advisory session, even better.

If your call ends up being a sale that’s going to solve all their problems, that’s obviously awesome.

But even if it turns out that they don’t need your help, that’s good, too. Either it isn’t and won’t be a good fit for you to work together, or it just isn’t the right time for them *right now*. You can assess that, so you know how and when to move forward with them, and that is time well spent.

Remember, it takes time to develop a relationship, and this is how successfully closed sales are built - over the course of productive and mutually beneficial interactions and conversations.

In terms of progress during the sale cycle, let’s get back to our baseball analogy, because this is where it gets really important and most sales professionals strike out:

You don’t need to hit a homerun every time.  

Actually, don’t even try to hit a homerun every time.

The risk/reward ratio is in your favor to just get on base – make small victories that build – rather than striking out most often with the hope you’ll hit one out of the park once in a while. Those probably won’t happen fast enough, and you’ll be out of the game in no time at all.

So by thinking and acting in terms of providing service when you’re up to bat, you’ll hear the crowd go wild, you’ll advance your runner, and you’ll safely cross home plate more often.

And the best part – Everyone wins.

Play ball!

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.

I’m happy to say that recently a number of past clients have contacted and hired me again to help them with this very question, to get down pat the skills, strategies, motivations and action plans needed to make it happen. That’s always a wonderful sign and feeling.

I like to help my clients set up a system that involves online and offline networking, getting exposure as an expert in their field, and using various client attraction methods to really put the fun back into marketing and sales.

I recommend people find ways to engage past, current and future clients in ways that really resonate with them as individuals and appeal to their target client. Provide lots of helpful info – create newsletters or teleclasses, speak at events, organize networking gatherings, use Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Meetup, partner up with others that share the same target audience, and join a “leads” group.

Connect and build relationships based on mutual interests and joint benefits. It’s all there for the taking, and it can be a very enjoyable and rewarding experience!

If you would like more info on any of these ideas, please feel free to ask me. I’d be happy to help.

All the best,
Jason
Jason@DistinctiveCoaching.com 
773.829.1276

Helpful links:
http://bit.ly/dcsnsr – Social Networking Special Report
http://www.AchieveYourIdealBusiness.com – 5 Easy Steps to Grow Your Business

Does this invitation sound familiar?

“Hi Jason,

I’d like to get together for lunch or a cup of coffee. I had some thoughts that I wanted to share with you. If you have time in the next week let me know. Thanks talk with you soon.”

Sometimes I get quite a few invitations to meet for lunch or coffee in any given week. The invitations are usually from people I have met at a networking event or they were in the audience of a presentation I gave. Often they cite “networking” as the reason for the meeting. Sometimes they state a vague reason such as “to share ideas,” or don’t offer any reason at all.

I especially love those – no reason given at all.  I’m glad that people think I have really great ideas for nice restaurants and coffee shops. And I must be the best company and offer the most interesting conversation, because all these people want to sit, chat and sip coffee with me. I’m glad I have unlimited time. That helps a lot, too.

But here’s the real situation.

I’m a busy guy running my business, serving my clients and trying to provide help to the public in general when I can – through articles like this one, offering free teleclasses, free networking events and providing workshops, speaking engagements and other various events. I have a wife, and my family is in the area. I go to networking events, meet people at social events (I love to play volleyball), work with organizations that are dear to my heart, go out to eat, go for an occasional movie, and did I mention serving my clients? I really do take a lot of time to make sure they are a top priority and receive lots of attention.

Anyway, after many years of networking, I know that an offer to meet one-on-one for a ”networking” lunch or coffee is often code for ”let’s meet so I can spend 45 minutes telling you exactly what I do, how I do it, and why people want to buy from me. Then you, Jason, can give me the names, phone numbers and email addresses of people that you know that I should call and sell to.” Or plainly, “I think you should hire me, so let’s meet and I can tell you why. But I’m not going to give you an inkling now, because you might catch on and foil this little brilliant plan of mine.” (Insert evil, fiendish laugh here.)

Now, why wouldn’t I just jump at the chance for something like this? I mean, this does sound like a lot of fun, after all! I haven’t got else much going on; I’m waiting by the phone to get these invitations, and I am really looking forward to these “secretive” visits.

Ok… So am I really that unfriendly, mean-spirited and unwilling to assist people that meet me and want help? Am I trying to tell everyone who reads this never to ask me to meet for lunch?

No, I’m not. Of course not.

I highly believe in helping others. I also believe in trying to uncover and leverage mutually beneficial relationships, objectives and strategies. And I want for my networking partners to also have this as a priority.

After all…

Two people are better than one.

A group is more than the sum of its parts.

Teamwork rules!

But I am busy, as I mentioned before. I have professional, personal and self-care obligations. Yep – volleyball and getting to the pool fall in there! And I do like to know that a meeting isn’t solely for the purpose of me having the honor to provide free coaching, consulting or prospecting or getting pitched to when I haven’t been asked for that privilege, which based on past experience is my assumption if there is only a vague reason given. 

I’m sure you have felt the same way.

Here’s the deal, fellow networkers:

If you are going to ask someone for a meeting, please let the other person know WHY you want to meet. And be honest.

If it’s because you are just starting out and you would like to find prospects, tell me that. I’ll appreciate it, and I’ll be able to better serve you by having time to come up with some ideas prior to sitting down. I’ll also, honestly, be able to prioritize the meeting and make it work better in my schedule. (I’m so selfish!)

If it’s because you are looking for “free” coaching or consulting, let me know that too. I don’t mind helping people, especially after they have been to one of my seminars and have already become a bit familiar with my philosophies and strategies, or are even thinking of hiring me.

And if it’s because you want me to speak at your function, event or organization, tell me that too. I can properly prepare and make the best and most efficient use of our time together to make sure we both get a lot of value from our meeting.

Do we see a pattern here?

Yes! Tell me WHY you want to meet with me, WHAT you hope to gain from it, and importantly – WHY I WOULD WANT to meet with you. 

And if the reason is for free ideas, coaching, consulting, or prospecting, think ahead of time how this meeting can be valuable for the me as well – what can you bring of value to the meeting? - and please state that clearly and simply.

Ok, I know what you might be thinking:

“But if I tell you honestly, directly and exactly what’s on my mind, I would lose my ‘tactical advantage,’ and even worse, you might say ‘no.’”

True. The other person might not see the meeting as valuable and perhaps might not even accept.

But that’s OK! They probably wouldn’t have been a good networking, referral or mentor partner for you anyway. And now you have saved lots of time and effort, and can find someone else to ask.

Do you really want to drive an hour, or ask them to drive to you, sit down with them, annoy them with a long-winded pitch or plea for help, and because you were subversive, you end up with no help, ruin a potentially good relationship and harm your reputation?

And by not being straightforward from the beginning, you are placing the other person in the awkward position of trying to be polite but maybe not wanting to give you full attention, because they don’t know or are worried about your agenda and goals for the meeting. So they put off answering, and can eventually end up unintentionally ignoring you all together.

I’ve been there. And I don’t like that feeling at all.

Lastly, after hearing what you want to accomplish from the meeting, I might be able to offer a better or more attractive option. Many such meetings can easily be done over the phone, or I might be able to invite you to a group that is meeting for the very same reason. And get this – you can MULTIPLY YOUR RESULTS that you would have gotten from meeting with me alone!

But hey, that’s only for those people that really want to increase their results and decrease their time, money and energy in getting them. 

So here are the easy two steps to get more sales, prospecting and networking meetings:

1.) Tell the other person “What’s in it for them!”

You’ll be more focused, willing and able to bring even more great value to your new business relationship. And they will be more motivated and likely to accept your invitation!

2.) Be upfront and honest about your agenda and motives.

If you are upfront and honest about your meeting goals, you will get more appointments, foster better relationships, create more good will and synergy with others, and improve your sales, reputation and “brand.” Then there’s no stopping you!

Now, anyone up for coffee? Or how about some NETWORKING VOLLEYBALL?

A: That’s an awesome and very valid question. I always look at any business opportunity or investment as what’s going to be the bottom-line return on investment?

If you’re like me, you’ve probably spent a lot of time reading articles, books, listening to CDs, MP3’s and watching DVD’s on various success topics. You may have also spent money to attend workshops, weekend or sometimes week-long seminars, and paid great tuition and travel expenses to do it. I’ve done all of these as well.

There is a ton of great information out there, and I enjoy providing my Business Success E-Series subscribers the valuable insights that I provide on various business-building ideas, strategies and skills. But it’s the lack of a specific customized strategy and accountability that usually slows down entrepreneurs from taking this wealth of information and creating the kind of success that they want.

According to statistics from the American Society of Training & Development, the probability of achieving a goal if you hear an idea is 10%. If you plan how to achieve the goal, it’s 50%. When you commit to someone else that you will achieve the goal and put in place a specific accountability system with that person, it goes up to 95%.

Coaching helps you sustain measurable progress towards your goals, improves your skill set, and helps you to think and plan more strategically while managing risk more effectively. Because of these factors, your stress level will decrease because you have created a strategic plan, an accountability partner, a sounding board and a mentor to work with you, freeing up even more energy, time and thought to make your accomplishment even easier and the process more enjoyable.

And the investment? Well, yes.. it’s not free. Entering in business coaching is an investment in yourself and your business. If you want to double or triple your sales, spend less time working and more time playing, or reduce your stress so you can sleep soundly at night - are those worth the investment? Only you can answer that. And I am happy to help you find that answer. Just ask.

Here’s to your success!
BizCoachJason

Competition for jobs is so fierce, and hiring the wrong person can waste time, money, energy, productivity, and cause a lot of stress for everyone involved.

This article is written for the hiring manager, to help them make a great staff decision, but it is also helpful to the job candidate as they prepare for the interview.

When I coach my small business clients that are growing their business and hiring new employees, I give them the standard questions to ask, such as “Tell me about yourself”, “What are you three best skills”, “What is your biggest weakness”, “Where do you see yourself in three/five years”, “Why do you think this would be a great job for you”, etc. 

We also work together to create questions that asses skill sets that they want their new hire to have a mastery of.  These questions typically start with “Tell me about a time when…” and end depending on appropriate skill or characteristic that is being assessed.

For example:

“Tell me about a time when/describe a time when…”
- “… you had a disagreement with your manager, but you just knew that you were right.”
This can asses many things: conflict resolution skills and styles, relationship building & maintenance skills, communication abilities, etc.

- “… you were working with a difficult or irate customer.”
Obviously, this looks at their customer service tendencies, philosophies and behaviors.

- “…as you approached an important deadline, you saw that you weren’t going to make it.”
This can show how they prioritize and set action plans and goals, in addition to how they handle unexpected and possibly stressful situations.

- “…you had to give a poor review or rating to an underachieving employee that you were managing.”
This might give a glimpse to their leadership and mentoring abilities and styles.

Some follow up questions to their initial answers might include:

- How did you handle that?
- What was your biggest concern at the time?
- Do you feel the situation was resolved?
- Looking back, do you think you would have done anything differently?

These are great questions from the hiring manager’s perspective, and they can be difficult for the job candidate to prepare for.

I suggest an interviewee take a look at the job description and make a list of probable skills that the interviewer may want to measure appropriate for the position. Prepare examples from your experience that demonstrate positive outcomes. Sometimes there is no “right answer” – the interviewer just wants to asses your thought and communication style to see if it is a fit with theirs or with the department or company culture.

And lastly, both sides need to be very truthful when answering interview questions. If you concentrate too hard on selling yourself or your company during the intweview, you’ll probably accomplish just that. But when the new hire begins working, you might find it’s a very poor fit and will probably not have a happy ending for either side.

I hope these ideas help both job candidates and hiring managers alike.

To your succes,
Jason

Where is Jason speaking next?
Take a look at www.DistinctiveCoaching.com/events/ to find out or have him speak at your event!

Jason E. Rosado
Business Coach & Professional Speaker

Helping entrepreneurs, small biz owners, and sales professionals achieve your ideal business in 12 months or less. 
Vision, Strategy, Sales, Success.

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

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